I have invented a new state of blog-being called the Not-Hiatus. It means I'm taking a break, but not really. It means I'm so dang busy at work again that I just don't have time to write posts or make rounds.
But I'm not really taking a break.
It just seems that way.
Thus, the Not-Hiatus.
Expect to see me posting and commenting when you see me.
Cheers gang!
Welcome to another Manic Monday with Morgen. Don't forget to cruise by MM HQ at the Manic Monday blog. Today's theme is Fire.
Fire Siege of 2003
In October 2003 it seemed like the entire southern part of the state of California was on fire. At least 15 different wildfires burned, covering over 720k acres, killing 24 people while displacing 120k and destroying over 3600 homes. The fires caused an estimated $2 billion worth of damage.
In San Diego County, more than 2200 homes were destroyed by the Cedar Fire, which burned over 280k acres. The Old Fire burned in the San Bernardino Mountains up to Lake Arrowhead and consumed over 91k acres and 993 homes. These fires were both started by arson or carelessness and killed 21 people between them.
Photo credit: Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite
To the northwest of those two huge fires, Simi Valley and Santa Clarita Valley were also burning. Fires raged from the Piru area to Ventura to Simi Valley to the Stevenson Ranch area and eventually merged into one huge fire, separated in spots only by highways or natural fire breaks like stream beds.
I was living in Valencia near Magic Mountain at the time. I remember the fire crews talking about setting fire breaks so that the fires would burn in a circular pattern through the canyons, eventually running up against areas that had already burned. Ultimately that was the best way to put the things out. So many fires raged out of control during that 2 week period in October and November.
The Stevenson Ranch edge of the fire burned right up to Interstate 5, about a mile from my townhouse. I had the Liberty packed up with stuff. I was ready to scoop Mr Tucker and get out. Fortunately, firefighters used the freeway to help them turn the fire back into the canyon. If it had jumped the freeway, it couldn't have been stopped before it destroyed a lot of property in Valencia, Santa Clarita, and Saugus.
We were lucky. But it sure was scary. You never knew if the Santa Ana winds would whip the flames up and send them off in a new direction. You could get caught by highway closures. Or the police could come to your door and tell you to grab the family and get out now.
...and with friends...
...and to beautiful music...
Ronan Keating
...and for love...
DWTS season 7 champions Brooke Burke and Derek Hough
Edit: Photos went wonky...had to take them out.
Delayed but not forgotten, here are the celebrities for Season 8 of Dancing with the Stars.
Kimberly Denise Jones, aka Lil Kim, is paired with Season 7 champion Derek Hough. She is a Grammy winning rapper and singer. She has also had success as an actor. I don't know much about her, but she's got a couple of things going for her. She's a performer and has likely had some exposure to hip hop dance. She's also paired with Derek, who I think is an outstanding teacher and choreographer. Derek returns for his 4th season. Derek has partnered Jennie Garth, Shannon Elizabeth, and Brooke Burke with whom he won season 7.
Steven Glover, aka Steve-O, is paired with Lacey Schwimmer. YAY! Lacey is back! Evidently, Steve-O is a creator of idiot television. He is classified as a "reality star", having made videos for the MTV program Jackass. Oh joy. Well, I won't judge until I see what he's going to bring to the dance floor. Lacey joined the cast of professional dancers in season 7 after finishing 3rd on So You Think You Can Dance. She returns for her second season. Lacey has partnered Lance Bass.
Nancy O'Dell is paired with Tony Dovolani. Ms O'Dell is co-anchor of Access Hollywood and has co-hosted the Muscular Dystrophy telethon. She has also done some acting. She covers most of the awards shows for her network. Tony is the retired undefeated American Rhythm Champion. He has been nominated for an Emmy for his choreography on DWTS, specifically for his Jive in 2006, and returns for his 7th season. Tony has partnered Stacy Keibler, Sarah Evans, Leeza Gibbons, Jane Seymour, Marissa Jaret Winokur, and Susan Lucci.
Lawrence Taylor is paired with Edyta Sliwinska. Taylor revolutionized linebacker play in the NFL, basically creating the position of pass rushing outside linebacker. He is in the hall of fame, a 2-time Super Bowl champion, and a member of the 75th anniversary team. It is widely argued that Taylor is the best defensive player ever to play the game. And football players have traditionall done very well on this show. Edyta is the only professional dancer who has appeared on every season of DWTS. She has partnered Evander Holyfield, George Hamilton, Joey Lawrence, John Ratzenberger, Cameron Mathison, Jason Taylor, and Jeffrey Ross.
Shawn Johnson is paired with Mark Ballas. Miss Johnson is an Olympic champion gymnast and at 17 is the youngest ever celebrity on the show. She won the gold medal on balance beam last summer in Beijing, along with 3 silver medals for team, floor exercise, and all around. Like a figure skater, she'll have an edge because of her dance training. And Mark is an excellent partner to take advantage of her athletic ability. He'll push the limits of what she can do. Mark returns for his 4th season. He has partnered Sabrina Bryan, Kristi Yamaguchi with whom he won season 6, and Kim Kardashian. Mark has the highest scoring average of any pro dancer, at 26.73.
Chuck Wicks is paired with Julianne Hough. Mr Wicks is a singer-songwriter who released the fastest rising single by a country artist in 2007. He was a cast member on the reality series Nashville. He has been on tour with Brad Paisley, and has been linked romantically with Julianne. In addition to her dancing career, Julianne's debut country album hit #1 on the Billboard country album chart. She returns for her 5th season. Julianne has partnered Apolo Anton Ohno with whom she won season 4, Helio Castroneves with whom she won season 5, Adam Carolla, and Cody Linley.
Gilles Marini is paired with Cheryl Burke. Mr Marini is an actor evidently famous for portraying Samantha's next door beach neighbor in the Sex and the City movie. He has appeared in several tv series. Cheryl has been nominated for two Emmy awards for her choreography on DWTS, and is a 2 time champion. She returns for her 7th season. Cheryl has partnered Drew Lachey with whom she won season 2, Emmitt Smith with whom she won season 3, Ian Ziering, Wayne Newton, Cristian de la Fuente, and Maurice Green.
Denise Richards is paired with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Ms Richards is a former model, an actor, a Bond girl, and host of her own reality show. She has appeared in pictorials in Playboy and Jane magazines, as well as ranking #9 on Maxim's 50 Sexiest Women. Maks is an outstanding teacher and choreographer, owner of three dance studios, and one of the creators and directors of Dance Team USA. He returns for his 6th season. Maks has partnered Tia Carrere, Willa Ford, Laila Ali, Mel B, and Misty May-Treanor.
Steve Wozniak is paired with Karina Smirnoff. Mr Wozniak designed the first Apple computers, and he is credited with significant contributions to the advancement of personal computing. Since 1985, he has been a philanthropist focusing on improving computer capabilities in edcuational settings. I could be wrong, but I predict the geek's feet for this gentleman, which will deprive us of Karina much too early. Karina is a world champion professional dancer and the first woman to make the British professional final with three different partners. She returns for her 6th season. Karina has partnered Mario Lopez, Billy Ray Cyrus, Floyd Mayweather, Mario, and Rocco DiSpirito.
Belinda Carlisle is paired with Jonathan Roberts. Ms Carlisle is the former lead singer of the Go Go's, which was the first all female band to achieve a #1 album while writing and performing its own music and playing its own instruments. Ms Carlisle also had an outstanding and successful career as a solo artist. I. AM. A. FAN. Jonathan spent 2008 successfully focusing on his competitive ballroom career, capturing the 2008 World Professional Smooth and US National Professional Smooth championships with partner Valentina Kostenko. He returns for his 6th season. Jonathan has partnered Rachel Hunter, Giselle Fernandez, Heather Mills, Marie Osmond, and Monica Seles. I have very high hopes for this pair.
David Alan Grier is paired with Kym Johnson. Mr Grier is a veteran comedian with roots going back to In Living Color. His string of comedic credits is quite long. I suspect that we'll find there is more to Mr Grier than silliness, as he earned a Tony nomination for his role as Brooklyn Dodger Jackie Robinson in The First on Broadway. Kym has been a dancer since she was 15. She returns for her 6th season. Kym has partnered Jerry Springer, Joey Fatone, Mark Cuban, Penn Gillette, and Warren Sapp.
Ty Murray is paired with Chelsie Hightower. Mr Murray is one of the most successful rodeo cowboys in the history of the sport, earning the title King of the Cowboys. He is a 7 time all-around world rodeo champion and has won two bull riding championships. By hiring an agent to help capitalize on his success, Mr Murray helped pave the way for other cowboys to earn endorsement contracts. He is also Jewel's husband. Chelsie is another cross over from So You Think You Can Dance. She finished in the top 6 on season 4. Chelsie has studied with Corky & Shirley Ballas among others, and is well grounded in ballroom dance.
Jewel Kilcher is paired with Dmitry Chaplin. She is a platinum selling singer songwriter with appeal across many different music styles. She has been nominated for three Grammy awards and has sold more than 27 million albums worldwide. She is also married to Ty Murray. Dmitry is the third SYTYCD alum dancing this season. He finished in the top 10 on season 2. He has returned to choreograph ballrooom routines on SYTYCD and has taught at Mary Murphy's ballroom academy. Last season he danced on a couple of DWTS results shows.
Count 'em! Three alums from So You Think You Can Dance! I love this cross over. I think I may be more excited with the professional dancers than I am for the celebrities.
Tune in to ABC on March 9 for the premier. And check in here on March 10 when we say cue that theme music!
Welcome to another Manic Monday with Morgen. Don't forget to cruise by MM HQ at the Manic Monday blog. Today's theme is Candy.
I can't pick one favorite candy. Isn't that like picking a favorite kid?
Here are candies I enjoy.
Hey gang!
Just thought I'd drop a quick post and let y'all know I appreciate your good wishes. I hate an unscheduled and unexpected break due to illness, but I'm on the mend again and beginning to feel like myself.
Migraines suck. They suck even more when you can't curl up in a ball with a woobie in a dark room and feel sorry for yourself.
I had to work all week.
But that was last week and I made it through.
Today is for catching up with y'all, and watching basketball.
I got my Lady an afternoon at her favorite day spa for her Valentine. Later we'll be having dinner at our favorite steak house, The Keg.
We don't really need a special day to do that kind of stuff, but what the hell. Let's call it our contribution to stimulating the economy for today.
Happy Valentine's Day to you! 
Hey gang. The last couple of days have been busy. Plus I've been battling a bit of a migraine.
I have seen the new cast of celebrities for Dancing with the Stars.
I'll have some thoughts on that soon. And I'll be around to catch up with rounds as soon as I can.
Later babies!
Welcome to another Manic Monday with Morgen. Don't forget to cruise by MM HQ at the Manic Monday blog. Today's theme is Wear.
When I was younger, there were only two possible careers I wanted for myself and they both required me to wear a uniform.
One was an NFL uniform.
The other was the uniform of a Marine.
Unfortunately, a severe injury prevented me from wearing either. So I picked another path and eventually ended up in a career that didn't require me to wear any kind of uniform at all. Not even the corporate blue suit with white shirt and red power tie.
Congratulations to University of Tennessee Lady Vols head coach Pat Summit, who became the first Division I basketball coach, male or female, to win 1000 games in her storied career, with a 73-43 win over Georgia on Thursday.
That's a pretty amazing number. Only two other coaches, Bob Knight with 902 and Jody Conradt with 900, have gotten to 900 wins. Both Coach Knight (Indiana University, Texas Tech) and Coach Conradt (Baylor, University of Texas) are retired.
But the truly staggering thing is that Coach Summit only has 186 losses against those 1000 wins in 35 years of coaching, all at Tennessee. Her achievements with the Lady Vols are equally legendary.
8 NCAA National Championships
14 SEC League Championships
13 SEC Tournament Championships
7 Time SEC Coach of the Year
7 Time NCAA Coach of the Year
Naismith Coach of the 20th Century
Innaugural inductee into the Women's Basketball HOF in 1999
Inducted into the Basketball HOF in 2000
2 basketball courts are named in her honor
2 streets are named in her honor
45 of her former players have become coaches
Coached UT to an undefeated 39-0 in 1997-98
Coach Summit has a set of 12 directives posted in the UT locker room. We'd all do well to apply these basic precepts in our own lives.
On Saturday we had a huge fly in the house. Mr Tucker did the silly dance all over the place as he tried to catch it. We silly danced right along with him, until finally we swatted the beast.
Not Mr Tucker! We swatted the fly!
Anyway, shortly after this adventure, the phrase "I'm bug huntin'" popped into my head and I had to see if the video clip was on youtube.
Sure enough! I found it! This is Spanky from Little Rascals.
Welcome to another Manic Monday with Mo. Don't forget to cruise by MM HQ at the Manic Monday blog. Today's theme is Cloud.
The very first thing that popped into my head was Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell.
Rows and flows of angel hair and ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere, I've looked at clouds that way.
But now they only block the sun, they rain and snow on everyone.
So many things I would have done but clouds got in my way.
I've looked at clouds from both sides now,
From up and down, and still somehow
It's cloud illusions I recall.
I really don't know clouds at all.
Moons and junes and ferris wheels, the dizzy dancing way you feel
As every fairy tale comes real; I've looked at love that way.
But now it's just another show. You leave 'em laughing when you go
And if you care, don't let them know, don't give yourself away.
I've looked at love from both sides now,
From give and take, and still somehow
It's love's illusions I recall.
I really don't know love at all.
Tears and fears and feeling proud to say "I love you" right out loud,
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds, I've looked at life that way.
But now old friends are acting strange, they shake their heads, they say
I've changed.
Something's lost but something's gained in living every day.
I've looked at life from both sides now,
From win and lose, and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall.
I really don't know life at all.
Congratulations to the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers beat Arizona 27-23 in a fantastic finish that saw the lead change hands twice in the final minutes.
Photo credit: Timothy A. Clary/Getty Images
Cardinals QB Kurt Warner brought Arizona back from a 13 point deficit, including throwing the go ahead score to WR Larry Fitzgerald. But Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger drove Pittsburgh right back down the field and hit WR Santonio Holmes for the toe-tapping game winning TD with just 35 seconds to play.
The Steelers become the first franchise to win six Super Bowls.
Holmes was named the MVP. He finished the game with 9 catches for 131 yards and the game winning score. He had 4 catches on the final drive.
So were there any memorable commercials this year? There were a few for me.
Mr Potato Head for Bridgestone made me laugh out loud. Bridgestone did a pretty good job with all of their commercials.
The magic Doritos crunch was pretty good.
Budweiser clydesdales are always excellent.
Etrade added another baby, but it didn't have the same impact as last year.
OK...I'm not a big Springsteen fan, but all I can say about the halftime show is...
BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCE!
THAT TOTALLY ROCKED!
We're off to our friends' place to watch the game today, so there will be no play by play. If you like, you can take a trip in the Wayback Machine to see some things I wrote about the Super Bowl last year, when I had more of a rooting interest in the outcome.
You can check out this summary of Super Bowls 1 through 41. And of course I should add...
Super Bowl XLII was played 3 February 2008 in Glendale AZ. The NY Giants upset the NE Patriots, 17-14, and ruined the Pats' bid for a perfect season. NY QB Eli Manning was the MVP, becoming the second Manning in a row to win the Super Bowl and the MVP trophy.
You can check out this post, in which it is documented that I called the Giants' win.
If you want to relive last year's game, you can check out my commentaries.
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Patriots fans certainly won't be much interested in these next few posts. If you're a fan of the Giants, you may want to check these out.
The Giants are Super Bowl XLII Champs (You might notice, if you read through the comments, that Beckeye says next year is all about the Steelers. Nicely prophetic girl!)
Mo's Manic Monday - Blue
Wordless Wednesday
I can even take you back to Super Bowl XLI, when Indianapolis beat Chicago, with these posts.
Indianapolis vs Chicago
Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl Sunday
Indianapolis 29, Chicago 17
And, if you haven't had enough of my self-promotion yet, here are a few words about football. Did I ever tell you how much I love this game?
Thursday 13 - Football edition
More than a few words about football
Bill Walsh (1931-2007)
Gene Upshaw, 15 Aug 1945 - 20 Aug 2008
Pittsburgh can become the first NFL franchise to win 6 Super Bowls, taking their overall record in championship games to 6-1 with a win today. Arizona can join the Ravens, Jets, and Bucs as a team to win it's first and only appearance in the big game. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger can win his 2nd ring, as can Cardinals QB Kurt Warner.
And finally, let me add my congratulations to the NFL Hall of Fame Class of 2009 inductees:
Bob Hayes, wide receiver for Dallas and SF, and Olympic gold medalist
Randall McDaniel, offensive guard for Minnesota and Tampa Bay
Bruce Smith, defensive end for Buffalo and Washington
Derrick Thomas, linebacker for Kansas City
Ralph Wilson Jr, administrator and one of the original founders of the AFL
Rod Woodson, defensive back for Pittsburgh, SF, Baltimore, and Oakland
Enjoy the game! Or the commercials! Or both! Or neither!
