Faceoff, University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux vs. University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs
Review of a Sioux goal"O.k., here's why your goal was disallowed"
The heckler's next to us
The cops talking to the hecklers next to us, particularly the guy in the white jersey in front. Whenever a UMD player would go in the box, he would start taunting them. And it was hilarious, because during womens hockey games it's so quiet, he could be heard all across the arena. The uncle of one of the UMD players came and yelled at him. He didn't stop. Then the cops came. After that, he would just say things like "I agree ref, that was a good call", and "No matter what the score is, both teams are playing well"
FIGHT!!!
"Penalty on #6, Cassie Hanson, 2 minutes for roughing"
I couldn't get a real good picture of it, but Blais got hit so hard that she couldn't skate without being supported by two teammates.
"One, two, three, four, five, five Bulldogs in the sin bin. Ah, ah, ah."
And four Sioux in the box. I have never seen two penalty boxes as full as I did that day.
Wow, it's been a while, so here's a general house cleaning post.
I wish it was summer again, just so I can go swingin' again.
A few weeks ago, I had the first bird strike of my flying career. It happened as I was on base about to turn final (see diagram below) at Grand Forks:
I was doing about 80 knots coming into land, my instructor had his head down looking at the floorboards, when all of a sudden we heard a loud hollow "thunk" on the windshield. This is what was there when we got out:
How that bird managed to fly right through the propeller arc and manage to wrap himself directly around the outside air temperature probe, I have no idea. It was pretty funny, when you get back in a UND aircraft after a flight, you have to call dispatch and tell them that you are back, and whether or not you have any discrepancies. My instructor called up dispatch and said "Dispatch, Sioux 84 back no discrepancies, but we did hit a bird." Within about two minutes, both line fueling trucks and one of the tugs had shown up around my airplane to take pictures and say "Nice work man, you skewered that sucker!"
The Twins. Am I disappointed that they didn't make it to the playoffs? Yes. But I can't be too disappointed, because noone, including me, expected them to come anywhere close to the playoffs, and they managed to force a one game playoff.
The Tampa Bay Rays. The Tampa Bay Rays are my second favorite baseball team, and I am kicking myself for not making a post about them around March, because I called them making the playoffs back then, and noone in the house believed me.
The Detroit Lions. If you didn't know, my favorite football team is the Detroit Lions. So far they're 0-5. Better luck next year.
And finally on Sunday, in Grand Forks of all places, I found the VHS tape I've been looking for for years. On a whim, I stopped at a Big Dollar Store that I drove past the night before, because it looked like it had been turned into a thrift store with lots of random crap.
When I stopped there, it turns out that it had been turned into a consignment auction "house", and while they were having an auction, the also had three of four thousand ex-rental VHS tapes for sale. They were in boxes arranged on shelves in a large L. I started midway point through the first leg of the L, looking for just one tape. I finished that leg of the L, went around to the other leg of the L, and I had no luck finding it. I was finding copies of The Wizard, The Wizard Of Speed And Time, Soviet Sex Spies starring Linda Hamilton, and various other mid-80's movies. But no Rad. I assumed that someone had beaten me to it, and that I would have to continue searching for many more years. I wandered back to the small section of the L that I had bypassed earlier, and began looking through the boxes there, still not expecting to find it. And then, in the last box I could have possibly looked, there it was. Rad.
I made a delivery to the lube bay at the West St. Paul Saturn dealership. One of the guys there asked, jokingly, "Hey Jimmy Johns guy, when are you coming out with a new sandwich?"
"Oh, a few weeks" I said.
He said, "You're shittin' me."
No, dear readers, I'm shittin' no one. Before July is out, or so I'm told, Jimmy Johns will be rolling out a new sandwich, the #17 UP, or "Ultimate Porker". The UP will come on 8" French Bread, with lettuce, tomato, mayo, ham, and bacon. All that's needed before we can start selling this new sandwich are new menus and menu boards. Everybody's excited for it, just ask this Jimmy Johns employee:
I went out to a few thrift stores today for the first time in months, looking for a cheap N64 for my aunt, which I didn't find, but I did find a few things for myself: Apple external 1200 Baud modem.
Designed to perfectly fit under an old phone. The price: just over a buck.
And I found an awesome This Old House coffee mug. Only a buck.
Early this morning my mom and I drove down to St. Paul to see Xcel Energy implode the smokestack attached to the Highbridge plant. According to CNN, the smokestack was 570 feet high and weighed 5770 tons.
Now, when they say implosion, I picture a structure coming straight down and collapsing upon itself, not tipping over like it did.
In 2005, the Como Zoo Conservatory apparently remodeled, and got rid of the old fern room and built a whole new complex with a new fern room. Whenever I used to go to the Conservatory, my favorite place in the whole place was the fern room. A while back, my family and I visited the conservatory, and I eagerly was looking forward to going to the fern room and visiting an old friend. I walked around the central room looking for the doors to the fern room. I kept passing where I thought it was, but it wasn't there. Finally, we walked through a pair of doors, and I was heartbroken. But first, let's compare and contrast:
The new fern room... ...and the old fern room.
To me, the new fern room is too new, too clean, too bright, and too dry. The old fern room was kind of run down and neglected looking. It also felt more naturally lit and rainforest-y. It had these weird little benches like the one in the picture above, which was a little alcove with a bench and a small fountain/puddle/pond thing behind it. It was wet. The floors were always soaked. And it was hot and humid. I loved it.
I want the old fern room back. But it's not going to happen. The best I can do is blow up the postcard the picture above is from, and hang it on my wall.
"O.k., here's why your goal was disallowed"
