"Never argue with an idiot. He'll take you down to his level, then beat you with his experience."

I started using calorie-count.com back in 2006, but didn't really take it seriously until this year (during which time, they got acquired by About.com). In short, it's a very handy fitness/nutrition tracking tool which can help calculate and track your daily calorie intake and expenditure. There are also blogs from nutrition and fitness experts as well as Q&A opportunities, and the obligatory message boards.

I read through those forums pretty regularly, ready and willing to answer questions, provide advice, or share personal experiences. But sometimes, I do have to deliberately pull my hands off the keyboard and step away from the site because of what seems like the sheer volume of misinformation that people post.

Bad diet choices and wondering if it's okay. Fad supplements and exercise gadgets. Justifications and excuses for eating poorly and wondering why they're not losing weight. What programs offer the best results for the least amount of effort. For the most part, when I respond, I try to be encouraging but even then, there come certain times when I just can't abide by excuses, or obvious attempts by people trolling to hear what they WANT to hear (especially that results/effort one). That's when I have to step away and not respond.

Then I had the thought. If I occasionally get disgusted by the misinformation that people are posting on a health & nutrition site, what must the proportion be like in the rest of the world that DOESN'T take even a modicum of interest in what they're consuming?

I'm not trying to be a shill for this specific Web site. In fact, I know it's not the best that there is, and I also know that as long as you give a damn, that's one more step further than many people who just don't. As long as you have even the smallest bit of interest in getting healthier, that's a step in the right direction.

But I also know that this subset is a dramatic minority of the population. It is what seems like a significantly smaller subset of a subset of people. Susan Powter was probably a little ahead of her time, because as I sit here wondering what next to write, the phrase "stop the madness" pops into my head.

I'm dwelling on that right now and realizing that, yeah, she's right. It IS madness what we're doing to ourselves and what we're allowing to be done to us. But how does one effect change in a herd mentality, and especially when that herd is actually the mass consciousness? I've pondered this before previously, and I know that despite my own personal desire to swing the big sledgehammer, being overtly bombastic will instead make people tune out.

Just like religion and politics -- if you yell too loudly or too often (or both), eventually, people get sick of listening to you. Extremist viewpoints are rarely popular, and it doesn't matter if it's Christian or Muslim, Democrat or Republican, conservative or liberal, PeTA or the NRA.

Or in this case, health-nut or hedonist.

Putting the audience on the defensive pretty much means defeat of one's case. Resorting to epithets and insults doesn't get one's point across; it makes one look entrenched, melodramatic, and dismissive of alternative possibilities. Save those for when you're commiserating with those of like minds and beliefs.

So by that token, we can't stand up on rooftops and preach. That's when someone will throw a rock and yell for us to shut up. We can only serve as examples, hope that it makes even the slightest positive difference in at least one other person's life, and accept that limitation that's borne of people's ultimate freedom of choice. Despite what we want "Them" to do, at the end of the day, it's up to "Them" to choose whether to jump onto this bandwagon or not.

And then it becomes our responsibility to encourage those who decide to start that journey on their own. So while it bothers me that there is such a large population out there (in both quantitative and qualitative uses of the word "large") that don't give a damn about their conditions, I need to be mindful of my approach.

Like clearing out a paper jam in a printer or copier, it has to be done slowly and gently or else the paper tears and you still have a jam. But now there's much less to grab onto.

After 13 years of listening to TSO, I find it rather amusing that people are now telling me about them and their newest album, Night Castle.

"Oh, you'll LOVE IT!!!"

"These guys are GREAT!!!!!"


Uhhh. Yeah. I know. I was there in the fan community when the project was first started. I was present when the first album was released to little-to-no-fanfare. I was there each time another album came out and usually knew about it months ahead of time, from 1996 until now.

All three of their Christmas records (yup, there's THREE) and their one previous non-Christmas record (yup, there IS one!). I've met Paul O'Neill twice, both times outside of the autograph lines. We made drummer Jeff Plate take OUR photograph during their second concert tour.

Yeah. I've been there. I know :)

Since I started my return sojourn to college several years ago, I tended to let my ego do most of my studying. I either know it or I don't, so why stress out before tests and exams? And considering the grade point I had when I graduated with my associates' degree in 2003, it seemed like a workable method (4.0).

My grades for last semester (the astronomy/history of rock combo) were also pretty damn good, and I hardly did any studying for those classes either. Sure, I did the homework and participated in class, but any hardcore studying? Nope. Got out of those classes with a 3.8 and 3.9 respectively, and made the Dean's List for the semester.

Well, so much for that method.

Last night, I got my test back for my math class (linear programming, aka one-of-the-many-pre-calc variants). I felt like I got punched in the mouth. 73%. For a math course that's approaching the more difficult ranges, some might say that a 73 ain't bad.

I ain't one of those. 73 is 4 points away from having a score in the 60s. I'm not aiming for "not bad." I'm aiming for "holy crap that's awesome."

I know why I got the 73. I wasn't paying attention. I was lazy and careless. Some of the ones I got wrong were elementary and I should have gotten them. Others were simple formulae that I didn't study up on, because I relied on my ego to remember the process. It didn't.

The material isn't really that difficult -- not for me, anyway -- yet my grade makes it look like I struggled. I'm not necessarily a math savant, but I know I'm not that bad at it. It's all logic and analysis, and I'm good at that. That meant that all the blame rested on me and letting my pride do the work instead of being proud of my work.

I had two classes this semester but dropped the philosophy class for a few reasons (chief among them being my irritation with the professor's speaking style and his disorganization). I could blame it for my distractions, but boil away all the excuses, and all I have is me. How many hours did I spend playing "Anno 1404" when I could have been brushing up on those formulae that I'd forgotten? I was sitting at my desk, right? Or even reading those infernal philosophy books (and yes, I still think Socrates was an ass)?

Felt a bit of a cold type of thing in its infancy this morning. That familiar tickle in the throat, lack of concentration, and a general run-down feeling that wasn't normal.

Came home after getting some critical things done at work with the full intent of getting some of my instant cold cure: hot & sour soup from Bangkok Pavilion near the house. But then the idea of waiting 10-15 minutes at the restaurant (yeah, for a frickin' bowl of soup) didn't appeal to me, nor the idea of paying $3 for it. So I looked up recipes and found one close enough to stuff we had at home.

I changed into jammies and a sweatshirt and started cooking. I just finished two bowls, had to take the sweatshirt off because I'm sweating like I just had a workout, and I'm considering going to get a third bowl.

What I Made:

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
1/2 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp chili oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp white pepper (very important)
1 tbsp corn starch mixed into 1/4 cup water for a slurry
1 beaten egg
1 tsp minced ginger

Bring the broth & water to a boil. Add the mushrooms, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, sugar, chili oil and sesame oil. Stir completely and bring to a boil again. Add starch slurry and white pepper, mix thoroughly and bring to boil.

Remove from heat, mix in ginger. While stirring, slowly drizzle in beaten egg to create laces.

Serve with dry washcloth to dab sweat from face.

Just an observation this time, not a criticism or condemnation.

( But still behind a cut, just in case )

I'm really digging on the fact that more and more friends are starting to look at getting off their butts and moving. Of course I'm not one to talk that much since I only started getting serious about this about 3 months ago, but the growth rate of the Brigade's population is seemingly exponential.

I want to encourage everyone as much as possible, but I know I have to keep it under control and positive. I see and read about people's progress and in some cases, I wince because there are sometimes some pits and falls that tread very close to that dangerous line of "excuse." But of course, the danger is that if they get called out on it, they may get defensive.

So, I'm happy that people are starting to take charge of their eating and exercising routines (whether it existed previously or not) and aren't willing to accept the status quo anymore. I'm happy that they're not falling victim to this growing "fat-acceptance/body-acceptance" movement (which, after reading a lot of comments from these FA/BA folks, is thus far chock full of excuses, complaints, tantrums, and whining). I'm happy that some folks are finding extra boosts of self-confidence despite (or in spite of) the sacrifices they're making.

I'm happy that we can inspire them, and in turn, be inspired BY them.

Morbid intro, I know, but it does relate to exercise, nutrition, and overall fitness overhaul mentality.

I count myself fortunate in that I don't have family & friends who either ridicule my efforts at rebuilding myself and my attitude, or just blow it off as meaningless and ultimately useless in a universal sense. We're all going to die eventually, so why work so hard at it? says the pessimist.

The unfortunate part is that through the magic of Teh Internets, I've peripherally observed other people in the same boat who do have those naysayers around them like little devils on their shoulders. Why be obsessed about diet? Why work out so much? Just have a cheeseburger and ENJOY life!!!

While out running the other day, I realized the parable that would keep me going. It had to do with the labored breathing and the slight twinge in my left knee that I felt as I was still running the first half of my four-mile effort. That "runner's wall" started creeping in where it would have been so easy and so deliciously indulgent to just stop, turn around, and walk home.

But then I consciously felt my shoes with my feet. I concentrated on what the shoes felt like from the balls of my feet to my heels, wiggling my toes, concentrating on the cushioning impact as each foot kept hitting the ground. I concentrated on softening my landing because as fatigue crept in, I was hitting the ground harder with my heels, and the shock was traveling to my lower back. I adjusted my gait, and it was better again, as I thought about the stupid amount of money I had paid for these shoes that allowed me to do that.

With that came the thought. Yes, we're all going to die. Whether it's at 70 or 90, we're all going to die. But I think I would rather die at 70 after having completed another run or a set of weights under my own power and conscious decision than at 90 having been confined to a wheelchair and wearing adult diapers because I haven't been able to wipe myself for the last 10 years.

Some of us say "when I die, I hope to die in my sleep." Others may say "they're gonna drag me kicking and screaming from this life." I can get behind that, because if you think about it, it's a much more preferable alternative to being a mind trapped inside your own body and getting to a point where you're just begging for your body to just stop the torture.

It does hurt more for those left behind, to go unexpectedly, as I am well aware. But the bright side is that I remember Dad as the strong-willed hard worker that he was right until the end. There was no period of deterioration, of mind or body.

Although Dad's cause was unavoidable and undetectable, I can do what I can to make sure that it's not deterioration that takes me down in the end. It is sacrifice, and I do have to give up things that I've loved (haven't had a good bacon cheeseburger in I don't remember how long). It does have its degrees of Suck to have to do that, but that choice of Door #1 or Door #2 makes it rather clear.

I may have to start trimming the Friends list, just barely a month or two into my usage of this infernal device. Interested in my friends' lives, but not if their lives consist solely of stupid games, applications, and socio-political haranguing. Content is king but fluff is the court jester. I can also get socio-political haranguing on the evening news. Don't need it on what's supposed to be a fun site.

... there is a vast difference between "never forgetting" and "dwelling/obsessing." Today, of course, is still too fresh in American history, so I can personally let that one slide for now. But I think it's high time that Dec. 7 gets let go and filed into history (it's been 68 years for crying out loud).

I know there'll be a big deal made about today in about 2 years, and probably in 12 years. But after that, it's really time to move on. Moving on doesn't mean forgetting. It means moving on.

Anybody up for this one at the Joe, Tuesday November 3rd? Since affordable tickets in Boston are all sold out apparently, it'd be the only way I can actually see the Bs play (when they come here).

Then comes the question of which colors do I wear to that game....

is pleased as hell. Regulating the diet has had two distinct benefits. The first is obvious: the weight loss. The second is the extra cash in the wallet. Since I've had to manage my diet much more carefully and meticulously than I ever have, I don't go out for lunch anymore. In the last three and a half weeks, I went out once and that was for Subway.

I don't go to Sherwood nearly as often anymore, which means the beer money just remains "money." While I do miss SBC and do miss drinking beer, I have to remind myself of what got me into trouble in the first place.

I went to Target this evening to try on clothes. I wandered the aisles and looked through all the clearance and sale racks. I found a pair of jean shorts and regular jeans, both at about 30-50% off each (roughly). I also went over to the printed tees and picked up a Metallica "And Justice for All" era print.

Of course, the intent for these shirts (along with GnR "Appetite for Destruction" and the multiple Pink Floyd/Stones/Lennon prints) is to be all (*flourish*) retro. For me, I grew up with it, for gawdsakes. The only sizes left for the Metallica shirt were two XLs, an L, and an S. I went with the S (said I, audaciously).

The pants fit perfectly. I was pleased. 30x30s. The Old Navy and other Target experiences were not flukes. I put on the shirt. About as tight as my Oakland University shirt, which is a medium. Very form-hugging. I need to lose a bit more of the muffin-top though, because it really does accentuate everything.

But now I have a NEW Metallica t-shirt to aim for as my next prize!

I bought all three pieces, for about $32. Which I paid for in cash. The folding kind, not the debit card swipe kind.

The hard work is paying off. And I have the caloric room today in my intake to enjoy this glass of beer next to me as I type :)

TRIPLE CROWN!!! Smaller sized clothes, paid in cash, drinkin' a beer.

I went looking back for old photos of me before my first phase of weight loss, circa 2002-03. I weighed about 195 at the time. I found a photo of me at my wedding reception, which was absolutely stunning (and not in the good definition of "stunning"). I'm standing next to my dad, and I know the photo isn't distorted because Dad looked normal in the pic.

I, on the other hand, looked frickin' bloated. I held steady at that through 2002 and 2003. The final straw was when I looked at my pictures from graduation from Macomb Community College in December of 2003, and the image of myself that I saw in my head was not the fat guy looking at me under the cap and gown.

I took a nutrition class through MCC in the Winter 2004 semester as another science credit to get a jump-start on my bachelor's degree (which didn't end up working out at the time), and through that semester, I lost 30 lbs.

I got down to 165 and size 34 jeans, though I couldn't hold the 165 for very long. From 2004 through now, I held at about 170 on average, and climbed up to 177 at the highest in June of 2009.

So here's the first comparison:

6/30/02	4/4/09

In April of '09, I was probably around 175, so the difference in those two photos is 20 pounds. The most telling evidence lies around my cheeks and my jowls. My cheeks were fuller in the 2002 photo, and my chin was in danger of disappearing (and I don't have much of one to begin with!).

And I'm not even going to talk about the poor fit of that tuxedo.

But these photos are now in my P90X archives, so I'll have something to compare at 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days on the program. While it'd be easy to ask myself "what the hell was I thinking," I know it's rhetorical. What I was thinking was that I was 29 years old and eating like I was still 17.

But today, I achieved an unexpected milestone. I stopped by Target in a futile hope that Target would actually stock home repair goods (not to be), and maybe pick up some more workout clothes. They didn't have the parts I needed, but the shirts that I wear for workouts were on sale (for $8 as opposed to $9.99). On a whim, I grabbed a size Small and went to try it on. I also went over to the jeans and grabbed a random pair of 30x30s.

They both fit. {**insert silently squealing leaping idiot here**}

I haven't worn 30x30s since high school. Since the 10th grade, probably. And I certainly wasn't wearing 30x30s in the wedding photo (more like 36, or getting close to having to wear a 36). I ended up buying 4 of the workout shirts. I'm going to hold off on new jeans until later in the year.

The Red Wings and Todd Bertuzzi agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract, pending passing a physical exam.

I view this with extreme skepticism. Not because of the old worn-out "Steve Moore Incident," but because he didn't impress when he was here, and was average in Anaheim and Calgary.

Had a great time with everyone at dinner last night. It was definitely more about the company than the food -- how in the hell does ANY sushi restaurant NOT do chirashi, for gawdsakes?! It takes no more effort than "pile rice into big bowl, grab handful of whatever sushi fixins are available in reach, toss into bowl, add some nori shreds, and serve."

Of course, when the sushi joint is focusing more on experimentation than tradition, I suppose I have to accept it. Just wished they'd update their horribly out of date Web site where the original menu is almost nothing like what they're actually serving now.

Unfortunately, New Waitress Girl neglected to tell me for nearly an hour that they no longer served chirashi or sashimi, so while everyone else got their food, Lisa and I had to wait -- her on her simple cucumber rolls and I on my replacement order (which the restaurant graciously comped for me because of what they themselves saw as an inexcusable error, so that was nice). I think the toughest part of that ordeal was restraining the Hunger Grumpies because I didn't want to ruin anyone else's night -- again, the company was wonderful and apart from my food debacle, I was having a good time.

I am proud of myself that I avoided alcohol during dinner. After all, a significant player in my inability to lose weight previously was just all the damn beer I was drinking on a regular basis. So it didn't matter that I ate a 200-calorie Subway for lunch and low-fat anything for dinner if I followed it all up with 4 big beers.

I completed Week 3, Day 16 of P90X yesterday with Plyometrics X (jumping, squats, lunges). I'm almost able to get low in my stances, but not quite yet. But at the end of this round of 12 weeks, I'm kinda' excited to see how high I can jump. Before Day 1, I had a leap height of about 15". I'm curious what it is now, but I don't want to measure it until the end.

Two days ago, during Ab Ripper X, I managed to get through all 25 Fifer Scissors without stopping. Reps # 18-25 hurt like a mother and I felt like I would die, but I did it. That of course still had the negative side effect of being too fatigued to get through the two heel-kick exercises that followed immediately (without stopping, that is), but if I managed to get through the scissors for the first time without stopping, that means my abs are getting stronger (even if I still can't see them yet).

Weight is down to 161 again after the destruction of camping and the off-kilter eating of this past weekend, but body-fat reading this morning was at 22%. Probably all the water retention from the soy sauce and ginger last night.

Just like with quitting smoking, I now understand the mentality of the fitness fanatic, and why they always seemed so overbearing.

The glut of misinformation and misconceptions out in the world is just astounding. When one gets hardcore into fitness and nutrition, one learns. One researches. One figures out what's supposed to work and what doesn't.

One learns that McDonald's and Burger King -- no matter how hard they try with their lower-calorie meal options -- are all crap and not conducive to anything remotely healthy. Eating a chicken sandwich from either place in the hopes that chicken has significantly less calories than a Whopper or Big Mac (significantly enough to make a difference while still allowing one to eat there) is akin to quitting smoking by switching to lights.

And I've done that, so I know what that's like. You're still smoking. Doesn't matter that the filter is longer -- you're still smoking.

I also know that it doesn't matter how adamantly I rail against the fast food industry or the misconceptions of nutrition to people. If they're not 100% interested, I just sound like one of those overbearing jerks. Even if a person is 60% into losing weight, I've noticed a tendency for them to use self-delusion and ego boosting as justification -- it's fascinating how much of the same misinformation gets regurgitated by those folks.

Which means that I have to bite my tongue when they're proud of the one pound they've lost over the last month while still consuming fatty garbage, and assuming that the weight isn't changing because they've commensurately replaced fat weight with muscle weight. After all, what would be their motivation to even lose that one pound if all they got was static when they're looking for encouragement?

I've only gotten one person to quit smoking through negative reinforcement (she felt that I didn't think she had it in her to quit, so she did just to shove it my face), and nobody through positive reinforcement. As sad as it is, it almost seems that way with healthy eating and exercise.

But since weight and fitness have more hooks in self-image than smoking does, I can't rail on about that like I could with smokers. Smokers know that they're idiots for smoking. Smokers know that every excuse to not quit is an excuse.

While it'd be easy for me on my high horse to say the same for poor nutrition and lack of exercise, I have to find a way to encourage it without being that overbearing jerk. How do I share my knowledge, research, and experience without being preachy or condemning? How do I show my own results without making it look unattainable for the average person?

While I could say that I've lost 13 pounds since March 17th, I didn't start taking this seriously until late June. So the loss would be more accurately spread over 7 weeks, which is a safe rate of weight loss. But it's also been hard work -- exercising almost daily and being fully conscious of what I eat. Within those 7 weeks, the only pizzas I've had were either the ones I've made myself or one mini-pizza from Sherwood (and it's only been one, if I recall correctly).

It hasn't been easy, just like quitting smoking wasn't easy. But even as I'm rereading this before posting, I can see where I'm veering off into Preacher Mode. So I see that when one is on one side of the fence, it's very easy to exclaim how awesome it is "over here," and that everyone needs to try it.

But having been on the other side for a great many different reasons, I know it's easy to resist and dig in one's heels when the seller is selling too hard.

I've been hanging out on Calorie Count lately as a tool to use alongside my diet and exercise and just today started using some of the community features. During one of my posts, I started looking up Nathan's hot dogs.

I love Nathan's -- so rich and buttery. And now I understand why, and what I was doing to myself.

Normally, I can eat three hot dogs. Mustard is all I need, and sometimes diced onions. I'd also have at least 2 beers and a handful of chips to go with it all. I did the numbers today.

With buns, no mustard or onions:

- 1,221 calories
- 58.5 g total fat
- 21 g sat. fat

My 1,800 calorie diet allows for 10.8 g of saturated fat, maximum recommended (I try to stay below that). That 21 is for one meal. 1,200 calories is ²/₃ of my daily allotment of caloric intake.

One. Meal.

And what makes it worse is that before I started on P90X, my self-imposed caloric ceiling was 1,700. With the additional work-out program, I'm around 1,800 - 2,000. But even at 2,000... 1,200 for just three hot dogs? Never mind the two beers (308 calories for 2 Sam Adams) and the chips (310 calories for 2 oz.).

1,818 calories in one sitting.

No wonder I was gaining weight. Jeez, look at what I was doing to myself!

I mentioned in my previous post one Mr. Patrick Eaves, formerly of Boston University, the Ottawa Senators, and Carolina Hurricanes. After being traded by the 'Canes to the Boston Bruins and then bought out by the Bs, the Red Wings signed him to a one-year/$500,000 deal. Not a bad deal considering that if the Red Wings had claimed him on waivers first when offered, they would have been on the hook for $1.7 million and $1.4 million in each of the next two years instead.

Today, the parade of former Wings returning to the fold continues with the return of Jason Williams, previously traded by Detroit to Chicago for Kyle Calder (what a bust that turned out to be) then signed to Atlanta and traded to Columbus last season. Willy is a fairly average player, not a huge stand-out, and can get overpowered if defending, but then again, Hudler and Samuelsson weren't fantastic defensive players either (and Sammy was just about as streaky as Williams).

Terms weren't released, but I can't expect it to be any more than $8-900,000.

Roster so far looks like this:

Forwards
Zetterberg
Datsyuk
Holmstrom
Franzen
Filppula
Cleary
Leino
Helm
Draper
Maltby

with Jason Williams, Jeremy Williams (no relation), Patrick Eaves, Kris Newbury, and Justin Abdelkader fighting for the last two forward spots on the regular roster.

Defense
Lidstrom
Rafalski
Kronwall
Stuart
Lebda
Lilja
Meech
Delmore
Janik

Lilja's still questionable with post-concussion syndrome. Lebda and Meech are on the trade bubble. Meech has greater upside than Lebda (Meech can play forward in a pinch) and is cheaper so he'd fetch more on the trade market than Lebda would but Meech is more versatile, younger, and cheaper. So with five guys fighting for roster spots, I expect a couple of trades.

Goal
Osgood
Howard

And here's where we get shaky. I still have faith in Ozzie, but I'm realistic to know that he's not getting any younger.

But if Chicago is slated to be our biggest rival in the division this year, we might see some high-scoring games.

Around the Central Division

A mild ripple this week in the Red Wings camp. Detroit signed defenseman Andy Delmore to a one-year, two-way $500,000 deal (two-way simply means that if a player gets sent down to the minors, he makes significantly less while with the minor league team, effectively giving him two pay rates). The amusing part is that Detroit signed him in August of 2005 originally, then put him on waivers with the intent of having him start the season with Grand Rapids. He was picked up by Columbus before he even played a single game as a Red Wing.

Marian Hossa's shoulder surgery was successful, and he's expected to be out until December. But that's okay, because he'd still have 11½ years remaining on his contract with Chicago, so there'll be time.

Around the League

Boston returned Aaron Ward to Carolina for Patrick Eaves who was subsequently bought out. This was seen as a salary cap move until Boston immediately signed defenseman Derek Morris to a more expensive contract. This was puzzling until the numbers revealed that Morris is 6 years younger and has more of an offensive skillset than stay-at-home-defense Ward.

But all that pales in comparison to Boston hosting Winter Classic III at Fenway Park against, strangely, the Philadelphia Flyers on New Year's Day. No way I'd be able to get tickets to that, unfortunately.

Tampa Bay bought out forward Vinny Propal one year into his four-year deal, and the Carolina Hurricanes bought out defenseman Frantisek Kaberle.

Toronto traded for Wayne Primeau (brother of former Wing Keith Primeau) from Calgary, who joins his 7th team now.


Signing Summary

DETROIT RED WINGS

• D Andy Delmore/ufa: 1 year, $500,000
  

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

• D Cam Barker/CHI: 2 years, $3.125m/year
  
• F Troy Brouwer/CHI: 1 year, $1m
  
• F Kris Versteeg/CHI: 2 years, $3.083m/year
  
• F Marian Hossa/DET: 12 years, $5.23m/year
  
• F Tomas Kopecky/DET: 2 years, $1.2m/year
  
• F John Madden/NJD: 1 year, $2.75m
  
• F Dave Bolland/CHI: 5 years, $3.375m/year
  

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

• F Rick Nash/CLM: 8 years, $7.8m/year
  
• F Sami Pahlsson/CHI: 3 years, $2.65m/year
  
• G Mathieu Garon/PIT: 2 years, $1.2m/year
  

NASHVILLE PREDATORS

• F Peter Olvecky/MIN: 1 year, $500,000
  
• F Ben Guite/COL: 1 year, $550,000
  
• F Steve Sullivan/NAS: 2 years, $3.75m/year
  
• F Joel Ward/NAS: 2 years, $1.5m/year
  

ST. LOUIS BLUES

• G Ty Conklin/DET: 2 years, $1.3m/year
  

Notable X-Wings (sorted by current or last team, then by last name)

• Slava Kozlov (ATL): 1 year remaining in contract
  
• Todd Bertuzzi (CAL): UFA
  
• Anders Eriksson (CAL): UFA
  
• Aaron Ward (CAR): 1 year remaining in contract, traded to Carolina for (F) Patrick Eaves and 4th round draft pick
  
• Ray Whitney (CAR): 1 year remaining in contract
  
• Kyle Quincey (COL): 1 year remaining in contract, traded by LA to Colorado with (D) Tom Preissing for (F) Ryan Smyth
  
• Jason Williams (CLM): UFA
  
• Jiri Hudler (DET): Signed with Russian league (KHL)
  
• Kyle Calder (LOS): UFA
  
• Mathieu Dandenault (MON): UFA
  
• Robert Lang (MON): UFA
  
• Mathieu Schneider (MON): UFA
  
• Joey MacDonald (NYI): UFA
  
• Derian Hatcher (PHI): retired
  
• Mike Knuble (PHI): signed with Washington, 2 years, $2.8m/year
  
• Manny Legace (STL): UFA
  
• Boyd Devereaux (TOR): UFA
  
• Curtis Joseph (TOR): UFA
  
• Mikael Samuelsson (VAN): signed 3 year contract
  
• Sergei Fedorov (WAS): Signed with Russian league (KHL)
  

I was trolling Google News with the intent on looking up articles on Gidget, the late Taco Bell chihuahua, when I stumbled across this headline:

Black & Decker profit beats Street

The Reuters article leads off with:

Tool maker Black & Decker Corp (BDK.N) posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit, and raised its 2009 forecast, citing improved sales outlook for the second half of the year.

My first reaction was the chuckle with pride. It was all me, baby. I bought the B&D battery-powered weed whacker, the blower, and the pole saw. About $500 worth of orange and black outdoor power tools that operate on the same battery (conveniently also the same as our hand-held vacuum).

Yep, all me. I saved Black and Decker's fiscal quarter. :)