Case of the “Monday’s”

Greetings, readers. I actually don’t have a case of the Monday’s, a la Office Space. Just a day-appropriate title, that’s all. I feel like I wanna touch on several things, and I like the semi rapid-fire format that gives a paragraph to each subject I write about. Ready? Here we go…

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The RoC Stars are now 6-1-0 after a couple more wins since I wrote last. We beat Fallout 5-1 and the Rams 7-3. I scored three goals in those two games. We’ve continued to play well as a team and the wins are coming as a result. I’m a bit surprised that we’ve had so many big wins this season… this new league was supposed to create parity and close games each night. Strange. We play Sharkbit Saturday.

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Switchfoot’s new album, Hello Hurricane, came out last week… and I love it. I’ve basically enjoyed each album they’ve put out, but this one is up there at the top for me. It has a good mix of rock songs and mellow songs, which to me has been a Switchfoot trademark. The lyrics are a bit edgy and very thought-provoking, which was more along the lines of Nothing Is Sound, previously my favorite album. Now it’s a toss-up between the two. After waiting almost three years for this batch of songs after Oh! Gravity released, I was very impressed with the new album. Go get it. (In case anyone is interested, I’ll list my personal top four songs in no particular order… Your Love is a Song, Hello Hurricane, Always, and Sing it Out.)

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I attended the Winterhawks game against Seattle on Nov. 7 and witnessed the most exciting game I’ve ever seen. After giving up some softies to Seattle, the Birds led 3-1 going into the third period and they had momentum. The Hawks cut it to 3-2 and began to seriously pressure for that tying goal, but it looked like they were going to come up short. This video shows what happened in the final 2.6 seconds, with a faceoff in the Seattle end.

It was incredible, and all I could say was “wow” about a thousand times because the goal was so improbable. Tie game and we had overtime after it looked like there as no chance to score in that situation. The Hawks ended up winning it in a shootout. Crazy, crazy game.

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The Blazers are finally getting things going in the right direction. After losing a couple close home games they really should have won, Portland was 2-3 and I was wondering when the heck they were going to figure things out. A solid win against the Spurs at home  started what is to this point a six-game win streak. They are at 8-3, which is 2nd in the West as of today. Too bad Denver is right there at 7-3 and just killed the Lakers. The Blazers and Nuggets are going to be slugging it out for the Northwest Division crown. I was thinking Denver would be down a little this year, but not so far. Nevertheless, I’m just glad the Blazers seem to finally be in gear.

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I’m still unemployed, but trying to keep trucking along in the job search. I found a promising job posting last week that seemed like a good fit. It had been a while since I found a listing that fit me so well. I applied and I’m hoping to at least get an interview. We’ll see. I’m trying not to get too excited, but it feels really promising.

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That’s all I got for now. Keep it real. Stay out of trouble. All of that end-of-the-conversation-cliche stuff. Adios, amigos.

I’m still alive… I promise

Wow. I am a slacker. Whoops. So, I need to get back to the whole blogging regularly thing. Seems like there may be quite a few things to catch up on, so here we go all bullet point-like:

- The RoC Stars are now 4-1-0. And I finally got on the board myself, scoring five points (three goals and two assists) in three games. Recap of the games:

• We beat Sharkbit in a shootout after completing an incredible comeback. After two periods, we trailed 5-1 and were not playing well. All seemed bleak, and I figured we’d just skate out the loss. But we skated hard and chipped away at the four-goal deficit. I scored a goal and tallied an assist along the way. We came all the way back by scoring an extra-attacker goal with less than a minute left. Just coming back to tie would have been amazing enough, but we scored the only goal in the shootout and won 6-5.
• We lost to Here for Beer, which so far is the top team in our league. They are a physical and… I’ll say it — dirty — team. I’ve never liked playing teams that play that way. It’s part of their strategy and tactics. This is rec hockey, right? Oh well. We’re going to have to get used to it. At any rate, I scored twice, but we lost 5-4. We played tough and pretty well, but had a few defensive lapses that lead to goals. We can beat them and hopefully we will when we meet again.
• We had a Halloween matchup with the Hornets last night. They’ve struggled this session, which is odd because we’ve always had close battles with them. Our goalie, Wick, was celebrating his birthday and had a good afternoon/early evening with the Ducks romping over USC. He kept it going in our game, as he got the shutout as an added birthday present. We won 6-0 and I chipped in an assist.

- The braces are off! It’s almost been a month, and I’m loving it. Not too fond of the retainer I have to wear ’round the clock, but that’s better than the metal brackets. I have another appointment in early January, and I’m hoping to find out then that I only have to wear my retainer at night. That will be wonderful.

- The Winterhawks are past the quarter mark of their season, and are currently 13-6. They have 26 points. Some of you may not fully understand how amazing this is, but the Winterhawks have been TERRIBLE the last few years and they are currently tied for first place in their division. I didn’t expect them to do this well this season. I knew they’d be better, just not this good. But, it’s early. We’ll see how the rest of the season goes. It’s fun to be a Hawks fan again!

- AND, the Blazers started their season last week. I’ve been excited about this season because of last year’s success and the hope of improvement. Four games in, they are 2-2 and have struggled to find their way. The team is basically integrating 2 1/2 new players into the fold, so chemistry and cohesiveness has been lacking. The 2 1/2 are Andre Miller (1 new player), Martell Webster (1 “new” player, who because he was injured last year seems like a new player) and Greg Oden (1/2 a “new” player because he’s now full strength after his microfracture surgery — we’re seeing the “full” Greg Oden). They are all trying to get accustomed to playing with the regular rotation guys like Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Co. I have confidence that they’ll figure it out and mesh together the way they need to. So far, their biggest struggle has been team defense, which is something that they should be able to iron out over time.

I am predicting 55 wins for the Blazers this year. I hope I under-shot it and they have a big improvement over last season’s 54 wins. Time will tell.

That seems like enough for this oh-crap-I-haven’t-blogged-in-a-while post. Hopefully, November will bring more than just this entry. Hey, I got an early start this month… perhaps that’s a good omen.

Happy November!

2-0

Two games into the Fall/Winter season, the RoC Stars are 2-0 with a couple of quality wins. It feels good to be winning again after having a couple stinkers to end the summer session.

Our first game was against Fallout, and we had a great team effort from goaltending to the defense up to the forwards. We won 6-1. In the two aforementioned “stinkers” from last season, we didn’t have all of our defensemen and we struggled beacuse of that. When we don’t have our normal d-men, we have to put guys who aren’t comfortable playing back there — which is bad for two reasons, because the guys playing defense aren’t in their comfort zone AND they’re offensive players that we don’t have up front, so the offense struggles. Needless to say, it was nice to have the full complement of players who were playing in their normal position.

Last night, we played a much closer, tougher game against the Rams, but we came out on top 3-2 after a shootout. Wins are always nice, but these grind it out type of games are more gratifying than blowouts. We played well, and got the goal we needed in the shootout and came away with the win.

I’ve haven’t cracked the scoresheet yet, but it’s not a big deal. I know I’ve skated hard and hopefully I can break through and help out the offense with some goals or assists.

It should be mentioned that our team is up a small step from Silver C. We’re now in the Silver B division, which is new this season. There was a wide range of skill among the teams in the old Silver C, so they decided to create a new division. They took the top 4 1/2 teams from the old Silver C and added the bottom team from the old Silver B to create the “new” Silver B. The teams in the old Silver B basically stayed put, but their division is called Silver BB. Silver C now has four teams, which were the bottom four teams in the old division. (Clear? I don’t blame you if it’s confusing… it took me a little while to get it straight.)

So our league is basically the same, just designed to have tough, competitive games every night. Fallout, the Hornets, the RoC Stars and Sharkbit moved up along with about half of the players on On Ice. The new team with old On Ice players is called Here for Beer and they added more players to round out their roster. Finally, the Rams were in the old Silver B and joined our league. All in all, it should create competitive games every night, but it won’t be overwhelming for our team. We’ve played against most of the teams already and at least held our own. The blowout games should be rare, and honestly, that’s the way it should be.

Hopefully we can keep things going Friday when we played Sharkbit.

Half-off braces

No… my orthodontist didn’t randomly decide to give a partial refund. Today was the day that my braces were supposed to come off. No more metal mouth, right? Well, halfway right. I’ll explain.

The top braces came off and I got a clear plastic temporary retainer. So people will be able to see that the top wire came off. I’m OK with that. The bottom teeth still have small spaces that need to close, so the bottom wire is still on for one more week. I’m OK with that. I go in next Wednesday morning to get the bottom wire/brackets off and get my permanent top and bottom retainers. Bottom line… when I smile, I no longer look like a metal mouth.

Nothing else to report, really. I’m really struggling in the consistent blog post department. At least I have a bit of an excuse now. Last week, the wireless that I had always connected to (ahem… my neighbor’s) disappeared. So, no more internet at home. Thankfully, I have a couple Starbucks gift cards, so I can use the Wi-Fi at any Starbucks I can find. I’m just not on the internet as much since I don’t want to be sitting at a Starbucks for hours on end. Honestly, this probably isn’t a bad thing… I’ll be more productive and spend less time on the web. Blessing in disguise, I suppose.

Oh yeah, one more thing… Fall/Winter hockey season starts this Saturday with a LATE game at 11:05. That’s right… P.M. As in, the game won’t get done until early Sunday morning… literally. Awesome. Check the RoC Stars page for the full schedule.

Weekend wrap-up

Well, this weekend was good at times, bad at times, boring at times. Kind of the whole gamut. Bottom line, I made it through.

Thursday night, we played Fallout. We were very shorthanded and were missing almost all of our good players. We had three subs and Fallout looked like they had a full bench. We got shut out 7-0… our first ever shutout. We had never gone scoreless until then. Just a bad game. We were essentially holding on for dear life and were unable to muster much offensively. Not a very pretty game.

Lacy and I left Friday afternoon to head up to Aberdeen, Washington to see her family and spend time with them and other friends. I’d be lying if I said it was super great for me, but then again… the weekend wasn’t for me. I’m not complaining… it’s just the fact that I knew one person in the whole town. And it’s a small town, so I felt out of place. At least I got along pretty well with her family. I was actually quite relieved that this was the case. They told Lacy that I was pretty quiet, but that’s how I am when I don’t know people. We had a pretty lively game of Apples to Apples on Saturday night, so they saw me open up a bit, I’m sure. And no “Meet the Parents” nightmare moments to report, so that’s a positive.

Last night was our first round playoff game against On Ice. We lost 5-2 to end our season. We weren’t too shorthanded, but we were missing some of our normal defensemen and, consequently, we had to shake up the lineup a bit. We just played flat for most of game. It was one of those rough nights.

It’s too bad we ended our season on a two game losing streak… the only losing skid of the season. But, finishing tied for second and beating the first place team isn’t a bad season by any stretch. A couple weeks off and it’s on to Fall season. At least our off-seasons are short to recover from bitter losses such as last night’s.

Oh yeah… my braces come off in nine days. Good times.

Two more wins

OK, I’m getting a little sloppy and not updating as regularly as I’d like to. I’ll try to work on it. Forgive me? Good.

So, the RoC Stars have won two games since I last wrote. Last Sunday, we beat the Hornets 4-2 to avenge an earlier loss to them. We played a really good game offensively and defensively, and had tons of chances which probably should have resulted in more than four goals. I scored two goals… one on a shot where I used the defenseman as a screen and beat the goalie clean and the other where I scored in to an empty net after the goalie misplayed the puck. He had been wandering out of his goal crease a lot and I almost scored three other times because of it, so it was nice to make him pay.

Last night, we shut out On Ice 2-0. It was a bit of a tough game, but we held them off the scoreboard. They swarmed and had lots of chances, but we were able to hold them. I scored a goal into the empty net near the end of the game after they pulled their goalie. It was a very satisfying win.

A friendly reminder… in case you care about the progress of the RoC Stars, there is a tab at the top of the page that links to the results page I’ve created and maintained. Check it out.

So, we are currently tied for first with a record of 7-2-0. We have one more game, Thursday against Fallout. Playoffs are still up in the air as there is a bit of a logjam in the standings. It would be nice to know when we’re going to play because I’m going with my girlfriend Lacy to see her parents in Washington. I’d like to know when we need to be back for the playoff game. Oh well, I’ll find out eventually.

So yeah, the upcoming trip to see the girlfriend’s parents is slightly looming over my head. Despite Lacy’s insistence that they will like me and that everything will be OK, it’s still a bit scary. I now regret ever seeing the “Meet the Parents” movies because that’s partially what I envision being the case this coming weekend… hopefully minus the fires and cat fiascos. Thankfully, her parents won’t be seeing any of my 9th place trophies.

Playing catch-up

So, it’s been a while. How have you been? I’ll give you a second to answer…

Lots of things have happened since I wrote last. Recap time!

I helped out at my church’s high school camp. Lots of fun. I played drums and helped out elsewhere for the first three days before I had to head back home. Going to this camp and the mid-high camp kinda makes me sad because I don’t have camp memories as a kid. The churches I went to at that age didn’t have the greatest youth group situations. Oh well. I have to say that it was so cool to be at both camps and seeing young kids get to know God in a new way. Sometimes on the outside it looks like high school youth groups are all about having fun at cool events and not learning much about God and His word. Having seen the other side at camp, it was fun to see the kids learning and understanding God more. They’re building a solid foundation in their relationship with Christ. Cool stuff.

The RoC Stars lost to Fallout last Thursday. It was a bad game and we played quite sloppy… definitely not our best game. It was disappointing because we had been playing well previously and racked up five straight wins. Oh well… back to earth we return. I guess we can’t expect to have great games each outing. Hopefully we can bounce back Sunday.

Got to get away last Friday and Saturday at Rockaway Beach for a family reunion on my dad’s side. It was good to see some people from other states that I don’t get to see very often. Friday night featured an “interesting” karaoke session that I stubbornly did not participate in. Pretty funny stuff. I also got to mini golf and frisbee golf, too. I had to get back to drum on Sunday, plus my girlfriend and I went to a….

Winterhawks game Saturday night. It’s always fun to watch live games. I’ve gotten a bit of relief for my hockey fix by playing myself all off-season, but it’s great to be back in season watching Hawks games. I also enjoyed trying to explain rules and strategies to Lacy, since she was always trying to figure it all out during my games while I was on the ice.

I also helped out for a couple of nights at Sprague’s soccer practices, working with the goalies. I played goalie in high school and my coach for three of those years is now head coaching at Sprague and asked me to help out. It was fun to “remember on the fly” and give out pointers here and there. Hopefully, schedule permitting, I can help out more throughout the season.

Last night, I enjoyed a fun night at the State Fair with Lacy. I always enjoy going and last night was no exception. Turns out, I had a better time at the fair than most Ducks fans had watching the game against Boise State. Rides, animals, trying to avoid too much eye contact with vendors… a good evening. Plus, Lacy and I made a funny video. I’d love to post it here, but for some reason I can’t embed the video. Darn. If you’re my friend on facebook, you can find it on my profile.

Well, it was good to chat with you again. Hopefully we can get together again soon. Sound good? OK, talk to you later.

Another win, another camp

The RoC Stars won tonight, 3-1, against the Capitols. It was a slow-paced game and pretty physical with lots of penalties. It was weird to be in the locker room afterward because it felt a little like we lost. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a pretty game (but wins are wins, ya know?) and we lost the shutout with 8 seconds to go. Dang. I picked up assists on our first two goals, so two points for me. Five game win streak, and we will be tied for first after this week’s games. Like I said, a win is a win.

Also, I’m heading to Triangle Lake again to go to High School camp for our church. Again, I’m playing drums and helping out in various other ways. Should be fun. The lake is great to swim in, the views are amazing out there, and it’s always fun to see God move in younger kids when they’re at camp. Should be a good week. I’m there through Thursday, so no blog activity in the meantime. You’ve been warned.

You stay classy, blogosphere.

Brett Favre…

Look, I know that any athlete or human being has the right to make his or her own decisions. I do, and so does everyone else. I get that. That said…

I am so sick and tired of the teeter-totter impression that is Brett Favre’s decision-making about whether or not he wants to keep playing football or retire. It would be tremendous if he could just make up his mind and stick with the decision.

This has been going on for about five years or so. Even before the tearful “goodbye” to Packer fans and football a couple years back, we had to listen to and read about the “Will he or won’t he” retirement talk for two or three off seasons before Brett actually “retired.” I thought that once he “retired” from Green Bay, that would be the end of it. Nope.

He came back and played last year for the New York Jets. He played pretty well in the first half of the season, and then his production trailed off by season’s end. He “retired” again. Perhaps for real this time? Nope.

After “retiring,” he entertained the thought of playing for the Minnesota Vikings this season. There were reports of talks between Favre and the team. About a month or so ago, however, Brett announced that he was going to stay retired. Sounded pretty solid, but you never know with this guy. But “retiring” and saying you’re staying in retirement usually is convincing, right? Nope.

He’s back. He signed a contract (for one year, of course) with Minnesota today and will be the team’s new starting quarterback. This whole situation just reeks of what we’ve gone through before. I can see it now… he’ll be fairly tired and beat up after this season and once again consider retirement. There will be much anticipation about his decision, and he’ll probably “retire” again. But what about next summer? Are we going to have to endure another summer in the Brett Favre saga? Which team is next?

[Edit: At the time of writing this post, the link provided information about the signing prior to the news conference later in the day. It originally reported that the deal was for one year. The link and article have been updated. Favre signed a two-year contract. I decided to add this disclaimer to the post, rather than edit the post's original content.]

I remember being frustrated about Michael Jordan’s indecisive approach to retirement. Granted, I was younger and didn’t follow the situation closely. To me, retirement becomes insignificant when certain athletes hop back and forth over the line numerous times. I honestly don’t know why it’s so maddening to me as a sports fan, but it is.

I think it boils down to the fact that he’s come out of retirement twice now. If he says he’s done after this season (again), I’ll have a hard time believing him based on history. It’s not that he’s lying… it’s just he goes back on what he says originally. It’s frustrating. But… it’s his decision to make.

Maybe I shouldn’t be mad at Favre himself. Maybe it’s the media I should be upset at, since they’re the ones who have covered the ongoing drama and almost force it down my throat. Maybe ESPN and the other sports outlets should be yelled at. Still, there is a person who is causing all this interest with his flip-flop routine.

Please Brett, just make up your mind.

RoC Stars update

Because the game results are not usually posted on our league’s website very quickly, I never know until later in the week following the prior game where our team sits in the standings. This week, they were very quick, posting it two days after the game. I like it.

Anyways, after our win on Sunday, we are now tied for first place with two other teams at 8 points. It’s a tight race from 1st to 6th, though… three teams (RoC Stars, Hornets, Lazers) have 8 points, two teams are at 7 points (Sharkbit, On Ice) and Fallout is just behind in 6th with 6 points.

We’re halfway through the season and things are going pretty well. Hopefully we can keep that trend going on Sunday.