Bruins at Redwings - Hockey League - Week #13 - Game 12

Here we are, the final game of the regular season. We're already sealed our spot into second place and we're playing the last place team. To make matters worse, as if being statistically out of the game, they arrived short handed. They only brought five skaters to the game. Such a pitty for them, at the beginning of the season, they managed to defeat us. Such was not going to be the case tonight.

This game was absolutely lopsided in every way. The momentum, offensive time, and most importantly, the scoreboard. When the game ended, we had racked up 11 (or 12) goals to their 1. It was a slaughtering.

Anyway, intra-team game play had a completely different feeling this week. Everyone was trying to help the guys on my line to score goals. Specifically me. I can't tell you how many times the guys on the bench would tell me they were trying to hit me and couldn't for one reason or another. Anyway, I did manage to touch the puck and get a few shots off toward the goal. One of them was a one-timer and the other two were rebound attempts. There was one in particular that was just funny.

I managed to get the puck in the center of the offensive blue zone, but I lost my balance for some reason. Anyway, while I was on my knees I was using my stick to fend of the other team while I was trying to pass the puck toward the net, hopefully to one of my teammates. Well, that was the intention anyway, because I couldn't get my blade on the puck. I had to have flailed at it three times before the other team managed to get it away from me.

At the beginning of the game, it was said that their goalie was playing injured. I'm not so sure about the injury, but we were just eating him up. We were dominating the game so badly that our goalie yelled at us after the first period. He said, "You guys have got to play more defense, I'm just taking way too many shots this game." Then one of the guys asked him how many shots he took and answered 2. We just busted out laughing. Anyway, the second period didn't get much better. Therefore, he decided to take things into his own hands. He skated across the court and traded sides with their goalie. Therefore, we were shooting against our own goalie. It was certainly a sight to see. It was also interesting to see how he would stand up to us and us to him.

He didn't finish the game unbeaten, but he certainly slowed the scoring streak we were putting on the other goalie. After the game, I asked him how it was defending against us. He said something along the lines of, you guys are ferocious. Granted that was a comment toward the team as a collective, not a line breakdown. However, it does let me feel more confident about our chances going into the playoffs. We fully expect to take the first round(s) easily and advance to the finals. We expect to play the Torhs in the finals. As mentioned before, we have a 1-2 record against them. I think that once we make it there to play them, it will be a final to watch.

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Bruins at Knights - Hockey League - Week #12 - Game 11

This week's game really brought a trend to light. Thus far, all season, only one team has consistently brought all of its players to play every weekend. That would be my team. The least players we've ever had on a weekend was eight. Each team is filled with ten players, which includes a goalie. The weekends where we had eight players was when our goalie didn't show. Therefore, our bench has always held two lines minimum. Well, this week also showed us the converse of our situation. The Knights only had 5 skaters available. Talk about being dog tired after the game is over. Those shifts were seriously long.

As you can imagine, with two full lines against barely one, we had a distinct upper hand. This game was a no-contest event. We handily won this game, but you couldn't tell by how we were playing. We're all there to play and it would appear that we, as a team, don't care one way or the other (winning or losing) to adjust our game. We pushed them as hard, if not harder, at the end of the game as compared to the beginning of the game.

For me, this was a dangerous game to play. Somehow, the previous week, I managed to misplace my mouth guard. As most of you know, I have put a considerable amount of money into repairing my teeth. To play a game with as much potential for damage as hockey without protection is just foolish. Well, there wasn't much I could do about it once I was at the court. I played this game without one. Thankfully, nothing happened to my teeth during the game, but this situation isn't something I want to readily reproduce any time soon. Additionally, when I was searching my gear for my guard, I discovered that the lining of my equipment bag has ripped. All three of the pockets were bleeding into the center area. I guess it was past time to get a replacement. I can't remember how many different sports I had used this bag to transport equipment or for how many years I had done so.

As far as my performance this week, I felt I played more physical based on what I had learned the week before. Unfortunately, at the end of the game I was still minus on the +/- shift chart (I think). During these past 10 games, I have come to realize that my shift is weak on allowing odd man rushes and being too forward most of the time. This week, I made a conscience effort to try to contribute in the avoidance of odd man rushes. However, since they expect me to be playing offense, I wasn't able to do a very good job of this. Although, when we were in our blue zone trying to play defense as a team, I managed to contribute a few times to the rush up court.

There were two such occasions that really frustrated me. There were two times that I was on a 2-on-1 rush with Woods. He was carrying the puck into the offensive blue zone and I was his cross court help. Neither time did he even show the thought of trying to make a pass to me. Granted, both times he scored, but when we're winning so well against an opponent, it would be nice if they would give us, other not-so-well-skilled guys, a chance. However, I was a good teammate and I didn't say anything to him or the other guys on the team.

As for injuries, I managed to leave the court with a bruised knee. It took a couple of days, but it really wasn't much to fuss about. A little bit of stiffness for a couple of days and a little bit of discomfort bending it to walk stairs or to sit, but not a big deal.

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Fliers at Bruins - Hockey League - Week #11 - Game 10

Well, we've played the Fliers a couple of times by now. I'm sure you can guess at the outcome. Chalk-up another game into the win column for us. Instead of getting into the synopsis of the game and what transpired, I wanted to throw out some information that was noteworthy by my teammates and my game-play recap.

Woods, one of my teammates that plays for The Syndicate. The Syndicate is an AIHL team based out of the arena that we play in. Yes, he is that good. Anyway, he took an opportunity to embarrass the goalie with only a few seconds left in the game to put away the last goal of the game. It was just sickening to watch and I have to give him credit for being able to put the puck in the net in the way he did it. He managed to get a breakaway opportunity and was dekeing as you would expect, but what he did at the end was simply amazing. He faked right, pulled the puck left and put it behind him and took a behind the back, backhand shot thru his legs and beat the goaltender. It was just an amazing feat.

My game-play this week wasn't anywhere in the neighborhood of that stellar performance. However, I did have a revelation this week. With how badly we've been destroying this team on the court, I felt that I should have more puck time. Well, this did happen. However, I wasn't able to accomplish much when I touched the puck. I did managed to get an assist this game, but that was it. Each other time I touched the puck, something stupid would happen. I finally got frustrated with my own game play and decided to channel that energy toward the other team.

I discovered in playing a more physical game, I was getting more opportunity to get my stick on the puck. With getting the stick on the puck more often, that would allow me to be a more productive member of the team. Apparently mental attitude to the game really effects things. I had spent most of the season thinking that I can't stand up to these guys; they are much better than me. However, I didn't realize how much that was effecting my game-play. Therefore, once I started getting physical, this aversion seemed to go away and my involvement increased dramatically.

One other thing happened this night that was new. I managed to play a game and not leave with an injury or with a failure in my equipment. This was a pretty good thing seeing that Monday would bring my first anniversary married to Angel and her mother was visiting. I'm not sure what she would have thought if I would have come home limping or something.

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More yardwork

It's hard to believe how much time and effort can go into a yard when you have one. Granted it has been months since Bob and I have gotten to the backyard to do anything. We did clean up work in the springtime to finally get a few years worth of leaves cleaned up. Then it was the other day that I decided to some maintaining in the front yard. And when I was taking some of the leaves and stuff into the very back of the backyard I noticed that the backyard needed some attention. Over the summer with high winds and some of the storms that did come through there were a good amount of branches and twigs down.

Well, with it being fall and leaves starting to fall. I figured I can see the ground now. It would be beneficial to pick up as much as I can now so it will be easier on us later when we go to rake. We finally received much needed rainfall the other day. And to my surprise not to many leaves came down. But, what did surprise me were all the new branches that I found. It was a light to moderate rain not to much high wind. And also noticed that part of a tree had come down by the property line in the back.

Who knows when the tree came down. Seeing that when I was cleaning up earlier in the week I wasn't in that part of the yard. So, that could have come down sometime over the summer. It's just part of a small tree and it was caught by some growth and another tree. So, the fence that is in the back hasn't been touched by it.

With what we have done so far it is a learning experience with what we have

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Our Trip Home

As many of you know, Bob and I had made a trip up to the Burg a few weeks ago. And I do apologize to those we couldn't get together with. It was just a whirlwind of a weekend as much of them seem to be starting to become lately.

I can't speak for Bob but I know that for myself I was really looking forward to having a few days off. It isn't often that I take time off from work. I was really starting to feel the need for some vacation time. Well, the time that we had at home was much more relaxing for Bob than it was for me.

Our time home started out with me heading to a court hearing with my parents. Granted I didn't need to be there but, I wanted to be there for moral support for my sister-in-law; stressful mind you. I haven't seen my brother in a year and haven't talked to him in the same length of time. So, I wasn't sure how this was going to go with him and then seeing his new girlfriend for the first time. To top the day off, I got a parking ticket while we were there. Fortunately, my Mom was with me and fought it. The ticket went away and we continued on our merry way. We had a family get together that evening which was wonderful. I love how loud the house gets with all the kids being together (one of the things that I do truly miss).

Unfortunately one of the neighbors passed away. Mom and I went to a funeral on Friday. She was a really sweet lady that always made sure that she at least said hello to you. She always had a smile on her face and that's how I'll always remember her.

Bob and I went to the rehearsal dinner for one of our friends weddings. It was great to spend time with the bride and groom before the day of the wedding. Then Bob and I went out afterwards and ran into one of his old friends. So it made it a great ending of a fun evening.

Saturday Bob and I attempted to attend the ceremony but because of different circumstances we missed it. But, we did go to the reception at the zoo which was fun. It wasn't what we were thinking that it would be for the type of environment. Think about it; a wedding reception at the zoo. We were both thinking that we would probably be walking around and being able to see the animals. Quite the contrary, it was a typical reception with no walking around the zoo at all. The area was covered by a huge tent. A dance floor in the middle and buildings close by for restrooms and things like that.

With how the week was for me it was great to have a fun filled evening and being able to relax. When we left we got into a car accident. Which infuriated me. It was my car that Bob was driving and this teenager, by the way it sounded, was going to run the light until he saw us pulling out. He slammed on the brakes with the roads being wet, slid through the intersection and into my front bumper. Thank God that Bob inched out. Anyone that knows Bob, knows that this typically isn't like him at all. If it wasn't for that little thing, we would have been hit driver side tire, if we were lucky. This would have caused us to not be able to drive home. I jumped out of the vehicle and made sure that everyone in the other car was fine. After that I yelled at this kid to just get off the road. My main concern at that point was other people doing the same thing and causing more damage. At this point, I knew that my car was drivable to get home and I wanted to keep it that way.

I now have a new front bumper but, I was not happy that on our first anniversary I had to go driving around and get estimates for it. His parents paid us out of pocket for the damage to my vehicle. Yes, I knew, and still know, that I would have had every right to chew the kid out. But, seeing how he was acting and how his father was treating him, it was clear that he wouldn't hear the end of it for a while. So, why make things worse then they are? By the way it sounds, this kid will be taking the bus everywhere for a long time.

By time Bob and I got back to my parents house he had looked at me and said that I needed a vacation from my vacation. I felt the same way. I told him that the way the week was going for me why not add this accident into the whole mix.

I will admit that I'm really looking forward to our next trip home at the end of this month, knowing that it won't be nearly as stressful as last time.

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Bruins at Torhs - Hockey League - Week #10 - Game 9

Here we go again, playing the best team in the league. However, this week, we managed to get lucky. The Torhs goaltender was MIA. They recruited another tender to stand in, but this really put them at a disadvantage. If you recall, each time we've been pitted against this team, we've put up quite a fight.

The absent goaltender was just the edge that we needed. Contrary to what the SGAAsports.com website indicates, we did beat the Torhs. And it wasn't just by a last minute goal either. We won by 3 points.

Much of this game remains a blur. It was just amazing. We made the first strike, then we extended our lead, and at one point, we had the Torhs sitting at a 3-0 deficit. I don't think this team is used to being on the losing side of the scoreboard. To eventually take this game to a win was not by any means simple. I can recall sitting thru several shifts. This game was just going to well and I was not responding as fast as the other members of the team when players needed relief. Don't get me wrong, I got playing time, but not as much as most of the other members of the team. I can remember at one point when the score was tied that our scoring line stayed on the court for three straight shifts. No one wanted them to come off of the court, including them. Although, you could see that they were getting winded, you could see that they'd been out there too long, but they were not giving up. They were still scoring goals and were able to fend off the Torhs from taking the lead. I cannot recall a single time when they had the upper hand.

There was one point in the game that I do want to mention. Midway thru the third period, I got to take a shift and after a single, short play, I was pulled off of the court. This was not the first time this had happened during this game. After being the third or so time that this had occurred, I was finally frustrated enough to say something about it. I rolled over to Joel and asked him what was going on, why was I pulled? He said that he wanted to win at all costs and that he pulled me when the Torhs most dangerous player reentered the play. Therefore, he wanted a stronger player to take him head on. I wasn't pleased about the call, but with a chance to defeat the only undefeated team in the league, I was able to let it go.

My game play really didn't contain anything worth mentioning. I didn't do anything exceptional, right or wrong. The only thing that I can vaguely recall was a stand-up defensive play in the neutral zone that generated yells from the bench. I recall colliding head on with an offensive player and managed to not only not hit the floor, but managed to acquire the puck and get it to another teammate to reverse the play's momentum.

After this game was over, I had quite a serious pain in my shoulder. I was having issues lifting my right arm parallel with my shoulder and other type movements. The pain wasn't caused explicitly under weight, it would show up empty handed also. Well, I managed to tolerate the pain for just a few days and then it left just as suddenly as it started. I am not certain that this was hockey related because I think there was a morning that I woke up with the same sort of pain, but I can't remember what day it was. For all I can remember, it could have been a figment of my imagination. Anyway, as I'm sure you can infer, I can't recall what caused the injury. I'm just glad that it wasn't so serious that it didn't impede my ability to execute my Army duty that followed on the next three days.

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Redwings at Bruins - Hockey League - Week #9 - Game 8

Ok, well, I've been silent for quite a few weeks. I'm not going to get as in depth as usual because the details are not so fresh. However, I will try to get the details that I can recall to you.

This game was quite exciting for us. The Redwings were in a bad way this week. They had to recruit players from other teams to have a large enough roster to play and didn't appear to be on their game. They were definitely not on the same game as when they beat us in the first week of the season. Therefore, we handily (more or less) put them away, however, the scoreboard didn't quite demonstrate how one sided this game really was.

From the start of this game, we were in control of the court. Our team was clicking in a way that I had yet to see so far this season. However, it may not have been clicking such much as our scoring line was stepping up their game as individuals. There were several guys that just stood out throughout the night. Lane even managed to have another natural hat-trick in just a 2 or so minute period of time. We won this game, however, the score and margin escape me. The important thing to know is that we hit the .500 mark (4/4) with this win.

As for my performance, I can recall that my line kept sending me to the net. There were a minimum of 2 opportunities for me to get the puck in the back of the net and I couldn't pull the trigger for one reason or another. There was one instance, the best of the instances, where the defense man had me in a strong stick check and I couldn't get my stick to move in a forward direction. I had a wrap around attempt that the goalie handily covered and the last opportunity that I can recall was when I tried to take a shot from the top of the right face-off circle. The shot had some zip on it, however, it was just too dead center. I hit the goalie in the center of his chest. I was really hoping to take the shot and allow one of my teammates to get the rebound. That clearly didn't work when the goalie was able to cover it with ease. However, there was one play in which I was able to rack up my second point in the season. I got an assist when I was able to pass across the rink from left wing to the right wing and he was able to score.

As for my weekly update for injuries, I left this game with a pain in my knee. I don't remember what I did to cause the injury, but I did limp around the house for a few days. It wasn't anything serious, otherwise the pain would have been more severe and longer lasting.

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Bruins at Knights - Hockey League - Week #8 - Game 7

Ok, another game in the books. This was our second match-up with the Knights. The last time we played them, we had handily beat them. As it later panned out, the goalie that we had for the first game with them would become our permanent goalie. However, he missed this game for some reason. His replacement was not a bad man to man the net. He did a wonderful job keeping the puck out of the net when we didn't leave him out to dry. Also, our offense didn't come into the game full force until the third period.

Our team play was not nearly as bad as it was during our last game. We were playing well, but we were just not finding a shooting channel at the net often enough and when we did, it wasn't frequently finding the back of the net. Although, it was getting there often enough to keep us in the game. At the end of the second period, we were down two or three goals.

There were three specific instances that I found noteworthy during the second period. The first was a beautiful no-look backhand top shelf goal scored by one of my teammates while we were short handed. It was just amazing. He was on a rush and the first couple efforts were blocked. He managed to reach a loose puck with only a glance at the net and put it in. I think it was this goal that turned the momentum from the other team to ours.

The second instance was a scary one. I realized that I had dangerously forgotten my cup while I was suiting up. This really made me take pause when I was playing on the offensive at the net. Anyway, unrelated, There was one situation where a shot was taken and caught my skate. I am not certain if the goalie would have been in position to stop the shot, I just hate to have been in the way of a shot that the goalie would have had an issue with. The goalie for this team is most easily beaten with low shots.

Lastly, right before the end of the period, there was a turnover at the red line near the boards where I was close to the play. Unfortunately, I was unable to wrestle the puck off of them. This play eventually lead to another goal for them. During the between period rest, my teammates told me that in that situation I should have played the body and risk the penalty. Yes, they were telling me to check him on the boards. The way the play panned out, the puck was in between his skates when I got there. I stopped short of hitting him (and the boards) and I was trying to play the puck. Well, I guess if I had put a shoulder on him that I could have prevented that goal. I'm not exactly certain how I feel about that mentality. My skating ability is already bad enough when it comes to stopping, but do I really what to "Bob Stop" against another person? I might have to find a compromise in between a "Bob Stop" and a check to avoid the penalty and still come away with a better opportunity at the puck. I'll let you know how that works out the next time I have that type of opportunity.

Once the third period starting buzzer rang, it was as if a switch was flicked and it was on. Lane, one of the guys on the team, just turned it on. The first few shifts of the period were somewhat lopsided. We spent the majority of the time on offense, but were unable to produce. Around the 8 minute mark, Lane turned it on. He scored a hat-trick in less than a three minute time period. Ironically, each play was almost a single man effort. From the red line to the net, it was all him for each goal. His speed is amazing and his stick handling is suiting for his speed. It was a real spectacle to see him turning on the moves. His hat-trick put us in the lead for the first time in the game. This would be the last lead change of the game.

We move one step closer to .500 to 3/4. If you would like to see the standings, team win/loss records, or pending schedules, you can find them here:

League Schedule
Team Win/Loss Schedule
League Standings

It would appear that the "draft league" wasn't very well executed according to the current standings. I would not expect a properly executed draft league to happen to be so lopsided or so predicatively so. Granted, going into this league, I wouldn't have known one way or the other, however, my teammates had told me so when we played them the first week. Although, it is good to know that each time we've played them thus far, we've been in the hunt.

So, as for my play, I am not certain that my game play is improving. I happen to be touching the puck more often than in the first couple of games, but my passing and stick handling are not improving. I guess once I can reliably get a handle on the puck I will begin improving in the passing and handling areas. If I had to say anything was going well in my play, it would have to be on the back check role. I am doing well at pressuring the other team into mistakes taking the puck out of their zone. Anyway, after this game, I had a short chat with a teammate. I truly trust his opinion. He has been honest with me thus far and he was the one that called me Rudy. I asked him if I seemed to be improving at all. Without being blunt about it, he said that my stick handling & passing needed work and that as long as they keep me playing offense and I stay in position, more opportunities should present themselves in time.

Angel was able to catch this game and she had an interesting point of view to present. Since she's missed several games and was seeing me skate again for maybe the third time, I think she has an objective point of view. So, she noticed an improvement in my skating. I'm not sure if it was a true improvement or if it was more related having gotten back into the swing of things and neither can she. It has only been this season that she has watched me play.

Stay tuned for more game updates to come in the following weeks.

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Driving Rant - Highway Driving Sans Radar Detector or With?

To continue in the series of posts regarding the ideas that I contemplated during my quiet drive from PA to GA, this next installment will address the use of a radar detector. As I know it has been noticed, I have a lead foot. Well, due to this, it has crossed my mind several times about purchasing a radar detector.

I know several people that swear by them and won't drive without them. However, the only times that I've ever driven with one was when I borrowed THay's car. I really found it to be extremely annoying. The only time the damn thing made any noise, it was just picking up stray radiation, never had I been in the car when it detected a gun.

Now, this is a stat that I'm sure you will find amazing. In all of my years of driving, I have only ever received two tickets for speeding. Once was on Ohio River Blvd on my way home from work one spring from DPI in Emsworth. I am uncertain what method was used to clock me, however, I am pretty sure it was VASCAR, not radar. The other time I was caught, it was in WV on my way home last year for Thanksgiving. I know for certain that radar was not in use for that one. The policeman used his speedo to determine my speed since he was tailing me and I didn't realize it.

So, with my two tickets, having had a detector would have done me absolutely no good. On the other hand, if I were to buy a radar detector, to avoid a single speeding ticket would make it worth it. I can't recall the cost of my first ticket, but the second one exceeded $150. Generally speaking, a detector will run you about that much. Therefore, if I were to finally break down and buy one, any time I am able to avoid being pulled over for speeding is money in my pocket. However, how often will that really occur?

I know for certain that there have been several times that I have passed highway patrol during my interstate trips and have wondered why they didn't pull me over. I know for certain that I was caught dead-to-rights. Sometimes I think that it might have something to do with my license plate. However, the NG emblem on my plate is pretty small and hard to identify unless you are directly behind me on the highway. Therefore, I really think that I have to exclude that as a defense. Therefore, why do police not bother pulling me over? Am I speeding within their tolerance range for wanting to pull over drivers? Maybe, but not always. I can't explain it.

Owning and using a radar detector is not a fool-proof way around a speeding ticket. As I mentioned, I've been clocked via VASCAR and by speedo. However, those are not the only things to take into consideration. How about Virginia? Within the entire state, it is illegal to have a radar detector in use. Furthermore, even having one mounted in your car should you be pulled over is enough to anger a cop and land you with an additional ticket and potential confiscation of your device. I don't know how many other states have similar laws, but from PA to GA, VA is the only one.

Anyway, I don't have an answer to this debate. What I do know though, is that I know many more people that don't have them than do. I think that this statistic alone is enough to answer the question. However, I would like to open up the floor to hear what you guys have to say. Is the cost of a radar detector worth the peace of mind and potential lack of tickets that they claim to avoid?

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Life in the South - Insect Combat

So, here we go again. More interesting experiences with insects in the south. However, of the insects to be covered, only one of them are actually new to me. Before I get into what happened, let me paint the picture for what I was actually doing today.

After waking up and running a few errands, I decided that between the rain we've been getting lately and the amount of time since the last time it had been done, it was time to cut my grass. Typically, this is an uneventful task. Grab the lawnmower, push it around for while, and in time, you'll be done. Then, if you are like me, you'll pull out the weed whacker and do some touch-up work. So, this was the plan and the intention for my work today. Well, for the most part, these tasks were completed. However, not without some hurdles along the way.

The first notable thing of the day took place a few times. Ants. There were 4 noticeable ant hills in my yard. 1 in the front yard, 2 in the backyard, and one to the left of our patio. Thankfully, all of the hills I encountered were blank ants. Otherwise, I would have much more to complain about after being swarmed by fire ants. Anyway, of the 4 mounds that I had to deal with, only two of them were active. By the time I was done addressing their mounds, I'm quite certain that they were not happy with me.

When I came into proximity of their colonies, I made sure to seriously reduce the size of their mounds. I doubt that I will discourage them from continuing residence in my yard with what I did, but I'm sure I caused the colony some serious discomfort. I started out with running the mower blade over the top of the mound. Nothing special, just putting a tornado over their home. From there, I would push & pull the mower across a few times and do another static run. This does a good job at taking the first few layers of dirt off the mound. It also lets them know you are there and tearing down their home. To finish off the destruction, I pull the mower back and scrub the ground with the front wheels of the mower to bring the mound down to level followed by another static run to disperse the loosened dirt. By this point, the mounds is full of action and they're pissed.

Now, DO NOT try this on a fire ant mound. If you have never been exposed to these vicious insects, please take my word on it. I personally have not allowed myself to be bitten by these hostile bugs, but I have seen other people react to them and have heard stories. The stories have been enough for me to know to give them their berth.

My next nature encounter involved a very unexpected insect. To protect the squeamish amongst us (yes, you mom), I will not post a picture. If you want to see the thing that I'm about to describe, check out the link that I will provide. Anyway, I was doing my thing, cutting the grass and had to get close to the house. In getting close to the house, I had to address the two small areas that are inset from the fireplace and chimney. Well, after getting the outer weeds that were accumulating here, I was working on getting closer to the house. Well, no sooner was a calling the first inset done, I caught some movement in my peripheral vision.

Once I was able to identify what moved, I damn near jumped out of my skin. There was a spider in a web attached to my house. Ok, this doesn't sound like a big deal. However, what I didn't tell you was how LARGE it was. This thing was about 3" in diameter from leg tip to leg tip. I am NOT exaggerating. I am serious about the size. No only was this thing huge, it was black with extremely vibrant yellow spots, and had some serious fangs on its face. Now, this encounter did not send me running for cover, but it did give me some pause. I let it be and took a walk next door. I asked my neighbor, whom is a southern native, to have a peek. I knew it wasn't a black widow and it wasn't a recluse, but due to its size, I really wanted a second opinion as to what it was and if I should want to kill it or let it be.

I know spiders are generally good things to have in your yard but, you know how it is, stereotypes don't always apply to all members of the group being reviewed. Therefore, I wanted some other input. After getting my neighbor's entire family out of their house, they were quite calm and cool about it. They said, without a doubt, don't worry about it, it is harmless. Then they said it could be either a banana spider or a wolf spider. Interestingly, when I searched for them, these options looked worse than what I had encountered. Both suggestions are not usually found to the size of the guy (actually girl, the male variety is smaller and less colorful) I found. However, I was able to find this creature online that represents what I found today. The Black & Yellow Argiope is what I found.

The black & yellow argiope is an absolutely harmless spider to humans. However, I don't recommend surprise encounters with them. They will get your attention in a hurry. Anyway, after being reassured that I didn't have to be worried about this creature, I moved on to finish cutting my grass. Well, thankfully, the grass cutting was completed successfully. However, the weed whacking took insect encounters to a whole new level.

I was just about to finish up for the night when something very alarming occurred. While I was progressing in the front yard with the weed whacker, I managed to piss off some of my unwanted residents. I had a neighbor tell me that they were there, but when I searched last, I was unable to find them. Well, I guess I had forgotten about the warning. I was whacking along and then, almost simultaneously, felt pain in my wrist, elbow, and chin. It didn't take me long to realize that I was getting stung. Anyway, I encountered a yellow jacket nest. Absolutely NO fun.

As soon as the realization hit home, I turned tail and ran around my yard. I didn't stop running until I got to the back yard. In that short period of time, there were a few things that occurred of note. My weed whacker is gas. Right before I started to run, I released the throttle, however, once I got across the yard, it occurred to me that I need to stop the engine before I toss the machine. It is amazing how quickly all of this occurred and conversely how long it felt like it took. Once the motor was stopped, I dropped it and kept running. In between turning tail and dropping the weed whacker, I realized that there was something on my face. I distinctly recall taking two swipes at my chin. Well, once I realized that they were not chasing after me any longer, I started to take stock of my damages.

I found that the stinger and part of the tail end of a bee was left in my wrist, I couldn't see where the sting occurred by my elbow and obviously, I couldn't see my own face in the yard. In addition to the stinger being present, I was shaking. I guess it was adrenaline kicking there. Anyway, it was my right wrist and elbow that got the hits. I'm right handed and Angel was at work. So, I made another trip to my neighbor's house. They hooked me up by removing the singular stinger we could find and some sting soothe. Once we finished addressing my stings, we sought to terminate the existence of these violent pests. Thankfully, I had already purchased a can of yellow jacket nest killing foam spray. We zapped the nest and headed in the house.

Well, this put an end to any further yard work. Instead of continuing on my yard work duties, I invited the guys in for an introduction to some high-end whiskey. I pulled out the bottle of Old Weller 107 and gave the guys about a shot on ice in a tumbler. They were most impressed. As was I when I first got to experience what it is. What a fine way to forget about the previous few events and wind down.

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Network Rebuild

Well, since I've told you about the WiFi Upgrade, More Network Woes, and then the Network Progress, I felt that it would be appropriate to provide you an update with where the network as gone to where stands right now as a result of all of this turmoil. I also truly hope that this will be where my network status remains for some time to come.


To start things off, I'm going to show you what my network looks like now. Then I will explain how and why it got to be this way. As I am pretty sure you've noticed, it looks considerably different from where things started before the lightning stuck my network.

The first couple things that should jump out at you is that my WiFi router is now directly connected to the cable modem and my phone adapter is in a DMZ. Yes, DMZ stands for Demilitarized Zone; networking has one of these also. Anyway, these two devices have swapped places because of an issue I encountered immediately following the installation of the new phone adapter.

As soon as I got my new adapter, I knew I had killed WAY too many peak time cell phone minutes, so I was quite excited about getting it up and running ASAP. After all was said and done, I had gone over 215 minutes OVER my calling plan for the month. But I digress, once the new adapter was put into place at the head of my network, in the old location, I started to experience issues. These issues were that my VPN connection to work would not remain stable. I thought I was having issues with my Internet connection. So, I dealt with it for a while. However, when I was done working, I was still having the same issue with my other computer w/o a VPN connection. Therefore, troubleshooting started. I rebooted my entire network. Unfortunately, this didn't fix a damn thing.

Later, I decided that I needed to see if I could find log files on one of my network devices to determine what was happening. Was this issue in my network or in my connection. Well, this new phone adapter device is drastically different, in a good way, from that of the Linksys device that was replaced. One of the unique values that are readily displayed on the status screen within the admin module for the device is its up-time. This up-time value was very telling. Every time I would experience an issue with my Internet connection and I would look at the up-time value for this device, it would tell me it in seconds.

This was obviously what identified this as the issue. Because of the successful identification of the issue, I called my service provider, Teleblend. I am not going to tell you all of the details associated with my experience with their tech support. That could be a rant all of its own. What I will tell you is that they were less than useful. Thankfully I am not a typical service provider. I took matters into my own hands. I moved this device from being the first stop in my network to being within my network. This move is where the DMZ came from. In order to ensure all of the SIP protocol communication reached this device, DMZ was the answer. With a DMZ, any inbound communication requests will do to an assigned location if the requests were not already being forwarded to a different device. Therefore, there wasn't a functional difference between how the device would be working whether it was first or second on the network. Therefore, using the DMZ allowed me to maintain a stable Internet connection AND utilize my VoIP service.

Once you get past the swap in location of the WiFi router and the phone adapter, the next thing you may notice is that there is a new device in the diagram. Well, you might think that, but not really. The network switch included in the new diagram was present in the old configuration. Just this time I felt like documenting it. You might be asking, with 2 routers with 4 port switches with a combined total of 7 ports on the network already, what do I need another switch for. Well, the answer is simple. There is only one CAT-5 drop in my office and I currently have 2 computers in there. Although, I haven't touched the second machine in a couple of weeks and should be returned to USBank shortly, but that depends on them. I have requested the shipping materials, labels, and so forth and have yet to receive them. Until that point, I will keep it up while I still have it. Therefore, to keep both machines up in the office, I have added the switch.

One additional change you may notice is the lack of DHCP addresses on two of the workstations. In my last network update, I mentioned that I was able to get the routers to play nicely with one another and using the wired router's WAN port. Well, this introduced a bit of a problem. I couldn't get the DHCP configuration to play nicely. I'd rather have the physical configuration that I want and deal with the software configuration manually. I have yet to put major effort into figuring out this DHCP issue and thus, the two workstations are currently static that are attached to this router.

In getting the two routers to play nicely, I had to set some static route points on the wifi router so it could acknowledge the wired network. On the wired router, I had to disable NAT (Network Address Translation). Google it if you are that interested. However, even when I had the wired router's DHCP server enabled, the workstations would not pick it up. But, if I were to assign static IPs to the machines, they started working just peachy. I don't know what the deal is, but for the time being, I'm not too worried about it. I don't foresee adding any new devices to the wired network any time soon anyway.

The last thing I completed, although it is likely pretty noticeable in the diagram, is the location of my server. I moved the server from being directly attached to the wifi router to being behind the voice adapter. The voice adapter is the DMZ after all. I felt that it only made sense that my external responding server should be there also. Ironically, moving the sever from one network segment to another was more difficult than it has any right to have been. Just like when I had to replace the NIC from the power surge, I had to do a bit of fighting to get this to work.

Before changing the IP in the server, I removed the port forwarding configuration in the WiFi router configuration. I then added the port forwarding to the phone adapter configuration. I left the server in its old location. The server reconfig was to be the last step so that hopefully, if I did it all correctly, it would just plug in and work. Well, in reconfiguring the server to be in different subnet, I initially reassigned the IP address, broadcast address, and local network. Once I completed this, restarted the network adapter and recabled the server into the LAN port of the phone adapter. I expected it work.

Of course, this was asking too much. In attempt to identify where the configuration was lying, I moved the switch to be behind the network adapter and cabled in my laptop. I have Apache installed on my laptop, so the standard tests to see if the network was prepared properly would apply to port 80. Well, to my surprise, it worked on the first try. Additionally, my laptop was able to communicate to the server with the ability to pull the website and SSH for remote access to the server. Therefore, my webserver hosting issues were not network device related. However, with all of the issues I've encountered along the way, I couldn't get the possibility of a network issue out of my head. I was so stumped as to what the issue could have been, I called Exile for assistance. He agreed it was a network related issue, but in the server network configuration, not the external network devices. He recommended that I research how IPTables as configured against this NIC.

Once I pulled up a list of all of the firewall filters and took some time to review them seriously, I was unable to identify any rules that would be causing my server to not respond to my requests. I then spent a ton of time searching for where the IPTables log information was being stored, but was unsuccessful. As it turns out, it wasn't relevant anyway. During my Google search, I came across a forum post that referenced the routes file in the same location as ifcfg-eth1 file. Well, this was the key. Once I opened this file, I realized immediately what this file contained. With all of the configuration settings stored in the ifcfg-eth1 file, the Default Gateway was not defined in there. Since I was moving the server from 172.16.2.0 to 172.16.4.0, the Default Gateway needed to be changed. So, as you can guess, once I made this configuration modification everything just popped in. Isn't networking and system administration fun?

In conclusion, if I set up the DMZ and server correctly (which I'm not sure I did or can readily prove), this should isolate my server from the rest of my network. For example, I am unable to access the server from my laptop by its local IP for SSH. In order to talk to my server over SSH, I must access my network's public IP. However, I can pull the server's website up via its local IP. I think this is a good indicator that I might be close at least. Therefore, if my DMZ is hacked, the rest of my machines should be safe. However, since I can't access my UI on my Linux server with any useful results, I guess I won't know until I rebuild it, replace it, or put my network switch back into the same network as the server and see what I can do. This is not an invitation for a hacker to try. However, if anyone has any suggestions how to better isolate my DMZ from my internal network, I am all ears.

Later.

Edit: I am unable to access my server by its IP address from within my network. I discovered today that the browser caching the response. Therefore, the only way I am able to access the server is to traverse the external route that the general public uses.

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Update's on our rainfall

As I'm sure everyone has heard on the news about Fay. Pretty much the last of her rainfall came through the other day. I have yet to hear an update of where we are to date on lack of rain. After what we have received, I'm sure we are getting closer to where we need to be.

But, hearing on the news the other night we will be receiving more rain at the beginning of next week from this new hurricane Gustav (I'm hoping that is the proper name and spelling). Sounds like he is going to be a pretty big storm when he hits the U.S.

Now as I hear there is another storm behind Gustav named Hannah. After hearing this I know that we will be getting the rain that we needed to get out of this drought. After or during each of these storms I'll give you updates of how we fair.

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Driving Rant - The Drivers Utopia

The second installment in the rant is not so much a rant but it is a reflection on my favorite part of the drive from Pittsburgh to Atlanta and vice versa. There is a section of road in WV that is just fun to drive. By fun, I mean it is akin to a road course track. The road just continuously turns in a cutback fashion that is a real way to see where your driving skills are at and how your car handles.

When I'm driving this section of road, there is not a preference of driving north to south or south to north. If there is any preference, it would be on the drive north. This direction gives you a gradual introduction into the turns. You can slowly realize you are in this area. Conversely, during the drive to the south, you suddenly find yourself in the turns and they eventually fade out.

Please keep in mind, this area is not always fun or anywhere close to safe in which to screw around. The majority of driving in WV is in the mountains and is prone to bad weather. Snow, rain, and/or fog will really make this area more "fun" than it has any right to have. Although, if you catch this section when it is clear, day or night, you can put the pedal down and really challenge yourself and your car.

This segment of road that is so much fun is between mile marker 57 and 99 on I-79. However, this is not 42 miles of continuous twists and turns. I think that there are really three sections in this 42 mile stretch. When driving north, you will get on to I-79 from Route 19 at marker 57. From mile 57 to 69 the turns are gentle and are very spread out. During this 12 mile segment, you can slowly ramp up your speed and see what you are willing to handle. However, these turns are slightly more gentle than the ones in the later sections of this road. You may not even realize that you are here when you first get here. It isn't until you get into the second section that the frequency and tightness of the turns may catch your attention. From marker 69 through 79 you may begin to realize that the fun is approaching, but these still do not hold a candle to the best section of the road.

Mile marker 79 - 99 is just a constant barrage of turn after turn and hill after hill. These turns are not Indy car sharp, but for an over the road experience, I've yet to find better. I have been able to take these turns in a few different vehicles and I can say that you must pay attention to your car and what it has to tell you.

Before I get into the details of how I have fared while driving this section of highway, I have to explain my standards for this drive. This is exceptional important to discuss because I am not claiming that I've driven through this area the fastest. I have been passed through the main segment of these turns. However, because of the way the people who have passed me were driving, it made my life difficult. My standard is that brakes are not to be used. Only the throttle deceleration is acceptable to make this drive fluid. The people who have passed me through this section would enter the turns way too fast and slam on their brakes to keep their car on the road. I think this is poor a practice. While you are highway driving you are at the mercy of the other drivers on the road. Brake lights don't tell you how much they are braking. Brake lights alone don't tell you why they are braking. Particularly during night driving, they could have seen a cop or in these mountains, worse, a deer.

I feel that brakes should be reserved for very specific circumstances. I believe that the only reasons brakes should be used on the highway is in an emergency situation, to avoid an accident because of slower (not to mention ignorant) traffic, traffic jams, or police in the vicinity. Outside of that, you should maintain a speed that is easy to control and does not require braking into a turn. I understand that there are times when you enter a turn too quickly and have to brake. I'm not perfect, I've entered a turn too hot before and had to brake. However, the cars that I mentioned were braking into every turn, not just one here and there. They were obviously driving way too fast for the conditions.

So, you may be asking yourself, why I don't think braking into a turn is a good idea? Well, I will give you a simple answer. I like my car, my car is more expensive than I would like to pay to have fixed or replaced. If I don't have to brake into a turn, that tells me that I am in full control. When driving in the mountains, such as this segment of highway, conditions can change in a heartbeat. Therefore, if I am comfortable enough with my speed to not brake, then my car is stable enough to help me react to a change in condition more safely than if I were already braking. So, now that you know my standards, lets talk about what I've done.

I've driven an SUV through here and I could barely get to 80 and maintain it safely. The SUV had too high of a center of gravity to try to push it through the turn at a faster speed. Also, the SUV was not mine and I had only as much experience driving it from Pittsburgh to this point of the highway; all highway driving. Not to mention, this vehicle was not built for speed and I acknowledge that. This truck was for comfort and it did that well, just don't ask it to perform like a car because it won't.

I've driven a Hyndai Elantra through here and was pleasantly surprised. It was not too difficult to push the car to doing 90 through here. However, Angel didn't like me pushing her car that fast through the turns (and I'm sure being on the phone didn't help that opinion much either). But I was certainly pleasantly surprised how it handled. However, I think that 90 was about as fast as I could have gone comfortably.

I've driven my current car, Chrysler Sebring convertible several times through this exhilarating gauntlet. I throttle myself to drive it at 90, though, I could go faster. With all of my fearlessness, driving through here faster than 90 just seems reckless. Yeah, I realize that going 20 miles per hour over the speed limit is reckless already, but to push things further would put my life and well being at additional risk.

The first time I made the trip north through this section in the Sebring, I was very surprised. Since this is the first front wheeled drive vehicle I have ever owned, I thought that with certainty that this car would act differently through these turns. I thought I would loose the feeling of the rear of the car. Therefore, I thought I would loose the ability to enjoy the twists and turns like I had before. Well, I was quickly proven wrong when I decided to test myself at this point in the drive. I started out pretty reserved; getting the feel of the car and the road in the earlier sections. I was quick to learn that the feeling of the car on the road was very similar to that which I was used to in my rear wheel cars. This gave me the confidence to push it a bit harder. I think this first time through these turns I may have pushed the envelope to the vicinity of 95. It was so exhilarating and additional confirmation that I did buy the right car for me.

The only other vehicle that I have driven through this area was my 96 T-bird. To date, this has been the gold standard of a vehicle for me to enjoy through here. I could sustain 90 easily through here, yet I doubt that I ever pushed it more than just peaking out at 100. Please keep in mind that triple digits for me is not common.

So, let me put this driving experience into comparison with some other areas that may be a bit more well known.

No, I can't provide an accurate comparison to Mulholland Drive in California. I have never had the opportunity to be on the road regardless of the chance to drive it. The only reason that I know anything about this road and its racing history is due to "Street Rod 2" It had a race over the road in question. However, I have come to learn that the road in the game was not a representation of the road in real life. I guess that isn't a big deal, knowing the name is what was more important from my perspective.

However, for you Pittsburghers (which most of you are), there is a road that I can make a small comparison against. Baldwin Road is very much a fun road to take, particularly in the ascending direction from Rt. 60. I find the uphill to be more exhilarating and much less dangerous than the descending on this part. If I knew the road was closed and could afford the disaster that could result (personally and to my car) I might think about the downhill (but that will never happen). Furthermore, I think it is unreasonably dangerous. There are just way too many things that could go wrong in the tight turns and narrow road. Conversely, in the uphill direction, there is not as much that could go absolutely disastrously wrong. Going up, you are limited by the horsepower the car can contribute and the suspension to keep the car in the correct lane and the wonderful effects of gravity. The speed limit on this road is 35, and under any but the best of conditions is completely reasonable. Although, living in Pittsburgh for as long as I had, I've had plenty of good condition shots at this road.

So, what is so exciting about this 1/2 mile hill climb? Well, it is the tight and blind cutbacks that bring you to the crest of the hill. Of my cars that I've pushed up this hill, my fastest speed has been a sustained ~55 MPH. However, after doing that once, I didn't want to seriously try to match that pace. The adrenaline was pumping that day. That record was set with my '89 T-Bird SC. I haven't owned a car since that I could ever think of getting back up to that speed. The '96 T-Bird didn't have a chance because of the lack of the supercharger on the same engine as the '89 possessed. I have too much respect for my Sebring (well earned respect mind you) to try to tach out in any sort of attempt to compare with my personal record. Also, I think the horsepower to weight ratio is just wrong to put out some real competition with the SC on this hill. Yet, it will still allow me to comfortably pull ~45+ MPH around the bends.

If anyone else has any twisty or tricky roads to share, I'm all ears.

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Hockey - League Week #6

This will be a quickie. This past weekend was a bye week for my team. Therefore, I didn't play and don't have any performance or injury reports this week. Next week is also a down week due to the holiday. I'll provide my next update in about 2 weeks.

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Much needed rainfall

In case you haven't read prior posts or maybe forgot. We have been slowly coming back from a severe drought since last summer. It was stated last year that the only way to recover from it was a tropical storm. Seems like it never fails that Florida gets hit every year with some kind of system. Even if it's not hurricane strength they always get hit with something. One would think that with being the next state up that we would benefit with the rain. Last year it seemed like there was a bubble over most of Georgia.

This summer we are much closer to being out of the drought but still behind on rainfall. Last I heard we were wavering around 12"(not a hundred percent sure when I saw an update last.) behind. Fay did hit Florida about a week ago or so. Last week we were keeping our fingers crossed in northern Georgia that the rain will make it up to us. Fortunately, the weather pattern wrapped herself through Alabama and back to us. So, for the past few days we've been getting rain.

Granted about half of the rain is just light rain but we need whatever we can get. This may not pull us completely out but she will help fill the lakes a little more.

I'm sure the amount of rainfall has been updated over the past few days but with the Olympics going on most of the news has been a big blur for me. I'm sure that most of you don't care but as soon as I hear an update with lack of rainfall I'll update everyone.

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Driving Rant - Driving Amnesia

As the first rant in the series, I would like to discuss something that I have a bit of experience with while driving. I like to call it driving amnesia. This is a situation where you are driving and you have several miles under your belt and you suddenly don't remember getting to where you are at. You can't remember all if any of the details of a segment of your trip.

I'm not saying that you forget everything about every the trip you are making, however, there are holes in your memory that cause you to say, "Wow, I didn't realize I was was this far along." An alternative statement might be, "Hmm, how did I get here?" Or my all time favorite from a passenger, "Where are you going?" and you realize that you are not going in the wrong direction because "auto-pilot" kicked in.

As soon as I had decided to leave the radio off, I consciously decided to not slam any brain cells against any of the projects that I am current working on. I have learned in plenty of previous situations that driving amnesia is much more frequent with these topics. Thinking of code and development concepts requires so much concentration that the events that transpire while flying down the road are discarded before they can be committed to memory.

I have not ever had an accident during one of these mental states, however, I'm pretty sure that it can't be safe. I have recently begun trying to actively avoid allowing the driving amnesia from occurring. In the past, the radio blaring with development project contemplation has almost certainly lead to the forgotten miles under my wheels. Lately, almost any time that I am on the road, it is for a distance. The last thing I need is to allow myself to be whisked into a state of mental occupation and disregard what is going on in front of me. With a monthly pilgrimage north to Greenville and the less frequent travel to Pittsburgh, my trips are far from short.

I have thus far in my life taken for granted that I can safely multitask while driving. Generally people like to blame external items like food, drink, cell phones, iPods, radios, flat panel displays, or even GPS units for taking a driver's attention off of the road. However, I will tell you that the internal distractions can be just as worrisome. Driving is not an act to be taken lightly. If you really think about it, it doesn't take much of a distraction to get into a bad situation that could result in the loss of life. If you take for example that my average driving speed from home to Greenville is often at or above 80 miles per hour, it wouldn't take much at that speed to get into that bad situation.

Something as simple as an inconsiderate driver cutting me off when I'm in my head could cause my reaction time to be impaired. How about something else that could be a little bit less out of my control. What if I were to blow a tire or encounter a suspension or steering assembly failure? What if it wasn't my car, but a car in my vicinity? Either situation would likely lead to a catastrophic ending. In an emergency, reaction time could be the difference between life and death when you're going that fast. Sure some of you may say that with that much speed, the worst can be assumed. You may be right, but do you want to take that risk? I don't think I want to.

Another thing to take into consideration is when you are driving on a trip to be considered interstate. One should generally have enough experience in the vehicle to readily identify what are normal sounds and what are sounds that should raise concern. Since I am always driving my own car when I drive solo interstate, I can easily recognize the good and potentially bad sounds in my car. However, if I were to allow myself to zone out in deep thought, any attempt of my car to give me warning signs about problems could easily be missed. For that matter, cruising down the highway blaring my radio could have the same effect.

So, in conclusion, I am admitting that I have a real tendency to not pay enough attention to what I'm doing when I'm driving. I am also saying that I am going to try to become better at applying enough focus on my driving that I don't end up forgetting how I got to where I am at. I would also like to challenge everyone else to pay more attention to what they are doing while behind the wheel. I know for certain that some people are worse at this than I am (I've never run a red light because I treated it like a stop sign, although, my record is far from perfect). With that, I shall close this first topic and await the responses from you, my reader.

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Driving Rant - Introduction

As I eluded to in my prior post, Pittsburgh - There and Back Again, I am going to start a series of rants. Most of the topics are about driving in one fashion or another, however, some of them began at driving and just happened to run from there. At this time, there appears there are going to be eight subsequent posts to this thread, although that is subject to change. I am already looking at two more round trips to Pittsburgh in the foreseeable future. There is a weekend trip planned on the last weekend of the next two months. Who knows where this topic can go with an additional 45+ hours pending in driving time.

So, you may be asking yourself, where did all of these driving topics originate from? Well there are a couple of simple decisions that result in quite a unique situation. The first of the decisions was to drop the roof in my convertible for the drive home. I like to have my roof down as much as possible. Thus, this wouldn't seem to be an unusual situation. Well, you are absolutely correct, however, what follows the roof being down is that the volume required for the music to be heard comfortably over the rush of wind is higher putting more strain on the amp. Additionally, I was driving during the day. Daylight driving is considerably hotter than nighttime driving. One last point is that this trip I transported my golf clubs. Therefore, they were chilling in my trunk in very close proximity of the 4-channel amp.

This amp is known for cutting out, so when it decided to shut down, it was no real surprise. However, the entire drive to Pittsburgh was done without the amp shutting down. But you need to keep in mind that the conditions were completely opposite. Roof was up, volume was lower, and ambient outside temperature was lower. Yes, the golf clubs were there also, but I'm not sure how much of an impact that they have on the whole equation.

Ok, so now you are thinking, why did the amp shutdown just because the temperature was higher during the day. Well, AB class amplifiers are much less efficient than say a class D amp used for driving sub class speakers. AB amps have to be much more sensitive to frequencies and volume changes in a much wider spectrum than a class D amp. So, since they are less efficient, they generate more heat. The more heat generated, the more potential damage that heat can do over time. Therefore, the manufacturer of the amp put in a temperature sensor to protect the amp from destroying itself or worse if it were to get too hot. Therefore, to protect my equipment and my car even, I am glad that it shuts itself down. However, when it does it, it is quite an annoyance.

I have also noticed when the amp shuts itself down, it has a tendency to only perform for as long as it has been shutdown once the cycle begins. Therefore, my intentions were to leave it down for about an hour. Well, after a while of having it down and spending a bit of time in my head, I decided to just leave it down and see where I end up while in my head.

One of the very first things that I notice is that with the radio off I was able to stay focused on a thought longer. Driving doesn't require a huge mental commitment and thus this trip gave me plenty of time to poke around inside the matrix of my mind. The question I am still asking myself is, "How scary is spending an extended period of time in my head without distraction?" I guess it is a question that really doesn't warrant an answer.

As posts are made as a part of this series, I will update this thread as an index.

Driving Rant Posts:

• Post #1: Introduction
• Post #2: Driving Amnesia
• Post #3: The Drivers Utopia

So, one thing that I would like to stress is that although these posts are going to be more of a personal rant, I would like them to be a catalyst to conversation. Please, feel free to comment if you have an opinion on the topic. Yes, these means even if you agree with me.

So, stay tuned, there is more to come.

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Pittsburgh - There and Back Again

I will try to make this as short as possible, however, I had a jam packed 3 day stay in Pittsburgh. The fun started on Wednesday when I left my home for Pittsburgh at approximately 10 PM. I reached my mom's house at roughly 8:45 AM. The drive was relatively uneventful. Which, when it comes to interstate driving is just about as much as you can ask for. The only complaint that I can make has nothing to do with the drive. My debit card decided to flake out on me. I don't use it very often, and when I do, it is typically in a POS (Point of Sale) machine. Unfortunately, I didn't know that it was not working in ATMs and when I was approaching WV where there are tolls on 77. I was concerned that I would not have enough cash on hand to pay them all since I couldn't remember the total. As fate would have it, it was about this time that I became convinced that my card was useless in an ATM. I tried a DIP reader, Swipe reader and neither one wanted to cooperate. The only thing I didn't try was a mechanical reader and that was only because I didn't find one. Finally, I found a Walmart in Wythville, VA. I made a $0.93 cent purchase to acquire cash for tolls.

As you can imagine, my Thursday was spent primarily sleeping. I crashed out from between 9:30 and 5:15. Once my mom got home, we left for Dana's apt. I got to spend some time with the boys, my dad, my mom, my nephews, and my brother-in-law. After chilling for a short while, dinner was on. After dinner it was a return trip to Dana's apt and spent some more time with my dad. Once my mom got tired enough, she had me take her back home. At this point it was after 10 PM. Therefore, I tossed on the Olympic games and caught Phelps' 7th gold medal win. Following Phelps' performance, I decided that it was time to do something else. Off to the Beehive I was with Tom. We dropped over $10 in quarters in the pinball machines and closed the place. We then played some ping-pong at Dee's and closed them down. From Dee's, we drove up to the West End Overlook and I ran my stereo through its paces for Tom. Well, once it got after 3:30, we called it a night.

Once back to my mom's house, I asked Dana to have me awake around 9:30 so we could go to the mall. Ironically, that didn't happen and it wasn't my fault. She decided to go to sleep after work and Dad had issues waking her up. I woke up on my own at 10:45 and by the time I was done shaving, Dana was present. I finished up my SSS routine and we headed to Dicks. I'm not going to recap the skate purchase debacle since I covered that in a prior post. However, once I was done getting my skates purchased, we headed to Scalley's to use the driving range and Par 3 course. Tom and Erin met us there. Dana's performance on the driving range was less than promising. However, once we got on to the Par 3 course, she kicked some ass. She actually shot better than I did after the 9 hole course. She'd never played anything harder than the Pitch 'N Putt before and she beat me. Well, never-the-less, I didn't care. I just needed the practice before hitting the links at Village Green on Saturday.

To round out the excitement for Friday, the night was planned to have a Munchkin free-for-all. We had a table of 5 to play, what we expected to be several games. To our surprise, a single hand of Cthulu Muchkin took us 3 hours to play. So much for an approximate 60-90 minute game play. I am starting to notice that the number of players is a more telling metric than the number of decks being played. The last time we played as a group in Pittsburgh, the game lasted forever and we were playing Bites and Star. This time we thought that a stand-alone deck would speed things along. Furthermore, I thought that with the alternate "Cult" rules that the game would more along faster. Well, we were surprised once again. After the game was over, Exile & Darkace headed home and the rest of us hung out for a few more hours before calling it a night.

Saturday started much too early. I headed out of Josh & Lisa's house by 7:40 to get the festivities started. I picked up Justin, he wasn't ready (not a big surprise, really), and then picked up Tom. I was surprised at how much trouble I had getting 3 sets of clubs in my trunk again. I figured that I already had done it before, doing it again wouldn't have been a huge deal. Man was I wrong. I don't know how much time I killed trying to get the trunk packed. Even then, we had to take some clubs out of Tom's bag because they were too long. Well, once we got the clubs in the trunk, we headed to Burgettstown. We got to Mike's place at about 9 AM and our tee time was at 9:30. I guess we took our buffer a little too much for granted. When we were supposed to be on the tees we got to the clubhouse.

Immediately following my entry into the clubhouse, a problem develops. My debit card for my primary checking account is MIA (yes, the same one that wasn't working in ATMs). Well, to make this part of the story short, at Scalley's, I put the contents of one of my pockets into my golf bag. Included in this pocket was my debit card. I didn't find my card until I dropped Tom at home much later. I was surprisingly calm about the situation. The way I looked at it, if I had lost it, the person that was going to try to use it was in for a challenge. Anyway, if it were lost, I could call it in before too much time elapsed. But that wasn't required since I did relocate it a bit later in the day.

Don't worry, I'm going to going to detail the outing hole by hole. I will say that my drives were on for as much as I can be on. On average, I would say that I was driving 230. I think my best drive peaked out at 270ish. Now, if I could get my drive to skip the slice, I think a straight flight could get me around the 300 mark. Unfortunately, I don't play enough and doubt I'll ever get that good. Conversely, my putting sucked as usual. It was very few and far between that I got away with less than 3 putts. For some reason, I just can't read the greens. Either I can't get the angle right or I hit the ball with the wrong power. I will say that for me I had a generally good day. I finished out the day with a 112 with only one hole at a 10 stroke. That hole was a really bad one where I just could not get my PW to get the ball on to the green. I was either short or I would fly the green. I guess I need to spend some more time working on my short game. Tom won the day with a 105 and Mike finished slightly ahead of me. I can't remember his score. However, Justin finished with a miserable 140.

Once I got Tom & Justin home, it was time to find out what I would be doing for my Saturday night, of which needed to be an early night. I ended up meeting up with Tyler and Randy for some bowling at Nobel Manor. Between Tyler and I, we put down 7 games. We both were using house equipment. Although, technically I had the advantage (Ty is still going thru physical therapy from his wrist surgery) I was still having a hard time beating him. My best score of the night was a 200 even. Randy met up with us later and put in 2 games with us. It was a good time. It was great to see them both again. For that matter, it was great seeing everyone while I was home. Well, after I completely obliterated any usefulness of my right hand we called it a night.

Using house equipment after throwing a fingertip hook for so long was an experience. I left there unable to put my right hand ring on. As of this writing, I am still unable to put it on. The hole span was too short and the finger holes were too large thus putting major pressure on the top middle knuckles of my middle two fingers. Also, using plastic balls on oily lanes required massive RPMs at a slow speed. After putting down 7 games, every muscle in my right forearm was screaming for mercy. Therefore, as I eluded to in the hockey post, my right arm and possibly some of my back pain was from bowling. The rest of my discomfort was from playing 27 holes of golf in 2 days. I already know that golf does a number on my back. Needless to say, the past couple of days since Saturday has been interesting with the amount of pain I've been in. Oh well, I had fun and life goes on.

Sunday started bright and early at 0630. Amazingly, my mom had no issues waking me up. By the time I got myself together and my car packed up, at 0700 I was on route to breakfast. There, I met up with Dana, Derrick, DJ, Camren, & my mom. We had a good breakfast and to my surprise, my mom didn't get all emotional when it came to me actually leaving. By the time everything was all said and done, I was on the road finally at 0900.

The drive home requires some discussion. Yes, I made it home safely and without incident. However, the drive home was drastically different from the drive north. With the higher ambient temperature and having my roof down meant more heat in my trunk. Therefore, before I could log 200 miles, one of my amps went into temperature protect mode and shut itself down. Well, my initial intention was to give the amp plenty of time to cool down before I fired it back up again. However, after an hour or more, I decided that I was enjoying the time in my head. Therefore, from early within the WV segment of my drive until I arrived at the rink for my hockey game, my radio was off and this left me to my own devices.

I'm not going to get into detail on the things that I spent thinking about during the drive here. I am going to put together a series of posts with the underlying concept of driving rants. I'm not sure how well I'll get to keeping the series out on a periodic basis, but they will all come out sooner or later.

Short of spending the trip in my head, the only things to note would be the traffic that I encountered in SC. As soon as I was thru the border into SC the entire highway came to a stand-still. It took us about 20 minutes to go 2 miles. That was about all I could take. I took exit 100 and found a way around the traffic. The traffic was being caused by an accident that happened at mile marker 93. Between the time I spent in traffic and the time spent in the detour, I had exhausted all of the buffer time I had allotted myself to get home in time for my hockey game. I literally made it to the rink with 20 minutes to get into uniform and suited up in my gear. It was just long enough. I was able to get all of that accomplished and left me with about 5 or so minutes to skate around for the first time on my new wheels.

Between the drive, traffic, and hockey, I ultimately got home at just after 10 PM. What a long day that turned out to be. I'm glad that I was able to do this trip solo before having to do it in tandem. I was able to find out why my baseline is for the trip during the day since I am typically a night driver and if I were to have run later, would have been able to push harder to get home faster without any "feedback" from a passenger. So, in the next 2 months when I am doing this same trip again, I know with relative certainty what I will have to do to get home for my other games.

All-in-all, it was a good trip. I had tons of fun and had a blast hanging out with everyone while I was home. It is weekends like this that really makes me think about what I'm missing since I've moved. It is a shame that I am so introverted. I should be able to create a network that is more local that would allow me to have similar weekends in a more local proximity. I guess time will eventually correct this. However, that would require that I get out of the house more often. I'm really hoping that sports will grant me this opportunity.

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Torhs at Bruins - Hockey Leage Week #5 - Game 6

Here we go with another hockey update. This week's game was a rematch with the declared best team in the league. We lost to this team in our very first game. As I learned this week, they were down their top scoring player that week. This game was very one sided for the first 2 periods of the game. We were not on our game and they were just dominating. I don't remember the period splits, but I think by the beginning of the third period, we were down 8-2.

I'm not sure what happened from the second period to the third, but something real changed. We brought our game out and mounted a rally to try to pull this one out. Unfortunately, it was not to be, but we did show to ourselves and others that we're not going to take a beating lying down. By the end of the game, we brought the score to 9-6. No, not enough to take the win in the game, but enough to show that we have what it takes to mount an offensive once we get ourselves organized. Unfortunately, this week, that organization was missing early and for much too long.

As for my performance this week, I was involved in a few plays that should have been more productive than they were. At least on two occasions, I was able to grab the puck at our blue line and tried to carry it forward. Unfortunately, I was unable to make useful passes. On one of those attempts, the puck was rolling on edge and my pass was too hard and found air. The intended recipient just could not bring it down. Another attempt was completely my fault where I was trying to poke check the puck up the boards to myself and put it out of my range and left me surrounded by three of the other team's players. If I could have passed that out, it would have been a wide rush for my team, but they were just way too fast for me.

Outside of my less than wonderful performance, I have to update you on my skate purchase. During the past week, I spent some time doing research as to which skates to purchase to replace my now defunct fitness skates. I was looking to get either a set of Mission CSX, Nike Bauer 50-90's, or Mission Soldier skates. With the exception of the last ones, they were entry level/recreational grade models. If you are interested in what each skate has to offer, you can hit up the links to Dick's to see. So, you would think that with some relative certainty, of all general sporting good stores, Dick's would have the highest likelihood of having what I want in stock. Well, this was not the case, not even close. When I got to Dick's, they were only carrying one manufacturer and only one model from that maker on hand. If I wanted to get what I was looking for, I would have to go elsewhere.

Therefore, Perani's, here I come. Well, short of being upset that I drove from Sheridan to Robinson to ultimately go to Greentree, things started to get better. When I get to Perani's, I'm thrilled to discover that they have a set of Soldiers on the wall. The Soldier skates are an intermediate level skate. It was the most expensive of the 3 models I was looking at, but I thought they were worth entertaining. Well, unfortunately, my elation was shattered when the closest size skate they had to my size was a 7. Ok, I have small feet, but not that small. I was looking for an 8 to buy. Since the 7 was not going to cut it, it was time to find a replacement skate that would suit my needs.

Outside of Mission, they were also carrying Tour, CCM, and Reebok. One of the first things that the employee told me was not to even look at the Tour skates. Apparently the Tour skate lines are suffering from a poor boot/truck design. They were telling me how many skates were being returned because the #2 wheel has a tendency to rub the bottom of the skate and stop spinning. I'm sure you can imagine how bad of a situation that is. Anyway, the employees referred me to the Reebok 5K Forsaken skate.

When I tried them on, I was immediately worried. The first question the sales guy asked me was how comfortable did I think they were. I was brutally honest with him, they felt horrible. It has been a very long time since I had ever worn anything so uncomfortable in my life. It had very weird contact points, it was stiff everywhere, and the boots were too short. They were quite surprised at my response. I guess I should have explained to them that my prior skates were in the fitness category. My K2 skates felt like slippers with wheels. They were that comfortable. Therefore, the change to a hockey style skate was a real adjustment for me.

Thankfully, despite the uncomfortable nature of the skates, they rode very well. Actually, due to the design of the truck to use 3 different size wheels, they turn very well. Almost too well. While I was puttering around in the shop, I did a spin stop and damn near fell on my head. Well, since this was the skate I was going to buy, they then informed me that it is possible to bake the boots to better mold to my foot. I was thankful for this. They pointed out that once they put the skates in the oven, I would have to purchase the skates. This was not a problem for me, I had already decided that I was going to buy them. Thankfully, the price tag was the same for these as for the Soldiers. I was surprised that they could be baked. I guess it was lack of exposure to this style of skate that led me to believe that only certain skates could be baked. I knew that certain Mission models could be heat fitted, but I also learned that all Mission skates have this option available. You learn something new every day.

So, I pay for the skates and they toss them into the oven. It didn't take long for them to bring them back out to me to fit. I had to keep my foot in the skate until the boot cooled down to room temperature, which took longer than would have expected. The only difficulty in doing this was trying to not fidget. Dana periodically would tell me to stop moving my feet because I would start to roll them around on the floor. I guess there is still that little kid in me that shows up every now and again.

Well, I can't tell you enough how night & day the skates fit since having them molded. When I arrived (finally) to the rink on Sunday for my game, my teammates certainly noticed my new wheels. I think they were surprised; I guess they don't know me well enough yet. Anyway, they took note of the features of the skates and wished me luck on Monday, since they expected me to be in serious pain. Well, after the game was over, my feet were still in good shape; unlike when I was at the store and my feet started barking in short order prior to the molding. Anyway, after playing a full game, I didn't have a single blister to show for my first time in my new setup. I did however, find out that apparently my right foot skate was not tight enough or I don't use my right foot properly. The outside of my leg at about 1" above my ankle, there was a brush burn. The boot rubbed vigorously there and has since scabbed over. It is tender, but is not brutally painful. All-in-all, I think that the switch from fitness to hockey skates was a relatively easy process.

As a result of the new skates, I only fell twice during the game. However, I think it was more my fault than my skates that I fell. Both times I was trying to maneuver in such a way that made me prone to fall. I have to say that I am very happy with my purchase. Props to the guys at Peranis for knowing their sport and how to hook-up a newbie with the correct product.

So, I can't go a week without injury, so the last topic will be regarding my new injuries. I've already mentioned the brush burn above my ankle, but that was far from being everything. One of my falls resulted in a bruise on my left butt cheek. That was short lived, it really only bothered me Sunday night. However, this team was also a bit on the physical side and I took a couple of hits toward my liver/kidney area again. However, no visible bruising this time. I think I hurt more from playing golf and bowling on Saturday than I hurt from hockey.

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Bruins at Flyers - Hockey Leage Week #4 - Game 5

Since I have failed to mention it previously, the name of the team in which I'm playing is the Bruins. This week's game was a rematch of game 4 when we took on the Flyers. If you recall from last week, they were the masters of cherry picking and had some phenomenal stick handling abilities. What a difference a week can make. I don't know if we were more on our game this week, or if it was because we knew what to expect from this team, or if it had to do with our goalie this week, but we managed to pull out a decisive win (6-4). This week takes us one game closer to .500.

I've talked about this goalie previously. He was our goalie for game 3. Somehow, by some luck of fate, he is now our permanent goalie. I have a feeling that from this point on, we're going to be a force to recon with for the rest of the season. However, a good goalie doesn't ensure that the team will be good. We still need to be on our game to get the puck past the other team's goalie. I guess time will tell how we fair.

This week's game was a bit shaky at times. There are a few guys on the team that are exceptional puck handlers. However, with this type greatness comes the apparent need to prove it all the time. The guys with the best puck handling abilities have a tendency to be the guys that pass the least. That is one thing that the Flyers have done very well around us. They pass well on the flat, they pass well in traffic, they sometimes seem to pass too much (but that only comes when they are not cherry picking). I am not complaining about the guys on my team that do the fancy work because they are our play makers. I am just saying that I think that they could still be the play makers but include the rest of the team on the action at times. There are certainly times that it could be justified. Odd man rushes and breakaways certainly qualify, and they do occur, but there are times when there are even man rushes that they still try to be a play maker when they could have passed off.

As for my game play, I felt that I was able to contribute to the team's play most of the time that I was on the court. However, there was one time that I fell back on a play in which other team did manage to score. I'm not sure how badly my drop contributed to that goal since I was being outstrided anyway.

In the tradition of the past few weeks, I did have another personal issue this week, however, this week it was not an injury. Right before the game started, I busted the velcro securing strap on my left skate which put excess pressure on the ratchet strap. I've been having ratchet strap issues with either skate for the past two or three weeks. In that play I mentioned previously was right off of a face-off after a line change. As soon as I was over the boards, my left ratchet strap released. Therefore, I had only tape holding my left foot in my skate. We won the face-off and I was able to make a pass to allow a shot on goal, but the Flyers picked up the rebound. I tried to chase down the play, but I only had one skate that I could push with. Without the ankle support on my left foot left me only to ride on that foot. Therefore, because of these two issues, it is time to retire the skates and buy new ones.

Aside from that specific play where I had my "wardrobe malfunction", there were several plays were I was able to be a team player. I managed to get two shots on goal tonight. Of the two shots, one of them was deflected in route and almost beat the unsuspecting goalie. Unfortunately, once it hit his field of vision, it was close enough to him that it was an easy recovery. There were several open court plays that I was able to stand up against the incoming forward and steal the puck and was able to move the puck into our direction. Unfortunately, I don't recall any of those plays leading to a goal, but it certainly stopped a goal from being scored against us.

Well, in closing, next week should be interesting. Interesting for more than one reason. Not only will I be buying new skates and having very little time for breaking them in, I will be driving home from Pittsburgh on Sunday. Yes, I will be in da'burgh from some point on Thursday until Sunday. I plan on leaving Pittsburgh early Sunday morning to ensure that I am able to be home in enough time to play in my game. As any of you know that have made that drive. Once you get to your destination, physical activity is the last thing you want to do. Typically there are only a select activities that are expected; sleep and/or food. And after my lack-luster play last week after playing Army and a two and a half hour drive, this should be interesting. So, for those of you that read our blog and I haven't told already, this is your notification that I will be in town for a few days.

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Hockey - League Week #3

Well, I am going to keep this as short as possible because I want to put out a message about this week's game, I don't want to wait any longer to get something out, and I'm tired.

Week #3, game #4, we lost. As a team we didn't show up to play at our full potential. However, I'm not certain that was our fault completely. This team did not play in a traditional team structure. They are a bunch of cherry pickers. Even at the red line, I was still too far in the zone to adequately play defense. I can't tell you how many times that I got beat because I forgot about the guy that was behind me in our zone. I guess that is as much my fault that I got beat, but that isn't the point. Cherry picking is the reason the 2 line pass rule was created in the first place. They didn't do it often, but it seemed that each time they did they scored.

Anyway, from my last post, this was the team that the chick player I talked with during the stick time nights regarding my viability in the league. I am not going to say I'm better than her because I didn't get an opportunity to play head to head with her. However, what I do recall seeing of her specifically was not impressive. Granted, not everything I do is impressive either. Therefore, the information that follows cannot be deemed 100% fact. Her court awareness is present. She knows the game and knows where to be. However, there are some aspects which were less impressive. Her shooting ability seems to be a bit weak and her skating ability isn't what I thought it was. Angel had told me about this habit that she has, but I took it as the situation at hand, of which I did not see, had warranted the action. However, now that I've seen it, I find it to be a deficiency in her abilities. Her acceleration pumping is unorthodox and in my opinion inefficient. She has this tendency to run on her skates. I can't understand how or why it works. Anyway, to each their own.

As for the rest of the team and game, they are skilled players. I have to say that I think this is one of the established teams in the league. These kids (yes, it is a primarily young team) can play, but they play together too well to indicate that they are a set of players thrown together for the first time. They are good. They seem to be everywhere all at once. Our shot count (though unknown) seemed to be extraordinarily low. The shooting lane was often blocked and frequently when shots were taken, they were off the mark. Of the shots that did land on the mark, only one found the back of the net. The goalie was strong and (based on the remarks of my team) having a good night.

Well, outside of my opinion of how we played and the players of the other team, there is also one more topic I have to cover. Injuries. Game #3, Injury #3 to report. This week's injury has got to be the most obvious one to date. I took a puck to the face. I think I may have broken my nose again. The play was on the boards and I was rolling in as support. Well, during the fight for the puck, it popped out in my direction. It seemed to fly at me in slow motion, but yet I couldn't get my faculties together to react and block the puck from my face. The pain was seriously intense. However, after hitting me in the face, the puck did drop so I could clear it out of our zone. Amazingly, the puck didn't break skin; it didn't cause bleeding; externally I was fine (for the time). I was able to play out the rest of the game. It was sore and it gave me something to complain about, but all was well.

Anyway, when I woke this morning, I discovered that I have a black eye and one side of my nose is swollen. The pain is subtle but in attempt to identify what the damage is and where. Well, I have identified that the tip of my nose is fine. I can push it down to my lip and no pain is presented. However, to move it to the right (when pushing closer to the bridge) produces an intense pain. Although, moving it left does not produce the same result (accept when I poke a the swelled area).

It wasn't until today that I discovered that I had made another mistake. I had made the most unusual mistake. I forgot to put on my cup. There were several times that I slid down to sacrifice my body to block a shot (thankfully they missed or passed around me) that would have exposed myself to some serious pain had a shot connected. I doubt that will be another mistake that I make again any time again. I blame my long day for the problem. By the time that I reached the arena, I was already beat. A long day in the sun, doing the bidding of the army followed by a 2.5 hour drive home. I would have liked to head home & to bed, but I wanted to play. Well, I got to the arena about an hour early and still managed to not be adequately prepared for the game at start time. I guess that goes to show you where my head wasn't.

Well, more hockey details to follow next week.

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