Lead Thoughts, Volume 35
This was the first weekend in what felt like 'forever' (really just August) that we didn't have two kids' worth of soccer obligations, which offered a nice break, particularly on Saturday morning.
I woke Saturday to...nothing. So I had to find something and that turned out to be laundry, a run to Borders, and a grocery store run that didn't really include Thanksgiving stuff so I'll be seeing the inside of a grocery store again between now and Thursday.
As I am prone to do, it feels like time to clear the mental table.
"Gonna Trade In Friday Nights For a Piece Of Your Heart"
I cannot begin to tell you the considerable restraint it took on the part of my wife and older son to not go to a midnight showing of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows, Pt. 1 and wait to see on Friday night. We've already done the whole "keep the kids up way past bedtime and send them to school the next day like zombies" thing when we took them to see The Gaslight Anthem a few months ago, and the difference, of course, between a concert and a movie is that a band is going to come, they're going to play, and then they're going to leave. There won't be another "showing" the next day.
Friday also marked our 1 year anniversary in our new house/city and it really is pretty amazing how seamlessly we've managed to adjust. The kids (particularly Bailey) had a tougher adjustment then we did but now, a year later, it's like nothing has phased them. Bailey's birthday party with his new friends resembled the years and years of parties he had in our former city. He has a circle of friends here now and I think it says a lot about his personality when groups of kids who have known each other since kindergarten have brought him in and made him part of the gang without blinking.
Before the movie we celebrated this little anniversary and the end of soccer with dinner at Red Robin, where the soccer parents of Gavin's team had given me a very nice gift card to as a thank you for coaching. It was very generous, very unexpected, but very nice. In fact, this very same Red Robin was where we had stopped for lunch back in June of 2008, just a few weeks after my company first informed me I was being transferred to Portland. We were driving through various suburbs we'd heard might be a good fit for us on a late Spring afternoon, months and months before the transfer would become reality and long before we even had our former home up for sale. So it was rather fun to mark Year #1 at the same place where it all started.
The movie? It was long and I thought a little slow in parts but it was a vivid and faithful adaptation of the first part of the final book in this splendid series. It's a bit of a marketing scam to split the final book into two movies but, then again, sitting through a 5 hour movie might be beyond the American attention span. They ended Part One in the right spot, I thought. It reminded me of the end of The Empire Strikes Back when I was a kid, with that "all hope is lost" vibe but with the audience knowing it will all work around to good triumphing over evil. [Note: George Lucas never crafter characters with the depth and good dialog J.K. Rowling has done with Harry Potter.]
"Thank You... (insert long list that Alanis Morrisette mentions in 'Thank You')"
We're hosting Thanksgiving on Thursday, which is not something we really set out to do but sort of wound up doing. My in-laws are currently having serious plumbing and water issues (septic tanks are evil!) so they're out and my wife's aunt, who hosted last year, is traveling east to visit her grandchild so that was out, too. Alas, it falls to us. We've hosted before but that was in the old house and I think our new place is a bit less conducive to a houseful of people. But, then again, there will only be 9 of us total (the in-laws, sister-in-law, and 2 of our friends) so that's not too bad. The turkey has been purchased, the rest of the stuff will be bought today or tomorrow, and since I am working 9 to 3 that day (holiday pay, ka-ching!) all I really have to do is get home and eat. That almost feels unfair. Almost. :)
I get Friday off and I think my wife and I will head out for Black Friday. The truth is that if you're going to be buying for people and not doing the quieter, anti-consumer rush thing (which we've done before) then it's a good day to get out early and find some very good deals. We have a list that includes our kids, the nephews, and the in-laws and when I do the math involving our "target items" for Friday it could save us hundreds of dollars, so it's hard to resist the sales. Plus, I like going out with my wife sans monkeys. We don't get enough date nights as it is and Black Friday has kind of become a "date morning" ever since the kids were old enough to be left in bed and able to feed themselves when they wake up. Last year we finished pretty early and then went out to breakfast together. It was rather nice, despite getting up at an hour so evil I won't even mention it.
"A List of Another Sort"
As long time LJ amigos know, December traditionally brings my "Top 20 CDs" write-up. And while the concept of the "album" seems to be dying in some corners and physical album releases are too (at least one of this year's Top 20 was a "digital only" release), 2010 has actually been a very strong musical year. Last year was such a struggle that I broke my own rule about not including reissues (i.e., hit collections, anthologies, etc.) and had the Complete Beatles Remasters at #3. 2009 just wasn't a great year. This year has been considerably better. My cut-off date for albums is December 1st (and late 2009 releases not discovered until 2010 are eligible for my list too) so right now I'm re-listening to favorites from this past 12 months and trying to figure out what order to put them in or if they make the list, etc. I know there are some people (like 5 or 6!) that really look forward to this list so, no fears, it'll make an appearance in early December. :)
Oh, and you can be pretty damn sure last night's big AMA Winner, Justin Bieber, ain't gonna be rocking my Top 20. Baby, oh baby...
"Their defense was better than our defense, their offense was better than our offense, and their goaltending was better than our goaltending...
The above was a nice "truth in coaching" quote from New York Rangers head coach John Torterella regarding last week's blowout where my Colorado Avalanche lit up the Rangers 5-1. That win was part of the Avs recent 4-game win streak and they currently sit atop their division. They, like many teams, are hitting the 20 game mark or the 1/4 mark of the 82 game season, so it seems a good time for some NHL observations and musings. Here goes:
- The Avalanche have done a tremendous job once again with a very young team and a very low payroll, leading the Western Conference in offense and getting solid goaltending from starter Craig Anderson, and back-up Peter Budaj, who took the reins for 10 games while Anderson was out with a knee injury. Like last year, the 2010-2011 version of the Avs contains several rookies who have been up to the task from the word "go". They're a fun team to watch, too, and it's not just the fanboy in me talking. Most NHL fans agree!
- New Jersey is learning the hard way why you don't throw a decade-plus long contract at a player who, despite being an offensive dynamo, has never lead a team to ANYTHING. It's actually kind of sad because for years and years the Devils were to the East what Detroit was and still is to the West: The picture of how you keep a franchise strong, build from within, and make smart free agent moves. Even in the cap era, New Jersey and Detroit have remained very strong. But New Jersey made a huge mistake this summer with the signing of Illya Kovalchuk to a very long, very expensive contract that will cap-strap them for many a season to come. Add that to the twilight of goaltender Martin Brodeur's career and you have a franchise on the decline.
- As critical as I may be of New Jersey making a poor choice, at least they have a pedigree of championships, so their fans will be forgiving. New York Islanders fans and Toronto fans should not be so kind. The 80's dynasty on the Island has long since faded and they haven't won a playoff series since 1993. The Maple Leafs, who came out strong this season, have fallen back into the doldrums. The Islanders are a disaster. Toronto is just a joke. You can decide which is worse.
- Calgary will be the first team with valuable assets to go into "fire sale" mode because they aren't going to make the post-season and they need to focus on rebuilding. Captain Jarome Iginla has been told he won't be traded and he has a no-trade clause to boot but as a guy who has never won a Cup I suspect he'd be willing to waive his no-trade to go to a contender. The L.A. Kings would be a perfect fit and could put that team over the top to where they become a serious threat to win it all.
- The faces of the NHL have been Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin for the past several seasons. It might be a good idea to add Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos to that poster because he's the best player in the league right now, with question.
- What's a power forward? Watch Colorado play and focus on Chris Stewart. That's what we hockey geeks mean by "power forward"!
That's all I've got. Have a good holiday week!
J
I woke Saturday to...nothing. So I had to find something and that turned out to be laundry, a run to Borders, and a grocery store run that didn't really include Thanksgiving stuff so I'll be seeing the inside of a grocery store again between now and Thursday.
As I am prone to do, it feels like time to clear the mental table.
"Gonna Trade In Friday Nights For a Piece Of Your Heart"
I cannot begin to tell you the considerable restraint it took on the part of my wife and older son to not go to a midnight showing of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows, Pt. 1 and wait to see on Friday night. We've already done the whole "keep the kids up way past bedtime and send them to school the next day like zombies" thing when we took them to see The Gaslight Anthem a few months ago, and the difference, of course, between a concert and a movie is that a band is going to come, they're going to play, and then they're going to leave. There won't be another "showing" the next day.
Friday also marked our 1 year anniversary in our new house/city and it really is pretty amazing how seamlessly we've managed to adjust. The kids (particularly Bailey) had a tougher adjustment then we did but now, a year later, it's like nothing has phased them. Bailey's birthday party with his new friends resembled the years and years of parties he had in our former city. He has a circle of friends here now and I think it says a lot about his personality when groups of kids who have known each other since kindergarten have brought him in and made him part of the gang without blinking.
Before the movie we celebrated this little anniversary and the end of soccer with dinner at Red Robin, where the soccer parents of Gavin's team had given me a very nice gift card to as a thank you for coaching. It was very generous, very unexpected, but very nice. In fact, this very same Red Robin was where we had stopped for lunch back in June of 2008, just a few weeks after my company first informed me I was being transferred to Portland. We were driving through various suburbs we'd heard might be a good fit for us on a late Spring afternoon, months and months before the transfer would become reality and long before we even had our former home up for sale. So it was rather fun to mark Year #1 at the same place where it all started.
The movie? It was long and I thought a little slow in parts but it was a vivid and faithful adaptation of the first part of the final book in this splendid series. It's a bit of a marketing scam to split the final book into two movies but, then again, sitting through a 5 hour movie might be beyond the American attention span. They ended Part One in the right spot, I thought. It reminded me of the end of The Empire Strikes Back when I was a kid, with that "all hope is lost" vibe but with the audience knowing it will all work around to good triumphing over evil. [Note: George Lucas never crafter characters with the depth and good dialog J.K. Rowling has done with Harry Potter.]
"Thank You... (insert long list that Alanis Morrisette mentions in 'Thank You')"
We're hosting Thanksgiving on Thursday, which is not something we really set out to do but sort of wound up doing. My in-laws are currently having serious plumbing and water issues (septic tanks are evil!) so they're out and my wife's aunt, who hosted last year, is traveling east to visit her grandchild so that was out, too. Alas, it falls to us. We've hosted before but that was in the old house and I think our new place is a bit less conducive to a houseful of people. But, then again, there will only be 9 of us total (the in-laws, sister-in-law, and 2 of our friends) so that's not too bad. The turkey has been purchased, the rest of the stuff will be bought today or tomorrow, and since I am working 9 to 3 that day (holiday pay, ka-ching!) all I really have to do is get home and eat. That almost feels unfair. Almost. :)
I get Friday off and I think my wife and I will head out for Black Friday. The truth is that if you're going to be buying for people and not doing the quieter, anti-consumer rush thing (which we've done before) then it's a good day to get out early and find some very good deals. We have a list that includes our kids, the nephews, and the in-laws and when I do the math involving our "target items" for Friday it could save us hundreds of dollars, so it's hard to resist the sales. Plus, I like going out with my wife sans monkeys. We don't get enough date nights as it is and Black Friday has kind of become a "date morning" ever since the kids were old enough to be left in bed and able to feed themselves when they wake up. Last year we finished pretty early and then went out to breakfast together. It was rather nice, despite getting up at an hour so evil I won't even mention it.
"A List of Another Sort"
As long time LJ amigos know, December traditionally brings my "Top 20 CDs" write-up. And while the concept of the "album" seems to be dying in some corners and physical album releases are too (at least one of this year's Top 20 was a "digital only" release), 2010 has actually been a very strong musical year. Last year was such a struggle that I broke my own rule about not including reissues (i.e., hit collections, anthologies, etc.) and had the Complete Beatles Remasters at #3. 2009 just wasn't a great year. This year has been considerably better. My cut-off date for albums is December 1st (and late 2009 releases not discovered until 2010 are eligible for my list too) so right now I'm re-listening to favorites from this past 12 months and trying to figure out what order to put them in or if they make the list, etc. I know there are some people (like 5 or 6!) that really look forward to this list so, no fears, it'll make an appearance in early December. :)
Oh, and you can be pretty damn sure last night's big AMA Winner, Justin Bieber, ain't gonna be rocking my Top 20. Baby, oh baby...
"Their defense was better than our defense, their offense was better than our offense, and their goaltending was better than our goaltending...
The above was a nice "truth in coaching" quote from New York Rangers head coach John Torterella regarding last week's blowout where my Colorado Avalanche lit up the Rangers 5-1. That win was part of the Avs recent 4-game win streak and they currently sit atop their division. They, like many teams, are hitting the 20 game mark or the 1/4 mark of the 82 game season, so it seems a good time for some NHL observations and musings. Here goes:
- The Avalanche have done a tremendous job once again with a very young team and a very low payroll, leading the Western Conference in offense and getting solid goaltending from starter Craig Anderson, and back-up Peter Budaj, who took the reins for 10 games while Anderson was out with a knee injury. Like last year, the 2010-2011 version of the Avs contains several rookies who have been up to the task from the word "go". They're a fun team to watch, too, and it's not just the fanboy in me talking. Most NHL fans agree!
- New Jersey is learning the hard way why you don't throw a decade-plus long contract at a player who, despite being an offensive dynamo, has never lead a team to ANYTHING. It's actually kind of sad because for years and years the Devils were to the East what Detroit was and still is to the West: The picture of how you keep a franchise strong, build from within, and make smart free agent moves. Even in the cap era, New Jersey and Detroit have remained very strong. But New Jersey made a huge mistake this summer with the signing of Illya Kovalchuk to a very long, very expensive contract that will cap-strap them for many a season to come. Add that to the twilight of goaltender Martin Brodeur's career and you have a franchise on the decline.
- As critical as I may be of New Jersey making a poor choice, at least they have a pedigree of championships, so their fans will be forgiving. New York Islanders fans and Toronto fans should not be so kind. The 80's dynasty on the Island has long since faded and they haven't won a playoff series since 1993. The Maple Leafs, who came out strong this season, have fallen back into the doldrums. The Islanders are a disaster. Toronto is just a joke. You can decide which is worse.
- Calgary will be the first team with valuable assets to go into "fire sale" mode because they aren't going to make the post-season and they need to focus on rebuilding. Captain Jarome Iginla has been told he won't be traded and he has a no-trade clause to boot but as a guy who has never won a Cup I suspect he'd be willing to waive his no-trade to go to a contender. The L.A. Kings would be a perfect fit and could put that team over the top to where they become a serious threat to win it all.
- The faces of the NHL have been Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin for the past several seasons. It might be a good idea to add Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos to that poster because he's the best player in the league right now, with question.
- What's a power forward? Watch Colorado play and focus on Chris Stewart. That's what we hockey geeks mean by "power forward"!
That's all I've got. Have a good holiday week!
J