Shannon Stacey

Living with Angry Jerkface sports fans

by Shannon on June 12, 2013 in Uncategorized

Tonight’s Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals and I’ll be watching it. At home. With my husband. I think there are two kinds of sports fans, and my husband and I are not the same kind.

I’m an optimistic sports fan. I believe my team will win, right up until the final whistle blows or horn sounds. And I believe it hard. The Bruins could be down 5-1 in the last minute of the third period and I still believe they’ll win. Maybe the other team’s goalie will twist his ankle and have to leave the game and his back-up will trip on the ice coming in and get a concussion and the back-up back-up guy will suck and then bam bam bam bam, it’s all tied up and anybody’s game.

Hell, in the 1990 season, I believed my Patriots would win the Super Bowl. I believed it with all my heart right up until they said it was mathematically impossible for them to even make the play-offs. (This came embarrassingly early in the season since we only won one game that year and it was early in the season.) But I believed. (And that only team we beat the year we were officially, statistically the worst team in the NFL? The Colts. HA!)

I believe in miracles, Al.

My husband is what I call Angry Jerkface sports fan. (I bet you thought I was going to say pessimistic). It can be only half-way through the first period and the other team can score one goal and I have to listen to “The Bruins are playing like shit. They don’t deserve to win. This game’s as good as over.”

I hate watching games of any sport with Angry Jerkface sports fans. And even worse? When an Angry Jerkface sports fan has given up so totally he wants to change the channel. And miss the greatest comeback in the history of the sport? NO. Because I just know that’s what will happen if we change it. (Yes, I’m often disappointed…but not always.)

2004. Red Sox dropped the first three games of the ALCS to the Yankees. I still believed. Between Game 3 and Game 4, I was at our local house of pizza and told them I still believed the Red Sox would win. There were snorts of derision and pitying looks. But they won four games in a row. And took Game 7 at Yankee Stadium. And yes, I said I TOLD YOU SO to every Angry Jerkface sports fan I saw because I told them so.

Unfortunately, while he swings back and forth in a most annoying manner, the Short Kid leans toward Angry Jerkface sports fan. (And the Tall Kid thought wide receivers were called catching backs, so we won’t even talk about him. He’s clueless non-sports fan.) I’m trying to teach my youngest to believe in sports miracles, but I have a feeling being Angry Jerkface sports fan is a genetic flaw he inherited from his father.

So, I’m gearing up to watch my Bruins win the Stanley Cup. Because I believe they will and I’ll keep believing until the final horn, even if Angry Jerkface gives up.

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My boys

by Shannon on June 12, 2013 in Cats, kids or the dogs

My first blog post was on January 1, 2005, when the Tall Kid was nine and a half and the Short Kid had just turned four at the end of November. I wanted to a grab a picture from the blog archives but, somewhere during the evolution of blog technology, things changed and the early pictures are all broken boxes. But here’s what my boys looked like when long-time blog readers met them:

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, this happened last weekend:

I love this picture. The five and a half year age difference has often been a big gap between them but, as the Short Kid transitions toward teenager-hood (*sobs*), they’ve started growing closer as brothers and appreciating each other’s company. I hope they enjoy this summer before everything changes and my greatest wish is that, as men, they find the kind of friendship with each other that my husband and I have with our siblings.

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One down, one to go

by Shannon on June 10, 2013 in Cats, kids or the dogs

That’s the teen sis, who graduated a week before the teen, not getting a moment in the spotlight.

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Name That Kowalski Kid winners

by Shannon on June 4, 2013 in Contests

First off, you know Jaci Burton’s new Play-By-Play book, One Sweet Ride, released today, right? Such a delicious cover and I can’t wait to read it.

On to the Kowalski kid! I apologize for the delay, but managing to stab myself in the fingertip really slowed me down and there’s a lot of family stuff going on. But Sean and Emma’s baby boy now has a name.

A couple of the comments really cracked me up:

Alec because any member of the family will be a smart alec

That’s very true!

Arthur after the guy from 3M who invented Post It notes. Spencer could also work since he was the guy who invented the sticky part.

Love them! You guys also managed to list both of my sons’ names, half my family’s names and quite possibly every ex-boyfriend I’ve had. And there are so very many awesome names listed. I put more than a few of them into a notebook for future hero use and I had an author friend or two taking notes, as well. You guys are good at this!

So, the baby’s name? John Leonard Kowalski, and they’ll call him Johnny. I really went back and forth about whether Leonard or Francis was right for the middle name but, in the end, Sean’s relationship with his Uncle Leo is pretty special. And not only was John Emma’s beloved grandfather’s name, but it was also her dad’s. He died when she was young, but she knows her grandparents called him Johnny.

Since those could be defined by name or by relationship, I ended up picking three winners! I’ve made a note of the email addresses and as soon as I have ARCS (late summer) of Love A Little Sideways, I’ll send them out.

Vanessa May 22, 2013 at 11:48 am
My favorite part about being pregnant , besides the baby of course, was getting to pick names! How about Leo?

Judy Latham May 22, 2013 at 12:03 pm
Or maybe after Emma’s and Sean’s late fathers….can’t recall what they were right now.

Sam May 25, 2013 at 9:21 pm
John(after Emma’s dad)
Leo(After sean’s uncle)

Thank you, everybody, for the great suggestions! Some of those will definitely be popping up in future books!

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Today is what?

by Shannon on May 28, 2013 in Uncategorized

I know I’m not alone in really struggling with the fact today is not Monday, but I’m underwater today, so I’ll be waiting to pick a Kowalski kid name until tomorrow. Today is crazy and I can’t give the entries the attention they deserve until I’ve had a few minutes to breathe.

I think right now it’s time for a second iced coffee trip.

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