Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Can Not Function

As if it wasn’t bad enough that I’m running on the thinnest bit of rope with everything going on to move across the country in 11 days, now the Bruins are going to play game 7 tonight. And somehow I’m supposed to be able to not only work but also focus on school and pack, and wait for Matt to get home to find out if he’s taking his job with him or not?

Yeah, good luck with that one, Self.

It’s the last game. (Which probably makes all you people who really don’t give a crap about hockey happy that I’ll stop posting about it non stop haha). The Bruins, in franchise history (which is 87 years mind you) have never played a game 7 in the Stanley Cup finals. They also haven’t won a single game in Vancouver yet this series.

But hey, how does that saying go? I think its something like -- there’s a first time for everything. And frankly I think of all the games they could win in Vancouver, tonight’s would be a most excellent choice. I mean we’ve even got my Wicked Stepmother yelling ‘TIMMY!’ every time Tim Thomas makes one of his Tank-patented, no-man-should-be-able-to-do-that-with-his-body saves.

Regardless of the outcome tonight, the hockey season ends with our boys getting further than they have in decades and I for one couldn’t be more excited or proud to call them my team. You may take this girl out of Boston but by God I’m taking NESN with me.

Back in November sometime I was texting back and forth with my aunt during a regular game and made the mention that the team seemed to be skating so well together I could see them going all the way to the Cup finals if they kept it up all season. And its funny too because I have a vivid memory of seeing Adam McQuaid’s #54 hip checking someone into the boards as I was typing it. Lo and behold, here we are.

And man, after waiting 39 years do we ever want that Cup.

I was listening to 98.5 Sports Hub radio at work today and they mentioned something that’s both bizarre and eye opening -- with the exception of Mark Recchi (my man!!!) not a single player on the team was even born yet the last time they won a cup. I know I sure as heck wasn’t. Hell, I wonder if Tyler Seguin’s parents had even started kindergarten!

Nathan Horton will be in the building tonight. With his severe concussion from a week or so ago I was shocked to hear they cleared him for flight. But man what a HUGE boost that will be for our boys to get out there and bite back.

Not literally of course, we try to leave the dirtiest stuff to the other team. Not to say that always happens of course, I mean tiny little Brad Marchand certainly put a hurting on Henry Sedin’s face the other night. Over, and over, and over… But then one had to ask, why didn’t Sedin fight back? Had he just lost the will to fight?

I think pretty much all of Boston and every Bruins fan would be cool with the Canucks having lost their fight. Roberto Luongo sure did when he let 3 slide past him in the first 4 minutes of the last game but keep in mind that wasn’t all on Luongo. It was because you fine hockey players kept the pressure on him, because the puck was on your sticks.

We want the Cup. And by ‘we’ I mean the entirety of the hockey fans who would like to see the Bruins win this thing tonight; from the team themselves to the babies in Melrose-Wakefield Hospital. You boys need to go out there and play the best game of your lives.

But, and this is a big BUT…we don’t want to see bad play tonight, no intentional taunting while you’re laced up and try to avoid dirty hits or fighting majors if you can okay guys? Just skate, forecheck aggressively, pass well, shoot and score. If you’re going to win the Cup, do it on your talent and ability, not on your reliance of the Refs making calls in your favor.

And just remember, you boys have loads of talent and ability. No way you could have made it this far without.

Do it for yourselves. Do it for the seventh man. Do it because you know you can.

And now I’m off to try to get some school work done and a few boxes packed because NESN pre game coverage starts in just 4 hours…

Monday, June 13, 2011

This Is How Rumors Get Started

Who sang that song “Rumors” released back in the 80’s? I can’t remember but I’m pretty sure it was all about relationships, who was or wasn’t gay, if some girl was a slut…stuff that was the hot button topic of the time period.

Today’s hot button topic (read: potential rumor) is that the Vancouver Canucks started trying to sell rights for their Stanley Cup victory parade. Um, correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t there a game tonight? Oh yeah, and if we win it, isn’t there another game on Wednesday night? And if we win that game don’t we get to have a parade or whatever?

Slow down with the big fat ego there Vancouver. Didn’t the presumptuous big mouthed guy in Tampa Bay who all but decimated their chances of ever winning teach you anything about putting the cart before the horse?

Hmmm, then again, on second thought…go ahead and talk it up. In fact talk until you’ve run short of breath and then when you’re all talked out and fainting we’ll just play hockey against you to see who comes out on top.

I’m all about trash talking to a point but saying you’ve got it before you’ve got it is just plain silly. That’s why around here the chant goes something like “We want the cup!” Because we do want it. But we are living in the real world where the thing still lives in a trunk and is transported by a guy wearing butler gloves.

We totally want it. But we’re absolutely comfortable waiting until Wednesday to get it, waiting until Thursday to start planning parades or celebrations because of it, and in fact I’m pretty sure most of the Bruins don’t even want to remember that the thing is making its way through Boston today.

But that’s okay. Nathan Horton will be at the game tonight cheering on the want. It’s also possible you’ll see the likes of Bobby Orr and maybe even Ray Bourque hanging out in the VIP section this evening if you turn on the game. And they’ll be clapping and cheering for our team to play with all the heart, soul and integrity we can bring to the ice.

Of course a little bit of taunting, trash talk or general lively sports banter never hurts either, guys, because after all, there is a game to be won.

Now go out there tonight and embrace the words of the great Phil Esposito:

“My competitive juices have started to flow again.”

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Aaaaand Go

Lack of sharing has not much to do with lack of activity, in fact I’m so busy that my overwhelmed factor is spiking even now as I type up this post. No, the distinct lack of my presence in bloggyland truthfully is because I’m kind of tired of hashing over the same stuff over and over again.

Between preparing for our move in seventeen days, trying to maintain my 4.0, seeing everyone that lives here as much as possible, selling stuff on craigslist and now (Murphy’s Law) two paint jobs right before I go, it's like I have nothing of substance to talk about.

I mean, sure, I could share the finer points of how to get the best deal on boxes or why I loathe British Literature but something tells me it wouldn’t really fill up a blog post. Then again, I’m sure I could find a way to write up some 650 word post about box procurement in my own brand of witty, but right now I’m givin’ ‘er all I got captain and there’s just no wit to go around. Besides, I’d like if at least some of you stuck around to keep reading…and who wants to read about cardboard?

Additionally I could wax on and on about the fact that I was really happy with the punishment the NHL gave Rome for his blind side, late hit that caused Horton to not only go down but to smash his head on the ice so hard that he ended up with a severe concussion and is now out for the remainder of the season. But that’s all hockey talk and other than two of you, there aren’t many of my readers who even like sports, let alone hockey (I don’t think anyway, correct me if I’m wrong).

I guess it might interest everyone to find out that we purchased the Trustees of Reservations passes and all that back in April and have been able to get out to use them a grand total of twice so far. I’m happy to donate money though so I hope our fundage goes to good use! Save the plovers!

Probably the most interesting bit of news though is that Matt and I traveled out to our old city of Springfield last weekend because a few days prior an F3 tornado blazed a half mile wide path straight through the city. We went to see, primarily, if the Vacation House in the Ghetto, the LoL, made it, but also to see if we could do anything. At the time there wasn’t anything organized and Matt has checked but it looks like most of the rallying of help is going to be the final days before we leave or after we’re already gone.

It sucks that we can’t do anything to physically help out with the clean up, etc., the devastation out there was brutal and in a very low income part of town where the residents were already struggling to stay afloat in a city that recently went bankrupt. They didn’t need the added challenge. Although we can’t physically help we at least plan to donate to the Red Cross with the next paycheck. It won’t be much but at least I’ll feel good knowing that water, food, clothes, etc will be provided to a few people. Something is better than nothing.

Aside from my overwhelming urge to cry every five seconds when I think about not being able to just get together with people on a whim for lunch, I’m doing okay and in the end I know this is a smart and good move for Matt and I at the right time in our lives.

Our parents are all in good health and have years ahead of them, all our grandparents have passed on and we have no kids to tie us to a neighborhood/community of people/school system. We’ve wanted to get back on our feet since the bankruptcy but it’s really hard to do in a place that costs so much just to live the everyday, lame-ass life that we live. It’s time to move on and go get ours.

I just wish we could take everyone with us.

Change is something I tend to embrace because without it there is only stagnation. And I think by now you all know I’m a lover of go, go, go. But that doesn’t really make doing it any easier. Getting into a nice routine is good, I get used to it and enjoy the day to day. Shake that routine up and my must-be-organized-at-all-times OCD kicks in and I’m a freak show.

Like this morning when Matt simply told me he had started our list of stuff to get done before we leave and I went off on him like he’d killed a bunny rabbit sitting on a rainbow of flowers or something. I volleyed gems at him like “Its like I’m not involved in planning at all” and “I wanted to do it together because I need to be able to think of things too”. You know, stuff that makes tons of sense.

Of course I apologized and told him what was going on and he absolutely loves me so he accepted my attempt at amends, but I know he can’t really understand. Hell I can’t really understand my own brain half the time, how could I expect him to get something so obscure?

So I basically want to just listen to this song on repeat like all day. Even though every time I hear it now it makes me cry.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

The Fellowship of the Puck

When Gollum bit Frodo’s finger off to get his hands on the one ring, the desperation that he felt to hold the Precious again was also felt by everyone reading or watching the story of the “Lord of the Rings”. We felt bad for him, sympathetic to how much he wanted it, pity for how the thing had changed him into something unrecognizable after so long. Gollum had turned evil from too many decades of coveting the shiny piece of metal and, despite the blood loss, the good in Frodo had to prevail.

Decades of desire can certainly make some do extremely desperate things, especially when the prize at the end of the journey is a piece of metal with a whole bunch of writing engraved on it. Something that makes you powerful in certain circles. Something that so many others want but can never have.

Last night Alex Burrows somehow morphed into Gollum and in a selfish act to take steps toward the big shiny piece of metal he so desires, he bit Patrice Bergeron’s finger. Burrows bit through Bergy’s glove hard enough to draw blood.

Sorry Burrows but this isn’t called “Lord of the Cups” my friend, it’s the Stanley Cup finals. Can someone get this guy a muzzle before game 2 please?

In sports, like in life, sometimes evil looks like it might pull ahead enough to win, enough to smother good and send it crawling into the darkness; there are times when all seems lost. Especially when the opposing team to who you’re rooting for get a four minute penalty after the biting skirmish but still manage to hold off a scoring opportunity until 18 seconds before the end of the game when they place the puck in your net. Especially when that goal could be argued as non-legit due to a missed offside call.

But the good must prevail. Somehow the Felllowship of the Puck must rise up together and fight the battle of their lives at night inside that wall. Just when all seems lost there must be a rallying of the troops.

Led by the formidable wizard-sized captain Zdeno Chara, the been-all-over Ranger-esque Mark Recchi, and of course, the stout and tough Timmy Thomas with his L shaped axe, he will encourage the team to travel all the way to the other end of the ice with a conviction so strong to triumph over evil that there is no way the Canucks can stop themselves from falling into the lava.

Because in the words of the mighty Bergeron…

“…biting? I mean come on.”

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Don’t Box Me In

And I completely missed that whole Ten on Tuesday thing again yesterday because, well, I was busy doing school work and out looking for a Mark Recchi shirt. Sadly Recchi shirts are pretty much only available at the pro shop or online. Oh well, guess I’ll be heading into Boston this week.

Anyway, I don’t think (at least I hope) that Roots and Rings will mind if I post a day late, again. The thing is, you all know how much I love answering stupid questions about myself, but these are not stupid! These questions are pretty cool. And maybe one of these weeks I’ll even get them posted on the right day. I just can’t be hemmed in by silly rules.

So if your blog needs a pick me up I hope you’ll check out Roots and Rings on Tuesdays (or whenever, like me).

1. From your childhood, what do you miss most about summer vacation?

The part where I don’t have to do any school work. Don’t get me wrong, I am really excited to get my Masters but something about giving up free time in the summer months or having to completely revolve my schedule around when papers are due, at this age is downright silly. Can’t go back though and start over by going to college at 18 so if I want it I guess I’d better suck up the lack of relaxation. Or just read my books and type up my assignments on my laptop while sitting by the pool.

2. Are you going anywhere on vacation this summer?

Sort of, if you call driving across the entire country and stopping to see some friends and family along the way, vacation. Otherwise probably a couple trips to “the lake” with my sister and crew.

3. What foods do you like to barbecue?

If the question is asking what foods get BBQ sauce then pretty much only meats (but truthfully any meat at that point) but if you mean what do I like to cook on the grill the answer would be pretty much anything! Small stuff can steam up in tin foil, meats get a nice smoky flavoring and even water boils over the flame to make stuff like rice or pasta!

4. How do you celebrate the fourth of July?

This will be one of the first years in a while that I won’t get to go to see the Pops and fireworks display in Boston. I have no idea how we’ll celebrate this year but it will likely involve crashing out, hard core, and hopefully on either our new mattress (king size woo hoo!) or new sofa and watching fireworks later that evening.

5. What’s your favorite beverage to drink in the summertime?

Water. Pretty much all year it’s the drink of choice.

6. What movie are you looking forward to seeing this summer?

Hmmm…pretty likely none of them while they’re in theaters but I’ll probably add The Green Lantern to my Netflix queue because I love me some Ryan Reynolds.

7. In the car: windows down or AC?

Oh windows as much as possible. In fact putting my hair up so it doesn’t get all wonky from being wind blown is a reason I started growing it out in the first place!

8. Have you ever had a summer fling?

A girl never kisses and tells.

9. Do you wear sunscreen?

Religiously. I’m Irish and basically opaque so it’s either that or someone will try to toss me in the lobster pot!

10. Do you have any favorite summertime activities?

Beach, swim, drink, laugh, joke with friends, have a fun time, read, soak in the sunshine (hey, just because I do it with SPF 90 on doesn’t mean I don’t love it still!), go to Red Sox games, and this year hockey games too!

I wish the Bruins tons of luck in game one of the Stanley Cup finals tonight, stay out of the box and skate aggressive while Thomas tends to his net! Play that puck like you own it!