Year-End Freeze Out

So the last day of 2008 was an... interesting one.

The last couple days I'd been noticing that my freezer was starting to warm up and the stuff in it was starting to thaw out. After turning it all the way up to compensate and try to hold it off for a couple days, I called my landlord and asked if he knew anyone who did good work and could come look at it.

Turns out he did. So the guy shows up, and it's actually the same guy who repaired my washing machine when this happened. We pull the refrigerator (it's one of those top/bottom deals) out of its space and he gets down to open up the back of it. After pulling the back compartment off, it doesn't take him much time to figure out the problem.

Freon leak.

Now this refrigerator came with the apartment, and I've been here since 2002, so who knows how long it's actually been here. The refrigerator seems to be working fine. I should have known something was up when he asked me exactly that. Then he told me what had happened.

"That sounds bad," I said.

"Yeah, you need a new refrigerator." Ths was followed by about two hours of back-and-forth phone calls among the repairman, me, and my landlord, who kept calling back to ask me to check the dimensions of the place, because it has to fit in the space and give you room to open the doors and what not.

After finally getting that handled, I went out to spend some of the cash my parents game me for Christmas. (Besides my few specifics, I should just say "Amazon gift cards" next year and be done with it.) Got some pants, Madden 09, and a new alarm clock to replace the one which had suddenly gone 10 minutes ahead of the rest of the world.

I got home at about 6:30 and pulled into a completely dark apartment complex. Thank God for this flashlight, even though I had to change the batteries by candlelight after getting them all lit. The power stayed out for about another 45 minutes.

No more than five minutes after the power came back on, my dad called. "I guess you were one of the 5,000 people who were without power," he said, obviously quoting the news report that had said as much.

Frequent Reader Note: The usual year-end festivities are almost complete. The Top 15 won't be in February like last year. :)

Or, "Well, This IS Detroit."

The first one led SportsCenter when it happened. This one started the same way (with a retaliation) and got in at the 50-minute mark. But here's what I'm interested in:


Rick Mahorn was always a big guy. But he's gotten HUGE. I think he ate Vinnie Johnson. He looks like Arsenio Hall's rap alter ego whose name I can't remember.

"I think Rick was trying to play peacemaker, but he's just too big," Sparks coach Michael Cooper said.

(Seriously, has anyone seen Vinnie Johnson recently?)

But this may be the funniest thing you read all year, especially considering the source:

"Rick Mahorn is known as a peacemaker, from even the brawl we had here with Indiana," Detroit coach Bill Laimbeer said.

Really? This must be a new development. Rick Mahorn a peacemaker? Compared to who? Laimbeer? (Who's gotta be on anyone's "Top 3 Ex-Athletes You Never Thought Would Be Coaching Anywhere" list.) Remember, these were the guys who made the Bad Boys the Bad Boys. That's a rep that's almost impossible to shake.

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