The World Juniors Hockey Tourney formally kicked off last Sunday at the arena. I spent the the bulk of the week camped at sections 305-306 for the day.

And I’m glad I have the next day off. Overall, it was an entertaining experience. One actual brawl between a quartet of ugly americans over seats was thankfully ended before anybody got hurt. It did take a little bit for my nerves to resume normal operations. This aging usher isn’t crazy about that sort of fun when I’m outnumbered by a bunch of guys hellbent on proving how tough they are. Thankfully for swift security response, I could employ my older brother’s floor hockey technique of avoiding the actual action, but looking busy at the same time.

That was to start my third game of the day, the eventual US victory over Finland. Understand, this is basically a big Canadian party and much of the crowd was left over from Canada’s win over Russia (that was the best game of the day.). The building was jammed and energized and felt like a hockey game. I got a feeling we were looking at the two best teams. The first game of the day was between Switzerland and Germany and was played to a roughly half full arena. Some of the crowd was actually there for that, others were there to check their sightlines for the Canadian/Russian battle at 4.

I don’t know if the Bills games had anything to do with it, or if the Fins aren’t a big name opponent, but it was a little off to see the USA playing in prime time on National television in both the US and Canada (and presumably Finland) and the place wasn’t entirely full. If you are in to hockey at all and have the post Christmas means, I’d recommend checking it out. For the same reason college basketball is more fun than the pros, these young bucks move. International rules means fewer offsides, no fights, arguments get broken up quick, so the game really does move along.

And even the trash talk is mostly good natured, one of the canadian partisans invented the fried bologna/pretzel sandwich at the concession stand and stood eating that gastrointestinal miracle while explaining how if Finland beat the US, that would be good for the tourney. That bit of barstool philosophy was impossible to be an audience to without laughing.

Hope there is some merriment to be found this weekend for everybody. In recent years, Christmas and I haven't always gotten along. From the nonsense of Black Friday, to the seas of people spending money they don't have, to being afraid of coming up short for my own lovely trio, to fractured family dynamics, it ain't always easy. But my amazing eldest daughter put things into some nice perspective. "You know, Dad, the best part is just the hanging out."

Little twerp is right. Hope everybody finds a little light, in spite of those who have gone off the deep end. In the meantime, this isn't the greatest video but the song is one of the few holiday songs that doesn't get overplayed.



Hope to see some (e:peeps) at for the NYE bash - I'll be a late arrival, moonlighting at the arena for the hockey tournament.

Ah, what the hell, got to have a fun one in there too



Merry Christmas, folks

Came out of work and waded through the snow up to my car and had to snap this pic of my car. If ever the power of this little community is doubted, check it out, together we can melt

done really cool can be found here. This is out on Strickler Road in Clarence, but it is a sight. The picture doesn't do it justice, but the homeowner did some serious programming, lights of all types are set to music, broadcast on his own radio station.

It is really well done, go, now....

As I am already tired of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" and "Santa, Baby", I would like present EStrip with a seasonal palate cleanser

Deja Vu of the Nocturnal Animal Kind. This happened once before but apparently I didn't learn anything.

A close encounter of the nocturnal animal kind.

A bat got into my apartment last night. It was a stormy night with all the wind and whatnot. I wasn’t suspecting a thing until about 2:00 am, I heard the unmistakeable sound of something bumping up against the Venetian blind in my bed room.

Ironic, considering I had watched the Dark Knight with my kids earlier. I pretty much vibrated out of bed and into the living room where I retrieved my excalibur! (the kitchen broom). I turned on the lights and sure enough, this was a bat who took a wrong turn and was just looking for the exit.

He (I’m assuming it was a he as he didn’t stop to ask directions) flew in ovals in my living room so I opened my apartment door and the door to the porch across the hall. Ever mindful of my professional station, I just wanted him to find the door without my turning into Jim Lorentz (think about it aging Sabres fans).

Finally, after about four tries, he bounced off my broom and headed for the dark outside. I quickly closed the doors in a less than dignified manner for a man of my years and tried to not hyperventilate.

Given that it was raining, there is a slight leak in my living room ceiling and one of the building’s drains goes past my window, all those sounds seem to magnify immediately afterwards, rendering quality sleep an elusive thing after that.

“What if there is a second one???” “How the hell did the first one get in?” The mind races.

Of course, the rain outside the window, the leaky tub in my bathroom, and the leak the landlord is fixing this morning are all making greater impressions on mind at this point. Did the bat have a wingman?

Poking my broom stick into my closets (as I put every light in the place on) repeatedly reveal no other intruders.

Kept the broom by the bedside, just in case…

When Steely Dan released that song many moons ago, I don't think they were referring to the 3AM opening of Kohl's on Friday, Target's 4AM start or Walmart's midnight sale.

Does the success of your holiday hinge on getting a good place in line outside Best Buy in the middle of the night? Notice, I said holiday, singular, as it is one day.

Now, dear reader, lest you think I'm some kind of scrooge, let me assure I'm not. It's all good fun. I remember being up for quite a few showings of "A Christmas Story" on TBS as my wife and I assembled and wrapped the offerings for our three lovelies for Christmas morning. I'm pretty sure there is photographic evidence as to how healthy that was.

I guess I await the inevitable, the poor bastard who gets trampled in the doorway at Walmart trying to get a deep discounted HD television set. It tempers things a little.

I used to get a little frustrated with my own limitations financial wise when it came to the kids, but they've thankfully grown up with healthy perspectives in regards to the holiday.

I suppose the mania of early openings has good intentions. Being the skilled marketer that I am (yeah, right), I'd have my store run regular hours and let folks get the deals at civilized hours like 10:30.

I suppose that explains that come friday morning, I'll be sleeping in.

but at my age, can I wait?

Ever been in a funk without realizing it initially.

Everything seems a little off, somewhat? Well, perhaps not, but it has seemed like that since, well, moving back to standard time from daylight savings time.

Haven't really slept well. Got hassled by Customs going into Canada? WTF? They are usually the polite ones. Went on a date that was such a train wreck we needed another date to confirm it. Listened to my boss pass out "good jobs" for a recent Halloween campaign at work to everybody on its sucess except the guy who created it and ran it (You guessed it), willingly took place in a media event thinking I'd come out of it with a decent souvenir for my troubles except my lovely coworkers hung me out to dry (so no picture of me getting kissed by a Sea Lion) (I know I can do better, but at my age, can I wait?). The night job has been a little stagnant, haven't work there (at the Arena) in a month, giving me an affinity to life as Patrick LaLime.

Think the time change affected a lot, still trying to catch up on that hour we were supposed to get back.

It will happen, just got to power through it. Made a good plan tonight though, made arrangements to take my younger daughter to Manhattan as a christmas gift.

Progress is a sign...just around the corner from the Light of Day, ya know? of course you do.

I’m “shocked, shocked” that Keith Olbermann gave money to democratic candidates. While it was poor judgment to be so blatant, an experienced guy like Keith should be able to learn a few tricks from his short time at Fox. Those folks know how to funnel New$corp, indeed. Buchanon and Scarborough helped the GOP, but since Olbermann has an audience, perhaps it is headline related. Take all 3 off and at least be consistent there, MSNBC.

Because she wasn’t enough of a lightning rod as majority leader, Nancy Pelosi wants to run for minority leader in the next congress. After looking at Rep. Boehner, I’ve concluded that she isn’t nearly orange enough as the gentleman from Ohio has enough spray on tan going, I suspect his office is run by oompa-loompas. Never mind that she was pretty lacking as a leader

Rogers Communications supposedly wants more Bills games? This surprises me as the apathy during a visit in August was palpable. I can only imagine the yawns as the Bills are on a road to nowhere with their current stellar record. This keeps up the promotion will be something like come see the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers……take on the Buffalo Bills. I don’t think the Canadians are ready to attach “our” to that sentence yet. Hope the folks at Fox Sports have some crowd noise prerecorded as the Bills’ previous visits to the Rogers Centre have been almost librarial in their cavernousness.

There has been a gap in my ushering work at the Arena, which has been okay as my attention has needed to be extra focused on the full time gig in recent weeks. I think they need to put me back in soon as the home team hasn’t had it since. If ever there was a case of the pre-season being a big ball of hooey, the Sabres are proving to be it. Last in the standings, as they commemorate the first year like playing its their first year. There has to be more soul in the room other than Ryan Miller, but I haven’t seen it. Something has to change, else we just have a bunch of well-dressed losers. The contract policy about long term deals seems to have blown up in their faces as I bet Tyler Myers would like to see Hank Tallinder walk through the door. Has it really been eight years since Darcy Regier traded to get Chris Drury? almost. We need more than a few warm bodies to keep selling 40th anniversary t’s.

Voting on Election Day brought back SAT memories, filling in the circles and waiting for the scanner to do its trick. The partitions for kids voting a few years ago looked a little more up to the tasks than the ones employed at my polling spot on Tuesday. Too bad the company that made the machines with the levers disappeared because between the paper form, the folders, the cardboard partitions, it didn’t seem like an especially green way of voting.

I remember in 84 and 85 making tidy sums of college age beer money stringing for a handful of media organizations collecting voter information. A buddy and I drove around Olean to the polling places, reading numbers off the single big sheet that came off the back of the old school lever machines. Silly, yes, but no sooner than you can say “Reporting live from Little Valley,” the Labatt’s tasted quite good.