Life

 

 

For anyone following this blog, you can see that my posting frequency has fallen off a little.  Sadly, it's true.  I don't want the couple of people out there who follow this blog to think I am abandoning it.  No.  Absolutely not!  The sad fact is that the real world is intruding in on my hobby world.  I don't want it to be that way, but that's the way it is.  Once things get back to normal, I will be posting fast and furious.

What's keeping me from the keyboard?  School and yard work.  Check out the photo and see a small sampling of the books that I am reading.  There's more, I just didn't want to collect them all in one place in case it totally blew my mind.

Yard work...it's spring after all.  The grass needs to be cut and weeded and all that other stuff.  Frankly, I really should not focus on the yard and hit the books.  However, a little bit of time outside really wouldn't hurt.

And don't forget, next week is Mother's Day.  If you haven't got your card and gift sorted out, .... what are you waiting for?



It's Pool Time!

That's right everyone.  It's pool time.  No, not swimming pool time--it's still a tad chilly for that.  I'm talking playoff hockey pools.  Players will be evaluated and scrutinized, picks will be debated, strategies will be formed and trash talk will be prepared.  Ah.... what a fantastic time it will be.

There is a wrinkle this year.  My team is in the playoffs.  That means that loyalty will compete with practicality.  When I look league wide, there are players I cannot pick (Ottawa Senators for example) because I would rather lose with my guys, than win with the enemy.  I do not know how I will fare this year.

Will he play?

There are other wrinkles too.  Some fantastic players are injured.  Will they come back in time?  Will there team advance enough to see them return in future rounds?  There are so many questions, and if you consult the internet, then you'll get too many answers.

Last year I chose first, and took Sidney Crosby.  He and some of my other picks were inspired.  Had I chosen better goalies, I would have won the whole thing.

Of course, there is a huge amount of luck in the whole endeavour.  I can only hope my luck holds out.

Spring Means Playoffs (finally)

 

 

Ah spring finally seems to be here.  You might expect that this blog would be about gardening or yard work or other stuff like that.  In years past, that might have been the case.  The last nine years in fact, that might have been the case.  This year, however, it is not the case.  This year I can focus on one of my true loves; hockey.  More specifically, my beloved Toronto Maple Leafs.  They are in the playoffs, and I will be watching (although I am rather busy, and can't afford to spend too much time in front of the TV, or blogging for that matter)

As a hockey fan, the playoffs are what really matters.  I watch every game I can, but the playoffs are what really matter.  In the playoffs, heroes emerge, the unbelievable happens, and highlights come fast and furious.  I can't wait.

It might be spring, but Carleton only cares about the playoffs

For the city, and province, there will be a large economic benefit.  Not just in games played, but in beer drunk and merchandise hawked.  I am no economist, but even I can imagine how much money will be generated.  Of course increased TV ratings and ad revenue will follow.

None of that really matters to me.  What matters to me is that my team will be competing for what I consider to be the hardest trophy to win.  Other sports might play more games, but none can match the physical toll the game of hockey takes on an athlete.  Imagine a two hundred plus pound man, perched precariously on two thin slivers of steel, racing on a slippery surface at high speed being met by other 200 plus pound men wearing state of the art Kevlar body armour.  If you can't respect the toughness of these athletes, there really is nothing I can do for you.

All that remains to be said is,

GO LEAFS GO!

Sweet Nostalgia

 

 

When I was gro wing up, getting to go and see professional sports was always a highlight.  If I knew I was going to see my Maple Leafs, Argosor Blue Jays I wouldn't stop thinking about it. I looked forward to it with the same nervous anticipation as Christmas Day.

When I got to the Maple Leaf Gardens, or Exhibition Stadium I was giddy with excitement.  My eyes were wide open to see everything.  Whichever adult was with me probably wondered why I wasn't walking in a straight line and bumping into everything.  There was so much to see, so much too experience.

I have such fond memories of the games, the excitement, the crowds, the energy, the snacks.  I remember that at Maple Leaf Gardens the cokes came with a cellophane cover instead of a plastic lid. I remember the idea of "family size cokes", popcorn boxes and hotdogs.

I remember most of the games I have been to.  I remember my first Leaf game, my first Argo game, and I remember that first Blue Jay game.  I even remember my first Marlie game (and the parade of flattened popcorn boxes that made their way down from the grey seats).

I started collecting Maple Leaf memorabilia that first game I went to.  I still have the team photo and the puck from that game.  I can't imagine every parting with them.  As you can see from the ticket stubs above, I don't part with much.

These days, though I have been to more than my fair share of games, I still sometimes catch that same sense of wonder that I had. When I go alone, I try to drink in the atmosphere as much as possible.  I check the souvenir stands, I listen to the scalpers and the vendors barking at people and I wonder what kind of snacks they have.

Printing technology has come a long way..so have prices.

I hope it is no different today.  I hope kids don't take these great days for granted.  I guess, for their parents, these moments must be magical.

I don't keep many of the ticket stubs these days.  I am not sure why, but I guess there is something different about seeing a game as an adult and as a child.  Things are different, but I would still go to a game at the drop of a hat.

I would love to hear about any of my reader's first pro sports experience.

DONE

 

 

An unfinished jigsaw puzzle just seems to hang over my head.  I usually do them in the guest room so I don't have to look at them everyday.  In fact, I might even "forget" about it for a while, giving me some respite.

This time I opted for the dining room table, and paid for it.  Every day it nagged me.  Every day it harassed me.  It taunted and tested me.  Today, however, that taunting is over.  It is done, and now there are many more important things to do.  More housework, more studying, and occasionally more procrastination.

Puzzle Pieces Prompt Procrastination

Just one more piece.  These are the famous last words of anyone hooked on a jigsaw puzzle.  Okay, these aren't the last words, these are just the words that cause them trouble.  One more piece, then I will go to bed.  One more piece then I will make dinner.  One more piece and then I will... you get the idea.

It is funny how something so simple can cause so many problems.  Maybe that is precisely it.  It seems so simple, but that one moment of searching for a piece can turn into hours.

I remember once, a long time ago in a country far far away, I said to myself, just one more piece and then go to bed.  The next time I looked at the clock several hours had gone by and my eyes were stinging.  I guess that is just the way it is.  I guess that is just what puzzles do.

When Things Come Together

I like trains.  I like jigsaw puzzles.....can you see where this is going?  Call it luck, call it weird, call it whatever you want.  While browsing in the supermarket I came upon two puzzles with train themes.  They were on sale too, but that really isn't the point..... or is it?  No, the point is that I came across these puzzles, bought them, and now I am sharing them on this blog.  That's it.

unusual packaging

As you can see I am a edges first kind of puzzle builder.  I don't know why that is.  Everyone who I have ever done a puzzle with has always built them this way.  I have never scene a centre outwards builder.  I am not really even sure that such a person exists.  Maybe edges first just seems like something you do, and nobody questions it.  I guess you would either call it common sense, or logic, or an unwritten rule.  Regardless of what you think, this is the way I do it, and it seems to be working for me.



sort those edges

This puzzle had a few negative points right off the bat with me.  The box didn't really lend itself to my typical sort and sift method.  Normally I would use the top and the bottom of the box for this.  This particular box was not built for this, and I had to tape up the insert box and use a Rubbermaid container along with it.  The other problems with this puzzle is that too many of the pieces were still together from the initial assembly.  I find that rather frustrating. (I have a friend who considers that cheating--I won't go so far myself, but I can sympathize with his point).  The pieces also have a lot of cardboard dust attached to them, making it a slightly messy experience.  I guess I can see why it was on sale.  The puzzle also purports to be a "sure-lox" puzzle.  The last puzzle I built fit together so nicely that I could pick it up an wave it like a sheet.  I highly doubt that will be the case this time.  If, however, that turns out to be true, I will make a video of it and put it on YouTube.

Get those edges done first



Hopefully this puzzle will look good when it is finished, but who is to say for sure.  I think the theme is good, so I am looking forward to the result.