4 weeks, 2 days and counting.

Well, you can see the title...that is where I am at. To be honest with you, the time has gone by quite quickly and my spirits have been pretty good until today when I had a little meltdown.

I went to the Dr. yesterday and got my fiberglass cast cut off and was put into an air boot cast. I knew I was getting it, but was hoping that the Dr. would tell me to start bearing more and more weight every day and in a few days I would be rid of the crutches...no such luck. 20 lbs of weight is the allotment of weight I am allowed to bear, and for the duration of my cast time. I am not quite sure how that is supposed to work anyway...I mean how do you go from bearing 20 lbs of weight to no cast to full on walking?

The advantages of the air boot are as follows: you can take it off and sleep almost like a normal person, you can clean and shave the leg, and there is some weight I can bare (20 lbs allowed) so I can get around on my crutches a little quicker. However, overall the cast is much heavier, it takes a bit of time to put it on and take it off and when it is off, it is just another thing to carry around. *sigh* only two weeks to go.

The last 4 weeks have been a learning experience, a workout, but mostly just a lot of frustration. I have gotten the bathing down to a science and it has become quite comfortable. In the morning I pack my backpack with my clothes for the day and everything I might need so I can minimize the number of trips up and down the stairs. Once I am out of the bath I stuff my pj's in there and tote it around until I go back down stairs for the night. It has proven to be a pretty good system so far.

I seriously never thought being on crutches would have been as difficult as it is. I mean, the leg itself isn't much of a problem, but the knee has been the issue, so as soon as that started to feel better, the 'crutching' around has become less stressful because the knocks and bangs aren't as painful. Regardless, you just can't carry a thing and getting up and off the couch to go to the bathroom is a bit of an undertaking. The palm of my hands are constantly sore, I have two huge callouses on them and the one on the right hand is now peeling. I am now starting to feel numbness in some of my fingers as a result of the constant pressure on my hands. The first few 'steps' in the morning are always the worst and most painful for my hands.

Early on it was tough with Billy when he had the middle of the night diarreha return. It was within the first week and my knee was still really bad so just getting the blankets on and off was painful. Suddenly I had to do it about 5 times in one night in the middle of the night to try to get him out quickly so he wouldn't make a mess on the floor. The first trip or two we got out to the grass, but after that it seemed like he just couldn't get there so he did his business in the garage. My sister wasn't happy, but it was all I could do to even get him there. I felt bad.

That is another thing that you don't consider when you see someone 'crutching' around is their emotional state. Physically it is a disappointment and frustration, but emotionally it is as bad or worse. I am not used to having anyone around and having people do things for me. In fact, I have always felt kind of odd having people cater to me. In this state, it is basically a requirement so I am constantly feeling guilty or bad about having to ask for things and have people do things for me. Then there is the frustration factor about not being capable of doing the simple things quickly--everything just takes that much more time and I am about sick of it.

Taking care and managing Billy is another great source of frustration. He is doing pretty well with the house training, but he isn't perfect. If I was able bodied he would be near perfect because I would be able to take him out a lot more frequently. Fortunately he has a nice kennel to spend time with his cousin Tommy in and he is quite happy out there for a lot of the day. I do miss him though and I am really looking forward to working with him on the leash and taking him for walks again.

As far as the rehab has gone, I have been going to physio for a few weeks to a. get the range of motion back in my knee, and b. try to regain strength in my quad. It is amazing how quickly the muscles have atrophied. My leg is really skinny and feels as weak as t looks. Now that I have my cast off my calf is as skinny as can be as well. Because I have yet to have an MRI on my knee, we are still unclear as to the state of the ACL. The Dr. thinks it is a partial tear only and not severed which means no surgery. Until the diagnosis is made properly, the rehab has to be done under the pretense that the ACL IS in bad shape in order to not risk further injury if it isn't.

As of now I am just trying to wiggle and flex my right ankle as much as possible in order to get some range back. Being in the cast for 4 weeks has made my tendons and ligaments in my ankle sore and any movement is painful and difficult. It is better today than it was yesterday and if it continues to improve in similar increments, I will be in good shape in a few weeks.

Here are a few pix of my leg fresh out of the cast and about to get it's first shave in 4 weeks:

So far...so so...

I am a couple of days into this broken leg thing and this is what I have found so far:

-a new found respect for anyone who is/has been/or might be on crutches for any length of time. It is not only inconvenient, it is down right tiring! My left leg has always been borderline freakishly weaker than my right leg and now I am REALLY getting the first hand example of that. Not only does my left leg get a workout, but my right hip gets exhausted from holding my leg up and as stable as possible while hobbling around.

Also, just below the armpits has been rubbed nearly raw and I am hoping that I develop a callous soon. My entire upper body is getting a work out that I clearly wasn't matching at the gym. Pulling yourself up from a chair, toilet, bed, and yes the staircase, isn't easy and fatigue sets in. At the end of the day, I am ready for it to be nighttime.

-showering is the ultimate pain in the butt.

It is one thing to be tired from crutching around, but to have to hoist yourself into a small space, naked and without your crutches is borderline terrifing. My first shower on one leg was exhausting and I almost couldn't take it. Between the heat, the slipperiness of the soap and water and having to stand on one leg, it was all I could do to get dressed and throw myself back onto my bed for the next few hours.

I now have a little stool in the shower which makes it much easier. Bagging the leg to keep the cast dry is the ultimate pain though and I can't believe it is still necessary. We can send people to the moon, invent the internet and build cars that can run on corn resin but we can't come up with a casting material that we can get wet? Really? I know we are to keep the cotton dry otherwise it breaks down and basically disintegrates, but you are telling me that they can't put a rubber boarder around that sock that they put on your leg before they cast it?

-A person can carry very little when walking on crutches:

Sure, you can carry a backpack with your things in it, but what about a glass of water when you finally lurch off the couch and muster the energy to crutch your way back to the kitchen to finally get yourself that long over due glass of water? You mean to tell me that we have to either stand in the kitchen and drink your water or take your vicodin with you to the kitchen so you can take it? How do you carry the vicodin to the kitchen now? Getting the two in the same place is tricky. Get a bottle of water? Sure, but how big do you think my hands are? There is no way I can properly grip that bottle and my crutch at the same time. So now I have three choices: the backpack (which I left in the living room because...afterall who thinks about pulling on a backpack to go to the kitchen?), I can try to lob the bottle of water to the couch and hopefully it lands, AND STAYS, on the couch or I can toss the bottle on the ground and 'kick' it with my crutch like a small soccer ball all the way to the couch.

How come there aren't more accessories for crutches? A little bag of some sort that can attach to that middle 'V' section (just below where you put your hands) that will help you carry the odd thing like your cell phone, lip chap and possibly a small snack? Instead you have to ask for every little thing and get people all around you to bring you every little tiny thing that you might need.

Stairs=death trap:

Do I really need to say more? I have fallen going up stairs on a good day with two capable legs, now I am supposed to do these on one leg and count on my balance to hoist me 8" above where I just was without any real way to stop myself from falling? Yeah...Hi there...I just wiped out on a BIKE and my leg is broken! Clearly my balance and cat like reflexes on preventing a fall aren't where they used to be so do let me anywhere near a set of stairs with crutches.

I have resorted to going both up and down them on my butt and have just handed the crutches off or dragged them in my left hand.

Today I was having a nap with my legs up on a footrest and I was relaxing wonderfully in a sunbeam that was blazing through the window. I must have been a bit too relaxed when my casted leg slid off the footrest sending me into a fit of pain that was worse than what I felt when I went down. My knee twisted and all I could do was shout out in bawl out in pain. I am sure I scared my nieces half to death because as far as they were concerned, I was asleep. Man, that hurt beyond comprehension and it took the pain more than a few minutes to completely subside.

I wouldn't be so bad if that knee wasn't so sensitive, but man..any slight movement or bump the wrong way sends me straight through the roof.

Another thing: How anyone gets addicted to Vicodin is beyond me. That crap makes me feel naseaus as hell and I am not taking another tablet.

That didn't take long

I was joyfully riding my new mountain bike home, with my new clip in pedals, after a wonderful day of errands and breakfast when, SLAM!! down I went and my world changed for the next 6 weeks.

I was about to take a small, insignificant detour on the final stretch home when I went to cross a small stream of water in the gutter and onto the driveway of a fire station. The short cut may have cut of 20 seconds if that, so to say it was worth it would be false. The sprinklers are on here every day and the run-off is constant. Over time, algae builds up underneath and it becomes very slippery. Well, even a small stream of 3 inches wide can cause the front tire of a mountain bike out from beneath it before you can say 'what the eff?' Well, that is what happened to me...I went down and my bike went one way and my lower leg of my right leg went the other way and I felt excruciating pain from my knee and lower leg down. I took a quick look and saw that my ankle was facing the correct way before I crumpled into a heap on the burning hot pavement. Before too long a lady had stopped to see if I was okay and call 9-1-1. The ironic thing was, we were in the parking lot of a fire station, but nobody was there. In a few moments there were 3 or 4 people surrounding me asking me if they could do anything. The one thing I did ask for was for someone to put something underneath me so I could stop sizzling like a piece of bacon. They came up with a large piece of cardboard and I was thankful. Before too long the ambulance arrived and I was somewhat relieved but also very, very scared. I had never really hurt myself before and I didn't know what to expect, what could be wrong, and the fact that I am basically alone in the desert made it that much worse.

Before the ambulance got there, I was able to reach for my phone and call Hitch--of course, no answer as he was doing his radio show. I somehow gathered myself enough to send him a text that said: 'i think i broke my leg'. Within seconds the phone rang back and judging by my wailing, he knew I was serious. I handed the phone to a lady who Hitch asked to stay with me until the ambulance came to which she did. I was very thankful for that and I remember thanking everyone for stopping repeatedly.

The EMT's put me in a collar and onto a backboard as they took off my shoes and helmet. I was going so slow that I didn't even have any other scrapes or bruises--it was just one of those freak things that happen. The ride to the hospital room felt long and bumpy and every bump hurt and made me fear more and more pain would arise. We finally stopped and they pulled me out into the air-conditioning of the ER. Folks, it was nothing like what we see on TV--I didn't have people rushing to my side and people telling me it was going to be okay, quite the contrary. In fact, there were nurses and voices all around me, but nobody seemed to care that I was writhing in pain. I kept waiting for someone to come to my side with a comforting voice, but no one came. Finally I said: 'is anyone coming?' and the EMT said that they are just waiting to get a room for me. Finally someone came to take care of me and all I could think about was how alone I was, how cold I was becoming, and how long would it be before the pain subsided. The EMT had put a IV on me and I just wanted them to slip something in there that would put me into la-la land like I have always heard about.

Finally 'Heather' came over and spoke kindly and comforted me and told me that she was 'going to take good care of me' right before she forced my leg straight and made me literally yelp in pain. That hurt like a mo-fo. After removing me from the backboard and putting a warm blanket on me, they did slip something into my IV, but it wasn't all dreamy feeling like I wanted. Before too long, and several phone calls to Hitch and my family about the situation, the wheeled me into X-ray...another freezing room. After a few shots of both my knee and ankle I was wheeled back into my 'room' to wait. And wait, and wait. It was about an hour or more before Heather came back and informed me that I had a broken tibea and that I would need to see an Orthopedic specialist the next day. WHAT?? DO I NEED SURGERY? Is the first thing that I thought. When she told me that I was broken my heart sunk. I have never broken a bone before and now I was scared all over again. I know it isn't a big deal in the whole scheme of things, but it was a bit freaky to me and I was there all alone. Shortly thereafter 'Margarita' came and put a temporary splint on me which took less than 10 minutes. It looked like a big tensor bandage that came up and over the knee, but a lot heavier. My good friends Peter and Marcella Murphy came to pick me up and took me home--not before we stopped to get my Vicodin and Motrin perscription though.

Poor Billy had been home for about 8 hours by himself and the good little boy that he is, he never messed in the kitchen at all. Needless to say he was happy to see people and me, but wasn't sure about the crutches and funny cast! He went outside and went pee while Peter and Marcella made sure I was okay for the rest of the evening. Wow...a broken leg...my first (and hopefully my last) ever.

Thankfully my sister was able to get on a plane the next morning and was here by 2 pm in time to take me to my orothopedic appointment. I had been scared about it since I heard I had to go but having Tina there really helped sooth me...until I had to be the passenger in the car with her driving haha... She hasn't driven a standard in a while so it was a bit herky jerky, but she did just fine. Thank god she is here!

The diagnosis at the Orthopede was the best case scenario: no surgery--just casted. Unfortunately they had to 'set' me by putting my ankle at nearly 90 degrees which required some manipulation which = pain. It wasn't as bad as I thought it might be and I was likely more of a suck than I needed to be but...oh well.

Jessie wanted me to get a purple cast and Jaiden wanted me to get a pink one so I got a half and half cast for them. It is funky, but who cares--the kids like it. It was worth it to hear that when Jaiden found out over the phone that I got half and half her response was: 'sweeeeeeeet'.

I will post pictures as soon as possible.

Stump Jumpin'

I got a new mountain bike yesterday and boy, is it fun to ride one again. I have been wanting one for quite sometime so as to have another, more enjoyable form, of exercise. The last moutain bike I bought was around 1994 or '95 and have they changed. The bike I have now has hydrolic disc breaks which are basically exactly what you would have on your car. Front suspension is pretty much a staple on most mountain bikes these days and the shifting system has also been upgraded.

I took it for a quick spin yesterday afternoon and it felt great. Today Hitch drove to the gym and I rode my bike to meet him. It takes about 12-15 minutes to drive the car there so I had no idea how long it would take me to get there, or if I would even be able to complete the trip. I got there in 36 minutes, averaged 12.8 mph and the total journey was 7.77 miles (information courtesy of my handy dandy little handlebar computer that I purchased for 15.99). I really enjoyed riding a bike again and the workout was not excessive, but it was enough to where I felt like I had a workout.

I used to love riding my bike to work and school when I lived in Edmonton. I bought that bike on payments and I think it was about an $800 bike at the time: Bridgestone MB-4. The best memories I have of that bike were when I would ride it to work through the Edmonton River Valley which was great because it was all down hill. The best, however was the ride home after a long days' work on one of those hot august nights. Sure I was tired and mentally the big hill climb was the last thing I felt like doing, but once I got started on it, it turned into a great challenge and I often felt invigorated when I got to the top.

From there I would ride to my Whyte Avenue apartment(Whyte Ave was one of the 'hippest' places in edmonton at the time with a lot of shops, restaurants and pedestrian traffice--always a great hangout for university students) meet up with my friend Keely who also lived in that apartment and we would each buy a huge ice cream cone and sit on the curb to eat it while watching the people go by.

...it was that September when I had to start running...

Swine 'few'

I am thinking that the Swine Flu frenzy is more evidence of the media running amouk and creating something out of virtually nothing yet again. I swear I have no idea why I bother to pay attention to anything that is in the media anymore, based on my experience with the jackets, most of it is spun like a top or even flat out the opposite of reality.

The regular flu kills roughly 36 000 people a year every year, and now we have this Swine Flu that has killed 700 people world wide, and people are walking around with masks, schools are closing, and people have stopped going to work? Remember the S.A.R.S frenzy? It eventually killed 600 people in China yet the hysteria and paranoia over the virus was worldwide. Remember the meningitis scare from a few years before we started freaking out about SARS? Sure, these are dangerous, potentially deadly illnesses but the media latches their hooks into something and create a mania that need not exist.

Now they are saying that a Canadian farmer from my home province of Alberta had contracted the virus from a trip to mexico and gave it to his pigs! Oh brother...this poor guy in Alberta is going to be blamed for this phoney pandemic?

My favorite headline on the topic is this one:

Wild boars killed in Iraq over swine flu scare

Of course, they were in a zoo and they did it to calm some people's fears, but there is war and strife ongoing in Iraq and they put down some pigs because they are afraid of the flu? I would think that suicide bombers and the nutty war that is going on might be of greater concern.

Don't get me wrong, it is nice to know whatever is going on in the world, but take whatever is reported with a HUGE grain of salt. After all, it IS the other white meat.

Some sort of superhero?

I was talking to a lady who was playing (and when I say playing I mean standing and watching) her grand kids in the park. She was talking about how exhausted she was with just two grandchildren...then she spoke of the "Aqua-mom" and how she must be crazy---I am pretty sure she meant the 'Octo-mom'...

Desert Heat

Billy and I arrived back in the desert today. First off, I have to comment on how much Billy has grown...his once roomy kennel required some coaxing, laying down, and not much room to move for the little guy to reside during the trip. He could lay down comfortably and sit up with a hunch back. Last airplane ride I could fit him, three blankets and his two favorite toys in there and he STILL had plenty of room. He went from 7lbs to 14lbs during my stay in Columbus. He wasn't the only one to put on a few pounds...only I didn't get any taller...

Things look good around here except for the backyard and remaining milk I left in the fridge. Why in the world would I do that? Yuck. The backyard is like a jungle with an overgrown palm tree or two and the weeds sprouting from every possible opening. I might have to track down a few mexican's again to clear out the mess.

What I didn't realize about my day was that I am now about 150 miles from Swing flu central. I heard on the news today that they were closing a school down in Indio (only a few miles from here) for precautionary reasons. They are saying people need to wash their hands a lot more than normal and cough or sneeze into a sleeve. Hmmm, well, considering it is 90 F during the day, not many people are wearing sleeves. I guess I should go out and purchase some operating masks. I can prevent against the Swine Flu and not have to smell Billy's poop when I have to pick it up when we go for walks anymore.

That's that!

The jackets ended their first ever playoffs with a 4-0 win by the Detroit Red Wings. The first three games were won in a fairly convincing fashion but then came game 4. People who are reading this probably watched it, and those who didn't--well, they missed out. It was an electrifying game where the jackets over came two, two goal deficits to send the game into what appeared to be overtime when a linesman--what? yes, you heard me right, a LINESMAN made a too many men on the ice call at the 1:37 mark of the third period that led to the wings pp goal--the game winner.

Fans chucked debris on the ice, boo'd the wings, but in the end cheered appreciatively and loudly for the jackets effort that game, and season overall. It was a successful year and a great step for the growing franchise.

I will probably head back to the desert this week and get reorganized in my own day to day. Billy is getting so big that it won't be too long before he won't fit in his carry on kennel anymore so I have to get him back soon. The weather has turned nice here too so taking him out to the park is much more pleasing for me, but he gets panting quite quickly and I have to guard against him overheating once we get back to the desert. I think I will get him a kiddie pool to bask in once we get home.

Last night there was a dinner for the players, coaches and management at Mr. Mac's fancy golf course: Double Eagle. It was fun to be around the players and their significant others in that environment...Commodore is one funny dude. Looking around the room I couldn't help but to feel a bit saddened by the fact that the group as it was last night, will never be together again. It wasn't that they won anything, but they made history together--the first ever Jackets team to make the playoffs--that's something.

Choices

I got to thinking today about the word 'choice' and the different choices people make, or don't make, to get them where they are today.

There are things in your day to day that are clearly a choice like: white milk or chocolate milk? Chicken salad, or tuna fish? To take the stairs or the escalator?

There are also choices that we make that feel less distinct like: should I go to bed early or stay up late? These choices will directly affect your feeling, energy and productivity the next day. These choices are less vivid, but carry a great deal of significance in your day to day existence.

We then move into choices that don't feel like choices at all. Face it, when some dimwit cuts you off in traffic, it doesn't really feel like a 'choice' to flip them the bird and spew out a stream of obscenities at the top of your lungs while in the car, it just feels natural or the thing to do, right? Yes, how we feel and react are difficult choices to make, but choices nonetheless. Lots of times in pro sports, it is the people who are best at choosing the 'right way' to think are the ones who have repeated, consistent success. You can chose to be pissed about a result and dwell on it, or you can chose to accept it and move forward and spend your energy on making sure you correct it or it doesn't happen again.

Then there are what people view as choices, but aren't really choices at all. For example, I never chose play professional golf, it was just something that I was going to do. It was never a conscious thought, it was a childhood dream of mine to play on the LPGA tour and I took the necessary steps to get me to where I wanted to be. People don't choose where their passion lies, they just follow it and exercise it.

I hear lots of people talk about 'sacrifice' and 'giving things up' to follow their dreams. I never understood that kind of language. To me sacrifices are things that you give up that you don't want to give up. I never viewed anything that I did in my 10 years of playing professional golf as sacrifice. It was just what I wanted to do...I did whatever I needed to do to try to get to the next step. If that meant packing my car and heading out on the road for 6 months, that's what I did. If I had to sleep in my car, that is what I did. If I had to be away from all things familiar and hole up in a strangers house for a week, that is what I did. A true sacrifice would be to have done those those things without wanting to do them. There was never a choice involved, it was always just part of what I thought I had to do to get to where I wanted to be.

I am not sure, but I would think that there is probably a story in Greek Mythology about a character name Passionothos who always followed her heart because it was what made her feel fulfilled. It was never a choise that she made, it was just where she was directed by her internal makeup. At times Passionothos wasn't alway met with adventure that was pleasant, but she never had the option to bow out, it was never a choice, she felt passionate about what she was doing and moved forward. In the end, however, Passionothos always looked back on her life with a smile because without that passion that pushed aside any fears she may have had, she wouldn't be who she was today.

2-0

Well, I didn't really anticipate beating the wings, but I also didn't anticipate only scoring 1 goal in two games vs. one of the worst (statistically) goalies in the league. The wings have certainly flipped that proverbial switch once the playoffs started and look like they will not be denied. Not by us anyway.

Our roster has holes and it has had holes all season long, but game in and game out over the course of the regular season Hitch was masterful at devising a game plan that masked those holes. When you face an experienced and solid opponent like the Red Wings, it isn't long before they expose them and, with their skill, speed and tenacity, can make you look a bit silly.

There is no shame in what has gone on in the series so far. The wings have scored 6 of their 8 goals on the pp. This doesn't speak well for our pk, but this is a pp that was league's best all season long. Our pp has actually looked better this post season, but we haven't been able to convert. That is the difference, they convert on their chances, we didn't.

As it stands now, the first playoff game in the history of Nationwide arena is two nights away and we are all looking forward to blowing the lid off the place!

Making Friends

I have been taking Billy to the dog park pretty much every day so that he can get out and interact with all kinds of different breeds. Some nights there are close to 20 dogs of all shapes and sizes running around for him to sniff at. There have only been 3 instances where you see a dog's nose get out of joint and a bit of a disagreement hapens and yelping ensues.

Billy loves seeing all the dogs and sniffing when he can, but the problem is, he is usually the smallest dog there by far and he can't reach their butts to do any sniffing! It is always great when a little dog is there for Billy and it is interesting to see how different he is with the smaller dogs compared to the bigger dogs.

Below, you will see Billy carefully sniffing 'Percy' a big Saint Bernard:

Notice how meek and carefully he is approaching Percy.

He is a different 'act' when he sees dogs that are his own size. Have a look at his body language in these photos of him with three mini-pinchers:

Even though this min-pin is Billy's size, he isn't a puppy so the playing that Billy wanted to embark upon wasn't on his agenda. It looks like he is giving Billy a tune up, but they were just checking each other out.


He really liked these little guys, but they were more interested in sniffing the trunk of this tree. Oh well.

Yesterday Billy met Chloe, a little weiner dog who immediately took a liking to him. The two ran and played for about 30 minutes and when we got home, Billy was spent.

So cute.

Wow...what a year

I just got back from a nice walk with Billy and sat down in the quiet of the afternoon and started reflecting on the season. There have been many highs, lows, and down right sideways things that have happened with this team this year so to call it a roller-coaster is an understatement.

One of the great things about being close with the head coach is that you get an inside look at what goes into the day to day of all those wins, and how to dig a team out of a loss or two. I have learned so much about hockey and the dynamics of assembling 23 players into a group and helping them believe in the same goal, the same objective. As a close friend of the head coach, I have met a lot of great people in this hockey world and it has been such a treat to hear the odd story or two about their journey.

With all the great benefits of being so close to the situation there are times when it is not always a bed of roses. I am not only a supporter of my best buddy, but there is a streak of 'fan' in me and and emotional one at that. I really celebrate the wins and get totally pumped up after an energizing game. With as much intensity as I celebrate the wins, I feel the losses equally. I get a sickness in my stomach which follows me around until the next game.

Being close to the head coach it seems that there is no such thing as celebrating a win. It is 'collect the two points and move forward to the next game'. I understand that to a degree, but I need at least an hour or two to feel good about things. Don't get me wrong Hitch loves winning, but as he has said himself, the fear of losing is more powerful than the joy of winning. In professional sports, I get that.

Looking back on this season, I started to recall the key moments of the season where things were teetering on either moving into the right direction or on the verge of falling into that black hole and not being able to recover.

Goaltending: Pascal Leclaire had an excellent season last year, and nobody imagined our goaltending situation would transpire the way it did. The jackets used 5 goalies this year, and it is the rookie, Steve Mason who has proven himself worthy of the starting job and has been a huge reason we were able to clinch a spot in the post season. Overcoming knee surgery and a bout of mono, Mason will surely go onto win rookie of the year honours.

Mason's bout of mono was a very worrisome time as the jackets put themselves in a situation where they did not have a reliable backup to take the starts. Somehow we had Dan Lacosta, a guy who had mere minutes of NHL experience come in and beat the sharks in OT and shutout the Avalanche. Being around the coach during that time was difficult. Not only did I have my own worry to contend with, but I felt the worry of him and the quality of the remaining season was teetering and Hitch knew it.

Center: Finally it seemed as though the jackets had a center, who in a few more months, would be able to play on the top line with Nash. Derrick Brassard. In a game vs. Dallas, he was really starting to show some leadership qualities, but unfortunately his effort to stand up for his teammate cost him his season as he damaged his shoulder in a fight. He required surgery which was a 6 month rehab.

The worry of losing this player was real, and I felt it with every cell in my body. Being close to Hitch and the situation didn't give me any place to run and hide from the harsh reality of losing a great young skilled player. It was awful.

Then there were the season 'screw jobs'...the supposed high stick in Minnesota that was called a goal on the ice, was reviewed as inconclusive, but somehow the call was reversed anyway and 'no goal' was called with 11 seconds left. No goal-no points.

Then there was the extraordinary 'kicking motion' by Manny Malhotra in Dallas that cost the jackets another valuable point. It was my fear that we would miss the playoffs by one point making those screw jobs become center stage for me emotionally all over again.

The coach handles these kinds of things far better than I ever could as I ranted and raved to anyone who would listend and even called Gary Bettman on XM radio to let my dissatisfaction be heard....to no avail of course.

Make no mistake there were plenty of points that the jackets themselves left on the table--late losses to the Ducks, the Oilers, the Coyotes, the Wings come to mind. Those late game losses stung more than a regular loss because they are unexpected and you don't have any time to mentally/emotionally prepare for them.

Over the last few games when we have had the chance to clinch, I saw my usual determined, focused friend with a not so familiar look on his face. It was a look that I hadn't seen before. Concern? Focus? Determination? Stress? A combination of it all?

1 point away from clinching with three tough opponents on the schedule and I was sick with worry so I can't imagine what he was going through. The weight of an organization and the city on his shoulders. Normally I can ask him for some solace, but not at this point, he was as 'concerned' and focused as I had ever seen him. He was absolutely pouring everything into his team and doing everything he could to get them to where he needed them to be. My 'rock' didn't have anything to spare when I needed some reassurance...I was alone in this one.

Needless to say when we clinched last night everyone involved with the organization and every fan who has been around collectively exhaled. History was made last night for the jackets and I am happy and so proud that my best bud played a role and I had the chance to be a part of it.

I can't wait to see the team on Saturday and I can't wait to see the ovation they get. I started the regular season on opening night with them shedding tears of pride and joy for them, I am sure I will need extra kleenex for the boys Saturday night.

Congratulations Blue Jackets, you earned it.

Worth 1000 words

My New Gym Partner

Insomnia

Sleeping around here these days isn't coming in bulk. A few hours at a time is about all that happens when you have 90 points with three games left and 3 teams capable of taking your spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The jackets are most certainly in charge of their own fate and are in the driver's seat, but until there is a little 'x' next the the Blue Jackets name in the standings, there is no rest for the weary. Hitch is definitely not one to sugar coat what needs to be done with his team, therefore, I am left to find solace in other places. Until the jackets are 'in' and playing better, the old coach's hair will continue to whiten and possibly even become clear like fishing line.

1 point here and 1 point there, they are inching towards their first ever playoff birth, but jeez, it is slow moving at this point. The last thing we need is for this thing to come down to the last game of the season vs. Minnesota. It is definitely the last thing I need anyway.

Billy? He is sleeping fine...he is in heaven actually. His bout of diarreha somehow graduated him from the crate to the bed and he hasn't looked back. He now cuddles up to me through the night and sleeps like like a teenager on the weekend.

3 more games and 3 points would guarantee us a spot, 1 point is likely all that is necessary, 2 would be fantastic, but 3 would be us putting a stamp on the season and getting that 'only franchise to have never made the post season' monkey off our backs.

Buddies

So Billy and I are watching the jackets game together tonight, both hoping for a victory. Billy was a bit nervous so I needed to distract hi by playing with him with his bear. We were on the floor roughhousing when FSN interviewed Hitch during the commercial. As soon as Hitch started talking Billy stopped everything, walked towards the tv and started wagging his tail. He was looking directly at Hitch and got all excited. I was pretty much awestruck and dumbfounded. I couldn't really believe what I was seeing! I just sat in the background and nearly wept.

The two are already good buddies. Billy was really proud to see his big bud on TV.

So cute.

I TOLD you

Remember when that plane crashed into the Hudson River in New York? Remember how relieved I was when Captain Sullenberger responded "No" to Katy Couric's question: Did you pray?

Well, unfortunately for those on board this Tunisian flight over Italy chose the route of 'pray' and cost 16 people their lives. I guess the idiot was in full on panic mode and decided to pray to Allah and Muhammed his prophet. Well it worked for him I guess, but he will now spend the next 10 years in jail on charges of manslaughter.

My question is this: what kind of man is this? Not only does he abandon any sense by flat out trying to pray, but then he doesn't even pray for everyone on board?

Now all he has left to pray for is that he doesn't drop the soap.

Nice Story

Since I have become a dog owner, I have been purusing a dog message board for hints, trips and the odd story. Just now I found a good one:

---

A Dog's Purpose?


Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.


I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.


As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.


The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker 's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.


The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ''I know why.''


Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.


He said, ''People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?''
The Six-year-old continued, ''Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.''


Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!
--------------

Nice, eh?

Taking the 'Canon' too seriously

Last night after the jackets 5-0 decisive victory over the Flames, I walked into the press conference room with Hitch where he whispered: 'After the conference you need to go straight home because we have had an incident'.

Great.

Hitch is very good at stirring me up and then leaving me hanging. It drives me crazy in fact and I have had many discussions with him regarding this very matter.

After the conference he took me aside and told me that they had received some anonymous calls (well, the guy must have forgot about that new fangled caller ID thing) that someone was going to take out Mason and blow up the building. Pretty serious stuff, really. Howson had taken Mason aside and informed him of the situation which, of course, sent worry through the poor kids' mind. He is a 20 year old rookie just trying to play hockey and start his career and now he is facing death threats?

It turns out it was nothing more than a drunken flames fan who was angry that his team was getting blown out. As each goal went in and every shot was stopped by Mason, he must have grown more irriated with the flames so he decided to take it out on Mason and the jackets. If you want to be mad for the flames losing, be mad at the flames!

The cops went to his house, arrested him, and charged him with a misdemeanor.

He was slightly intoxicated, and um, oh yeah...wearing a flames t-shirt.

You can tell he is a real hockey fan though...just look at that haircut.

$150 on the line

A friend of mine text(ed?) me today while she was getting her car serviced. She was excited about her new iphone and was practicing her texting skills on me. She did a fine job by the way. As we were conversing she told me how an old lady was sitting there eating a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken and how starving she was.

I offered her $100 dollars to go and ask her for a hunk. I then upped the ante to $150. For me it would have been very high entertainment value and a great story for her and the old lady to tell. I mean the lady had a whole bucket of it as if she wouldn't have share with her. If someone asked me for something like that, I would without question offered up a piece. What kind of person would say no? Not many would in my opinion. It would be rather shocking to have a total stranger come up to you and ask, but if they did, their sheer courage and boldness should be rewarded don't you think?

It is something, however that I likely wouldn't do. I mean, what in the world is this women doing with an entire bucket of chicken? How old is it? Where have her dirty paws been and how many other dirty little clutchers have been in the bucket?

How is it though, that we will accept a bucket of chicken from people who are wearing a special little shirt and a visor so readily but would be reluctant to take it from and old lady in the waiting area of an Acura dealer? Just because they work there, they are no less strange than the lady chowing down in the middle of the day, really.

In the end the old bat fell into a saturated fat coma which provided the greatest opportunity to nap a hock, but my friend, she chickened out.