Are You on My Side

Hello from Global Warming Central. I'm not complaining, but there's just something strange about 50-degree January temps in New England. Tomorrow, it's supposed to get up in the mid-50s. Things are expected to get back down in the 20s by Sunday, but still, this is wack.

Since last I blogged, Deb and I went to my company holiday party (which always happens in January), which was fun; perhaps a little too fun. Let's just say neither of us was feeling particularly perky last Saturday. On Sunday, we took Hannah to Gloucester for her first time on skates; essentially, I just held her up while we took some spins around a crowded rink. She had fun, but my lower back was killing me. In fact, it still is. But it was worth it to see her face.

My back woes may have been caused in part because I ran 11 miles right before we went to the rink. I was supposed to run nine, but didn't realize until I was two-thirds of the way through the run that I had miscalculated. At least it was nice out.

Mix and match:

• Here, kitty kitty. Here...whoa. It's not too often you see a cycloptic kitten. That's a good thing.
• So you're prepared and you back up all your data and photos and other crap on CDs. And then this guy comes along to tell you you're an idiot. Thanks, pal.
• What's the difference between a memoir and fiction based on real-life events? This guy's finding out the hard way. I expect he's praying to Oprah for forgiveness.
• It's not easy to be a veteran in the "new" NHL these days. There have been big-name retirements (Messier, Francis, Damphousse, Stevens, Hull), lackluster play (Roenick, Robitaille, and hell, even Mario Lemieux), and in the last week, both Alex Mogilny of the Devils and Dave Andreychuk of the Lightning were waived by their respective teams. Mogilny was more of a salary cap move and is expected to play in the AHL, but Andreychuk, the captain of the defending Stanley Cup champs, cleared waivers and will likely retire. Andreychuk, 42, who has 640 goals and more than 1,330 points in his 23-year career, has nothing to be ashamed about. One of the premier power-play goal scorers, he had a couple of memorable years with the Leafs in the mid-90s, including back-to-back 50-goal seasons. Well done, Dave.