JuneInMA's Blog

AP sources report that Teixeira has agreed to an 8yr/$180M deal with the Yankees.

Clearly, this is what Teixeira was waiting for, so I say congrats.  My husband is absolutely LIVID about this and it's not because the Yankess signed him, he's livid at the fact that the Yankees are allowed to go out and spend $400M this offseason.

When I looked at it in the larger scope, I realized how much interest I'm losing in baseball.  The thing I like about the other 3 major sports, it's that until the very end you don't know who is going to be in it.  They have a cap.  They have to staff their team the best they can and then play their buttocks off to make it.  In baseball, you pretty much know who's going to be there at the end as soon as the offseason acquisitions are completed.  It's boring.

My biggest wish is for a.  Bud Selig to be sent to an island far, far away where he can perhaps acquire a spinal cord and b. for a HARD salary cap in baseball that cannot be broken.  Period.  Then and only then will we have a truly exciting national pasttime.

Good luck to Teixeira.  I'm a firm believer that no matter what the Yanks do, they're not going to make it.  You simply cannot purchase heart and strappiness.  You can't purchase a Championship. 

Thoughts, predictions, rantings?  Bring them on! :P

Just wanted to wish a Happy Birthday to all those December folks!!  From what I've gathered, I have the following:

Jack_A - 12/22

Jim Armstrong - December (not sure what day)

LMo1974 - 12/14

Kevin Lemanowicz - 12/25  - Kevin, my husband's birthday is on 12/25 was well!!! 

Happy Birthday Christmas babies!!!!!!!!

I've wanted to write this post all day and finally got the chance.  I wanted to comment on how lovely Maria looked yesterday with her red suit.

Maria, you are the picture of loveliness.  You always looked so sharp and classy and I don't think it is only because your job demands it, I think it's just because that is who you are.  I just wanted to point this out and hope that young ladies out there take notice about how a truly beautiful and classy woman is supposed to look.  I flip through the channels while watching tv and I'm so discouraged.  I don't yet have children, but I do look forward to having some soon and I really hope one of them is a little girl.  I just cringe at the "things" I see on tv passing themselves off as sexy and beautiful.  I'm sorry, but showing body parts that should be covered is not sexy, it's raunchy.

You Maria, however, are a perfect example of how to do it.  How to look stunning, yet classy all in one. 

Thank you for that!!

Our Defending Champion Boston Celtics are looking like the "AGAIN NBA Champion Boston Celtics".  If you are not following, I suggest you hop on the wagon immediately.  At 22-2, they hold the best record in the league.  They have won 14 straight and are on pace to finish the season 73-9!!!!  Whether that actually happens remains to be seen, but fact of the matter is that they are playing like the CHAMPIONS they be!

Pierce is a bonafide leader with his right (Garnett) and left (Allen) hands always by his side.  Rajon has finally come out of the cocoon stage and is now flying high!

Folks, seriously, if you are not paying attention start now or be ready to smack yourselves later for missing out.  The Celtics are not a fluke.  They are serious contenders for a repeat.  This team has what a lot of talented teams lack.....chemistry and charisma.....real team unification.

The NBA has prepared a Christmas gift for us all.....a repeat of finals action....Boston and LA meet again for the first time on Christmas Day at 5pm et. 

Don't miss it!

While complaining about retailers overshadowing Thanksgiving with Christmas stuff on another blog, many of us regular bloggers touched upon our love for Thanksgiving.  It happens to be my absolute, downright, unparalleled, FAVORITE holiday of the year.  You gather around with the family, catch up on news, watch football and........EAT!!!!  A dear fellow blogger, Chip, suggested that I start a blog on how a 'traditional' Thanksgiving looks like in my house.

As many of you know, I am a US citizen by choice, meaning, I'm a naturalized citizen and was not born here.  I was born in the Dominican Republic and that is where my roots are from.  Thanksgiving at our house is the same as everyone's in the sense that there is love, togetherness and lots of food.  But, being from a very vibrant and colorful caribbean island makes the food a cornucopia of flavors!

We too have the star of the show...the turkey...slowly basted and delicious.  We also have the traditional stuffing (both things my father is responsible for every year and does a great job).  However, that's where the similarities to a traditional american dinner end.  While you may look to find mashed potatoes, candied yams and cranberry sauce...we may have something like yellow rice with pigeon beans cooked in coconut milk , something my grandmother calls Potato Dolls (essentially mashed potatoes rolled up into oval shaped balls, lighted floured and boiled, stuffed with grated parmessan cheese, splashed with a homemade marinara meat sauce and sprinkled with the parmessan again)....SINFUL!  Also, some spanish folks don't enjoy turkey that much.  Don't know why, I'm not one of them, so we always have an alternate (this is my job) and in our case it's June's famous slow cooked, slow roasted pork shoulder.  So tender it falls right off the bone.  You'll definitely see potato salad and if you are at my parent's house, there will be a caesar salad too.  There are a ton of other little appetizers that are just delightful and we always finish off with June's flan.

Well, I am CERTAINLY looking forward to Thanksgiving with my family.  This year, my aunt will be visiting from North Carolina and we haven't seen her for a while.  I am extra excited.  So, how does Thanksgiving look at your place?  There are so many different folks in these blogs with so many different heritages, I know you guys have yummy things at your table.  SHARE!!!!  :)

P.S - I noticed my friends have Thanksgiving dinner early in the day, like around noon.  Is this the norm?  We have DINNER, usually around 7pm.

How are the Sox, Celtics & Patriots different from the Bruins?  They've all won a championship lately, which begs the question:  When will this happen for the Bruins?  Now, I'm fairly new to the sport of Hockey (about 2 years now, this being my 3rd) and I have to say I really like what I'm seeing SO FAR.  The Bruins have won 4 or their last 5 games, including a very exciting game against the Dallas Stars in which the Bruins looked superior in every category.  While they played like school yard punks, our Bruins answered every dirty hit with a goal and it the end, won the game and two fights.  They also played distinctly well against the Maple Leafs last night, beating them 5-2.  They currently rank 3rd in the Northeastern Conference, but that can change when they play Buffalo (currently in 1st place) this Saturday and Montreal (2nd place) next Thursday.

It would be very exciting to see the Stanley Cup back in Boston after 36 years!!  Go Bruins!!!!

LeBron: Cavs to skip Celtics ring party

So much for that theory about the Cavaliers getting motivated by watching the Boston Celtics receive their championship rings and hoist another championship banner Tuesday night in T.D. Banknorth Garden. LeBron James revealed on Monday that the Cavs will sit this one out. They'll wait in the locker room until the hoopla is over. "We don't need to be out there watching that, we need to get ready for the game," James said before the team left for Boston. Congratulations to them. But we're not [like] the fans of Boston. We don't need to be out there clapping for them getting rings." James brushed off the notion of using the ceremony for motivation. "It's stupid," he said of that idea.

Ok, it's 10:35pm as I write this on 8/19/08.  The official temp outside (East Boston) is 64 degrees, but there is a strong wind that makes it feel cooler than that.  I am LOVING this!!!!!  The fall is just around the corner.  Leaves turning, days winding down, apple picking, pumpkin picking....halloween....thanksgiving.....LOVE it!  Just love it!!  Can't wait!!!  I am going to sleep soundly tonight with nice, comfortable temperatures without the need for an a/c to be running.  This is great!

Anyone else love the Fall???

A fellow blogger (fenwaydav) started something wonderful when he carried out the beautiful gesture of wishing me a happy birthday on these blogs a couple of weeks ago.  Following in his footsteps, I would like to say the following:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JONSMOM & XANTUN!  May this be the beginning of a fantastic year and many fantastic years to come.  May God bless you with all that your hearts desire because I know that they are all good things!  Have a FANTASTIC birthday!! 

"The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly and lie about your age" - Lucille Ball.  :)

Source: Manny asked to stay with Sox
Posted: Saturday August 02, 2008 09:08AM ET

Of all the Manny moments in Boston, the last ranks as one of the most confounding. Within an hour after Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein informed Manny Ramirez he had been traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers Thursday, Ramirez's agent, Scott Boras, called the Sox back, according to a source with direct knowledge of the negotiations. If the Sox dropped the option years on his contract - which they had agreed to do if they traded him - Boras said Ramirez would not be a problem the rest of the season. For the Sox, the source said, Ramirez's pledge of good behavior only served as a tacit admission that his disruptive conduct of the last couple of weeks had been calculated, and they had had good cause to suspect more was in the offing if they did not trade him. The Sox told him thanks but no thanks, what was done was done, and pack plenty of sunscreen.

Reported by Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe

I just got back from the MSPCA/Angell Memorial where my mother's cat, Dusty, was put to sleep.  Dusty was just 2 and a half years old.  The problem was, Dusty was an outdoor cat (despite my repeated pleas to keep the cat indoors).  Dusty was apparently run over by a car and her spinal cord was broken in half.  The doctor said Dusty was in agonizing pain and chances were almost 100% she'd never walk again even if my mother was able to spend the thousands of dollars it would cost to treat her (my mother, of course, does not have thousands of dollars).  Dusty was a cute kitty with LOTS of personality.  One of her favorite things was showering in the kitchen sink (literally) which she did EVERYDAY.  I can't tell you guys how heartbroken I am, how incredibly sad.  I loved this cat as much as I loved my own 3 cats.

Public Service Announcement:  If you own a cat or are planning to own one, PLEASE keep the cat indoors.  The average lifespan of a cat drops dramatically from 15-20 years (indoors) to approximately 4-7 (outdoors).  The dangers out there for them are numerous, from cars to people who are mean to animals that are bigger than them.  Please, keep your beloved kitties indoors.

Thanks for reading!

I don't know what goes through the mind of a person that does this, but I do BELIEVE the following:  Anyone who would do something like this is capable of much more and it's only a matter of time before they get there.  Anyone who has seen the movie or read the book Apt Pupil would know what I mean.

Justice eyed for scorched kitten

MSPCA investigators are searching for whoever “cooked” a 6-week-old kitten in a microwave, nearly killing him.

Edison was brought to Angell Animal Medical Center in Jamaica Plain on July 3 with life-threatening injuries consistent with being burned alive, said MSPCA-Angell spokesman Brian Adams.

His entire tail may have to be surgically removed, Adams said, and both of his ears may have to be amputated.

Now 8 weeks old, Edison also suffered burns to his legs and blisters on his tongue, but it could be weeks before doctors know the full extent of his injuries.

“He’s on a downhill slope right now,” Adams said. “Hopefully, he’ll begin to rebound.”

He is on pain medication and in foster care with Dr. Deborah Brady, a staff veterinarian “It’s got to be painful, but his prognosis is good,” Brady said.

It will be months before Edison is ready for adoption. But yesterday, he showed signs of feistiness, nibbling on another kitten’s ear, pausing just long enough to swat him on the nose.

Adams would not release details of the MSPCA’s investigation other than that someone surrendered the kitten, alleging that he had been put in a microwave oven.

The MSPCA’s Law Enforcement Department has been trying to get in touch with the person who made the allegation, but the contact information the person gave was apparently incorrect, Adams said. Anyone with information should contact the MSPCA at 800-628-5808.

If the person who burned the kitten is caught and convicted of animal cruelty, the maximum penalty is up to 2 years in jail and a $2,500 fine.

Edison was one of three critically injured cats and dozens of homeless animals blessed yesterday by Lama Gursam, a Tibetan priest.

One of the cats, a 6-week-old kitten named Newton, was surrendered to the MSPCA last Friday after a three-story fall. Another cat, Zorro, survived a South Boston fire last week.

I really wish we had a random category we could put stuff like this in.  Oh well.......

I'm in love!!!  With the Litter Locker (http://www.worldpetstore.com/lilopl.html).  Maybe some of you already know about this or have one, but I just found out recently.  This is the Diaper Genie for cats.  I've had it for a little while and I am in love!!!  If you live in an apartment, especially one on the 3rd floor like mine, which does not make it easy to be going out back to throw out a baggie of litter, this is GREAT!!!!  I just thought I'd tell people and you all can make your decisions on whether or not to try it.  I love it! 

Also, combined with Arm & Hammer's new High Performance All Natural Litter, it is wonderful.  The only downside to this litter is that it is a bit pricey ($11 for a 10lb bag), but it lasts longer than the clay based litter I used before, so........

Anyway, just thought I'd let you guys know.  My kitties (all 3 of them) love the new litter.  I LOVE the fact that the Litter Locker has finally ridden me of the dreaded litter box odor.  It's gone folks!  Just gone!!!  :)

P.S - THE WEBSITE IS SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT THE PRODUCT LOOKS LIKE AND READ THE DESCRIPTION.  THE PRICES ON THIS WEBSITE ARE WAY OFF!  I GOT MY LITTER LOCKER AT PETSMART FOR $25 AND THE REFILLS ARE $8.  I WAS SPENDING ABOUT THE SAME IN DISPOSABLE BAGGIES BEFORE!!!

GREENDALE, Wis. —  A 91-year-old woman who had crawled under her car to look for her keys ended up stuck beneath an axle for two days until her mail carrier noticed letters piling up, police said.

Betty Borowski, of the Milwaukee suburb of Greendale, was found Tuesday and remained in a hospital in critical intensive care Friday, her niece Nancy DiMarco said. The hospital would not give an update on her condition Saturday.

Borowski, who lives alone, became stuck June 29 while looking for her keys; her head apparently got pinned by the axle, Greendale Police Chief Rob Dams said.

"She was pretty well wedged in there," Dams said. "It looks like she crawled under headfirst."

Borowski's mail carrier noticed Tuesday that the previous day's mail was still in her mailbox, police said. He rang the doorbell and then asked a neighbor whether he had seen Borowski lately. He hadn't, so they called police.

Firefighters lifted the car with a jack and removed Borowski, who was dehydrated and confused.

It turned out her keys were in the car door.

Borowski appears to be recovering, DiMarco said, but may have suffered a minor heart attack while under the vehicle.

I don't know how many of you out there know this or may be affected by this, but if you didn't know........

The MBTA is starting a "Revitalization" project on the Blue Line on 6/21/08 and several stations will be closed for extended periods of time.  In their usual fashion, they have not properly warned the public of this mess.  If anyone takes the Blue Line, please check out this link for information on what is to come.

http://www.mbta.com/riding_the_t/whats_new/?id=1520
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Hope this helps some of you!!

June