Extra! Extra! Fashionista Celebrates Birthday!

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So here's the thing. My Auntie Daryl's birthday is today and I wanna see all ya'll at the party. There's cake, there's tunes, there's hot women lots of fantastic company, and general ... what's the word Dad says? Oh yeah, "hungama". Not sure what that means*, but it sounds cool. So what're you waiting for? Nobody throws a party like Auntie D... 'cept maybe me ;).

* "Hungama" is a Hindi word meaning "fun, revelry, general festiveness".

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That's My World Tuesday #31: Caniac Fever

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"Signs and Symptoms I"
Raleigh, NC - May 2009 (Click to embiggen)

It doesn't happen every year, but when it does it's unmistakable. When the end of the NHL's regular season arrives, the top eight teams in each conference begin the grueling pursuit of the Stanley Cup. Four rounds of best-of-seven and the best hockey you will ever see. If one of the eight teams in the Eastern Conference Playoffs is Raleigh's Carolina Hurricanes, there will be an outbreak of Caniac Fever. Symptoms include spontaneous and thematic decorating by both the public and private sectors, and perhaps most notably periodic gatherings at RDU International Airport when the team charter returns from a road trip. The worst outbreak to date occurred in 2006 when the Canes won their 16th game of the post-season and claimed the ultimate prize. That outbreak lasted well into the following fall.

"Signs and Symptoms II"
Raleigh, NC - May 2009 (Click to embiggen)

Banners of the type pictured above are a sure sign of the condition, and pop up all over the city. Neither the private nor public sectors are immune. As the Hurricanes go deeper into the playoffs, even the state capitol building has been known to fly the team flag from its roof. But the surest and earliest warning sign is the gathering of large groups at the airport on nights when the team travels home. For the seasoned fan, relapses of this symptom occur instantly. For the recent convert or casual observer, it may take longer. But by the time the final game is played, scenes like the one below will play out multiple times. This year there could be an unusually high number of these parties since the Hurricanes will not have have home ice advantage in any round of the playoffs, and both of the first two rounds went the full seven games. The photo below was taken after the most recent of these deciding games. Estimates of crowd size vary widely, but the range seems to be between 500 and 1000. At 2:30 a.m. on a weekday. And the Eastern Conference Finals are just starting.

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Speakin' of Birthdays

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I'm not sure I got the date exactly right on this one. But I know I hit it within a coupla days. See, I was thinking my pal Daryl's birthday fell on the 9th. But now I'm not so sure. I may have been given intelligence that was in error and in fact there are no weapons of mass hungama scheduled for launch on Monday, but today! Or is it yesterday now? I can't keep up. What day is it anyway?

Ah hell. Go over and see for yourself. Say hi, make a few long distance calls, clean out the fridge... Daryl's cool with it... she takes in stray cows after all.

Happy birthday, and shine on you crazy diamond!

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