OH MY GOOD LORD!

Thank you, Baby Jesus!

I just got the offer of a freakin lifetime!

MissRoomie calls me and says, "If there was a way for you to go down to Miss America, have your airfare and lodging paid for AND a ticket to the final night of competition, would you go?"

DUH!

All I have to do is watch the cutest little twins in the world on Thursday and Friday nights and pay for food.

Freakin awesome!

Happy Birthday, Mami!

A VERY happy 26th birthday to Mrs. Christina Aguilera-Bratman! Almost time for you to welcome your little nugget into the world! The world needs more hot Jewish men... (Can you imagine having Christina Aguilera for a mother in law?! oh jeebus....)

FYI:

Do not watch Extreme Home Makeover while eating lunch at your desk and in the full throws of PMS.

There are only so many tears you can blame on the onion on your subway.

Christmas Miracle

In the midst of one family's tragedy this Holiday Season, I witnessed their Christmas Miracle this morning.

Michael Blackketter, 9, of West Richland, WA passed away on Monday after a long and brave battle with cancer. He was a hockey and baseball fan and when they thought he was finally in remisson, his Make-a-Wish that was granted in September was a trip to Disney World, where he spent hours in the swimming pool. When he started feeling sick again, the doctors discovered that the cancer had come back and had taken over his brain, liver, pancreas and bones.

One of the hardest things I've had to do in my career so far was to help a mother pick out a casket for her son who had not yet reached his tenth birthday.

I was standing outside with one of the owners of our small corporation, discussing what kind of signage he was thinking about putting up in front of my building when an older woman pulled into the parking lot. "Can I help you?" I asked with a laugh, opening the door, "Well, besides getting you inside from the cold?"
With a sweet smile, she said, "I Certainly hope so."

She went on to ask if I was handling the case for little Matthew. I told her that one of our other locations was actually handling the case, but asked her if I could help her with anything. She then said the most heartwarming thing I've ever heard, "I'd like to anonymously pay for his funeral expenses."

I called the other location, got the total for the funeral, and when she saw how "small" the amount was, she asked if I could get the cemetery expenses for her as well. I handed them to her on the back of a business card and she returned a short time later with a cashier's check for the full amount, plus $500.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a warmed heart.

HA! quote of the night!

McMan and I watching the Ducks vs. the 'Nucks

Me: Look at that creepy Sedin! He's creepy lookin! I'd punch a creepy Sedin, go ahead give me a penalty.
McMan: you'd look creepy if you had pubes on your face, too.

Panger: He tried the 'Forsburgian' move.
McMan: The 'Forsburgian' move?! What happened to the 'postage stamp' you fuck?!

Holy Cuteness!

The Ultimate Canucks Haiku

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Not gonna lie, cutest video of little hockey-loving nuggets, ever. Ever!

Woooo VEGAAASSSS!!

We're waiting at the gate. I'm buzzed... I believe that's a level 6buzz (out of 10) I had a drink called Captain Nemo. It had a gummy fish at the bottom. YUM. The Fuzzy Peach martini was more fuzzy than peach... even McMan said, "Wow, that'll put hair on your chest."

SO the next 3 days will be in Vegas. Limo's picking us up between 2-3 am to go to the boobie bar. YAY!!!!!

aight... I'm officially not typing well. typos galore. massive deleting going on.

more updates from Sin City!

Blog Hiatus Over.

Ok, so I'm completely moved now. And without a kitteh. She went to be a city kitty in Seattle on Monday with my wonderful cousin, HB.

Worked until 8pm last night (yay for 11 hour workdays... well, when they're in preparation for the trip to Vegas with McMan next weekend) and flipped the Stars at Sharkies game on when I walked in the door. Mike Modano ties and surpasses the US-Born scoring record. Not gonna lie, even though it was against my Sharkies, I was happy for the pop-star marrier. Willa probably got some good lovin when the plane got back to the Big D.

McMan and I discussed the goalie situation in San Jose. "Guess they should've kept your boy Toskala." I explained to him that they didn't consult me on the trade, therefore they are reaping what they quilted into their team this year. They're above .500, but nowhere near where I feel they should be. Something just doesn't look right... grrr... And admittedly, I haven't watched them enough yet this year to really put my finger on where they're going wrong. Maybe I'm a jinx on Nabokov b/c of my bad attitude toward him. Maybe I should try to remedy that. Maybe not lol.

As I mentioned before, McMan and I are heading to Vegas next Thursday evening for a weekend o'good times. So, if anyone's going to be around there, I'm the only girl out of 5 of us going.... I'm going to need a little Estrogen. :)

I've been crazy busy at work today. Even the 15 minutes I stepped out to go to the post office, i got called on my cell to come back for a cornea harvest/donation. Grrr... At least all I have to do when I get home is get my mail and my Sensaria shipment... and clean. Now that kitteh is gone, i can get rid of all of the kitteh hairs and put some stuff in my laundry room for storage. ooh... and the kitchen floor!!! Now I'm kind of excited.

THIS is classic... and awesome

HA! I LOVE IT!

Miss England Told to 'Fatten Up' to Win Miss World Title

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Twenty-year-old Miss England, Georgia Horsley, has a figure many women envy.

But the size-eight model, originally from North Yorks, England, has been told to “fatten up” if she wants a shot at winning the Miss World pageant, the Daily Mail reported Tuesday.

The organizers of the pageant, to be held Dec. 1 in Sanya, China, reportedly are looking for contestants with more voluptuous body types — ones representative of the average woman.

Click hear to read more from the DailyMail.com

"Miss World judges like naturally curvy girls and don't like the stick-thin women you see on the catwalks,” Horsley told the Daily Mail.

"They promote healthy eating and I want to help them get that message across, so I'm giving it my all."

The party that never was...

That never was.

That's right. Spa Party to break in my new digs? Who showed up? Let's make a list:

Ma
McP
Agnus Muffin Mary Pat Kate Frances McPhizzle
Sensaria rep. aka spa lady

Yup. That's it. I had 5 positive RSVPs and 3 maybes. Ma, who has been ill with salmonella poisoning, was not on that list. She just came to order and go home.

Here are some photos to show what everyone missed.



My punkin that's carved with leaves and acorns and polkadots.


The set-up on the piano... there were tealights in the ladles.


the luminaries on the table welcoming all my guests in


The buffet. Salsa & chips, crunchy artichoke hearts, cheese and salami and caramel corn.


The set-up on the entertainment center.


Agnus. She's cute. i love her.

MIA McPhizzle

Ok, so the flying monkeys have pulled me out of the cave that is my new apartment and plopped me down in front of a computer.... ok, so really I'm at work and have some down time, but that's neithere here, nor there.

I'm all moved. Ma, McMan, MissRoomie and Rabbi Herschel and I did it in a weekend. I have so much CRAP! it's insane!!! oh, and my apt is handicapped-accessable, so it's laid out a bit differently than the floorplan online. whoops. Luckily all of my furniture fits, but not the way I intended it to. The closet is about 1/3 the size of what I had before, so I had to get creative - like getting rid of a CRAPTON of clothes, finding creative ways to organize things and putting all of my hoodies and hockey jerseys in with my coats into the already jam-packed coat closet. I LOVE LOVE LOVE not having to share my kitchen with anyone. and my FRIDGE! omgsh... for real, it's amazing.

Agnus Muffin Mary Pat Kate Francis McPhizzle is LOVING being able to roam free in the new place. Little does she know she'll be moving to the big city when McHannah comes to town in November. My little baby fluffball will be moving to Seattle. The Apts let me keep her for a few weeks as I am "kitteh-sitting" without the pet fee. WHich is $300. NONrefundable. OUCH. You could re-carpet my apt TWICE with that amount of money. Whatever. I am trying to get excited about having my laundry room for storage instead of her food/water/litter/scratching area instead of my heart breaking about the little love of my life not greeting me at the door whenever i come home from anywhere. Good death I love that crazy cat... even when I warn her that I'll sell her to a taco truck if she doesnt stop chewing on my laptop cord.

McMan and I are doing well. We've laughed a LOT the past couple nights. We're heading to Vegas in November. I'm excited. The people we're going with are freaking hilarious... Too bad the only thing I'll be able to afford drinking is water. lol. Maybe he wont mind if I bring some low-cut tops and bring "the girls" out to get me some free adult beverages sent to me from across the casino. *shrug* what else are they for before you have to feed kids with them? haha.

I freaking miss MissRoomie! She's ÜBER busy with all of her royal duties, but she started a new job last night where she'll only be working Monday and Tuesday nights. YESSSSSSSSSSS!!! I mean, that's cool... We spent SUnday afternoon and evening together - Grand Opening at the new Target in West and then to McMan's for the Seahawks Game in HD. Pictures document the fun we had... you can check them out on Facebook/Myspace and I might just post a little photoessay here if I feel like it. lol. No promises on when that may or may not happen.

in other news, IT'S FREAKIN HOCKEY SEASON!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ams - WOW! What a start to the season! Sure, they've pissed their last two games away with bad penalties (POKEY.... I'm lookin at you) and they've got some injuries players out due to numbers (Uncle Mitch)... but they're still an impressive 7-3 - especially with all but 1 of those being on the road. They're a-top the US division with 14 pts (Spoke nipping at their heals with 12) and have been ranked in the CHL top 10 the first two weeks of the season. Maybe the 15-game homestand will get them back on their game.

The First Born - He's in England, havng fun, playing the game. He's happy, he's more in-shape than he has been in years and that's all we could ask for, really.

Carey - OMGSH! So watching his debut game in the NHL was so strange.... We were all huddled around the TV at his old Billet's house cheering. He's still the same old Carey: cool, calm, collected and sickeningly humble. The success really couldn't be going to a better kid - and Lord knows it's not going to his head.

Sharkies - Honestly, with all of the moving and unpacking and getting ready for my spa party, etc, I've had NO time to watch them. I've got 5 games on my DVR right now on High Priority. I'll catch up someday... I heart JR. I heart Joe. I heart Tosk.... oh, that's right, i've been watching him in BLUE. grrr... still bitter? me?! NEVER!

I guess I should actually get some work done, hey? le sigh.

Casa McP...Nuevo!

Ok, so I've got everything in and the old apt clean and empty.

Thursday I worked a full day and went straight to the office to sign my new lease. Turns out my new apt is disabled accesible, so to compensate for the large bathroom, I've got a teeny closet and all my counters and drawers and cabnets are lower. But that's ok, because I'm short :) and I got rid of a lot of clothes and i'll be getting rid of more, I'm sure. I'm rotating my clothes out by season. It'll be all good. ANYWHOOZLE, I moved and cleaned and unpacked for 7 hours. (Ma, McMan and Rabbi herschel helped out). I was crippled by the time i threw myself into bed.

Friday, the movers came at 9 and were done by 10. ma and I decided that next time, they're moving EVERYTHING. Rabbi Herschel came over and helped me move all my clothes over. Waited ALL FREAKING DAY for an a-hole of a dish guy and ended up having to go buy my own damn tripod (i moved from an upstairs apt to floor-level) because he could only find them at RV places for $60 +tax and i called the satelite place down the street from me and got it for $27.08. Went to the Ams home opener.... freakin great game - won in OT. Wish I could've enjoyed the game more, just too preoccupied and stressed, despite the beers.

Saturday McMan wasn't feeling well so we opted out of his co-worker's wedding... i got a lot of stuff done at the new place, a couple loads from the old place and then we ate dinner, listened to the Ams win in a shootout in Spoke and then slept... kitteh even slept between our pillows all night! i guess we played too much with that peskey string.

This morning I got up and started working more on getting things put away - MissRoomie came over and helped me get most of the stuff out of our old apt and then cleaned it. We didn't think we ewere going to have to do much, but when we lifted the rug in what was her bathroom and then was Bonnie & Clyde's bathroom, the rubber backing was left behind on the floor. Spent a good amount of time scraping it off of the floor. GRRRRR... they must've spilled beer on it or somthing. McMan came over after a while and helped get the rest of the stuff that wouldn't fit in my car. He was so sweet - as he was leaving he said, "Can you be a little less stressed now that you're totally out of there?" yes. yes I can. I got most everything in it's place... well, all that i can get somewhere right now... because Hammer is coming over for Thanksgiving dinner. YAY!!!

oh, I LOVE living on my own so far. :)

Classless. (Warning, McPhizzle is McPISSED!!!)

from the blog Slap Shots written by Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post

First impressions on the two newest members of the Regina Pats, C Tim Kraus and D Juraj Valach:
Kraus is thrilled to be here and can’t wait for a fresh start after a strained co-existence with Giants head coach Don Hay. Kraus reportedly worked his butt off in the summer to get into the best shape of his life. He seems eager to prove he can fit in with the Pats and be a major contributor. By all accounts, a motivated Kraus is a force to be reckoned with.

Valach was more disappointed to leave Vancouver than Kraus but he’s saying all the right things about his new team. If Pats head coach Curtis Hunt can light a fire under the towering rearguard, he could add another dangerous weapon to Regina’s already potent blueline. Valach’s English is decent, so communication shouldn’t be a huge issue. It remains to be seen if past reports of an attitude problem surface in Regina.Asked why he demanded a trade from the Tri-City Americans this summer, Valach explained he didn’t like his billets or the city and simply didn’t feel comfortable there. Tri-City GM Bob Tory took some parting shots at Valach after the deal, but there’s two sides to every story. The Pats are giving him the benefit of the doubt.

The Pats should watch their backs... .What a classless little ass... I feel like I can say this since my parents were his billets and after he flew off the handle at me for writing MY opinion of why he didn't get drafted in MY OWN EFFING BLOG, he sent me This little exeprt from an email titled "Redhead = BAD head!" (laugh, I did) :

.........I like [Ma] and I like [PA] but I hate you sorry
[McPhizzle]

You're on a new team (again) Juraj, You're playing hockey. Be happy for that, the past is the past... QUIT TRASH-TALKING MY FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UPDATE:

Good grief. I was NOT expecting what I got upon arrival at the home of Ma and Pa after work.

I got a check to cover my new deposit, part of my new rent AND enough $$ to hire movers to move my piano (and probably a few of the heavier furniture items. ).

I also got the title to my car. That's right, ladies and germs, the flying monkeys had to hold me up, because I still had about 2.5 years of payments left. Being the schmaltz I am, I squirted a few tears like a little bitch. Ma's comment, "What are you crying for? You didn't win a crown!"
My reply, "This is so much better than a crown!"

So I came home, Roomie2.0 wasn't here, so I called her and let her know the news. She took it pretty well... and I also told her that her felon wasn't allowed back here - oddly enough, she didn't come home tonight - well, at least she hasn't come home yet.

I've been packing all night. I have the living room, piano/dining area, hall cabinet and most of the kitchen and laundry rooms packed. My closet is clean, so I'll just take all that over as-is... after all, it's not too terribly far away. (and right next door to my friend Tracey, who I referred to the complex and should be getting my $250 "thank you" check soon) I need to pack up my CDs, the stuff in my armoir, my stationary (that'll be a chore for sure!) and the stuff under my bed. Oh... and the rest of my bathroom... jeebus.... well, at least I have a few days to do it, right? of course right!

I'm pretty devistated about my cat. I'm just not home enough to take care of her on my own. At least with Roomie2.0 and her felon here I knew she'd get fed if she whined. Speaking of whining, she's mewing her tiny tiny little mew outside my door right now b/c I wont let her into my room to chew on the papers and books i have under my bed while I sleep. I know, I'm a horrible kittymama. Plus, I just can't handle looking at her knowing that she's not going to be mine much longer. :(

GAH!

Well, Casa McP is going to have a new address in 10 days or less.

That's right. I said it, 10 days OR LESS.

See, I got a call today from my apartment manager asking if I still had Roomie2.0 living there. I said yes, not knowing she hadn't turned in her application for living in our complex. Manager said, "Ok, you've got 10 days for her to vacate or we're going to have to evict you."

SQUWA-SQUWAH!?

This all stems from her b/f being arrested in our apt for felony charges the 2nd or 3rd day she lived at my place. She also got a ticket for obstructing justice - which is why she wont be approved to live at our apartments.

So we went over the options, I could stay in my fabulous apartment and pay ALL the rent until Dec. 31, Pay the $1400 it is to break my lease and move somewhere else or since I'm the only name on the lease now, transfer the lease over to a 1 BR apartment in the complex. Since I'm not made of money (although I do like to think I am) I went for option #3. Therefore, on or before October 5, I'll be living across the complex.

I've got PUD set up to be turned on the 3rd... and if I need it earlier, then I can call and change it. I need to figure out when i can get in so that I can call and have my sattelite dish moved. Need to start calling all of my credit card companies and magazine subscriptions to get those changed over to the right apt. number.

Oh. And Papa McP will be contributing greatly to the McPhizzle Financial Fund. His support is greatly appreciated... as are viewers like you. (but i'm not paying you back like i am him.)

While moving is TOTALLY stressfull and SO not fun, i'm STOKED to do it. Not only do I get into my own place where i don't have to share my kitchen with anyone (really, it's a huge pet peeve of mine...) but i also get away from the drama that is my new roommate situaton. YAY! Oh, and I'll be hosting Canadian Thanksgiving in my own pad. :)

Adoption Announcement!

McPhizzle proudly presents the newest member of the Maple Leaf Mafia, who was adopted on September 18, 2007.

Her name is Muffin (McMan said I couldn't name her Toskala... party pooper), she's approximately 5-6 weeks old as far as McMan and I can tell, and since I'm refering to her in the female form, she's a chick.


Tiny widdle Muffin McP. More pics on the Facebook!

She's a fluffy little ball of puffness that Roomie2.0's friend found at the loading dock of the new Target out in West that she works at. Roomie2.0 (and her beau) were afraid I was allergic, however, I am not, tend to love kittehs (see: here) and instantaniously fell deeply in love with her and went on a kitty shopping spree at Target.

She slept on my lap and then on my bed all night... She woke up about 5:30 and decided my arm looked like a fun toy, so I took her back into the Laundry room for her to have some fun with her food, water, litter box and leopard print colapsable kitty tent.

I love her. You may love her as well. Especially when she starts chiming in on the upcoming hockey season!

Patriot Day

I usually save my emotional, political and/or religious posts for my personal blog, saving this one for fun and humor. However, today is a special day. A day of remembrance, thankfulness, reflection and prayer.


9-11. As many Americans do, every year on this day I think of the horror that crept into my heart when I heard the news. My mother woke me up to tell me what happened. The sadness in her eyes as she saw me break down, knowing that this was war. My uncle Eric was in the Air Force, My boyfriend, a cadet, was about to be commissioned as an officer in the US Army. She lived through Vietnam and lost her first love there and hoped it wouldn't happen to me as well.

Driving to the post office today, I remembered why I love living in small-ish-town America - American flags up and down the street on different buildings. Homes, Businesses, Churches. Indeed, God Blesses America.

I heard this on the way to work this morning and it touched my heart and brought a peace over me. It was a poem written by Stacey Randall, voiced by Bob Holiday over "Silent Night". ( click here to hear it )

Met in the Stairwell

You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news, Sept. 11, 2001. Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room with a man who called his wife to say "Good-bye." I held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the peace to say, "Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is OK...I am ready to go."

I was with his wife when he called as she fed breakfast to their children. I held her up as she tried to understand his words and as she realized he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a woman cried out to me for help. "I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!" I said. "Of course I will show you the way home -- only believe on Me now."
I was at the base of the building with the Priest ministering to the injured and devastated souls. I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He heard my voice and answered.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the believers there. Comforting and assuring them that their Faith has saved them.

I was in Texas, Kansas, London. I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news. Did you sense Me? I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew every name-though they did NOT all know Me. Some met me for the first time on the 100th floor. Some sought me out in their last breath. Some couldn't hear me calling to them throughout the smoke and flames, "Come to Me...this way...take my hand." Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me. But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day--you may not know why, But I DO. However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me? September 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey for you. But someday your journey will end. And I will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are "ready to go." I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

Remember. I love you.

God

Copyright©2002 Stacey Randall

Amen.

JR is Swimmin with the Fishes

(x-posted to HLOG)


The Newest Fishie in the Bay

Doug Wilson (DW as I like to call him) called up his old buddy (and former teammate) Jeremy Roenick and got him to sign a $500,000, one-year deal with the San Jose Sharks.

"A lot of teams expected me to retire and thought I was retiring," Roenick said
Tuesday. "But it took the initiative of one person to make the phone call to
find out is that was really happening.

"This is not a financial thing for me," Roenick told reporters on a conference call. "I even asked for a bit less. My motivation is to win a Cup. My motivation is to try and gain my respectability as a hockey player back. ...

"The only reason that I would be playing this year is because of Doug Wilson and the opportunity that he's given me to play with, I think, the best team in the National Hockey League, and have a chance to win a Stanley Cup."

"We know Jeremy very well," said Wilson. "This is not a negative to where he's been in prior situations, but I think a player like this has to be in a situation where he perceives an ability to win and the ultimate winning being competing for a Cup."

I, Personally, love this. I've always been a big JR fan... (what can I say, I love loud mouths!) I think with the right linemates he could be a big contributer again. That's not saying I think he's going to have another 50-goal year or anything, but I don't see a down-side here. He's not taking up a lot of salary-cap room, and as long as he doesn't throw a water bottle at anyone, he's not a huge liability. (teehee... as inapropriate as that was, i loved it)

Welcome to my Sharkies, "Jer-my"!

Alumni Update

Well, it seems that hockey season is fast approaching. YAY! As I said when CapsChick and I were chatting it up, "If the off-season was any longer, I'd call my brother and ask him to send me an old glove to sniff."

Which brings me to the updates:

• It seems that the Houston Aeros are now the Houston "McPhizzle has a humorous anecdote about me"s... Not only do they have Clayton Stoner (former Am and good friend) and Coach Kevin Constantine (former coach of the Everett Silvertips), but they have also signed goalie (and former Spokane Chief) Barry Brust and (former Golden Gopher) Troy Riddle.
• Big Bro is now going to be playing in Europe... Something he's wanted to do for a couple years now. He's going to be playing in the UK for the Hull Stingrays and oddly enough, one of his teammates is Nikolai Ladygin (another former Am)

really? for real?

Tuesday... not usually a BAD day, per se, but this one didn't start out too hot...

I woke up late. On purpose, but late. Left the house at about 8:20 to stop in quickly at Dr. S's office and get a persecription for something to make what I thought was bronchitis go away. Get into the parking lot, slow down and stop behind a minivan that is about to park and all of a sudden, her reverse lights go on.... she starts backing up.... she ignores the sound of my blaring horn and all I hear is *crunch* well, before I said, "fucking shit" and put my car in park. No damage... And oddly enough, she was wearing one of the breast cancer awareness Ams shirts. Hmm.. Like I told McMan, "I decided not to comment on it in the fear that I'd tell her she didn't deserve to don the logo of MY team if she's going to back into me."

So, after she parks the van and i go down the few more offices and park in front of my dr's office, I go in, see the doctor and he tells me I don't have bronchitis or a sinus infection. I have asthma. Oh. Joy. And please please please tell me why it takes 20 minutes to put an inhaler together... I'm assuming they had to hand craft the plastic holder there in the pharmacy at Walgreens.

Yeah. It was an awesome morning.... and to think, I was all ready to wirte a hockey post about training camp so far.... SO i'm just going to post photos from the annual Todd Klassen Memorial Classic game, which was held at the buttcrack of dawn on Sunday. (photos by MLM photographer VonHammer)



Me singing the anthems after running around the arena... i thought they were going to re-zam the ice. oops.


Thrilling hockey action = painting the nails in the stands

Best Lunchbreak EVER!

The morning started with an early rise from bed. I showered, straightened my hair and took myself to work. Once again, no blueberry scones at Starbucks. Someday I'm going to call and complain abut that. Get to work and most of Downtown K-Town has NO power. Even the traffic signals were out. (Ps- no one in this town knows how to use a freakin 4-way stop!) I sat out in the foyer and read the paper and drank my coffee b/c our phone system is also electric. After I read through the classifieds and saw 2 pianos for sale, I decided that's what I was going to ask for for Christmas from my parents. With that thought, I went into the Chapel and played the piano that one of the bosses is storing here until their new house is finished until the power came back on.

At about 11, I took a lunchbreak, which I normally don't do at all, but I needed to drop my jeans off at Buckle to get them hemed (yay for free alterations! 8 inches off the XXL jeans). As I was driving down Canal Drive, I saw an upright piano sitting on a trailer at Ernie's Car Place with a bright yellow tag on it that I thought said $250. That can't be right! I thought to myself. I turned my little car around and went to check it out. Not only did it say $250, but it said, "WAS $250 NOW $150 OBO". OH. EM. GEE! I marched into the office and asked if he'd take $100 for it. I am now the proud owner of an upright piano.

I emailed Roomie2.0 telling her that i made a BIG impulse purchase and that I'd be really flexible with any furniture arrangements she wanted to make lol.

It's going to cost me an arm and a leg to have it moved... From the quote I got from the company that I liked the best anywhere from $149-$225. Then in 2-3 weeks I'll have it inspected, cleaned and tuned to the tune of $95 (+$35 if it needs extensive tuning). But still, that's an upright piano in MY apartment in MY posession for $420 or less. YESSS. And then, about 1:10, my ma calls me and tells me to come out front because she has something for me. I meet her outside my office and she hands me a bag of money. $70 to help toward the movers. How much do I love this woman?!

I emailed Rabbi Herschel about it... his response, "That's awesome about your piano. I don't envy the movers getting it up the stairs to your apartment though... yuck... Let me know when it arrives, I'll play you a jaunty tune!" Jaunty tune party at my house!!!!

It's old and a little beat up, but it's a PIANO and it's got character. My own piano. I really didn't think I'd ever have one... well, at least until I was grown and married or something. I'm freaking out. I may or may not be a little fahklempt. Talk amongst ya'selves. :)

NEWSBREAK!

Ok, so the title of my blog isn't exactly correct anymore. There will still be musings and they're still coming from someone radical, but technically I'm not a redhead anymore.

*pause for you to catch your breath*

I know it's a big decision, but I've been thinking about it for about a year and yesterday took the plunge into Brunettehood. I still surprise myself when i look in the mirror.

MissRoomie loves it, as does the McMan, although it took his Hetrosexual Life Partner (aka his roomie... aka MrRoomie) pointing it out for him to notice (see photos below for how redonkulous that was) - the UPS guy noticed within 10 seconds of being in my office. McMan held several conversations with me before he was tipped off.

MrRoomie: (2 seconds after seeing McP) Hey! You did something different with your hair. it looks nice!
McP: THANK YOU!
MrRoomie: Ooooh..... You're in TROUBLE!
McMan: I noticed, I just didn't say anything b/c she doesn't like it when people make a big fuss over her hair when she straightens it. (which is true - and he got brownie points for remembering that and saying it aloud)
McP: kind of fuming
MrRoomie: Dude! She changed the color of it!
McMan: She did? (looks at McP) OOPS!

Photos:


(ok, so my eyes are closed, big whoop... lol)

Damnit, Uncle Wayne, Help a sister out!!!

Ok, for reals? Just when we get our hopes all up that the jolly green giants in Everett might not be the US Division "Champs" yet again, Uncle Wayne has to go and dash my hopes and dreams. Then again, there's always hopes that with Constantine gone to coach in Houston that they might not be the trap-playing bore that they have been the past 4(?) years. Hopefully they're still the WHL Diving Team, though.... they could win gold at the next summer games...

Peter Mueller --
The eighth-overall pick in 2006 has come a long way in a short time. That’s saying something considering that he was the Western Hockey League rookie of the year prior to being drafted and had a strong camp with the Coyotes last summer.

“We had a chance to watch Peter at our development camp recently, and we were very impressed by the amount of development he’s had between last summer and this summer,” says Treliving. “He knows what to expect a little more, and has a better sense now of exactly what it takes to be a pro. There was already a good foundation, and he’s building on it very nicely.”

This past season, the 6-foot-2, 205 pound Mueller posted 78 points, including 57 assists, for the Everett Silvertips in 51 WHL regular-season games. In the postseason, he had 16 points in 12 games. He sees the ice very well, and has worked hard to improve both his skating and his two-way approach.

“We really like the package of skills that Peter brings and we think he’s got the chance to be a special talent. Now, having said that, we’re not going to rush him,” says Treliving.

Mueller, who turned 19 in April, will come to camp with the big club. While there’s a chance that he could make Wayne Gretzky’s opening night lineup, another year of junior development and a potential shot at playing for Team USA at the World Junior Championships certainly wouldn’t hurt. He was invited to the Team USA camp taking place in Lake Placid, but was unable to attend due to a minor injury.

*le sigh*

Let's catch up on a few things:

• Casa McP will be changing a bit... MissRoomie is moving in with the Director of the pageant and so Roomie2 will be moving in at the end of the month. She's nice and cute and likes wine - it's all good to me! :) We'll be replacing a few things and rearranging. MissRoomie is still going to come over for slumber parties, etc. Honestly, I'm pretty devistated about it, but having a positive outlook. New life experiences.
• the McMan and I made it official on Monday night - therefore, he is the McB/F. I'm sure as hockey season starts some of his comments and observations will show up here and at the HLOG. Oh, and he's getting dish so we can watch hockey in HD. YESSSSSSSS! There's nothing like being with someone who understands the love of the sport!
• Went to the Martina McBride concert on Tuesday. OH. My. DUDE! She was amazing. She is now on my list of "Fem Boners" with Christina Aguilera and Idina Menzel.
• The Canucks aquired a player from St Louis... I'm pretty sure his name starts with a "Z" and ends with an "ack Fitzgerald." HA!
• The Bruins don't disappoint - they signed Zach Hammill (the player we love to hate from Everett) and (former Am) Sean Curry. Upon informing Hammer of the sitch, she said, "Wow! The tips might not be #1 this year! Wait, neither will the Ams, :("
• Throwing a baby shower on Saturday for Prego Mego! SO stoked! YAY! Baby will be here in about 3 weeks!
• I need a nap.
• Finally got Quickbooks for the office - my life is SO much easier!
• I was caller #11 this morning for Nickelback tickets - they were looking for #12. I sent the flying monkeys to throw some poo.

Warning! Funniness ahead!

My bestie Chris is my #1 guy on the myspace (and the reason i can say, "It's OK, I'm with the band.). I filled out a bulletin/survey that you will read below... following that is the hilariosity that followed:

1) Who is he?
Chris... one of my besties and former neighbor before he and his pigeon-filled BBQ moved to a land far far away. (a whole 10 minutes instead of 10 seconds)

2) Do you trust him?
More than most people I know put together

3) When’s the last time you talked to him?
Saturday while I was at Targét

4) Does he have a girlfriend?
Negatory, Ghost rider, the pattern is full.

5) Is he one of your friends?
Um, Duh?

6) Where does he live?
the Land of Rich

7) Is he older than you?
Oui

8) Are you related to him?
Nope

9) Would you do anything for him?
I would... well, short of stabbing myself in the eye with a searing hot french-fry. We'll leave that to the crazy squirrels.

10) Do you have a nickname for him?
He's listed as "Stewart" in my phone... everyone calls him Blinky, but I usually just call him Chris... Oh! Or Rabbi Herschel.

11) How long have you known him?
about 2 years now

12) Do you think he will repost this?
Most likely not, but he might read it?

He repsonded in an email to me:

12) Do you think he will repost this?
Most likely not, but he might read it? You are correct! haha. I only post bulletins when they promote shows that I'm playing... we all know that I'm egotistical like that, haha.

So I'm not hip enough to repost this, but I will email it back to you:

1) Who is she?
Merrick McP-Dizzle

2) When’s the last time you talked to her?
Earlier today

3) Do you know her middle name?
I'm going to take a guess at this one and say Zambindosiaplasopheria

4) Does she have a boyfriend?
Hmmmmm.... I think that her and Mike made it official but I've honestly never gotten the official press release on the subject.

5) Is she one of your friends?
Friends is a word that's tossed around so lightly these days. Let's just say she's my favorite daughter of Israel ;)

6) where does she live?
In reality: Washington
In her dreams: Anywheresville Canada

7) Is she older than you?
No way. I think she's 19... maybe 20... ;)

8) Would you do anything for her?
I would not stab myself in the eye with a searing hot french fry, but other than that.... yeah, pretty much.

9) Do you have a nickname for her?
Mer Dawg, Mo McPhizzle, MC McPherson,

10) How long have you known her?
approximately as long as its been since the first time I met her.

11) Do you think she will repost this?
Not a second time... or will she... I shall ponder this in greater detail on the toilet.... or I'll read Maxim.... I haven't decided yet... only time will tell.

After exchanging a couple emails about his current g/f sitch (or lack-there-of) I replied with:

There's nothing wrong with that. Hopefully she feels the same way... and if she doesn't? (well, we both know how much i think of you - you're my rabbi, for moses' sake!) it's her loss... yours too, b/c she's a great girl, but if she can't be with you right now, for whatever reason, she's the one making the decision to give up - not you.

Either way, Chin-up Herschel, you've given this your best shot and put your best yarmulke forward. If she decides to let you go, there are a lot of shiksa's in the sea, my friend.

Ok, so here's the funny part:

Well, I’m glad you think it was the right move. Your use of Yiddish in our emails is quite entertaining by the way. Let’s see if I can get this right:

Rabbi: The guy in charge of saying things like “Oy” and “What are you talking about, $3.95?! for split pea soup?”

Moses: The guy in charge of saying things like “I’m schvitzing like a mohel over here!” and inspiring Mel Brooks comedic genius.

Shvitzing: Sweating

Mohel: The guy who nips the tip!

Herschel: Yiddish translation for Christopher

Shiksa: Yiddish translation for “Perks of being in a band”

My tearful response to him:

Today, my son, You become a man!

I get back:

So what type of mitzvah would this be? Bar or bots?

and finally:

Bar is when you become a man... Bat is when you become a woman... Bots can be when you become Optimus Prime

Oh good death... THAT was a good laugh...

The Return of McPhizzle

First off, I'd like to thank my little pretties for updating everyone yesterday on what's going on in my life. I added them to the design of the page as a thank-you. Now, onto the good stuff!

Yesterday, Hammer had an appointment to get her car fixed at the Honda dealership up here, so when she was done, I met her for dinner at the preferred dining establishment of the Maple Leaf Mafia, Fiesta Mexican Restaurant. If any of you are ever in the Tri-Cities Metropolitan Area (*giggle*) we all highly reccomend it - Traditional Mexican Cuisine in a Family dining atmosphere with locations in Kennewick and Pasco. (No, we don't get paid, we're just preferred guests.)

Dinner was DELECTIBLE, as always, and Hammer gave me my birthday present - a limited edition mug from Timmy Hortons that had a little packet of Timmy Hortons coffee inside! YESSS!!

After we ordered Laces' to-go burritos, we crossed the street to Starbucks for some yummys - aka 2 Venti, Soy, Sugar-free Cinnamon Dolcé Lattés. So, I go through the drive through and order. The voice coming from the speaker sounded a little angsty, but whatever, right? Well, I get to the window and the girl was just a raging bitch with attitude. Just because I looked super foxy yesterday doesn't mean you need to be rude, you angsty whore.

So we get back to Casa McP and MissRoomie (as she will now be refered to) was getting ready to go to a 'football' (aka soccer) game with her dude. She brought the crown out so Hammer could see the sparkly and left, looking super cute.

Hammer and I looked around on the intermanet for a few minutes and found a place we can get our rubber stamp of the MLM logo made and contacted VonHammer for a version of the logo without the beautiful faces of the female members (the better to stamp you with, my love). Score big on that front.

Then we busted out with the Main Event: NHLopoly!
I had one of the flying monkeys keep a running log of some of the funnier moments and comments:

• Hammer ADMITTED TO CHEATING!!! That just had to be noted.
• (When it's only 2 players, they play the quick-start game, we each pick 4 properties to start with and then buy the rest as they land on them) Hammer got Pheonix (one of the purple 'streets/teams' right after you pass go) in the "lottery" and Florida (the other one) in the first couple turns. Her comment was, "With $500 I could build Arenas (hotels) on this shit right now!"
• McP ended up with some nice draws from the lottery - including Dallas and Minnesota, who just happen to be of the same monopoly (red). Hammer's comment, "That red hair is a sign that you're Satan."
• When McP bought the Pens, Hammer bitterly said, "OH yeah? Well, you're in charge of bailing Jordan out of jail now." It also should be noted that she also owned Carolina - and spent 12+ turns in Jail.... Karma or Coincedence? No one knows.
• Hammer went straight from empty lots on the purple monopoly to Arenas. "Yeah. Suck it! It's a whole $200 if you land on it."
• McP got a Get Out Of Jail Free card, "The Staals should've had one of these bad boys in their pockets!"
• McP landed on Florida. The rent was announced at $450 with the Arena built. "$450?! For FLORIDA?! Oh come. On. No one CARES about Florida. Do they even have a TEAM?!"
  Hammer's comment, "I know, that's what I thought. You must be Jokinen!"
• For a while it seemed like McP had the NHLopoly mojo.... Hammer, never being the most gracious loser said, "As long as I win in the end, I'm ok." Fair enough.
• "Oh. Awesome. You're building luxury boxes (houses) with the money I just gave you!" Protested McP after forking over a heft sum to Hammer for 'rent.'
  "What did you expect me to do?" Hammer laughed, "Just sit here and look at it?"
  McP giggled, "That would've been the polite thing to do."
  "I'll look at it.... Look at it going into the bank with little houses in return!"
• Landing on Pitsburgh with a luxury box built was a little steeper than Hammer thought it was going to be, as she begrugingly handed over the colorful scratch, she said, "Will this pay for young Jordan's bail?"
• While speaking of Vinny Lecavilier, the girls lamented over his pretty face in a tux at the NHL awards and the subject of his (as Hammer called her) hooker-of-a-woman came up. Here's the convo that followed,
  H: She's probably not REALLY a hooker.
  McP: No, she really is.
  H: Some Quebequois hooker... How do you say 'hooker' in French? Hook-aire?
• Insert the break they took to read Margee's brilliant insider-recap of the Bachelor party that concluded with handcuffs - and not the good kind - for the Staal boys. (Affectionately refered to by the MLM as Staalgate 2007) And then for some tissues for the tears that were rolling down their cheeks from copious ammounts of laughter.
• McP also needed to place her Arbonne order before 10:00pm PST so that it could be in the mails today, so that took a few minutes. She made a phonecall to the automated bank number to check her balance - after accidentally pressing a wrong button, the amount of $4,300-something was coming over the speakerphone - after almost losing her Fiesta, she realized she was listening to the amount remaining on her car loan. Oh well, jackpot shall be hit some other time.
• Reviving the Great MLM Spit-Lisp, when Hammer landed on Nashville, she said, "Schea it ischen't scho!!" Ah, the Weber....
• By far, the most landed on property of the night was Anaheim (the first magenta property after Jail). McP especially landed on it after the 4 luxury boxes and Arena was built. "$625 for a Todd Bertuzzi Booty Call?! Damn, this better be worth it."
  "Obviously it is, b/c you keep going back!"
• After the Arena was built on Phoenix, the rent went from $2 to $250. The girls figured that was the cost of the medical bills to cure the Syph one might contract from a few certain players who shall remain nameless (unless someone asks for them)
• In the end, the Godfather of NHLopoly won again.... If you play with Hammer, chances are, you're going to be sleepin with the fishes...

All-in-all, a FANTASTIC night was had at the gathering of the MLM... as it always is.

Do you know how hard it is to type with no opposable thumbs?!

This update on our dear McPhizzle is brought to you by the flying monkeys here at the Musings.

Our radical redhead has been a non-blogger the past couple weeks, so we thought we'd let you know what she's been doing.

#1) McP has a McMan. First time in a couple years that this has gone on, so she's pretty excited about it. We've met him. He's smart, funny, nice, cute, he's a huge hockey fan, he treats her like a princess and puts up with her Radical Redheaded-ness. And he's got the cutest (and smallest) cat in the world, Cika - she likes to attack McP's hair. We know the feeling, little feline!

#2) McP has left year 23 and started year 24. So far, VERY good. Then again, this year couldn't be any worse than last, that's for sure. Sister didn't make it up to visit from Vega$ b/c she flew over the handlebars of a Vespa and broke her wrist, but that's OK. McP, the McMan and his McFriends are planning a trip down there in November, so the family reunion is still going to happen... eventually. We're going to hide in her luggage and try our hand at the slots. "Big money, no whammies!!"

#3) Roomie won the pageant!!!!! She will be competing for Miss WA next July - then on to Miss America in January! (Yes, we know we're getting ahead of ourselves there, but we're confident monkeys). McP is absolutely elated for her. Actually, when they announced her as the winner, McP jumped up, screamed and started crying - much like if she had won herself. Don't let Roomie know, but when neither of them are home, we fly around Casa McP with the crown on. A monkey's gotta look good, you know? McP has also been inspired to lose a few more pounds, get back into "Physical Fitness in Swimwear" shape and run for Miss WA USA... She's got a few months til she wants to apply - we're rooting her on.

#4) The weather here has been... well, McP calls it awesome, we call it FREAKIN HOT! Highs in the upper 90's (F) and even up to 110! The McMan has a pool in his back yard and LURVES to BBQ, so McP is benefitting from the chance to be a little fishie without the screaming, splashing urchins at the pool at Casa McP and the deliciousness that is the McMan's grilling prowess. She said it's like having her very own Bobby Flay. We're just glad that he doesn't say, "Who's your daddy?!" when he's patting the hamburger patties into shape.

#5) She's a little battered and bruised right now. She and the McMan went out on the river with some of his McFriends on Sunday and whilst inner-tubing behind the boat, she was thrown off and according to the McMan, she did about 4 flips in the air before hitting the water. Her right leg is pretty bruised up... And the back of her left leg... and her right arm. But other than that and a stiff neck, she's ok - thanks to her trusty life-jacket! Boat smart, boat safe, kiddies!

That is it for now. We're sure she'll be back to her blogging self in no time at all. Less than 30 days 'til Ams Camp starts!

Our Jungle Love (oh-wee-oh-wee-oh),
The Flying Monkies

Oh no you di-in't!

Watching this directly after lunch is not a good thing if your tummy is full - it may or may not have brought McPhizzle to the point of almost vomiting from laughing so hard. Luckily, the flying monkies showed her the logo of the Edmonton OilKings to bring her back down.

This video is entitled "Message for Bob"



I'm not sure, but I think it might have something to do with the cutest Edmonton OilKing in the VERLD. The little gnome is onto something ;o)

"A Whole New Teeeeaaaammmmm!"

Imagine me singing that on the flying carpet ride at WDW....

In all seriousness, though, TraderBob has pulled another trick out of his bag-o-trades and traded Chris Inglis (aka "Heeead!") to the Lethrbidge Hurricanes for a 17 y/o Defenseman. (article)

New kid is big - 6'2" 205#... He'll be reporting to training camp in August.

We'll miss you and your huge noggin, Christopher! (and your mom and dad, they're a kick in the pants!)

Clarification

After a rather angry email was recieved by the flying monkeys at the Musings, let me clarify some things:

1) This blog is filled with my personal opinions. in America, we can do that... freedom of speech is a WONDERFUL thing. I don't apologize for things I write here because I write what I feel and after years and years of holding things in, I'm done. I have to get it out or I get physically and mentally sick. If you don't like it, don't read it. I wont be offended, I promise.

2) Juraj "Big Guy" Valach was a great kid. I stuck up for him all season to people and fans who didn't think he was playing as well as he could, which he wasn't - he even said it multiple times. I stood behind that kid 100% and you can ask anyone about that. I was definitely his #3 fan in Tri (ma and pa being #'s 1 & 2). My mom and dad cared a lot for him and were very hurt by his words and decision not to come back to Tri. Being hurt and angry and not agreeing with his tactics doesn't mean we hate him or don't wish him well in the future... He's just got a lot of growing up to do, still.

3) I am a Christian by choice and practice, but Jewish by birth. That will never change. All my life I've grown up knowing the horrors of the haulocaust and what hatred and ugliness the Nazis stood for. A swastika isn't something I find humourous. I don't find ANY jokes about any of those things funny. I don't care if they're by stupid teenage boys who don't know any better or real Neo-Nazis.... Millions of people died for being who they were. If I had lived in Europe at that time, I probably would've been one of them, MAYBE one of the lucky ones who got out alive. Sure it's an emotional button that doesn't get pushed on everyone, but maybe it should be.

I'm stepping off of my soap box now.

It's a Hot Day, Charlie Brown

Good grief. I was gonna update on the 4th (since i spent it at 2 different shindigs with 2 different hockey families), but it's flipping 108* outside.

ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT!

I walked outside to turn the sprinklers on and it felt like I had opened the oven to check and see if the cookies were burnt.

Only 30 min until I blow this popsicle stand and grab my bikini on the way to Mike's to spend the evening in his pool. Oh, cold, chlorine-y goodness, I hear you calling my name. I'll be there soon.... And speaking of popsicles, i hope Mike has a grape one left... YUM.

O'CANADA!!!

(x-posted to Maple Leaf Mafia)

This Lactose-free Canada Day is brought to you in honour of Matty Swaby.

July 1st... The day Canada celebrates their Independance! YAY!

Headed to M.F. for a day of celebrating the Homeland. Hammer had maple cookies ready and a maple leaf flag banner up. We started the afternoon with a rousing game of NHLopoly. I would've won if I hadn't have let Hammer cheat and stay in jail in order to avoid the "ticket prices" in Ottawa with the arena built. She won. Lame. Now I know not to be so congenial.

We tagged my car with red car-chalk. Violette (my vehicle) is still proudly rockin' "CANADA DAY '07" on her back windshield.

The roster ended up beign rather full - The whole female contingent of the Maple Leaf Mafia was there (Hammer, VonHammer, Laces and McPhizzle) along with 3 of Hammer's friends and 1 little nugget named Michael - the little 18-mo.-old cutie that totally stole the show.

We all wore "Canadian leis" (aka red mardi-gras beads that left our necks pink - Mike thought I had gotten sunburned when I got home), and most of us were wearing some combination of red, black and white (we let VonHammer slide with the HNIC shirt). We also put temporary tattoos on our faces. When Laces came in she asked, "Can't I put it on my guns?" Your guns?! No, now you HAVE to put it on your face for asking that way.

Before we ate dinner, the Canadian Anthem was sung reverantly at the picnic table.

the Alberta Beef Tenderloin with Gingered Saskatoon Berry Compote was AMAZING!! As was the potato salad (in honour of PEI's 65 varieties of potaoes, of course... Who knew they had that many?! "Is there enough land to grow that many there?" "Maybe a row of each?" "We found a new variety of potato, eh!" "Well, go plant it next to the other 64, eh!").

After dinner, the fun and games began. We took a Canadian History test... We should've studied. lol. Question #15 was "Which part of the US space shuttle was designed by Canadians?" VonHammer was QUITE excited that she knew the answer and when Hammer was reading the correct answers aloud, she shouted at the top of her lungs, "ROBOTIC ARM!!!!!" which we affectionately re-named the CanadArm.

Somehow the topic of Lester B Pearson (14th Prime Minister of Canada) and how he got the nickname "Mike." Apparently "Lester" didn't sound tough enough, so they picked a new name for him. Odd little tidbit there. Apparently Mike is a tough name.

After the quiz, we started playing the "Great Canadian Adventure" board game that Hammer uses as a Friday treat in the Canadian History course she teaches.

• One of the questions Hammer gave to Laces was, "Who is the Canadian Hockey player who they call The Great One...." we all groaned and rolled our eyes at the easiness, especially since questions to the rest of us were freakin hard...
• When someone landed on a "Heroes" space, VonHammer shouted, "TERRY FOX!!!!" before her sister could even begin to read the question aloud. Hammer's response? "Great, now I have to choose a new one."
• To make up for the ease of Laces' queston, the next question posed to me was "WHo was the first Aboriginal head coach in the NHL... I matched VonHammer's intesity yelling, "TED NOLAN!!!!" (and as always, I added, "he's on LonGisland!")
• Our little nugget got to roll the large, neon pink dice for his mom and dad. He beaned Laces with it once. (a Picture Essay will follow once they are transfered onto my computer from VonHammer's camera)
• Hammer and I started fighting about how the only reason she won the NHLopoly game was b/c I let her cheat... when our voices had raised to their limit and I ran out of little sister things to say, to end the argument I said, "IT'S A GLITCH!" the laughter and thought of Brad and Vinny stopped the arguing at once.
• As the questions got harder, Hammer gave us hints... She's a master of disguising names in hints.... here are a couple examples, "It rhymes with Schmick Schmanson" (Rick Hanson), "It rhymes with Meline Sleon" (Celine Dion) and my personal favourite, "It rhymes with Muffalo." (Buffalo)

When we'd been sufficently munched on by the mosquitos, we went inside for a little chatting and so Laces and The Nugget could play a little pick-up game of carpet hockey with the pink hockey sticks I picked up at Target in the Holiest of places, the Dollar Spot. Laces' comment about her opponent, "We're about the same height, so it's ok."

While the game was going on, the father of the Nugget gave us his opinion of hockey, "They serve beer and get in fights. Its a good game."

When he finished telling us about a game he'd been to in Seattle where there were something like 8 fights and 6 were the same guy on Seattle, my comment was, "I bet his name started with a 'Z' and ended with 'ack FitGerald'."

During the conversation about that particular T-Bird, the puck went under the little breakfast nook and behind a scrapbook organizer and it turned into a scrum along the boards at my feet, so i blew the fake whistle, bent down and dropped the puck back on the playing surface. VonHammer's comment, "The Ice Girls got that one."

When it was time for the Nugget to head home, he was QUITE sad to leave the Canadian and hockey goodness. We gave him his first taste of hockey and he's hungry for more!! :) Corrupting young minds. That's what the Maple Leaf Mafia is all about.

YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!

(x-posted to Hockey's Ladies of Greatness & Maple Leaf Mafia)

My inner struggle is over! No reason for me to cheer for the Wings anymore!

Todd Bertuzzi says, "It's been real... Quack off, Detroit."

Teaming back up with former Vancouver GM, Brian Burke, Toddball inked a 2-year, $8 Million deal to head from Motor City to my Mecca, the land of Mickey, Anaheim.

Big Guy..... Bad Guy.

My parents Billet for the local WHL team. THis year they had a very talented 6'6" hockey player living with them from Slovakia. Juraj Valach, affectionately refered to as "Big Guy."



Juraj and McP in happier times...

He wasn't the first Slovak they've had in (the former) Casa McP, but he was the youngest - he was 17 when he arrived and didn't have a drivers license to drive the car the 'rents provide the player living at their house (legal age to drive in Slovakia is 18).

His play deteriorated in the 2nd 1/2 of the season - no one really knows why except for maybe he was homesick? That makes the most sense b/c he picked his play up a little when the team flew his sister over from Slovakia in February/March. (she stayed at my parent's house for two weeks.) After that, with the exception of the game winning goal in OT of game 4 of the 1st round of playoffs, it seemed all he did was take stupid penalties (possibly b/c he wasn't taught how not to) and whine about not getting enough ice time.

So the day of the WHL Euro draft, my parents got a call from Annie Fowler of the TCHerald reguarding the comments Big Guy had made. Here's part of the article resulting from that phone conversation:

"Ams trade Valach to Vancouver, take 2 in import draft
This story was published Thursday, June 28th, 2007
ANNIE FOWLER HERALD STAFF WRITER

When Bob Tory lost veteran defenseman Matt Swaby in the Edmonton Oil Kings expansion draft June 5, he was confident the Tri-City Americans defensive corps would be solid with the return of Juraj Valach, T.J. Fast, Jarrett Toll, Tyler Schmidt, Eric Mestery and Brock Cornish.

What the Americans general manager did not foresee was Valach not returning to the team. The 6-foot-6, 210-pounder from Slovakia notified Tory earlier this week that he would not return to the Western Hockey League unless he was traded.

So, Tory traded Valach to the Vancouver Giants for their 54th overall pick in Wednesday's Canadian Hockey League Import Draft.

"We had a curveball thown our way," Tory said. "It was surprising and a little shocking. We spent a lot of time developing him. He said he did not enjoy his time in
Tri-Cities and blamed the team for him not being drafted last week (in the NHL entry draft). If he doesn't want to be here, I don't want him in the dressing room. He's not our worry anymore."

Valach's billets, Ma and Pa McP of Kennewick, went to the NHL Draft in Columbus, Ohio, in hopes that Valach would be drafted.

"He told us before he went home in April that if he wasn't drafted he wouldn't come back," said Ma. "He did not like having to make public appearances with the team. He didn't have the community spirit; he came to play hockey. I hope he's happy in Vancouver, but I don't think he will be happy unless he's playing at home (Slovakia)." ..."

SO yeah.... That kid was pampered here in the Tri-Cities. It came out later that he had even fired his agent and gotten a new one, which Bob thinks had a lot to to with the whole thing. Let me weigh in with my opinion of why he didn't get drafted:
note: I am not nor have I ever been affiliated with any NHL team, nor am I a coach/gm/scout.

• When you aren't willing to buy into the system and be a part of the team, you're not going to put up the numbers/stats that you're capable of.
• When you aren't willing to learn how to use your large, large body for something other than taking penalties, you're not living up to your potential or taking advantage of the opportunity you have playing in the Canadian Hockey League.
• Constantly calling the coach an idiot isn't going to make him any easier to get along with. Maybe there's a reason you're riding the pine that doesn't have to do with your playing.
• Many employers check the myspace of people they're going to hire. I think NHL teams may just do the same thing, it'd be something I'd do to see if the kid was someone I wanted in my organization. If those teams looked at his myspace when I did, they would cross him off the short-list - hell, even the long list - ASAP. I spent an entire day wondering if my parents were living with an anti-semite b/c the whole page was covered in neo-nazi/hitler crap. I emailed him to see wtf was up and he said that the guys in the locker room called him a nazi, so he put all that up trying to fit in. This little Jew was NOT impressed. At all. Tell the other teammates to come talk to my mom or I about the Nazis, the halocaust or the stars-of-david we wear around our neck.
• Hockey players are the worst gossips of anyone I have ever met in my life. They're worse than high school girls by FAR. This creates a HUGE network of men who talk and talk and talk.... Maybe he forgot that his coach was a part of the Hartford Whalers (80-82), Edmonton Oilers (82-83 with Gretzky and Messier), and the Philadelphia Flyers (85-90). THEN he went on to coach in Seattle fron 94-00 and then for the Philly Phantoms before coming back to the Dub to coach here. That's a shit-ton of contacts, kid. And we all know Donny doesn't hold back on telling people what he really thinks about ANYONE. Think about that.

Don Nachbaur will seem like a kitten compared to Don Hay (who coached here 2 coaches before Schnacks). He will still be expected to be out in the community, he will still have a few asshat teammates who aren't as nice as he'd like and he's not going to have a billet that does EVERYTHING for him like my saint of a Ma did.

I know his comments weren't directed at my family. If he would've been unhappy in the house he could've moved like several other boys did during the season, but it doesn't make his actions any less classless or hurtful. He could've at least done it before the expansion draft so we'd still have Matty.... Ugh... our D... Please, LA, send TJ Fast back to us!!!

Draft...

Seems kindof insignificant now, but I might as well finish the adventures of Steve and Teri.



Well, the rents went to cheer super loud when Big Guy got drafted and b/c they hadn't had a vacation without either me or the little bro or both since... well, ever. Long story short, Big GUy didn't get drafted (read my next post for my comments on that sitch) but my parents had a FAB time in Columbus.

Like I said in my first draft day post, they saw Rick Nash, Ken Hitchcock and Pascal Leclaire at a pub before the draft started.

• All my mom can talk about were all of the little boys who were going around getting everyone's autograph.
• They got draft shirts for me, dad's bosses and the little hockey boys from the rink, Jackson and Cubby and hats for themselves. I tend to love my parents and their gift buying.
• Ma was appauled at the Bluejackets Fans for the booing... it didn't sound like any more than normal on TSN, but I guess some of the scouts, etc they were sitting by said that it was worse than they'd ever heard... other than that the hospitality was good though.
• Dad got a picture of Brian Murray for me... SCHWEET!!!
• Ma still tears up at the sight of The Great One - even in photos. She's a sap.
• They went through all the exhibits of the trophies and the new jerseys, etc... Dad got a super cute pic of Ma peaking around the waist manequin. Yes, the waist. Ma McP Is getting close to being pocket-sized at 5'1" (don't let her lie and tell you she's 5' 3 3/4" call her out, she's in denial.)
• Ma said there were several men there she wanted to club over the head and ship home to me... I'm still wondering why she didn't.
• They hit an Ohio State sale at the airport, so we all got buckeye gear... It's super cute, but I do have the urge to hum a few bars of the Golden Gopher fight song while I'm wearing it to show my loyalty lol.

I guess that's really all.... the drama comes in the next post when we chronicle the rise and fall of Big Guy.

Procrastination at it's best

Before I hunker down and get to work on my draft update, (shut up, i know i'm a slacker... a la chris farley in the Gap Girls sketch, "LAY OFF ME!") I thought I'd impart a little wisdom from one of my bestest dude friends, my dear Chad.

The talk of jubblies and shirtless men over at Sportsquee brought this to mind and made me chuckle, so I thought I'd pass it along.

This was about 4ish weeks ago and Chad, Chanel and I were sitting in a booth at a 24-hour restaurant discussing a boy I had recently taken a liking to who just happened to be a mutual friend of ours. He looked up from his plate-o-grease-soaked hashbrowns and said, "McPhizzle, How are you going to feel about dating a guy..." (insert me thinking, "with a kid" "with a drug problem" "with 4 testicles... wait, i didn't see 4...") "with bigger boobs than you?"

You see, the guy had a KILLER body - and seriously, his pecs rivaled my 34DD. Maybe it was funnier if you were there.... Yup, I think it was.

After the Rain....

(nothin like a little Nelson to start the day, hey?)

Ok, while starting this entry (no joke, as I finished typing that first line) which was going to chronicle the rest of my parents' adventure in DraftLand last weekend I got the call that a very close family friend who has been battling cancer for the last 15 or so years passed away, so I figured before I did anything I'd give her a little memorial shout-out.

Linda Slick, 59, passed away on June 24, 2007.
"Slick" for short, beloved history teacher, treasured friend and talented vocalist.

And Saver-from-the-Carnies. Saver-whatzit-whoozle? Let me explain...

The setting is 1988... It was a hot August day in Eastern Washington and Ma McPhizzle and her BFF took their combined 3 children to the Benton-Franklin County Fair. While walking through the carnival, a precocious and curious Mini McPhizzle wandered off. Slick, who worked with BFF, was also at the carnival and noticed a curly-haired nugget wandering around alone - to her shock, it was McPhizzle (who she always called "Merk" to ruffle the little girl's feathers). She grabbed her hand and started to look for Ma McP. For the rest of her life, every time Slick and Merk saw eachother, she would remind the red-head that she had saved her from being taken away with the Carnies and if she didn't behave herself, she'd take her back.

Love you, Linda. I promise I'll never run away at the Carnival again.

Draft day #1

Mom's called about 10 times so far, keeping me up to date on everything going on in Columbus.

• they ran into Donny Nachs last night as they were leaving the restaurant. He proceeded to run his mouth until my mom started to point her acrylic tipped finger at him, to which he replied, "It's OK, Teri, I'm just pushing your buttons." (note to Schnacks: Don't do it. It bites you in the ass. Trust me.)
• Saw Darrell May today and talked to him for a while.
• Saw Darryl Porter and didn't fart in his general direction. I would've. Twice. After drinking REAL milk. (I'd suffer so he could suffer.)
• They've been bar hopping b/c of a lack of places to sit and they can't get into the arena until 6:15 EST. So far they've been in the company of Ken Hitchcock, Pascal Leclaire and Rick Nash. That was all while I was on the phone with her.
• She's a bit over-dressed, I guess. Oh well, I'd rather be the cute one than the scuzzy one... well, most of the time.
• Thomas Hickey goes at #4. Mom called me, "CAN YOU FREAKIN BELIEVE THAT?! THAT T-BIRD!" Ma, he was good.
• Text from Hammer when Zach Hamill went at #8 "Well good. No reason to start liking Boston."

I'm sure I'll be updating this later....

Starbucks, Latex and Contracts

Sounds kinda kinky, no?

Really, though, I'm just loopy from an allergic reaction from sleeping in a room at my parents' house painted with latex paint. McPhizzle = Allergic to Latex. McPhizzle = Loopy and trying to correct it with an Iced Venti Sugar-Free Carmel Soy Latté. (and hoping i don't turn into a jittery mess... let's face it, i'm already there.)

Dropped Ma & Pa off at the airport this morning at 4:57. I didn't know my clock had more than one of those, honestly. Told them that if they saw "Uncle Wayne" or "Uncle Mario" in Columbus to give them a hug for me and to cheer real loud for me if when the Big Guy gets drafted.

Looks like my Sharkies aren't planning on re-signing Scott Tarz-Hannan. They signed Craig Rivet to a 4 year deal at $14 mil ($3.5 a year). Buzz is he'll go to VAN or LA... and the Sharkies will try to bring in someone else.

Looking forward to next season, I'm really hoping to see Devin Setoguchi have a good camp. Not only did he have 65 points for PG this year in 55 regular season games (21 in 15 playoff games) but has a bit of a mean-streak as well. Plus, his Dad and Sister (who, btw, is GORGEOUS) were amazingly generous when the Broseph got traded to Saskatoon (and then immediately to Lethbridge) and his stuff was pretty much abandoned by the Blades' bus - which if I remember correctly, caught on fire later that season in Cranbrook. If I'm right, Karma's a bitch. Edit: Ok, so I was wrong... It was just a couple years ago and it was the Regina bus at SaskPlace... I knew Megan was there and smelled the fire, I just thought it was when she was working for the Ice, my bad.

It'll be interesting to see what happens in the draft this weekend....

By the beard of Zeus!!!

Mo and I were talking a few weeks ago about our beloved Orlando and some of our favourite places to visit or drive by while sipping on a slurpee, blasting the techno-filled *NSYNC European Debut CD and trying to keep our oh so loverly naturally curly hair under control in the unbearable Central Florida humidity. One of those places we discussed is the Ye Olde TransCon Building, where the five lovable lads of one of the aforementioned power-pop juggernaut spent hours upon hours in the un-airconditioned hell, learning how to make young women drop their panties.

Of course, through the years we've grown to hate what that building stands for - Lou Pearlman. The man who created financed the fledgeling vocal group and stole a crapload of their money. (Along with the BSB, but he really did put them together... whatever...)

Well, the Fat Bastard is finally reaping all that he sowed, and that karma is a BITCH. An article on the front page of Yahoo details the bankruptcy auction of all of the personal belongings that went "bye bye bye" on Tuesday. He hasn't been seen or heard from in months, doesn't have an attorney retained in either his bankruptcy or any of the other suits against him (conning people into fraudulent investments to cover his debts and losses in other companies and banks after more than $100 million).

The real eye-catcher in the article was this little tidbit:

"A man wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers shirt paid $2,200 for a wall hanging commemorating the Backstreet Boys selling 7 million copies. He declined to be interviewed, but said he was still deciding whether to sell it."

Hmmmm...


Photo courtesy of Kirkpatrick.nu

I'm just saying...

YAY, BIG GUY!

x-posted from the Maple Leaf Mafia blog

from this article, titled "Czechs, Slovaks migrate to North American juniors," on NHL.com:

"Moving from the Czech Republic to Slovakia, you will find a similar outlook for
this year’s draft. A significant percentage of Slovakian Central Scouting-rated
players are on the North American side and there are no Slovaks ranked among the
top 25 European skaters. Among Slovaks playing in the CHL, Sudbury Wolves winger Patrik Lusnak is ranked 120th on the North American list, huge Tri-City
Americans defenseman Juraj Valach is 125th, Everett Silvertips center Lukas Vartovnik ranks 180th and Peterborough Petes right winger Branislav Rehus
finished 191st."

more press for the big guy!


Hopefully he's happy with where he gets drafted after falling in the 2nd ranking. At least he'll have two crazy fans in the building to scream like the proud hockey nuts they are when his name is called... He'll probably be able to hear them all the way in Slovakia.

OH. EM. GEE.

NO new cases over the weekend and ALL of my paperwork done for May, so what is there to do? Surf the Interweb.

I found the COOLEST website in the free world. It is dedicated to, all about and full of juicy bits of yay-ness of the best cartoon ever made about a pink-haired rock-star, Jem.

In light of all the crap I downloaded from there, I have updated my Myspace page for the summer to reflect my new alter-ego, Jem. I'm thinking possibly a Jem costume for Haloween? Could be Truly, truly, truly outrageous... I'm just saying....

End of the Season...

As I sit in my office, listening to my iPod, Justin, Chris, Joey, Lance(ten) and JC are reminding me that the hockey season is, in fact, "Gone."

While I'm trying my best to "be a man and be strong, the truth remains" that I'm totally bummed.

Jordi has asked us all at HLOG to do a little analysis of our teams' season and the UFA's... I don't know if I can do that yet - that makes it official that it's *gulp* the off-season.

I hung out with my little buddy LilRed#1 at the Volunteer Picnic last night. She applied for a job with the Ams Office. She said that her mom had suggested that if she got the job she'd be able to ask one of the players to Homecoming if it wasn't on a game night and that she replied, "From what I've heard and what Boogie said to LilRed#2, that's not something I want to even consider." I felt like a proud Mama! She said she'd learned from my mistakes... GOOD! I'm glad all the preaching I did in Sunday School and on the concourse actually sank in. Stay a fan, babygirl, stay a fan.

On the LilRed topic, #1 said #2 was dealing with MattyGate pretty well... Poor thing... I remember The Great Trade of 2002 and the ickiness I felt for weeks. Maybe I'll send her a sympathy card or bring her cupcakes and a mix cd or something. Rainbow Chip Frosting and peppy pop songs cure EVERYTHING.

Hammer posted an article from canada.com today over at the Maple Leaf Mafia blog about the asshat #1 mentioned. It still baffles me that with how he played this season that he got a contract. He's got great speed and has flashes of brilliance with the puck, but those flashes were few and far-between. Maybe now that he's actually going to have to fight for a place on the roster (instead of being handed the roll of the enforcer on a silver platter) he'll be more consistant. If he hadn't have been completely inappropriate with one of my students, I might've wished him the best.

Wow... already 1340... day is going fast... that's good times - unless my body doesn't stop being angry with me about my latté splurge before I need to hit the road...

Sure! Pile it on! I can take it...

I can't believe I forgot.

Tonight, I will be face-to-face with TraderBob at the Thank You Picnic for the Ams.

I've got a crapton to do before I can leave on my Emerald City Excursion, but am I going to pass up the chance for free food and possibly chatting with Stu Barnes and Olie Kolzig? Negatory. No woman in their right mind would.

Maybe I'll jut cross vacuuming off my list... humph.

What the FLINK?!

What did I say, yesterday?! NO MORE MOVES THIS WEEK!

I think Burke winning the cup has gone to TraderBob's noggin and made him all kinds of nutterhausen. He'd better have a few tricks up his sleeve this season b/c right now, I'm thinking it looks kind of bleak.

Dan Mulhausen Tri-City Americans

KENNEWICK, WA - Today, Tri-City Americans general manager Bob Tory announced that the hockey club has traded 19-year-old defenseman Zach Sim to the Medicine Hat Tigers for a 5th round draft pick in the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft.

Sim, listed at 5'11" 186 lbs, came to the Americans after spending two partial seasons with the Everett Silvertips organization. The Saskatoon, SK-native played 43 games for Tri-City in the 2006-07 season. He totaled six goals, 12 points and 32 penalty minutes, while recording a +10 rating, all of which were career-bests.

"Zach came in and helped our team a lot last year," said Tory. "However, with seven returning defensemen, I felt we needed to make room on our depth chart. We wish Zach all the best in Medicine Hat."

grrr..... OK! BOB! that was the last one! My tiny ticker can't take much more.

a little pick-me-up

My new favorite commercial

oddly enough I bought a diet pepsi tonight sensing the outcome of the hockey season. Isn't it ironic? Don't ya think?

(PS i think Ryan Reynolds stole Alanis' Anthem Mojo. If I sing at an Ams game next year and they don't win, We'll know that [current flame] stole mine.)

Sometimes we all hate Dylan. He's probably a Ducks fan.

Maybe my mocking quacks were taken as encouragement..

Went to the grocery store after work. Figured that I wasn't going to want to eat a bowl of flour or sugar for dinner. Hammer and I chatted as I was waiting on line to pay, talking about how NBC was completely in LURVE wtih the Ducks, telling the audience pretty much to tune in 3hours later when the Quacks were lifting the cup. Hammer also noted that Pierre was giving handjobs to the Quacks bench between plays. I believe it.

Blog starting late tonight as I may or may not have had to be my own trainer after my thumb was attacked by a knife. There was a lot of blood lost, but I believe we have it stopped and I'll make a full recovery. Of course in the press release we'll just state that it's a hand injury and list me as day-to-day.

1st intermission... Pierre McDouche, who is obviously in love with (my husband) Mike Fisher, interviews him yet again. Hammer comments that we are going to have beautiful children and I inform her of McDouche's intentions to break up our happy home. Hammer's response was, "Pierre is an Asshat. Just incase you didn't know."
"Oh, I totally know, that's why I'm not worried about him stealing my man."

I join you just as Alfredsson scores a goal, making it 1-2... *sigh* That one was touched by an angel... a reward for (my husband)'s good behaviour.

4:16 EFF! Quacks score yet again. Well, knda... that one was scored by Phillips. Damn. It's Schmitty all over again. Lonliest man in Anaheim = Chris Phillips.

3:14 Schubert with the elbow. Way to give up, Schubert. like I just said to Hammer when she commented that the sens may have just effed themselves, "Yup, right in the pooper."

2:22 Alfie looks up at the clock and thinks, "222! Make a wish! I wish for a short-handed goal" It works.

1:32 Hopes up... and just as quickly, back down. The quack's goal goes off of Volchenkov and his shin pads. Neighbor from downstairs has probably never heard the F word screamed so loud so many times from a woman who is home all alone.

19:09 (my husband) roughs up Moen on the boards behind Emery. Me gusta.

16:17 Emery has to save The Keeper of the Brows Wade Redden's bacon. What did Emery do to all these guys? And why are (my husband) Fisher and Alfredsson the only teammates to forgive him.

Goal #5 by the quacks. There's nothing left to say.

14:12 Schubert in the box AGAIN. I'm sick to my stomach.

12:37 O. M. G. Vermette Penalty Shot. How would one say "fuck" in french? Hammer's answer, "fucque yeaux"

7:59 I don't think I've ever wanted to cry when the cup was about to be awarded before. Even in '99 I had the hope all the way up to the winning 'goal.' This is a strange feeling.

7:33 Volchenov takes a penalty. (my husband) is shown wiping his brow. The pain is showing in his eyes already. You have NOTHING to be ashamed about, you beautiful beautiful man.

4:07 Doc says that us Sens fans can take pride in the fact that they had a great year. They really did. Maybe Elgin was their good luck charm...

3:00 Nail. In. Coffin. I stopped the bleeding on my thumb, I can't stop the bleeding in the game. I'm only one nurse.

1:30 Well, if it does end up being Teemu Lightyear's last game, I guess I can't be THAT upset.

I swear to Grezky, if I hear the crowd start to chant, "We will, we will, QUACK YOU!" I will jump off of my veranda, landing face-first on Neighbor's hibachi.

With about 5 mintues left in the game, Hammer asked all of the Maple Leaf Mafia who we thought would win the Conn Smythe... I won the prize for correctly predicting Salt&Pepper Neidermeyer. What's the prize, you may ask? I get to shave his beard.

Buzz hoisting the trophy made me a little misty. I think they should skate it around the rink in the Flying V.

Bryan Burke hoisting the cup. *vomit*

Turns out "I'm Lauren's Bitch" Pronger separated his shoulder in the 1st and kept popping it back in, much like Landon Jones did the whole 2005-2006 WHL season. Then his keeper shows up on the ice with the little Pronger-nuggets and the interview comes to a hault. Hmm.. Imagine that.

The brothers Neidermeyer. That kind of was a tender moment. Brothers that look that much alike with a beard creep me out, though.

I need to put on my Oilers windshirt on and go on a walk to clear my head. Storm Schmorm, I need some fresh air.

DOUBLE DAMNIT!

Ams Trade Mike Kaye to Saskatoon


Mike (left) and Colten wont be able to lean on eachother to keep their heads out of the mud this season.


Ok, TraderBob. I'm for real here. Can't you let the wound of MattyGate at least scab over before you go and trade Mike Kaye?! So he was kind of a band-aid, whatever... he was a playmaker! "Kaye to Yellowhorn and SCORE!" we like that combo. A lot. Especially with that result.

So Overage situation is all but solved, Matty wont get caught in the Overage Gap and end up playing back in the home province like Cole did last year and Mike will be able to live at home with Mom, Dad and his sisters. But what about US?!

I'm declaring right now that TraderBob can make no more moves this week. Also, that the Ottawa Senators HAVE to all play like (my husband) Mike Fisher tonight. That's all there is to it.

In the immortal words of Celine Dion, "Nothing's broken but my heart."

McPhizzle has spoken.

Getting misty over here.

Riding his trusty steed all the way to Edmonton
How could you NOT love this guy?


From the paper today:

"Matt Swaby had a feeling for some time that he would be one of the players the Tri-City Americans put up for grabs for Tuesday's Edmonton Oil Kings expansion draft.

The veteran defenseman just hoped the Oil Kings would not take him.

Swaby was one of several players chosen throughout the WHL by the Oil Kings to create a roster for the upcoming season.

"It was in the back of my mind," said Swaby, who played his entire WHL career with the Americans. "It was a surprise. I had a lot of messages on my phone and I didn't know what was going on. I wanted to come back, but things change.

"I'd like to thank the team for the opportunity they gave me and the fans for standing behind me. I'm going to miss them." ... "

Oh! Little Matty! We'll miss you, too.

They also took our little Archie from the Wiggity Wack. I just hope they come down here this season... We had the big Eastern Swing last year, so you'd think so, right? Right? :o(

More coverage of MattyGate (and pictorial tributes) located at the Maple Leaf Mafia blog.

I'm moving to Edmonton.

Edmonton, AB has been given a franchise in the WHL, the Oil Kings. They will start their inagural season this upcoming September.

The expansion draft was held today. Teams who had not made a previous deal with Edmonton had two options: a team can protect 15 players aged 16-19 and one 20 year old, or protect 13 players aged 16-19 and three 20-year-olds. Edmonton was not able to take any player who was part of the 2007 WHL bantam draft.

One player. One. Out of our roster AND prospects, not including the protected list. Who knows what ever goes on in TraderBob's bald noggin, but he failed to protect our most veteran Dman and who undoubtedly would've been the heart and soul of the team next year. Matt Swaby is now an Oil King.

I am devistated. Matty's been here since before he was a rookie. He was at Training Camp the year Broseph got into his minor traffic infraction and shoved that cocky kid (name is escapting me....) against the wall of Rink B. Always ready with a big hug and an even bigger smile. More than willing to hang out with the tots at the skates and the fans at events. Heck, anyone who calls my mother "the sweetest woman in the world" and lets me call him Matty in front of everyone is a good kid in my book. And who is going to wear the full blue-jays uniform at the softball game/bbq this year?!

Bye, bye, Matty. We'll miss your flowing curls and heart-warming smile. Don't worry, there will be a large bus bag for you when you come to visit. :o(



Mattycakes and McPhizzle

*Le Sigh* Sens style.

Last night's game... Where to start?

(my husband) Mike Fisher - I now want to clone him, not only for myself but for the whole freaking Sens team. If it was me, I wouldn't be speaking to any of my teammates - but we all know that since it is Mike, He's in there encouraging (and praying for) every single one of them. I love that man.

Ray Muther Flinking Emery - Floppin like a fish is good... when it works... I'm assuming he's asking his Dmen if they plan on making the trip to Anaheim. Maybe even enticing them with the fact that Honda Center is located relatively close to (the holiest of all places) Disneyland.

Don Cherry - The suit was toned down, yet didn't make him look like any less of a windbag. While I respect the fact that he's a National Treasure in (the Homeland) Canada, he always annoys the crap out of me. That was, until he called MamaBear Brett Hull out about getting off Alfredsson's case on the GOAL that he scored on account of the "goal" Brett "scored" in 1999.

Hammer & McP via text on Don Cherry:
Hammer: HA! Don inviting himself back! I love it!
McP: Hahaha! NBC is shitting themselves!
Hammer: I bet they had more viewers, though. Who doesn't love Don Cherry? Ok, lots of people, but they still watch him to see what shit comes out of his yapper. :)
McP: Either that or they were wondering what in the hell Colonel Sanders has to do with Hockey.
Hammer: LOL! Exactly!

The game did bring a tender moment to Casa de McPhizzle, however. Roomie came in for the final minutes of the game. "Oh good lord! This is intense!"
"Now you know why I love hockey."
"Can we hold hands the rest of the game?"
"I thought you'd never ask."

Tender moment ended at the buzzer when I, once again, chased her from my room by dropping the Eff Sharp pretty loudly.