Tag: NHL

Lunch Time Again

Coming to the end of another lunch break. It has only been half a work day since my last post, but it feels like it’s been a long day. You know how that is?

It’s 89 degrees outside here in the Tewksbury. The air conditioner is on in the next room, and my little USB fan is running on low about 12 inches away from me. That little fan has been a big hit. I’m loving the stupid thing, and last night when I talked to my brother he said he’s loving it too. It’s just a cheap plastic thing so it will likely burn down, fall over, and sink into the swamp* any minute now. Until then…

At some point tonight the Bruins may know who their second round opponent will be. If the Islanders beat the Penguins they will advance to the second round where they will meet the Bruins. If the Penguins win, then they go to a game seven. I’m kind of rooting for that game seven.

It’s not quite time to start really getting excited for this**, but we are starting to get information on Harry’s High School Graduation. We have a date and time, we have parking passes (or we will once he brings them home from school today), and we know how many people can attend. It’s going to be weird in that we will likely follow all of the Covid rules, while the school likely won’t. I mean, come on Rob, haven’t you heard? The pandemic is over. Right. Sure.

Okay, this is just a quick post. Time to get back to work.

(*) You didn’t expect that Monty Python reference. (pause while we wait for the Spanish Inquisition punchline)

(**) It’s too early for me and Jen to get excited, but it’s not too early for Harry. Senioritis is in full effect.

Lunch Break

Ready for a lunch break post?

I still can’t get to the editor on a Vivaldi non-private browser window on my work laptop. It works in a private window and it works on Vivaldi on every other computer in my personal computing universe. What up?

I’ve had a couple of good nights sleep lately, but I still feel tired. I think the Covid is finally wearing my out. I put all new parts onto my breathing machine last night, which was nice, and I slept like the dead for over seven hours, which was nice, but I’m still tired today.

Did I mention the Bruins advanced to the second round? I think I need to start watching the Penguins/Islanders series. I don’t like either team, but the Bruins looked like world beaters in the first round so I’m cautiously optimistic about all possible opponents.

Music, right? I want to do car music tomorrow morning, but I don’t have anything written. There are two songs from this month that are ready for lyrics, and three more from the past couple of months too. I have to write ’em before I sings ’em though. I’m hoping that tonight before bed I’ll be able to sneak some writing in. I’m doing a challenge to record at least one song every month and I have one for this month that’s ready to mix. I just don’t know if it’s as good as some of the other things I’ve worked on this month. We’ll see.

Also music: The recording nook right now has the Vox AC15 plugged into the normal channel and the pedals are a Klon Klone, a Rat klone, and a Muff klone. I think I need to swap out the Rat for something else, and I’m not 100% sure I like the AC15 on it’s own. Maybe it’s time for the Bassbreaker 15 to come back. What I really want is my Deluxe Reverb, but it’s still at the band’s rehearsal room at our bass players house. What to do, what to do. Tone, am I right?

The kids are at their dad’s for the next couple of days. I miss them already. Harry went to school this morning and Bellana just left a minute ago. I am sad. I want them here 24/7 because I am greedy and selfish. Crud.

I should do some sunrise pics soon. I don’t know what my nana-sitting schedule is like off the top of my head, but there is a holiday weekend coming up. There’s also a wedding anniversary for someone coming up too. I wonder who?

Okay, fat boy, back to work.

Third Period

11 minutes left in the third period and the Bruins have a 3-1 lead.

A two goal lead.

Was it the great Johhny Bucyk who once said that a two goal lead was the scariest lead in hockey? I’ve also heard people say that three goals is the scariest lead in hockey, but I’ll take it at this point. I’m guessing an eight goal lead is not scary at all. I’ll take that too.

Eight minutes left in the third. The Bruins are starting to look like they are playing prevent defense and that’s a bad sign. Two goals is starting to look pretty scary right now, I tells ya.

Game Four

Bruins/Capitals Game Four of their first round series from the Gahden in Boston tonight. One period down, no score. What else is new? I was hoping the B’s would jump out to a 10 goal lead in the first few minutes so that we could have a stress-free game night experience. 33.3% through regulation and no luck yet.

It’s Nana Sitting night and I’m sitting in her living room watching the game. Jen and the kids are at home watching whatever they are watching on our swanky new 4K Apple TV which was delivered today. Our old Apple TV was getting buggy and weird. They announced the new one right at the exact time we were starting to think about replacing it. If I were a conspiracy theory loving red head, rather than the sane and rational cat that I am, I would think that was a bit too much of a coincidence. Nope. Not me.

Go Bruins.

Cough

Two hours ago I ate a granola bar. It feels like the teeny, tiniest little spec of granola, barely a molecule or two, has some how gotten stuck near the back of my throat. I’ve been coughing ever since. I brought a water bottle full of our delicious Poland Spring water, flavored with some delicious grape flavoring. I drank the whole thing while trying to dislodge the speck of granola. I failed. There’s no delicious spring water here at my parents house. I filled up the water bottle with tap water. Then I remembered I was supposed to bring a grape flavoring bottle with me tonight. I had some here, but not enough to adequately grape-ify my water bottle. Shit, cough cough. Shit.

The Bruins and Capitals are playing game three of their first round series. Similar to games one and two, game three has gone to overtime. The Bruins have been rolling in the overtime period with nothing to show for it. I could really go for a Bruins game winning goal right now. Two minute left in the overtime period. I’m starting to get a bad feeling about this one. Shit, cough cough. Shit.

For the second consecutive Nana-Sitting night I am having all kinds of bad allergies. Sniffles, runny nose, the works. All of that on top of my stupid granola bar cough. Shit, cough cough. Shit.

I have a pimple on my left ear lobe. It hurts like furious, bloody murder. Shit, cough cough. Shit.

I wanna go home.

Grinds My Gears

What was I talking about?

I was about to write a post that rips off a Family Guy episode but Taylor Hall just scored a highlight reel goal in game three of the Bruins/Capitals series and it’s all I can think about right now. Ovetchkin scored a power play goal to put the Caps up 1-0 in the second period, and then the Bruins came right back and scored to tie it. The goal was fantastic, but the blind backhand pass that set it up was utterly spectacular. Was it Krejci? I didn’t see. I need another replay.

So what was I talking about? Oh yeah, wanna know what really grinds my gears? When I’m on gmail.com and I go into the spam folder to clear it out and in the instant that I click to delete everything, a new spam message shows up and I am left with one unwanted message when I should have zero.

Yeah, that wouldn’t have been an interesting post even if it hadn’t been interrupted by an awesome goal. I think the blind backhand pass that setup the Hall goal came from Craig Smith.

Seven minutes left in the 2nd and the Caps are putting on some serious pressure. Lots of back and forth in this game though. It’s a good game right now.

Go Bruins.

Game One Loss

I listened to the first period on the radio and I watched the overtime. The Bruins lost to the Capitals in game one of their best of seven first round play off series.

I fear that the reason they lost a game where the higher seed’s goalie left injured in the first period might have had something to do with me wearing a Red Sox t-shirt instead of a Bruins t-shirt. It’s possible on some cosmic level that I messed things up. The Red Sox beat the Angels 9-0 so maybe I accidentally sent all of my super powerful red head vibes to the Red Sox when I meant to send them to the Bruins?

I’ll do better for game #2 tomorrow night.

Go Bruins.

NHL Stanley Cup Quarterfinals Predictions – Round One

Here’s the thing about the NHL this season. I didn’t watch a single game outside of the East Division. There are 12 teams in the playoffs this year that I know literally nothing about. Here’s how I am going to handle it, predictions wise. For the East it is business as usual. For the other three divisions, I am going to make a gut feeling pick based mostly on the standings, but I am also going to make a coin flip pick. After the first round is over, I’ll compare the two and see how it went.

First, though, the East Division…

No. 1 Pittsburgh Penguins vs No. 4 New York Islanders: The Islanders have two strikes against them and the Penguins only have one. The Islanders are from New York (BOO!) and I have no faith in them at all. Two strikes. The Penguins’ only strike is that they are the friggin’ Penguins and I really hate the friggin’ Penguins. Still, I gotta pick them for this round. Pittsburgh will win.

No. 2 Washington Capitals vs No. 3 Boston Bruins: So there I was, at the trade deadline thinking, Taylor Hall? Really? He’s not going to put us over the top. He’s no winner. Well… I might have to stand here corrected. I am standing here beside myself corrected. I hope. My heroic, triumphant Boston Bruins have had a few clunkers of late, but I see them steam rolling the Caps in the first round. Please please please please please don’t make me eat those word too. Boston will win.

Next, the Central Division…

No. 1 Carolina Hurricanes vs No. 4 Nashville Predators: Not much doubt about this one, even without knowing anything about the two teams. I say Carolina wins this one. The coin flip (heads for the higher seed) says Carolina wins too.

No. 2 Florida Panthers vs No. 3 Tampa Bay Lightning: I’m picking the upset here. Probably because I am still thinking of the Lightning in terms of last season. I say Tampa Bay wins. The coin flip also says Tampa Bay wins. Weird.

On to the North Division…

No. 1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs No. 4 Montreal Canadiens: I hate the Montreal Canadiens with every fiber of my being. I hate them I hate them I hate them. Also, Toronto doesn’t have to play Boston in the first round so they won’t automatically lose again. I say Toronto wins, and probably wins the next round too. The coin flip says Toronto wins too. Is the coin like, reading my mind? Spooky.

No. 2 Edmonton Oilers vs. No. 3 Winnipeg Jets: I could maybe try a spoiler here too but I won’t. I say Edmonton wins (and probably pretty easily too). The coin says Edmonton wins too. Okay, this is starting to creep me out now.

Finally, the West Division where I will once again just pick the higher seed.

No. 1 Colorado Avalanche vs. No. 4 St. Louis Blues: Hey St. Louis, I got your Stanley Cup right here! (imagine me making a very rude hand gesture) You buncha jerkies. I’m not picking the Blues because I’m still pissed off about the last time. Also because I have a sneaking suspicion that the Avs are going to have a parade this year. They might get to do some on ice celebrating, possibly in Toronto. Hashtag foreshadowing. I say Colorado wins. The coin says St. Louis wins because the coin is an asshole. At least we finally have one where we didn’t pick the same team. Hey coin, I got your randomness right here! (imagine me making a very rude hand gesture)

No. 2 Vegas Golden Knights vs. No. 3 Minnesota Wild: Did you know that Minneapolis, MN is the only city outside of Boston, MA where I’ve attended an NHL game? Think that will lead me to pick them to win this series? Think again. I say Vegas wins. The coin, however, says that Minnesota wins. We shall see, Mr. Coin… we shall see.

There you have it, my first round playoff predictions for this the second 2021 playoff season which is also the second Covid-19 playoff season.

Go Bruins.

Bruins First Round Matchup

The Bruins still have one more game in their regular season, but with their win over the Islanders last night they locked up their final spot in the standings. They will go into the playoffs as #3 in the division, and their first round matchup is already set.

They will play Washington, starting Saturday night.

Washington scares me a lot, but really so do all of the teams in the division. Except Buffalo, I guess. The sad part of the series is that they have to play against former captain Zdeno Chara. That’s kinda sad. Not that sad though. He was our captain last year, this year he’s the enemy. I hope they mop the ice with the ancient bastard.

Go Bruins.