Odd Bits - The Skippy Skeeve Edition

I don’t really have any fully formed thoughts today, so it’s time for another refreshing “Odd Bits” post.

I took yesterday off… I have a number of untaken vacation days left so I scheduled off most of the week after Christmas, and one day off a week for the rest of the year.  Commence the 4-day workweek!  But it’s always good to take the day off after the Steelers play a night game.  (Especially such an aggravating one.)

Game day mojo did NOT help any this week.  The Harrison throwback jersey won’t see the light of day again this year.  But I can’t say I wasn’t surprised.  Even in my weekly picks, I picked the Pats over the Steelers.  Brady owns us, that’s all I can say.

I also noticed over the weekend that the NFL formally apologized to the Steelers for 2 penalty calls made against them in the Bengals game.  The two calls came on a Bengals drive that led to a TD during their 4^th quarter comeback last week.  If the Steelers hadn’t held them off for the win, there would have been a lot more fuss, I’m sure.  But it’s like I’ve been saying, quality teams don’t let bad calls beat them.

Speaking of, the Ratbird fans are still crying about a non-call of offensive pass interference in the game they lost against the Falcons.  Not that I’m surprised or anything.  I mean it DID come on the game-winning TD pass, but still.  They could have put the game away any time prior to that with a couple of defensive stops.  Instead the Falcons went 80 yards in 40 seconds on the Big Bad Super-Scary Chest-Beating Ravens Defense.

There was no forthcoming apology from the league, though, about the non-call, so one can only conclude that it was correct.  Except around here, it’s just more “proof” that the league is out to “get” the Ravens.

Out and About

So with my free Monday, I went out to do some errands, starting with a haircut.  I’ve posted about my semi-annual appointments at the fabled Hair Cuttery.  Last time I got sheared by a Russian Stylista who, rather than doing what I asked her to do, made me look good instead.  Sadly she wasn’t there this time so I had to explain to this other lady, “Do what Irina did.”  In other words, break out the clippers and don’t take no prisoners.

You know, when you look in the mirror and you usually can’t see any hair without the use of multiple mirrors, you tend to forget about what it looks like back there.  So it’s always kind of jarring when these tufts of hair start to appear on your cape that appear to have been left by a shedding calico cat.

How come no one told me there was so much gray back there.  What, you think I knew?

Good thing it just makes us men look all distinguished.

Next up was a trip to Wal-Mart for some supplies.  I used to fret and feel guilty about going to Wally’s, but ever since Target donated that shit-pile of cash to that Republican candidate in Minnesota who was campaigning against gay rights, I’m back to not giving a shit.  Either way, someone’s getting screwed.  At least I’ll save some money.

One thing that bothers me about the health care reform law that was passed was the removal of over-the-counter drugs from the list of approved health care spending account items.  That’s a big one to eat… I probably spend $300 a year on OTC medicines, from aspirin to cold medicine to allergy pills.  So I’m blowing the rest of my HSA money for the year on stockpiling pills.  Maybe they’ll be back in play by 2012.

While there, I also perused the bargain Blu-Ray bin and found “Silence of the Lambs” for $8.  With all the talk here last week about Sitcom Kelly’s Pits for Kris Letang and Matt Bahr, I figured it was time for an upgrade over the DVD I had.  It was right there on an end-cap, like a sign especially for me.  As soon as I saw it, I started chuckling, like “Oh yeah, that’s the one.”

Approved by Buffalo Bill.  And Precious.

Automotive Bluz

Another stupid thing I had to get was a new windshield scraper with a longer handle.  The Concorde I bought this summer is significantly wider than my old Neon and I noticed last week when I had to scrape the frost in the morning, I had to lean all the way across the hood.  So unless I wanted to routinely show up at work with giant wet spots on the front of my pants, I figured I needed a longer scraper.

While I was in the Auto Dept., I picked up a bottle of Rain-X, for use on the windshield.  I’d heard it did a good job of keeping the windshield clear and beading the water.  I’m hoping it helps in frost removal as well.  When I got home, I put it on all the glass around the car.

As a special added bonus, it rained here all day today so I got to see the Rain-X in action right away.  I’m pretty pleased.  It says on the bottle that the water will bead up and run right up your windshield as you drive, and it certainly did.  I can’t wait to get into a real hard downpour and turn that baby loose on the freeway, just to watch those water droplets scream up the glass.

How much do you want to bet that I plow into someone stopped at a red light, because I’m focusing on looking at the windshield?

RIP Skippy

Lastly today, it is with a heavy heart that I have to bid adieu to Steelers kicker, Jeff, “Skippy Skeeve the Foul Dwarf” Reed.   They cut him today and signed a new kicker, Shaun Suisham.  Reed missed a 26-yard field goal Sunday night and later blamed the turf on the field and took shots at the media and the fans.

Say what you may about his off-field poon-chasing, paper towel dispenser-smashing, cop-fighting, crotch self-photographing ways; he’s been an amazingly accurate kicker since he first signed with the Steelers.  And he’s been the world’s easiest punch line for jokesters everywhere. 

Now I’m not saying we should have kept him or cut him.  He’s acted like pretty much of a douchebag and I’m sure the Rooneys were tired of his shit.  But I am saying to those that celebrate his exit, “Be careful what you wish for,” because they’ll be booing Suisham too as soon as he misses a couple 30-yarders into the open end.  Remember, he’s a guy that 31 other teams didn’t want.

Farewell, Skippy, and good luck with the SlutQuest some other locale. 

Tell the kids he’s been taken to a farm somewhere… a Poon Farm… where he can run free and never have to wear a shirt again.