… I wish I was/ homeward bound … home! where my thoughts escape me … those lyrics were stuck in my head all during the last two weeks of July. Why?I returned to the place of my birth, after an eleven-year absence, last weekend. I lived in the Texas panhandle until I was 12. It was kind of weird to me that I’d been gone from my native town for almost as long as I’d lived there to begin with.We went for the wedding of a dear cousin and it was a much-needed escape. Frankly, I think I could’ve used an additional 2 or 3 days there. Going back home it felt like a favored sweater: safe and familiar. I remembered the streets and routes, for the most part. There’s Grandpa’s old church; there’s our old church; there’s my grade school; there’s my favorite donut place in the world; that’s where we saw a tornado in the early 80s (a field now populated by houses); there’s the odor of the feed lots 60 miles away on the wind; there’s where Honey and I spent an afternoon making out when we were young lovers and he came to visit me when I spent a summer here in college. It’s a town that I relished revisiting and look forward to revisiting. After we moved, when I was in junior high (the wrongest time to ever uproot a child, by the way) to a very, very small town in Southwest Texas so amazingly far from anywhere that you had drive 3 hours just to do anything, my native town was even more dear to me. We returned several times a year during the 90s to visit friends and family. And my parents still trek there at least once a year. But I also feel like my relationship with my native city has changed. I’ve grown and developed my own life. And as much as I love my native town, as much as it’ll always be home to me, and feel safe, familiar and happy, my relationship with it is almost similar now to my relationship with my parents. I love my parents endlessly. I appreciate everything they’ve ever done and still do for me, but I wouldn’t want to live with them again, if I could avoid it.It’s the same with the native town. It’ll always be home and I want to keep revisiting it, because I love it, but I wouldn’t want to live there again. There are definitely worse places to live, and if it came up that we needed to move there, I could easily do it; I just wouldn’t seek it out.However, visiting got me thinking about what kind of lifestyle I want. I think about that occasionally, but the last two or three weeks, it’s really been on my mind. Going to home to a place where there is NO SUCH THING as rush hour, where family hews together and people are home by 5:15 at the latest, surged the question the front of my mind. Honey and I have always said we’ll move west again, seeking a slower pace of life, and I suspect we’ll do it at some point - probably after we have kids. But where west? And frankly, after a couple of years when I was aching to move west again, I’m really enjoying where we are right now, I simply want a break from the hyper-acheivement and suffocating time-crunch of this area. I typically get to work between 8:30 and 9, often earlier (though today, I’m allowing myself 9) and don’t get home till well after 6, sometimes well after 7. It’s often the same for Honey - worse even, seeing as how he goes in earlier than I do. It’s been particularly hectic for the last two months and only promises to get worse into the fall. (That’s why I’ve been posting and commenting so infrequently, lately.)Calvin Trillin, in an interview with Diane Rehm, or maybe Terri Gross, once said he wanted his kids, though raised in Brooklyn, to think they were being raised in Kansas, where he grew up. I think that’s what I want, not just that my kids think they’re in West Texas, but I want some West Texas here, on the East Coast amidst the 70% humidity, the over-acheivers and the road rage. I really like where I live; I just want to like my life more. I want to breathe.Oh, and as for the mixtape above. Just a sampling of the soundtrack for the weekend.1. At the Zoo - Simon and Garfunkel. Every morning, we had a home-cooked breakfast at my aunt and uncle’s house. They made sure to have music playing at meal times. One morning the selection was Dylan and Simon and Garfunkel. This was one of them. I simply included it, because I love this song and hadn’t heard it in years.2. The Dress Looks Nice on You - Sufjan Stevens. My dear, dear cousin used this as her processional. She’s 22. She’s one of the few youngsters who I think is mature enough to make this leap. The ceremony was really low-key (literally a backyard event) and though religious, they chose not to use any religious music. I think their recessional was from The Beatles. I’m ambivalent about the choice of song, but I love that she loved it, and that she bucked panhandle norms: a wreath of flowers and ivy on her head, little make-up, eastern-inspired jewelery, barefoot under her gown, walking herself down the aisle … she, like me for my wedding, wanted to do henna tattoos on her hands, but didn’t know anyone who could do it. (Had I known, I’d've offered Virginia Gal’s talents!)3. Our Town - Iris Dement. As we drove around town one afternoon, Mom was lamenting the changes that have occurred in our old stomping grounds. (Though I was also struck by how little had changed in decade.) This song happened to be on my iPod and popped up on our connecting flight from DFW. It just felt fitting.4. Viva la Vida - Coldplay. Another one that popped up on my iPod, on the return flight. I’d heard it a time or two, but it hadn’t really grabbed me yet. I think it ciezed me this weekend - and I’ve been unable to shake it since - because going home to the far slower pace of life, to sunrises unimpeded by mountains and hills and skyscrapers, to the constant 10 or 15 mph breeze and the negligible humidity, was nothing short of reviving. My happiest self is a sprite who soars among clouds and stars and skims close to the ground. This weekend tickled her again for the first time in years. I was weightless. And for some reason, this song, at this moment, found that chink in my armor to sing to that weightlessness.

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Like the Energizer Bunny, the cases challenging Obama’s eligibility are still going strong. There have been a ton of lawsuits challenging Obama’s right to take office with fellow Democrat Philip Berg taking the lead.To date Berg has filed several injuctions, all of which have been denied except his original compliant that is scheduled to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on January 9th, 2009. From WND –”I know that Mr. Obama is not a constitutionally qualified natural born citizen and is ineligible to assume the office of president of the United States,” Berg said in a statement on his ObamaCrimes.com website. “Obama knows he is not ‘natural born’ as he knows where he was born and he knows he was adopted in Indonesia; Obama is an attorney, Harvard Law grad who taught Constitutional law; Obama knows his candidacy is the largest ‘hoax’ attempted on the citizens of the United States in over 200 years; Obama places our Constitution in a ‘crisis’ situation; and Obama is in a situation where he can be blackmailed by leaders around the world who know Obama is not qualified,” Berg’s statement continued. On one hand, it is almost hard to believe Obama’s origin of birth could still be an issue at this point his political career. On the other hand, with cult-like support rivaling David Koresh & Charlie Manson that the “Anointed One” has generated, I do not put anything past them in advancing their socialist agenda.If the birth certificate is legal and can be verified - he should produce it and put an end to this circus-like spectacle of challenges…A partial listing and status update for several of the cases surrounding Obama’s eligibility to serve as president is below:Philip J. Berg, a Pennsylvania Democrat, demanded that the courts verify Obama’s original birth certificate and other documents proving his American citizenship. Berg’s latest appeal, requesting an injunction to stop the Electoral College from selecting the 44th president, was denied. But the conference on the case is set Jan. 9.Leo Donofrio of New Jersey filed a lawsuit claiming Obama’s dual citizenship disqualified him from serving as president. His case was considered in conference by the U.S. Supreme Court but denied a full hearing. Cort Wrotnowski filed suit against Connecticut’s secretary of state, making a similar argument to Donofrio. His case was considered in conference by the U.S. Supreme Court, but was denied a full hearing. Former presidential candidate Alan Keyes headlines a list of people filing a suit in California, in a case handled by the United States Justice Foundation, that asks the secretary of state to refuse to allow the state’s 55 Electoral College votes to be cast in the 2008 presidential election until Obama verifies his eligibility to hold the office. The case is pending, and lawyers are seeking the public’s support. Chicago attorney Andy Martin sought legal action requiring Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle to release Obama’s vital statistics record. The case was dismissed by Hawaii Circuit Court Judge Bert Ayabe.Lt. Col. Donald Sullivan sought a temporary restraining order to stop the Electoral College vote in North Carolina until Barack Obama’s eligibility could be confirmed, alleging doubt about Obama’s citizenship. His case was denied. In Ohio, David M. Neal sued to force the secretary of state to request documents from the Federal Elections Commission, the Democratic National Committee, the Ohio Democratic Party and Obama to show the presidential candidate was born in Hawaii. The case was denied. In Washington state, Steven Marquis sued the secretary of state seeking a determination on Obama’s citizenship. The case was denied. In Georgia, Rev. Tom Terry asked the state Supreme Court to authenticate Obama’s birth certificate. His request for an injunction against Georgia’s secretary of state was denied by Georgia Superior Court Judge Jerry W. Baxter. California attorney Orly Taitz has brought a case, Lightfoot vs. Bowen, on behalf of Gail Lightfoot, the vice presidential candidate on the ballot with Ron Paul, four electors and two registered voters. Private investigator Douglas Hagmann of Homeland Security US reported earlier he found 13 cases challenging Obama’s eligibility still active or semi-active. One last tidbit for you to chew on…. what if the birth certificate in question is a fraud? What if, through these filings, the Supreme Court KNOWS Obama is not eligible to be POTUS but is thinking of the socialist shit-storm they will cause should they rule his election null and void?

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by JesOnce upon a time, I wrote a pretty length post on why I believe the NHL would never work, on a full-time basis, in Europe. Playing an exhibition game or two is one thing, but a full season? It ain’t gonna work.This post is a response to news that the NHL is looking at expanding into Europe … again …Since I can’t find my original post, I’ll just have to rehash some of my old arguments. Most of my European hockey knowledge comes from the leagues I follow (Czech and Slovak), so I may not be totally right when it comes to places like Finland and Sweden.1. Ticket PricesThe average ticket price for a European club hockey game translates to about 10-25$ US. Most teams charge very little for their tickets, knowing full well that a. the people simply don’t have that much money to spend and b. knowing fans won’t spend that much for a hockey game.European clubs make their money almost primarily through sponsorship. You see it on their uniforms, their arenas, and even their team names, which are often sponsored. The NHL’s model of ticket-heavy revenue is the complete opposite of what happens in Europe.Let’s face it, most hockey fans in Russia, Czechia, and Slovakia do not have that much disposable income. I know people in Germany and Sweden could afford $60 tickets, but would they really fork out that much for 30-40 games a season? I doubt it. Once the novelty wears off, you’d likely see a lot of empty seats. I can’t see 15,000 people in either city wanting to invest that much on the NHL.Yes, I realize some European teams get over 10,000 per game, but the ticket prices, like I said, are quite low compared to the NHL.The fact is that many of the rich KHL owners we hear about are oil robber barons or diamond mine owners, and spend money on their hockey teams as an expensive hobby. There aren’t an endless supply of these oil barons, nor are many of them likely to want to spend NHL-level prices for their own pleasure. Yes, there are oil barons owning soccer clubs, but you know they make a lot of money from tickets and merchandise.2. TravelIn the future, I see travel becoming even more of an issue than it is now. Fuel prices will not go down any day soon, and environmental concerns will only cause sports leagues to look into curtailing travel somewhat.In my view, fuel prices will cause the NHL to start playing even more intra-conference games, and try to eliminate some of the cross-country road trips that suck up so much gas.Traveling to Europe? Yeah, that would count as a long road trip, and it’s certainly quite pricey if you do it constantly.3. RivalriesHaving an NHL team negates one of the reasons Europeans go to hockey games: The rivalries. Slavia and Sparta’s “derbies” just could not be replicated by a bunch of foreigners playing some team from Toronto or Helsinki. Inter-city and regional rivalries would just not exist in the European NHL.4. Gary BettmanD00d screws up everything he touches.Yes, I am a pessimist. Given how the NHL’s short-term thinking has caused them so many problems, and given how many American franchises are far from strong, I think expanding into Europe is something the league just will not succeed at. Let the Europeans have their league and focus on making the NHL stronger, rather than even more watered-down than it is.—-More stuff to mentionNHL owners have to realize that the current American economic crises is not good for the league. Obviously, people are going to have less disposable income to spend on hockey games, and/or will be afraid to spend big for fears of even more crap happeningIf you are an UFA-to-be, you might want to think about re-signing rather than try the open market. Just a thought.On a side rant, this whole “crisis” is thanks to your lovely US government. For far too long, the US Government has let corporations run the country, including a highly-unregulated bank and finance industry. This, together with people’s horrible spending habits, means that there is a lot of “artificial” money in the market that can never be repaid, and you have China owning a monster chunk of US Currency.Not to sound too much like a smart ass, but I always figured the US was set for a major collapse. No country can take on that much government and personal debt without the whole thing busting up eventually. Until people stop spending money they don’t have, and until banks stop lending money they don’t really have, the economy is not going to get better. I’m thankful that Canada had a bit more restraint, and isn’t spending billions on a bogus war to inflate the pockets of a well-off minority (Do you really think Bush wants to drive down the price of oil? Ha!). That said, when the US economy tanks, it’ll hit our country hard.(If you know basic economics and finance, than you know that a bank can take $1 of deposits and turn that into $7-10 of loans, hence creating a level of “artificial” money)Over at his Legends of Hockey Blog, author Joe Pelletier goes into Boogie Nights mode and gives us his Top 10 Hockey Moustaches of all time. Personally, I would have put Harold Snepsts much higher, and would have had Dave Babych on my list. Lanny as #1 is hard to dispute, though.

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by JesToday’s random ramblings …Smelly hockey equipment is a scourge that ranks up there with American Idol, white guys who think they are black, and Sean Avery. Many advances have been made in the washing hockey equipment, but that always presents just a temporary fix.Winnwell claims to have come up with a truly odourless set of hockey equipment that can get rid of stinky odour before it becomes a problem. Natural enzymes in water bond to the material that is used as a liner anywhere equipment touches a player’s skin – even the palms of the gloves.The microbes generate organic-consuming enzymes that remain dormant until activated by perspiration, eliminating the environment that bacteria needs to breed. “It could work,” says Pat Bishop, chair of the Canadian Standards Association committee that certifies hockey equipment. “Bacteria is what causes all that stink. Anything that makes it easier for players to wear and easier on parents is worth trying. Right now, my daughter is going to buy her son new hockey gloves because she can’t stand the smell.” Mmm, organisms fighting bacteria. Just what I want in my equipment!Colour me skeptical, but knowing how much hockey players sweat, and how long equipment sits in stinky bags, I can’t see this working as perfectly as described.—Over at Hollywoodtuna, the gossip guys have posted some probably-NSFW pictures of Willa Ford, aka Ms. Modano.Honestly, I can’t see that she does it for me, especially in pictures that are completely airbrushed. Do guys really dig the Maxim-style airbrushed pics? I always feel that such photos make a woman look less desirable and simply more fake. —I had serious doubts about John Davidson’s ability to preside over the St. Louis Blues, but I have to admit that the club is in good shape thanks to his PR efforts and ability to not suck as a GM.Even the New York Times has taken notice of the job he’s done in St. Loo.“This team had disconnected from the city, and we had to get people back in the arena,” he said, without naming Bill and Nancy Laurie, the largely absentee former owners who sustained huge losses, cut costs and traded away the popular Chris Pronger. “The Blues tradition had disappeared, and the fans wanted it back. We had to get them to believe again.” Aahh, yes, the Lauries … the asswipes who tried to buy the Vancouver Grizzlies and move them while claiming that they really really really wanted basketball to succeed here. *eyeroll*. Even David Stern didn’t like the Lauries, which says something. Larry Pleau is still around as the behind-the-scenes guy, and I think the set-up works well. Pleau’s analysis of hockey players was awful, but he does know the nuts and bolts of NHL law and finance, and can help JD with the more technical side of things. This leaves JD the room to do his thing with the public and also with player acquisition. —From the LOL! File comes word that the Philadelphia Flyers are going to hold a ceremony to honour Eric Lindros, and the Big Ego won’t show up!! Bahahaha!!!As part of their September 27th preseason game against Carolina at their former home, the Flyers have invited all 15 captains back to take part in commemorative ceremonies, including Lindros who was named captain at the age of 21 in 1994. However, his tenure with the team ended in a bitter dispute with management, which included then general manager Bob Clarke. While Clarke, Lou Angotti, Mel Bridgman, Dave Poulin, Ed Van Impe, Bill Barber, Ron Sutter and Kevin Primeau have confirmed their attendance, Lindros has declined because of a previous commitment according to senior vice president of business operations Shawn Tilger. Lindros will be attending a memorial service that day for a friend’s mother. Still bitter, Eric? Now that you are retired, perhaps you can set aside your petty differences with the club and do something right for the fans that had your back?—To any readers in the UK, you’ll be happy to hear that pugilistic Czech Marek Ivan is back in your neck of the woods. Yes, Ivan is one of the few Czechs that actually LOVES to fight, and does a pretty good job of being a toughie in between scoring a few goals. (thanks to Southern Correspondent Wayne for some of the linkage help)

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by CzechmateJust look away, Mats!!Although there is nothing but idle speculation surrounding the Mats Sundin situation, the summer is rapidly grinding to an end, which means training camps are just around the corner. The only concrete thing we’ve heard from the Sundin camp is that Mats wants to be at training camp, should he decide to honour us with another year of his presence rather than retiring.Now, when a player of Mats’ calibre (I may not like him, but I respect his ability) garners so much attention from the media, it stands to reason that people will throw out the “best fit” scenarios for him to win a Stanley Cup to end his career, a la Ray Bourque.So, the list of “possible destinations” has been decided, at least by hockey writers and bloggers.The one that seems to be the “flavour of the week” at the moment is Mats heading to Broadway to sign with the Rangers. Not only as a fan, but as someone who likes to think he knows something about hockey, I believe this would be a terrible idea, likely for both sides.First of all, the Rangers are within $2M of the salary cap, meaning they would either have to a) Convince Mats to play for league minimum, to leave a bit of a buffer for injuries and whatnot b) Sign him for $2M and face a dangerous cap situation all season long, or c) Move out some salary and sign him for the $7-8.5M that the market will likely demand.Now, some theorists have suggested the Rags would be looking to move Michal Rozsival and his $5M contract (signed this summer, in fact), but does this make any sense at all?The Rangers aren’t exactly deep on the blueline, and getting rid of Rozsival doesn’t make them any deeper, especially since it would be a salary dump in which the Rangers would be seeking only prospects or picks, to maximize the dump. Is Bobby Sanguinetti ready to pick up the slack? I don’t think so, nor do I think it would be a reasonable expectation from the team to put a rookie in a big-minutes situation.Another reason Sundin should stay out of a Rangers uniform is that the team is already deep in centers and leaders. Chris Drury, who I believe will end up the team’s captain this season, Scotty Gomez, and Mats Sundin? If I’m not mistaken, all 3 have been captains in the past, and all play the same position. While I suppose Drury could be moved to the left wing, I don’t believe you should mess with a player’s natural position if you want the most out of his game. This would leave one of those three centering the third line. A little pricey, I’d say…Finally, the impact Sundin’s sudden appearance would have on team chemisty is impossible to gauge. He seems like an affable enough guy off the ice, even if he’s a bit of a prick on it. I doubt anyone would instantly dislike him, aside from possibly Wade Redden - lots of love lost during battle of Ontario games. But, it’s a new team, new teammates, new coach, new system, and above all, new city. This would likely mean an adjustment period, aka - slow start. Can the Rangers’ re-vamped lineup afford to allow Mats time to get settled in? And before anyone says anything about Nik Zherdev, the reason I draw a distinction is that Zherdev is much younger, and hasn’t ever really planted roots in the NHL. Sundin, conversely, has 13 years of Leafs engrained in him, and it would take a lot of inner work for him to exorcise those “demons”.Anyway, I’d say Mats should really look at Toronto, Colorado, Vancouver (although the travel would be nuts) or even Montreal. I’m just praying Glen Sather has enough integrity to stick to his plan. And that plan, at least until now, didn’t appear to include Sundin.Until next time,Na Zdravi!

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