Kai, the hockey team I’m involved with is a professional team, not a kids team. We are minor-league; not many of these guys will ever make the Big Show (NHL) but they love the game and are good enough at it to give it some more time to see if their skills develop further. One of out players is in the NHL now (Lightning) and is doing well.
Most of these kids are fresh out of college, and hockey at this level does not pay well. The league rules allow the team to pay for housing for the guys, and the Booster Club exists for the benefit of the players. We sell Chuck-a-Pucks (foam pucks that are thrown onto the ice during the second intermission in hope of winning a prize - some people are remarkably good at this) and conduct other fund-raisers for the club. The money goes to provide kitchen items, bedding, towels, etc. to furnish the apartments. The team leases the furniture. We also provide a hot meal for the visiting team after the game, and are know league-wide for our food!
The BC also provides a sponsor for each player. The sponsor provides a “road bag” for the player with snacks and stuff in it, and helps the player to feel more “at home” in Columbus. Some of the sponsors and players become very good friends - the player now in the NHL still keeps in touch with his sponsor from here. Other players really don’t have all that much contact with the sponsors - it is totally up to the player. We have had some problems in the past with married female BC members harassing players almost to the point of stalking. Unmarried women are not encouraged to apply for sponsorship because of problems like that. We’ve had idiot sponsors who expected their player to take their kids to movies and stupid stuff like that. And then there is the stupid woman who wants a player “for her daughter.” Fortunately the BC doesn’t make the decision on which sponsor gets which player - that is handled by the Coach. The players are reluctant to complain about a bad sponsor, so we try to keep on top of things.
The woman discussed earlier has been a BC member much longer than I have and has been the direct reason several members have left the club. She wants other people to do everything, but to do it the way she wants. IIRC (I’m too lazy right now to go get the bylaws), executive officers can only serve two years in a row, so our current president can’t run again at the end of this season. I am hoping someone will run against her, because I will quit if she is elected. Let’s just say I don’t like her management style and leave it at that.
I joined the BC because I really enjoy going to the games, and I wanted to help do something to make the lives of the guys a little more pleasant. They work hard to be good at what they do, and most of them are really nice kids.
We do get most of our players from Canada - each team has 16 visas. Our Coach (who was a player for our team before he became Coach) is from Canada so that is where most of his contacts are. We do have some American players - from up North - but since the team got here the youth hockey teams have been thriving - someday we’ll have a Southern-born hockey player!
Sorry to go on for so long! And I feel for you with the sinus troubles - I think something started blooming because mine are killing me!
I finally managed to get those Goethe books. So I now have a full five volume set in excellent condition, and I am quite happy. Unfortunately I had to go to the book store on my own as everyone I know who would have been interested is gone for the weekend, but it was a pleasent trip none the less.
I also picked up a complete collection of the poetry of Emily Dickinson. I heard a quote recently, though I know not where, that every intellectual male of heterosexual leaning has at one time or another been in love with Emily Dickinson, and being on a poetry kick recently it seemed only right to give her a shot.
gt: Now, several days after the fact, I finally realize that you set me up for a perfect Paul Simon reference and I completly dropped the ball. So here it goes…
Well, if you’ll be my bodyguard you can call me Al.
I had a great class this morning - I threw a HUGE pot, my biggest yet. It’s about 12-14" tall, and at the fattest, probably 7 or 8" in diameter. It is way cool! I also made a large, squared dish - probably 8" across - and my teacher was rather impressed with the way I added some decoration. I finished the class throwing a small pot and a small pitcher. All in all, a good time. I also found out I can re-glaze my other pots, so maybe they’ll look better.
After I got home, I put my studio back together. My kiln is back in place, I sorted my pots and got out the ones I want to reglaze, I tidied and organized the whole shop, hung my banner (thanks again, Mama Tiger!!) and messed around with some clay. I threw a largish pot and a tall mug that **FCD ** is going to decorate.
Speaking of which, I decided to take a few pics of the pieces he decorated when we were at the show. None of these have been fired yet, so they look pale and sad. First is the sea creature. Then there’s the old man mug, and the squinty eye man mug. He is way more artistical than I am, but I throw better than he does, so we make a good team.
I’ve got a load of laundry sitting next to me waiting to be folded, and another load in the dryer. And that’ll be it for the day. Tomorrow is boat work day. Now it’s time for ice cream!
Well, I’m back from the boobie-squishing session. During the session, I was thinking, “Hey, this isn’t all that bad”. That is, until the tech had to do the last picture. Jeeze Louise that one hurt! She knew it too because my face told her everything. I’ll get the results in 10 to 14 days. I’m sure all will be fine. I regularly do self-examinations and have never noticed a change in appearance or texture. Nor have I ever found lumps.
At any rate, I was coming home and thinking that instead of going all the way around, I’d come through downtown Tacoma, hook up on River Road and come through downtown Puyallup, head up the Hill and be home. Except, I forgot the State Fair was still going on. For some stupid reason, I thought the fair was over yesterday. At any rate, before I could do something about my mistake, it was too late, and I couldn’t get over in another lane to hook up to Hwy 167 and then Hwy 512. Grrrr. So, I inched through traffic mentally slapping myself upside the head for my stupidity.
As I was sitting in traffic, the hubby called me to inform me that we’re going to the movies tonight. We’ll be meeting up with nephew, great-niece, two SILs, and MIL. The theater is right near my house, but I really, really, really don’t want anyone coming over here. The house is not company ready. The one SIL has never even seen my house and I sure don’t want her to see it like this. I’ve been cleaning up somewhat, but I’ve got to watch dinner as it’s cooking too. I really, really, really hope they don’t come over here.
I guess I should dust and run the vacuum cleaner now.
I totally love your fish-sea-creature-thingy, FCM; it would make a cool incense burner, with smoke drifting out of his mouth. And the sign looks great hung – better than I’d feared, especially since I left the last S at home by accident so we had to stop at a Staples on the way and make a copy so it wouldn’t look totally illterate!
We joined the BC for the New Orleans Brass when we moved there, SCL, but less than a year later they killed the team. Long, sad story; but it was a stupid, stupid thing to do. The ice in the arena was also the only ice in town, but they tore up the ice floor for the incoming stupid Hornets. That’s right, throw away a team that was filling the (huge) house to 3/4 capacity several nights a week for a team that might, maybe, last 3 years in town; NOLA has a history of chasing away basketball teams, and they totally suck while they’re there. We went to one Hornets game and hated, hated, hated it, left before the first half was up. Bitter much, me?
But anyway, we also did the sponsor thing. Our club had a hard and fast rule that single women could not sponsor; we didn’t want that kind of problem at all. And it was made abundantly clear that nothing of that kind would be tolerated by anyone, ever. But we had the most popular BC on the road – we’d go throw “Mardi Gras parades” for away teams. We went on a trip once to Augusta and marched around the ice at halftime tossing beads; it was just amazing how the sight of a strand of Mardi Gras beads turns people into raving lunatics. Just this faceless sea of screaming, waving arms. It was great! Of course, Papa T. gave away most of our beads to kids just walking around the stadium before the game even started; we brought several extra bags (each bag contains about 6-7 gross of strands of beads – that’s right, about thousand strands per bag, depending on the size of the bead and the efficiency of your packing) and went through them all. Did they ever come to one of your games?
Mama Tiger, we never played the Brass - I think we were in the CHL that season. We did play Augusta - they had the sexiest goalie I’ve ever seen - and he knew it. His warmup routine would have every woman in the crowd sitting silent with dropped jaw. This guy (who was very nice and friendly off the ice) would do full vertical splits and rotate forward until his chest was on the ice - all very sloooooooowly. My seat is ice level and at the end of the rink near the goal. One night he caught me staring (I couldn’t help it!) and winked at me!
Our City is well known for running off sports teams; the Snakes have lasted longer than any other team has in years. The NBDL (National Basketball Developmental League) came to town a few years ago and the damn city bent over backward for them - great contract, percentage of concession sales (which the Snakes didn’t get) - all sorts of perks. The NBDL side of the contract stated that they would provide 20 events a year in addition to basketball, which of course they didn’t do. And they couldn’t give the tickets away. Seeing coverage on the news was embarassing, the seats were so empty.
We’ve sold over a thousand season tickets this year for the first time in team history. Our Coach and General Manager, Jerome Bechard, has really done an incredible job with the team. He was a player (and resident goon/enforcer) for 8 years, an assistant coach for a year, and his first season as head coach he took the team to the SPHL championship. He has a wonderful personality and has been wonderful about getting the team out in the community - schools, hospitals, etc - and I think he is the single most important reason hockey has stayed in Columbus.
Can ya’ll tell I have hockey on the brain? It’s just over a month until the puck drops, training camp starts in less than a month. The players are starting to arrive. I can almost smell the ice! Or I could if my sinuses weren’t messed up!
Hello! I’m back from work, I hate Saturdays. I have a cold beervreage, and am surfing like a mother.
Mr Cello Guy, used bookstores rock! Last time I went, I got the complete works of Shakespeare and Raymond Chandler.
SCL, there is nothing like success to bring in fans. I think the Canes are up to 15000 season tickets this year. I hope Frau Blucher doesn’t win the presidency, it would suck to drive out all the good people.
FCM, cool mugs. You might have to change your name to Pottery Chat Goddess.
Tater, as long as there isn’t livestock or vermin in the living room, you’ll do fine.
I am rid of sad divorced guy. In a stunning reversal, he dumped me. Ah, well. He was a complete flake anyway. Maybe I’ll tell the story later if anyone wants to know all the goofy details. Right now, I’m just going to pine very quietly for TBT. He was so far away, but at least he wasn’t a freaky weird sad divorced guy.
(Nothing against divorced guys in general, just this one in particular.)
I was sure it was raining - I was sure I was gonna get soaked when I took Bernie out this morning. I figured we wouldn’t be going to the recycle center and all that today because of the rain.
It was wind in the trees. Sure sounded like rain.
My sweetie is still asleep, the critters have been fed, and I’m trying to decide if I’m going to make breakfast or make someone take me out to eat. Life is good.
Tel, I would love to hear the flaky details. Since I don’t watch soap operas or TV talk shows, I need to get my relationship drama elsewhere. Sounds like you are well rid of the guy.
It seems that my long and storied career as a volunteer firefighter consists of driving fast to the station and suiting up, and not much else. We were paged at 9:30 last night for a mobile home fire in another district, and this time we never left the station. The fire was out by the time the first engine got there, and we were the farthest from the scene.
I dodged a bullet yesterday. I was tearing up barn roof that my felonious trashpickers left laying around in the yard, and once that was done, I was in the jungle pulling out metal stuff to haul to the dump. There was a pile of old steel drums that’s been bugging me for a bit, so they were the target of my wrath. One in particular wouldn’t come out, because this pipe like thingy was holding it back. It appeared to be something like a grain auger, because an electric motor was hooked over the drum. So, I grabbed ahold, flipped the motor out of the way, and with a mighty shove, the drum was free. No sooner than the pipe thingy hit the ground than a small buttload of wasps came flying out, and they were looking to rumble. I got out of there fast, and without any stings.
Another day of home improvements ahead. I have some baseboard heaters to move, and hardwired Ethernet to install, so I’ll be having fun in the crawlspace. More drapery hardware to hang, and it’s also time to start on the workshop, which is still mostly storage space.
Of course we want to hear, Tel! Kinda good he dropped you; that way you don’t have to drag it out and wonder about what you’re doing to him if you drop him, etc. etc. etc. Yay on the driving, though. Now work on those sharp turns! (That was the hardest part for me. I sometimes still wonder if I turn correctly. So far I’ve gotten there safely every time, so I must be turning well enough.)
Glad for the good news, picu! Still keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.
Al, the Paul Simon set-up was completely unintentional, but, now that I’ve read the lyrics , pretty funny, since some people have said I look like Betty Boop (yeah, my face is kinda the same shape).
Taters, how was the movie? Did company stop by. Hope you had fun!
Glad you missed out on the wasps Bobbio.
Gotta get ready for church and gardening a bit later in the day. At least it looks like maybe it’ll be relatively nice out. Really don’t want to get rained on.
Glad you escaped the small buttload of wasps, Bobbio – I’ve had a healthy fear of them ever since, many years ago, I was pulling a swingset out of the ground and a bunch of wasps were nesting just under the surface, and my right hand got stung enough times that it swelled up to where it looked like I had a giant sausage with fingers at the end of my arm. Took days to go down enough to where I could actually move my fingers. Definitely not fun. So you be careful!
I want to hear all the good stuff, too, Tel! My life really doesn’t have that much drama, so except for watching Grey’s Anatomy, I too have to live vicariously through others.
Good on the thousand season tickets, SCL! The Brass were up to 650 in only three years, but of course the team got killed before they could reach the heights you guys have. We were ready to buy season tickets the year the team went away. Sniffle. I enjoy minor league sports more than the majors – it still matters to the players in a way it just doesn’t seem to in the majors. It’s not just a ridiculously high-paying job yet. You have to really love the game to play it for what those kids (don’t) get paid.
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY, at [del]RACEWAY PARK[/del] the MMP! Hooray! Plans for today include the Mechanics homework. I didn’t quite finish the Math Methods homework yesterday, but that doesn’t bother me as it isn’t due until Oct 2. The Mechanics homework, which promises to be far more time consuming, is due Thursday. :eek: :eek:
Nothing else really going on. Oh! A friend of mine from high school (my ex-gf, as it happens) and I finally have a working plan to go meet with a mutual online friend of ours who lives in Pennsylvania. It turns out she’s not too far from Gettysburg, so the ex and I will be making a trip there purely for historical reasons, of course. The parental units have this thing about meeting people met online (if only they knew how Cool you all are!), so this should be a nice end-run around that.
Raisin toast sounds delicious. I wish I had some raisin bread. :o
Mr. SCL is at work, and I have no driver’s license. Wahhhh! Even though I had no plans to go anywhere it drives me crazy (er) to be trapped!
SIL is coming over this afternoon to ferry me to her house to instruct me in caring for her dogs for a week. This is at my insistance since every time she takes one of her dogs to the vet to be boarded, the dog comes home sick. Every single time. And the vet charges SIL for treating whatever the dog got at his kennel! I used this vet exactly once, on SIL’s recommendation, when we first moved here. I took an adult cat in to be neutered. The cat came home with an injection site abcess over his rib cage. Since there is absolutely no reason for a cat to have a ribcage injection for a routine neuter, I can only assume they gave him too much anesthetic and had to jump-start his heart. I cannot understand why SIL has continued to take the dog there - this has been going on for years. One reason given was “I’m going to make them get it right”. Well, your stubbornness has resulted in much misery for your dog. I finally told her I thought she was being very unfair to Lilith (the dog) to keep making her suffer. I’ve worked in vet clinics on and off for nearly 30 years. I know sometimes things happen and an animal will get sick - it can be very stressful for an animal. But I have never seen a vet charge a client for an illness that happened while under the care of the vet! Grrrrrrrrrr.
Hopefully, SIL and I will do some kennel tours when she gets back from this trip. Or I can take care of the dogs when she is out of town - I don’t mind a bit. I just don’t want them going back to the Chamber of Horrors.
Sinuses are still giving me fits. It’s supposed to rain this afternoon - I hope it does. I will open the bedroom window a bit and snooze!
VB, glad you dodged the wasps. Has the Mrs. gotten her epi-pen yet? If not, get it! Those little buggers are nesting to protect the queen for the winter and will be hateful if disturbed.
The visitors came by, we went and saw Pirates of the Caribbean , and then everyone came back here for more visiiting.
It was a nice visit overall, and the movie was pretty good too. I didn’t like the ending, although I understand this was movie was a merely a set-up for the upcoming third movie.
We stayed up late, so consequently we slept in this morning. I’ve just gotten my first cup of joe.
Today’s plans call for nothing, I hope. I really just want to kick back and relax.
