I jinxed the Champions

I am proud to be an alumnus of Cascade High School, but I'm afraid I haven't been a very active alumnus over the years. It had been a few years since I'd been to a high school football game -- I can't remember exactly when.

But I knew last weekend's Jo Byrns game was going to be a big one, and when my sister, who lives in Perry County, told me that she and my nephew were going to take in the game while on a weekend visit to Bedford County, I decided to tag along.

As you now know, the game didn't turn out so well.

Since it had been so long since either of us had been to a game, Elecia and I both worried that we had jinxed the team. Unlike my sister, however, I have an actual letter from owner Craig Leipold stating that I am not a jinx on the Nashville Predators, in spite of the fact that the Preds lost the first several games I attended.

In all seriousness, I had a great time at the game and probably need to support the kids more often. I especially loved hearing the band, who were terrific, and I can't wait to hear them in concert.

Those of you with young children shouldn't forget about the car seat safety checks Saturday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Wal-Mart parking lot on North Main Street in Shelbyville. I've been told that more than half of all child safety seats are being used incorrectly -- wrong size, or improperly installed, or on a recall list. You owe it to your child to make sure that he or she is riding safely.

Love it or hate it, it shouldn't be a couple of weeks before the TV stations start in on the holiday movies and specials. So that I don't forget to tell you during the actual holiday season, set your TiVos now, or check your listings, for an often-overlooked gem that I wrote about the other day on my personal blog: "Christmas In Connecticut," with Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan. It's a hilarious holiday-themed romantic comedy from the 1940s. Stanwyck plays a Martha Stewart-style domestic icon who writes a magazine column about the idyllic life she shares with her husband and baby on their Connecticut farm.

She's a fraud. She's a terrific writer, to be sure, but there's no farm, no husband, no baby; she lives in a Manhattan apartment and can hardly boil water. All her sought-after recipes are given to her by a restaurateur friend. But her boss (Sydney Greenstreet) doesn't know this, and when he hears about a war hero without a place to go for Christmas, he imposes upon Stanwyck and her husband to take him in. So Stanwyck (who's just gone into debt and can't afford to lose her job) must come up with a husband, a farm and a baby, and must appear to be the ultimate hostess, especially since the boss plans to join them all for Christmas dinner. Then, when she starts falling for the war hero (Morgan), she has to find a way to extract herself from the fantasy life she's created.

It's wonderful holiday fun. I have no idea when, but Turner Classic Movies is sure to air it at least once between now and New Year's.

John I. Carney is city editor of the Times-Gazette and covers county government and other topics. His home page is lakeneuron.com .