Hockey Season Cometh!

Bruins training camp starts on Wednesday, but the rookies have already started, and they played a few games, one yesterday and one today, against Buffalo’s kids. I greatly enjoyed watching the livestreams! Yesterday:

Today's victory was 4-3 in overtime, and all of the Bruins goals were by the same player, James Hagens, who also had two yesterday. Promising start for the kid!

A Hockey Annoyance

I don't write about hockey all that much here, but I remain a strong Bruins fan, despite no longer living within the team's broadcast area, and subscribe to whatever means necessary to watch all the games. We get the level of cable TV that includes NHL Network, and our cable also includes ABC, ESPN, and TNT, all of which sometimes get games; then we also subscribe to ESPN+ for all games that are not nationally televised. We are covered. 

Or, as it turns out, almost.

The league, in its infinite wisdom, considers the part of Florida where I live to be home turf for the Panthers, even though it's a two-hour drive away. Thus, the games are blacked out from watching through the ESPN+ app. We have to get the games the way Panthers fans do.

And how is that? Well, via local TV stations, except that instead of getting that channel through cable, the closest one broadcasts games via something I don't fully understand, but that requires an antenna to get. Or, I could subscribe to the Panthers streaming service, which this late in the season is marked down to only $24.99. 

For one game? I don't think so, thanks. I would pay a dollar, or let's say as much as $5 to watch this one game, but I do not want it $25 worth.

So, tonight Mom and I will watch a game from last night. It seems the last-place team in the league, Vancouver, beat the top team in the league, Colorado, by a score of 8-6. Sounds like an entertaining game!

On Second Thought

Me before today:

Of course I'm not going to buy a jersey from any team except the Bruins! Hey, I don't even buy Bruins jerseys. Why would I buy anyone else's? From another league, in another country? Why would I do that?

Me today:

Oh. 

(That's a screenshot from their video on IG; the colors are even better in motion.)

Now THAT, my friends, is how to make a Pride jersey. I love the aesthetic of rainbows and I love the messaging of support and inclusivity. Even the hat tip to Heated Rivalry with the music choice! The NHL should only hope to do so well. And yes, once it's for sale, I will buy one of those. 

Ready when you are, Guildford Flames.

Watching but Not Worrying; Unrelatedly, Hockey and Vaccine (separately)

As you may have heard, Tropical Storm Helene has formed and is headed toward Florida. The good news for me is that Florida is very large, and so far, the path is not aiming directly at where I am. Not that I wish a hurricane on anyone, but it has to go somewhere, and since two years ago it changed direction and Ian came here, I am (provisionally, not counting any chickens) relieved that it isn't us this time. I can deal with heavy wind and rain and flooding, if it doesn't mean power going and staying out, making hotel reservations, and packing up Mom, Maggie, and everything we need for an open-ended trip to the east coast.

Please let this all remain true.

Worst-case scenario, we'll have to bug out, and if we have to, we will. Best-case scenario, Helene will pull the humidity with her as she goes by, and we'll get at least a short break from the feels-like 100+ temps we've been having. Because much as I like hot weather, I am well ready for a break.

~~~~~

Completely unrelated, but as hockey season comes around again, finally, I have to say that one thing is making me sad. Well, two things.

1. The Bruins have not signed presumptive number one goalie Jeremy Swayman to a new contract, so he is not at training camp and can't join the team until he's signed. This actually makes me more angry than sad, but sad is part of it. I could go on and on, but I will spare you the rant. Just pay the man!
2. I am more and more happy with the social media experience on BlueSky (finding new-to-me authors! slowly finding more knitters! lots of cute cat photos!), but so far, few hockey people are there. However, as part of the recent influx of Brazilians who joined BlueSky when Twitter was taken down in Brazil, I was surprised to learn that there are Brazilian Bruins fans. I mean, why not, I guess. But what it means is that the account on BlueSky that seems to most closely follow the Bruins...is in Portuguese.

Come on, English-speaking Bruins fans and media people, step it up now! I'm happy to see black and gold on my feed, but it would be nice if I could read it. That one semester of Portuguese in college isn't helping me out much.

Also also, I got the latest covid shot over the weekend, and if you can, I would encourage you to get it. I made sure to do it on a weekend when I didn't have other plans, so I could rest if need be, or be lazy with a good excuse, depending, and had very few side effects. A little injection-site soreness, not bad enough to keep me from sleeping on that side, and as I have had with every covid shot, some swelling of the lymph nodes under that arm, making it tender but not actually painful. I believe in the vaccines, and in their power to make it less likely that I catch covid, and less serious if I do, and I hope you feel the same.

It's Coming!

I know it's only just September, but guess what that means? Hockey season is coming!

The Bruins (as I assume other teams do as well) have a few informal practices this week, called captains practices, when players start getting on the ice together and playing around. Next week, the rookies will report for their training camp, and the week after that, it's full training camp. The first preseason game is September 22, which is less than three weeks away! 

Yayyyy! Hockey season, hockey season, hockey season.

I'm a little excited. Hey, I'm only a fan of one sport, and summer can feel pretty long. Bring it on.

More Tonto, Plus Bike, Laptop, Hockey, Head (Yeah, it's a long one)

 Here is the picture they had of him on their website ... until I get daylight to take my own!

I probably don't have to tell you that I wasn't planning to bring a new cat home last night. Right? Here's how that happened.

Over the past ten days or so, I've sent out inquiries on a few cats. The first one, they said, wasn't fully socialized yet. The second, it turned out after a few days of no answer, had already found a home. The third I still haven't heard back about. The fourth was not Tonto, but was at the same shelter/organization. I inquired about her, and they suggested I come to their event last night to meet her.

I went innocently off after work, and found myself in the basement of a house in a nearby town, small and full of cats (and the associated smells, not blaming them, but slightly warm and pungent down there), some in cages, some wandering around. They actually foster the cats in volunteers' homes, but bring them to the shelter and to pet stores for frequent events. (Which, clearly, is a winning strategy. After all, if I'd been able to go meet the one, and didn't like her, I wouldn't have a second cat yet. But there he was!) I met the cat, a young female tabby, and didn't feel any particular draw to her. She didn't seem that interested in me, and while not unfriendly wasn't friendly either. She also hadn't been introduced to the general population yet, having only been fixed the day before, so no saying for sure how she'd be with other cats. I talked to the people about how I was looking for a cat who would be friendly to me and to Carlos, and they pointed out a few: there's this cat, he was in a home with other cats (he gave me the hairy eyeball from a distance), and then there's Tonto, he's never met a cat he didn't like. Tonto was walking around, so I put out a hand to him, and he rubbed against me enthusiastically. He seemed friendly, so I carefully picked him up, at which point he curled up, settled down, and started purring. Well, then. I patted him and rubbed his head, he purred up a storm, and I started to think, well, I could...

I had to run back home for the carrier and my checkbook, and proof of owning the condo*, so I told Carlos briefly about what was happening (not that he understood me, I know, but anyway). In the car, I had a few qualms, but hearing the song All Mixed Up, and the lyrics to "trust your instincts" gave me a good reminder. It just felt right.
*I imagine that after I left, they were asking each other who comes to a cat adoption event unprepared to adopt a cat...

The paperwork didn't take long, once it was my turn; I'm glad to say they were busy adopting out animals. (In case you felt bad for the cat I went to look at and didn't take, I should mention that a family came in shortly after I did, and they were looking at her when I moved on to Tonto. By the time I got back with my carrier, she was gone. She got her happy ending, too!) Tonto went into the carrier without much fuss, and strangely to me, did not meow all the way in the car! We were home in short order, and I brought him into the office and closed the door, then let him out of the carrier. I had moved a litter box in, and brought in a bowl of water, and he moved around, sniffing at everything, and rubbing against me frequently. I called my mother to tell her the news, and we talked while I watched him explore. After I was off the phone, Carlos started meowing outside the door, and I went to see him. Tonto was all ready to join me: OK, where are we going now? I was laughing as I told him he had to stay in solitary for a while; in the end, to get out the door, I had to pick him up, open the door, step out, then turn back and pop him in before quickly closing the door. So curious!

Carlos didn't appreciate the whiff of change in the air, metaphorically speaking, and snubbed me a little before later settling on my lap again. I went in and out a few times, giving them both time, and letting Carlos smell Tonto on me (he didn't seem too interested, but he didn't get upset anyway, which is good). Tonto was very relaxed, which was a wonderful thing to see. I brought him in some toys, which he found interesting. He has some major hooks for claws, and it's clear he's not used to having them trimmed, but he doesn't mind his paws being touched, which will be a big step, and I got a few of them done, here and there (he's a big kneader, so they need to be done, ow). I don't think it will be long before he accepts the process without a problem. Finally, I had some cold pizza and got ready for bed.

This morning when I went in to see him, he was on the perch by the window, but was VERY happy to see me, purring up a storm, rubbing and butting into me. I tried brushing him, and he seemed to like it. I went in a couple of times, but eventually had to get ready and leave for work.
 
He is almost 100% black, just a couple of white hairs, down to nose and paws (his paw pads are dark grey). I think even his whiskers are all black. He has plushy soft fur, and is just slightly bigger than Carlos is. Friendly? Check. Affectionate? Check. He gave me more love last night than Miri did in almost five years put together. He's a head-butter and a happy drooler.

I called the vet this morning, and they'd actually had a cancellation for 6 tonight, so I was able to get him in and checked promptly. Probably wouldn't hurt to introduce them before he's checked, but hey, I'll take a quick convenient appointment, thank you. And the vet loved him; she said she's worked there ten years, and could count on one hand the number of cats who accept attention from her like he did. While she listened to his heart, she commented, "So that's what a normal heart rate sounds like," and added that she had to try to hear it around his purring. Yes, he purred up a storm at the vet.

The shelter estimated him at 2 to 3 years old, though their vet-check said 4. He was part of a trap-neuter-release program a year ago (which is why his ear is clipped), and was found to be so friendly that they adopted him out. The person who adopted him recently couldn't keep him, so he gave him to a friend, and she's the one who gave him back to the shelter (they're a no-kill shelter, so they're pretty adamant that you give the pet back to them if you can no longer keep it). Thus freeing him up for me! And Carlos.

*****
I got back on the exercise bike a week ago, and in that time have ridden it five days out of eight, for 6, 8, 9, 10, and 12 minutes. Better than nothing, and getting better! Plus, that's that much more sock done. Just keep knitting, just keep knitting...

*****
Three weeks ago, my boss spoke to her boss, who agreed that I should get a laptop.

Last week, her boss asked me in passing if the IT guy (in NY) had talked to me yet about it, and when I said no, she said she would have to remind him.

Monday, one of my coworkers spilled a cup of tea on her laptop (I looked up to see her holding it upside down, liquid dripping off it). Five minutes later, the boss is unlocking the IT room to get her another laptop to work on while hers dries out.

Uh-huh.

I wasn't quick enough on the draw at the time (being preoccupied with thoughts of that phone interview) to comment on it*, but today, when the boss was going back into that closet to get a laptop for someone else (whose Word kept crashing), I asked whether she had heard from the IT guy yet, and she said that since there were, in fact, spare machines, I should e-mail him (copying her) about what he needs to get it set up.
*One of my friends at stitch and bitch that night suggested I should have asked her to grab one for me while she was there.

And in the end, it's on my desk. For now, until it gets fully functional*, I'll keep the desktop. Progress, at any rate.
*Which supposedly will happen after it finishes the 138 updates it needed, which was hardly half done when I left, and is rebooted a few times ... but I'm not holding my breath.

*****
As I mentioned the other day, the Bruins won their game on Saturday 6-1. Monday night, they beat the Islanders 6-3. Tuesday night, they beat the Panthers 6-2. This has been a fun stretch of Bruins fandom, and tonight, it's Montreal! Unfortunately, it isn't starting well. Plenty of time for a dramatic comeback, though!

*****
I mentioned PMS the other day, and along those lines, I had a mild headache Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. It really wasn't bad, but it reminds me of how much better my head has been* recently, and how amazingly grateful I am for that.
*And the associated upset stomach. My consumption of Tums has dropped dramatically.

If 2014 is The Year the Migraines Weren't a Big Thing for Me Anymore, that would be so amazingly awesome, words fail me. And you know that doesn't happen often!

Yeah, Nervous. But Excited!

Goodness, it's Sunday night already? I mean, the weekend was fine, it didn't feel rushed, but somehow I'm surprised all the same.

I'm trying hard not to be too nervous about tomorrow's phone interview. I mean, if the opportunity goes no further than that, I'll live. I'll be sorry, and just briefly crushed, and then I'll shake it off and keep looking. It's just such a good opportunity, it's hard not to wish. But anyway. Thank you all for the crossed fingers; obviously, I will let you know.

Since it isn't supposed to be quite as cold tomorrow as it was at the end of last week, I'm hoping that the environment at my desk won't be too bad tomorrow. On Friday, I found that when the outside temperatures are in the single digits, the inside temperature at work is such that, with the heater blowing on me (bless it), and while wearing long johns under my jeans, a short-sleeved shirt, a long-sleeved shirt, a sweater, a fleece jacket, and a shawl, I still had to put a hat on at midday because my head was cold. Good lord.

I'm also hoping that I won't cough too much while I'm on the phone, since I'm not sure about talking with a cough drop in my mouth without sounding strange. I'm feeling much better than I was a few weeks ago, but goodness, this last bit of lingering cough is annoying. My mouth is tired of all the cough drops, and after buying more cough syrup on Monday, I stopped again on Thursday in order to get the kind that lasts 12 hours*, as the coughing was waking me in the night when the 4-hour dose wore off. Good grief! I've considered going back to the doctor, but I'm fairly sure there's nothing he can do, and why pay a copay to hear that? May as well spend that money on cough syrup. One of my coworkers told me that last winter, his wife had a cold with a cough that lingered for a few months. How cheerful: thanks for sharing!
*And I'll need more soon if it keeps on.

So! In happier news, the Bruins played yesterday after four days off, and romped to a 6-1 win that was a lot of fun to watch, for a Bruins fan (sorry, Kate; I have been on that side of it). There are two weeks of games before the Olympic break, when five Bruins (Czech, Slovak, Canadian, Finn, and Swede) will be off to Sochi and the rest will be, well, resting.

Q: Why will the Slovakian flag be the highest during the Olympic opening ceremonies?
A: Because Zdeno Chara is the flag bearer. What are the odds that any other flag bearers are six foot nine or taller?

All right. I need to go get on the bike now; I missed last night, having done so much laundry that I felt the stairs counted for something, but I don't want to break the fragile, newly re-established habit.

Not *All* the Pictures Are Blurry

It's probably related to having my period, but I have had very little energy today, and combined with Carlos having a limpet day, I've spent more time on the couch than I'd planned, not getting a whole lot done. The annual end-of-October exhaustion! But Friday night (when, by the way, I was in bed shortly after 8) I promised more Bruins pictures, and I will at last deliver.

First, the only hockey connection is that this was seen in the garage. How quickly would I cut my leg open on the horns, if this was near me regularly?

The extremely artistic effect of someone (one of the officials, possibly) skating into the view juuuuusssstttt as I clicked the photo.

Lucic, looking, well, large as life, or larger!

Action shot of the snow barrel advertising the team's 90th anniversary. I honestly feel like they just celebrated 75. Sigh. Am old.

Tuukka! During a break in the action, obviously.

Reflections in the ice, half resurfaced.

Leaping out for the third period: I can fly!

I wonder if Vlasic has a nickname that is pickle-related?

Action shot: My puck! You can't have it!

Non-action shot: before the face-off, the linesman set the puck down in the circle. See, between the skates, on edge?

Coming right at me!

Finally, the money shot. Point eight seconds!

Meaning that:

Everyone celebrates with the game-winning goalie. Two Us, two Ks, two points!

Both Krejci (the second star) and Tuukka (the first) gave their sticks to fans in the crowd. Isn't that nice?

Some things I did not get pictures of: Bergeron taking a face-off and his helmet banging repeatedly into his opponent's. (Or vice versa: I don't know who started it.) And Marchand, standing around just in front of us in his best wiseass manner, while a linesman removed his (Marchand's) stick from the groin area of a San Jose player. Nice. He's totally a guy you love on your own team, hate on any other.

What a game. Is it any surprise that I'm knitting something for my friend? Specifically, for her grandson, a scarf in Bruins colors. I found some nice, machine-wash-and-dry yarn in Bruins colors, and after a few not-quite-theres, seem to have found just right, and it's half done.
Nooo... too many color changes.

Not that, either... not a big enough needle, no drape.

Yes, I think so!

I know, the pictures aren't that good, but they give an idea, anyway, and only time will tell if this is it, but I think so.

And given that I typed most of this with a handicap, it will have to do. What handicap, you ask? This one:

A loveable handicap, to be sure, but it does add a degree of difficulty to using the computer that I could do without.

Yeah, I'm Still Alive. If Less Active Than Usual (which is saying something)

Obviously, being sick sucks. But somehow it's even less fun if you don't know what the cause of the sickness is. And this little bout has been all over the place. Allergies! A cold? A migraine? One from column A and two from column B?

Saturday, in addition to the congestion ramping up, I had a sore throat. I was functional, though, so there was that. I was pretty sure it was just allergies again, and thought so still on Sunday morning, when the throat was better but the congestion was still disgusting. Midday, though, I realized that I was, perplexingly, freezing cold, like shivering. I huddled into warm things, then got into the shower. It helped a little, but I was still cold, and also feeling incredibly tired, so I got in bed to warm up and rest. It took a while, but I moved out of freezing and then on into hot, like sweating and why am I so hot? I went to take my temperature more to show that there was nothing wrong, since that's usually how it goes: I feel warm, take my temperature, and it comes up the smallest possible amount of fever, like 99, or more often, 98 (I run below average, usually).

This time, though, it was almost 102. Well then! I kept looking at it like I must be mis-reading it, but no, apparently not. Validation and mystery all at once, because allergies and fever, not usually together, right? I spent the rest of the day going from bed to couch and back, not doing the laundry I had planned, but more sitting around in wonderment at how crappy I felt.

Monday was similar, though less feverish, 99 and 100 but nothing higher. (Clearly I did not go to work.) I managed to summon the energy to shower in the afternoon, and went to the chiropractor--one of the benefits to his office being not only in the same town, but less than a mile away. No energy to stop at the store after, but oh well, baby steps.

This morning I woke up around 3, and had trouble getting back to sleep. It felt more like an incipient migraine, though, head and stomach a bit upset. I had trouble getting back to sleep, but was up and down and asleep and awake for a bit before sleeping again. I got up around 6 thinking I'd be able to go to work, but just reading the paper and eating an english muffin were activities so tiring, I amended the hope to being able to go in later. I rested, ate something...and rested; took a shower...and rested. At that point, I accepted that resting and not pushing it too early was going to be the better plan, and let work know.

I did decide that I had sufficient energy to do some laundry, as long as I spent the intervals on the couch, you know, resting, for a change. In between every trip, I reclined on the couch, listening to hockey podcasts on the iPad (Backhand Shelf is still my favorite: any others you'd recommend?), and playing solitaire (it's a good sign that I was up to my regular level: after the recent food poisoning incident, when I was playing solitaire the day after, I had to dumb it down). Lots of resting, and a good amount of kitty snuggling.

So I now have clean clothing, including Bruins shirts which alone were half a load, it's the playoffs for heaven's sake. Have I mentioned that? Starting tomorrow night at 8 (ugh), it's the Chicago Blackhawks against your Boston Bruins! Or, at least, my Boston Bruins. I'll get to hear that nice anthem singer they have there, and then hopefully the Bruins continue the streak they've been riding: you know, the one where they play really well. I like that kind of game. It's my favorite.

Happily, We Wait

Q. Who will the Bruins face in the next series, the last series, the Stanley Cup finals?
A. Either Chicago or LA.

Q. When will the series start?
A. Unofficially, Wednesday or Saturday*, depending on how the Western finals series goes. Chicago is up three games to one, so if they win tonight, we're off to the races. If the Kings win one, everything pushes out. Wait and see.
*Please, not Saturday. I'm going to a wedding on Saturday! Don't do that to me...

Q. Meanwhile, who goes home now to clean out their lockers?
A. The much-vaunted Penguins, the talent-heavy Penguins, the scoring-over-4-goals-a-game-in-the-playoffs (until they hit the Bruins) Penguins. To quote David Krejci:

“We don’t have the superstars on this team. We don’t have the best player in the world. But we might have the best team in the world,” said Krejci. “We play as a team.”

I Know, More Hockey, But Seriously, Folks!

Damn, can I tell you what a happy Bruins fan I am today? The Bruins dominated Pittsburgh last night, overwhelmed them, out-everythinged them, beat them 6-1 on a night when the Penguins had no excuse, zero, zip, none, for not coming out roaring on all cylinders. Instead, as Puck Daddy put it, "they were abjectly terrible in such a spectacular fashion." For a Bruins fan, it was great, start to finish.

Another key quote from Puck Daddy:

Pittsburgh's stars have yet to arrive in the Eastern Conference Final. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, James Neal and Jarome Iginla are a combined minus-19 without a single point scored through two games. Letang and Malkin were a special kind of terrible in Game 2.

Ow, damn! I am not at all a fan of Crosby, but I will freely admit that he's a great player, arguably the best in the world .. except this month, apparently. What's happened to him? I have no idea, but I hope it lasts.

Also, remember the pilot who liked my Bruins shirt last week? I wonder if this was the same guy or another one?

Joe Haggerty ‏@HackswithHaggs

Baby crying in back of Jet Blue flight packed w/Boston media. Pilot just got on intercom and asked if "Sidney Crosby was in the back crying"

What's making me even happier is all the holy-cow, where did this come from crow-eating going on around the hockey corners of the internet. I mean, this series is far from over, and I'm not going too far with it, but this dominant start for the Bruins is something that NO ONE predicted. Everything that I read before the series started called it for the Penguins. Not easily, not in a sweep, two pretty evenly matched teams, but everyone's guesses were Penguins in five games, Penguins in six, Penguins in seven. And now? Hi there. We are the Bruins. Not so fast. And today, the tide of popular opinion has started to change.

NESN's own Jack Edwards did a live chat on Boston.com today, and someone asked him, "What is the deal with the NBC crew? Could they be more depressed?" (I muted the TV in the first and turned the radio on instead, so I didn't hear this myself. I do not regret that choice. The Bruins radio crew is good.) His response:

We're sending anti-depressants. But we have cause to believe that NBC headquarters is devastated... some thought it was a water main that burst last night, but it was just a Flood of tears.

I guess some are finding it harder than others to let go of their storyline.

I always enjoy listening to the Backhand Shelf podcast, but of course today I really loved it, enough to listen to it (or parts of it, you can guess which) twice (John Noon is now calling for Bruins in five; Bourne thinks it's Boston, but hasn't decided in how many). The headline is excellent, too:

Backhand Shelf Podcast: The Penguins only need to improve their offence, defence and goaltending

So, not much, then?

I really have no idea what to expect tomorrow night. But it should be interesting!

*****
The report I have at work right now is written by a non-native English speaker, and by the end of the day, I can feel my brain cells dying. It isn't the worst I've ever seen, but it's an obvious few notches below where I'm used to seeing the writing quality. An exhausting few notches.

Of course, the late night didn't help, nor the allergies. I was hoping that the allergens would have run their course by now, or been washed completely away by rain, but no. I have to wash my car windshield in the mornings in order to see out. Don't believe me? Here it is this afternoon, with fresh pollen settling all over.

Also, I don't grab the top of my car's door frame when I get in the car, but someone does. Maybe when I got the oil changed? I guess I could lift the pollen-prints to find out.

You can kind of see how my deep blue car has a different tint these days. How about this one? I've noticed it before at work, since it's the same model as mine.

It's black, usually. And no, it doesn't actually have a yellow-green top, but I can see why you thought so. Lovely, isn't it? When does this season end? Soon?

Go Bruins!

Another reason to hate NBC's coverage of the playoffs: I blame them for these terrible 8 PM start times. What, are they trying to kill me?

I already didn't sleep well last night. It was a weird night, honestly: I was in bed by 10, but it took me what felt like forever to fall asleep (one of those nights when it was hard to switch my brain off, you know?). It seemed like a long time later that I woke up to go to the bathroom, like it should have been close to morning, but it was only 12:45. Then I went back to sleep, but I kept sleeping and waking and sleeping and waking, and when Carlos was all meowy I thought it must be almost time for the alarm to go off, but the clock said it was only 4:15! Just an odd, non-restful night. No matter what happens tonight, I can tell already that tomorrow morning is going to SUCK.

I hope it doesn't suck for hockey-fan reasons too, but I certainly don't expect the Penguins to sit back and let the Bruins roll over them. No one picked this series to finish in four, either way. Still, watching the Bruins lose (theoretically) isn't so much fun. If the Bruins don't win, I hope they at least acquit themselves well.

And off to watch the game. Cross those fingers, go Bruins!

Bruins Hockey, Other Hockey

I didn't do enough today to feel this tired, honestly! Perhaps it's because there's a storm coming in; shall we blame it on that? Yes, let's. Anyway.

Some game last night, eh? The Bruins go into Pittsburgh* and Tuukka gets his first career playoff shutout, Krejci gets two more goals, and Patrice gets into his second career fight? With Malkin?! No one expected any of that. Don't lie, you did not.
*Why do I always want to spell that without the "h" on the end? Can anyone tell me?

Now, none of you may be uber-hockey fans, let alone uber-Bruins fans, but just in case, let me share this lovely summary that someone put together (found via Stanley Cup of Chowder, thanks, guys). It's the game in 21 minutes, and the lovely part is that they married the NBC video with the Bruins radio announcers.

Almost as good as having NESN! I miss Jack and Brick so; it's great that NESN is doing pregame and postgame coverage, and I watched it all, but it simply isn't the same as them having the whole game. Stupid national coverage. Though the NBC guys were complimentary to the Bruins last night, and more so as the game went on, they have their own little tics ("...takes the shot and it wouldn't go!"), mispronounce names, and fasten onto odd points, like what they kept talking about last night, how the Bruins had "active sticks" in the defensive zone. I kind of get what they meant, and I know it's a good thing, but the tenth time they used the phrase, I started to feel like it was code for some strange activity that couldn't be talked about openly on network TV.

Hey, as long as I'm putting up a hockey video that probably no one will watch, here's another. Ten amazing goals by Pavel Datsyuk. Random!

I dare you not to be impressed by number 3. The play-by-play for that one isn't in English, but you have to agree with "Fantastica!" in any language.

The reason for the video, by the timing, is in response to a CBC reporter who recently said of Datsyuk, "not all the God-blessed talent in the world, but he is a hard worker..."

Given that I have more than once heard another player's amazing move described as being "Datsyukian," it's pretty clear that that is crap. I mean, I'm sure he does work hard, but that is some talent there, my friends. You don't break in one-on-four and score like that without it, no matter how hard you work. Period.

Anyway! The Bruins play again tomorrow night, and it should be Very Interesting. Another stupid eight o'clock start, so I know already that I'll be tired on Tuesday. It's the playoffs!

(Does it show you an ad before it? How weird, to show an ad before ... an ad.)

Hot on Saturday, Thinking Cool

I'm wearing a Bruins shirt today, of course, and I wore one to fly on my recent trip. Naturally I chose my newest shirt, the Keep Calm and Bergeron, and on my first travel day, two different people at Logan stopped me to comment on its awesomeness. On the way back, I was getting off the plane, looked up toward the cockpit to thank the pilot, and before I spoke he said, "Keep calm and Bergeron, I like it!" Yes, that was "your Boston-based flight crew," but still, pretty funny.

I'm also mainlining popsicles* today. Wow, it's hot! I have had popsicles since last summer, but I totally forgot how to eat them when it's so hot they melt before you finish. It was 90 degrees at 10 this morning**, and though I do have air conditioning (thank god), it is struggling to keep up.
*Actually, I have Hood Pop Stix in the freezer right now, and I prefer them to Popsicles brand. But it's become a generic term, in my opinion.
**According to Weather.com, at 5:30 it's 88 here, and 83 where my mother is in Florida. Given that it was 40 here last weekend, you can understand if we're all a little stunned.

I've been moving the floor fan around, and should you be in a similar position, I have some advice for you: try to keep the cat on the other side of you from the fan, unless you like having fur blow all over your sweaty skin. Why is it that Carlos feels so cuddly today? I know, he's still getting over my being away, but oh man. Today I'm grateful at least that he is a sit-next-to cat, not a true lap cat. I'm hot enough! Good thing he's so cute (and sweet).

After getting through the mammogram this morning (ugh, but not awful), I had to go to the bank to get quarters for laundry. The branch that's open weekends is in the grocery store (I originally got an account with this particular bank for this very reason), so I picked up a few things while I was there. You know, grapes, cucumbers, crackers, and, well, a few frozen things. Not peas, either, but yummy hot-weather frozen treats. Mmm.

Speaking of peas! After work yesterday, I went around the mall looking for a dress to wear to a friend's upcoming wedding (and struck out, then ordered one online last night, we'll see how it does, stay tuned), I started for home and thought about stopping at Wilson's on the way. I almost didn't go, when it occurred to me that we're getting close to pea season. It's too early for them to have their own, but maybe from New Jersey ...?

Yes! Guess what I had for dinner? So, so good. I can't decide when I'm going back. If not before, I can go after work Tuesday, since my haircut isn't until 5:30. Time to go short again! I went slightly longer over the winter, feeling in need of a change, and it's been fun to have it be a bit different, but it flunked the Florida test and is flunking the heat now. I keep pushing it off the back of my neck, and I want it gone. Short, please!

Now, I said I'd have more Florida photos, so today, let's take a little boat tour, shall we?

Flower first! You know how I am. Doesn't this look fake?

 And how about the pods hanging off this tree: don't they look rather like green beans?

Mangroves are pretty cool.

There's an area for recovering birds, and though the camera chose to focus on the screening, you can see the cormorants with wings out. I love me some cormorants.

And pelicans!

 Do you mind? I'm bathing here. Could I have some privacy? Honestly! People!

 All right, boat tour! This is the size boat. The others are all named after fish, but that one (named by the donor) is after a bird ... that eats fish. Hmmm.

They're electric boats, by the way. Charge it!

From here, you can't tell where we're going to go, can you?

 But it opens up. A little.

 The mangroves "walk" out into the water.

Pretty neat. And I don't know what this one was, but he needs a haircut, too, doesn't he?

This concludes our tour for today. I hope you enjoyed it. I need to go get ready: the pre-game starts at 7, and I want to be all ready to sit on the couch for the evening, and not get up for anything but cheering (well, and bathroom breaks on the commercials, but you know what I mean). Go Bruins!

Briefly, On Hockey and Other Things

So, the Bruins ... won last night. That was nice, eh? New York scored first, but the Bruins tied it up, then went ahead on the weirdest bounce I've ever seen a puck make, and then, well, strangely enough I wasn't that worried that they could hold onto the lead, and they did, and they won. How about that, eh? What a peaceful state of non-panic.

They're now up three games to none, and I have to agree with Stanley Cup of Chowder, thinking back to 2010 and worrying about this team this year feels silly. This is not that team. This team went on to win the Cup the next year. This team has learned so much since 2010. This is not their first time at the rodeo, and it shows.

Now, I'm not guaranteeing a sweep tomorrow night; far from it. Just saying I feel neither overconfident nor doomed. Nice.

In non-Bruins news (or only indirectly), points to Puck Daddy for concluding, in linking to the story that astronaut Chris Hadfield returned to Earth wearing a Maple Leafs shirt under his space suit, with this gem: "marking the second time in just a few hours that someone rocking that logo crashed back to earth." Ouch! But Hadfield himself said, "It turns out...both of us went down in flames on the same day."

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If I had to write a poem about this morning's commute (don't worry, I'm not), I would try to rhyme "traffic" and "horrific". Just so you know.

They really don't rhyme, do they? It seems like they should.

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Early this afternoon (about 1:20 Eastern time, if you noticed), there came a point when I could actually feel time slowing down. A day and a half to work before my trip, and suddenly the clock isn't moving... It doesn't bode well for tomorrow, does it?

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Here, let me finish with a random cute picture from the internet. I haven't posted this yet, have I?

How many ways do I love this picture?

Too Tired Too Early

For some reason, I didn't sleep well last night, and oh, how I abused that snooze button this morning. Good thing it can't talk back! Carlos didn't help me sleep, since he had a raging case of the phantom-starving, no, not that food, I want other food going on. So that was fun (not), and it was a long sleepy day, and the Bruins game didn't start until 7:30 tonight, and I'm fearful of more overtime. But sufficient unto the day is the overtime thereof, etcetera*.
*By the way, Blogger's spell-check flagged etcetera, and its first suggestion is tetrameter. Because of course that's what I meant. No, racketeer! No, terrace!

Monday morning was a perfect example of what I mean when I sometimes think, "People don't understand what I really mean when I say that I am totally uncoordinated." I managed to punch* the door frame, and what was I doing? Putting on my shirt. The way I do every morning after I shower, and I've never hit the door frame before, but ow, ow, ow, I hit it dead on yesterday. Seriously, I literally bruised my knuckles** putting on my shirt. This is a special level of uncoordinated, don't you think?
*Being the word nerd that I am, I also wondered if "punch" was the right word. Does that imply intention? I certainly didn't mean to do it!
**I was putting ice on them Monday morning. There is slight but visible bruising. Honestly!

Given that my Monday morning could be said to have started with the 1 AM experience of stepping in cat vomit, it was clear that this week would have another true Monday. It ended, by the way, when I walked into something and bashed my toe, just to balance the hand from the morning. How is it that the weekend before a trip evaporates in the blink of an eye, but the week before departure stretches endlessly?

Naturally, just to make it all Even More So, the head bigwig is in the office on Tuesday and Wednesday, so dressing up is required* (though I still don't understand why we have a different dress code when he's here). Dude needs to go home for a while; he was just here.
*Mind you, today I wore some of my Chico's Travelers wardrobe, which is as comfortable as sweats, but it's the principle of the thing.

I was so tired this morning that, when the idea of boss-sponsered lunch crossed my mind, I kind of hoped that he wouldn't be doing it again, since the ordering was so stressful last time (I know, I'm so weird). And I thought that since my boss didn't say anything about it in the morning, that I was off the hook, but there she was at 11, holding out his credit card and telling me that what we got last time would be fine--like I remembered exactly what we got last time! I'm so much better at planning than I am at spontaneity. This time, I'll keep the notes, which should guarantee that I don't have to do it again. (I don't know what will happen tomorrow; last time, he wasn't here for two days, just the one. Will it be pizza again? Stay tuned!)

It does go to show that if you don't want to get to be The Person Who Always Does That Thing, you should mess it up the first time. Otherwise, you're stuck! Your helpful lesson for the day, kids.

Now, I'm off to eat something and watch the rest of the Bruins game. However long that takes (yawn). Go Bruins!

Hockey, Links, Yarn, Knitting. All Good!

I've been getting so much done today, listing it all would make me tired--or, rather, more tired, since the actual doing has been tiring already. In a good, accomplishy way, but still. Of course, watching the Bruins win raised my energy level a bit! They managed to win by more than a goal! In regulation! Nice.

Not that I wasn't happy with Thursday's win, just exhausted: happy zombie. Though I do hope this picture of the celebration makes Hockey Hugs:

I mean, do you know how high Marchand had to jump to be over Chara's head? Ah, Marchand: as Puck Daddy referred to him, "the little guy with the big heart and even bigger nose."

And then the next sentence: "That's Patrice Bergeron with the game-winning assist, as if you had to ask." According to a quick check, I first mentioned Bergeron on this blog on August 10, 2006, a mere day after starting the blog. This is how much a fan of his I am (as you may have noticed, in the 50+ times I've mentioned him). So you can imagine how pleased I am to see him getting some serious appreciation: on Puck Daddy, on ESPN, and from the boys at Backhand Shelf, on the podcast, and also a blog post, "Perfect Patrice," dedicated to his wonder. That's right!

I think that catches me up on hockey. What about yarn? I went to the Webs tent sale yesterday with friends--fabulous! And though I spent $100, I could easily, oh so easily have spent two or three times that, so it was actually restrained.

I was very happy to see that the Blue Moon Fiber Arts yarn was 25% off. There wasn't much of the lightweight left, but two skeins of mediumweight in lovely blue will make me something beautiful, I know:

There was also Ella Rae Lace Merino, like I used recently and liked, half off, discontinued colors. Yes please!

I know, more blue. What can I say, I love it! This blue period, first noted over two years ago,shows no signs of stopping. Though it does get broken up. The skein on the right has colors like a kaleidoscope, different on all sides. See?

When I went to put it on the shelf, it found a happy home next to this one, from Webs last fall:

I also got a skein, in Bruins-gold, of impossibly soft yarn that I'm thinking would make a nice little cowl.

Debbie Bliss Andes, which is baby alpaca and silk. Go. Find some. Revel in the soft.

My final purchase was not on sale, but too beautiful for me to mind that. A little Lantern Moon project bag, in the most gorgeous colors, inside and out.

That doesn't even capture it fully. Love it.

As well as yarn, there was knitting. It's rare for me to have car time when I'm not the driver! I got one sock safely around the heel, so it can be purse-ready:

And I finally finished the previous pair, that kept getting set aside for not being in the right place at a pertinent time. Like for the Yarn Harlot's lecture, and the Bruins game. Whoops! Done at last.

If you look closely, you'll see the heels don't match.

I'm such a rebel. Which one do you like better in this yarn? (Knit Picks Stroll, by the way.)

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Do you read the blog Love and Hisses? If not, don't miss Miri's moment in the sun. Maybe the right someone will see it! (If not, I'm putting up fliers around town. Operation Get Her Out of Here is in full swing!)

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Time to face the Sunday night. Weekends should all be three days long, at least. And getting ready for a trip? Absolutely! (I don't leave until Friday, but I have plenty to do before then.)

Look out: here comes Monday!