Good Luck Charm

I was at a conference Wednesday through Sunday. I returned home, laid in the bathtub, and contemplated a nap. RandBall arrived home at precisely this moment, gave me a quick peck, and ran to the TV. Oh. Game time.

I entered the living room and slumped onto the loveseat, and thought to myself, "Welcome home, Julie." Too tired to move, I stayed until halftime, when I decided to go to bed. We were winning (gasp!) and I was pretty sure the fate of the game was sealed.

Only later did RandBall share with me that the Vikings blew it, and lost badly. He then blamed it on me, because I left the room. His reasoning? I must be a good luck charm if a) the only full game I watched (the Sunday before) the Vikings won, and b) I was there for the first half- when the Vikings were in the lead. I've heard RandBall talk about good luck charms before. When it comes to sports, he's very superstitious. I've heard about games he's watched where he was convinced if he turned on the light, the team would lose. I'm not sure if he ever had lucky underwear that he wouldn't wash for fear his team would lose... but I wouldn't put it past him!

What if I really were the determining factor in the fate of the Vikings? Would I watch every game in hopes that they'd win? Hell no! I'd toy with the team... make them think they've finally got things together- then I'd go to the mall, and wait for their demise! I'd stop into the room as the team is behind by several touchdowns, watch as they are just about to kick their tying field goal, and on a whim, take off to get a pedicure. Mwah ha ha ha ha ha!

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Blog Action Day (just one day late)

So, yesterday was Blog Action Day- a day where bloggers united to present topics related to saving the environment. Now, I'd like to share that RandBall and I recycle. Every couple of weeks, we've got about 4 or 5 grocery bags full of recyclables. This is a very important component for taking responsibility for your carbon footprint. This is the easiest, most accessible way to make a difference. Think about it; someone who you already pay to take away your garbage is willing to come to your house and take away your recyclables, that they may be used again to make future aluminum cans and newspapers. You don't even have to go anywhere. RandBall and I live in a condo, which is a four-plex. All the other owners are single women. None of the other owners recycle. They feel that since they live alone, their recyclable waste is too insignificant. This is not true. I'm appalled when I visit my family up north (for those non-Minnesotans reading, that means Northern Minnesota) and I'm informed that they cannot, for example, recycle cardboard in their area- or based upon where they live, recycling is not available. Those of us who live in a decent sized city have the most options when it comes to recycling. You can even recycle the cardboard core of your toilet paper roll. Please look into your recycling options in your area, and do the responsible thing- recycle!

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Saturday Morning Occurrence

Okay, this has nothing to do with sports, but I had an eerie thing happen to me on Saturday morning. I went to bed at a decent hour on Friday night, and woke around the time RandBall typically awakes (rare, because he needs less sleep than I.) I suggested we go out for breakfast, since the breakfast rush is usually closer to noon in our neighborhood. So we went to a local breakfast nook, and had a lovely meal. Just as we were finishing up our meal, I noticed a little blonde girl near the front door, who seemed to be looking at me. I motioned to RandBall, because she looked a lot like me when I was little. Then I realized she had blonde pigtails and glasses on, and so did I! It was a bit eerie. Then when RandBall looked back towards the girl, we noticed there was not one blonde girl, but two! They looked exactly alike, and both were intensely staring at me. I tried staring back, no change. I laughed. Still staring.

RandBall leaned in towards me and whispered in jest, "Maybe we're the only ones who can see them!" It was seriously a moment it seemed only we were aware of.

Just when the staring was becoming ridiculous, I looked behind me at the wall- wondering if there was a particularly alluring paint-by-number above my head. Alluring, but not a painting, was the HDTV mounted on the wall above my head airing cartoons.

"Oh, I get it!" I said to myself, "They're hypnotized by Saturday morning cartoons!"

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