In the early 1990s, psychiatrist Thomas Wehr conducted an experiment in which a group of people were plunged into darkness for 14 hours every day for a month.
It took some time for their sleep to regulate but by the fourth week the subjects had settled into a very distinct sleeping pattern. They slept first for four hours, then woke for one or two hours before falling into a second four-hour sleep.
Though sleep scientists were impressed by the study, among the general public the idea that we must sleep for eight consecutive hours persists.
I gave up worrying about my sleep habits some time ago, accepting the fact that I sleep in shifts to be somewhat normal for a man of a certain age and station in life. That said, it IS a right-royal PITA when your day begins sometime around noon (on most days) and you go directly from your "morning" coffee to Happy Hour.
And we'll have none o' that "Neanderthal" stuff, thank ya very much. The foregoing assumes you read the linked article, of course.
Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings makes a save on Dale Weise of the Vancouver Canucks during an NHL game at Joe Louis Arena on October 13, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. Photograph by: Dave Reginek, NHLI via Getty Images
The Beloved Wings host the Vancouver Canucks tonight at The Joe and hope to extend their home winning streak to 24 consecutive games. The Canucks, OTOH, hope to end it... which will make for a VERY interesting game. Some words from the Canucks home press (The Vancouver-based Province):
DETROIT -- Like anyone needs another reason to look forward to a game between the Red Wings and Canucks.
They are the two best teams in the league, based on points.
They play two of the most exciting styles and employ some of the game's most exciting players.
And now history is on the line.
Short of a Western Conference final, it doesn't get better than this: The Canucks have a chance to end the Wings' amazing string of 23 straight wins at home.
Think about that for a moment, those 23 wins in a row at Joe Louis Arena.
The Canucks this season are in the top 25 percentile of home wins and their biggest streak is four victories in a row.
Last year they were the best home team in the league with 27 wins and they managed to twice win six in a row.
So what Detroit has done, surpassing the 20 straight wins the 1975-76 Flyers and 1929-30 Bruins managed at home, is one of those records you think can never be broken.
“That's an amazing, amazing feat,” Alain Vigneault said. “I mean, to win 23 games in a row at home in such a competitive league is remarkable.
“We're going to go in there, we're going to have an opportunity to put our best game on the ice and see what happens.”
And you know what?
Canucks players have been cheering for the Wings for a couple of weeks now, hoping they'd keep playing bad host right up to the moment the visitors from Vancouver ring the doorbell.
Well... of course the Canucks want to the end the streak... who wouldn't? I'm thinkin' Vancouver's just another brick in the wall because the Wings have played some pretty tough teams during that 23-game run... contenders in the Western Conference like the Preds, the Blues, and the Sharks, as well as contenders from the East, most recently Philadelphia. So, yeah, Vancouver will be tough but no tougher than any other team. Why? Because EVERY team brings their "A" game when they play the Wings. Every. Single. One.
So... My Buddy Ed In Florida left for Taos this morning at oh-dark-thirty to begin the first leg of his annual ski vacation, which will include NM, parts o' Colorado, and end up in Utah. We'll prolly see him again on his return trip to Florida. But, that said, if your world seems to be a lil bit brighter this morning we'll take credit for that. Our "fixing the world" session lasted until around midnight and consumed a lot o' beer (on Ed's part) and a significant amount o' single malt (on YrHmblScrb's part). I'm amazed, mystified, and more than somewhat gratified that I awoke with a clear head this morning. I'm thinkin' the "clear head" HAD to be a near-run thang.
That's My Buddy Ed In Florida, who's doin' double duty as My Buddy Ed In P-Ville. So we're doin' important stuff, like drinkin' beer and smokin' cigars. Regular programming will resume tomorrow.
A hundred dollar Franklin is really sweet
A five hundred McKinley is the one for me
If I get a Cleveland, I'm really set
A thousand dollar Cleveland is hard to get Them dead presidents
Them dead presidents
Well I ain't broke but I'm badly bent
Everybody loves them dead presidents
I've thought about bein' a Wally-World greeter. But not TOO seriously, though, mainly because I just ain't too terribly fond o' people. In general. Present company excepted.
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The obligatory "well, this sucks" WX post:
It's the frickin' wind, Gentle Reader. All damned day, too.
The Cuervo Gold
The fine Colombian
Make tonight a wonderful thing
We can't dance together
No we can't talk at all
No... but there might could be OTHER thangs we can do. Which brings to mind a friend from the past, she bein' 19 and me 32 when we met. She DID remember Aretha, to the girl's everlasting credit, and she had an appreciation for stuff that "make tonight a wonderful thing." We're still friends to this day.
DETROIT -- If you can't beat them, shoot the puck right at them and see if that works.
It sure did on Sunday afternoon for the Detroit Red Wings. Leading by a goal, but losing steam early in the third period at Joe Louis Arena, the Wings launched three blasts on three straight shifts that struck three San Jose Sharks and knocked each out of the game for a stretch.
Down three skaters, San Jose watched momentum shift back to the Red Wings -- who used it to push their NHL record home winning streak to 23 games with a 3-2 victory in one of three games televised on NBC on USA Hockey's "Hockey Weekend in America" celebration of the sport.
Darren Helm scored his sixth goal of the season at 7:01 of the third off a nice feed to the slot by Drew Miller to make it 3-1 Detroit, which stood up as the eventual game-winner. It happened not long after Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Joe Pavelski and Colin White were each hurt by pucks shot by Red Wings in the offensive zone.
I'm thinkin' the writer just might have a certain bias, coz the game didn't look to me like San Jose was all that and a bag o' chips. Yeah, they had their moments, to be sure...especially Niemi, their goalie, who kept the score from bein' sumthin' like 6-2... but I think the outcome would have been the same if Vlasic, Pavelski, and White hadn't left the game for a time. Pavelski returned to the game, as a matter o' fact, and was instrumental in the Sharks' second goal. That said, the Sharks were only in it because of a garbage goal, a fluky off-the-top-of-the-net goal that was questionable, at best. Couture played the puck off of a high stick just before it fell in the net behind Joey MacDonald and if **I** had been sitting in the War Room in Toronto I would have disallowed it. But no matter... the Wings hung in there and added Number 23 to the current home-stand streak. Next up... at home... those pesky Canucks.
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We adjourned to the verandah immediately after the game for a couple o' beers and a celebratory cigar. While it ain't exactly nice outside... 62 degrees and a 22 mph wind that's gusting to 33 mph on occasion... it was nice enough. Barely.
Which is actually a part of Hockey Weekend In America, a celebration of hockey put on by USA Hockey. Speakin' o' USA Hockey... here are some of their people, right now!
I wonder how that Avs jersey got in there? That was just an aside...
As for the post title, Hockey DAY In America is something of an NBC marketing program, wherein NBC runs several hockey games today... beginning with either the Wings - Sharks or the Flightless Birds - Sabres or the Blues - Blackhawks... all o' which are scheduled to begin at at 1230 hrs EST. That last bit scares me, coz it means NBC will be running REGIONAL coverage and I might not get to watch the Wings game, which will tend to make me wanna break thangs and hurt people. Teevee people whose middle name begins with a "B," specifically.
But! My point, Gentle Reader, is there's lotsa hockey to be had today, accessible to all. So this message is directed to YOU, unless your name is Buck (as in SN1), Dan, Glenn, or Seattle Andy, who, as hockey fans, prolly know all about HDIA. Watch a game!
DETROIT -- The streak is alive -- and the Detroit Red Wings have three of their best players to thank for it.
Pavel Datsyuk broke a 1-1 tie by scoring with just 5.8 seconds left in regulation to give the Wings a 2-1 victory against the Nashville Predators on Friday night, extending their NHL-record home winning streak to 22 games.
With overtime looming, Nicklas Lidstrom controlled a bouncing puck in the neutral zone and backhanded a pass to Henrik Zetterberg, whose no-look pass caught Datsyuk in stride just as he hit the Nashville blue line.
Datsyuk took over from there, stickhandling around defenseman Ryan Suter before wristing a 15-footer over the left shoulder of goalie Pekka Rinne (29 saves) for his 16th goal -- sending the crowd into hysterics.
The crowd in P-Ville and Leavenworth went into hysterics, too. There are very few things in life more exciting than a late, late, LATE third period game-winning goal. My neighbors... or anyone passing in the street at that exact moment... might have thought there was a murder goin' on inside El Casa Inmóvil de Pennington. It was THAT loud. Yes, it was. But that was nuthin' compared to bein' inside The Joe. Witness (and note the clock at upper left):
Yes, we ARE starting rather early... but what of it? I only do this because I CAN, yanno? Besides... what IS it about cool, rainy days? I've cleaned the damned house from top to bottom... vacuumed, dusted, Windexed ALL the glass, mopped the floors, stripped the bed, put a load of laundry in... the upshot bein' I feel kinda-sorta like I've put in a full day. Already. So... we cracked a beer just before writing this and we're feelin' pretty good about our-fine-self. Here's today's new-to-me brew:
That would be a Snow Day from New Belgium and it's a most interesting beer. Here's what New Belgium has to say about the beer, in part:
Pleasantly hoppy, Snow Day carries the subtle chocolate and caramel flavors of a new brewing malt known as Midnight Wheat. The Styrian Golding, Centennial and Cascade hops bring the backbone of hoppy bitterness to complement the roasty undertones. This beer is the deep garnet of a roasted walnut and presents a creamy tan head, floating artfully atop. Snow Day is bold and hoppy, drinkable and strong.
It reminds you to enjoy the unexpected.
Snow Day is billed as a Winter Ale but it's much more hoppy than any other Winter Ale I've had. This isn't a bad thang and I quite enjoy the counterpoint the hops bring to the wonderful chocolaty malt. This beer is a keeper.
Update, 1220 hrs: So... I was playin' around with the Beer Finder at NewBelgium.com and asked it where I could find Snow Day within 26 miles of Portales (ZIP: 88130). The results:
Note that P-Ville does NOT appear on the map, but Cannon does. God bless the USAF and their Class VI Stores. Is all.
Mr. Ariail has it right, IM(NS)HO. I'm sick to frickin' DEATH of all this culture war BS. The GOP candidates are throwing it all away by concentrating on the small stuff while ignoring (ahem) the elephant in the room. It's said we get the gub'mint we deserve but I'm thinkin' we certainly deserve better candidates than we have.
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It's what some folks would call a dreary day here on The High Plains o' New Mexico. Note:
Those of us who live here don't think that way, simply because rain is a rare and blessed event. We NEED all we can get. That said, I'm glad I did all my runnin' around yesterday, which included the semi-monthly big-ass commissary and beer run out to Cannon Airplane Patch. I can sit at my window and watch the rain come down, all safe and warm and cozy and all that other stuff.
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The astute among you may have noticed I killed the word verification thingie on comments. I did that because Blogger changed their WV app to a serious pain-in-the-ass, two-word, illegible abomination and no reasonable human should have to put up with that shit. And another thang... we used to be able to have fun with the WV stuff, some o' which was seriously amusing. No more, alas. A pox on people who fix shit that ain't broke. I hope their daughters are sold into slavery.
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A brief hockey update... the Beloved Wings record-breaking string of home wins is at serious risk tonight as the hotter-than-hot Nashville Predators drop into The Joe for some hockey. The Preds have a 6-2-2 record in their last ten, but then again the resurgent Ducks had a 7-2-1 record when we beat them last week. We shall see.
LGRW!
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Speakin' o' hockey games... So there I was, watching the Wings and Stars game this past Tuesday night... together but separate with SN1, as is our habit... when the phone rings right after Zetterberg got sent to the box on a questionable call. I mean RIGHT after, like ten or 15 seconds. So I answer the phone with "THAT was bullshit!!!"
Pregnant pause and brief silence on the other end, followed by "Excuse me?"
It wasn't SN1. It was My Buddy Ed In Florida. Oh shit, oh dear. After some stammering I finally managed to apologize and explain the situation, to much laughter and stuff.
More on BRAC... Panetta & Friends testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday, yesterday they took the small horse and canine to the House:
House Lawmakers: More BRAC Just Too Costly: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Wednesday once again urged Congress to support two more rounds of BRAC during his second trip to Capitol Hill in two days to discuss the Pentagon's Fiscal 2013 budget request. Once again, House lawmakers didn't bite, just as their Senate counterparts were lukewarm to the idea on the previous day. The controversial topic was raised 31 times during Wednesday's House Armed Services Committee hearing. "There's obviously no wild enthusiasm in the Congress for additional BRAC rounds," said Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.). He added, "Every one of those facilities is in somebody's district and it might be yours that gets gored. And secondly, we really don't save any money in the short term because of the cleanup." Panetta said he realizes that "BRAC costs a hell of a lot of money," but said it's "the only effective way to try to achieve needed infrastructure savings" necessary "in the long run." BRAC 2005 is estimated to have cost the Defense Department some $39 billion to execute, and lawmakers bemoaned the fact that no savings will come from it before 2018, citing the Government Accountability Office. The Pentagon is expected to present its BRAC proposal to Congress next month, said Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.). (Panetta's prepared statement) (Dempsey's written testimony)
I'm still a fool for car pr0n... and here's my latest automotive lust object:
Long-time Gentle Readers may remember me bein' on about the Caddy CTS for the last couple o' years, so much so that I rented one for three or four days while The Green Hornet was getting her butt lifted. I also got a quote on a CTS and subscribed to Caddy's newsletter, which is the source of the photo and other details on the new ATS. Cadillac claims the BMW 3-Series is the benchmark for the ATS and goes to some length in their pre-production marketing to compare the two platforms. I owned a 320i back in Former Happy Days and it was one of the better cars I've ever driven. I kept that thang for well over ten years; it was my personal automotive longevity record holder until last October, when TGH had her 11th birthday. I like what I see of the ATS so far and wonder if Caddy really is building a Beemer-Beater. If so... I might could see myself in one.
Aretha's version might be the most well known and might even be the standard, but Otis' version is the original and the BEST. YMMV.
Today was one of those "throw the windows and door open" kinda days. It was a "two cigars, three beers on the verandah" kinda day, which also meant we went to our personal music collection and let Pandora have a rest. In doin' so we leaned heavily on the nine volume Stax/Volt "Complete Singles" collection. Ooh, baby, baby... does it get any better than this? Well, yeah... it could get better, but not by much.
No Warm and Fuzzy From Senators on More BRAC: Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday raised concerns to the Pentagon leadership over the Obama Administration's proposal for two new BRAC rounds in 2013 and 2015. "Finding further reductions in consolidations in our overseas force posture should be our first priority before another BRAC round," said Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, during the oversight hearing on DOD's Fiscal 2013 budget request. "I have serious questions whether we save any money from a BRAC process," added Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.). Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) said he'd oppose more BRAC since the US military is being reduced "to an unacceptable level." Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said he understood the lawmakers' concerns as a former Congressman whose district had to absorb a base closure. "I recognize how controversial this process is for members and for constituencies. And yet it is the only effective way to achieve needed infrastructure savings," he said. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was one voice expressing favor for consolidation, saying "it's appropriate to consider another round." (Panetta prepared remarks) (Dempsey written statement)
Then... day before yesterday... from the same source:
A Serious Proposal?: Although the Pentagon is expected to ask Congress to authorize another round of BRAC in Fiscal 2013, it's not likely that the Fiscal 2013 defense budget proposal released on Monday will include funding for it, said Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. There are upfront costs associated with closing facilities or bases, he said, noting that BRAC 2005 cost the Defense Department about $39 billion to execute. "In many cases, there are still environmental assessments you have to do, and the local authorities will insist on you fixing up the property so you can hand it over and it can be redeveloped for other purposes," said Harrison during a budget discussion on Feb. 8. He added, "So, another round of BRAC is still going to cost you money, and as far as I can tell, they have not budgeted for that, so it does make you wonder how serious of a proposal that is." The net savings from BRAC 2005 are estimated at $12.5 billion, in today's dollars, over 20 years, said Harrison.
So, let me get this straight. The gubmint spent $39 billion dollars to save $12.5 billion dollars in the most recent BRAC round and they want to do it again? Why am I not surprised? I think Sen. Levin makes an excellent point: why the hell are we keeping all those troops in Europe? I get Korea, there's a threat there. But Europe? Let those freakin' socialists defend themselves from whatever it is that's threatening them, even if it's themselves.
I stole that line from NHL.com... but it's true: the 2011-2012 Red Wings are the SOLE owners of the NHL's record for most consecutive home wins.
The final score was 3-1 and it was never close... Joey MacDonald had the Stars shut out until the final 30 seconds of the third when Dallas scored on a deflection. But no matter. We had the win. From NHL.com:
DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings have done something that no other NHL team had done before.
By defeating the Dallas Stars 3-1 on Tuesday night at Joe Louis Arena, they became the first team in League history to win 21 straight games on home ice – and by the looks of things, they might keep winning here for a while.
No longer are they tied with the 1929-30 Boston Bruins and 1975-76 Philadelphia Flyers, who both won 20 straight games in their own barns. That Bruins team, technically speaking, won 22 straight between the end of that season and the start of the next, but the NHL doesn't carry over wins for records purposes – and nobody in Detroit cares much about such technicalities now.
The Wings have outscored opponents 84-31, including 31-9, during the streak. They've gotten two points in all 21 home games they've played since losing 4-1 to Calgary on Nov. 3 -- the streak began two nights later with a 5-0 victory against Anaheim.
There's been a lot of talk among hockey pundits about how this record should come with an asterisk, as the Bruins and the Flyers didn't have the benefit of the shoot-out. There will always be naysayers, but the simple fact is the Wings have done something no other team has ever done, and set a record that's liable to go unbeaten or unmatched for a long, long time.
Blog-Bud Jim's 20th anniversary is comin' up... on the 29th of this month (yes, the 29th)... and he's re-running a series of old posts describing how he met his beloved, how he proposed, the wedding, yadda, yadda. It's all great good stuff and you would be well-served to go read. I know that a lot o' you Gentle Readers already have Jim in your RSS feeds or other blog-reading apps but I'm also pretty sure some of you haven't been to his place. So go. EVERYONE loves a love story and theirs is a great one.
Apropos o' not much... part of today's post was Jim's description of his proposal, about which I said this:
Well, there was - I'm sorry to say - nothing so glorious about my proposal.
Sez you. I'm of the mind that ANY proposal, given the gravity of the situation and the life-altering outcome(s), is glorious. So there's that.
I don't remember how I proposed to The Second Mrs. Pennington. We had a three-year courtship and I think it was mutually decided sometime in our second year that yes, we would marry, but she had to finish school first. College, to be clear. She already had her junior high diploma.
That said... I DO remember giving her the engagement ring. We were spending the summer together in Plentywood, Montana (between her junior and senior year) the year before we married and I had recently inherited my grandmother's engagement ring. The lawyer handling the estate mailed the ring to me (yes, via USPS) and I had to sign for it at the post office on my way home from work one day.
I get home to our walk-up flat, climb the stairs, and toss her the package, sayin' sumthin' lame like "your ring came today." And the earth moved, and NOT in a Good Way. Long story shorter: I was sent downstairs and told to "come back and do it RIGHT." I did, she did, and we enjoyed 20 years o' wedded bliss until it all blew up.
True story. "Doin' it right" meant me getting on bended knee and formally asking her to marry me, with a suitable presentation of the ring. I was also required to meet with TSMP's father and ask for her hand in marriage. That didn't go so well, but it's prolly better that we not discuss the encounter. Suffice to say her father did consent to give her away, but only after offering to buy her a car and send her to grad school if she'd walk away... right as they were getting ready to walk down the aisle... and that's the TRUTH.
The Usual USAF Source featured this pic today as part of its ongoing Air Frame Series:
Air Frame:Dawn breaks over the flight line at Yokota AB, Japan, Jan. 31, 2012.(Air Force photo by SSgt. Samuel Morse)
Yokota was home station for me from 1975 - 1977 and I have great memories of that period in time, chief among which is the fact Tokyo is where The Second Mrs. Pennington and I met and fell in love/lust. It can be colder than the proverbial well-digger's ass at Yokota in January and through the majik o' these here inter-tubes I see the low on 01/31 was 21 degrees. That would have made for a brisk early morning walk from TSMP's apartment to the train station, were I still living in Former Happy Days.
They did it... Wings 4, Flyers 3. So you can add the 2012 Wings to the '29-'30 Bruins and the '75-'76 Flyers as record holders for the most consecutive home wins. The Wings will OWN the record if they beat the Stars this coming Tuesday. We shall see.
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In other news... I was channel surfin' after the game and hit on Ron White doin' his "You Can't Fix Stupid" routine, of which this is a piece part:
White is MY kinda guy, what with the cigars and scotch while doin' his routine. Not included in the clip above is his bit about his scotch of choice... sumthin' to the effect that the scotch he drinks is the same stuff that people who shall die penniless drink. I can relate to THAT, the point bein' that there's no sense in economizin' when you've got one foot in the grave. Why NOT drink the best, eh? You go, Ron.
