Tuesday, April 24, 2007

They actually did it. They actually proved me wrong. How's that for a shocking turn of events? Not that they proved me wrong, but that they actually put a team away, finally. My only question is where was the team we saw in the second and third periods in the last two games? Had they played like that, this series would never have gone to 7.

But, the good guys won, I was proven wrong, and now I can go razz some Flames fans. Awesome. Even if we end up losing in round two, at least we got past round one, which, as I just read, we've only done once since moving into GM Place at the beginning of the '95 season.

In a way, I feel bad for the Dallas Stars. Marty Turco played an incredible series--who would have thought that a 167:04 shutout streak would result in losing the series--and I always feel bad for the losing team, especially knowing that there are going to be heads rolling in Dallas this off-season. But. My team won, so there. We've had our share of playoff adversity, too. And I'm really happy for Alain Vigneault, who proved that he can still coach in the NHL.

Moving on. Today proved that the weather in this part of the world is stunningly unpredictable. Just two days ago, we were bundled up in parkas; today, we were in our shorts. Okay, I was in my shorts. My wife is made of ice, apparently, and cannot keep warm. Beautiful, though; sunny and warm--up to 13 degrees in the warmest part of the day, but it felt warmer. There's something about the prairie sun that's really scorching, even in the spring.

The funny/ironic part is that the trees outside our house just started budding in the past couple days, which means they'll leap into bloom probably a few days after we leave. We've basically missed spring entirely. Oh well. I hear the grass is green at home, and there are allegedly things called "flowers" that spring up from the dirt. We'll see about that.

The sunny weather meant much time was spent outdoors, including sitting on a beach towel on the grass soaking up the sun, and then taking a lengthy walk around town. Should I have been studying? Probably. I did study some this morning and then again this afternoon, so I feel alright, if still somewhat ill-prepared. There's still time to cram.

I also had the chance today to do something every man loves to do--walk around on his roof. Our downspouts are particularly ineffective here, especially when there's a big pile of snow on the roof. The water was cascading down the sides of the house, getting into all the window panes and pooling at the foundation of the house. Since it's still getting down to freezing most nights, I was a little worried about the foundation heaving (which is why the downspouts all drain into the middle of the lawn, theoretically, at least), plus I needed an excuse to go up on the roof. I figured that if I shovelled all the snow off the roof, we'd have less of a problem with melting.

Up I went, and it was glorious. It's great fun pushing piles of snow off the roof and seeing them land on the lawn with a satisfying thud, splattering everywhere. And hey, it solved the water problem, so good times all around.

Speaking of water, the water from the taps here is getting disgusting again. Brown and smelly, and leaving a ring around the tub after one use. Awesome. I shower in that, and I can't imagine I'm getting any cleaner than when I started.

So. I suppose that'll do for this evening. Tomorrow should be more of the same, just without the hockey jabber at the beginning (read: tomorrow's post will be boring). I'll find something to make it interesting. Maybe. How's that for a sell job?

See you then.