Wednesday, February 26, 2014

"O" as in OILERS for Alphabe-Thursday

Dear Fellow Classmates,
I am really struggling to keep up with the rest of the class for this session of Alphabe-Thursday.  I was late joining in and am finding this weekly assignment more and more difficult for my poor 68 year old mind.  Finally, after much mental anguish I settled on "O" as in OILERS...specifically the Houston OILERS NFL football team.
 They began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League.  They played in the old Astrodome (which has fallen into disrepair and will probably end up being torn down).

The Houston OILERS broke my heart when they left Houston in 1997 and moved to Nashville, Tennessee where they eventually became the Tennessee Titans.  The 4th largest city in the country was then left without a football team.

I really enjoyed the old OILERS.  While the team played in Houston I even appeared on a TV show called Quarterback Corner with Warren Moon and Giff Nielsen.  I had gone by Jiffy Lube and gotten two tickets to the show.  My husband and I went and before filming they asked us to write down a question we'd like to ask quarterback Warren Moon. Warren went through all the questions and picked a few to answer on the show.  Mine was one of the ones he liked.  (I still have my appearance on tape.)  I wanted to know how he felt about letting his own children play football.  As I recall, he said some players had reservations about letting their own kids play because they were well aware of the chance of serious injury.  He said he wouldn't let his son play until 8th grade.

That evening Warren Moon, Giff Nielsen, and Bum Phillips signed my OILERS football.  I still have it.

Yes, my heart was broken by the OILERS, but then Mr. Bob McNair brought NFL football back to Houston in 2002 when the Houston Texans began playing at the new Reliant Stadium.  I became a more serious fan and started studying the game.  I took classes that the team offered and bought a copy of The Complete Idiots Guide To Understanding Football Like A Pro by Joe Theismann.  I now have a better understanding of the game and actually enjoy it a lot more.  I still have a lot to learn, but every year I get out my book and brush up on my football knowledge.
My husband and I didn't always agree on what to have for dinner, what movie to go see, or what restaurant to visit, but we always agreed on the Houston Texans.  We went to as many home games as possible and I have many wonderful memories.
This picture was taken in 2007 outside Reliant Stadium.

 Since Jim died my son now goes with me.  I've managed to turn him into a fan too.

Win or lose I'm a Houston Texans fan.  I sit in my seat until the game is over.  This past season our team only won two games.  I watched in dismay as people would boo and file out of the stadium long before the game was over.  I don't get it.  Tickets aren't cheap and you're paying for a whole game.  Why leave?  I don't think there's a single player that goes out on the field intending to lose.  They want to win too!  I stay to the bitter end and cheer them on.  I have fun!

This year it was reported that some fans actually showed up at quarterback Matt Schaub's home because they were upset about the way he was playing.  What jerks!  Get a life!  It's a game...a form of entertainment.  It's not a war.  Matt Schaub is more than just a football player.  He's someone's son, someone's husband, and someone's father. 

One thing the Houston Texans have are some really great men on the team.  I really appreciate the fact that Mr. McNair seems to stay away from players with questionable pasts.  We have players like Andre Johnson and JJ Watt (along with many others) who are out in the community doing good things.  To me there is more than just winning.

I really had to question my love of football this year.  As the team losses piled up things started to get kind of ugly.  I really didn't enjoy the atmosphere.  I think a fan stays with their team win or lose.  Anyone can support a winning team, but I guess not everyone can support a losing team.  All I can say is, "GO TEXANS!"

Now be sure and visit Jenny at Jenny Matlock..."off on my tangent" so you can visit other Alphabe-Thursday participants.  Thanks for visiting...


Wednesday, February 19, 2014

"N" as in NOTHING for Alphabe-Thursday




Oh no!  Is it really time for Alphabe-Thursday again?

Talk about drawing a complete blank...that's exactly what happened to me this week.  NOTHING came to mind.  Finally in desperation I googled "N" and came upon phrases that begin with words starting with "N."

Kind of a stretch...huh?  Bare with me.

Some were just so so.  However, some I really liked.  Here we go...

Never a borrower nor a lender be.

Necessity is the mother of invention.

No man is an island.

Nothing is certain but death and taxes.

Necessity is the mother of invention.

Never do tomorrow what you can do today.

Never judge a book by it's cover.

Never judge a man 'til you've walked a mile in his shoes.

Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

No news is good news.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Nobody travels on the road to success without a puncture or two.

And in honor of the CVS drug store chain in taking a stand against smoking and deciding to stop selling cigarettes...

NO SMOKING

 Guess that's not really a phrase, but Reid suggested I add it and I liked the idea.  This week MD Anderson Cancer Center came out and applauded CVS for deciding to remove cigarettes and tobacco products from their stores.  You can read about it here.

Now go visit Jenny at Jenny Matlock..."off on my tangent" for a list of this week's Alphabe-Thursday participants. 

Thank you Jenny!




Saturday, February 15, 2014

A Little Experimenting...

I was so disappointed when my computer crashed.  With Windows 8 on the new computer I could no longer use the photo software I knew and loved.  Loretta told me about Pic Monkey.  You don't even have to download it and it's free.

I had some extra time this afternoon and decided to play with it.  Loretta did something a little fancier with her doll picture, but I was happy just to convert this one to black and white.  It seemed appropriate for these 1950's Mouseketeers.  (My sister is on the left and I'm on the right.)

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Alphabe-Thursday..."M" as in MISTAKE

I thought I'd jump in here and try and get a post up for Alphabe-Thursday this go around.  I haven't been reading or posting much lately and thought this might get me back in the groove.

Gosh, talk about getting back in the groove.  I've been telling myself I'd start walking again for exercise, but that hasn't gotten off the ground yet either.  Oh well, the longest journey begins with the first step.



So, welcome to Alphabe-Thursday sponsored by Ms. Jenny over at Jenny Matlock..."off on my tangent."  This week we are studying the letter "M" as in MISTAKE.

This week coincides with the Suchi Winter Olympics and since I thoroughly enjoy the ice skating events I thought I'd do my post on ice skating costume MISTAKES.  Like this one...
They actually won the bronze medal at Vancouver with a "Send In The Clowns" routine, but the costumes weren't exactly my cup of tea.

How about these?


You can see more MISTAKES here.  Personally, I didn't think they were all that bad, but some definitely could have been better!  Shouldn't the costumes add to the routine and not be a distraction?  What do you think?

Now head over to Ms. Jenny's blog to visit this week's letter "M" posts.

Thanks for stopping by...