So Many Expansion Teams, So Little Resources

My quest has now officially begun . . . to see the Ottawa Senators play as many different teams in as many different venues as I can. Last Saturday I saw them play (and beat) the Flyers in Ottawa for the second year in a row. Tonight I got to see them destroy (in Tampa) the Tampa Bay Lightning.

7-2 - damn it was fun! Thanks must go to Duke and company for getting the tickets and being there to support the team (although the four of us know there were only two true Senators fans amongst us). It was an interesting experience to be the guy booing the home team. And I got to meet several Sens fans tonight, most of who actually live in Tampa Bay after moving from Ottawa. Weird.

Sadly, I have no plans to see the Senators play again this season (though I will never, ever turn down free tickets to play-off hockey – hint hint).

As for the future of my quest, I am currently on a limited budget which means if I do not start earning a lot more money in social services soon (insert canned laughter here) I will be quite limited to the number of places I’ll actually get to go see the Sens play. Realistically, I do have a few match-ups in mind for the near future:

The Philadelphia Flyers may get crossed off my list sooner than later due to the (newly named) Aduchan 2006 + Classic. My buddy Bri and I have seen Ottawa and Philly play twice in Ottawa and hope to continue our own fantasy “best-of seven” series next year in the city of broken bells and AIDS flicks.

The Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens are also potentially do-able destinations. Both teams play relatively close to me and Montreal is truthfully the best city I have ever been to and therefore a desirable place for me to go and watch hockey. As for Buffalo, it sure does have an airport, doesn’t it?

The Atlanta Thrashers could easily find my sorry ass sitting in their stadium in the next couple of years. I worry about this venue however, as it will be tough for me to cheer above the ten Thrashers fans who might actually attend the game.

Finally, I am confident that I will head to New Jersey to see a Devils/Sens game. Tomb Dragomir is a huge fan (and I used to be too) so I know the two of us will head there someday. It’s a fact. I wish I had a joke to insert here, but there is truly nothing funnier than the thought of the Devils beating the Senators. This is also a fact.

For the record, I do happen to live about a 20 minute (on a bad day – and where the TTC is concerned they are all bad days) TTC ride away from the Air Canada Centre. I remain unconfident that I will actually get to see a game there. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment care more about money than they do about hockey fans. Besides, even if I did have the $160 + to spend on 3 hours of entertainment for my girlfriend and me, I hear there are hookers who offer much more for less . . .

P.S. – I paid $7.50 for an assumed 20 ounces of Budweiser at the Tampa Bay game tonight. I guess the term “paying out of your ass” has no conversion rate.

Toasters

Check it out:

http://www.toaster.org/

and

http://www.toaster.org/concentration/concentration.html

Dominican Sunrise

Apparently my efforts aren’t as frivolous as I thought. I went online today in order to rediscover the recipe to making a Dominican Sunrise (a drink I had last year at a resort). After a ridiculous amount of Google searches, I discovered one website that had the real ingredients - my own blog! Weird.

I didn’t post the entire recipe however so here is the real mix for a Dominican Sunrise . . .

Pour 1 to 1 and 1/2 ounces of rum into a glass
Add Ice
Pour 1/2 to 1 ounce of triple sec into the mix
Fill the rest of the glass with orange juice (Tang works well too - best even)
Drop some grenadine into the mix to complete the 'sunrise' aspect.

RANK Radio Is (Still) Coming

It looks like I'll be moving ahead with Rank Radio, thanks (a million times over) to the help of Rue Morgue Radio's Tomb Dragomir and local singer/songwriter Aaron Wrixon. Since this project is still in the beginning stages, I have little else to report. What I do know so far is that this will be a theme-based, one hour show created on a bi-monthly basis. If you have a band and want me to include your music, please e-mail me or post a comment so we can work out the delivery details. All types of music are welcome as I prefer to promote good music of all forms rather than mediocre music of one or two specific genres.

Links Update

Check out some of my friends' web sites in the right-hand column. Note that they are listed in alphabetical order - I don't play favourites.

Random Topics Of Conversation From March 3rd, 2007

On March 3rd I discussed with various people (in no particular order) . . .

Where to go drinking in Ottawa
The changes to Canada's daylight savings time
Whether or not I should go and see Pan's Labyrinth
That Ellen DeGeneres is actually funny
That Ellen DeGeneres cheaply ripped off David Cross
Whether or not I need to pick up some beer
The cons of living above a store
Why I'm not going out tonight
That the Toronto Maple Leafs don't seem to care if they win or lose
How Jen and I should decorate our apartment
Reasons why Jen and I procrastinate on decorating our apartment
That I hope my friends have fun in Cuba
Where the 400 dollars in my bank account went to
Why buying a hockey jersey without a number on it seems pointless
That buying a hockey jersey should be done soon before the new jerseys are introduced
Whether or not getting another cat would be good for Hank
What made my eggs pleasantly spicy
The fact that I haven't spoken to Eran Dod in a long time
Shoes today do not last as long as they did when my friend Dave and I were teenagers
Why I need to by new boots right away
What Adrian meant when he said he 'gets a rub on' from his boots
The transport truck I saw harshly back into a parked car and then speed away

I Owe It To Bukowski

I think I owe it
to Bukowski to someday
dedicate some lines

to him. He hardly
made me who I am today,
but now that I’ve read

him I understand
that somehow the drunken old
bastard stole my thoughts

before I was even born.