I hate the BC Lions – Part II

I saw the BC Lions ticket campaign posters for the first time yesterday. Needless to say, I was not impressed. The poster I saw had a package of adult diapers with the Saskatchewan Roughriders name and logo on them. They’re “odor-resistant”. Funny stuff. Today I saw more of them, but for the Ti-Cats and Argos. The Argos apparently have their own brand of body glitter, while the Ti-Cats sell man purses. It’s not the best campaign I’ve seen, but it might be because I’m slightly biased…

I can’t wait for July 16 when the Riders come out here to put Dickenson on his, well, his butt. 🙂 The Lions have not done much to reconfigure their offensive line, so it stands to reason that Dickenson will be on the run for a good portion of the year. If our guys stay healthy until then (cross your fingers starting now), it could be quite the season opener. By the way, does anybody want to go?

As for the Riders, everything seems to be running on all cylinders – except the kicking game. This could be a problem that may look small now, but could cost us when it counts. Please, don’t let those word be prophetic. And with the loss of special teams guru Walter Spencer, we might give away a lot of yards if our punter isn’t great. And points if we don’t find a decent field goal kicker. A kicker with nerves of steel. We all know how the winds can swirl around Taylor Field.

I’d like to vent some more about the Ricky Williams situation. I just don’t think that he should be playing until he has served his suspension. It’s the old adage: You do the crime, you do the time. Simple as that. The CFL and NFL are supposed to be partners. They should honor each other. My other problem is that it continues to make the CFL look like a bush league. Year after year the league tries to market itself as a viable alternative to the NFL, and year after year teams do stupid things to mess that up. This is one of them. When is the CFL going to stop making itself look like a second tier? Not even get me started on the lack of a salary cap, or a drug policy for that matter. I’m not as angry as Joe Thiesmann was today (I think he went a little overboard…), but I’m still mad. It’ll be even worse if Williams runs all over my Riders on July 22.

I would have bet a lot of money on Carolina closing out their series today. A bit of a crapshoot goal to end the game, but it was a goal. Poor Cam Ward – that one’s going to give him nightmares.

On to Stephen Harper. Is this man on a legislation roll or what? I have never seen a Prime Minister kill so many trees in so few months as Stephen Harper has. He’s also managed to kill a few relationships as well. More about that in a minute. I have no problem with fixed election dates. I think they’re good. But can’t they be in May? Why around Thanksgiving? That’s a terrible time for an election. Nobody is ever thankful for an election. As for Senate reform – it won’t be reformed until it’s elected. It’s very funny that Mr. Harper wants an elected senate, but since he put Mr. Fortier in the Senate in order to have him sit in his Cabinet, his tune has changed. Odd… As for killing relationships, Mr. Harper’s constant agression towards the national media is childish. Come on. Let the people do their jobs. This isn’t Russia (by the way, there was a great article in Maclean’s about Russia a couple of weeks ago). We do not censor our press. And that’s what this is – choosing how the message goes out. I’m not saying that Harper’s going to turn into a dictator and that’s the end of democracy, but it is troubling. And foolish.

And now for other foolish things. My public service announcement/life lesson for you today is: Double check before sending your text messages. Don’t send them to the wrong people. All kind of trouble can occur. More about that another day…

That was weird…

I hate the BC Lions.

This is a proven fact. I can’t stand Dave Dickenson, Geroy Simon, Antonio Warren, Carl Kidd – the whole lot of them. But I saw them all today.

I was at BC Lions’ training camp. Let me set up the weekend for you. I went out to Aledergrove yesterday (well, technically I ended up in Abbotsford at first) to watch the Oilers game with a group of friends because the thought of having to watch yet another hockey game by myself was too much to bear. I stayed at my cousin Heidi’s house for night, and then this morning we went out for brunch. And then we went to watch the Lions.

We got there at noon, but nothing much was happening. We decided to return in an hour. So, we went to the mall, made Heidi try on all kind of combinations of clothing (I had a Stacey London “What Not To Wear” moment – and it was a little too much fun…), and then we headed back. And still, no Lions.

We then found out that they would be scrimmaging from 3-5 pm. So, we decided to sit and wait. And wait. And wait. 3:15 rolls around. They’re warming up. 3:30 comes. Still warming up. 3:45 – why are we still warming up? This is not the Grey Cup. I say “Let’s go.” We go. And as we drive out of the parking lot, I look over, and they’re finally playing. I hate the BC Lions all the more now.

Some other interesting things happened as well. I “stole” a football. All I wanted to do was play catch. So, I took a football from a pile of footballs – I assumed they were for public use. Apparently (my back was turned) I got a stunned look of horror and amazement from some high school football player. I guess he was guarding the balls. He told me I couldn’t have it. So, I returned it. I hate the BC Lions. You can’t even play with a football at a FOOTBALL TRAINING CAMP. I also received a 2005 BC Lions poster. I drove over it several times, but the thing is quite resistant to tire tracks. I should have run through a puddle first. Too bad.

So that was my afternoon at training camp. I saw people skipping, some IN Motion people trying to get the crowd to do aerobics, and some football players, but I did not see any football being played. Weird…

Yesterday I said that the Oilers might not win their series. I was wrong. Too bad. I realized yesterday that if the Oilers win the Stanley Cup, they will officially be the City of Champions again. The Eskimos are reigning Grey Cup champs – and if the Oilers win – oy… I don’t know if I can take that. Yet another reason to hate Alberta…

Ricky Williams signed with the Argos. I can’t tell you how much this irritates me. I don’t want our league turned into a rehab/parole facility. We does the NFL honor CFL suspensions, but the CFL doesn’t honor those of the NFL? I don’t get it. This is Rocket Ismail all over again – minus the unseemly salary. Why do the Argos always have to do this? Why, Pinball, why? This entire situation just confirms how little power the CFL has as a central governing body. The teams/owners run the show. Until the CFL has a strong central authority, stuff like this – and demises like the Renegades – will continue to occur. I don’t know how you solve the problem, but there’s got to be a way. Let me think about it…

Well, I think it’s time to go watch a movie. My special needs client already called me to say that she’s sick. I’ll probably still have to report to work, though. And I start my Monday night teaching schedule tomorrow, so this week is going to be busy. Not busy like the previous weeks, but still busy.

I hate the BC Lions…

"Dream, dream, dream dream…"

If I could have any job in the world, I would pick one of these:
1. Anchor on SportsCentre
2. Host of the Today show
3. Host of NHL Tonight on TSN
4. My own talk show
5. Host of “The Hour” on CBC

I think I see a pattern emerging here… The opportunity to be able to get up and just talk everyday about anything and everything – that would be amazing. So, let me talk some more…

The theme of today’s blog is sports. With the Oilers looking to send the Mighty Ducks out of the playoffs, today is a big day in the world of sports.

I have this fear that the Oilers are going to lose this series. It’s possible, and I’m not the only person who thinks it could happen. They’re tired. They’re sick. But they would never use those for excuses, which is why I’m holding out hope that they will get through this. Adrenaline is a powerful thing, and as long as they survive the first period tonight, I think they’ll be okay. But a repeat performance of Thursday’s night’s opening minutes will spell doom. D-O-O-M.

As for the other series? Carolina’s going back to the Finals. The Sabres’ blueliners are too beaten up, and Ryan Miller can’t do it all. Unless the Sabres’ forwards start averaging 5 goals a game, I just can’t see them getting past the ‘Canes.

RIDERS! I am so excited for June 16 I can hardly stand it. I still need to find the money and people to go with, but I will go. It is my destiny. Okay, that was an “American Idol” clip from last night’s Larry King Live. More about AI in a minute. Apparently the Riders will actually be employing their fullbacks this year. Really? That’s amazing. Rob Vanstone is right, though. Marcel Bellefeuille took a lot of heat for the Riders’ anemic (and that’s being euphemistic) offence last year, but look what the man had to work with. Corey Holmes was it. And Corey Holmes was brilliant. But he couldn’t play 7 positions at the same time (I’m not including the O-Line. Our guys are the best in the league). Tommy Condell will turn it around. He used the word “attack” when describing our new offense. I don’t think anyone has used the word “attack” in the same sentence with “Rider offence” since, well, I don’t know.

Bob Probert was on TSN’s “Off the Record” yesterday. And he was discussing the lack of a drug policy in the CFL. Does anyone else see the irony here?

“American Idol” – did Taylor Hicks actually win? All of the press I’ve seen has runner-up Katharine McPhee attached to him like a kid sister. He will be very hard to market. I can’t see him doing a whole lot. He will join the ranks of D-List former Idols along with Rubben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino. Now, I only watched the last half hour of Idol, but this season confirms that AI confirms that the show is becoming like the Ed Sullivan show. Big stars WANT to be on the show in order to promote themselves. You can’t buy the advertising and exposure that comes with being on AI. It’s crazy. Every week in the People magazine, the show has a whole page dedicated to it. It’s incredible how the phenomenon continues to grow. But it’s the classic example of the American Dream, right? Small-town kids from not always perfect family backgrounds get the chance of a lifetime. And the Canadian version gets underway on Monday…

In closing, I would like to tell NBC and CBS that I was not impressed with their late night entertainment last night. Dana Carvey and Bill Maher were on Leno and Letterman at the same time last night. That’s not fair! I had to keep flipping and I know I missed many jokes. But, I guess one can’t have it all.

GO OILERS!

Roller coaster…

Wow. That was intense.

It’s over. My recital is over. Studying music is over. My program is over. School is done. It’s time to move on. But I’m scared.

I thought that the moment my recital was finished, I would let out a “Hallelujah!”, salute the crowd, say, “See ya!” and that would be it. I was wrong. Seems I’m wrong a lot these days…

I was sad. I was sad? I was SAD! And frightened. I’ve had to “grieve”. And now I’ve lost my safety net. What seemed like a gate that was locking me in has in a sense become this flood gate, letting out all of these emotions and fears I’ve never confronted before. Funny how that happens, huh?

I woke up this morning going, “Oh, this is all a mistake. I should go back. What am I thinking? Political science? Ottawa? Journalism? Law? I’ll never survive…”. And on and on and on went my racing mind (not a good start to a day off…). It’s amazing how strong the pull is to stay and not move on. I am scared of leaving the thing that has made me unhappy. I thought the hard part was telling everybody. Actually, it was kind of fun to see some of the jaws drop. Following through is the tough part. And I thought that part would be easy.

I continue to be in awe of how fearful I am of so many things, and how those fears have compounded. I knew I was scared of a lot, but how deep those fears are entrenched is nothing short of stunning – and not in a good way. Well, nobody’s perfect…

Now, on to other things, such as how Stephen Harper is not destroying the country the way I thought he might, how the Riders will be opening their season in 26 days, how I need to find someone to go with to the football game in 26 days, and how the Oilers make my heart sing right now.

Stephen Harper: Not a bad couple of months here, rookie PM. Softwood lumber: good move. Not lowering the flag for soldiers killed overseas: not so good. The man continues to do better with inanimate objects.

Riders: I have not been this excited for a football season in, well, ever. This is it. This is THE year – provided we find a kicker. The hyphen, and the intangible that always follows, is synonymous with Saskatchewan. It’ll be a great crop this year – if the weather holds out. It’ll be a great long weekend – if the mosquitoes don’t eat me alive. We’ll become a “have” province – if Ottawa ever gets the equalization equation right, and blah blah blah blah blah. Get my point?

Oilers: I always like the Oilers more than the Flames. And I do not say that because the Oilers are in the 3rd round and the Flames are not. I was an Oilers fan in the early 90s until my allegiance somehow shifted to the Maple Leafs. My Mom isn’t sure how that happened. And therefore I don’t know, because I followed her. It’s great to see a Canadian team in the Final Four for the fourth season (minus the lockout) in a row. And it’s nice to see the renaissance of Mike Peca, and the redemption of Oiler’s GM Kevin Lowe after the pellting he and Gretzky received after the saga that was Torino.

Tomorrow it’s back to work. Ugh. Long days are here again. It’s only 4 sleeps until the weekend…

Spelling bee

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves,

“Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?”

Actually, who are you not to be?

I saw “Akeelah and the Bee” last weekend. I’ve been spelling all week as a result. S-P-E-L-L-I-N-G. It was a great movie. Everybody should see it. It wasn’t syurpy (and yes, I checked the spelling…). It was about a girl who wanted something, and who actually allowed herself to go after that thing. I found it inspiring – and liberating. I know that for myself, I’ve found it hard to want and go after some of the things I do because they seem A) far-fetched B) silly to some people and as a result of B), C) I don’t take myself seriously enough. This movie, in which the above quote is the crux, reminded me of our power. The power of choice. And how we often make choices that take away that power because we are too afraid to find out where that power will lead us. I know that’s true for me. And I know I’m finally taking some steps to face those fears.

Today I had a concert. My second last concert as a music student. I felt more focused today than I have in a long time. More at peace. More confident. I nailed it today. My teacher even commented on it. He doesn’t comment on things unless he means them. I think I’m finally letting go/coming to terms with/making peace with a lot of the decisions and emotions I’ve been dealing with over the past couple of months. I feel like I’m starting to come out of the funk I was in. And I’m actually excited about my recital next week – still mostly about my beautiful white dress from Jacob and the Nine West shoes I’m going to buy tomorrow to go with it, but excited nonetheless. It is so nice to feel that for a change…