I'm never going to hear the end of this...

Grizzlies convincingly beat the 'Cats, maintain their undefeated season, appear in the playoffs for the umpteenth straight year, the #2 team in the FCS loses, and the #4 team gets the #2 seeding in the playoffs???? ARE YOU KIDDING ME????

Are You Ready For Some Football??

There's not much else to think about for the next 24 hours other than football in the state of Montana. Three HUGE games starting tonight.

• The Helena Capital HS Bruins host the Billings Senior HS Broncos for the AA Championship (AA is the large school classification here). The Bruins will be making their 3rd straight appearance in the championship, and are the defending state champions. They bring an 11-1 record into the game, and have outscored their regular season opponents 426-69. Not too shabby. Also my former high school. GO BRUINS! UPDATE: Helena Capital scores 2 touchdowns in the last 5 minutes to beat Billings Senior, 30-27, successfully defending their state crown, and their 9th football championship in school history. Yay!
  
• The 107th "Brawl of the Wild" takes place on Saturday. The MSU Bobcats (boo!) host the UM Grizzlies (yay!) in Bozeman. The 'Cats lost to the worst team in the FCS (formerly the 1-AA), but have also beaten some quality opponents. Their season ends tomorrow. They have no chance for post-season play. Their highlight would be to beat the Griz (as it is year after year). The Griz, on the other hand, will probably get the #2 seed in the playoffs with a win. With a loss, they will probably still host at least one, if not two playoff games. As with every cross-state matchup, this could go either way. Personally, I haven't ever thought that this year's Griz team is as good as everyone else seems to think, but they DO find a way to win. They are undefeated for the season. Update: Griz beat MSU, 41-20!!!
• There's actually 4 undefeated teams going into this weekend:
  

Northern Iowa will probably retain the #1 seed with a win. Update: Northern Iowa beat Southern Utah, 49-10. This will make them the #1 seed in the playoffs.


North Dakota State is ineligible for post-season play until next season, thank God! Update: Oops! NDSU loses their first/last game against SoDakState, 24-29. Griz will definitely move to #2!


Montana will get the #2 seed with a win, and continue the most impressive playoff run in all of football. Truly a dynasty, even if they don't win the championship each year. Update: Home-field advantage through to the championship game!


Oh, yeah. Some team from Louisiana is undefeated, too... Update: Yeah, they won too, against Central Arkansas (pffftttt...), 41-14. They'll host playoff games until they have to travel to MT in the semis (remember last year??).

• The NAIA playoffs start tomorrow, with the #2 Carroll College Fighting Saints hosting Black Hills State in the first round. The Saints are also undefeated, with the #1 defense in the country. The Saints have won 4 of the last 5 national championships, and look to make it to the championship game again. Could be tough, though. Their senior QB is injured. He can play, but he can't run, and the Saints' offense depends on that. They should win this game, but the rest of the playoffs might be tough. Update: Carroll won this game, 34-0, and looked pretty good doing it! They might really have a good chance!
  

What's nice in a state like Montana--all of these games will be televised. I'll sit at home and watch the HS game, and then flip-flop tomorrow afternoon between the two college games. I know. If I were a true fan, I'd have two TV screens with a game on each. Maybe I should just go to the sports bar and watch!
Edit: Forgot to mention my niece's soccer team, playing in the NAIA national soccer tournament. They won their first game against Point Loma Nazarene earlier tonight, 2-1. They are now in the quarterfinals, playing tomorrow night against #2 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.). Which I'll be able to watch on webcast! Update: Carroll College lost to Lindsey Wilson, 2-0. Congrats on a great season!!

Bad Santa

HNT can be found below...

This is just wrong.

Velvety HNT

I am fascinated by my hair. I'm loving watching it grow back. I love rubbing my head. I'm already feeling like I'm due for another shave. I probably won't though. Winter looms ahead, and I had NO idea how cold this could make me! But come springtime...

I'll try not to bore you with the hair anymore. But I just want to say that it's at the length now where it feels quite velvety. Black velvety. Not the booze type of black velvety, but the paint canvas type of black velvety. Like you'd see "Dogs Playing Poker" painted on. Though, in my case, more gray velvety. Perhaps an intensive skull tattoo is in my future!

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This week's Mystery Guest is no stranger to HNT, or even as the Mystery Guest. This is her second appearance as the MG, and she still looks as good as she ever has! She's not really as ditzy as she'd like you to believe, though she's definitely known for her "moments". She's a mother of two, a wife, a good friend, and some would even call a goddess! I'll reveal her tomorrow, but feel free to ask her about it, and she'll tell you it's her!
Sort of an easy guess here. Her HNT is a continuation of what you see here. Of course, I'm referring to Biscuit! Be sure to stop by if you haven't already!

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"...the Other HNT" is welcomes a couple of relative newcomers to the fun. And a personal favorite! NSFW, of course, but stop by and leave some comments!

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THE ANNOUNCEMENT!

Planning ahead here, by announcing FOUR new themes to wrap up the year. The first one is the idea of Jessica, who came up with it when I told her the news. In honor of receiving a new toy (starts with i, and rhymes with pod) this morning (shipped from China on Monday, in my hands this morning! I can't get mail from here to Leesa in that amount of time!), NEXT WEEK will be "mp3 HNT" week. Use your favorite mp3 player as part of your HNT! If you don't listen to mp3s, use whatever you DO use to listen to music--a discman, a walkman, transistor radio... (anyone going to show their 8-track player?). You don't necessarily have to do the same pose as this young lady, but if the spirit moves you...

There will be three themes in December, and those of you who have been around for over a year will know what they are:

Wed/Thur - Dec. 12/13 - Christmas Tree HNT
Wed/Thur - Dec. 19/20 - Three Christmas Wishes HNT
Wed/Thur - Dec. 26/27 - Your Favorite HNT of 2007

Fairly self-explanatory, but I'll give you details in December. I'll also put the dates in at the top of the sidebar. This is just a heads up for you. You can go back to my HNTs from last year (that's where the links go up above) if you need to find out before then!

Numbers From Yesterday (and other stuff)

Some numbers from yesterday:

2.5 - Hours drinking, eating, gossiping and playing Keno
3 - Number of girls who rubbed my head whose names I don't know
3.13 - Dollars/gallon for gas
6 - Number of texts or phone calls I got yesterday morning before 9AM
51 - Years old/young birthday we were celebrating
60 - Miles per hour wind gusts in town
100 - Miles per hour wind gusts north of town
110 - Dollars I won playing Keno
2,000 - Acres burned in a grass fire north of town
100,000 - Dollars bail for each of 3 UofM Grizzly football players arrested on felony charges of robbery, burglary and aggravated kidnapping.

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Did you hear about the sex offender who was decapitated over the weekend? Originally, I was going to comment that I had mixed feelings about that news, but as I read up on it, that all changed. Yes, the guy was a registered sex offender, coming from an incident when he was 17 years old, having sex with a 14 year old girl. I'm sorry--in my mind, that's not the same as some old guy molesting 9 year old kids. And it appears that the murder had nothing to do with his troubled past. The two teenagers charged with the murder are thought to have done it "for the thrill of it".

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Fire season is still with us. Besides the above-mentioned fire, I think there's been 2 other major fires (10K-20K acres) in the state.

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My niece's soccer team travels to Daytona for the national NAIA tournament. I mentioned earlier that I might go. Not gonna happen. So those of you in Florida need to cheer for the Carroll College Lady Saints!

The people have voted...

OK, I got responses from 30 of you, and 80% said to continue on with the HNT Mystery Guest, and 13.3% chose "Pick me, pick me"! So basically, 93.3% voted positively on this issue. It shall continue!

HOWEVER--I need help here! A review of the "rules" is needed...

• Anyone who submits something to be the MG will get posted.
• If I have more than one submission during the week, then I will draw a name out of a hat (seriously!). So you might have to wait for a bit to be posted.
• I try to contact the week's MG on Monday to go over details (or to let them back out).
• To keep with the concept of mystery, your MG picture should give us a hint of who you are, without showing so much that there's no question. You have the option of whether you want to be revealed on Thursday afternoon or not.
• If you want to carry a "theme" between your MG pic and your own HNT, feel free! But not necessary.
  
• On rare occasions, I've been known to squeeze a special MG in to celebrate special events or birthdays or whathaveyou. Not often, though.
• This isn't the sort of thing that should compete with "...the Other HNT". The MG picture really shouldn't be NSFW.
  

I currently do not have anyone lined up for this week. I'll post the first one to submit something. If I get more this week, you'll go into the "hat" for future weeks.

Filmed in Technicolor

Don't forget to vote regarding the continuation of the HNT Mystery Guest! It's over in the sidebar. If you missed the post, go here.

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Proving that I live an exciting life, I spent Saturday night watching "The Wizard of Oz" on TBS (only after spending the day only watching the variety of college football that piqued my interest). I've watched this movie I don't know how many times over my lifetime. As have we all. I mean, it's "The Wizard of Oz". And after so many viewings, I've probably let most of it just pass through my brain. But for some reason, I watched it last night in a different way. Some observations:After nearly 70 years, it stands up as great movie-making.

• I don't know who was smoking what back then, but the entire fantasy land of Oz is incredible. I'm sure that L. Frank Baum had some illustrations, but to put it on the screen is a major bit of work!
• The colors are incredible. Though it wasn't a commercial theatrical success, audiences had to have been in awe when Dorothy opens the front door after she lands in Oz, going from the sepia of Kansas (hey Jess--is Kansas really sepia?), to the quite vivid colors of Oz. Filmed in Technicolor!
• The special effects were pretty good for the day. The faces in the crystal ball, the characters in flying around in the tornado, the appearances and disappearances of the Wicked Witch of the Witch (after 40 years of watching this, I still don't know how they could smoothly use a trap door...)--all of these and more were pretty hi-tech for the day. Even the mattes and backgrounds were seamless with the live action. Think of the first time you saw "Star Wars" (those of us who remember the late 70s).
• We've all heard of/seen the yellow brick road. Did you know there was a red brick road, too? Where did that one lead to?
• Don't even get me into the whole idea of bringing in all the midgets!
• Speaking of midgets--Rachel's dog's name is Midget, and she's the white-ish version of Toto. Rachel's kind of a midget too! ;-)
• I hadn't realized that the film used a snippet of Mussorgsky's "Night On Bald Mountain" during the chase in the witch's castle!
• The flying monkeys are still just creepy.
• I think the make-up for all of the characters was remarkable, and hold their own to the various masks and effects of today's movies.
• 1939 was an incredible year for movies. Check here to see what movies were up for Oscars that year and which ones won!

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In my mind, the Christmas season really starts only after I've seen my two favorite cartoons on TV--"It's a Charlie Brown Christmas", and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". Imagine my disappointment in seeing the Grinch on TBS tonight. NOVEMBER 11th. I'm going to have to come up with a new way to start the season.

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More about my football teams later--but my two college teams and my old HS team have a combined win/loss record of, well, I don't know exactly, but there's only been one loss among all three. I'll probably make mention of another HS in the county this week too. They'll be playing for the state championship for the 6-Man Football division. A totally different brand of game for them!

Who are you...?

Would the reader from Unity, Oregon, please come out to play? I'm curious who you are! Feel free to email or leave a comment!

MG Poll

Not one person mentioned the lack of a Mystery Guest yesterday. Has interest waned in that, or was everyone too traumatized/confused with my own HNT? Is there still interest in people wanting to be the MG? There's a poll over there in the sidebar. It'll be up for at least a few days. I leave you with a reminder of past MGs...

Planetary HNT

HOUSTON--Scientists at NASA's Planetary Exploration Division have released photos of what is considered to be one of the major discoveries of the 21st century. Within the past 10 days, the discovery of a massive new planet has surfaced. In keeping with the naming of planets after Roman gods, this one is known as Osbasso. It is described as a large planet, somewhat soft, and a thin, gaseous atmosphere, widely considered to be composed of high concentrations of methane.

Astronomers are perplexed by the surface of Osbasso. It does not appear to be pock-marked such as the craters found on the moon, though they don't believe that's always been the case. As can be seen in the photos, the shape of the planet is almost perfectly round, and is noticeably lacking in any sorts of large bumps or ridges. It is thought that the surface is constantly changing, with a fine layer of organic material covering it. As can be seen in the photos, the color seems to change, depending upon the angle. Scientists are still unsure of the light source.

It is hoped by those at NASA's P.E.D. that future photos of the far side of the planet will become available. They are excited at the possibility that more exotic features exist that are not seen on the near side. While they hope that they might find a face on the surface, similar to the "face" that is seen on Mars, they admit that the far side might just turn out to be more of the same. Secretly, however, many of them hoped to find tiny alien crop circles.

When asked for comment, a SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) spokesman responded that even though the discovery of Osbasso was significant, it was not believed that any intelligent life would be found.

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You know what usually would show up here...

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Be sure to check out your fellow HNTers over at "...the Other HNT"! And leave some comments, too! (NSFW, as usual)

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Due to an "oops" moment, the kids over at "Blissfully Wed" had to go private last week. They sent out invitations to as many as they could think of, but if you were missed (it wasn't personal, really!) you can email them and ask for one at: hntbliss@gmail.com

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As mentioned last week, Saucy Wildcat was going to be having surgery for her thyroid cancer. Well, she had surgery on Monday, and is now recovering. You can read the latest update on her site. Stop by and send her some good wishes! Sorry, no HNT picture over there this week! She DID put one up!

The Bitch Is Back!!! (and even more hodge-podge)

I haven't mentioned this at all, hoping to help my karma. And it apparently worked! You might remember the fiasco of trying to get tickets to either of Elton John's Montana concerts a couple of months ago. It was announced last week that he was so taken with Montana and the reception that he got here (and probably heard about the fiasco, too) that he's coming back to Missoula in April! On the Friday before my birthday! So yesterday, with some trepidation, I attempted to buy 4 tickets. It still took me 20 minutes to finally get through. The good news--I GOT TICKETS!!! The bad news--the seats are 23, 24, 25 & 37. WTF??? I think that can be worked around, but how screwy is that??? I come away from this experience with mixed emotions. My seats are in the back corner, and in the second level (of 2), row 10 (of about 16). But then again, I'm in the building, and it's not that large of a place. Now if I can just find a date...

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I've been "watching" TV (as in, on in the background and not really paying attention). Another commercial that caught my eye and got me to thinking--Crayola products. Remember the good old days, when all they sold were the small boxes of 16 crayons? And the envy you felt when the kid with the rich parents bought him the 64-box?? OR (can I even dare say it?) the 128-box?? With built-in crayon sharpener?? If you're not aware, Crayola does so much more now. Chalk. Colored pencils with scents. Clay. Markers. Paints. Things to color that won't run on the wall or the carpet. Remember when MTV only did music videos??

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Also noticing alot of ads for prescription-only drugs on TV. Why? It's not like we can go to the store and buy them. Shouldn't these just be directed to physicians? And they all have the disclaimer--where the side effects are worse than what you're treating. Most disturbing is the new variety of ailments! We're used to feminine products, and now erectile dysfunction, but now there's a pill that will help shrink your prostate. And an allergy mist that works, but it's not quite understood how. Or something that females should even avoid contact with because it'll possibly kill them. And I haven't even checked to see what they're peddling on Lifetime!

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By far the most common reaction to my hair, or lack thereof, is that the first thing people want to do is rub my head. In the same manner that people want to rub the tummy of a pregnant woman. Or Buddha. Secretly though, I like it!

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I am continually amazed at the inability of most women to figure out how to navigate a four-way stop...

More hodge-podge...

Edit: I just realized that no one took me up on the pumpkin guts picture for HNT this week. I'm a tad disappointed in that, I think...

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My niece's soccer team won the regional championship Saturday afternoon. They head for the national NAIA tournament in Daytona in a week. My sister (S2) already reserved a hotel room down there, just in case. If she doesn't have someone else lined up to join her, I might make the trip with her. We'll see...

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As usual (this is getting a little old, isn't it?) my football teams all won. The Griz have won the conference, and will get one of the top 4 seeds in the playoffs, probably getting home field advantage throughout the playoffs until the championship game in Tennessee. Carroll College is still on a roll (#2). Their defense allowed two TDs late in today's game--the first two touchdowns allowed all season. That's truly amazing!

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Bad Bad Girl wanted me to get the word out that she's got a new URL. As of yesterday, she's apparently considered "objectionable"! Sounds like she got flagged quite a bit. I think she pissed someone off or something. Anyway, she's got a new URL over at Wordpress: http://badbadgirl.wordpress.com/ She's also got a couple of new buttons to her site if you want to use them. Go check her out (caution: "objectionable" content!).

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My new hairstyle has brought about some interesting observations. Almost everyone says it makes me look younger, so that's good. And that I have a nicely shaped head--no weird lumps or bumps. That's good too! I mean, you never really know about that sort of thing, do you? I've also learned that basic rule of cold weather--wear a cap. I've never been the type to do that, in spite of the fact that you lose most of your body heat through your head. Well, I'm a believer now! And I am now playing with my hair like a girl would play with her long hair. Though mine is now at the length that it feels like velvet. I spend most of the day rubbing myself. So to speak...

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As if I needed something else to help me gain weight. I saw this commercial on TV and thought I'd died and gone to heaven. This could be the final nail in the coffin...

Top Ten Possible Reasons Osbasso Shaved His Head

In light of the new look (click on my HNT picture below if you missed it!), some possible reasons as to why I shaved my head:

10. I'm hoping that it grows back
in a different color.

9. I wanted to start from scratch, hoping it would grow back like former teen heart-throb Bobby Sherman.

8. I planned to be Goldberg for Halloween,
until I realized any resemblance ended at about the neck.

7. I'm hoping to get command of my own starship.

6. Britney rocks!

5. I seem to remember losing something in there in the late 70s.

4. Wednesday was Brico's birthday,
and I felt I had to do something for him.

3. I had to check to see if tiny aliens had left crop circles on my scalp.

2. I ran out of shampoo that morning.

1. I certainly wasn't going to wax it!

I went back to check out the click-through, and it doesn't really show me in my glory, so go ahead and click here to see a "normal" picture!

Happy Halloween HNT

I've done alot of thinking about what I could do that would be scary or shocking for this week's Halloween. Since I was rehearsing or performing all weekend, Halloween parties were out of the question. And there's not a whole lot of kids who come around to trick or treat (thank God) in this neighborhood. So what could I do that might be shocking, but not having to overdo the costuming or make-up? Then I started thinking about the really scary things in life...

October has been Breast Cancer Awareness Month. An apropos month, due to the incredibly scary possibilities that cancer will strike someone close to you. Or someone we've gotten close to online. And we've seen alot of that this year. But the other thing that we've seen is how equally bravely our online friends have faced their own personal scariness.

Leading the way, of course, has been Evening. She was faced with the decision of how much of her body was to be cut away forever, and she bravely went the route that would give the best probability of success. And she's been keeping us informed about all that she's gone through with a great deal of poise and grace. And she's defeated her cancer.

Mermaid Girl soon followed suit, and, perhaps as a result of seeing how Evening has dealt with it all, has also shown great poise in presenting her cancer to us, and the decisions she's had to make. Complicated by the fact that she's a young, single mother. Both of these women have faced their scary demons and have beat them. Both are far stronger than I imagine I ever could be.

But there are others who have had to deal with cancer with varying results. Moose's mother finally succumbed to over 3 years of cancer this month. She was a feisty woman who continued to fight longer than her doctors could have anticipated. And living the life of a farmer's wife--up before dawn, feeding the animals, the works. Saucy Wildcat was just recently informed that her thyroid cancer has come back, and she faces the gamut of surgery, chemo and radiation. Charlie over at Pookalookaville is now seeing her dad in surgery, and his slow recovery. Never fast enough, though. Robyn's mother died just over a year ago. She just wrote a touching tribute on the one-year anniversary of her death.

These are the ones that pop out at me off the top of my head. I know there's others in our community that have either chosen to not blog about it, or that I've missed. Including my own father. It was less than a year ago that he had surgery to take care of the cancerous tumor growing in his bladder (as mentioned earlier this month, it appears to have been taken care of). What is the common theme through all of this? Not once have any of these people cried "woe is me", or ask for our pity, or fall apart. They have shown courage and humor and an appreciation for our community.

So what could I do that was scary? How could I compete with cancer? I came up with this. Many of you commented on how creepy it was the last time I did this, so I figured what the hell?

But wait. There's the story of Meagan. She's the 15 y.o. daughter of Michelle, a former HNTer. A typically attractive, athletic high school student. A softball player. Who complained about headaches and wasn't having any luck with a variety of meds. As a last resort, her doctor ordered an MRI. That was on a Friday. By the following Monday afternoon, she had undergone brain surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. Her prognosis is good--she'll eventually make a full recovery. In the meantime her vision is a little funky, and her left arm is floppy. To be sure they got it all, she gets to look forward to a round or two of chemo/radiation. And being the proactive type that she is, she had her head shaved, rather than waiting for it to fall out. Now THAT takes some bravery in this fashion-conscious age. From all reports, she likes her new look. I think I know what she means. Go back and click the picture to see something truly shocking!

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Once upon a time, in this vast landscape known as Half-Nekkid Thursday, there lived an absolutely gorgeous goddess. Week after week, she would grace us with some of the most remarkable HNT pictures we had ever seen. Her imagination and quality were legendary. She was the undisputed Queen of HNT.
After many months though, the pressure of such high standards took their toll, and she decided to step away from HNT on a high note. For those of us who have been around for awhile, she will always be the Queen of HNT. No one will be able to take her place. For the newer participants, her name might be whispered in that awed hush of reverence. The name that they might have heard about, but never seen. The spammers made sure that her site was defiled permanently.
She's come out of retirement briefly, and she hasn't lost her touch! I'll reveal her tomorrow, if you haven't already figured out who she is!
Alot of you recognized the MG as none other than Crimson. I'd provide a link, but she doesn't have a site anymore. For those of you who missed her during her incredible reign, I feel sorry for you!

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"...the Other HNT" is a little light on numbers this week, but worth checking out! Be sure to leave a couple of comments!

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Hope you all had a great Halloween!

Thanks!

Moose asked me to relay her thanks to all of you who stopped by and offered their kind words and prayers during the past few weeks. She knows that many of you don't make her a regular stop in your surfing, but she wanted everyone to know that your comments were all a source of great comfort.

You guys rock!

Another bulleted list

Someone mentioned last week that they liked bulleted lists. Concise and to the point. So here's this week's:

• Symphony concert went quite well. I'll have to go back and listen to a recording of this piece in a month or two. It could make it into one of my top 5 symphonies.
  
• I screwed up my (bad) leg again. I now have a nice hematoma growing in my shin, and I have that same "ripping" feeling as I had before.
• The equipment truck ran out of gas Monday morning during 8AM traffic. The gauge was low, but nowhere near "E". Making a mental note of that now. Had to call S2 to come pick me up and take me to a gas station...
• Expected 4 homeless guys to help unload the last of the truck, but only two showed up. Which meant more work for me. On my bum leg.
• Watched my niece play soccer on Sunday morning. They will host the NW regional NAIA tournament this weekend, and if they win (they're the highest ranked team in the region), they will go to Daytona for Nationals.
• I was so mentally and physically exhausted from the weekend that I called work and told them I wouldn't be coming in. I took a 2-3 hour nap. It wasn't enough.
• I was away from my computer and cell phone for the better part of the past 4-5 days. I am SO far behind.
• I took my HNT pics. Don't forget the Halloween theme!! Hopefully, mine will shock you!
• My football teams all won again (sorry, Tara!). Carroll College's defense has yet to allow a TD all season (though the special teams let one slide by). And the Griz continue to win, though not in a particularly spectacular manner. Not sure if I should be concerned about that or not...
• Bought 2 tickets to see Blue Man Group in Bozeman at the end of January. Row 6, fairly centered. I've got two tickets--anyone interested in the second one?

Looking forward to seeing all the Halloween half-nekkidness!

A couple of things...

Don't forget to take your Halloween HNT pics this weekend, especially if you've got a party or two you're going to! Me? I'll be in rehearsals and the concert--no partying for me...

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I have an on-going track record of some sort of injury whenever I set up the stage or its related work. Sometimes it's serious (like this summer), and other times it's just a scratch or something that might draw blood. The streak continues. I somehow drew blood (other leg) without ripping the jeans! I wonder if God is punishing me in this bizarre way...?

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I've been trying to taper my intake of Diet Coke w/Lime recently. As I was in Albertson's last night to buy some Aleve, I passed the display in the soft drink aisle. Buy 4 12-packs of Coke products for $12, and get a fifth one for FREE! That works out to 20¢/can. Just when I thought that I was out they pull me back in.

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Have a great weekend! Hope you don't get a rock if you do some early trick or treating!

Mahler HNT

First things first--send some good thoughts and prayers to the people of southern California. I bitched about the forest fires around here all summer, but they don't compare to the up close and personal way that some of our blogger friends have been having to deal with. Those who are down there describe things as "Katrina-esque". Seems like apples and oranges, but they're both fruits. If you happen to know of fellow HNTers or other bloggers who are in the midst of this, and have heard from them, please feel free to post about them!

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It's symphony week this week. That means alot of time working up to the concert. And little time online. Some of you have already made mention of that... Last year at this time I had this site all tricked out in Halloween stuff. Haven't had a chance to even do that!

On the positive side, I haven't cut, broken, strained, twisted, or bloodied anything. But it's still early. I HAVE had to deal with the lack of cooperation among certain individuals (ready for this? not even musicians!). But this too, shall pass.

The music--the third symphony of Gustav Mahler. I'm 50 years old, and I still don't know his music that well. Which is a shame, because he's written some of the best music of the past 150 years. And he certainly knew how to write for the brass. His symphonies often require huge numbers of musicians. His eighth symphony is often referred to as "Symphony of a Thousand" (and yes, we have plans to perform it within the next 3 years...with 1000 musicians!).

Saturday's concert is actually one of his most popular symphonies, and also his longest. It's bound to be a great concert. Here's just an excerpt from the 3rd trombone part. Hope you appreciate it!

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Once again, for whatever reason, we have another teacher up as this week's Mystery Guest (break out the Van Halen!). This particular teacher is a very friendly sort. During the summer, you could sneak a peak over her back fence and find herself enjoying the morning air. With the spiders. If you were lucky, you might see her running around nekkid at night, too! She's got a thing for little people, which you might expect from a teacher. She's a little naughtier than you might imagine, but always can be seen with a huge smile. And stunning eyes! She won't be revealing herself here, but I'm sure she'd let you know it was her if you asked!

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I'm not sure why, but the participation in "...the Other HNT" was pretty low this week. In fact, just one three entries.... Send in something now while you're thinking about it!

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Don't forget that next week we'll celebrate the Halloween HNT!! Works well in case you're at a costume party this weekend, or if you're posting on Halloween night! Personally, I think I'm going to shock the hell out you! If I have the guts to go through with it... Those who are posting later on Thursday, you can be scary too! Have a great Halloween HNT!

Community Blogger Award

Tish of The Kat House has presented me with the Community Blogger Award. This award recognizes those bloggers who “reach out and make the blogger community a better one.” These are the bloggers who do more than just blog. They actively participate in the community aspect of blogging. So thanks for the award, Tish!

By now, you all realize that I generally don't tag people, or pass these things on, but this one's special enough that I had to. So...

Evening is my first recipient. She has shared her experience this summer of her breast surgery due to cancer. She's been brave, and open, and has brought together a community of support like none that I've seen before. Sure, her site is still private, but all you have to do is email her for an invite!

Vixen is known by just about everybody. Lord knows she comments all over the place. But she also has quite a few people who are big fans of her site. But how could you NOT be?

Figleaf has been a fixture around here for quite awhile. Many people's first exposure (so to speak) to HNT has been through his site. He's done more research on various aspects of sex than any one man should. And he's done it without lots of nasty pictures or sensationalism. But he's not afraid to show off his own hoohaw from time to time!

Spinning Girl is my secret blog crush. She has hosted some wild online blog parties, is constantly on the lookout for the aberration known as Teddy Bears Dressed as Other Animals, and is also a lovely singer. She's got fans from all over the place, and has built up quite a community of her own. If I'm not mistaken, I've got my own spot in her bed, too!

Sure, there's probably a couple of others that I could award this to, but these ones all have a great sense of community. Go check them out if you haven't had the chance!

Short and Sweet

VERY busy these days.

• My primary HS and college football teams won.
  
• Did you see the Helena teams on last night's NFL halftime report? No, no one you'd know was shown...
  
• Go Rockies!
  
• Symphony concert coming up on Saturday (Mahler's 3rd). Taking up any and all free time until then.
  
• Halloween HNT next week (NOT this week)!!
  
• Beers with Kamey Saturday night. Nowhere near as many as she forced me to have 3 weeks ago! ;-)
  
• Was sent a picture by No One In Particular of her and Shumpy at his Halloween party on Saturday night. Thanks guys! Looks like it was fun!
  
• Thanks to those that missed me over the weekend. It's nice to be missed!