This is the first real snowstorm the Things can remember.? The last one was in 2003, before Thing 1 was born.? We don’t get snow like this in DC very often, so it is a big event they will always remember.? More than 20 inches of snow.? Yesterday was mainly shoveling.? Today will be snowmen and snow forts.
Thing 1 (The Greek) added to his winning streak last week, picking the Colts over the Broncos.? He predicted the score would be higher, but in terms of point spread he picked it exactly.? He said the Colts would win by 12 points and they did.? Most of the experts in Vegas can’t do that consistently. One or two times could be a fluke.? Three times in a row?? He has a gift.
Thing 2’s (The Swami) record drops to 1-2.? But mainly that’s because he will usually pick the opposite from his brother.? It could also be because he is 4 years old.
Our Week 15 game of the week is Cowboys vs. Saints.? The Saints are undefeated but each game is tougher to keep the perfect streak alive.? The Cowboys are known for losing in December and they are determined to not have the same fate this year.? This will not be an easy game to pick.
Thing 1’s Pick: Saints 29, Cowboys 24
Thing 2’s Pick: Cowboys 38, Saints 35
Week 14 game of the week is Broncos vs. Colts. The Colts are undefeated and the Broncos are having a surprisingly good season. Both Thing 1 and Thing 2 have identified this as a “good game”. I’m not sure what their criteria is, exactly, for a good game. The Broncos are Thing 2’s third favorite team because they wear orange.
Thing 1’s pick: 36-24 Colts
Thing 2’s pick: 30-20 Broncos
Have you noticed they always seem to pick the opposite of each other? Picking football games, like everything else, is yet another opportunity to compete against your brother. Just like the race to get out of the car, finish eating, get a toy, or virtually anything else they do together. Despite my best efforts to tell them otherwise, everything is a competition.
Following on his impressive results from last week, Thing 1 (The Greek) remains undefeated.? Thing 1 successfully picked the Giants to beat the Cowboys.? The game was higher scoring than he expected, but the end result was pretty close with the Giants winning 31-24.
Thing 1’s pick:? Giants 26 – Cowboys 16
Thing 2’s pick: Cowboys 55 – Giants 30
Stay tuned later in the week when The Greek tries to keep the streak alive, and The Swami (Thing 2) tries to re-establish his credibility.? The Swami is spending a lot of time this week trying to memorize songs for his preschool’s winter show.? So his football picks may suffer.? We’ll wait and see.
I have yet to see one of these things, or have one of my kids ask for one, but Zhu Zhu Pets are the undisputed hot toy of the year.? They are flying off the shelves like Cabbage Patch dolls and Rubik’s Cube back in my day.
Now, there is talk of a safety concern about Zhu Zhu Pets.? And there is even a rumor that there may be a recall of Zhu Zhu Pets soon.? Right before Christmas!
Well, SuburbanDaddy has his own theory about this brewing scandal.? You know how I love a good controversy or conspiracy theory.
We all know how crazed parents can get during the holidays, trying to find a sold out toy to give their kids for Christmas or Hanukkah.? Politely give up your parking space at the toy store?? Are you kidding?? That’s one more person who will get to the toys before you.? There was a movie made about just this scenario with Arnold Schwarzenegger called Jingle All The Way.
That’s why I’m thinking there is a crazed parent behind all this talk of a recall and unsafe toys.? What better way for a parent to be able to find a Zhu Zhu Pet than to start a rumor about a recall?? All of a sudden there will be parents trying to unload their toys before Christmas faster than the executives at Enron dumped their company stock.
It’s brilliant.
By now you are well aware of Tiger Woods recent “transgressions“. I figured there would be some minor impact to his image, brand, and maybe endorsements. But I had no idea he would fall this far, this fast.
Today in Toys R Us I spotted Tiger’s action figure stuck way in the back of the store. On the clearance shelf. Next to last year’s toys nobody wants. Prices slashed.? And just before Christmas.
Remember in Toy Story 2, when Woody gets shelved?? To a toy, that’s the worst thing possible.
Tiger was just shelved.
You’ve already seen evidence of Thing 1’s sports knowledge. He reads the sports page, knows all the standings, players, and scores. Now it’s gone to a new level.
Thing 2 looks up to his big brother and copies whatever he does. So it isn’t too surprising that he has been studying under the tutelage of the sports master, otherwise known as Thing 1. Whatever sports information Thing 1 spews, Thing 2 absorbs it.
Sometimes the information source is faulty. For example, I heard Thing 1 tell him the Cowboys are 7-3 but they are really 8-3. A small discrepancy.
Sometimes Thing 2, in his imaginative 4 year old way, creates his own information. On Monday, he was going around saying the Redskins were playing the Bills on Monday Night Football. In fact, Monday’s game was between the Saints and the Patriots. He has also said that Jason Campbell, the quarterback for the Redskins, can run as fast as a cheetah.
Before Monday night’s game, I had Thing 1 (aka The Greek) and Thing 2 (aka The Swami) make their predictions for the outcome.
Thing 1’s pick: Saints 39-26
Thing 2’s pick: Saints 30-12
Actual score: Saints 38-17!
Not only did they both pick the correct winner (something SuburbanDaddy and SuburbanUncle, two self-professed sports experts could not do), but the scores they predicted showed a keen knowledge of New Orlean’s high powered offense.
I need to test if this was a fluke, or if there is some innate talent at work. So expect to see score predictions here each week from The Greek and The Swami. Be sure to check back in a few days for this week’s featured game: Giants vs Cowboys
This winter, Neediest Kids is working with the Washington Wizards to offer some amazing auction packages, the proceeds of which will directly help even more school children in the Washington, DC area. The online auction is live now through March 14, 2010 and many of these packages are once-in-a-lifetime experiences. The purchase of a single package could help hundreds of students. Some sample packages are:
Gimme Five:
Bid for Ten “High Five Kids” to line the tunnel and give a high five to Wizards as they enter court for Indiana vs. Wizards game. Also includes watching the game in a great suite for 18 fans; two Parking Passes; catered food; Wizards Swag and recognition on Jumbotron for your special event.
Rock n? Roll in Cleveland:
Win 2 Round Trip AA tickets to Cleveland to enjoy an astounding Wizards vs. Cavaliers game with 2 club level seats. Have a smashing good time with this package that includes 2 nights at a Cleveland Marriott, dinner for 2 and 2 tickets to Rock n? Roll Hall of Fame.
For those unable to bid, but still interested in helping, Neediest Kids also has a text campaign for $5 donations directly through any major U.S. mobile carrier. To donate, text “NEED” to 90999, or use the widget on www.neediestkids.org. Also, Papa John’s is donating $1 for every pizza ordered online when you enter the promo code “NEED” before ordering at PapaJohns.com (great for an office or classroom pizza party that helps more than just the hungry attendees).
More information on the organization and these new campaigns can be found at www.neediestkids.org.