A couple new changes to the blog...new picture and new description. I was getting sick of the other ones. I've got a few other picture collage-type things of other friends that I made, I'll probably rotate them, but its the Grove boys for now.

I also felt like posting because I was getting bored with the marathon 17-comment post from the other day. Well, i've gotta work in 7 hours so it's off to bed. At least I'm not Ian, he had to start work at 6:00 a.m. Ouch.

Jess, talking to Ken: I'm tired and I have a headache....that means no sex in case you were wondering.
Ken: Well fuck, why don't you just add the "It's my time of the month" excuse in there too and go for the triple play.

:: FRIDAY FIVE ::

Since there's no new Friday Five I figured I'd just do the same questions Mike did this week, since I like them.

1. If you could only choose 1 cd to ever listen to again, what would it be?
Pearl Jam "Riot Act" [honourable mention: The Tragically Hip "Day for Night"]

2. If you could only choose 2 movies to watch ever again, what would they be?
hmm, a tough one. Lets go with The Shawshank Redemption and Lord of The Rings: Return of the King

3. If you could only choose 3 books to read ever again, what would they be?
Lord of the Rings, Life of Pi, and Ball Four

4. If you could only choose 4 things to eat or drink ever again, what would they be?
Pepsi, beer, bacon double cheeseburgers, nachos.

5. If you could only choose 5 people to ever be/talk/associate/whatever with ever again, who would they be?
Are you freaking kidding me? I couldn't even answer this fairly if it said 50 people. I could tell you some people I'd rather never associate with again though...

:: The Land Before (Classic) Times ::

*warning: Nostalgia ahead.

Well that was a surprisingly cool phone call I just got, from a guy I haven't seen or talked to in over a year - Bobby "BK" Kalar. Turns out he ran into Chris and some of the other guys tonight, and there at Jimy Mac's having some beers because its Bobby's birthday today.

For the uninitiated, Bobby used to hang out with us a while ago back when him, Chris, Ian and Jerm were in high school, back before we met or hung out with guys like Sean and Garski. As Bobby put it - "Back in the good ol' days" of sitting around my living room drinking Bacardi Limon and mountain dew and playing poker. We also tended to watch the game show network a lot while getting blitzed, although I'm not sure why we ever did that. I always remember Bobby as the guy who hated beer and chugged bacardi straight from the bottle.

But then those guys graduated and, as usually happens, we all stopped hanging out as much, then not much to never, which is a shame because we were all pretty close and Bobby's one of the funnest guys around. Here's a picture from at least two years ago. If that picture doesn't work then try this one Bobby's the one of the left, and I'm sure you recognize the rest of the cast of characters.

I don't know how he hooked up with Chris, Jer and company tonight, but it sounded like they were having a good time - and quite possibly a 'Classic Time' with a guy we all knew before we even came up with the term.

Back in the 'good ol' days.'

I'm back from Fort St. John, alive and well. Will post more later when I'm more awake. I'm just beat - including travel I worked a 17 hour day (And only got paid for 8!). Oh, by the way in case you care, the good team won the championship, it was a fun night and that prick of a goalie hurt himself in the loss.

Ain't karma great?

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"Bre has massive wops but they are far away wops," - Ian, lamenting the fact his girlfriend lives in Prince George. [Speaking of said 'wops' Ian, you may remember from a previous post, could not unlock the mystery of the three-pronged bra-clasp. He told me to post to let everyone know he has solved that problem.]

Ah income tax return time...

Every year I forget I'm getting any money, they every year they send me a great big cheque. Just one of the perks of barely making any money each year.

The other perk about getting paid worse than a family of illegal immigrant Abbotsford blueberry pickers is I don't have to work very hard.

As an aside, I know the Bertuzzi thing is old news, but I found this article in the Georgia Straight by Martin Dunphy. It's the polar opposite of what everyone else is saying, and I couldn't have put it in better words myself, although Dunphy takes it to a much further extreme than I probably would have.

:: The weirdest series that ever was ::

For the past two weeks I've watched what is quite possibly the oddest playoff series I've ever witnessed - a playoff final no less. The first two rounds didn't produce any surprises and the NWJHL final has been between the top two teams in the regular season - the Peace Air Navigators and the Fort St. John Huskies.

The series is weird because its simultaneously a close series and a blowout. Confused? Yeah, me too. It's close because, after game 5 tonight, the series is 3 games to 2 for the Navs, and neither team has ever won back-to-back games. However, as close as that seems, none of the five games have been close. The scores have been: 6-2 Peace Air, 5-2 Fort St. John, 6-2 Peace Air, 8-0 Fort St. John and then tonight, 7-0 Peace Air. See what I mean? It's just weird.

On top of that I've seen a goalie pull himself from the game after letting in 2 goals on 2 shots, throwing a hissy fit on the way to the bench; I've seen a defenceman angrily fire a puck into the stands in the direction of some hecklers, and tonight I saw a guy from Peace Air, who just two games ago was pronounced "out for the season" with a separated shoulder come back after only a one game absence and score two goals, including one on a huge slapshot that I'm still surprised didn't cause the guy's injured arm to just fall off.

And on Wednesday I'm making the road trip down to Fort St. John for Game 6, God only knows what will happen there. After the first five games, nothing will surprise me.

Happy Birthday Jeremy

I'm tired and need to go to bed, but I decided to stay up a little past midnight so I could wish Jer a happy 20th birthday. Once again I'm not there, which I feel bad about since I'd rather be partying there with you than working here in Peace River. But alas, nothing can be done about that.

Nevertheless, go to my house tomorrow Jer, I bought you something for your birthday since I know the rest of the crew are all broke and/or unemployed. Well, I didn't actually buy it, my dad did, but i'm paying him back. So technically it's from me.

Have a good birthday pal, and I hope you get nice and drunk at Roosters. What would be even funnier would be if you copied Ian's birthday-at-Roosters shenanigans from last year and tossed a condom at a waitress and tried to get her to sleep with you. Or feel free to come up with something original and equally ridiculous.

And don't deny the waitress thing Ian, we all know it happened.

"Do you want another quickie?" - Jen, talking to someone at the front of the offfice.

She actually said 'cookie' but me and Ken heard her wrong. Confusion ensued.

March Madness Picks

Just for the record, here's everybody's picks for the NCAA Final Four Championship. The prize? Nothing but bragging rights. If you wanna be on the list, pick a team, any team.

Nick: St. Joseph's
Gorski: Stanford
Jeremy: Gonzaga
Chris: U Conn
Al: Duke
Skolovy: Gonzaga

Now maybe i'll start paying attention to the games.

Ryan: Dammit Nick, there's no more thin-crust left. You wouldn't know anything about that would ya?
Me, with the last piece of thin crust in my hand: No sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about.
Ryan: Well now I'm gonna have to kick the crap out of ya.
Me: Well okay, I guess I'll have to put something in the paper that says your the worst player on the team.
Ryan: Okay, fair enough. I won't kick your ass then, I'll just punch you once instead.

So that's how I ended up walking out of the arena tonight with a soon-to-be-bruise on my left shoulder but the last piece of thin-crust pepperoni in my right hand. It was a good trade-off I think. Ryan's not that tough, even if his punch does leave a bruise.

:: Friday Five ::

1. What was the last song you heard?
Cake "Let me go"

2. What were the last two movies you saw?
Big with Tom Hanks
Lethal Weapon 2

3. What were the last three things you purchased?
- bottle of Pepsi
- cheeseburger
- magazine (Maxim)

4. What four things do you need to do this weekend?
- ref a hockey game (boooo!)
- go watch a different hockey game
- write two stories
- sleep

5. Who are the last five people you talked to?
- my dad
- Sarah
- Deb
- Dayna
- Ken

So Todd Bertuzzi is suspended for the rest of the season, the playoffs and probably soon time next season.

What a fucking joke.

I lost so much respect for the NHL this morning it's not even funny, and the media too. Right from the start, the media over-hyped this thing to be the worst thing that's ever happened to the sport - the type of play that makes you sick to your stomach to watch (It doesn't - it's just a punch) They immediately said "Bertuzzi should be gone for a the rest of the year" or "for next year too" and the league said "oh, we better listen to what they say or we'll get a bad reputation when CNN talks about us."

Rather than look at it objectively the NHL caved under the pressure because everyone said they should. The TV media also are sickening to watch. It was sickening to watch every "analyst" try to one-up the one before it with a 'better suspension.
I actually heard this last night.

Sports guy #1: I think Bertuzzi should get the rest of the season and probably the first round of the playoffs.
Sports guy #2: I can go you one better - I think he should be gone for one year and possibly for life!

I can go you one better? When did this turn into a game of poker where both sides are tring to up the ante? It was like a contest to see who could come up with the longest, most outrageous suspension, and whoever ends up being right gets 50 bucks and a certificate for being so smart.

I know Bertuzzi deserved a lengthy suspension, but it should've been decided by a National Hockey League that had some balls and ability for independent thought, not a league that does what Winnipeg Free Press windbag Scott Taylor tells them to do.

Steve Moore may have a broken neck, but its the NHL that has no backbone at all.

UPDATE: Canucks GM Brian Burke apparently agrees with me, that the media are partly to blame. Burke gives 'em hell, as he should. Just another reason why I think Brian Burke is great, and believe me, there are many other reasons.

I was checking out my web counter/tracker thing today and I noticed something a little disconcerting - I've got 5 or 6 hits today from a computer connected to "bowesnet", which of course, is my newspaper and my office. The problem? I haven't been at work today.

Now, nobody at work knows about this blog, which I why I frequently say things about work that I wouldn't necessarily want them to read. I have my site bookmarked on my own computer, but nobody uses that computer but me. Unless of course, our new intern Jane is using my computer, which is fine and in which case I don't care if she reads my site. But there is one higher-up that I'd prefer didnt read some things I've posted here in the past.

The only way this person could've found out about my site is my snooping through my computer, which coincedentally, this person has done before to other people. So, if you are reading this at the Peace River Record-Gazette and you happen to be a full time employee of said newspaper and not an intern, stop reading and mind your own god damn business*. Unless your name is Ken, then you can read as much as you want because we're friends.

Anyways, that's all I have to say on the matter. I just thought it was a little bit weird.

*Yes, I realize by publishing things on a very public website, it's technically everybody's business, but shutup, that's not the point.

:: Actions not results ::

Mike was eager to hear what I had to say on the whole Todd Bertuzzi-Steve Moore situation that happened in last night's Canucks-Avs game. I was reluctant to weigh in on it because, first of all, I was having trouble putting my words together in a way that made sense. It was just one of those days I guess. Also I didn't want to look like a jerk when I said I don't think Bertuzzi should get suspended for as long as peopel are suggesting.

I've changed my mind a bit, and I'll say this:

There is no question what Bertuzzi did was wrong and awful. Steve Moore was seriously hurt and Bertuzzi should be suspended for an extended length of time, maybe 8-10 games. But in my mind, 8-10 is where it should stop. None of this 15-20 games plus playoffs nonsense.

The reason being is that, as bad as Moore's injuries are (concussion, cuts, fractured vertebrae), I think the most serious injury - the back - was caused not by Bertuzzi's cheapshot but by the dog pile that resulted on top of Moore. But of course I know that the pile-up would never had occurre if Bertuzzi had just kept his emotions in check and his hands to himself. However, because it's tough to tell what injuries resulted from what, I think Bertuzzi's suspension should be as a result of his actions not the overall result. And Bertuzzi's action was a gloved punch to the side/back of a helmet.

Let's pretend for a minute that the pile up doesn't occur. Therefore, Moore probably doesnt hurt his back and probably doesn't get cut as badly as he did. So he's got a concussion. Bad injury? Certainly. Suspendable? Yes. But not for 15 games and playoffs.

If that happens then why wasn't Bryan Allen suspended that many games when he slashed Henrik Zetterberg and broke his leg. Allen and Bertuzzi both broke a bone of the other player. If we're handing out suspensions based on overall results then why is one worse than the other? The results of both are the same - broken bones.

Bertuzzi's actions were worse than Allen's that's why. And he should get more punishment for it. But the suspension shouldn't be based on how many cuts Steve Moore has on his face, or how long he'll be injured for.

As bad as it looked on TV, and it was ugly no doubt, in the end, all Bertuzzi did was punch him. Yes it was from behind. Yes it was probably damn hard. But in the end, a punch is a punch is a punch.

Regardless of how many people pile on afterwards.

:: Bo knows cooking ::

Tonight Bo Jackson, one of my favourite football/baseball players ever, was on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and he wasn't talking about football, baseball, or his famous Nike commercials. He was cooking. Now retired, that's what he does now. I guess Bo really does know everything.

Funniest line of the show: Bo Jackson, still his big intimidating self, is making sweet potato pie.

Jimmy: Bo, whats the difference between yams and sweet potatoes?
Bo (matter-of-factly): The difference is I like sweet potatoes better.
Jimmy: Alright then.

Apparently Bo knows comedy too.

Ken and Jess, talking about where they are registering for their wedding presents...

Jess: We're going to register at the Bay, because they have lots of different stuff.
Ken: The Bay? I don't wanna register there, all we'll end up with is a million towel sets and some plates. That's not good for me. What's in it for Ken?
Jess: Well what do you want to get then?
Ken: A chainsaw.

That was just about the most unexpected answer Ken could've given. It was one of those you-have-to-be-there moments, also you've gotta know Ken. But my god was that funny.

UPDATE: I have just seen highlights of possible the greatest hockey game ever played. Philadelphia Flyers vs. the Ottawa Senators. The Flyers were out for revenge after a cheapshot by the Sen's Martin Havlat the last time the teams played. There were goalie fights. Fights right off of faceoffs. Two line brawls. Fights by non-fighter types like Mark Recchi, Jason Spezza, Brian Smolinski. Coaches sending guys out with orders to fight. A league record 419 penalty minutes. 21 fighting majors. 20 Game Misconducts.

A Classic.

And as an aside, after seeing Brashear's on ice actions and then his post-game interview, he's still the biggest prick in the NHL. Thats to be expected though coming from a guy who, while playing for the Canucks, once reportedly took a shit in a reporter's briefcase. It was also nice to see the Senators, never noted for their toughness, stick up for themselves well against the always tough Broadstreet Bullies, and in fact, seemed to win most of the fights.

I hope they play in the playoffs.

"I thought we'd get to watch porn, but I was sadly mistaken. Also, there were no hands on demostrations, which is unfortunate because there are some hot girls in that class." - Al, talking about the sexuality class he's taking at UCC.

"Surly only looks out for one guy -- Surly." - Ken, quoting the Simpsons after our publisher layed a HUGE guilt trip on him about company loyalty and wanting to leave for a bigger, better paper. Then she got mad when Ken didn't relent with a "Don't worry I'm not going anywhere" speech.

She's angry/paranoid that I'm going to leave now too. Things are gettin' interesting around here. But I concur with Ken, - Surly only looks out for Surly.

Today I had the day off, and this morning I went out to run a few errands. When I came back the entire building, especially the front foyer area, had a bleachy/chlorine-type smell. It's so bad in the front entrance it almost gives you a headache. It's gross.

So I've come to the conclusion that someone in this building has either installed a wave pool in their living room and put far too much chlorine in, or somebody is running a big crystal meth lab somewhere in here.

Clearly those are the only two logical options.

I picked a bunch of cheap dvd's the other day - all old movies. One of them -- Money for Nothing I watched tonight. I was reading the back of the dvd case and these were the disc's listed "special features" 1. Main Menu 2. Scene Index.

These are features? Are you fuckin' kidding me? I just thought that was funny.

UPDATE: I've been reading a lot of hockey blogs lately, namely the two Canucks blogs listed in my links section, and while I don't have a strictly Canucks blog, I do have the oft-neglected View from the Bench blog. I've decided to weigh in on some Canucks related stuff, just because I felt like writing. Hopefully some hockey-types from Vancouver Canucks Op-Ed find their way over there, since I get a bit of traffic from them, and all your regular blog-readers too of course.