Breaking down the CFL

Ah! Football season! Finally! I’m in desperate need of a sports fix right now, and training camp is just in time. This is my first crack at breaking down the CFL team by team, so just bear with me. I’ll start with the East because I don’t like it. That way I can end with the Riders…

Montreal: First of all, I love how the Alouettes have a “Countdown to Training Camp” ticker on their website. As I’m writing this, it’s 1 day, 12 hours, 1o minutes and 6 seconds ’til training camp. As usual, the Als return solidly in most offensive positions. The bolting of Jermaine Copeland to the Stamps (why??) is pretty much nullified by the addition of Terry Vaughan. Adding Michael Jenkins to the backfield is good as well. But the Als have never been the same since The Pringle left. Defensively, the Als have a few holes to fill. Barron Miles and Davis Sanchez are big shoes to fill. But GM Jim Popp always finds guys. Don Matthews won’t let his guys forget how the Argos went to the Grey Cup last year instead of them. And one last note: isn’t it about time the Als found a decent backup QB? Cavillo isn’t going to last forever…

Toronto: I still boggles my mind that these guys won the Grey Cup last year. And I still don’t think Pinball is a great coach. He’s just one lucky man. There have been very few, almost none at all, changes to their roster. Kudos to Adam Rita. Not that the Argos had a whole lot of people anybody wanted. Anybody up for a 41 year old QB whose knee is going to implode any second? I don’t see them winning the Grey Cup again. Not with the cannon arms out West…

Hamilton: Oh, if the Ti-Cats had just been able to get Ricky Ray! Danny McManus’ TD to interception ratio is way worse tan Smilin’ Hank’s ever was – and that’s not too good. Danny Mac is the key to the Cats’ fortunes this year. He does have former Lions receiver Chris Brazzell to throw to now, and the ever trustworthy Troy Davis in the backfield. But that’s about it. Their defence? Joe Montford. Gone. Tim Cheatwood. Gone. The Ti-Cats are going to have to put a lot of points on the board to make up for a porous defence. Read: they wil have no pass rush.

Ottawa: Oh dear. Poor Joe Paopao. I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but what did he ever do to deserve being a coach AND GM? Sure sounds like “Matt Dunigan Syndrome” to me. There are some postivie things here. Kerry Joseph is a great QB. Pat Woodcock should be a consistent receiver. Josh Ranek is a good ball carrier, except for the fact that he’s on steroids (have you SEEN his biceps?!?!). It’s hard to say what will happen here. Oh, and did I mention that the Renegades have new owners? I think it’ll be another year of growing pains…

And now to the West…

B.C.: Oh how I hate the Lions. Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate them. They didn’t change a whole lot over the off-season, but the additions of Barron Miles on defence and Moe Elewonibi on the O-line make the Lions even better than they were. Crap. Dave Ritchie as Defensive Coordinator will help make the Lions’ secondary better than it was. Running against them will still suck, though. Crap again. I think the interesting thing here is, as usual, the Dickenson/Printers saga. Printers has not been happy this off-season with the lack of a long-term deal with the Lions. Add to that his much maligned toe problem and not being started in the Grey Cup (dumbest decision ever by the usually bright Wally Buono) and I think all the elements of a Divo-tantrum (the male version of a Diva-tantrum) are there. Dickenson is close to being finished. One more hit and he can join Damon Allen in the QB Veteran’s Club. Chris Brazzell moving to the Ti-Cats is a bit of a loss, but there’s still Geroy Simon, Jason Clermont, Ryan Thelwell, and, oh, crap again…

Edmonton: Danny Maciocia must be thanking his lucky stars. He signs Khari Jones in a desperate attempt to get some half-decent QBing, and then comes along the man of his dreams – Ricky Ray! I had the Esks somewhere in the middle of the pack this year and then Frito-Lay boy decides to come back. Is there ANY fairness in this world? Add to that the addition of Kelly Wiltshire, Davis Sanchez AND Joe Montford to the defense and these Eskimos are going to suck to play against…

Winnipeg: The Blue Bombers are going to be so-so again this year. They’ll probably thump the Riders at Labor Day, but they’ll be mediocre the rest of the season. Kevin Glenn vs. Spurgeon Wynn for the best backup QB award might be slightly more entertaining than watching Troy Westwood shoot his mouth off for the 2343532nd time. Whoops, I put those things in the wrong order. Oh, well. The Bombers’ defence isn’t terribly reliable, and with Dave Ritchie in BC, it probably will be even less so. The addition of Wayne McGarity as a complement to Milt Stegall is a step up, and the always tricky Charles Roberts makes things interesting. But that’s it. Just interesting.

Calgary: I have always hated the Stamps, ever since they were the QB factory of the ’90s. And now I don’t like them even more. They stole Henry Burris. But they can have him. Have him and his cowboy hat. Have him and his butterfingers. Him and his bad TD to interception ratio. Take him! Having Jermain Copeland to throw to is going to make his job a little easier, too. Defensively, the Stamps were not to shabby last year. Adding Anthony Malborough makes it even better. If the Stamps make the playoffs I will cry…

Saskatchewan: Not a lot of changeover here. This is good. The loss of Mr. Burris sucks, and Marcus Crandell will hopefully be more than just a Band-Aid solution. If Nealon Green can remain healthy and throw for MORE than 200 yards a game, things will be okay. He’s got great receivers to throw to, even if Travis Moore is getting a little old. Resigning Matt Dominguez and Kenton Keith: priceless. Hopefully Kenton can hang on to the ball a little more this year. The O-line look pretty solid, except for the hole left by Charles Thomas. But the other boys are so solid, I think they’ll be okay. On the defensive side of the ball, the boys are all back! Woo hoo! The secondary has got to learn how to stop 2nd and long though, otherwise the Riders will never make the Grey Cup. Remember the West final? Remember 3rd and 19? Remember how Jason Clermont was wide open? Remember the tying field goal following that? And the ensuing win by the Lions in OT? Yeah. Stop 2nd and long boys. Paul McCallum is the X factor. Will he be able to shake off the memory of that horrifyingly bad 17 yard mis-kick? Je ne sais pas. Let’s hope so. As long as Danny Barrett keeps reminding his boys of how close they were to going to the big game, they’ll be fine.

So, now it’s time to make my division pick:
East: 1. Montreal 2. Toronto 3. Hamiton 4. Ottawa
Not terribly brave – I know.
West: 1. BC 2. Edmonton 3. Saskatchewan 4. Calgary 5. Winnipeg
This is freakishly difficult. I think Edmonton and BC will fight for the top all year long, and SK and Calgary will fight for the final playoff spot. Unless Nealon Green grows Henry Burris-sized cannon arm overnight.

Drum roll please…
Grey Cup contenders: Montreal vs. Saskatchewan
Grey Cup Winner: Saskatchewan
Yeah, I know I’m biased. This is the year the Riders have to do this. The way they’ve signed their players, they’re betting on this to be it. They’ve got all the pieces of the puzzle. The QB is the only thing that’s questionable. But I think there’s enough of a chip on their shoulder after last year to get over the mountain that is the BC Lions.

That’s it. Thanks to TSN’s website for helping me remember a few details that were a little blurry in my mind after a long off-season. GO RIDERS GO!!!!

So hot…

I have hardly ever lived in a house without air conditioning. Even at school in the dorm I had a little AC – although it sure wasn’t much. People out here just don’t understand the value of air conditioning. When you live in a condo worth over $200,000 you should have air conditioning. You should be able to have a freaking ice palace if you want! I don’t do well in heat. My skin burns like a crisp. I was pink after walking to school and back yesterday. Today, I’m even more red. I don’t tan. I burn.

I thought BC was supposed to have a MILD climate with lots of rain? Stupid global warming…

My Apologies…

Sorry, guys. And gals. I know it’s been awhile. Things have been extremely busy, and things will continue to be that way until I’m done school.

My long weekend has been uneventful. It’s finally sunny and warm today after 3 days of rain. I worked, rehearsed, worked and rehearsed some more. I haven’t had anything to do today, so I’ve actually had some time to do not much of anything. And I don’t know how to do that anymore. Scary, huh?

Rehearsals for “Cinderella” are going well. I’m really happy with my role and I’m having a lot of fun with it – what more could I ask? Teaching is still going decently, as is work.

Now would be the time when I’d voice my political/sports opinions and tell you what book I’m reading, but I’m too tired to do that. And that’s even scarier… I’m just glad that training camp for the Riders starts next week, and I hope to see a Lions pre-season game before I head home. I’ll scout the competition… I just finished “Gone With the Wind” and am now on to “Snow Falling on Cedars”.

And that’s it. Pretty much. Not much is new, but as they say – no news is good news.

Blah

That’s how I feel today. Blah. Meh. Whatever. Who cares? That’s me in a nutshell right now. I got my rehearsal schedule for our summer opera production. No weekends off ever. Until July. That sucks. Such is the life of a performer. So, here are a few thoughts…

I finally made up my mind about what I’m going to vote for on Tuesday. Yes to STV. Why? Because I want to see if it actually works.

Who said we’d lose the world championship today? Me. I’m surprised we got this far. Our guys played pretty freaking fantastic for not having played all year. But the Czechs were by far the superior team in every category – particularly conditioning. But we’re still #1 in the IIHF ranking.

I went to check out the Lions pre-season games. The Stamps are here on June 16th. I’m so going to watch Henry Burris. But tickets went up $5.00!!!! What the heck?!?!

I don’t think there’ll be hockey next season, either…

Would somebody please tell Stephen Harper that it would be very disrespectful for him to force another election the same week the Queen is in town? Not to mention the disrepect to Alberta and Saskatchewan as their centennial celebrations are overshadowed by this power-hungry maniac? I hope he gets his own minority government and it falls within a month…

I hate languages. This freaking Russian is making my life miserable…

“Gone With the Wind”. I’ve never read it, never seen the movie. I’m now halfway through the book and I love it! I hate Scarlett O’Hara; she’s the most spoiled and selfish person ever created (well, I shouldn’t talk…). But the book is really good. Chivalry is truly dead, people…

And on that note, I’m going to go and read my book. Another “weekend” (I rehearsed and worked) gone. Only 42 days ’til summer holidays!

Wow…

Go here to see the 45 parties I could potentially vote for this coming Tuesday:
http://www.elections.bc.ca/reg/polpartiesreg.htm

I’m still waiting for opinions as to whether I should vote for the Single Transferable Vote or not…

Rules for Entering Saskatchewan

These are too funny…

1. Pull your droopy pants up. You look like an idiot.
2. Let’s get this straight; I drive a pickup truck because I want to.
3. It’s called a “gravelled road.” No matter how slow you drive, you’re going to get dust on your Lexus. Drive it or get out of the way.
4. There are cattle and oil wells. That’s what they smell like to you. They smell like money to us. Get over it. Don’t like it? Highways #1 and #16 go east and west, highways #6 and #2 go north and south, pick one.
5. So you have a $60,000 car. We’re not impressed. We have $250,000 combines that are driven only 3 weeks a year.
6. Every person in every pickup waves. It’s called being friendly. Try to grasp the concept.
7. If that cell phone rings while a bunch of ducks are coming in, we WILL shoot it out of your hand. You better hope you don’t have it up to your ear at the time.
8. Yeah, we eat beef and bison. You really want sushi and caviar? It’s available at the corner bait shop.
9. The “Opener” refers to the first day of deer season. It’s a religious holiday held the closest Saturday to the first of November.
10. We open doors for women. This applies to all women, regardless of age.
11. No, there’s no “vegetarian special” on the menu. Order steak. Or you can order the Chef’s Salad and pick off the 2 pounds of ham & turkey.
12. When we prepare a meal, there are three main dishes: meats, vegetables, and breads. We use three spices: salt, pepper, and Barbeque Sauce.
13. You bring “coke” into my house, it better be black, wet, and served over ice. You bring “Mary Jane” into my house, she better be cute, know how to shoot, drive a truck, and have long hair.
14. Curling and hockey are as important here as the Lakers and the Knicks, and a dang site more fun to watch.
15. Yeah, we have golf courses. But don’t hit the water hazards; it spooks the fish.
16. Colleges? Try our University of Saskatchewan or University of Regina. They come outta there with an education, plus a love for people and country, and they still wave at passing pickups when they come home for the holidays.

And yes, I do still wave at passing pickups when I’m home.

One week…

‘Til the BC vote. Woo hoo! I’m so excited! But I have a decision to make people. Not Liberal vs. NDP – that I think I now have figured out. It’s the other question on the ballot: Do I vote in favor of STV? What is STV? See this website: http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/votingsystems/systems3.htm#STV.

In BC, it would mean electing up to 7 MLAs, and the ridings would be larger. David Suzuki is in favor of it. I don’t know. I think it would be interesting to try it. Let me know what you guys think. And I must say that it’s refreshing to actually be able to vote on something significant such as democratic reform.

And a note to the men’s hockey team: what the heck was today’s performance? Absolutely ridiculous. Either start forechecking or fly home, boys.

Compliment

I love compliments.

Today I met Gordon Gerrard, one of the coaches at Vancouver Opera, and he told me that he thought my Amadigi scene from March’s opera scenes (see: picture of my with serious aqua eyeshadow) was “fantastic” and that I’m “sounding great”. Oh, my word. This guy is a big guy in the music world in Western Canada. Woo hoo!

Today I journeyed down to the Vancouver Police Department to get a criminal record check done. And where is said police department? On the corner of Main and West Hastings. The worst part of the city. Heather took me. Thank goodness. Police officers creep me out. I know I don’t have a criminal record, but they make me feel like I have one. Anyways, after some serious waiting in line and $55.00 later (what a rip-off!), they told me I was free to go – I was in the clear. And what – were they going to keep me if it wasn’t? I laughed when (well, actually after) some guy came into the Public Relations kiosk about 5 feet away from where I was to complain that people were selling drugs in front of his house. My favorite part was when he said, “Well, if you’re not going to do something about this, then I am.” Really? Good luck there, buddy. And then there was the hilarious firearms warning, talking about unloading your gun before transporting it – as armed police officers walk in and out of the building.

I was actually disappointed when they didn’t fingerprint me. Strange? Yes. I don’t know – I’ve always wanted somebody to take my fingerprints. I guess I could go out and get myself an ink pad and do my own. Anyways, I also love the “Do you go by any other names or aliases” question. Yes. My rapper stage name is K-Dog. Actually, no. I’m Julia Roberts. Really. Schizophrenics could get highly confused. Sorry, that wasn’t meant to be mean.

Anyways, I just had 3 freaking hours of opera rehearsal. So, it’s off to bed.

Whoa…

This weekend has come and gone. I can’t believe how fast time flies. It’s already the 8th of May. Wow.

The last few days haven’t been full of anything too terribly exciting. I worked, sang, taught, and sang some more. So, here goes another progressive digression…

This week’s crossword puzzles sucked. They were so ridiculously hard. I got Monday’s and Tuesday’s after a lot of work, but I’ve given up on Wednesday’s through Friday’s. It’s not worth it.

What is with the men’s world hockey team? Come on, you guys. Seriously. Get with the game. We’re going to get knocked out in the quarter-finals if this keeps up.

The election here is a little more than a week away. It’s interesting to see an election that doesn’t revolve around farm issues, but the rural/urban split exists here, too. I’m still an undecided voter. My NDP heritage wants me to vote NDP, but BC NDP and SK NDP are two very different things. SK NDP is much more fiscally conservative, but still socially minded. BC NDP is frivolous and basically as corrupt as the current Liberal regime, or the ’80s SK Conservatives. The Liberal party here is about as useful as, well – I can’t come up with anything witty (sorry). They’re basically the “conservatives” in BC. The Greens have no chance of winning a seat. So, maybe I should vote for one of the fringe parties. The Sex Party? They want to change Victoria Day to Eros Day. The Work Less Party wants a 32 hour work week. How about the Annexation Party? Western alienation at it’s finest – we’d become the 51st state. Or the Democratic BC Party OR the Democratic Reform BC Party, or the Communist Party of BC. There’s also the Marijuana Party. And there are 45 parties in all. Oh, I forgot – the Platinum Party – the People of BC Millionaires Party. Nice, huh?

Go see “Kingdom of Heaven”. Girls – Orlando Bloom has never looked better. I was not a fan, but am now. Muscle is good. Boys – lots of fights and gore. It’s a Ridley Scott movie. You’re probably going in your head right now – Nicole went to watch a Ridley Scott movie? Yes, yes, I did. It wasn’t my first choice, but the movie is SOOOOO good. And yes, I hid my eyes for probably a good 30-40 minutes out of the 2 hours and 15 minutes, but I didn’t think that was too bad. It’s about the Crusades in the 1100s. You know, how the Muslims and Christians fought over the “Kingdom of Heaven” – Jerusalem. It actually made me think. Surprising? Yes. Liam Neeson is in it – and I love him. Yeah for Jeremy Irons, too. I have two pans though: 1. Orlando was only without his shirt once. What’s with that? The love scene – so cheesy. 2. Orlando needs to work on his “rally the masses” speeches. They were, well, they were well-written, but poorly delivered. But the man is now leading man material. Brad Pitt leading man material. Sigh…

And on that note, I’m going to go watch Angela Gheorgiu live in concert. On DVD. Woo hoo!

Another day, another lesson…

My teacher loves to be cryptic. He’s very sneaky that way. At the end of my lessons, he always says something that I think about the entire week. Something to either feed my thirst for learning how to do this singing thing right, or figure out what the heck I want to do with this singing thing.

Today’s message involved the future – something I had to think about. It makes me worry. “What will I be doing in 5 years?” “Will I ever get married?” “Will I ever acutally make money?” “Is this really what I want to do for the rest of my life?” He said to me today, after an hour of trying to sort out my technique (he’s so patient – thank goodness), “Nicole, it comes down to what you want. Do you want to sing like an opera singer, or do you just want to sing?” And that’s it right there. He continued talking about the great singers who still, even though some of them are in their 70s and 80s, are striving to produce the best sounds they can. Amazing stuff. So, what do I want? Today, I want to sing like an opera singer. But who knows what I may want to do tomorrow.

You know, singing is supposed to be a simple process. You breathe and sing. But it’s amazing how much you can manipulate a sound. I’m amazed at my ability to do it. But I’m a control freak, so I try to control everything I can! But you have to let the voice be free and TRUST that your air support will do the rest. Tricky stuff, I tell you.

I could have been on the radio in Vancouver today. I was walking to school when a lady from the Rafe Mair Show (think John Gormley) asked if I’d like to say something about the political leaders out here. I said…”No.” I’M SO STUPID!!!! Me – Miss Political Opinion herself declined. You should hear the speech I was going to make the day the NHL cancelled the hockey season. I should have been interview on Burrard Street. Anyways, they weren’t going to identify anyone on this radio show. But my mind went blank. Completely blank. I didn’t know what to say. After I walked away I kicked myself (mentally) and thought of a great speech I could have made, talking about how none of the leaders have any integrity, so people are going to vote more on party platforms, even though none of them are of any value or detail. And I missed the leader’s debate tonight because of teaching. Oy. My political life is in ruins…

Other than that, it’s the same as normal. I’m planning which Rider games I can go to this summer, and the first one’s July 17th. So, book that evening off from work, ’cause we’re going to go see some football!