And so I won't excuse this

I was wrong when I said I had nothing left to type. I meant to say that the London Knights are great again, and I'm happy to see Schrempy and Dennis back and playing amazingly!!! The Owen Sound Attack vs. London Knights game I went to on December 3rd was at least tied for the best game I've ever been to (Dennis stoned Bobby Ryan on a penalty shot)!!!
And Ryan MacDonald (a Guelph Stormer) should be drafted this year.
THAT is all.

No Excuses ...

I mean for taking so long between posts, although I could apply this to a number of situations, mainly for the way I feel about people trying to excuse their inappropriate behaviour. Didn't everyone's parents always insinuate that growing up was about taking responsibility? Why then, do so many people lack the ability to do so? And people say I need to 'grow up'. Or at least I think they do.
So, it's almost Christmas!!! I love the winter and can't to get out and use that ski pass. Blue Mountain is finally open, and no doubt that as I hit the slopes this year I'll be dreaming of what's ahead next year, when I'll (hopefully) be skiing in the lovely Rocky Mountains. I don't know that I'll be able to get out skiing much, though, with so much of my time being spent playing hockey (not that I'm complaining; 4-5 times a week is definitely great) ...
Anyone want to buy me this? ;) I don't think the place is much to look at from the outside, but it's got a great view and the tennis courts are a great addition, and I'm sure it would be a nice bike ride to the university. [note: It's only $3000+/week to rent, I'm sure to buy it would be quite reasonable.]
So, to actually put some news in here, for anyone who's reading because they want to know that sort of thing, my time has been occupied with (besides hockey) painting, giving music lessons, and working for the Salvation Army. It's all good. I had 'getti for lunch and 'colate for dessert, and for those of you who don't know why I wrote that, and like that, nev'min'.
I didn't like the video version of Harry Potter 4. Is there anybody out there who really did? I was expecting some things to be left out, but I thought a lot fo the changes to the plot, and additions, were unnecessary and all in all thought it would've been better to have two movies, instead of trying to fit the book into one (although, yes, I can realize why they decided not to do this). My overall impression was that it felt like someone trying to make a movie based on a book (like they read the book and said 'Okay, how can I get the gist of the book onto the screen, and make it exciting), instead of trying to make a book into a movie. I felt the same way about a couple of moments in the Lord of the Rings movies, but in the Goblet of Fire it was much more abhorrent.
Okay, that's all I have to write. Faretheewell.

Autumn, my friend

I love this season!!!!
So, hockey is back for another season, which is definitely something very prevalent in my life at the moment (too much so?? ... Nah!), as I have been playing and watching it with regularity. I like the fact that they're cracking down on obstruction/hooking in the NHL, and, as opposed to last time, it seems to actually be sticking. Hopefully by the end of the season they'll will be less penalties, but not due to the fact that hooks and obstruction aren't being called. I've enjoyed every game I've watched so far this year, including the 2 OHL (London Knights) games, although I have seen some very sloppy goaltending ... and I'm definitely looking forward to the Leafs game I'm going to this Saturday!!! :D
In other news, I have a ski pass for Blue Mountain this year, which I hope I will have a lot of opportunity to use.
In more other news, I have started teaching music lessons. I quite like the school and the children. And I finally got around to reading The Princess Bride, and I'm ever so glad that I did.

NewHockeyLeague

Wow, is the upcoming season ever going to be crazy. Besides the fact that I am insanely excited about the fact that hockey is back, and appreciative of some of the rule changes, I'm also anxious about what the Leafs are going to look like when the season starts up. I'm not so worried about the Canucks and the Habs (my 2nd and 3rd favourite teams, respectively), as I think they aren't going to have many changes in either case ... but the Leafs ... *sigh*
Well, I'll just wait it out, and I'll be cheering for them regardless of Lindros, and probable lack of Mogilny, the Wizard. Maybe they will get Thomas back; that would make me (and Aunt Mary) happy, as long as it didn't end up like the Gilmour thing.

Forever and Ever. Amen.

Where has my motivation gone? The way of the metal wheel, so it would seem. (On the general subject of the wheel ... check this and this out ... old news, I know.)
Anyway, this summer has pretty much flown by. I have spent my time in a variety of ways, the melange primarily consisting of tennis, horseback riding, volunteering, swimming, and working (paid and unpaid). In between those 'activities' I, among other things, attended a wedding, sojourned in Six Flags: Darien Lake (Kingdom Bound), and painted. I also freed a rabbit from the awful confinement of a cage. This is all very exciting, I realize, and apologize for not informing you, dear reader, of my affairs earlier on.
Obviously something is wrong, and that something is tiredness, as my finger-brain communication is rapidly fading, and my editing skills are faltering also. A bad and possibly offensive combination, so I think I'll have to leave anything else I might come up with to say at a later day, so I can go and read for a bit before bed, reading being something that I can do when I'm tired. I will be continuing in reading "A Ring of Endless Light," by Madeleine L'Engle, and so far it's actually an interesting story, even if, from the back cover it sounds like, as my aunt pointed out, a Harlequin.

Quote Unquote

"We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be." - C.S. Lewis

I just thought this was a neat quote that kind of went with my "... Why do bad things ..." post, and I don't know what C.S. Lewis work it is from as I found it quoted in a book I am reading (Secrets, by Kristen Heitzmann)

Wow, 2 in one day!!

I had the last topic planned for a while, but I think I'll just update on actual happenings in my life, such as it is.
So, those London Knights won the Memorial Cup, eh?? That was an awesome playoffs, and Memorial Cup run!!! I watched every Knights game, and most of the Rimouski games (Sid is amazing) and definitely enjoyed some good hockey. :D So that's it until the international stuff in the autumn ...
I have finished everything for school, finally. Thesis complete, and therefore, unless I failed, BSC in Honours Psych = DELETED!! I mean ... = COMPLETED!!! I'm deliriously happy about that. Really. There just isn't enough celebratory punctuation on this keyboard to appease my appetite for diversity.
And so commences the job search. I'm not in that much of a hurry, although I have applied to a few places. As long as I find work by September I'll be fine. More than fine. Fine.

"If God exists, why do good things happen to bad people?"

How many of you have ever thought/heard this? I always think "Why not?"

Note: From now on I will be going on the basis that God does exist, as only makes sense for the answering of this question.

Okay, so I can’t exactly answer why any certain thing happens in any certain circumstance to a particular person, since only God would know the plans and the eventual outcome of said happening. However, this is not a new dilemma, and I would think that anyone who has read parts of the Bible has realized that indeed, ‘bad’ things happen to God’s faithful. Sometimes it is a consequence of their actions (directly from God or not), and sometimes it is something that God is incurring for some other reason (not a consequence, but a trial or a service).Ever heard of tough love?
Just like good earthly parents, God knows that spoiling us and giving into our every whim won’t make into the people we have the potential to be. He is the Great Provider, of our every need, not our every want. When something you don’t like happens to you, you can take in and try and get the good out of it, pray about it, and continue serving God through it, or you can whine and complain and indulge in self-pity. Every experience can be used to draw closer to God. God never promises that when we follow Him everything will be bed of roses (that's thornless), but He says that “in all things [He] works for the good of those who love Him …” Whose definition of good? God’s. Not our's. Because I would say that often we don’t really know what’s good for us. I doubt God includes money, power, or fame as part of His definition of ‘good’.

Even when we stray from the path that God would like us to be on, we can get back on that path and pray that God will turn our sins into something beneficial to Him, even just a learning experience. Keep in mind that, as God’s Word continuously intonates, we bear the fruit, and reap the consequences, of our actions.

When someone puts pottery in the kiln do they say, “Why does hot fire happen to good clay?” I doubt it, because they now that the end result will be better (hopefully) than what they put in. So, keep trusting God’s plan, and hopefully we can all go into the fire and come out better on the other side.

There’s a lot more I could say on this, but that’s all I shall divulge for now. Like a past entry says, comments or questions are more than welcome.

With the season coming to a close...

Much to my father's chagrin, due to the lack of NHL hockey (and my introduction to an OHL goalie) I decided to start watching the OHL this season. To date, I have gone to 6 regular season and 3 playoff games (all London Knights games, although in various cities: Owen Sound, Guelph, Kitchener, and London), as well as the OHL All-Star game. I plan on going to at least one more, as I have made it to a game in each playoff round so far, and the 4th round (the OHL finals) has yet to be played. The best playoff game I've attended so far would have to be Game #4 of the Rangers-Knights series (and not just because I was front row, right behind the scratched/injured/suspended Knights; I've never had a seat at the end of the arena before, it was a nice change).
It'll be hard making time for the OHL when/if the NHL returns, but I'm not sure I could give it up altogether. However, since I won't have cable next year, the only OHL I'll be able to see will be live or highlights. At least I picked potential/probable champions to cheer for over the season in which I had the opportunity to really keep up on the action. Thanks, MacDonald. :)

I couldn't resist

Really I couldn't ... so, here:

Martin Brodeur: "Why is a puck called a puck? Because dirty little bastard was taken."

Bwahahahahahahaha!!!! That will forever and always be my reaction to that quote. I don't know if it's because I'm (also) a goalie, or because I'm always over-tired when I read it, or what ... but yeah, I think it's hilarious.

A consideration

Well, since I don't generall have much to say, at least not to a faceless, and seemingly sparse audience, I'll let other people say stuff for me, and comment at will:

The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.
William James (1842 - 1910)

I quite like this quote, and I've heard many from William James before, and I think many people would do well to keep it in mind from day to day. It's sort of like a friend of mine telling me about how he decided that he would learn asmuch as he could while working the crappy jobs he's been in, because it helps keep him from the rut that other people get in, in the same job. And keeps him hopeful. I think as long as you don't think that getting the attitude that you're a superhero will mean that you can eat 1,000,000 burritos at one sitting ... that's not super.

More than a month ...

Well I guess the only excuse I have for the delay is that I was waiting for something interesting to happen so I could write about it, and said thing never happened.
I've also been pretty busy with school (of course), playing hockey, and watching hockey, and then Easter showed up. I had a great weekend, despite a few important thesis related deadlines looming like a threatening stormcloud, and it was definitely great to have the warm weather so I could go horseback riding. I'm sort of resigned to the fact that my favourite season is coming to and end, and thankfully I was able to go skiing a few times while the conditions were still snowy. :)
I'm excited about the fast-approaching end of the school year, as I am definitely ready for a break from the monotony of lectures and paper-writing. Not that I don't like writing, it's just the subject matter that causes the malcontent.
Side Note: I finally have all three "special extended DVD" editions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. YAAAAAAAAAAAY!! :D The cast commentary feature is quite entertaining. Exploring the appendices will have to wait until the summer.

Anyone want to offer me an interesting, education related, high-paying job in the Owen Sound area for the next year? Oh, and it has to have 3 hour lunch breaks. 2 hours at the minimum...

Hockey Overload?

I had a post written out here about how I've played hockey 9 times over the last 8 days, and how I'm likely to be playing 3 times in the next 2 days ... and yadda yadda yadda it's a good excuse to eat extra food.
And then I told the story about my morning last Thursday (got trapped in a bathroom, had my dressing room invaded by juniour kindergarteners and their parents, and thought someone had stolen my hockey sticks) ...
But I don't really feel like writing it all out again.
I said something about my lovely niece and a box of tissues as well ... :)
Anyhow, I hope anyone reading this doesn't feel bereft by the lack of information.

It's been a while ...

So is entitled a once popular song ...
But anyhow, I keep thinking of things to write, and by the time I come to the keyboard said things have slipped my mind.
But not today, even though the topic is related to the proponent of "slippery when wet" signs ... water!!!
Hi, my name's Bob, and I'm a hydromaniac. (Note: although hydromania is a condition, hydromaniac apparently isn't an existing noun, but it's my noun ... learn to love it :))
I can't say I don't like the rain that's been assaulting the streets and outdoor rinks of this city for the last few days, because that would be lying. Well, actually, I could say it, but I won't. I love water in any form: ice is exciting, snow is stellar, and, when in liquid form, water's dynamic and enthralling. I've always loved the great expanse of lakes and oceans, the crystalline vines that play the artist with window panes, small streams that through grassy fields replete with cow prints as obstacles, until they expand safe and enfettered upon reaching the other side of the barbed wire... I'd love to live on the ocean for a while, but I could never be a fisherperson; I hate the smell and taste of fish (unless thickly battered).
Forgive my attempts at poetic prose, it's been too long since I tried, and longer still since I've succeeded.
Forget a stiff drink, I need reading week.
Other than the realisation (or perhaps long-time-in-coming confession) of my hydromania, things are going okay. School's going, which is something in itself, and I'm getting enough social interaction to prevent my status from officially being declared as hermit.
Now if the NHL and NHLPA would figure things out, I could really get on with my life.

This title will not end in 3 dots!

That exclamation mark made everything so much more exciting, I'm sure. At least then something would be exciting.
I am really looking forward to the next couple months of school. There's nothing I like more than sitting in a classroom every day and inwardly revelling in the cranial stimuli being presented for me to metaphorically chew on. Living along is great as well, since it's so much easier to get stuff done when the only person to talk to is yourself, and you don't particularly enjoy the conversations.
All that said, the only down point in my week is when I have to play intramural hockey, and the goalie lessons I have started taking. Also, I dread travelling home on the weekends; all that family stuff just isn't my bowl of soup.
I don't have anything else to say and I never really had much to say in the first place. I just didn't feel like trying to get to sleep just yet ... that and I'm watching a tennis match where I already know the guy I'm cheering for is going to lose ... :(
I will be very original 2 lines hence.
This message has been brought to you by the number 5 and the word SARCASTIC!!!
"It's over"!!!!

A rocky relationship ...

Well, all metaphors aside, it seems that with Vincent when one door is open, another one's closed. Sometimes I think I have the key and it will work, but all the pulling and coaxing has no success. The cold is taking it's toll on his health and sometimes there's some coughing, or he's frostbitten. I feel sorry for him, but I am trying to keep him happy. I even finally gave him his Christmas present.
I'm sort of looking forward to when I can finally get a better car, but he'll do for now.
Welcome to installment 1 of: Personification can be fun!

"You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake ..."

At least I hope not, or you'd be a meltin'!
Crappy weather, I wish it would freeze and stay frozen.
Anyway, I don't have to many significant things to say, or any at all really, I just thought that it had been a little too long since I last posted so I would write something to verify the fact that I am still a live and have not forgotten my blog password.
So, Christmas was pretty good, although many things didn't go quite as planned, and it was sad not having Leo around for the first time in many years.
My birthday was fairly uneventful, but a lovely day and weekend nonetheless (even without a cake, the lack of which was my fault). 23. I sound old. :(
No NHL. No snow. I might as well be in Madagascar.
That's not really what I think, but I'm bored waiting for this lab to start. I wish I could watch Thundercats.