Monday, February 28, 2011

Beautiful Finish


Well I completely missed posting yesterday. Sorry about that. Big news in the hockey household. Our son's team beat their opponent 4-3 in a shootout to clinch 3rd place in the division. Not too many people would be as happy with 3rd place as we were, but this team had not won a league game during the regular season.

The final game was the best game they played all season long. They got off to a fast start, putting in the first goal about 3 minutes into the game. The Black team came back and tied the game in the 2nd period, but the Red Devils went back on top shortly thereafter.

The 3rd period was tough. The Black team scored two quick goals to go ahead 3-2 with 5 minutes left in regulation and I'll admit I thought the game was over then. Then the Red Devils did something we hadn't seen all year. They battled back from a deficit. They pushed the puck hard, attacked the net, and scored a goal with a little more then 2 minutes in the game. The score was tied after regulation and they played a 5 minute overtime that went back and forth with both teams having great scoring opportunities.

Still knotted at the end of OT, the game went to a shootout. This was the first time we had seen a shootout, and being a goalie parent let me tell you: Shootouts Suck! I think our son was excited with maybe a side of nervous. I was a nervous wreck. The Red Devils shot first and the first shooter put a wicked move on Blacks goalie, getting him to move to the right before bringing the puck back to his backhand and flipping it up into the net for the score. Blacks first shooter looked a little nervous, or maybe he was just unsure of what he wanted to do, but he ran out of ice before making up his mind leaving our goalie to make the save. The second and third shots against Blacks goalie both missed the mark, but the Red Devils goalie, (our son!) stood tall stopping the two best players on the Black team to preserve the 4-3 win.

Fantastic finish to a really tough year. That's the kind of thing that will bring you back to youth sports for next year.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

It's a Wonderful Hockey Weekend!


Today was a hockey day! My son is playing his first year of hockey. He's playing for the Portland Junior Hawks in the Squirt House division. This weekend they're holding their playoffs. There are five teams in the division and this makes the playoffs a little messy. I'll break it down for you.

The 4th place team plays the 5th place team for the last playoff spot.
2nd place plays 3rd place in the first Semi-Final game.
1st place plays the winner of the 4th place/5th place game in the second Semi-Final game.
The loser of the two Semi-Final games play each other for 3rd place, and the winners play each other for the league championship.

My son's team came into the weekend in 5th place. They had a really tough time scoring goals this year. They ended up scoring a grand total of 18 goals in 14 league games. They did not actually win a league game all season long, although they did beat one of the league teams in tournament play at the beginning of the season, and later won two more non-league games at a tournament in Wenatchee WA (another story entirely that I won't get into here...unless somebody asks...hint hint.) Their prospects were not good. So of course they wind up beating the 4th place team to win their way into the playoffs.

A lot of you might think that's a good thing, and I suppose I do too. The trouble is that the winner of the game gets an engraved invitation to play the 1st place team. The dreaded Mite A team. They are an age group below the squirts, so this should be easy right? Evidently not. They've only lost one game all year in league play.

My sons team play their hearts out and ended up losing 8-0. Tough loss to take. Tomorrow they play the Black team in the 3rd place consolation game. The black team lost to the Green team in the second Semi-Final game. That game ended up 6-5 so both teams can be scored on. Good news for our boys!

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Cold Weather Warrior

Woke up this morning freezing. The temperature outside was in the low 20's. I was sleeping on the couch because the wife is sick and I wanted to let her sleep (that is, I don't want to catch whatever crud she has.) Fortunately I had the dog with me. Unfortunately he doesn't like to have people put their cold feet under him. What use is a dog that can't be used as a foot warmer?

I was hoping for a day off due to cold weather and bad roads, but everything was dry. North of us there was snow and ice. South there was a jackknifed semi. East there was a chains required advisory, but here in town everything was clear as could be. It was truly an uneventful morning absolutely not worth telling anyone about.

Back to Work!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

The Weather Is Not Quite Frightful

The weather folks got it right this time. They said that we'd see 1"-4" of snow on the ground this morning. For those of you who don't live in the Willamette Valley, that is enough to shut the city down. I hear you folks from the mid-west laughing and that's just fine. I do the same thing when I think of you snowed in from October to April.

The three days of snow we get around here each year should be properly celebrated. This includes kids getting off school, stockpiling of fresh fruits and vegetables, and minute by minute storm coverage from all of the local news outlets.

You can see from the picture that the roads in downtown are clear. I'm not worried about this afternoon, but the overnight lows are supposed to be in the teens. If there's any moisture on the ground tomorrows commute is going to be brutal! I think that's the day I'll stay home.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

No Daily Show, No Colbert Report

I'm missing my Daily Show, Colbert Report fix. When we first received the magic that is the DVR I set both shows up to record all new episodes. Then I combined the two shows by setting The Daily Show to record for 30 minutes past it's scheduled end time. If Comedy Central ever splits those shows up I'm hosed.

Over the last week or so life has gotten in the way and I haven't been able to keep up. I have 3 episodes backlogged and I'll admit to skimming through The Colbert Report and largely skipping the interviews in the third segment. That's the worst part of the show anyways so I don't feel too bad.

Last night I woke up to a sick kid. It took a little bit to put the child to rights and move the youngster back to bed. After that I couldn't get back to sleep so I moved to the living room to get caught up on Comedy Centrals faux journalistic goodness. I managed to get through a Daily Show with Brian Williams, one of my favorite guests, and almost made it to the end of The Colbert Report before falling asleep.

I still have 3 episodes waiting for me after last night. It's like Scotty says to Kirk in Star Trek Generations "...if something's important enough, you make the time".

Monday, February 21, 2011

The Family Comes for a Visit!!

Today the family came down to visit the new workspace!! Much fun was had by all! Mom took WAY TOO LONG!!!!

Thumbed Up Songs from my Johnny Cash station on Pandora

This list is in alphabetical order, not order of preference, but you probably knew that.

A Boy Named Sue (Live)     by Johnny Cash     01-31-2011    
A Country Boy Can Survive     by Hank Williams Jr.     02-11-2011    
A Good Hearted Woman (Live)     by Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson     01-27-2011    
Ain't No God In Mexico (live)     by Waylon Jennings     02-17-2011    
Ain't No Grave     by Johnny Cash     02-16-2011    
All My Ex's Live In Texas     by George Strait     02-07-2011    
All Summer Long     by Kid Rock     02-17-2011    
Amos Moses     by Jerry Reed     02-11-2011    
As Good As I Once Was     by Toby Keith     02-08-2011    
Be My Baby Tonight     by John Michael Montgomery     02-07-2011    
Beer For My Horses     by Toby Keith     02-07-2011    
Beer For My Horses     by Toby Keith & Willie Nelson     02-16-2011    
Beer In Mexico     by Kenny Chesney     02-08-2011    
Belshazar (Undubbed)     by Johnny Cash     02-07-2011    
Big Bad John     by Jimmy Dean     02-11-2011    
Big River     by Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson     02-14-2011    
Bonfire     by Craig Morgan     02-07-2011    
Born To Boogie     by Hank Williams Jr.     02-17-2011    
Brand New Man     by Brooks & Dunn     02-07-2011    
Bright Sunny South (Live)     by Alison Krauss & Union Station     02-18-2011    
Chattahoochee     by Alan Jackson     02-08-2011    
Check Yes Or No     by George Strait     02-16-2011    
Check Yes Or No (Live)     by George Strait     02-07-2011    
Chicken Fried     by Zac Brown Band     02-17-2011    
Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy)     by Rodney Atkins     02-07-2011    
Cocaine Blues     by Joaquin Phoenix     01-27-2011    
Comin' To Your City     by Big & Rich (Country)     02-08-2011    
Country Boy     by Johnny Cash     02-07-2011    
Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue     by Toby Keith     02-08-2011    
Daddy Sang Bass (TV Show)     by Johnny Cash, Carter Family, Statler Brothers, Carl Perkins     01-27-2011    
Deeper Than The Holler     by Randy Travis     02-14-2011    
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right     by Waylon Jennings     02-11-2011    
Don't Think Twice, It's Alright     by Waylon Jennings     01-31-2011    
Don't Think Twice, It's Alright     by Johnny Cash     02-17-2011    
Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got Out Of Hand     by Waylon Jennings     02-11-2011    
Dueling Banjos     by Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell     01-27-2011    
East Bound And Down     by Jerry Reed     02-07-2011    
Eight Second Ride     by Jake Owen     02-07-2011    
End Of A Dream     by Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell     01-27-2011    
Family Tradition     by Hank Williams Jr.     02-07-2011    
Faster Horses     by Tom T. Hall     02-14-2011    
Folsom Prison Blues     by Merle Haggard     01-28-2011    
Folsom Prison Blues (Live At Asbury Park)     by Johnny Cash     01-27-2011    
Forever And Ever Amen     by Randy Travis     02-08-2011    
Friends In Low Places     by Garth Brooks     02-07-2011    
Gone Country     by Alan Jackson     02-07-2011    
Good Directions     by Billy Currington     02-11-2011    
Good Hearted Woman     by Waylon Jennings     01-28-2011    
Good Hearted Woman     by Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson     02-07-2011    
Good Hearted Woman (Live)     by Waylon Jennings     02-18-2011    
Guitar Man     by Jerry Reed     02-17-2011    
Harley     by Johnny Cash     02-11-2011    
Heads You Win Tails I Lose     by Dan Tyminski     02-08-2011    
Hey Porter (Live)     by Johnny Cash     02-07-2011    
Highwayman     by Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson     01-27-2011    
Highwayman (feat. Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson & Johnny Cash)     by Kris Kristofferson     02-14-2011    
I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow     by The Soggy Bottom Boys     02-17-2011    
I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow (Live)     by Alison Krauss & Union Station     01-28-2011    
I Gotta Get Drunk     by Willie Nelson     02-17-2011    
I Walk The Line     by Joaquin Phoenix     01-28-2011    
I'm In A Hurry (And Don't Know Why)     by Alabama     02-07-2011    
I've Been Everywhere (TV Show)     by Johnny Cash, Lynn Anderson     01-27-2011    
If You Ever Stop Loving Me     by Montgomery Gentry     02-16-2011    
If You're Gonna Play In Texas     by Alabama     02-07-2011    
If You're Gonna Play In Texas (You Gotta Have A Fiddle In The Band)     by Alabama     02-09-2011    
International Harvester     by Craig Morgan     02-11-2011    
It's A Great Day To Be Alive     by Travis Tritt     02-07-2011    
It's A Little Too Late     by Mark Chesnutt     02-21-2011    
It's Five O' Clock Somewhere (feat. Jimmy Buffett)     by Alan Jackson     02-07-2011    
It's Five O'Clock Somewhere (Live)     by Jimmy Buffett     02-21-2011    
Jackson     by Joaquin Phoenix & Reese Witherspoon     01-27-2011    
Jackson     by Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash     02-07-2011    
Jackson (With June Carter Cash) (Live At Asbury Park)     by Johnny Cash     02-07-2011    
Jacob Green (Live)     by Johnny Cash     01-27-2011    
Kick A Little     by Little Texas     02-07-2011    
Kiss My Country A**     by Blake Shelton     02-07-2011    
Ladies Love Country Boys     by Trace Adkins     02-17-2011    
Life Is A Highway     by Rascal Flatts     02-17-2011    
Love Without End Amen (Live)     by George Strait     02-14-2011    
Love Without End, Amen     by George Strait     02-17-2011    
Luckenbach, Texas     by Waylon Jennings     02-07-2011    
Luckenbach, Texas (Back To The Basics Of Love)     by Waylon Jennings     02-14-2011    
Luckenback, Texas (Back To The Basics Of Love)     by Waylon Jennings     02-17-2011    
Mama Tried     by Merle Haggard     02-07-2011    
Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To be Cowboys     by Waylon Jennings     02-07-2011    
Man Of Constant Sorrow     by Steve Ivey     02-07-2011    
Me And Bobby McGee     by Waylon Jennings     02-14-2011    
Me And Bobby McGee (live)     by Waylon Jennings     02-07-2011    
Mean Eyed Cat     by Johnny Cash     02-14-2011    
Mountain Music     by Alabama     02-07-2011    
My Maria     by Brooks & Dunn     02-14-2011    
Okie From Muskogee     by Merle Haggard     02-16-2011    
Okie From Muskogee (Live)     by Merle Haggard     02-08-2011    
Pancho & Lefty (feat. Merle Haggard Toby Keith) (Live)     by Willie Nelson     02-16-2011    
Pancho And Lefty (feat. Willie Nelson)     by Merle Haggard     02-17-2011    
Play Something Country     by Brooks & Dunn     02-08-2011    
Put A Girl In It     by Brooks & Dunn     02-17-2011    
Ray Ray's Juke Joint     by Jamey Johnson     02-09-2011    
Ring Of Fire     by The Countdown Singers     01-27-2011    
Ring Of Fire     by Joaquin Phoenix     01-28-2011    
Rodeo     by Garth Brooks     02-11-2011    
Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)     by Big & Rich (Country)     02-08-2011    
Sawyer Brown - Six Days On The Road     by Sawyer Brown     01-27-2011    
She's In Love With The Boy     by Trisha Yearwood     02-07-2011    
Should've Been A Cowboy     by Toby Keith     02-11-2011    
Sixteen Tons     by Tennessee Ernie Ford     02-17-2011    
Sold     by John Michael Montgomery     02-07-2011    
Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)     by John Michael Montgomery     02-17-2011    
Song Of The South     by Alabama     02-14-2011    
Songs About Me     by Trace Adkins     02-17-2011    
Sunday Morning Coming Down     by Johnny Cash     02-17-2011    
Sweet Home Alabama     by Lynyrd Skynyrd     01-27-2011    
Sweet Home Alabama (Live)     by Lynyrd Skynyrd     01-28-2011    
Swing     by Trace Adkins     02-07-2011    
Ten Rounds With Jose Cuervo     by Tracy Byrd     02-07-2011    
The Ballad Of Jed Clampett     by Flatt & Scruggs     01-28-2011    
The Battle Of New Orleans     by Johnny Horton     02-08-2011    
The Devil Went Down To Georgia     by Charlie Daniels     01-27-2011    
The Man Comes Around     by Johnny Cash     02-17-2011    
The Walk     by Sawyer Brown     02-07-2011    
Theme Form The Dukes Of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)     by Waylon Jennings     02-14-2011    
Theme From The Dukes Of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)     by Waylon Jennings     01-27-2011    
There Ain't No Good Chain Gang     by Waylon Jennings     02-07-2011    
This Time     by Waylon Jennings     02-21-2011    
Toes     by Zac Brown Band     02-14-2011    
Tupelo Mississippi Flash     by Jerry Reed     02-16-2011    
Uneasy Rider     by Charlie Daniels     02-08-2011    
Uneasy Rider '88     by Charlie Daniels     02-08-2011    
What Was I Thinkin'     by Dierks Bentley     02-07-2011    
Where I Come From     by Alan Jackson     02-08-2011    
Will The Circle Be Unbroken     by June Carter Cash     02-07-2011    
You Ain't Much Fun     by Toby Keith