Winter Wonderland!!!

Seriously, here on the Island snow is falling, and it's not stopping. I woke this morning to a fresh-looking world, and although it's nothing new to me, the fact that it's the first snow of the season and the way the Islanders react to it (not the hockey team; I'm talking about the people from Vancouver Island) because they aren't used to this much snow, makes it even more exhilarating than usual! :D Forget the fact that the bus was 40 minutes late and my wet, gloveless hands are barely able to type because they are still warming up ... YAY SNOW!!!!
Church this morning was pretty good, and we met more of the congregation, and there was a luncheon afterward for us to get to know more about Trinity's vision and such, which is important. As far as everything else goes, I have work and more work over the next few days, as it is the last week of class and things are wrapping up. And then ... HOME!!!!!!! Obviously I denoted more exclamation points to that because it is more exciting than the snow. :)
On the hockey front ... well, I have to say Wellwood was driving me crazy in the third (of the Bruins game last night) ... if a drop pass doesn't work for you the first time, then don't do it again on the same shift, and ruin what could've been another good scoring chance!! Especially not when you're a goal behind!!!! :@ Ah well, other than that it was a decent game when they started skating. Hope they can take them on Tuesday.

Editted to add: The University is closed today because of the large amount of snow that fell over Sunday night, and continues to fall this Monday morning!! :D

Nearing the end

of the semester, it is. I'm definitely looking forward to having a break from writing papers and doing research for a while. Aside from a few of the assignments, I have enjoyed the semester ...
This weekend was pretty good. Our hockey game on Friday wasn't so much, but last night's was much better (a 5-1 win). I've finally chosen a church, so I'll be going there for the one Sunday I have left here, and then again when I come back next year. A couple of people from school go there, and the atmosphere was lovely, the sermon was Bible-based and succint, and the hot chocolate afterward was delicious. :) So yeah, that was a pleasant happening, as neither my suite-mate or I were really sure what to expect before we attended.
Other than that, not much news, so I won't bother trying to come up with anything, when I have much more boring and tasking things to do.
Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, the church is Trinity Christian ...

Denman and more

So, Sunday was another lovely day sprinkled intermittently with rain. They were doing something with power lines that day, so we had no power in the morning, but thankfully had all been invited over to a neighbour's for pancake breakfast! Mmm mmmm!! It was delightful, and after we were all stuffed we went for a lengthy walk that began along the road, continued through the woods, and ended with a wind-blown, salt-sprayed sojourn along the beach. It was fairly uneventful, but enjoyable in it's simplicity. The forest part of the walk reminded me a bit of being back at Saugeen Bluffs. I miss Sammy.
The rest of the day was spent either in games (such as Boggle, which I owned! [;)]), eating (Camino chocolate is delicious (hot or bar) ...), or drawing on the birthday boy (after midnight, when it actually was his birthday), all by the comfort of a crackling fire.
We got up Monday, heavy with the knowledge that we would be leaving that day, and were soon on our way. The trip home was less anticipatory than the way there, but we enjoyed it nevertheless, with yours truly (meaning ME) providing the musical soundtrack, if not the prosaic (relating to prose) one.
In other news, I played goal at noon-hour shinny today and "PUT THAT DOG DOWN" so many times; it was awesome!!! The best save was when a guy had a break away, started deking to his back-hand and had me going across a bit, but then he went back forehand, and I managed to (while almost doing the splits) get my left pad on it. He got the rebound, and me being sitting down I started trying to wiggle across and block as much net as I could while he held onto the puck, waiting for a good shot. He finally shoots ... and it was going top shelf, but I got my goal stick in the way! It was just spectacular (and a bit lucky, possibly) ... Too bad I don't play like that all the time, but maybe the day will yet come. It was nice being able to play Thursday (as my classes today were cancelled) as there was another goalie, and enough guys for most of the time to play 3-on-3 with a sub each side.
As always, go Leafs go!!! I predict a 5-2 win over Boston today.
Editted to add: Okay, so I was a bit off in that prediction ... who'd have thought that Thomas could play 2 good games in a row?!?

Denman Island!!

Yay for Denman (the link is to a photo album of this weekend - check it out!)!!! ... the rest of last week will go unmentioned save to say that I'm glad to be through it, and to finally not be falling asleep as soon as I stop moving. This past weekend I had the pleasure of being invited (with a group of other people) to a friend's family property on Denman Island.
I had never been there (actually, besides the friend and his dad, only one person had) and I was definitely very happy I went, for many reasons, the view from their back deck being one of them. We saw many a deer out in the fields.
We got there Friday night (we didn't make it on the first ferry ride ... a whole 18 minute-long ride), and arrived around 9pm, just in time to start a fire and have a late supper. Mmm mmm. The food the whole weekend was fantabulous. A group of us went down to the beach that evening and got a fire going for a bit, but didn't stay long as it was a bit chilly by the ocean.
Saturday we actually got to see the beauty of the island, no matter which window you looked out of. It started off with a game of Settlers of Cattan, as every weekend should, with late breakfast being a delicious interruption. After breakfast we took a walk around the property, visited the cows and the dogs, and then headed back to stack wood for the planned bonfire that night. We got back in just before dark, and some people played another game of Settlers, and there's proof.
The fire turned out rather well, and the fireworks were enchanting, and I also have proof of that!! Somewhere in there I watched the Leafs game, and although it was fuzzy, I enjoyed it very much (especially as someone there was cheering for the Habs). Boo-yah! :D So, the Leafs are still playing well, despite the loss of the captain, but I hope Raycroft comes back soon (he is expected to) because otherwise I think they'll be in tough against the Devils next Saturday. The Bruins they'll beat no matter who's in net! Mwahaha!! Go 4-game winning streak!!!
I'll write about the rest of the weekend later ... supper needs to be made ...

"Lots of cows, trees, rocks, dirt. Moo moo moo"

Hockey was great last night; so far in playing out I've gotten 4 points (3-1) in 2 games, which is not too shabby. And how about that Leafs game on Saturday night?!? They totally owned the Sabres, and as much as I love the Sabres I was okay with this since Buffalo's above them in the standings (though not for much longer, I think! ;)). T'was the first time Buffalo lost in regulation this year. The only bad part of the game was Belak's crappy "fight" with Peters. Seriously, if you're going to be in the box for five minutes, make sure you did something to deserve it.

Alison and I went to Saanich Community Church on Sunday. It was pretty good; I appreciated the diversity of music and the straight-forward message, and the congregation was very nice as well. We're still trying to decide, and I think we're going to be trying out at least one more church.

I'm going to my first ECHL game this Thursday evening, watching the Victoria Salmon Kings play the Fresno Falcons! Should be a good time, finally seeing some live hockey again ... Muchos kudos to anyone who can figure out (or bothers to try) why I chose to see them play Fresno.

Finally school work is slowing down a bit, and next week's reading week, so I'll be able to take a breath or two without feeling guilty that I'm not reading textbooks or typing up some paper or assignment ... oh, the anticipation!!! Denman Island, where I, Alison, and a group of other people have been invited to for the coming weekend should be a really great time also. the best part? We'll be on a farm!! Man, you can take the girl out of the country(side), but you can't take the country out of the girl. And I imagine that would really hurt, so please don't even try.

Just liked these lyrics so thought I would share them ... it's a nice sentiment:

I am the sound of love's arriving
Echoed softly on the sand
Lay your head upon my shoulder
Lay your hand within my hand
I give you all that I am

The 11th month ...

To some it feels like the 11th hour, I'm sure, or the beginning of the end. I will have to work at not wishing this month away, as for each day of it that passes I am one day closer to being back at home. So, every time I look at this post I'll be reminded to appreciate each day as it comes ...
This past weekend was quite lovely, entailing of: staying at a motel on the ocean, being the MVP of a couple of the hockey games I played in, and coming across a book sale in the mall adjoining the arena. It was a bit harder coming back to all the school work I have for this week (I actually managed to get a bit done while at the tournament), but I'm slogging through. Last night was the least Hallowe'eny I've ever felt on October, but then I don't ever remember working or playing tennis on Hallowe'en before. And what is with all of the fireworks?!? It's a weird West coast of Canada thing to set off fireworks over the weekend before Halowe'en, and the actual night, apparently. People don't even seem to know why they do it, mostly just because the fireworks are available to buy, so I've been told.
Anyway, hope everyone reading this is able to enjoy the continued changing of the season, and anticipate the approaching winter with at least a bit of excitement ...

Below is a poem I wrote for a friend who abhorred November, in an attempt to help her see the warmer side of the month:

Unconditional Love
Smile back at me
Crisp wind
For I know your chill
Is not personal
And thus am I pleased

Fall down on me
Rain of this grey sky
For I know you will soon
Be strikingly white
And thus am I pleased

Curl and dance higher
Smoke of the fires cheery
For I know that inside
Someone is being warmed
And thus am I pleased

Bring forth all that you can muster
Oh sweet November
For naught can I be turned
From loving you
For what you are

Blood and ice and cops

I’m talking about hockey. Now I’m not one who opposes fighting in hockey, at least in professional hockey. However, when it’s pick-up, and there’s no real point to the game besides having fun, then I hate when people start getting angry; really, it ruins it for everyone else. I understand and appreciate competitiveness, but not to the point of physical violence. If someone’s getting his stick up then let him know, and if he doesn’t care then he’s a jerk, and that’s the end of it. You have something to prove? Then go out and play hard and clean, because if you can’t play without being dirty and/or cheap, then you can’t play. It’s so frustrating playing with people who don’t seem like they’re enjoying themselves at all. Especially when we’re not even keeping score. By the way, there was an incident at pick-up on Friday, where after the constant yapping during the game, afterward in the dressing room one guy punched another guy in the face, and cut him open over the eye, which is why I brought this up...

Anyway, on to better things, like the Leafs!! Well, if they could win shootouts they would be in much better standing, but fourth in the East is not too shabby at all! I've liked what I've seen from Raycroft (but does he ever get bad bounces against him), and love how Wellwood is stepping up, although he does tend to get a little too fancy once in a while. Oh well, he can pull it off. Glad to be hearing good things about Sundin, also, and for the second year in a row (whereas previously the media seemed to be constantly bashing him). And while on the topic of hockey, I have to say something about those Sabres … I’m so glad to see them playing like a team again, after a number of abysmal seasons a few years back. I’ve always liked them, although I can’t say why, especially as they’re division rivals of the Leafs, but … oh well. Inexplicable things are okay by me (and no comments, please, about analyzing my position psychologically :)).

"This obsession is my call ...

owning body, mind, and soul." And no, I'm not talking about blogging. It's lyrics from a Starfield song, Starfield being the band that I saw in concert in Vancouver this past Saturday night. It was definitely the highlight of my weekend, not to take anything away from the euchre and Robo Rally that I played on Friday night, or the ferry rides back and forth from the island ... I think Alison would agree that it was the most amazing part of the weekend as well, especially as it was her first time seeing them.
Anyway (I won't go on and on about the show unless someone asks questions about it) getting to Vancouver (via bus, bus, ferry, bus, and bus) took up Saturday morning and afternoon, and we got to the show at about the right time to line up. So waiting and watching was Saturday night, and Sunday was spent first walking Broadway street of Vancouver, and then taking a bunch of buses back to the ferry to get back 'home'. Riding along Granville we saw an array of architecturally interesting houses (or mansions, I guess some of them could be classified as), which was pretty cool. Vancouver, both of us agreed, is a beautiful city, and we plan to go back for a visit someday when we have time to go downtown and look around. The mountains to the North of the city were spectacular!
So, I hav a lot of work to do over the next couple of weeks, so I'm going to get back at it. I have a hockey tournament this weekend up in Parksville, so that's going to considerably deplete the amount of time I'll have for school work, not that it's not worth the sacrifice ... :D
Oh, and one more thing that's not helping save time; I was lent a book called Dragon Weather by Lawrence Watt-Evans ... it's captivated me.

Thanksgiving and giving thanks

So, I guess I'll start with last weekend, when Alison and I took a lovely train ride (starting waaay too early Saturday morning) up north to Courtenay, and from there got picked up and taken to her friend Melody's house. It was in a nice area, and that evening we took a walk to the ocean, and enjoyed some lovely baked goods (getting in shape for the Thanksgiving feast). Sunday morning I got to see Alison's old church, which had a nice feel to it, and a lovely, warm congregation. After church we helped prepare for the meal, intermittently petting the cats, and therefore intermittently washing our hands...
The supper guests were semi-numerous, and so there was a nice hum of conversation through dinner, and the meal was delicious!!! I won't go through it because I don't want to drool on the keyboard, but I will mention that the pumpkin cheesecake with homemade caramel sauce was absolutely scintillating ... However scrumptious the fare, I could only manage one plate and one piece of the cheesecake; my stomach's just not what is used to be (good thing?).
Last night's Leaf game was awesome! Alison and I went out to a sports bar to watch it (I'm pretty sure it was Alison's first time watching a whole hockey game ... well maybe not, but it won't be the last from the way she was eyeing some of the players ;)) and I was probably the only one who actually cared about the outcome. Anyhow, it was an exciting finish, and many congratulations to Sundin for getting his 500th career goal. Wow, what a way to finish!!
We tried out Arbutus Christian Fellowship this morning, and it was pretty good; definitely a nice location, enthusiastic and sizeable congregation, and good music. However, we still have one more church (at least) to check out before we decide.
Due to my cold I'm losing my voice, so I better leave it off there so it doesn't disappear completely...
But oh yeah, Luongo better rock it up in net tomorrow night, because we know Rolly's going to put on a good show!!

... and where I am

This is a lovely photo of me taken by Alison, my suitemate ... and now Mom and Dad can see why I asked them to book me dentist appointment for when I come home.

Where I've been

A group of us (looking a bit tired) in the chapel at Cowichan River Bible Camp

The Cowichan River

Both of these pictures were taken the weekend of Sept. 29th - October 1st.

"time is on my side" ... or is it "time, why you punish me"?

So, Wednesday was the one month anniversary of me being in B.C., meaning I’ve been away from home for a whole month. I think that actually may be a record, as far as me being away from my family … yeah, I’m pretty sure it is, since every other time I was away I would at least be home for a weekend or two in a month, and if I was away from the physical home longer than that, I was with my family. Ah well, I won't get sentimental ... to cover any sappiness that might be trying to creep in, I'll post this link that I got off of Luke and Anne's site (although I'm sure it was Maya that made them put it up): click this and be amewsed ... my favourites are"I'm in your sammich...", "Nooooo Charles ...", and "the voices are telling me...". That last one is currently the wallpaper on this laptop.

Most awesomestthing I’ve seen lately (besides NHL hockey - especially the nice crushing of the Sens by the Leafs ...): A girl walking a pair of ferrets! They were so cute, and she let me pick one of them up … it made me think of Nellie. *le sigh*

Most disturbing thing I’ve seen lately: I won’t describe it. Suffice it to say Devin sent me a link to an inappropriate website … :@

short but sweet

And no I'm not doing a self-description, but speaking of the weekend past. Ha ha.
My weekend was spent out at the Cowichan River Bible Camp with a group of about 46 people from the IVCF. It was a really good time, despite the fact that I only got about 45 minutes of sleep on Friday night, since 4 of us decided to sleep outside. It was a beautiful, clear night, though very cold (hence the lack of sleep) and we saw so many shooting stars. It was definitely worth it!! The highlight of the weekend came Saturday afternoon when we played volleyball (outside on the grass) followed by a great game of soccer. There were a bunch of people who were good players, and I even managed to impress some people with my (approaching mad) skillz!! T'was much fun. Other than a lot of time was spent in chapel (for which we had a interesting speaker), or in small groups. I made some new friends, and got to be in a pantomime (for which I was King David and a guy was Bathsheba; it was informative and amusing .. and censored ;)). I could go on and talk about the runaway dogs (one curled up next to me Friday night) and the cats, and the Arsonal game we played Saturday night, but I'm short on time.

So, apparently the women around here think I'm a good goalie, and thus I've been invited out to play a couple of times already, am going this Thursday and Friday to play games, and to a tournament at the end of October. Wow, did God know how much he was blessing me when he got me into being a goalie? ;)

One last piece of news: I got a job today. It's just about 4 hours a week, but I think that's about as much as I could handle, and it's good pay, and I think I'll enjoy the job (it's sort of technical support for people using an online conference call to simulate a classroom experience, I guess ...). I just had the interview today and I start training tomorrow. So that'll be cool being able to pay for my own groceries, and hockey, and even have a bit left over. :)
Good night!!!

walk walk walk and walk ... with a wait in there somewhere

I now sympathise with people who have to take the bus all the time, and have always had too. I guess not so much if you have a bus stop in front of your house, but if you have a walk ... Not that I really mind walking, but it feels like I'm back and forth to the stop so often that I could do it with my eyes closed ... Hey, actually, there's an idea that would save me time, or at least allow me to sleep in a bit longer.
Anyway, on an unnocturnal note or two I had a good weekend, as I believe I would. Never got to church, but walked about 10 kilometres looking for it, and finally found it y the time church was almost over. I'm telling you, there wa a discrepancy in the maps we looked at. We had a nice Bible study-type time on our own when we got back. Sunday was a beautiful day weather wise, and in this case by beautiful I mean slightly warm with a clear blue sky, leaning to a hint of crispness!
I've been getting some contact from people at home, which has been really nice, and makes me feel more comfortable being away for the time being. I figure out that I can come home for my niece's birthday, and won't have to go back until just before mine!! That was exciting to realize... :)
The Leafs have been doing well, as I'm sure you are all aware, and I'm looking forward to actually being able to watch more than just highlights, when the regular season starts next Thursday.

The most awesome thing I saw this week: Was walking out to wait to get picked up for hockey, and there was a doe (a deer, a female deer) on the driveway. She sort of eyed me, then slowly walked off to the neighbour's yard. I watched her for a moment, then went and sat at the end of the driveway. A minute or so later I hear a rustling in the shrubs along the lane, look back and see her baby fawn walking through the garden. It was something. It had something wrong with one of its back legs, so as the doe came back to get him, and he followed her off, he kept having to flop down and take breaks from what was the obviously strenuous task of walking. It was cute but a little sad, but maybe it'll get better as the fawn gets older. Later on in the evening, while in the car heading to hockey, we came across 3 grown deer meandering acros the street. Yay for wildlife in the city!! (I don't know whether that's sarcastic or not ... sort of like if I said "Thanks for getting me into Inkheart, Luke; I can't put it down, even when I have work to do!" ;))

The most unusual thing I saw this week: A guy with calves that were as disproportionately large as Popeye's forearms are ... honestly, they were CRAAAAAZY huge.

Blue Leafs, but no red or yellow

So the Leafs are back playing and I'm enjoying listening to bits of the games (especially when they beat the Senawhores), and definitely like seeing the highlights, but I really miss the colours of fall have back in Ontario that I'm used to seeing appear as the hockey season starts again. Ah well, I guess I can't be too picky, eh? Not when I go outside and everywhere I look see trees and mountains. This weeek has been busier than the last couple, as intramurals got started, and I played some tennis with a couple other people on the ladder.It's been enjoyable, though, and I find it easier to get work done if I have to work it in between other things, rather than sitting around and feeling like I have all the time in the world. I'm sure I've explained this to a bunch of people before, and generally they understand, so I'll not say anymore about that.
In other news, well ... umm ... it's Aunt Mary's birthday today, so happy birthday to her!! She never really seems to get older, though.
Thanks to mom and dad for shipping that stuff out for me! Alison seems to be glad that I got my violin, and I've already played for her. I didn't get this job that I was hoping to, but I think that may work out for the best, and I have a couple of more opportunities I'm looking into. And maybe I could get into playing violin somewhere, which would actually be something I'd really enjoy...
I'm excited about this weekend, and think it'll be enjoyable (IVCF meeting, shopping, maybe going downtown, getting a bookshelf, church, etc.). Nothing special going on that I know of, but weekends are definitely plesasantly unhectic.

A short one, but it's something ...

This weekend's been pretty good, I must say. I really enjoyed the hockey I played on Friday, even though too many of the guys were getting over aggressive (not good aggressive, stupid aggressive), and managed a hat trick, which may have been partly due to the fact that the goalie was a little ... tipsy? The day finished off nicely with the first IVCF (Intervarsity Christian Fellowship) meeting of the year, where I learned some new songs (now forgotten) and met a bunch of people, followed by a visit Tim Horton's. Some things never change. I will say a nice difference was that the people in this group were very welcoming and chatty, which was a nice change from the group at Laurier, where if I went there alone, I felt very alone. Well, not all of the time. But I definitely met more people that Friday than I did the whole time at Laurier Christian Fellowship ... what IS it about the West Coast (no comments regarding possible illegal activities, please ;))?
Saturday we (my suitemate and I) went shopping and I don't think really anything too exciting happened, if you call shopping (for groceries) exciting. We have been spending lot of time putting puzzles together, so a thank you to anyone who's recently purchased me one or more (Devin and Aunt Mary, this means you!).
Today we tried a different church from last week (although still a Salvation Army church), and it was pretty good, despite the small crowd, although again there was a lack of younger aged people. So, my suitemate and I decided we are going to try a couple more churches in the area, and then make a decision on a home church for the time we're here.
And now it is time for me to get at some reading (for school), because I have a lot of that to do. Mooah!
Oh, and yay again for the NHL preseason!

One last thing, why when I would finally be back playing tennis, does it have to be the first time we get rain?!? (More specifically, it was raining today, and is expected to be raining through tomorrow, when I was planning on playing tennis. BOO! :@)

Holy Impatient Fellow Bloggers, Batman!!

You know, I said I would blog more often, but more often than what I used to blog is anything more frequent than every 2 months ... and do you really think I can come up with anything to put in this more frequently than that? Hmmm ... well, the 2nd week of classes is over, and I still enjoy classes, and feel that I'm fitting in well academically, and will continue to do so. The best thing about campus (besides the assortment food and beverage) is all of the rabbits scattered around it. And I do mean living rabbits ... I wish I could show some pictures; I knew the reputation rabbits had for multiplying, but wow.
Anyhow, I played hockey on Tuesday, and all of the guys (or most of them) were crazy amazing, at least compared to what I'm used to, but I'm thinking I'll play goal instead, if no other goalie signs up for next week, because I can't keep up with them playing out. I still am not quite sure what my schedule's going to look like after intramurals and assignments start taking up time, so I think I might wait until the new year to look into biking or kayaking ... then again those might be things that will wait unil the summer. On the other hand, if I meet some people who are into that, it could happen sooner.
I miss home and my family, but I have received some correspondence (thank you :)) and had some nice chats over the phone, so my loneliness has been somewhat assuaged.
So, that's all I can think of to share for now. Any questions??

I couldn't walk 3000 kilometres

Although it would take Roddick's fastest serve (about 240 km/hr) less than 13 hours to make it.
Well, I have now almost been here one complete week. I still feel like I have a bit of jetlag, but I think that whatever I’m feeling it just more due to being back in school after being on a mental hiatus (well, not completely, so no cracks about it, please) for over a year. All of my dreams that I remember are still set at home with my family and friends from Ontario; does this have any bearing whatsoever on whether I feel as if I’ve really settled in yet?

I have not yet really had time to go exploring through the city, but I have been downtown a couple of times, and am getting to know my way around a little better. I’m more grateful than ever that I have a sense of direction. My classes seem like they’re going to be great, and I like (so far) my profs and classmates. Nothing too out of the ordinary as far as expectations and workload go. I’m going to be reading a lot of textbook material and journal articles, but again, that’s not unexpected. I have no exams for any of my courses, which means that I can be home for December (the whole month), especially special since it means I’ll see one delightful little girl celebrate her 3^rd birthday … Now who could that be?

On the lighter side of things, I signed up for tennis and indoor volleyball intramurals, tennis ladder (where you try to get to, and stay at the top of, a pyramid of players), and am hopefully starting playing pick-up hockey tomorrow. So now I just have to go out and buy the equipment that I am currently in need of.

And a digital camera is on my Christmas list, because then I could post some pictures, but as it is, neither I nor my suitemate have one. That’s right, we’re stuck in the dark ages here on the Island. But it’s worth it, whatever that means. :)

One final note: NHL Pre-season starts next week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D Go Leafs, go Canucks, go Oilers!!! And on a less exuberant note, go Sabres (don't ask).

Is your summer half full or half empty?

As everyone seems to be saying, "The summer's half over already!" (and the last time I posted it hadn’t even started … hmmmm …). The summer actually seems to have been moving fairly slowly from my point of view. I’ve gotten in a lot of horseback riding, tennis, and beach volleyball, and lately swimming and hockey, so it’s been enjoyable in it leisureliness. I have been doing some working, of course, but not as much as a few people would like, one of those people being myself. Ah well, I suppose there’ll be enough of that come September, when I head to Victoria to start on my Master’s of Education.

How is everyone else’s summer? Well, I don’t know. My imaginary friend, Lydia, is having a fantabulous one, and regularly keeps me updated with her travellings (she’s been through the Caribbean (not via a movie) and stopped by Madagascar (she wouldn’t tell me why), and even spent some time in the forests of Peru). I guess a little vicarious living never hurt anyone, as long as I limit our conversations to an hour or two a day …

I am really looking forward to getting out West, as much as I know there are people, places, and things (i.e. hockey teams) here that I am going to miss. I have a few options for places to stay, which is nice, so we’ll see what happens there. I’m still working on the whole course selection, and figuring out exactly how long I’ll be in the program; I’ve contacted my advisor and am waiting to hear back.

That’s about all for now … I promise I’ll be updating more regularly when I’m out West, and don’t see the meagre amount of people that read this on a fairly regular basis.

Oh yeah, hockey!
I'm actually fairly happy about what the Leafs have been doing, in stark contrast with the last couple off-seasons, where they dropped Mogilny and other, and got players I didn't want, like Lindros (ouch, even typing his name hurts). I think Raycroft can pull through and hit top or close-to-top form, because I know how being injured can affect your play, and it's not an excuse for sucking, it's a reason. I'm a bit undecided, but leaning towards being happy about Peca coming to the Leafs, and along with everyone else, I'm curious about how he and Tucker will resolve their issues. I think this is something that the media will mull over and blow up far bigger than it really is, but they do that with pretty much everything that's potential trouble in the locker room. Kubina is an acquisition I'm pleased about; Gill I'm fairly indifferent about.

Alright, so that wraps things up. And I guess I better start talking about the Canucks to get in the West Coast spirit. Good-bye, Scrapper Dan and Hello, Luongo!!! :D

GO OILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I bought the new Starfield cd, the one I mentioned a couple of posts back, and they're asking for help with promotion, so I figured I would help my friends in need ... I love the new cd, as does my cousin and doubtless many others. It's got a different sound (although still their sound) to it, which may be partly due to the new drummer ... Anyhow, if anyone wants to check out some clips of the songs from their new cd, either of the following links'll get you there...

Windows Media

or

Real Player

Each of the songs is a different sort of style, so chances are you'll at least find one that you like, unless you have convinced yourself that you can only like country/rap/heavy metal, and NOTHING ELSE!!!!

If you like their sound, and want to buy Beauty in the Broken:
http://www.familychristian.com/shop/product.asp?prodID=15075
Music piracy equates to stealing, so please don't just download ...

I have my own whopper lair

Dane Cook, talking about working at Burger King: "I didn't want to call it Burger King either, 'cause you know ... so, I used to call it the BK Lounge.
If the girls were like 'where do you work?', I was like, 'I work down at the BK Lounge, I'm a bouncer at the BK Lounge.'
'Can we get in?'
'Not without coups, not without coups, baby.'"

I find him to be really quite amusing. And a favourite quote from his story about the Kool-Aid jug: "I don't like that, I don't like when juice wears tights." He has great delivery, so unless you actually know how he's saying these things, it's likely not nearly as funny. I'd say about 67% less funny.

So anyway, I've applied to a few places and haven't yet heard back from any of them. I really hope to be hired by Hinks-Dellcrest, to work at "The Farm", near Heathcote (South of Meaford), but I'm not sure whether they were looking for someone long-term, which would put me out of the picture ...
I'm enjoying watching the Oilers rock up the post-season, and no, I'm not a bandwagoner. I actually have really liked them over the last couple of years. I'm cheering for Buffalo in the East, because I've always had a soft spot for them (not lessened by the fact that they drafted Dylan Hunter and Adam Dennis), and I definitely don't have one for the Canes. I do like Cam Ward and Staal, though. How could one not?
I'm glad the Leafs pulled Maurice up to be their head coach, and hopefully I'll be just as glad or moreso when the next season's over. Listening to him talk about what he expects from himself and his players makes me think he'll be good for the team, and I actually enjoy listening to him; he's got a dry wit, which I respect.

I hope 'whopper' isn't copyrighted ...

Canada needs more blacksmiths!!!

This is going to be a very good year for cds for me ... I don't buy that many cds because I'm very picky about which bands I actually like enough to want to listen to a whole cd of just them.
CDs I bought/plan on buying this year:

• Starfield's Beauty in the Broken
• Switchfoot's Nothing is Sound
• Barenaked Ladies' whatever it ends up being called
• Building 429's Rise

For me, that's a lot of cds to be buying.

Still no news on another job, but I've been applying to a few things, so waiting to see is what I'm doing. I'm not impatient about it.

Sucks that the Knights are down 2-0 in the series to Peterborough, but I'm going to the game in London Tuesday night, so maybe they'll finally pull together a win. Hope Dennis is back in net ...

Go Knights Go!!!!

#42 ... the answer to The Question!

I don't mean I'm going to answer "The Question" in this post, but that this is post #42, and that number is the answer .... Questions? Read The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
I can't believe I've had this blog for 1 1/2 years ... if someone would've asked me I would've thought I started it, maybe, at the end of last summer ...
Anyway, hockey season is coming to a close, the London Knights are winning their series vs. the Greyhounds, the Leafs still have a slim chance of making the playoffs, and I'm looking for a spring and summer job. Just thought I'd draw all that to your attention.

Edit to add: Okay, so maybe I am just trying to run up my post count ... but then again, maybe I'm just bored.

Motivation

If I ever had the opportunity to be one who could employ certain motivational tactics in a workplace, I would have optional fitness testing, and everyone who did well on these tests would earn the choice of, I don’t know, vacation days … ? I don’t know exactly what would be the prize, but I figure that if it could be something that would encourage the people to work at being in better shape it would be worth it. It could also include reaction and nerve testing, to see if they are sleeping enough, as reaction time slows when one is tired. After all, the healthier people are physically, and the more alert mentally they are, the more efficient they will be, and require fewer sick days. And it would be beneficial to them in other areas of their life as well. Everyone wins!! And if there could be some way to work in extra “prizes” for people who are eating healthy snacks and lunches, recycling everything possible, and walking/biking to work, car pooling, or taking public transport, that would also be cool.Actually, what would be even better, would be if I could somehow get everyone to start caring more about their health, and the environment, because then they could work out of intrinsic motivation… Why don’t you care?!?

Lamentations/Celebration of a Goalie

When you’re a goalie you’re at the mercy of the game. Sure, once the puck gets to you it’s up to you what happens … but say, first scenario, most of the action’s at the other end of the rink. How frustrating is it to get only two shots in a period, both of them great scoring chances, and you let one or both of them in? Talk about annoying! Talk about letting yourself down; when I’m a goalie, only a shutout feels good enough, and sometimes even that doesn’t seem enough, though I may try to tell myself that certain goals weren’t my fault, or talk as if winning was the only objective.
And what happens, second scenario, if all of the action is at your end of the rink? You face a flurry of shots that starts when the puck drops and end either when you freeze the puck, your team ices it, someone takes a penalty, or it ends up in the net behind you. Sure you may have the opportunity to stop the other team from running up the score, but if your team doesn’t score, then how much impact do you really have. The aggravation level in this sort of situation can get very high, and I’m personally surprised you don’t see more goalies trying against all odds to skate up to centre ice and get a decent shot on goal.
There are little tricks that I guess seasoned goalies come up with to make themselves feel like they’re part of a game. But come on, you aren’t always the reason your teams wins. But you can be the reason. And there lies the rub. Most goalies would have to admit, the most satisfying experience is to be relied upon to make big saves, and then make them. If the dependency isn’t there, or if you don’t make the saves … well, in the first case the goalie would likely just be bored. However, in the second case, there’ll probably be some broken goal sticks, or maybe bruised shins (just a heads up … if a goalie’s having a rough game, it’s better not to stand right in front of them).
A goalie may be at the mercy of the game, but they can in some ways control the game. How often does it seem that as soon as the goalie at one end stands up to a barrage of shots, the play goes back the other way and a goal is scored? If your team is confident in you it gives them the feeling that they can take some risks, that the defense can pinch a little, that they don’t need to take a penalty to stop someone heading for your net. When you play out, as a forward or on defense, you don’t feel like the game lies on you shoulders, and nor should you. Goalies don’t usually have this luxury, unless your team is the 2004-2005 London Knights.
Now, I did not become a goalie because I wanted glory and recognition. In fact I find it embarrassing (albeit somewhat satisfying) when I play a good game and have teammates exclaim over how I “kept them in the game”, or opponents grumble over how I stoned them (or alternatively, how I, “Put that dog down!”) I became a goalie because the thrill of never knowing whether you will have to be a star, but always having to be on the edge, ready to pull out all the stops to prevent the puck to go in your net, always having the possibility of a perfect game, is exhilarating. Sure, there’s always the flip side, where a game just doesn’t go your way and it feels like you can’t see the puck well, you never know where it’s going to go, and you probably couldn’t stop a shot from the other end of the rink (not an intentional dig at Cloutier)
On superstitions: Before I started playing hockey I thought superstitions were silly, and anything beyond just a routine so that you can focus, was folly, and best discarded. Now that I’ve started playing a lot of hockey, I still feel that way. Absolutely. Don’t I? Sure, as long as I always put the left skate on first. But yeah, that’s just part of an aforementioned undistracting routine I have.
When all else is said and done, you can at least trust me in this: goalies get the most ice time, have the coolest nicknames, the coolest equipment, and the best seat in the house to watch the best game on earth.
If you’re reading this and can figure out where the heck it’s coming from, don’t despair. If you’re not a goalie, you just can’t understand. Goalies are a different breed: if you’re a goalie then you know what I mean, and if you’re a goalie and you don’t know what I mean, then you’re just fooling yourself and you’re not really a goalie… Just ask Marty Turco or Adam Dennis. ;)
By the way, if you actually read all of this, congratulations! I myself found it repetitive and unnecessarily verbose…

This is the version of my mask (ITECH 1400 - Dragon) that is for sale ... mine has a blue background instead of the red, as I bought a demo version (apparently it's one-of-a-kind) ... it's my favourite piece of my goalie equipment (I even named the dragons) :)