A Rink Rats Christmas

Many people have asked this writer: What is a Rink Rats Christmas?

A Rink Rats Christmas is online shopping (not one visit to a store), it is peanut brittle, sugar cookies, Hockey Night in Canada, getting the light timers in sync, wearing shorts when it is below 45 degrees, playing golf in a ridiculous Santa hat, being The Commissioner, Holiday Inn, watching nephews play hockey, watching nieces being nieces, Baileys and eggnog, and above all else being with my Dad and my wonderful Rink Rats family.

HOLIDAY COCKTAIL – Pear Martini: Grey Goose Pear Vodka, St. Germaine topped off with Champagne – delightful.

HOLIDAY SONG – “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”, The song was written in 1943 by J. Kimball Gannon (St. Lawrence University Class of 1924), with Walter Kent and Buck Ram, and first recorded by Bing Crosby. Meaningful to GIs and their loved ones at home during World War II, the song was more popular for a time than Crosby's "White Christmas." Gannon was the composer of many popular songs from the Big Band era, and was nominated for four Academy Awards for his work.

RINK RATS SUGAR COOKIES (the best) –

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• ¾ teaspoon baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1 cup unsalted butter

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1 tablespoon milk

• 2 shots Baileys Irish Cream

• Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

• Refrigerate dough for 2 hours

• Cut desired cookie sizes and shapes

• Bake @ 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes

TOP FIVE RINK RATS HOLIDAY MOVIES: (5). Christmas Vacation, (4). Home Alone, (3). A Charlie Brown Christmas, (2). A Christmas Carol (1938 edition), (1). It’s A Wonderful Life.

TOP THREE RINK RATS HOLIDAY GIFTS – (3). Peace and Love, (2). Quiet, (1). Quiet.

GARDENING FOR CHIRSTMAS – Rink Rats use a living tree every year taken from our garden for our Christmas tree. The tree is watered and pruned during the year to produce a lovely holiday tree. We like to thank the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden for their expertise and guidance in helping to maintain our living tree. If you are not a member of RSABG you should be a wonderful organization and people who devote themselves to maintaining beauty year round.

TOP FIVE JACK ASS OF 2011 – Number Five: Drivers who drive while texting and talking into a cellular telephone. It continues to amaze this writer how this continues, we have even noticed police officers on many occasions speaking into phones while driving and not using their turn signals. I can imagine what it is like in the State of Ohio with their drivers.

Number Four: Rod Blagojevich, former Governor of Illinois and convicted of 18 corruption charges, including trying to sell or trade the vacant senate seat when Obama became President. Mr. Blagojevich was recently sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Next week numbers three and two Jack Ass of 2011.

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to: Bob Barker (88), Ben Bernanke (58), Steve Buscemi (54), Dick Butkus (69), Governor Andrew Cuomo (54), The Los Angeles Times (130), Keith Richards (68), Steven Spielberg (65), Lesley Stahl (70).

BCS COLLEGE BOWL PICK OF THE WEEK – Saturday 12/17, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl from Boise, Idaho 5:30 PM ET, ESPN: the Ohio University Bobcats (9-4) against the Utah State Aggies (7-5). After a rough start, the Aggies finished the regular season with five straight wins -- all by a combined 18 points. Ohio won nine, but probably should have won more in 2011, and is looking for its first bowl victory in six tries. Vegas likes The Aggies by 2 points, so do we, go with Utah State over Ohio University. Season to date (9-6).

SMALL COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICK OF THE WEEK – Saturday 12/17, The Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl for D-III football supremacy pits perennial winners the Mount Union Purple Raiders (12-1) against the Wisconsin Whitewater Warhawks (14-0), 7:00 PM ET, ESPN2. This is the year for the Warhawks, D-III champions. Season to date (13-2).

NFL PICK OF THE WEEK – Sunday 12/18, The New York Jets (8-5) visit the Philadelphia Eagles (5-8), 4:15 PM ET, CBS. The Jets must continue to win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, the Eagles are fighting for their jobs. We like The Eagles to win and make the Buddy Ryan Mark Sanchez feud even more interesting. Season to date (6-7, shocking).

THE SWAMI’S TOP PICKS – Utah State 35 Ohio 24, Detroit 21 Oakland 20, Baltimore 24 San Diego 21. Season to date (28-13).

SPORTS BLINK - "RG3 wins first Heisman Trophy for Baylor," : "Robert Griffin III , a junior quarterback known as RG3, beat out [Andrew Luck,] the preseason favorite from Stanford on Saturday night, becoming the first Baylor player to take home college football's most famous trophy. Right before his name was called, Griffin took a deep breath. ... He took a few long strides up to the stage and let out a laugh when he got there, making a joke about the Superman socks - complete with capes on the back - he was wearing ... Griffin received 405 first-place votes ... Luck received 247 first-place ... [Griffin] is the son of two U.S. Army sergeants who settled in central Texas ... An aspiring lawyer who is working on a master's degree in communications, he holds 46 school records."

DRIVING THE WEEK - First part of today will be dominated by further global market reaction to the euro summit's mixed-bag outcome. Early signs overnight showed an equally mixed-bag response with Asia opening higher but the Euro dropping ... Payroll tax cut fight will roll on with a vote on the House GOP version with the Keystone XL pipeline provision. That version may get out of the House but its dead in the Senate where Majority Leader Harry Reid has called it a "partisan joke." Odds remain that the tax cut gets extended but it appears headed to the wire ... Jon Corzine is back on the Hill on Tuesday to testify on the MF Global collapse before Senate Agriculture at 10:00 a.m. and on Thursday afternoon before a House Financial Services subcomittee ...

On Wednesday at 2:00 p.m., Fed Chair Ben Bernanke is scheduled to meet with the Senate GOP conference ... House Oversight TARP subcommittee has a two-day hearing Thursday and Friday mornings at 10:00 a.m. on "What What the Euro Crisis Means for the Taxpayers and the U.S. Economy" ... Senate Banking has a hearing Tuesday morning on oversight of the FHFA, Tuesday afternoon on the foreclosure process and Wednesday morning on "investor risks" in the capital raising process. ... Top data this week include retail sales out Tuesday (expected to show a gain of about 0.5 percent) and the FOMC announcement, also Tuesday, which is not expected to show any change in policy or tone. This should suggest there is no more quantitative easing on the immediate horizon.

FIRST NEW YEARS WISH - Inspire Greatness in Others: to be a good leader. Be present. Go see your people. Be mindful that there is incredible leadership all around you. Go find it. Not just hide out in your dark office. Go tap it. Go mine it. And here’s a key question: would you want to report to yourself? It’s little things, too. When you say hi to somebody, do you mean it, or is it just a casual comment?

Next week, the office holiday party and our year-end review begins.

Until Next Monday, Adios.

Claremont, CA

December 12, 2011

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