Monthly Archives: May 2007

12 May 2007

Here Comes the Plaza

By Nicki

 

For those of you who don’t know it, I am a huge hockey fan. Worse than that, I live in upstate NY and am not a big Buffalo Sabres fan (they are okay and if they are the last team left standing I would be fine with that). I am also not a NJ Devils. Nor am I a NY Rangers or NY Islanders fan. I am, and have always been, a huge Detroit Red Wings fan.

That having been put out there, the closest NHL arenas to me are in Buffalo (HSBC Arena – which I have only been to for last year’s Soul 2 Soul concert), NYC (Madison Square Garden – which again I have never been to for a sporting event), Long Island (I think it is the Nassau County Arena but not sure), Philadelphia (Wachovia Arena in the Sports Complex), or NJ (I think the Devils play somewhere near Giant Stadium in East Rutherford but have never really cared).

My 20 year old son is now in school in Buffalo and his twin sister is at college in Niagara Falls. Both have become huge Sabres fans. In order to keep up with them, I have taken to watching Sabres hockey – two reasons behind this: (1)Being in NY, more of the Sabres’ games are broadcast than Red Wings games; and (2)I like to talk to the kids about things they have done.

In the process of watching Sabres’ hockey, I have become a huge fan of the patio outside HSBC Arena. There is always a huge crowd of people there watching the game for free on a huge television. Second round of the playoffs, I was set to go to Buffalo for game seven between the Rangers and the Sabres if it got that far. I am sure the seats in the arena are well sold out in advance but I was going to the patio.

Last night my son called. Graduation at UBuffalo is today. Most everyone has left with few exceptions. He is staying in Buffalo for the summer to work and take classes (as a transfer student, he is a tad bit behind). He and a few friends that haven’t left are going to the patio for game two of the Ottawa-Buffalo Eastern Conference finals (this use to have a nice name of someone but now it is just eastern conference).

I am soooo psyched at least one of us is getting to go and I am going to encourage his sister, once she has her car up there, to try it also.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Just my Thoughts, Professional Sports, Sports

10 May 2007

A Constant Planner

By Nicki

 

I admit that I am a planner. I don’t mind being spontaneous but I like to know that my contingencies have been covered.

I am the woman who could have written the government’s ready site for them. I am not a naysayer but I do like knowing who is where when something happens.

That would explain my calling my two tennis playing sons on their cell phones (the ones the schools don’t want them having because they are a distraction) when the tornado warning came across the television screen. First off, the warning was not for our immediate area – it was for a county south of us in PA but the line of storms that it was involved with was moving northeast. Second, one of the boys has tennis practice at a town park where there is no real structure around, just a pavillion.

Well, the younger son’s tennis coach realized that weather looked iffy and canceled practice. The older son, on the other hand, has a conference championship tomorrow afternoon and the coach wanted to practice today because practice yesterday for the top ten was optional (which means the top ten didn’t go).

I just like having everything in line so I can sit back and watch the storm roll over the hill.

Leave a comment | posted in Family, Just my Thoughts

10 May 2007

The Impossible Position

By Nicki

 

My daughter, mostly but some of my other kids too, played soccer for a long time with a local soccer association. When I had the ability and they were short on officers for the board of directors, I decided to volunteer for a one year stint. I was figuring they may need a secretary or a vice president but I ended up, in October, becoming the treasurer.

Treasurer, on its own, is not a hard position. The club is large and actually employs – yes, you heard me – a checking account manager who keeps all the accounts, including individual team accounts, on Quick Books and all I have to do is keep an eye on spending and sign checks.

This year was not the year for a new treasurer, let alone for a treasurer who no longer has children in the club. Money is tight. The club owns property and the mortgage on that has to be paid and the fields – there are six of them – kept up. Now, people are getting antsy when I say “let’s think about that cost.”

Most recently, I told the man getting concession items for a tournament that Sam’s Club will not take an organization check on a personal membership. It was just a warning but the tournament chairman sort of told me off – or maybe I am reading too much into the email but the underlying tone was snappish. I just wanted the former treasurer to know that he may have a problem with that.

Another issue is the budget. I did it but it is not perfect. If monies were budgeted, they should be spent is the attitude. That is not necessarily true. A budget is a work in progress and by definition is changing constantly. Just because monies were budgeted does not mean money needs to be spent.

I am glad I was upfront about the fact this would be a one year office for me. I am done in October and life will be better then.

Leave a comment | posted in Just my Thoughts

9 May 2007

Spring and Summer Arrive Together

By Nicki

 

Okay, temperatures were summerlike yesterday. I was in, as I said, shorts and a sleeveless shirt. I had a great time at my son’s tennis match as it was so beautiful out. I opened windows – that I had washed on Saturday – and there is where the beauty ends.

I left the windows open overnight. Evidently, this is the downfall of my breathing ability. I woke up this morning with runny eyes and a runny nose. I have had spring allergies for years but this year, due to our weird weather, thought I was going to avoid them. Evidently not.

Off to find my allergy meds…..

Leave a comment | posted in Just my Thoughts

8 May 2007

Summer Planning

By Nicki

 

Wow! It is finally warm here. I have on shorts and a sleeveless shirt and am not cold. So my mind is turning to summer. It may approach 80F here and that is definitely summer temps.

This is going to be a different summer for me personally. Normally, summer seems rushed and cramped. My three college-aged kids who do not live at home come home. Unfortunately, those kids still at home have spent ten months living without these older three here and have expanded their personal space. We cram everyone back into the house.

This year, none of my older college-aged kids will be home. My oldest is graduating from college this month. He is thinking he will stay in Syracuse, where he has a real job starting in September. He is looking for a place to live and a summer job. The twins are both staying at school – one to work a part-time job in IT on campus and take eight credit hours, one to be a full-time RA for the summer.

So what will the three kids at home be doing? At least one is going on vacation with a friend. I really feel for Ocean City. I may want to go visit before this group gets there. My youngest will attend a summer program held locally and go to Scout camp for a week. He will also have scouting campout in June and August. It is the 16 year old that will need some thing to do. He has picked up one lawn mowing job for the summer. He is looking at a diving camp and possibly a tennis camp too.

So, what are your summer plans? Because I definitely need to make some of my own.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , | posted in Family, Just my Thoughts

7 May 2007

Dating ….

By Nicki

Okay, I don’t remember dating being this hard previously in my life. Maybe that’s because life is so much more simple when you are 16. Now, I have work and family and the family schedule to deal with so it is much harder.

I finally asked this guy I have been communicating with if he would like to go to a movie. I worked myself up so much I nearly vomited (that will be a wonderful anecdote for later).

Leave a comment | posted in Just my Thoughts

5 May 2007

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!

By Nicki

 

Thankfully for you, you are not where you can hear me singing that out loud!

I woke up this morning, on my own, well before my alarm was set to go off. It is absolutely beautiful out today! The sun is shining. It is 7 am and it is already 45F out (not a big deal unless you live where your kids had a snow day on April 16th).

I can absolutely not wait until I spend a beautiful day taking pictures and enjoying the weather. I am going to try to convince the kids we don’t need to go to a movie or whatever they want. I want to be outside in the sun!!!

Leave a comment | posted in Family, Just my Thoughts

4 May 2007

Conflict, Conflict, Conflict (tongue in cheek, of course)

By Nicki

 

I just can’t decide. I watch horse racing once a year – the first Saturday in May. I pretend to be Mexican once a year – the fifth of May. The big dilemma is which do I plan for in my menu/libation planning for tomorrow.

I was just about set to get some mint julep makings so I can watch the Kentucky Derby with a nice hat on my head and a mint julep in my hand. This use to be an annual tradition in my father’s neighborhood. Invited neighbors would gather on the porch with dressing up and mint juleps in hand.

Then, I realized that Saturday is May 5th. I usually make margaritas for Cinco de Mayo. Can’t very well drink both in one day…

So now I am stuck trying to resolve the conflict.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , | posted in Just my Thoughts

3 May 2007

A Day in the Life

By Nicki

 

What a great idea! Not a verbal blogging, but a pictorial blogging of a day in the life of the photographer.

I am sure this has been done for the famous and for the professional photographer but Yahoo 360 is promoting it for the average 360 user. Take pics of a day in your life on this Saturday, May 5 and then, post one to a Flikr group associated with the attempt.

I can’t wait. I am thinking about Saturday.

How do I take a pic of me all excited watching the Wings play? I am traveling, I hope, on Sat. Do I take a pic from the car window? What pics of the colleges I am traveling to?

I am in! The hardest part is going to be picking one to sum up the whole day but I will post a link later.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , | posted in Art, Family, Just my Thoughts

2 May 2007

Photo Pending for Online Dating Site

By Nicki

 

Normally, I blog here and copy it to Cupid.com where I have a profile. Today, I did it backwards. Below is my blog from Cupid and I am having Yahoo! photo issues so the pic won’t show up.

I am sure my soon-to-be 19 year old daughter is going to freak out. How do I know this? I uploaded a photo today. It is pending approval. It is not a great photo but it is okay. It is not recent – January, I believe.

Now the daughter freaking out part. Last spring a coach in the soccer club my daughter played in then sent an email to all the girls on his U19 team, telling them that the director of coaching – a nice single guy – had a profile on this site. I looked at my daughter and asked her what was wrong with that. He isn’t from this area. He spends a good deal of time on his job at the university nearby and a good deal of time traveling to recruit for his team. The best I could figure it out, I don’t know how he had time to do the coaching that he does for the soccer club. I bluntly told Susan he was allowed to have a life and I was more concerned about the married coach who had “stumbled” across the profile than that the single coach had one here.

So there was my reasoning for not putting my pic up to start with. I didn’t want my kids to freak out – just this one anyway. I have finally said too bad! Look for a pic as soon as Cupid says it is okay.

Leave a comment | posted in Family, Just my Thoughts

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