Pens v Rangers

Here we go again! This is sure to be a crazy rematch.

First things first: SIDDO GOT FIRST STAR OF THE WEEK! :) :) :) :) As if it could have been anyone else after his performance this week!

Gogo (apparently also known as Goose, haha!) is out again. He's got a "lower body injury" which some are interpreting to be an aggravated groin injury. And by now you have probably heard that Cooker is out, too. He was suspended for 2 games for the hit on Anisimov - a punishment that seems like it may have been a little harsher because he is Matt Cooke. I'm no official, but that was not a deliberate head shot. But since he was suspended in January, he's considered a repeat offender. That also means he'll forfeit $29,000 of his salary to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

But really, I need someone (anyone!) to explain to me why Cooker was suspended but Avery was not. (Check out this excellent write up about the situation on The Bleacher Report and the lack of consistency from the NHL regarding these punishments or lack thereof.)

This drawing of Super Mario was provided by good Friend of The Show Sid-drawing Jan. I know it's kind of random in relation to the content of this post, but really - who doesn't want to see more Lemieux? :)

I'm sure IFHSA™ will give us even more reasons to hate him. Funny how the big D-bag suffered no further ramifications after he took a run at our Captain's head in the last game (which was the catalyst of the ugliness that ultimately led to the Cooke/Anisimov incident) AND the cowardly unprovoked attack on a completely unsuspecting Fedotenko. (Yeah, I said attack. It's only a fight if the other guy participates.) Fortunately, Siddo saw him coming and ducked out of danger, and Tank wasn't injured. We'll see if he tries anything that stupid again tonight, and more importantly, if he does, whether or not the NHL will do anything about it.

You'll recall that I said I'd share my belated birthday gift from the G twins. 1WingAngel and her sister Nicole G. sent me this email:

Happy Belated Birthday, Jodie!!! [snoop: Thank you! :)]



I'm very happy to let you know that my sister, Nicole, and I recently achieved what we'd like to call our "Roaming Penguin Hat Trick" -- all three of our Roamers are now signed by their respective players! And yes, that means Marc-Andre Penguin (Nov. 3, 2008), Max Penguin (Dec. 1, 2008), AND a certain Sidney Penguin... ;)

Sidney Penguin met his human counterpart today after the Boys' game day skate. Nicole and I arrived at the Igloo at about noon (we cheated because we now live at Duquesne University, less than ten minutes away on foot) and stood along the green fence just outside of Gate 2 alongside a HUUUUUUGE crowd. I was certain that hardly anyone on the roster would approach this unusually large crowd, but I was soon proven wrong.


A young hockey team, the Peterborough Petes (Jordan Staal's team from his younger years), was in town, and some of the guys couldn't resist visiting them. Tyler Kennedy walked right up to the crowd and made his way down the line, then Ruslan Fedotenko followed suit. Jordan Staal and Eric Godard then walked to their cars, but when the young hockey players were escorted into the parking lot, Staalsy paid a visit to his former team... and that's when I noticed Sidney Crosby walking towards the group.


I tapped Nicole (he's her favorite player), and we watched as he signed autographs for the boys and posed for photos. Then he also walked to the long line of fans and proceeded along the fence. I was stunned, because I hadn't thought for a moment that Sid would approach such a sizable group. I put my jersey aside so that I could document Nicole holding out her Sidney Penguin for Sid to sign. Said documentation has been uploaded to my YouTube account, and here's the link.


Notes:
--The woman following him is a Penguins' employee. She set the rules for how long Sid signed for the crowd, and maintained control.

--Sid initially missed Nicole because he was in a conversation with a fan, and Nicole wasn't holding SP over the fence. She didn't want to risk dropping him (although, if she HAD dropped SP over the fence, wouldn't it have been something if Sid picked it up?? :) ).

--The quality is awful because it was recorded by my anxious self using my digital camera...

-- The first two attached photos are of Sid meeting the Peterborough Petes. The third is apparently a look at Sid's thighs... taken by Nicole. The fourth is our RPHT. And last is a screenshot of SC and SP. :)


So there you have it. Sidney Crosby met Sidney Penguin today... and Mama G., Nicole G., and myself have an unofficial "Roaming Penguin Hat Trick!"

GO PENS!!!

Good grief, that is BEYOND AWESOME!!! Siddo finally met his Roaming counterpart! How cool. :D :D :D :D :D Congrats, ladies! Thanks SO MUCH for sharing this with us.

Strap in for what could be a bumpy ride at Madison Square Garden...

GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!

Pens v Rangers (W 8-3)

What. A. Game. The Pens absolutely decimated the Rangers. Sid was amazing. How freaking awesome was the hat trick on hat night?! :) In all, he earned five points. What a player.

Okay, so I have made a change in the way comments are made. We've been getting hit pretty hard with spam comments about where to buy Viagra and how to use Playstation 3 consoles. (WTF?!) Up until recently, they were only hitting old posts, so I've been spending a good bit of time deleting them by hand. But this is becoming cumbersome, and yesterday they started hitting the current post. So from now on, you'll have to fill in a captcha before your comment will post. Hopefully this will deter the culprits.

Good Friend of The Show Jaime sent me a few pictures to share with everyone. She made a wallpaper using all the best shots of Siddo following the Cup win in response to the NHL's "This is Our Year" campaign:

Click to enlarge

She also cleaned up the scan of the picture of Mario, Sid, and the Cup that I pulled from the Reflections on a Season 2009 book:

Click to enlarge

And she sent us these scans. Jaime's friend Lizzy B. is a talented artist and drew a few pics of the Saint and one stunning picture of Le Magnifique:

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Amazing work, Lizzy! :) Tomorrow we face the Rangers again, this time at Madison Square Garden. Look for this one to be intense. They'll be looking for revenge after being humiliated in Pittsburgh.

Also tomorrow: I'll share with you a belated birthday present I got from good Friends 1WingAngel and Nicole G... ;)

GO PENS!!!!!!!!

Pens v Isles

I hope everyone's holiday was as nice as mine was. :) It's an early game today. The Pens are braving their way through New York Black Friday traffic to get to the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum to face the Islanders at 2:00pm Eastern.

If you haven't seen this yet, check out the awesomeness that is the Penguins and Paws 2010 calendar.


The Pittsburgh Penguins Wives Association and Met Vet present a calendar full of our Boys with their own furry friends as well as some pets that are currently up for adoption. Proceeds from the calendar benefit Animal Friends and the Animal Rescue League of Western Pennsylvania. What a fabulous Christmas gift idea, right? :) :) :) They'll be selling it at the Mellon Arena beginning this December, or you can buy it online here. I'm going to have to get two - one for home and one for the office. :)


Maybe today Godard will get the goal that was JUST BARELY out of his reach on Wednesday...

GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Party for a Poetry Man

I was away in Philadelphia for a few days last week for the 2009 NCTE Annual Convention. The reason I attended the convention--for the first time ever--is because I wanted to be there to celebrate with lots of other poets at the Poetry Party for Lee Bennett Hopkins, the 2009 recipient of the NCTE EXcellence in Poetry for Children

L to R: Janet Wong, Pat Lewis, Kris George, Moi, Rebecca Dotlich

Award.

Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong compiled a special book of poems as a tribute to Lee. I was thrilled to be one of the poets as to contribute to Dear One. Click here to read Eating Poetry, the poem I wrote in honor of Lee.

Pre-Party Pictures

L to R: Pat Lewis, Rebecca Dotlich, Michele Krueger

L to R: Moi, Pat, Rebecca

Let the Tribute Begin!

Sylvia Vardell Gets the Poetry Party Rolling

Lee Bennett Hopkins Comes to the Podium

Lee & The Poets Who Shared Their Poems & Remembrances of Him

L to R: Walter Dean Myers, Georgia Heard, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Sylvia Vardell,

Lee Bennett Hopkins, Janet Wong, Jane Yolen, Pat Lewis

More Poetry Party Pics

Bobbi Katz
Sara Holbrook

L to R: Pat Lewis, Jane Yolen, John Grandits

And here's one of my all-time favorite poems about poetry. This one's for you, Lee!

Introduction to Poetry
by Billy Collins

I ask them to take a poem

and hold it up to the light

like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem

and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem's room

and feel the walls for a light switch.

You can read the rest of the poem here.

********************

At Political Verses, I have Who's the Turkey?: A Poem about Sarah Palin.

The Poetry Friday Roundup is at Becky’s Book Reviews.

Thankful to God for my mother....

Dear Friends,

Thanks for stopping by. I thank God for seeing me through another week.

I thank God for giving me a loving family and God's many mercies to us.

Today is my mum's 70th birthday! My 2 brothers and 1 sister, together with their family, are back from oversesas to celebrate my mum's birthday. It is such a rare occasion and a very happy one for all of us. Due to being in different countries and their family and work commitments, my siblings have not been able to return at the same time in past years. So today we are all very happy and excited at this wonderful reunion! Thank God for giving us such a precious time.

I thank God for giving me a very caring mother. She took very good care of me and my 3 siblings since we were young. She is a wonderful cook and she manages all the housework in our home very well. She loves all of us very much. She is especially delighted to see her grandchildren (my sister's children).

Ever since my siblings all went overseas, my mum and I have been able to develop a closer relationship. I thank God for giving me grace to take care of her. She has many health problems and is getting weaker as she ages.

Thank God for using her to care for me too whenever I am unwell. She will cook for me and ensure that I eat no matter how sick I am. Sometimes I am so busy that I forget about meal time or rest. She will prompt me and sometimes "nag" at me to take my meals and breaks :-)

I pray that she may see Christ through my life and my love for her. She is still not a believer. Please pray together with me for her salvation. I hope one day she too will come to know the love of God and His mercies.

I thank God for all you, my dear blogging friends and visitors. It is a tremendous blessing to know all of you and to read of God's goodness and mercies to you. Thank you for the many precious lessons you are teaching me and the blessing of just knowing you. I just read Janet's thanksgiving post. Very encouraging. Do go over and read if you can and be encouraged by it.

Thank you for stopping by. Take care and have a blessed day!

Warm Regards,
Nancie

Pens v Canadiens

I am elbow deep in Thanksgiving dinner prep cooking. This will be my third consecutive year preparing the big feast for woodstock and me; however, it is my first time hosting guests. Originally, it was only going to be my sister, but my father just called to tell me he and my mom may come down for dinner. It's not like there won't be enough food - I got a 20 pound turkey for free this year! The problem is now I'm nervous... If something gets burned or otherwise ruined, it's on me. O_o Here's hoping it all goes off without a hitch!

Since I know I won't have time to do this tomorrow, let me take a minute to wish you all a happy, blessed, fattening, and safe Thanksgiving with your families. :)


Now, COME ON, BOYS! Get that victory and give us all one more thing to be thankful for tomorrow!

GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Win a Copy of "Dear One: A Tribute to Lee Bennett Hopkins"

Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong have a few extra copies of Dear One, the special "festschrift" book of poetry that they compiled in honor of Lee Bennett Hopkins, the 2009 recipient of the NCTE Excellence in Poetry Award. They have proposed a mini-competition for giving away the last dozen copies. Here’s the challenge: You have to list the name of a past NCTE Poetry Award winner whose work you are thankful for (and provide the titles of a couple of favorite books or poems written by that poet) in the comments section of this post at Sylvia's blog Poetry for Children: Be thankful for our NCTE poets. (No limit to your entries, but you can win only once.)

I wrote the following poem, Eating Poetry, for the tribute book. The words in italics are titles and a subtitle from poetry books Lee has published.

Eating Poetry
by Elaine Drabik Magliaro

Here we are
sitting side by side,
eating through a day
full of poems,
chewing on wonderful words,
delicious words
full of surprises—
words that flit, flutter, fly
from our tongues,
words that taste of
April, bubbles, chocolate,
words with the scent of sky magic.

Here we are
sitting side by side
savoring similes,
munching on metaphors,
rhymes dribbling down our chins,
licking rhythm from our lips.

Here we are
sitting side by side
in the city I love
eating poetry
a l l d a y l o n g…
Yummy!

Dear One: A Tribute to Lee Bennett Hopkins features original poems and anecdotes written by 61 poets, many who are friends and collaborators of Lee. Contributors included are listed below (appearing in reverse alphabetical order—as they do in the book):

Jane Yolen
Joyce Lee Wong
Janet Wong
Allan Wolf
Karen Winnick
Carole Boston Weatherford
April Halprin Wayland
Ann Wagner
Eileen Spinelli
Sonya Sones
Marilyn Singer
Joyce Sidman
Alice Schertle
Laura Purdie Salas
Joanne Ryder
Susan Pearson
Ann Whitford Paul
Linda Sue Park
Naomi Shihab Nye
Walter Dean Myers
Heidi MordhorstPat Mora
Donna Marie Merritt
Jude Mandell
Elaine Drabik Magliaro
J. Patrick LewisJonArno Lawson
Julie Larios
Michele Krueger
X.J. Kennedy
Bobbi Katz
Alan Katz
Paul Janeczko
Sara Holbrook
Mary Ann Hoberman
Georgia Heard
Juanita Havill
David Harrison
Avis Harley
Lorie Ann Grover
Nikki Grimes
John Grandits
Joan Bransfield Graham
Charles Ghigna
Carole Gerber
Kristine O’Connell George
Helen Frost
Betsy Franco
Douglas Florian
Ralph Fletcher
Bob Falls
Emma D. Dryden
Rebecca Kai Dotlich
Graham Denton
Jill Corcoran
Leslie Bulion
Calef Brown
Brod Bagert
Kathi Appelt
Jaime Adoff
Arnold Adoff

Pens v Panthers

The Pens are in Florida gearing up to face the Panthers. None of our other injured Boys are scheduled to return. Hopefully our Captain is feeling better (although, how amazing was that performance against the Thrashers from a sicko Siddo??). Speaking of Sid, I'm going with a totally random shot of him today. I found it when I was looking for good pics of him with the Olympic Torch. I can only guess that it comes from an advertisement that was meant to encourage youngsters to eat healthier foods, but it just creeps me the hell out:



I don't know about you, but the detailed view of his internal organs makes me the opposite of hungry for Kellogg's food...

Anyhoo,

GO PENS!!!!!!!!!

Party for a Poetry Man

I haven't had an opportunity yet to write up a post about the Poetry Party that was held in honor of Lee Bennett Hopkins last Friday at the 2009 NCTE Annual Convention in Philadelphia. It was a BLAST!!!

I'm sending along a million thanks to Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong--two people instrumental in organizing the party and getting funding for and compiling a book of poems and anecdotes as a special tribute to a man who has done more than anyone else to bring poetry into the lives of children.

Anyone interested in reading about the party and the tribute book, Dear One, should check out Sylvia Vardell's overview of this special occasion at her blog Poetry for Children: Hurray for Hopkins.

Pens v Thrashers

The good news keeps coming: Even though he took a puck to the face resulting in 10 stiches, BROOKSIE IS BACK!!! :) :) :) :) :)

Four down (Geno, Max, Gonch, & Brooks), five to go (TK, Kuni, Tanger, Gogo, & McKee)...

Mad Max will be playing on Siddo's line, so look for something special to happen there. We'll get to see our old friend Colby Armstrong. And don't forget there's definitely no love lost between Kovalchuk and our title man. We all know what happens when Sid gets mad, right? POINTS!

Get ready for a good one.

GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Personal Update

Hey, I just wanted to let anyone who cares know that late last night, my Gram's doctors finally concluded that the risks of not doing surgery outweighed the risks of going through with it, so this afternoon, she had her gall bladder removed. It was the best we could hope for: she made it through with flying colors!!! :D :D :D :D :D

We kind of have to play it by ear to see if she suffered any long term effects on her mental capacities, but the surgeon and the doctors seem very optimistic. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to any of you who said a prayer or sent out a positive vibe into the universe for my Gram. I cannot even put into words how much that means to me.

Since there isn't a game tonight, I thought you might like to see a little more Killian. Here's a cute shot of the Red Baron (LOVE that nickname, Bill - it's perfect!) on my couch with his blanket:

Pens v Sens

Folks, we've got GREAT news tonight...

MAX IS BACK!!!!!!

AND SO IS GONCH!!!!!

After losing half of the team to injury/illness, the return of these two key players is enormous. Their return is as important as Geno's return. However, all is not well: our honorary backup goalie, Jay McKee (who leads the league in blocked shots) is out for 2 to 4 weeks with an infected finger. Oy. Two steps forward and one step back... :(

Anyhow, you can pass the time until the game begins by checking out a video and some photos of our Captain with the Olympic Torch! :)

GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sidney Crosby Carries The Olympic Torch

Last night, Sidney Crosby carried the Olympic Torch through his native Nova Scotia. Here are the highlights (there's a Chinese ad before the video, but the report itself is in English):














Congratulations, Sid. It is a well deserved honor. :)

Resting in God's love.....

Dear Friends,

Thanks for stopping by.

♥ I thank God for seeing me through another week. Today is Thursday. I am reminded to count my blessings and be thankful to God for His many mercies.

♥ I thank God for strengthening through the last 2 weeks. I have rather ill with persistent flu. Thank God that now I am feeling better. Thank God for the much needed time of rest, a refreshment for both my body and soul. I was able to spend more time with the Lord in reading of His Words, prayers and reflections.

♥ I thank God for reminding me that we are accepted by God and beloved by Him through what our Lord Jesus Christ has done in our life in saving us. No matter how weak or imperfect we are, how much we have failed, God's love for us remains unchanging. So I thank God that I can rest in His love.

Recently, I felt quite down when I think of the way bipolar disorder affected my life and my relationships with some people who do not understand me. Some things I did in my effort to serve our Lord has caused some misunderstandings with some people. I felt very discouraged. I felt like a broken vessel and unfit to serve the Lord with the limitations of this illness. In God's mercies, He sends me many encouragements through His Words, His people and various other ways.

The Lord especially encouraged me through a video of a testimony of a couple with 2 special needs children who were brought to know our Lord as their saviours through the severe trials in their life. In a futile effort to seek help for their two children with Down Syndrome, the couple was providentially led to borrow money from a Christian friend who invited them to go to church. When they went to church, their life were changed completely. They have always feel ashamed of having two disabled children but when they heard the Word of God sang and preached, they were moved by the love of God Who accepts them. Gradually they learned to accept and value their children despite the children's disabilities. They began to know the love of God and His many wonderful mercies in their life.

The Lord reminded me that He is in control. He makes no mistakes. Though He may allow us or our loved ones to be afflicted with paralysing diseases or  infirmities, He can still use us for His glory to accomplish His divine purposes. We are but an instrument in His mighty hands. Though broken  and unfit in and of ourselves, the Lord is able to use us as He deems fit. His grace is even more evident in our brokenness. I feel encouraged to continue to look to Him daily for the grace and strength  to live for His glory. May God make me useful in His kingdom despite my  infirmities.

This week, Iris shared about "life" and her dad's life. She said

My dad always used to say “You are unique. Only you can do the things God set you out to do”. I couldn’t agree more. Although there are people with the same skills you might have, but only YOU can do them a specific way.

I am reminded of my father who loves me very much. He always believed that I will do well. I am reminded too that I am unique and God has made me with a purpose, even with this bipolar disorder. There have been many blessings I experienced through this condition too and I must not let the negative things discouraged me. I pray God will give me grace and strength to be a blessing to others.

♥ I thank God for my family and my church.

♥ I thank God for everyone of  you and all my blogging friends. Thanks for all your prayers and encouragements through this blog and email. May God bless you all!

Thank you for stopping by. Take care and have a blessed day!

Warm Regards,
Nancie

Thanksgiving Poetry

I’m leaving for Philadelphia tomorrow for the 2009 Annual NCTE Convention. I won’t be posting on Poetry Friday—so here is some Thanksgiving poetry for you on Wednesday.

Giving Thanks
Author Unknown

Giving Thanks
For the hay and the corn and the wheat that is reaped,
For the labor well done, and the barns that are heaped,
For the sun and the dew and the sweet honeycomb,
For the rose and the song and the harvest brought home -
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the trade and the skill and the wealth in our land,
For the cunning and strength of the workingman's hand,
For the good that our artists and poets have taught,
For the friendship that hope and affection have brought -
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the homes that with purest affection are blest,
For the season of plenty and well-deserved rest,
For our country extending from sea unto sea;
The land that is known as the "Land of the Free" -
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!


From Thanksgiving
by Ivy O. Eastwick

Thank you
for all my hands can hold-
apples red,
and melons gold,
yellow corn
both ripe and sweet,
peas and beans
so good to eat!

You can read the rest of the poem here.

Click here to read my review of Nancy White Carlstrom’s book of poems Thanksgiving Day at Our House.

You may also want to check out this other Wild Rose Reader post: THANKSGIVING: Book Lists, Book Reviews, Resources, & Crafts.

What a Month

As I said before, I'm not deliberately trying to neglect TSCS. I'm still getting accustomed to having a puppy that I have to monitor constantly, and my Gram has been on a health rollercoaster (we're not sure what's happening to her - she keeps getting sick, and doctors think it might be her gallbladder but she can't get surgery because it might kill her). Needless to say, life has been a little hectic around here.

(Greyhounds left to right:) Connor, Logan, Link, and Killian in a rare moment of calm. It's amazing how well behaved they can be when they're waiting for a treat. ;)

We did take a break from it yesterday and headed to Pittsburgh for the game. It was a really good time. I really needed the break. (Parking was insane, though!) The Guerin/Getzlaf brawl was the highlight of the evening for me, second only to meeting Iceburgh in the hall. He is as charming as ever. :) I got a few good pictures for you.

Gronk's shorty:


Siddo:


My first look at the new banner:


The coaches:


Guerin schooling Getzlaf:


The victorious team:


I thought this was weird... The attempt at smack talk fails epically because, um, ducks are birds too:


You have to ignore the grossness of the sidewalk to appreciate this last one:



I apologize for missing most of the beginning of this season. Things will hopefully calm down soon. I so miss doing The Show. :(

GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!