I've been kicking around an idea for a novel for some time now and finally decided to do something about turning an idea into words on a page. However, it will involve a considerable amount of research into a sport in which my enthusiasm and interest far outstrip my knowledge.
Yesterday I decided to enter different athlete's names into a people search site. Imagine my shock when one of the names produced an address and phone number.
So I dropped a note in the mail today asking if he would grant me an interview. The worse that can happen is that he says yes, and I actually have to go ahead and write the novel. Since I don't have a treatment, agent, contract or editor the chances of actually being published are zero.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Saturday, February 25, 2006
NBC SUCKS
Not that I have anything against curling, but it is not exactly what I wanted to see this year in the Olympics. Curling was interesting, in a soothing, put-you-to-sleep sort of way. Bobsledding was cool. But the plethora of ice dancing, figure skating, short track, long track, etc, etc, etc has driven me to distraction.
Today was the last straw. It was bad enough last Sunday when NBC pre-empted a period and a half of the Czech game to cut to women's curling. Today, after the Czechs beat Russia for the bronze medal, they pre-empted the ceremony to run a video about an Italian bobsledder from the 1950's and 60's. I missed the damn medal ceremony.
All I wanted to catch was the hockey games. Since the games play while I'm AT WORK, I have had to settle for checking the scores and looking at photographs. Yahoo! has been terrible at keeping the scores updated in their Olympic section, and NBC has not been much better. Google video is down right now, so I can't even attempt to find a video of the ceremony.
The NHL starts back up on Wednesday. J and I have tickets to the Penguins game that night. I can't wait.
The second Martin Straka jersey card came in the mail last night.
Today was the last straw. It was bad enough last Sunday when NBC pre-empted a period and a half of the Czech game to cut to women's curling. Today, after the Czechs beat Russia for the bronze medal, they pre-empted the ceremony to run a video about an Italian bobsledder from the 1950's and 60's. I missed the damn medal ceremony.
All I wanted to catch was the hockey games. Since the games play while I'm AT WORK, I have had to settle for checking the scores and looking at photographs. Yahoo! has been terrible at keeping the scores updated in their Olympic section, and NBC has not been much better. Google video is down right now, so I can't even attempt to find a video of the ceremony.
The NHL starts back up on Wednesday. J and I have tickets to the Penguins game that night. I can't wait.
The second Martin Straka jersey card came in the mail last night.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Hockey Saturday
Because network executives are stupid, the majority of Olympic hockey games are aired (live) in the morning while I am at work. Since taking two weeks off from work to stay home and watch hockey is not an option, I've spent today on our couch catching up.
There were two standout games today.
Game 1: Switzerland vs Canada
The Swiss shut out Canada, with Paul di Pietro scoring Switzerland's two goals and giving an emphatic “fuck you” to the National Hockey League. Di Pietro has not played in the NHL for the last ten years. The majority of his time in North America was spent playing for the IHL, AHL farm squads, and passing from from team to team.
After he was let go from the Los Angeles Kings in 1996/97 he knocked around the IHL (now defunct) for the remainder of the season. He moved to Europe, where he has had a successful career playing for Zug, Milan, Chur and Lugano. Originally from Canada, di Pietro became a Swiss citizen in 2005.
At 5' 9” and 181 pounds, di Pietro's failure to succeed in the NHL was attributed to his size. Interesting reasoning. Martin Straka, who has spent all but 4 games of his career in the NHL, towers at 5' 10” and 178 pounds and has come back from numerous injuries, including a broken leg. Both men were initially drafted as Centers, although Straka currently plays Left Wing for the New York Rangers.
Canada was not helped as both goals they scored during the contest were waived off, the first because Todd Bertuzzi was “in the net” and the second accredited as a save to goaltender Martin Gerber. Canada was robbed.
Game 2: Finland vs Czech Republic
Finland pulled off an upset of the Czech Republic, beating the battered Czechs 4-2.
The game turned dirty early in the second period when Jaromir Jager took a hit from Jarkko Ruutu. Jager, a big guy, dropped to the ice like a stone and was left bleeding. As the 6' 2”, 205 pound Ruutu skated away from Jager he was tackled by the 5' 10”, 178 pound Straka, thus demonstrating one of the reasons why Straka is still playing in the NHL. Ruutu earned a 5 minute boarding major and a game misconduct. Straka earned a roughing double minor. Jager did not return to the game.
The team never recovered their rhythm after Jager left the ice. Sporadic fighting (broken up by the referees), two unanswered goals in the third and a brillant performance by Finnish goalie Antero Niittymaki put the Czech's away.
More hockey tomorrow.
There were two standout games today.
Game 1: Switzerland vs Canada
The Swiss shut out Canada, with Paul di Pietro scoring Switzerland's two goals and giving an emphatic “fuck you” to the National Hockey League. Di Pietro has not played in the NHL for the last ten years. The majority of his time in North America was spent playing for the IHL, AHL farm squads, and passing from from team to team.
After he was let go from the Los Angeles Kings in 1996/97 he knocked around the IHL (now defunct) for the remainder of the season. He moved to Europe, where he has had a successful career playing for Zug, Milan, Chur and Lugano. Originally from Canada, di Pietro became a Swiss citizen in 2005.
At 5' 9” and 181 pounds, di Pietro's failure to succeed in the NHL was attributed to his size. Interesting reasoning. Martin Straka, who has spent all but 4 games of his career in the NHL, towers at 5' 10” and 178 pounds and has come back from numerous injuries, including a broken leg. Both men were initially drafted as Centers, although Straka currently plays Left Wing for the New York Rangers.
Canada was not helped as both goals they scored during the contest were waived off, the first because Todd Bertuzzi was “in the net” and the second accredited as a save to goaltender Martin Gerber. Canada was robbed.
Game 2: Finland vs Czech Republic
Finland pulled off an upset of the Czech Republic, beating the battered Czechs 4-2.
The game turned dirty early in the second period when Jaromir Jager took a hit from Jarkko Ruutu. Jager, a big guy, dropped to the ice like a stone and was left bleeding. As the 6' 2”, 205 pound Ruutu skated away from Jager he was tackled by the 5' 10”, 178 pound Straka, thus demonstrating one of the reasons why Straka is still playing in the NHL. Ruutu earned a 5 minute boarding major and a game misconduct. Straka earned a roughing double minor. Jager did not return to the game.
The team never recovered their rhythm after Jager left the ice. Sporadic fighting (broken up by the referees), two unanswered goals in the third and a brillant performance by Finnish goalie Antero Niittymaki put the Czech's away.
More hockey tomorrow.
Friday Night Entertainment
I'm still attempting to wrap my brain around last night's activities. For once in my amateur writing life I had both a pen and paper available to take notes.
J and I headed to Mellon Arena after work yesterday to watch his nephew play in a basketball game. My first surprise of the evening came when I discovered we had to pay $12.00 each to get into the arena. The nephew was playing in a pre-game before the main event, an ABA match between the Pittsburgh Xplosion and the Toledo Ice.
We cheerfully paid the admission fee and trudged down towards the floor. Since it takes a long time to freeze the ice, the organizers laid a floor on top of the surface and the basketball court on top of the floor. Even with the extra layers, the center of the arena was cold enough to chill my toes and I was glad when we had to move up to the general admission seats. But not before I gave into the temptation to jump over the boards into the Penguins torn-down team box. Unfortunately the boards were covered with a slippery fabric, and all I earned was a twisted knee and a sore back. I will not be trying that stunt on skates any time soon.
I found the arena's decision to cover the boards mysterious. With all the pushing, shoving and hitting that the boards see in an average hockey game, what kind of damage could be caused by the back of a chair? Xplosion games are not usually crawling with media (last night was an exception), so accidentally advertising a competing sponsor's products was not an issue. In addition, only the long sides were covered, not the goal ends.
Most sporting events come with media time-out and half-time entertainment designed to keep the crowds in their seats. The Xplosion was no exception and the half-time show was a circus. Literally, as the entertainment included:
The highlight of the evening for most of the crowd was an appearance from Republican candidate for governor Lynn Swann. The man who introduced Swann put a great deal of emphasis on his athletic prowess and four Super Bowl rings, and none on Swann's position on any issue. Out of the appropriately 1800 people, he seemed to have only one detractor.
The Pittsburgh Xplosion dominated the game. The fact that the Toledo Ice was a team seven players strong to the Xplosion's fourteen player bench probably contributed to their loss.
Best quote of the evening came from the announcer: “She was my grade school sweetheart, but I certainly wasn't hers...she obviously didn't get the memo”.
J and I headed to Mellon Arena after work yesterday to watch his nephew play in a basketball game. My first surprise of the evening came when I discovered we had to pay $12.00 each to get into the arena. The nephew was playing in a pre-game before the main event, an ABA match between the Pittsburgh Xplosion and the Toledo Ice.
We cheerfully paid the admission fee and trudged down towards the floor. Since it takes a long time to freeze the ice, the organizers laid a floor on top of the surface and the basketball court on top of the floor. Even with the extra layers, the center of the arena was cold enough to chill my toes and I was glad when we had to move up to the general admission seats. But not before I gave into the temptation to jump over the boards into the Penguins torn-down team box. Unfortunately the boards were covered with a slippery fabric, and all I earned was a twisted knee and a sore back. I will not be trying that stunt on skates any time soon.
I found the arena's decision to cover the boards mysterious. With all the pushing, shoving and hitting that the boards see in an average hockey game, what kind of damage could be caused by the back of a chair? Xplosion games are not usually crawling with media (last night was an exception), so accidentally advertising a competing sponsor's products was not an issue. In addition, only the long sides were covered, not the goal ends.
Most sporting events come with media time-out and half-time entertainment designed to keep the crowds in their seats. The Xplosion was no exception and the half-time show was a circus. Literally, as the entertainment included:
- A group of Shriner's clowns. They made balloons for the kids, conducted a mock game against the South Park girl's basketball team and made a speech about the importance of supporting Shriner's hospitals. The visual aids, in the form of two burn victims, was a nice touch. So was the Shriner clown dressed in a Kevin Stevens t-shirt jersey.
- Four cheerleaders dressed in skin-tight demin clam diggers. One of the cheerleaders was obviously new and a step behind in all of the dances.
- A half-time dance contest that played out as a cross between a middle school dance and a scene from West Side Story (Sharks vs Jets).
The highlight of the evening for most of the crowd was an appearance from Republican candidate for governor Lynn Swann. The man who introduced Swann put a great deal of emphasis on his athletic prowess and four Super Bowl rings, and none on Swann's position on any issue. Out of the appropriately 1800 people, he seemed to have only one detractor.
The Pittsburgh Xplosion dominated the game. The fact that the Toledo Ice was a team seven players strong to the Xplosion's fourteen player bench probably contributed to their loss.
Best quote of the evening came from the announcer: “She was my grade school sweetheart, but I certainly wasn't hers...she obviously didn't get the memo”.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
So There Was a Fight Today
Because of a crazy, crazy schedule I was not able to step outside until it was time to go home at 4:30 this afternoon. As I walked out the door I heard a lot of kids shouting in the parking lot next to my building. Twenty seconds later, the shouting turned to screaming. I turned around and two fights had broken out, one on the sidewalk and a second in the middle of the street.
It was somewhat terrifying to see one kid hold another in a chokehold. Especially in the middle of traffic. It was broken up swiftly by the police, in the combination of three motorcycle cops, two bicycle cops and an unmarked car. There was a second moment of terror when the unmarked car almost ran a light right into a Port Authority bus.
It was somewhat terrifying to see one kid hold another in a chokehold. Especially in the middle of traffic. It was broken up swiftly by the police, in the combination of three motorcycle cops, two bicycle cops and an unmarked car. There was a second moment of terror when the unmarked car almost ran a light right into a Port Authority bus.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
No, I'm Not
A Jerk. The Martin Straka card is on its way. A second one will be arriving in, oh, four weeks, but I will not sweat over it this time. I thought the least I could do was purchase the second card after the seller went through the trouble of replacing it.
J was almost run over by a woman in a red Ford Explorer. This morning we stopped briefly at a bakery near our home so he could buy some cookies. The woman was backing up out of a space and was not paying attention to where she was going. After almost hitting my husband, she proceeded to back up an additional 20 feet INTO the intersection. The light was green and she was driving the WRONG WAY, BACKWARDS.
After she reversed and parked (in the space she had just backed out of) she went into the bakery and cut in line in front of my husband. The guy she almost ran over.
An uneventful day. Glow-in-the-dark Miniature Golf, some shopping, a short stop at Sports Rock to say hi to some friends and we came home. It was bookended by another stupid driver in the parking lot of a local grocery store. He backed out of his parking space so fast that he went right over the curb. Brilliant.
J was almost run over by a woman in a red Ford Explorer. This morning we stopped briefly at a bakery near our home so he could buy some cookies. The woman was backing up out of a space and was not paying attention to where she was going. After almost hitting my husband, she proceeded to back up an additional 20 feet INTO the intersection. The light was green and she was driving the WRONG WAY, BACKWARDS.
After she reversed and parked (in the space she had just backed out of) she went into the bakery and cut in line in front of my husband. The guy she almost ran over.
An uneventful day. Glow-in-the-dark Miniature Golf, some shopping, a short stop at Sports Rock to say hi to some friends and we came home. It was bookended by another stupid driver in the parking lot of a local grocery store. He backed out of his parking space so fast that he went right over the curb. Brilliant.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Am I a Jerk?
Seriously, this is just a brain dump since I'm not tired enough to go to bed and don't feel like reading.
I contacted the seller of the now infamous Martin Straka jersey card. Text of my email to the seller:
Hi,
I really hate to put you in this position, but I have not received the card. I have utmost confidence that you mailed the card, but it never made it to my door.
This puts me in a difficult position in determining your feedback. I cannot give you any feedback at this time. I cannot give you positive feedback because I never received the item. But I don't feel it is appropriate to give you neutral or negative feedback either, because I
do believe that you sent the card.
I am not asking for my money back, because refunding a penny is pointless. I just wanted to make you aware of the situation.
I wanted you to know that I intend to report the item to eBay as "Not received" as 3 weeks is more than enough time for the card to make it to my address. In addition, I purchased another card from a seller in Quebec on January 19th and received that card in less than a week's
time.
Thank you,
The somewhat panicked seller sent the following response:
DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPEN...THE CARD HAS BEEN SHIPPED DIRECT TO THE POSTAL SERVICE THE DAY AFTER PAYMENT RECEIVED...LET ME KNOW IF YOU RECEIVED IT THIS WEEK...OTHERWISE I WILL LOOK TO BUY ONE BY MYSELF AND SHIP IT TO YOU...SORRY FOR THE DELAY BUT IT'S OUT OF MY CONTROL...SINCERLY
Hmm, turn off the caps locks, pretty please. And stop using ellipsis in place of periods.
I don't blame the seller. I really do believe that he mailed the card to me. He had other cards for sale at the same time, and all those buyers got their stuff. So what happened to mine?
Options:
I contacted the seller of the now infamous Martin Straka jersey card. Text of my email to the seller:
Hi,
I really hate to put you in this position, but I have not received the card. I have utmost confidence that you mailed the card, but it never made it to my door.
This puts me in a difficult position in determining your feedback. I cannot give you any feedback at this time. I cannot give you positive feedback because I never received the item. But I don't feel it is appropriate to give you neutral or negative feedback either, because I
do believe that you sent the card.
I am not asking for my money back, because refunding a penny is pointless. I just wanted to make you aware of the situation.
I wanted you to know that I intend to report the item to eBay as "Not received" as 3 weeks is more than enough time for the card to make it to my address. In addition, I purchased another card from a seller in Quebec on January 19th and received that card in less than a week's
time.
Thank you,
The somewhat panicked seller sent the following response:
DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPEN...THE CARD HAS BEEN SHIPPED DIRECT TO THE POSTAL SERVICE THE DAY AFTER PAYMENT RECEIVED...LET ME KNOW IF YOU RECEIVED IT THIS WEEK...OTHERWISE I WILL LOOK TO BUY ONE BY MYSELF AND SHIP IT TO YOU...SORRY FOR THE DELAY BUT IT'S OUT OF MY CONTROL...SINCERLY
Hmm, turn off the caps locks, pretty please. And stop using ellipsis in place of periods.
I don't blame the seller. I really do believe that he mailed the card to me. He had other cards for sale at the same time, and all those buyers got their stuff. So what happened to mine?
Options:
- Sitting at the bottom of a mail truck?
- Sitting at the bottom of the storage box up the street?
- Delivered to the wrong address?
- Opened by the Department of Homeland Security (tee hee hee) because they thought it was a credit-card shaped bomb? It was coming from Canada. I still have not determined whether Canada counts as "overseas".
- Swiped from our mail slot by someone who thought it was a credit card?
- Swiped by someone else who is a Martin Straka fan?
- Taking a tour of the world ala Where's Waldo? or the gnome in Le Fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain?
- Swiped by Martin himself?
Monday, February 06, 2006
Aaron McGruder and Terry McMillan
The two just happened to be linked in my mind because of what I am currently reading. I just finished McMillian's The Interruption of Everything and McGruder has been in the news for running afoul of Al Sharpton.
Aaron McGruder is the creator of a comic strip called The Boondocks. A cartoon version of the strip airs on Comedy Central's Adult Swim. Aaron McGruder likes to use the word “nigger” in the cartoon version as often as he can get away with it, and passionately defends his right do to so.
In a recent episode, which ran on Martin Luther King Jr day, McGruder puts the word into the mouth of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. King is provoked by the excess behavior of an audience of blacks into a speech liberally laced with the word.
Enter Al Sharpton. He is not happy with McGruder for putting inappropriate language into the mouth of Dr. King and wants McGruder to apologize. As Dwayne Wickham put it: “By having King make such flagrant public use of a word that his cartoon character describes as "the ugliest word in the English language," McGruder pushes the slain civil rights leader into the swamp of self-loathing speech”.
Wickham argues that McGruder would not write an episode in which Golda Meir returns from the dead and calls a group of Jews “kikes”. Probably not since McGruder's subjects are the black community and politics, not former Prime Ministers of Israel. His use of the word aptly reflects the amount of frustration that Dr. King would feel if he saw what is happening to his community.
Aaron McGruder remains unapologetic and maintains that people who get upset over the language are missing the point. King's rant was targeted at blacks who have failed to live up to his dream, and the use of risque language was to get people's attention.
Which leads me to Terry McMillan. In her latest novel, the main character, Marilyn Grimes, goes on a fantastic riff about the amazing utility of the word “fuck”. I happen to be a fan of the word myself, so Marilyn's riff on the word was fun to read.
In both of these cases McGruder and McMillan are putting into the mouths of their characters language that we are taught is inappropriate in polite company. Yet both of these words are used frequently, liberally, and in a number of different contexts in popular culture, some polite, some not so much.
I wanted to conclude this entry with a brilliant observation on the fluidity of language, but I'm having a difficult time finding the words. Words are not static beings, they evolve and change meaning over time, they are liquid, they rely not only on intent to make meaning, but the interpretation of the receiver.
Aaron McGruder is the creator of a comic strip called The Boondocks. A cartoon version of the strip airs on Comedy Central's Adult Swim. Aaron McGruder likes to use the word “nigger” in the cartoon version as often as he can get away with it, and passionately defends his right do to so.
In a recent episode, which ran on Martin Luther King Jr day, McGruder puts the word into the mouth of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. King is provoked by the excess behavior of an audience of blacks into a speech liberally laced with the word.
Enter Al Sharpton. He is not happy with McGruder for putting inappropriate language into the mouth of Dr. King and wants McGruder to apologize. As Dwayne Wickham put it: “By having King make such flagrant public use of a word that his cartoon character describes as "the ugliest word in the English language," McGruder pushes the slain civil rights leader into the swamp of self-loathing speech”.
Wickham argues that McGruder would not write an episode in which Golda Meir returns from the dead and calls a group of Jews “kikes”. Probably not since McGruder's subjects are the black community and politics, not former Prime Ministers of Israel. His use of the word aptly reflects the amount of frustration that Dr. King would feel if he saw what is happening to his community.
Aaron McGruder remains unapologetic and maintains that people who get upset over the language are missing the point. King's rant was targeted at blacks who have failed to live up to his dream, and the use of risque language was to get people's attention.
Which leads me to Terry McMillan. In her latest novel, the main character, Marilyn Grimes, goes on a fantastic riff about the amazing utility of the word “fuck”. I happen to be a fan of the word myself, so Marilyn's riff on the word was fun to read.
In both of these cases McGruder and McMillan are putting into the mouths of their characters language that we are taught is inappropriate in polite company. Yet both of these words are used frequently, liberally, and in a number of different contexts in popular culture, some polite, some not so much.
I wanted to conclude this entry with a brilliant observation on the fluidity of language, but I'm having a difficult time finding the words. Words are not static beings, they evolve and change meaning over time, they are liquid, they rely not only on intent to make meaning, but the interpretation of the receiver.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
The Fix is in After All
I'm taking the Penguins' issues little too personally at this point. I don't blame this on the team. The boys (and most of them are boys) are a pleasure to watch, as frustrating as the experience is.
Nope, I'm frustrated with Craig Patrick for not using the resources he had available to create a viable team. I'm frustrated with all those people who shouted me down at the beginning of the season when I said that signing all those veterans over using the amazing talent available from Wilkes-Barre Scranton and Wheeling was a bad idea. I'm frustrated with city, county and state officials who are actively driving the team from the state of Pennsylvania.
And, as it turns out, former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy was correct when he said that the “fix was in” when speaking about the Isle of Capri's chance of getting the slots license, thus funding a new arena and keeping the Penguins in Pittsburgh.
According to an article published in the Sunday, January 29th edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Ratner family, owners of Station Square via their development corporation Forest City Enterprises, have partnered with Harrah's to expand Station Square into a casino complex. And the Ratner family has deep, deep pockets and political ties. To the tune of $150,000 to Governor Ed Rendell, $29,000 to Mayor Bob O'Conner and $20,000 to Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato.
One of my husbands clients lives in Manitoba, is an avid Steeler fan and has been following the Penguins fortunes. In a recent email he wrote that if the city were to lose the team, he hoped they would consider going to Manitoba (Winnipeg used to have a professional team) and promised to take very good care of our boys if they did. While I don't think I could bear to lose the team to Kansas City, I felt comforted by the idea of them going to Canada.
Nope, I'm frustrated with Craig Patrick for not using the resources he had available to create a viable team. I'm frustrated with all those people who shouted me down at the beginning of the season when I said that signing all those veterans over using the amazing talent available from Wilkes-Barre Scranton and Wheeling was a bad idea. I'm frustrated with city, county and state officials who are actively driving the team from the state of Pennsylvania.
And, as it turns out, former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy was correct when he said that the “fix was in” when speaking about the Isle of Capri's chance of getting the slots license, thus funding a new arena and keeping the Penguins in Pittsburgh.
According to an article published in the Sunday, January 29th edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Ratner family, owners of Station Square via their development corporation Forest City Enterprises, have partnered with Harrah's to expand Station Square into a casino complex. And the Ratner family has deep, deep pockets and political ties. To the tune of $150,000 to Governor Ed Rendell, $29,000 to Mayor Bob O'Conner and $20,000 to Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato.
One of my husbands clients lives in Manitoba, is an avid Steeler fan and has been following the Penguins fortunes. In a recent email he wrote that if the city were to lose the team, he hoped they would consider going to Manitoba (Winnipeg used to have a professional team) and promised to take very good care of our boys if they did. While I don't think I could bear to lose the team to Kansas City, I felt comforted by the idea of them going to Canada.
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