A very happy birthday wish to FireOpal! May you enjoy a fabulous day with friends and family. Cheers to you, M!

Yep...me and Abe Vigoda, What surprises are in store for us this week? Thursday Nov. 20 Kansas City...and it's the wrong one boyo. Raiders blew their chance at history. Sunday Nov. 23 Atlanta Philadelphia New England Green Bay Indianapolis Houston...it really doesn't matter who I pick in this game...whichever team I pick, the opposite will happen. Buffalo...more weirdness. I'm giving Buffalo another shot...only because the Jets truly stink. Chicago Seattle...Seattle's season is on the line...the next two games are must-wins. San Diego...I came close to picking the Rams against Denver last week but didn't have the guts to pull the trigger like Rick did. Still not sold on them out of their dome. Denver...I don't think Miami can exploit Denver's defense like the Rams did. San Francisco Dallas...this pick scares me, but like the Jets, the Giants are stinking up New York/New Jersey. Monday Nov. 24 New Orleans...come on Saints, win one for Bret!

^^^ Damn Kings lose another close one. Yep. That explains it. I didn't know you were a Leafs fan.

Did the problems with your sister regarding the location of your mum's party get resolved SozoZoso? I'll never forget seeing Paula Poundstone shopping at Albertsons. By the graciousness of CP, I am going to Peter Hook's Joy Division/New Order concert tonight at the Fonda. May all your darling buds bear sweet fragrant smoke.

I'm not gonna make any friends when I say this but I have never had any problem sleeping. I can sleep anywhere, anytime. Whether it's only for a few hours after a late-night partying or sleeping in for 10 solid hours on my day off. I can nap on the commute to or from work or grab a chair on my break and nod off for a quick 30 minutes. I can sleep on a hard bed or a soft bed. A couch or a chair. A sleeping bag in the wilderness or in the back of a pick-up truck. On a plane, train, or boat. I've even slept curled around the gun turret on a tank. I can sleep thru loud parties, snorers, even earthquakes. I have never needed to take a valium or any sleeping pills of any sort. The act of sleeping has never been a problem for me. It's finding the time to sleep between work and play that is sometimes difficult. It is rare that I get to bed before midnight. But once I do go to bed, it's lights out no problem.

Black Friday is next week not this Friday. November 28.

Long day of work finally over. Waiting for my chicken vindaloo to arrive. Boy, am I thirsty!

^^^ Missed the game as well as missing the pick haha. Actually KB, I was kind of hoping for 0-16 season for the Raiders. Something historically bad that would force a total overhaul. I'm not sold on Reggie McKenzie as GM and definitely not sold on Tony Soprano as head coach.

You know, in all the hubbub it completely slipped my mind to look for Ross Halfin! D'oh! Anybody else go to the Los Angeles Barnes & Noble event? You're certainly welcome to post your pictures and words about your visit with Jimmy. Thanks for all the kind words, folks. Glad you liked it.

Just a reminder Jimmy Page is on Ellen Degeneres Show today. Don't know what channel or time it's on in your area. In LA it's on NBC at 3pm I think. Weird pairing Jimmy with One Direction. Wonder who will be first.

That's a heavy burden you're carrying around, young lady. I can only hope you have a good friend around to lean on and give you an outlet to vent your frustrations. I imagine archery serves as another release for you when times are tough. You're in Ireland, right? Sounds like the employment situation over there is pretty grim. Like CP, I'm sending positive sunny vibes from California your way, SozoZoso.

No. I had enough on my mind and didn't feel like butting into the middle of her conversation with her friends.

Care to explain? I'm in the dark. Damn, Rick...that is some blizzard you got in Buffalo! Nobody could get to the Sabres-Sharks game. Hardly any fans in the stands and the guy who was supposed to sing the anthems couldn't make it, haha. Then the Sabres end up beating the Sharks handily...don't they know they are supposed to lose? And that poor girls' basketball team stuck in the Buffalo blizzard... http://www.dailyrecord.com/story/sports/college/2014/11/18/niagara-bus-trapped-snowstorm/19238301/

Oh my god. It's ebk's sister! Which Texan's game were you at?

Janalyn, that was a great and heartfelt post. Many thanks for writing it and sharing your experience with us. I am so happy that a great fan such as yourself got to be one of the fortunate ones to meet Jimmy while he was in Los Angeles. Keep up the good fight.

Stargroves Tangie, Yellowrose, PlanetPage, Deborah, Pagefan55, CJW, jabe, Debbie, zepscoda, 60blues, luvlz2, Tangerina...you all are too kind and you warm my heart. If I had had that kind of support when I was young I might have been a real writer. ...on to the conclusion. Thanks for your patience. When I got to work after getting my wristband and book, whenever I had the chance to think I weighed in my mind what to say to Jimmy Page when my turn came. What should be my approach? Should I ask an arcane question regarding Zeppelin lore? Focus on his past exploits or his possible future endeavors? I had had some people sending me suggestions for questions but the more I thought about it, the more I felt it wasn't the proper forum for a question, no matter how lightweight. This was a book signing...okay, hand-stamping to be precise...designed to promote Jimmy's book. It should be a positive, fun, celebrative affair for all concerned. It wasn't the place to play 'journalist' or 'gossip reporter'. I didn't need to burden Jimmy with some fan-boy question regarding some minute detail of his past or try to put him on the spot regarding his plans for the future or his thoughts on the Spirit lawsuit, etc. No, as the day wore on the more apparent it became to me that all I needed to do was pass along a short and simple message of appreciation for what his music has meant to me all throughout my life. Henceforth, my focus narrowed to figuring out what to say and how to say it...I didn't want to get up there in front of Jimmy and start fumbling for words. I tried out several versions thru the afternoon before settling on what I thought was a concise yet heartfelt message. Simple and direct. I also prepared my book bag in advance so that as soon as I closed, i could just grab it and go. I made sure I had my books, receipts, wristband, and my presents for Jimmy all neatly tucked inside the bag. The hours and minutes seemed to drag by as I kept one eye on the clock constantly...is it 6 o'clock yet? Are we there yet? Technically, I shouldn't have closed the shop until 7pm, but my boss let me close early so I could make the Jimmy Page event. He was off at 5 to the westside for the Ruby Law-Carrie Fisher book talk/signing. Naturally, there was one last straggler in the shop who wouldn't stop gabbing and so it was closer to 6:30pm when I finally shut everything down, locked up and got out of the shop. Only to find myself in Hollywood traffic hell. You see, the AFI Fest was happening that week in Hollywood and that night there were several big events...all taking place along Hollywood Blvd. Oprah Winfrey was at the Egyptian Theatre presenting some film of hers about Selma, Tommy Lee Jones was at the Dolby Theatre for his new movie "The Homesman" with Hilary Swank, and the French bio-pic "Saint Laurent" was premiering at the Chinese Theatre. The boulevard was a parking lot and the sidewalks were crammed with paparazzi and looky-loos. Great...it's going to take me forever to get out of this mess and I'm going to be late for Jimmy was what I was thinking. It took 15 minutes just to go two blocks...pass the Oprah scrum but there was still the mob in front of the Chinese and Dolby ahead. About 6:45pm and nowhere near The Grove. The line-up for the event began at 6pm, and the line was sectioned off in groups by letter. But if I arrived after my letter group had already been let in, would I then have to go to the back of the line? Would I get a tired and worn-out Jimmy? Or heaven forbid, something happened and he had to cut the hand-stamping short due to an emergency or something? It was 6:50pm when I was clear of Hollywood Blvd. and the rest of the way was smooth sailing, thank goodness. It was 7:03pm when I entered the Grove parking lot. As I dashed towards the Barnes & Noble, I could see a long line formed exactly where we were 12 hours ago in front of the Topshop Topman. I looked at the wristbands of the first group in line...they had the letter 'G'. My wristband was letter 'F', which meant my group was already inside the store. More running...dodging shoppers and prams...into the Barnes & Noble and up to the second level where the line was being held in a sort of holding area. Group 'F' was still there. I had made it just in time. Safe and able to relax at last. I looked around and saw some people I remembered from the early morning. Some of the ladies had definitely gotten all primped and gussied up, hoping to make an impression on Jimmy Page. Some looked like old groupies...there was one raven-haired woman there who had gone to great lengths to show off her ample endowments. One of the young girls I saw earlier had changed into a close approximation of jimmy's RAH sweater vest, with a white shirt underneath...definitely one of the cooler outfits I saw. Some people obviously didn't read the fine print about Jimmy not signing anything, for some brought albums and other memorabilia thinking they would get Jimmy to sign their stuff. About 10 minutes after I arrived, the line started moving as the next batch of lucky sods were allowed up the escalator to the 3rd (and toppermost) floor of Barnes & Noble, where Jimmy Page awaited. You had to show your wristband before they let you on the escalator. The line then wound around the greeting card section for a bit and through some book aisles before straightening out and heading down along the right side towards the table, behind which Jimmy sat upon a raised portion of the floor, with pictures of the book cover and other signs adorning the walls around Jimmy. A Barnes & Noble girl approached and gave us the lowdown: Take the shrinkwrap off the book. Open the book to the first completely blank page...that is where Jimmy would stamp it. Once you got to a certain point in the line, you could not take photos past that point. No posed photos or taking photos of Jimmy while you were at the table with him. You approached the table from the right side and gave your book to an employee who would pass the book along to Jimmy as you moved to the left and took your place in front of Jimmy and said your bit as he hand-stamped the book. Once Jimmy handed the book back to you, you exited to the left and if you wanted, there was a holding area slightly 10 feet or so from the table where you could take photos. If you had a companion with you and were thinking ahead, you could have your friend stationed there and ready to take a picture of you and Jimmy when your turn with Jimmy arrived. Alas, I was flying solo that night. But then, taking photos wasn't uppermost in my mind...keeping my nerves calm was. The Led Zeppelin III companion audio disc was playing on the store's sound system while we were waiting in line. I could see above everyone and see Jimmy from afar as we snaked around and around the bends and curves in the line. I could see various people showing Jimmy items they had brought...or their Zeppelin tattoos. Once we got out from behind the shelves and entered the straightaway, my calm began to give way to excitement. I kept nervously checking my book to see if I had it open to the right page. I had to figure out how I was going to present my gifts and when...before he stamped my book or after? If I was going to shake his hand I would need my right hand free, which meant my left hand would have to hold the bag and everything else. Closer and closer I got...I could see his silver hair and his smile as he stamped book after book. Black leather jacket, black shirt and black scarf. Four people in front of me...three...two...one. Then, it was my turn at last! As "Jennings Farm Blues" played in the background, I made my way in front of Jimmy as one of the assistants handed my book to him to place under the stamping machine. And then, as Jimmy shook my hand and beamed his smile at me, I momentarily lost my equilibrium and had a deer-in-the-headlight moment. You see, you can plan and prepare and practice all you want...you can think you've seen it all before and nothing can faze you. But then, Jimmy looks at you with those twinkling eyes that have seen a million stages and rocked them harder than Bon Jovi could ever conceive and you feel your hand in Jimmy's grip, with those fingers that coaxed millions of sounds and notes from his guitar that seared your mind and stirred your soul, and all of your pretense of calm is lost and you become an awestruck 13-year-old schoolgirl. Steady man, steady...don't blow it and start babbling nonsensically. Breathe. Exhale. Don't piss your pants. Fortunately, after Jimmy's brief "hello" and handshake, he went about stamping my book which gave me the necessary time to regroup and remember my purpose. I reached into my bag and pulled out my gifts and said the following: "Mr. Page, I have seen you in concert 25 times going back to my first Led Zeppelin concert in 1972, and each one is indelibly etched into my memory. Watching you 'trip the light fantastic' on the stage was electrifying and your music has given me so much throughout my life that I wanted to give you something in return. I know you have a killer jukebox and so, as a token of my appreciation for all the music you have given the world over the years, I would like to give you these records in hope that they may find use in your jukebox. Thank you for your music, thank you for your lovely book. I hope to see you playing music on a stage again in the near future." The records I gave him were two 45rpm singles... 1. The Ventures "Blue Star" b/w "Comin' Home Baby" Dolton 1966 2. Lowell Fulsom "Blues Around Midnight b/w "Talkin' Woman" Kent 1966 As I placed the records before him, Jimmy's eyes widened and he seemed genuinely pleased with my gift, and he clasped my hand in both of his hands and I received a hearty thanks and a great smile from him. The Ventures single he recognized immediately of course, but he looked very closely at the other record and asked me who it was. When I told him it was Lowell Fulsom, he nodded in recognition. One of his handlers started to take the records away and Jimmy said "No, don't give them to..." blast! I can't remember the name he said now...Gordon? Norton? Grant? Arghhh. As my book was handed to me, we shook hands again and we exchanged thanks...his for the records and mine for his talent and music. My day was made and my objective of giving him a little something in return for all his music has given me, however slight and insignificant my gift may have been, was complete. After that, I danced on air out of the Barnes & Noble with my lovely Jimmy book in hand.

Thanks Sam, Deb, ANONYMOUS, et al for all the latest Jimmy interview tidbits. Don't look now but Jimmy Page will be appearing on "Ellen" of all places this Friday Nov. 21. That is Ellen Degeneres' afternoon tv talk show for the uninitiated. I have no idea what channel or time it is on...check your local listings or Ellen's website. Bizarrely, the other guest Friday is that obnoxious boy-band One Direction. According to Sam, Jimmy's appearance was taped last Monday while he was in Los Angeles for his book promotional duties. http://www.ellentv.com/episodes/one-direction-jimmy-page/

The suspension is over but the damage from the scholarship reductions lives on. Considering the slap-on-the-wrist penalties Ohio St., Miami, and other schools got for more egregious incidents, USC got fucked. The NCAA big shots are sewer rats.

Week 12 Schedule Thursday Nov. 20 Kansas City @ Oakland Sunday Nov. 23 Cleveland @ Atlanta Tennessee @ Philadelphia Detroit @ New England Green Bay @ Minnesota Jacksonville @ Indianapolis Cincinnati @ Houston NY Jets @ Buffalo Tampa Bay @ Chicago Arizona @ Seattle St. Louis @ San Diego Miami @ Denver Washington @ San Francisco Dallas @ NY Giants Monday Nov. 24 Baltimore @ New Orleans

Dd, a 5-point loss to Alabama in their home stadium is nothing to be ashamed about...Alabama took care of business. But as long as your Bulldogs take care of business the remainder of their schedule, they should be in good shape to finish in the Top 4 for the playoff. A bigger surprise to me was Auburn getting hammered by Georgia and LSU getting shut out. Nortre Dame is pissing me off. It is one thing to lose to Arizona St. on the road...but Northwestern? They are doing USC no favours. The way Notre Dame will fall in the rankings, even if USC beats the Irish, it won't help them much in the polls. Of course, I am getting ahead of myself...first the Trojans have to take care of their intra-city rival UCLA this Saturday!!! Then they can worry about Notre Dame. But lose to UCLA and USC's season is down the toilet.

http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-82005645/ Way to go Gary Buttman! Thanks for scheduling the Hall of Fame induction opposite Monday Night Football! Shithead! How about scheduling them on a Saturday? Or maybe take a page from the NFL and create a Hall of Fame game to be played before the season and have the Hall of Fame ceremonies before the game? Anyway, a hale and hearty congratulations to long-time King Rob Blake (Kings fans will never forget him), Peter Forsberg (a beautiful player...those Forsberg-Sakic-Roy Avalanche teams were so fun to watch), Dominik Hasek (The Dominator...from a time when the Sabres were good), Mike Modano (American-born), the late Pat Burns, and long-time referee Bill McCreary (which should make Rick happy...I'm sure McCreary screwed his Sabres out of a win at some time in Rick's life, haha)! A very good class of inductees.

indeed jabe. I like 'em full of pep. I drank about six of them...three for each half. Not to parse your sentence so anally, but was your shock due to your son talking about a band or the fact that he was actually using his phone to call you and not text or facebook? It seems more and more that kids today don't even conceive of using a phone to talk to someone. Happy news indeed, planted. What great timing, too...just in time for the holidays. I was happy to see so many old faces from the old days of the forum post here the last couple of days. Sad that it took the death of another member to bring them back, however briefly. R.I.P. Levee.

What a lovely bride you are, Jules. I dig the old-school square photo format, too!

Too cool for school! Sadly, I had to work that night. I was heading to work Friday afternoon when I passed the Roxy on Sunset and noticed "Sonic Highways" on the marquee and a line forming down the street. "Fuck!" I said to myself...I'm going to miss a secret Foo Fighters show. I knew after watching last week's Austin episode of "Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways" that Los Angeles was going to be the next episode's destination for Dave Grohl and company and that there would likely be some cool special guests. I madly sent out texts to my friends, hoping someone would be able to go on such short notice. If you had told me back in 1988 that crazy Perry Farrell would one day share a stage with Joe Walsh, I wouldn't have believed it. Work sucks.