Are you READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!!!!

Very discouraging news for those Pittsburgh Steeler fans out there... Daniel Sepulveda the punter... a great punter at that... is out for the season thanks to a torn ACL... sigh... not only is Sepulveda out - the replacement punter Paul Ernster. I believe it was in this game that Ernster punted a ten... yes, you read that correctly a TEN YARD punt.



There surely has to be another punter out there that is up to the challenge... that is good and that can punt more than 10 yards... PLEASE tell me that there is.

Sadly more injuries occurred in training camp yesterday... sigh... what is going on over there... or is it that during the off season the players just got THAT out of shape... Maybe it is just me but if I was getting paid that kind of cash, my butt would be in tip-top shape (at least it would be in time for training camp - after all everyone needs a break every now and again...)

Still in football news, check out the football_fans_diet blog. It's differnet and fun to read and view... (there is a video)

Tomorrow will be 2 weeks!

Tomorrow will mark 2 weeks that I have had the poison ivy. The thing that irritates me about it is that I got that blasted shot in my bum and I am not thoroughly convinced that it did anything more than cause me to have a drop in my blood pressure and passing out business.

I'm just glad that the ivy blotches are now scabbing up and soon I will be able to shave that portion of my leg again... It is seriously causing me issues that I cannot shave (I clearly have issues).

In other news... I have recently lunched at the Frick... I am not a fan usually of the higher end eateries as they are usually too fancy and the food blows. This time was no different. Studying the menu I opted for a chicken sandwich. I thought that it would be the safest choice. HA HA... After killing several small ants that were inhabiting the table (we were sitting outside) the sandwich arrived and not only was it a mix of white and dark meat - the chicken still had the skin on... Oh it was gross...

So I composed a nice stern email stating my dissatisfaction for the lunch and the ant business... I am getting a 25$ gift card to try my luck again. I think this time though, I will stick to things I know I will enjoy... scones with clotted cream and jam and tea... mmm.... who says nothing in the world is free anymore?!

Well time to publish, but before I do, thought I would share what I was listening to while typing... check out the clip here

Tire fun

As promised, the tire story...

My little Beetle needed four tires, the others were pretty worn out and looked like they were racing slicks instead of the all-season radials that they were. Tires for my car are kind of expensive, they are wide and kinda big... not what you would think for a Beetle really.

I called around a few places trying to find a good deal and the cheapest I could find was $600 for tires, installation, etc. etc. which in my opinion is way TOO EXPENSIVE! But I kept searching and found a tire place about 7 miles from home that could order the tires for my car and give them to me at $67 a piece which is significantly cheaper and more in my price range. So I told the man to go and order them that if they were in I could be there that Saturday to get them put on.

Mind you, this is the same Saturday of the shot and blood pressure dropping at the MedExpress place. I was getting the tires right after that. Still not feeling 100% I drove the short distance to the tire place and as soon as I pulled into the lot I felt a little scared.

Most garages are um, dirty because well, they deal with dirty things all day long. This place though took the word dirty to a whole new filthy level. Garbage bags overflowing filled with fast food containers, old chip bags on the floor, smell of funky dog, flies and insects all over the place. I felt like I not only needed a shower but a tetanus shot as well.

The thing is though, for as unsanitary as this place was, they had my tires on in a half hour and they were cheap. I just paced around outside for the time it took because well I didn't want to sit down on the chair in the 'waiting room'. It was like a sauna in there and smelled of wet dog. The chair also had springs coming up out of it... oh yeah and I just had gotten a shot in my ass - so why would I want to sit down anyway.

I will probably go to this place again for tires, I mean they were cheap and fast and I have no issues with the tires, but next time I might take some cleaning products with me and maybe a fold up chair... ha ha

Poison Ivy is the Devil

Two Sunday's ago I was out doing yard work. The yard in question is filled with poison ivy. To some, no big deal, to me, well I get it bad. I wore a long sleeve shirt and pants, even tucking the pants into my shoes so no bare ankle would be shown. I had on gloves and took every precaution not to get poison ivy.

I was so pleased with my efforts, I didn't wake up with any skin aliment that next morning or the morning after. I figured I was safe. HA HA...

That Wednesday night I helped carry the garbage bags that contained the vines in it up to the curb. DUMB DUMB DUMB! I guess some of the oil was on the bags and Thursday morning I woke up scratching my wrist. Half asleep I didn't think that it was anything. Then as I continued to scratch, I thought to myself - SHIT this is poison ivy!!!

Indeed it was. I quickly scrubbed my wrist with this kick ass scrub stuff. I watched carefully making sure that it wasn't spreading. Later that afternoon a few blisters popped up on my ankle. Ok still not too bad. In a bit of discomfort but all in all not too bad.

A few days pass, It is now Saturday and I was going to have a busy day, had to get tires for my Beetle. But when I woke up, there were 3 little poison ivy dots on my face. SHIT SHIT SHIT!!!

I was getting a little worried now. Somehow I am still spreading this damned stuff and now it is on my face. I wear contacts, what if it goes into my eyes... Freaking out just a little, I went to MedExpress to see if they can give me a prescription for steroids to stop this blasted poison ivy.

The last time I had poison ivy (I believe it was actually oak) was a few years ago, it was horrible and I was given the steroids to take... my face swelled up like Ernie (of the famous Bert and Ernie) but the disfigurement went away.

This time they gave me a shot. Now, first of all, I don't do well with needles and them getting forced into my person. Second of all, this shot had to be given square in my bum. Which I might add, still hurts.

I didn't cry or scream out in pain, even though it hurt like hell and burned. I thought this was supposed to make me better. HA! I was released and I walked out to my car, but I started to feel a little funny. Lightheaded and started to sweat. Oh this isn't good, I am here alone and I felt like I was going to black out.

I took a few deep breaths, not helping at all. I walked back into the building and must have looked horrible, because I sure as hell felt it. I went up to the 'sign in' girl and said "I just got a shot and I really don't feel right."

She told me to take a seat, which was probably good because I am not sure how I was keeping upright. The doctor that saw me came out within seconds and helped me back into an exam room where I was to lay flat and they put a monitor on me and cold compresses. My blood pressure (both top and bottom numbers) dropped 20 points.

I wasn't having a reaction to the steroid that just got shot into my bum, I was having a reaction to the shot itself. The ordeal of the needle going into me. She kept calling it some term that begins with a 'V' but I don't remember the exact terminology.

Long story short, I stayed there until my blood pressure went back up to what it was when I originally went in. They kept monitoring me and slowly got me to my feet. I still have the ivy, but it is now drying out and hasn't gotten any worse.

Tomorrow I will tell you about the tire place...