Playoff beard Day 5

The last 4 regular season games for the Blackhawks are as follows

April 1st @ Winnipeg

April 3 vs. Boston

April 5 vs Arizona

April 7 vs. St. Louis

playoff beard day 4

The Blackhawks are 0-1 since clinching the playoffs Sunday night.  They have 5 games remaining in the regular season.

Playoff beard day 3

Hawks give no reason to smile losing to wild 4-1
going 0-5 in season series

With 5 games left to play Hawks are only 4 points ahead of Predators for 3rd spot in Central.

Playoff beard day 2

3/28/2016

The Chicago Blackhawks clinched the playoffs yesterday, so this is officially the 2nd day of my playoff beard.  The Blackhawks would play the St. Louis Blues if the playoffs began today.

At this point I plan to shave my beard when 1 of the following 2 events transpire

A) The Black Hawks win 16 2016 playoff games and win their 4th Stanley Cup in 7 years.

OR

B) They lose 4 playoff games in the same playoff series.

So the end of my playoff beard posts will contain a countdown like this,

Beard goes in 16 Wins or 4 more losses to (team they are currently playing).

So if the Hawks do end up playing the Blues and end up taking the Blues to a game 7. 

The countdown the day before the game would read

Beard goes in 13 more playoff wins or 1 more loss to the Blues.

If the Blackhawks beat the Blues in game 7 the countdown would read

Beard goes in 12 more playoff wins or 4 more losses to Next opponent

I am sure I over explained the crud out of that.  But you probably get it.  

Playoff beard day 1

The Chicago Blackhawks qualified for the NHL playoffs this evening with a win over Vancouver.  This means that thus starts my playoff beard.  I shaved this morning prior to going to church for Easter Sunday.

I do not plan until shaving again until the Hawks are finished in the playoffs.  That means until they lose a playoff series or win 16 playoff games and repeat as NHL champs whichever

 comes first until then I'm on the road to beard city.

The Blackhawks beat the Canucks 3-2 to bring their record to 44-25-7.  This gave them 95 points so far for the season.  The Colorado Avalanche, who are currently the 9th place team in the Westertn Conference do not have enough points to overtake the Hawks even if they (the Avalanche) were to win their remains 7 games.  This means that the Blackhawks will compete in the playoffs.

The Hawks still have 6 regular season games remaining before the playoffs begin.  If the playoffs began today they would play the St. Louis Blues in the opening round.  They are 2-2 against the Blues this season with 1 regular season matchup against them in April remaining on the schedule.

A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal

A week from today all the fun begins at Blogging from A to Z.

This past Monday I was supposed to reveal my theme, but I did not quite get to it.  My theme this year will be Superheroes.

I will go through A to Z with 26 characters from superhero comics.  I will have 13 from the DC universe and 13 from Marvel.  I still plan on reverting back to my Home School Dad blog on May 1st so I will be simulposting all of them there.

To check out other themes for those taking the challenge click here.

See you on April 1st, it should be Super!

Simulposting from YBD

A to Z Theme Reveal Cubs Home Run Leaders

Sammy Sosa and Ryne Sandberg #1 and # 5 All time Cubs Homer keaders

Last year at this time,  I participated in Blogging from A to Z.  I will be doing so again this year.  Last year I did White Sox Home run leaders from A.J. Pierzynski to Zeke Bonura.  This year I will be featuring my seconf favorite baseball team in the 2nd city, The Chicago Cubs.  Yes, every day in April except Sundays, I will feature a home run leader of the Cubbies from Aramis Ramirez on April 1st to Heinie Zimmerman on April 30th.

Billy Williams and Ron Santo stand ready to congratulate Ernie Banks after his 400th HR

All time Cubs Home Run leaders (L to R)   Banks (2nd) , Santo (4th)  and Williams (3rd)

For more reveals head on over to Blogging from A to Z

Dave out loud A-Z theme "reveal"

For more a to z  challenge click here.

Statement by Dr. Ben Carson on Leaving the Presidential Campaign Trail

I was looking forward to voting for Ben Carson later this month in the Illinois primary.  He dropped out of the race last week.  Here is the statement he made regarding dropping out.  The entire statement can be found here.

I have lived a blessed life and achieved more success than I ever dreamed was possible. Running for President was never on my bucket list, and when I was drafted by a grassroots movement asking me to do so, it was not a decision that I made lightly and saw as an act of service. 

However, I believed that my values, life experience and common sense solutions put me in a position to help get our nation back on track for the sake of our children and grandchildren. This grueling endeavor would not have been worth it for any other reason.

When I began exploring a run for President as a private citizen detached from the political class, I had neither a political team nor a national network of wealthy donors standing by waiting to support me.

We had to build a grassroots campaign from scratch by reaching out to as many people as possible, as quickly as possible and through every means possible, resulting in indisputable success. This movement consistently outraised the entire Republican field, got onto every ballot and built a 50-state, bricks-and-mortar campaign infrastructure to share my story, values and solutions. It was an historic feat, and I’ll be forever grateful to my team and my incredible supporters, financial and otherwise, from all corners of America, on behalf of the best interests of the American people.

I hope my presence added a measure of civility to the race, raised issues that would not otherwise have been discussed and had an overall positive impact. While our political efforts must come to a close, gratefully, the grassroots movement that has given new voice to “We the People” and inspired millions will continue. 

I may be departing the campaign trail, but I will not be departing the scene.  Instead, for the rest of my life, I will continue to work tirelessly to do everything I can to save America for the next generation. 

I will be working on a number of initiatives, including serving as honorary chair of My Faith Votes, a non-profit organization dedicated to mobilizing the 25 million Evangelicals who didn't vote in the last election. The twin pillars of faith and family are under attack, and I will endeavor to strengthen our nation by preserving them both.

I have committed to not endorse a specific individual, but rather “We the People.” Though many today are making decisions based on fear and anger, I trust their judgment to logically examine the candidates and make the right decision by looking at:

whether they have demonstrated significant accomplishments over their lives and careers; 
if they have ideas that are clear and policies that are easy to find; 
how they treat their family and others, as that is how they will lead the country; 
what they have done to improve the lives of Americans; 
the people they are with, what they are saying and how they collaborate with others; 
their ethics, because what America needs is “Trickle-down ethics.” 
Conservatives should not be embarrassed by capitalism, but must couple it with compassion, to lift people out of a culture of dependency and provide ladders of opportunity for all Americans to be a part of the fabric of society.

People need to understand this is a most important election, in which we are deciding whether we allow the government to dictate our rights and take care of our needs, or whether individuals will rise up and take responsibility in an atmosphere of opportunity for all.

The bottom line is, “We the People” are the ones making the decisions; but in order to do that, we must become active and informed, not manipulated by the political classes and media.

Along with millions of patriots who have supported my campaign for President, I remain committed to saving America for future generations. We must not depart from our goals to restore what God and our Founders intended for this exceptional nation. 

Equally important, we need to understand that Republicans are not each others' enemies. We need to engage in conversation and challenge each others' positions, not fight each other. Conservatives need to unify together so that that we do not snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and put another secular progressive in the White House.

Also posted at YBD #YBD=HSD

Work for your next position

9 to 5 by Harley Schwadron, March 02, 2016 Via @GoComics: One of the many great comics you can read for free at GoComics.com! Follow us for giveaways & giggles.



Also posted at YBD #YBD=HSD

Blogging from A to Z Challenge coming in April

I am going to be participating in the a to z blogging challenge in April at all 3 of my sites.





I will be revealing my 2016 theme here in 3 weeks

I am looking forward to doing it.  It will be fun and crazy.


For more information about the A to Z Challenge click  here.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge coming in April

I am going to be participating in the a to z blogging challenge in April at all 3 of my sites.





I will be revealing my 2016 theme here in 3 weeks

I am looking forward to doing it.  It will be fun and crazy.


For more information about the A to Z Challenge click  here.

News Flash: Cats Love Bacon

Two weeks ago I started posting comic strips from Go Comics each Saturday.  I call it Saturday Funnies.  The Go Comics Blog has a feature called Meet Your Creator.  The most recent installment is about Georgia Dunn the creator of Breaking Cat News.  I was really moved by the article and checked her strip out.  Here is a strip from earlier this week.

Breaking Cat News by Georgia Dunn, February 15, 2016 Via @GoComics: One of the many great comics you can read for free at GoComics.com! Follow us for giveaways & giggles.



Also posted at YBD #YBD=HSD

Beggars Can be Choosers

Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson, February 20, 2016 Via @GoComics: One of the many great comics you can read for free at GoComics.com! Follow us for giveaways & giggles.

What Republicans need to know if they want my vote in November

Six Word Saturday

My Six:



I'll never vote for Donald Trump.


Let me bullet point it for you.

•  Back in August of last year I ranked the 17 republican candidates for president. the Donald came in 17th.  
• The only reason why he comes in 6th now is that 11 of the candidates have since dropped out of the race.One of the 16 other candidates was a pro choice republican.  I am on the record of stating that I would never again vote for a pro-choice republican.  I would be hundreds of times more likely to vote for that candidate than Trump

• I don't hate Trump.  I just don't trust him.
• I don't trust anyones whose go to answer is I'll be great at it.
• I don't hate Trump.  I just don't respect him.
• I cant respect anyone whose answer to those who disagree with him is to deride them.
• I get very upset when any of the other candidates when trying to frame the discussion back to Republican versus Democrat state that any republican candidate would be better than Obama, Sanders or Clinton.
• It only takes watching 1 debate (and I have watched all but 1 of them) to see that Trump does not have the character to lead this country.
• When he is booed which is often. He assumes  The people booing are wrong.
• In the last debate he took a pot shot at Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina who had been out of the race for some time.  When booed he attributed it to donors who back Jeb Bush.  The truth is he was attacking Graham in a debate in South Carolina, a week before the primary there.  
• I feel there are many people like me who will never vote for Trump.  
• But I am afraid there are more people who are willing to go along with who ever secures the nomination.
• I will not be among them.

For more six word saturday click here.



Also posted at YBD #YBD=HSD

The Pac Man Special

Frank & Ernest by Thaves, February 13, 2016 Via @GoComics:









 One of the many great comics you can read for free at GoComics.com! Follow us for giveaways & giggles.



Also posted at YBD #YBD=HSD

Songs from my cassette collection Volume I

It has been a while since I have participated in Six Word Saturday at Show My Face.  So I have two for the price of one.  

We Bought a Jeep on Monday

It has a working cassette player.

We have not owned a cassette player for sometime and once I noticed that we now did.  I pulled out my 200 or so cassettes from under my bed and have started listening to them again.  I forgot about a lot of the music down there and have decided to post lyrics from songs occasionaly here and if possible videos of said songs at Dave Out Loud.  

Today's song comes from Steve Scott a poet/musician whose 1983 album love in the western world contained this gem.

This Sad Music

The whales are dying now,
hurling themselves upon the beaches
black dice reckoned under the sun's watchful gaze

There's sweat on the preacher's brow
as he talks about damnation.
The whales are in love with no one
They wanted to die without explanation

He mops his brow and quotes Malcolm Muggeridge
on - quote -
"the collapse of western civilization"
- end quote -
and the book he waves in the air
is as black as whaleskin

He urges people to "make their decision"
and the whales have made their decision

An awful silence surrounds them
Like a ruined castle they lie
still, passive, beyond explanations

Beads of sweat on the preacher's brow
like small clear animals clinging to a rock face
or like tiny transparent whales
flinging themselves from the boiling seas of his eyes
into a slow, certain dying

The sad music in their brains, a piper's lament
from that old castle in the mist-thickened night

"FIFTEEN THOUSAND CINEMAS ACROSS THIS LAND,
DEPICTING EVERY SEXUAL ACT KNOWN TO
THE HUMAN IMAGINATION!" shouts the preacher

His voice is a door slamming shut
the sea's noise is a vast intake of breath
a gesture in a room to break the silence
now the whales have broken the silence

They are the color of the preacher's harsh words

The white foam rushes to embrace them
like mother and father
The whales do not want to know, and now

There are people sprawled on the beaches
chained together by "HUMAN IMAGINATION"
All the music has bled out of them,
drained from the ends of their fingers
splashed from the loudspeakers of their wallets

And at the end of the service, people walk forward
Perhaps it is "the collapse of western civilization"
that moves them
or the sad music of their slow, certain dying
that guides their feet

And at the end of this poem
a strange light comes off the bodies of the whales
gathering up the shadows like driftwood
and splashing them against the far walls

you would think the shadows would make
the words there hard to read
However, I find it's at a time like this
I see the writing clearest of all

(c) Steve Scott 1983

Click here to watch the video at Dave Out Loud.

Click here for more Six Word Saturday

Also posted at Home School Dad #HSD=YBD