I have been an Edmonton Oilers fan for as long as I can remember. Growing up just north of the city in the 1980's my earliest memories of hockey was the dynasty. Gretzky, Messier, Kurri, Anderson, Lowe and so on. Being born in 1981 I was very young when the team was winning the cups. I don't remember the ones in 84, 85 or really 87. My first somewhat clear memory of them winning the cup was their fourth in 1988. I don't remember watching the game, but I do remember talking about it in the schoolyard with my friends. My most vivid memory of the 1980's was to happen just a couple of months later.
It's hard to explain what Wayne Gretzky meant to me. He was hockey. He was a constant in my life as an Oiler fan. When I thought of the Oilers, I thought of Wayne Gretzky. When you're seven years old the whole business of players being traded, or signing with other teams, doesn't resonate. You have this belief that when a player is on your team, he is always going to be there. Then August 9, 1988 happened.
We were still in our house on 4th street in Fox Creek. I was playing with something in the hallway, I don't remember exactly what, and my brother was watching TV in the livingroom. I can actually still hear his voice. "Thomasean, come here." I went into the livingroom, and there on the screen was Wayne Gretzky trying not to cry in front of a bunch of microphones. I had never seen so many microphones in one place before. I couldn't understand why he was crying, and that's when Dan told me that he had been traded to the LA Kings. Wayne Gretzky was no longer an Edmonton Oiler. I cried. A lot.
Being seven, and not understanding fully why the sale had happened, I blamed Gretzky. It really took a few years for me to even like him as a player again. His first game back in Edmonton was early in the season, and it was on Hockey Night In Canada. We had a playroom in our basement, and for a time there was a TV set up in it. I went downstairs and watched the game, furious that Gretzky would come and play against the team I loved, and the team I thought he loved too. When we played soccer at recess in school I no longer pretended I was Gretzky. I was now Esa Tikannen or Mark Messier. They were true Oilers. When they won the cup again in 1990 I had this sense inside me that it was showing Gretzky what it was that he had left. We didn't need him, and we were going to be great without him.
Sadly a couple of years later I started to understand why Gretzky was sold. My heroes were being sold off, my team was being dismantled. I was in Edmonton with my Dad in October of 1991 when Mark Messier was traded to the Rangers for Bernie Nichols, Steven Rice and Louie Debrusk. We heard the trade alert on 630 CHED. Three players I had never even heard of. They seemed to repeat it every two minutes, so I just turned off the radio. I knew the dynasty was over. While my love and faith in the team didn't diminish, for the first time in my life they weren't going to be a contender. It's hard to believe that apart from the magical run in 2006, they haven't truly been a contender in nearly 20 years.
This may seem like a random time to post about this, but I watched a terrific documentary on TSN tonight. ESPN is doing a series of them called 30 for 30 to mark their 30 years on the air. Tonight's was called Kings Ransom, and it was about the Gretzky sale 21 years ago. A terrific piece. If you didn't see it tonight, I hope you get the chance to. The filmmaker, Peter Berg, asked Gretzky straight up how many more cups he thought the Oilers could have won. The Great One figures it would have been four. What could have been.
I'm 28 years old, and I have never really lived on my own. That sort of feels like a strange thing to say. When I left home for Grande Prairie at the tender age of 21, save for my first month in Regina, I've always had at least one roommate. There's always been someone around to watch sports with, joke around with, generally just hangout with. Being alone is not really something I'm used to. This week my roommate is on vacation, I am home alone. Now, the question is, what do I do with myself?
You're talking about someone who still locks the door when I go to the bathroom, even when I know I'm home alone. What if someone were to break in? I don't want to be caught with my pants down! Clearly I've lived with people for far too long. So, on with the alone experiment.
My first thought was hey, I can walk around naked all I want! Who's going to stop me? I've always had to get dressed in the bathroom after a shower, just in case one of my roommates happened to be walking down the hall as I leave the washroom. I'd even do this when I knew they were out. You never know when someone comes home unexpectedly. Not anymore though! Until Sunday afternoon, I can air dry if I so desire. I started tonight. I got out of the shower about half an hour ago, and walked stark naked back to my room. It did not feel as free as I thought it might. First thing I noticed was the crack in my curtain in my room. For some reason the thought "Dear god, what if someone climbed the tree in the church parking lot across the way and is peering in?" passed through my mind. How rational of me. This is going to need some work.
Anyways, as I walked stark naked into my room, my next thought was "man, if I had a girlfriend, just think of the freedom!" No lingering thoughts of who might come home at what moment. How am I wasting such precious time? So, a second mission, find a girlfriend before Sunday afternoon. Doesn't seem likely.
I have found one definite advantage that I can take advantage of! I got dressed and came out to the kitchen. It is a disaster right now, I need to do the dishes. With just me around for the next seven days though? It's going to take TWICE as long to dirty that many dishes! For some reason that excited me. Has it really come to this?
So, I enter my week alone. Will I be bored? Most definitely. Will I talk to myself? I hope not, but probably. Will I walk around in the nude? Sparingly. Hey, you never know who might wander in. What if they check the fire alarms this week?
A nice article in the Daily Herald Tribune on the passing of Hallzee. The two people quoted in the story are very good friends of mine. Gord Sharp was my boss in Grande Prairie, Jane is his wife. Anyone who got to know Peter Hall over the years will tell you we have lost a great individual in the community and a great voice on the air.
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Anyone who got to know Peter Hall over the years will tell you we have lost a great individual in the community and a great voice on the air.
The Peace Country's longest-serving radio personality, Hall died yesterday at his home in Grande Prairie at the age of 62.
Big Country 93.1 FM (CJXX) news director Gord Sharp said Hall had never been late in his 37 years in radio. When he didn't show up for work yesterday, co-workers knew something was clearly wrong and went to Hall's apartment to check on him.
"We went over there and when the door was dead-bolted we knew that was it," said Sharp.
Hall had been on the air at Big Country since November 1997, but Sharp first met him 20 years ago at CFGP AM (now Rock 97.7 FM), where Hall had worked many years.
Jane Cada-Sharp, now the Crystal Centre general manager, met Hall when she started at CFGP in 1980.
"Peter Hall was one of the very first people I met when I moved to the community and started at the station," she said.
She will always remember and miss his "smooth-like-butter" voice.
"It just was. He could be having the worst day in the world but you got him on the radio and he sounded like he should be working Toronto, Vancouver, New York," said Cada-Sharp, adding that more than that, she will miss a friend who was like family.
"When Gord and I got married in 1981 he was one of the very few people from Alberta who came to our wedding in Windsor, Ont., and probably at a time he could ill-afford it ... I so appreciated it."
Sharp said there is no shortage of stories about Hall, and offered one from that trip.
"We were out way late the night before I got married. He and Ken Truhn, now general manager of Q99, were sharing a room. Ken got back to the room before Hallsey did and he took his contacts out. He didn't have his case with him so he put them into a glass of water and put them by the bedside," said Sharp.
"Hallsey came in and went to sleep and he woke up about five in the morning with a raging thirst from all the drinking. He looked at the glass of water and drank down Truhn's contacts."
from FRONT
Sharp said he is going to miss his friend.
"We agreed on nothing – politics, sports, anything – but we agreed we were great friends and that's what I'll miss most about him," said Sharp.
"When I go into work tomorrow, there's going to be a big empty spot where Peter's bunk is."
Hall's death – either yesterday morning or the previous night – was a sad, sudden shock to his friends. There were no real indicators it was coming.
Sharp said there was a time several years ago when Hall was told by a doctor he needed to clean up his act or he would be dead in a year.
Sharp said he thought Hall would "cut off his own leg before he quit drinking beer," but he did stop.
"He had been doing very well from a health perspective. He had dumped a bunch of weight and he was really taking care of himself. He was excited about the condition he was in and how he felt so much better ... it was like a new lease on life for him," said Cada-Sharp.
"I guess his clock just ran down," said Sharp.
Tom Pura of the Grande Prairie Chamber of Commerce and formerly Big Country sports director "Big Paul" Thomas, had not known Hall as long as some, but does not feel any less loss.
Both were gung-ho Saskatchewan Roughrider fans, among other shared interests, and they clicked immediately.
Pura said he could not pinpoint the year he met Hall, but it feels like he had known him forever.
"He's just the kind of guy that once you start talking to him, it just feels like somebody who has already been a friend of yours. He was one of the good ones," said Pura.
"We got along great, like he did with so many other people ... it is definitely a sad day, and we're all a little poorer for it. When you lose somebody like that it is never an easy day for anybody."
Veteran Herald-Tribune newspaperman Bill Scott has long memories of Hall, going back more than 20 years.
"We were both Roughies fans for one thing, not a surprise for Peter because he was from Saskatchewan. I even had a brief radio career with him on CFGP on Sunday mornings about '86, '87 when we'd play oldies mainly from the '40s and '50s," Scott recalled.
"It was a shock to hear he'd died. I'd heard him on the air last Sunday morning at 10 when he kicked off XX's request show. I know the best thing he liked doing was cruising around the area broadcasting special events, especially for XX."
Scott said Hall has no immediate family: "He never married but he did find companionship with a good friend, Alma Fletcher. She died of cancer several years ago and it took a while for Peter to recover."
I got news today that a dear friend of mine has passed away. Peter Hall is an institution in Grande Prairie radio, and I had the pleasure of working with him for five years at Big Country. While he had a bit of a rough exterior at times when things weren't going his way, he had a heart of gold. The great conversations we would have about radio, or the Riders. I'll never forget the day I set up his Facebook account. He figured he should have one because everybody else did.
While we have spoken on the phone a couple of times since I moved to Regina, the last time I actually saw Peter was on my last day at Big Country. I've been up there twice since then, but didn't get the chance to see him on either occasion. I tried to go see him on location at McGovern's RV the last time I was there in August, but my car had other ideas and decided to overheat. Anyways, that last time I saw him I shook his hand and said 'I'll see you soon Hallzee' and he looked me square in the eye and said 'really? I don't know, I had this feeling I was never going to see you again.' I wish you were wrong buddy. I will never forget you. Sleep well my friend.
Will the real Dustin Penner please stand up, and put one of those fingers on each hand up!
There are many fans out there that deserve it, me included. Let's revisit. Penner is in his third year of a five year 21.25 million dollar contract. It's fair to say his first two seasons have been well below expectations. His first season was okay. 23 goals, 24 assists. There were stretches where he was invisible though. He didn't use his size to his advantage. Whispers started coming out that he was out of shape, and had a 'don't care' attitude. Last season, his second with the Oilers, was abysmal. 17 goals, 20 assists, and several games as a healthy scratch. He wasn't physical, he floated, he just didn't seem to care. I was at the front of the line saying get him and Craig MacTavish out of there! We very nearly got our way. MacT? Gone! If Dany Heatley had said yes, Dustin Penner would be a Senator. It appears now that only one move was needed.
It was no secret that Craig MacTavish was NOT a Dustin Penner fan towards the end of his tenure. We all knew that it was having a negative impact on 27's play, but we're now learning exactly how big of an impact that was. In 9 games this season under the tutelage of Pat Quinn and Tom Renney, Penner has 7 goals and 7 assists. He's fourth in league scoring! His play has been remarkable. He's not just battling in the corners, he's winning those battles and driving the puck to the net. He's taking initiative. He's hitting. He's loving the coaching change.
I read a great article on the Oilers website about it, and I think you should read it too! For those of you who told me that it doesn't matter who the coach is, it's up to the players, please take a gander. If you're uninspired by your boss, you won't play inspired. If you're torn down by your boss, you're sure as hell not going to play for him.
Mr Penner? I'm sorry I doubted you. Keep up the good work, my support is fickle. (because I'm sure you're worried about that!)
Okay, let's start off with the most played song on my Ipod this week. Love this band. I saw them up in Grande Prairie before I moved down, and then saw them here last November or something. Non-stop pop rock. Fun music, fun band.
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I think I'm in a rut. Work is still great, so no complaints there, but after work? I have been so incredibly bored. There's more to life than just coming home and watching TV or reading, isn't there? I need to find it again.
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I guess it hasn't all been boring nights this past week. Amanda and I went to the Casino on Tuesday night. I lost $20, she won $137. Dean Martin just won't sing for me! He sure loves to sing for her though. He's very clearly replaced Darkwing Duck.
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Thursday night Rod Pedersen invited us out to the Molson box at the Brandt Centre for the Blue Man Group. Pretty good show, but kind of weird. And dark. The whole thing was built around 'how to put on a rock show.' So there was the obvious head bobbing, devil horns (or floppy the clown horns as they called them) and jumping. But then they did these songs where there was a singer. The lyrics were about wearing a mask, and losing your real self in your on stage persona. Take off the mask at the end of the day, but there's another one underneath. Are the blue men starting to feel blue on the inside too?
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Speaking of blue men, how bad are the Toronto Maple Leafs? They are dreadful. They're now 0-6-1 to start the NHL season, and look completely disinterested. I pointed out to a friend of mine that hey, if they continue to stink, at least they'll get a shot at the first overall pick next summer! My buddy Raj corrected me though. Brian Burke gave that pick to Boston for Phil Kessel. Oops. Love it!
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I take back every bad thing I've ever said about Dustin Penner. He is playing great hockey for the Oilers so far this season! Big body, soft hands, five goals. The guy the Oilers were hoping for when they signed him. Keep it up for 82 games though.
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This will be the only time I ever mention the balloon boy story. Hoax? No hoax? Don't care. At least it got Jon and Kate off the news for a couple of days though.
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I must now travel to Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. Never thought I'd say that. My buddy Rob tells me that they have this random giant coke can there! And a restaurant on Main Street called Sticky Fingers.
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Holy shit, look at this thing!
There will be a picture of me in front of this massive can someday.
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Bah, I'm bored. I need to go find something to do. Goodnight everyone.
I've decided to write some updates to previous posts. Make sure all of you curious about the world of Thomasean are right up to date. I'm not sure how many past entries require updates, probably not many seeing as most of them are random, but this should be fun. See if I've grown at all in the year that I've been blogging. So, let's begin.
It's been five months since my first attempt at a return to the gym. I was very rattled that night. Every little bit of self consciousness inside of me came right out, and I did not like that feeling. I never felt more out of place than I did that night. I'd even describe it as mild panic. But I vowed to not let that deter me.
I bought the gym membership because of my trip to Europe. I'm not the slightest bit overweight, but I wasn't overly happy with how I looked. We all have that bit of insecurity inside of us, and I didn't want it to hold me back from having a good time. If I found myself in a situation where I wanted to take my shirt off, I wanted to do it without hesitation. That was my motivation, and just as I said I would, I went back the next night. This time I brought backup.
At this point, I'm going to throw out a thanks to my buddy Chad. He had been going to the gym for some time at this point, and let me tag along with him so I at least had somebody there to help me out. He was a great help. That first night I followed him around on his routine. He showed me several different exercises, reassured me that the smaller weights that I was using were nothing to be ashamed of, and made sure I completed every rep. Without the help of Chad that night, I would've had a repeat of the night before, and never would have gone back.
I'm not going to lie to you and say that I became a gym rat. That first month I probably only made it a couple of times a week. I would still make excuses. I was too tired, or I wanted to see the baseball game, or go out for a beer with someone. I didn't fully commit to going to the gym. I bought a second month so I could continue going through July, and I would go, just not as often as I could have. But each time I did go, I got more comfortable.
When I went to Europe I was in better shape, and I did look and feel better, but it wasn't what I wanted physically. That's okay though, because I made a different improvement. I found confidence. I can go to the gym on my own. I do my own workout. When I got back from Europe, I bought a three month membership to the gym. While I still don't go as often as I should, when I go I feel like I belong there. I grab my free weights, I take a bench, and I do my thing. Now, to go more often and finally get in the shape that I want.
Why do we say "I have to piss like a racehorse?" Do racehorses pee a lot? They must! I looked it up. Yahoo Answers tells me this.
Racehorses are commonly given Lasix ( aka Salix) which is a powerful diuretic. They pee a lot right before they race, we're talking gallons and gallons. The medication is thought to help prevent nasal bleeding, which sometimes happens when racehorses supremely over-exert themselves.
So now you know. I can sleep easy tonight without that profound question circling my brain.
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The most played song on my Ipod this week.
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In that video. I know she's wearing face paint and all, but isn't the girl in it absolutely stunningly beautiful?! Look at the shot around 1:15 and tell me she isn't cute!
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I went to watch the Pats and Warriors in the Crushed Can in Moose Jaw last night. What a great barn to watch a game in! They are passionate about the Warriors in MJ. That building was loud. Hopefully the new rink can have a similar atmosphere. What a game too! 9-6 Warriors win. Non-stop offense. Now, if can we get some fans in the Brandt Centre for Pats home games? These kids can skate, they're fun to watch!
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New coaching staff, same old Oilers. Giving up a goal with a second left in the third period to send it to overtime? Mildly annoying. That's not really fair, this version of the team does skate harder and throws way more body checks. Still, they make the same old mistakes.
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We're hitting lows of -10? A high of -1 on Saturday? I guess it isn't August anymore. I do have a nice new Global Regina jacket to keep me warm though!
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I do love this time of year. The Oilers are underway, the NFL is going, baseball playoffs have started, and we're getting close to the NBA season! Sports overload! Only thing though is our HD box died! We're watching sports in regular definition? What is this, 2008?!
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I bought some of that window wrap to try and keep my room warmer this winter. It's hard to describe exactly how cold it gets in my room in the winter. When I go to bed I have to wear long johns, socks and two shirts. When I wake up in the morning I'm still shivering, and my nose is freezing! So, I open up the box, put up the two sided tape, and unrolled the plastic. Don't make the same mistake as me and assume this stuff is one size fits all. It's only wide enough to cover half my window. Because I already cut up the two sided tape, I can't return it! Fail. Anybody have some windows they want to wrap? I have some plastic you can use.
Let's start with the most played song on my Ipod this week. That way you can hit play and listen to it as you read along. Brilliant!
The Airborne Toxic Event - Sometime After Midnight. I love this track.
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The Oilers have announced their latest round of cuts, and not surprisingly Jordan Eberle was among them. He played very well throughout the pre-season, but it's simply a numbers game. The Oilers have too many forwards under contract, and sending Eberle back to junior was the easiest solution. Could he have made an impact in the NHL this season? Maybe. He definitely has the hockey smarts. Still, he needs to add some bulk to his frame before throwing himself into the dangerous areas against NHL defencemen. I really think he'll be better served dominating in junior for another year. Just ask Gilbert Brule. He was brought along too soon by Columbus and still hasn't fully reached his potential. Although it looks like he'll be the fourth line centre this season. So long Pouliot! (one can hope at least)
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Another one of the cuts was Robbie Schremp. He didn't play his way off the team in the pre-season, but apart from some minor flashes on the powerplay, he certainly didn't play himself on. By the time you read this Schremp might be in another organization. He has to clear waivers before reporting to the AHL, and there are a few teams out there that might just see fit to pluck him up. He was a scoring machine in junior, but has struggled adjusting to the pro game. I'm sure the Islanders or even someone like Minnesota could find some room to give him a shot. It's really too bad, I wanted this kid to pan out. He came out of London with such fanfare, but it never really worked for him in the Oilers system.
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A buddy of mine told me tonight about this new bed he bought. Some crazy NASA foam bed. It got me wondering though, what the hell would NASA know about beds? Do astronauts use beds while in space? Wouldn't that require being tethered down? Surely being weightless would eliminate the debate between hard or soft mattresses. I've never really thought about how astronauts sleep, but I would assume they just float. Come to think of it, that doesn't sound very safe. Remember when homer busted the ant colony with his head while floating out of control?
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You know what are really annoying? Mushy Facebook status updates between couples that are clearly just meant for eachother.
"Such and such had such a wonderful time at the movie with her honey tonight"
"What's his face sure loved that movie, and is glad his honey enjoyed it too."
Seriously, just text eachother that crap, that way I won't have to delete you off my newsfeed.
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Wow, that came across as bitter. I'm really not bitter, just easily annoyed I suppose.
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Three weeks into the new job, and I love it. It's been a while since I found work challenging, and last week certainly was just that. Thursday I had the story about the five Sasktel employees being under investigation for a possible conflict of interest. To deliver the story I had to go live at six. That was a bit nerve wracking! I've been live a million times on radio, but that's easy, nobody's watching you. Not the case on TV!
The wait was the worst part. I got to the scene at five, and wasn't on until six. Plenty of time to dwell on what was coming up. Thankfully the shooter I was working with noticed my nerves and distracted me with stories and pictures of his trip to Newfoundland to get my mind off things. The time came, so I set up in front of the camera and waited for my cue. I could hear our director Rick and Jill in my ear. As Jill read the intro to the story I took one last deep breath.
"Tom Vernon joins us now"
Remember, look right into the camera, and don't squint. I was on. I was nervous, and you could hear it a little bit in my voice. The way it worked was Jill asked me two questions, I answered them, then threw to a clip of the Sasktel spokesperson. After the very brief clip (seriously, it was only five seconds long) I wrapped up the story. That was it.
It went so quickly. All that anticipation and nervousness, and it was done in what felt like a heartbeat. I wasn't sure how I did, so I watched it the next day, and it looked pretty good. Another challenge under my belt. I know I can do it, so there's no need to be nervous next time, right?
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Oh, I suppose I should share the story. Well, Sasktel isn't saying much. Three managers out of head office and two other employees have been suspended without pay as they are investigated for a possible conflict of interest. The company isn't saying what exactly they are accused of doing, and the police have not been called in and any next steps will be decided on after the internal investigation is complete. We'll be keeping an eye out on this one, so stayed tuned to Global news.
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Anybody watch Saturday Night Live this weekend? Megan Fox was the host. She's hot, but not overly funny. U2 was the musical guest though! They played three songs, Breathe, Moment of Surrender and Ultraviolet (Light My Way) off of Achtung Baby. Now, I'm a bit biased, but the performances were terrific. I won't go on in length about it though, just read my entry about the show in Zagreb to know how I feel about the performances of these songs.
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You listen to that Airborne Toxic Event song? I told you it was good!
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Okay, it's late and I still need to shave. Another week at work begins tomorrow. Have a good one everyone.
There really isn't anything more divisive than politics and religion. You start talking with anybody about either topic, and you're most likely going to end up in a shouting match towards the end. In Canada, we tend to keep the arguments completely separate. In fact, I can't even think of a time religion even entered a national debate. Of course, in the United States the two topics are quite often intertwined. Both are debated very openly in public. I witnessed first hand over the weekend the very clear difference between politics and religion on the two sides of the border.
Premier Brad Wall welcomed Senators Lindsey Graham (R-NC) and Kay Hagan (D-SC) to Regina on Friday to tout the research on carbon capture and sequestration in our province. As the world searches for ways to reduce emissions, a great deal of attention has now come upon this technology. The University of Regina has been studying it for two decades, and are really world leaders on the topic. The Senators acknowledged that during a scrum on Friday, and said they are here to learn all about it and possibly recommend funding. Enter Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer. Premier Wall and Gov. Schweitzer signed a 240 million dollar partnership in May that would see the two jurisdictions work together to build a demonstration facility to showcase the technology. It requires federal funding from both sides of the border, and neither side has seen the money flow.
Saturday morning the two Senators were toured around the research department at the UofR, then taken out to the Weyburn-Midale demonstration site. It was all designed to show them exactly what the technology does, and what it looks like. Before the tours though, both Premier Wall and Gov. Schweitzer made their pitch. It was stunning to hear the difference.
Wall went first. He made a financial and environmental case. Pioneering this technology in North America would give us something to market to the rest of the world. It would create jobs on both sides of the border, and at the same time give us a way to lower emissions. He did an excellent job tying everything together.
Then, up stepped Gov. Schweitzer. His case began with a story about his 85 year old mother not knowing what he was talking about when he was trying to sell the idea of pumping emissions underground. The science of it makes no sense to the common person. So, he added God into the equation. Gov. Schweitzer pointed out that for 60 million years hydrocarbons have been underground, right where God put them. God safely stored all that CO2 underground, so now all we're proposing to do is put it right back where God put it in the first place. When the Governor told his mother this story, she understood and was all for it.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Canadians as a whole are much more private about our religion, and don't want our politicians preaching to us. That's what Sunday morning service is for. To see, in person, an American politician so openly discuss religion and how it should be used to sell public policy, I was almost at a loss for words. Almost.
I sure hope the final selling point of this very worthwhile project south of the border is more business and environmentally based. Gov. Schweitzer is a terrific speaker and I have no doubt he can sell this project. I just think there is a more rational way of explaining things, which is exactly what we'll continue to see out of politicians on our side of the border.
I wanted to get the reaction of the two Senators about his specific argument, sadly we had to move along to our next shoot that morning. I'm going to continue to watch very closely though. If they do recommend funding for the project, and part of the argument is because it's mimicking God's work, well at least I'll have been witness to the birth of the argument.
Just a brief Friday night update. I have so much I want to write about, I just can't find the words to do it, you know? Like the start of the NFL season. It's like Christmas for me! I love it! Can't find the words to express it though. How about the Oilers and a pre-season outlook? I'll eventually get around to writing it, but it's just not coming out right now. I don't know, I'll try over the weekend.
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The top played song on my Ipod this week?
Metric - Help, I'm Alive!
These guys are great! You should seriously check out their stuff if you haven't already. That is an order.
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If the month ended today, September would be the hottest month of the year so far. Of course, if the month ended today, we'd have bigger things to worry about then what the temperature was last week, wouldn't we?
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Oh, one note about the Oilers, how good has Mike Comrie looked in his couple of pre-season games? He's been a spark plug on the powerplay, and even got in a scrap tonight. I've heard a bunch of fans complaining about him being brought in, but come on, for $1.125 million? He's 28, so really still in the prime of his career. I don't see the problem here. If he produces, awesome. If not, it's a million dollars. The team is paying Steve Staios more than $2 million to flop around on his belly, where's the outrage over that?!
I'm 28 years old, and I have never ironed a shirt. I've never really found myself in a position that warranted it. I was a radio reporter, who cared if I was wearing a wrinkly shirt? I certainly didn't! But, I'm on TV now. The standards are a bit different.
I went shopping last week and bought a whole bunch of new clothes. The first wearing was fine of course, but a big problem happened this week. When I pulled my nice new button up white shirt out of the dryer I was horrified by what I saw. I have never in my life seen a shirt so wrinkled up. It looked like very white tree bark! Obviously this was not going to work. I knew what I had to do.
I was nervous. I was really nervous. I didn't want to mess this up, I really like this shirt! I set everything up, and hopped onto the internet to find an instructional video. The first tip on the video I found? Get out your iron. Clearly this was Ironing For Dummy's 101. After sitting through the thorough explanation on how to set up my ironing board, it got down to the nitty gritty. First, the collar! Seemed simple enough, although theirs came out way smoother than mine. Next up was the sleeve. It told me to pay particular attention to the cuff, but didn't explain what that meant. I just left the cuff alone. If someone points out wrinkly cuffs, they don't deserve my time. This is simple! Or at least until you get to the body of the shirt.
Where this video was very clear in how to plug in the iron and set up the board, it was equally unclear on how to iron the body of my shirt. It mentioned pulling the shoulder over the corner of the board, but that was it. From this point forward, I was on my own.
Surely logic can fit into ironing, right? I lined up the seam along the edge of the board and tried my best to pull the thing flat. I didn't want to iron a big crease into the damn thing! Attempt one, fail. Not only did I have a bunch of wrinkles to iron out still, I now had a great big crease to take care of. Let me tell you, it's difficult getting out a crease! I bet that's how pant pleats were invented. Their hideous, but so much work to get rid of. After several pass overs and squirts of water, the crease was finally gone. I knew I had to be a bit more careful the rest of the way. While my technique wasn't pretty, I managed to complete the rest of my shirt without incident. After a brief inspection, I must say, it looks somewhat fantastic! Feel free to comment on it's wrinkle free-ish status when you see me tomorrow.
When I woke up this morning, I thought it was going to be just another average day. No real excitement, no real challenges, just a nice simple day off. Never did I think I would acquire a new skill.
I'm 28 years old, and I have ironed a shirt. I am Ironman!
I've gotten terrible at keeping this thing up to date, so let's get back into the swing of thing with some randoms!
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The Oilers kicked off their pre-season schedule against the Calgary Flames in the Saddledome tonight. I know it's only game one, so I'm not going to read too much into it, but here are some early observations. The Oilers forecheck was MUCH more aggressive than at any point last year. Quinn wasn't kidding when he said this was going to be a more aggressive puck possession type team.
Rob Schremp looked really good on the powerplay. His skill with the puck has never been in doubt. Now, can he do it consistently five on five? I hope so. I'd love to see this kid on the roster, and not lost to the Islanders for nothing on waivers. Maybe a third line slot with Comrie at centre in the regular season? That would create a third line that could score, and move Cogs to the wing, which wouldn't be a bad thing considering he struggles on the faceoff dot.
I don't know. Like I said, it's early. Maybe I should wait a few more pre-games before making line combinations.
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I can tell you all you need to know about the Dan Perrins report to the Wall government. I spent an hour and a half in a press conference this morning. Thanks press gallery.
Mr Perrins toured Saskatchewan in the late spring/early summer to gauge the public mood on nuclear development. Those who turned out were overwhelmingly opposed to nuclear power. Should we be surprised? I went to the meeting in Regina and it was packed with anti-nuclear advocates. The two people that spoke out in favour of nuclear development were jeered and booed out of the room. Would you want to stand up in favour in those circumstances? Perrins was right in saying this might not be an accurate reflection, and that further polling needs to be done. Actually, Global conducted a poll that showed the majority of Regina and Saskatoon residents approved of a reactor. The truth has to lie somewhere in between, right?
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I'm enjoying this September heat. While it really wasn't an awful summer, it certainly wasn't one to write home about. Is it just me though, or does 27 in September feel cooler than 27 in July? There's still that hint of cool fall air even when it's hot. Maybe it's just not as humid or something, I don't know.
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Apparently we had a ripper of a thunderstorm the other night? Early Monday morning I suppose. There was a massive crack of thunder at 4:00 AM that woke everyone in the city up. Everyone but me. Slept right through it. I'd like my gold medal for sleeping now please.
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Anybody watch the NFL doubleheader Monday night? To all those CFL fans out there that slam the NFL for being boring the last two minutes, with no scoring to speak of, you're wrong. Two games where the underdogs were up late, only to lose on scoring drives in the dying minutes. Amazing finishes.
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There was an amazing finish Sunday night as well. Ever since Jay Cutler was sent to Chicago I've had to listen to prognosticators pick the Packers to finish third in the NFC North. Well, Aaron Rodgers led the Pack to a game winning touchdown (in the final two minutes no less!) over the Bears to go 1-and-0.
As long as AP is healthy the Vikings are still the cream of the division, but these Packers aren't that far behind.
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Wasn't it nice watching the Riders embarrass the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 55-10 on Sunday? I'd suggest Bomber fans buy two tickets on the Greyhound right out of town for head coach Mike Kelly and QB Michael Bishop, but Greyhound is halting service in Manituba. Guess you're stuck with them. Ha!
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That's enough randoms for one night. Good night, and go Oilers!
After a two week hiatus, I am back with my random thoughts. Remember my last post where I said coming back from the U2 show, I was on the cusp of change? Maybe I didn't say that, I can't quite remember. I did write it two weeks ago! Anyways, there has been a big change.
I have left Harvard Broadcasting, and moved on to full time hours at Global Regina. I have spent seven years in radio, and it has been an exhilarating seven years. It all started in November 2002 when I was hired on by Tyler Wold as a creative writer at Big Country in Grande Prairie. I moved into the newsroom in the fall of 2004, and then came to Harvard here in Regina in January 2007. I won't get into all the memories in this entry, I'll save that for later this week. I have to admit though, it felt pretty good walking out of that building on Friday. I'm excited to get to work tomorrow morning and starting off on this new adventure.
August 10, 2009 - Maksimir Stadium - Zagreb, Croatia.
The whole point of this trip was to prove that I can. To prove to myself that going halfway across the world to see my favourite band, no matter how ridiculous the concept, was entirely within my reach. After seven long days of traveling and exploring, Paul and I were within 100 meters of the front entrance to Maksimir Stadium. We just didn't have our tickets in our hands.
When Paul bought the tickets back in March or April (whenever it was when they went on sale) he checked off to have them mailed to us, but they never arrived. A couple of frantic emails to Ticketmaster helped us learn that they would be waiting at the venue. We found the will call window. The tickets were under Paul's name. The woman looked through her file, stopped and looked up at us. My heart sank. This was not happening. She confirmed the name, and went in search again. I'll admit it, I was plotting my revenge on Paul at that moment. If those tickets weren't there, he wasn't going to find his way back to Canada. He wasn't going to find his way anywhere. Thankfully, she pulled out the envelope. "Enjoy the show!" We were in.
I made a b-line right for the entrance. I was going to get in early, and get up front. Paul suggested we hangout outside the stadium, but I would have none of it. After buying a couple of shirts (one for me, one for Lindsay) we entered the stadium. The stage for this tour is ridiculous. I can't describe it any better than that. It's a 164 foot tall claw, with a big cylindrical screen. It towered over the crowd.
We were right up front, but three hours early. It was hot out. Well over 30 degrees, and no shade to be found where we were standing. It was going to be a sweltering wait.
This show had two opening bands, first up was a band out of London called The Hours. They were high energy, they were catchy, they were good. Definitely worth checking out. Next up was Snow Patrol. Heading in I knew a couple of their songs. We don't have a station here in Regina that plays stuff like that, so I didn't know too much. (Hey, how about a Sonic Regina? Just saying) I now fully intend to learn more. The show they put on was terrific! But, it wasn't why we were all here.
The first two bands are done, and the crowd starts to get restless. Once again, like the other three times I've seen them, you start to feel this energy in the crowd. The excitement. The place is packed. I'm right up front, so I didn't realize exactly how full it had gotten. I pointed my camera back and took a couple of pictures. I was floored. 63,000 people were crammed into the stadium. This was going to be huge.
This is ground control to Major Tom.
David Bowie's classic hit starts blaring throughout the stadium. Fog starts to lift from the stage. The crowd's excitement grows. My excitement grows. We've come all this way, and here it was, the show was moments away.
Ground control to Major Tom: Commencing countdown, engine's on.
The crowd surges forward. While we were all tired from the heat up to this point, everyone in the building is full of energy.
Ground control to Major Tom: Commencing countdown engine's on Check ignition and may god's love be with you.
Larry Mullen Jr walks onto the stage and starts drumming the opening beats to "Breathe" off No Line on the Horizon. It's probably my favourite song on the album. The crowd explodes. The Edge and Adam Clayton appear next, and launch into the opening riff. Everyone is screaming. We're all jumping. Bono appears, and the show is on. Breathe is the most U2-ish song on the album. A chant along anthem. One to sing at the top of your lungs. The guitar solo will lift you up. The perfect opener for the show. After that the band launched into another new track, No Line on the Horizon (the title track) and I was floored by how hard it rocks live. The track is fantastic on the album, but live gave me an entirely different view of it.
Their first song from a different album was Beautiful Day. Then into Mysterious Ways, where a local belly dancer was pulled out of the crowd to dance along on stage. The crowd was nuts. From there they went into "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." The Balkans of course have a rough history. A very bloody civil war was fought in the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990's, which led to the creation of several countries including Croatia. Bono referenced that past before opening this song, and the crowd took over from there. Incredible moment. This is the actual video from that night.
This crowd was amazing. I was so lucky to be a part of that. From there they launched into an acoustic version of Stuck in a Moment, which was also sung along by all 60,000 in the room.
The catchiest song on the new album has to be "I'll Go Crazy if I don't go Crazy Tonight." It's the song that is being used on the Blackberry commercials. They didn't play the straight up version of that song at the show though, they played a remix of it. You hear this remix beat echoing throughout the stadium, and the giant screen has the four guys bobbing their heads. Bono is on stage leading chants of the lyrics from the crowd, as the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr circle the B-stage playing the song.
The first real political moment of the show came on Sunday Bloody Sunday. The band showed images of the bloody crackdown against protesters in Iran. The stage was lit entirely in green as Bono opened with that line.
I can't believe the news today, I can't close my eyes and make go away.
That song was written about the killing of 27 protesters in Northern Ireland in 1972. Every tour it has a new meaning. The same thing keeps happening over and over again.
A few songs later, Walk On. The song was written for Aung San Suu Kyi, the jailed democratically elected leader of Burma. Masks of her face were handed out to the crowd, and everyone was encouraged to wear it during the song. It's a terrific song that sends shivers down your spine live. The show was flying by.
Song after song, each one everyone singing along, but nobody was slowing down. This show could have gone all night, but you knew you were running out of songs. From Walk On they launched into Where the Streets Have No Name. A staple of U2's live show since the Joshua Tree. To see that song performed live is something else. Up on the screen appears Bishop Desmond Tutu. He was a vocal opponent of apartheid in South Africa in the 1980's, and has spent his life fighting for human rights. He brought a message from Africa, about how much has been accomplished in recent years, and what it means to the world. It was the intro to One.
The band left the stage. The opening set was done, we knew we had only the encore left. The entire crowd started chanting "we want more!" I thought they would be chanting something in Croatian. How polite of them to chant something that I could join in on. The screen lit up with something that sounded like it belonged on ZooTV. A distorted voice. Glowing green squares. Out came Bono in a jacket with red lights shining in all directions.
Sometimes I feel like I don't know, sometimes I feel like checking out
Ultraviolet Light! A track off Achtung Baby that has the spacey quality perfect for this stage. For this show. The crowd went nuts again as the band launched into the encore.
Out the moody Ultraviolet Light came the familiar baseline from perhaps U2's most famous song. Another one to send chills down your back. Another one that everyone, whether they're a U2 fan or not, knows all the words to and sings along. With or Without You.
You know the end is near when With or Without You is over. We're two hours into an amazing show. Every word to every song sung along. Sure enough the next track was to be the last. It's another one off the new album, Moment of Surrender. It's one that really pushes the limits of Bono's voice, especially after two hours of singing. The crowd lifts the band up, and the band keeps the crowd going. The show was done. The band salutes the crowd. The crowd gives them one final cheer, and then it was over. Not unlike Popmart, this was an amazing spectacle.
When people asked me why Croatia, I simply responded why not? I figured the show in Europe would be different than it would be in North America, and it was. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" had a completely different meaning in Croatia than it does over here. I will never forget how it felt to sing that song with those people. People from all over the region whose countries were at war just over a decade ago. People who now just want peace.
It was a long road to Zagreb. As it turns out, it was a trip right on the cusp of another big change in my life. I came home with a sense that I can do anything. My buddy Paul and I made it all the way to Zagreb, Croatia to see U2. What can't I do?
(Set list)
Breathe No Line On The Horizon Get On Your Boots Magnificent Beautiful Day Mysterious Ways I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For Stuck In A Moment (You Can't Get Out Of) Unknown Caller Unforgettable Fire City of Blinding Lights Vertigo I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (Remix) Sunday Bloody Sunday Pride (In The Name of Love) MLK Walk On Where The Streets Have No Name One -------- Ultraviolet With Or Without You Moment of Surrender
