Stomach Punch from Captain America

I didn't expect much of the Buffalo Bills this season until midway through last night's game against the hated Captain America and the New England Patriots. The Bills were ahead 14-10 after an interception by Aaron Schoebel. I began to think that win or lose this could be a decent season for the Bills. I also began to think the football Gods would not allow the Pats to win after arrogantly going for it on 4th and 1 at mid field then in Buffalo territory in the first half when conventional wisdom is to punt or take the 3 points.

Fast forward to 5:23 minutes left in the game after the Bills scored again to put them up 24-13 my pal Dino says "there's a scary amount of time left for Brady". It was the one thing I was thinking but didn't want to hear. People remember Buffalo's implosion last year and their previous poor seasons. What they don't remember is they tend to get ahead early then find a way to lose the game. So, knowing Buffalo's history and Captain America's mythical "win the game in dramatic fashion" history, I was sort of ready, or so I thought. I prepared as much as I could for the defeat but when it's Tom f'n Brady and the Pats it hurts no matter how prepared you are.

So the inevitable begins. Captain America leads his team on an 11 play drive to score a touchdown. The Pats go for 2 points, but the pass is intercepted. Maybe, just maybe, the football Gods are mad at the Pats. Then the Pats kick the ball off. Leodis McKelvin catches the ball in the endzone and rather than take a knee, he runs up the middle of the field and proceeds to fumble the ball at the Buffalo 31 yard line. The football Gods wanted you to take the knee, start at the 20 yard line and eat the clock. How freaking hard is that? So the Pats have great field position and the comeback continues.

The Pats went on to win 25-24. Now I like to think I'm ready for the season. A season probably better than most expect but a season with tough losses that the Bills should have hung on to win. I feel like a pugilist using a medicine ball on my gut to toughen it up for stomach punch after stomach punch. I'm ready. Then I remember a Mike Tyson quote. "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face".

Halifax Trip

I've been really bad at posting lately. I'd like to say it's because I'm busy, but that'd be a lie. I just haven't been annoyed that much recently. Sure there are a few things here and there, but nothing that makes me want to go off on somebody or something. I am working on a continuing series of rants and I have the ideas in my head, I'm just having a hard time putting pen to paper.

Anyway, enough with the excuses. This post has a very small curmudgeon quotient but I had to share a few things with you from my trip to Halifax this weekend. It was my cousin Dr. DJ AA's stag party. We went fishing, played poker and drank copious amounts of Propeller Pumphouse SOB (highly recommended). I have nothing bad to say about the event at all, though losing to SOB Dr. DJ AA with A-A-6-6-J to A-A-6-6-K spoiled the night until the next shot of Occidental.

What I want to share with you is two of the craziest things I've ever seen at an airport and a warning about travelling. Dr. DJ AA (it may in fact be DJ Dr. AA, I'll have to ask him) was dropping me off at 10:30 am in the morning. I opened the door and got out of the Caravan (or Voyager, again I'll have to ask) and see a man standing just beside the van with his back to the airport wall. He looks like any other business traveller in Halifax; khaki pants, dress shirt, windbreaker coat folded over his arm, and luggage. Just as I step onto the pavement and am about to turn around to open the back door of the van I hear that distinctive psst sound of a beer cap twisting off a bottle. Then this typical business man begins to down a full bottle of Moosehead (green). I immediately hear Dr. DJ AA begin to laugh and I say "did you just see that" and he says "yep." Crazy. I can't believe I saw that. I realize it's not that hard to believe, but if you had seen it and just realized how business like this guys looked, you wouldn't believe it either. He was all business about getting that St. Saint John brewed lager into him too.

So I'm in the Halifax airport waiting in the security line and about to send a message about this crazy thing I saw when I see another crazy thing. I see a woman, likely in her 50s, walking to the security check. She looks like a business traveller as well. I notice she is pulling her wheeled luggage and see something sparkle. I check out the luggage and the thing has chrome wheels. I'm talking Xzibit pimp my ride chrome wheels. The chorus of "One of these things is not like the other" immediately chimes in my head.

Now for your travel advisory warning. You know when you are leaving a hotel room and you get that feeling that you left something behind. Do not just think "ah, it's nothing, if I did it's likely toothpaste." It could be your Ipod. You could have to call the hotel and arrange for someone to pick it up and send it back to you. You could have to pay what I like to call "the dumb-ass tax."

I hope your weekend was as good as mine.

Ottawa Does it Again

Since I moved into my new apartment in June of 2008, summer's have been a mess. The city of Ottawa has been renovating Bank Street, tearing out the old street, fixing whatever is wrong underneath and then repaving. It's created a mess of dust and a foul stench during the hot days of summer.

This summer the city added a new wrinkle. You can no longer access Bank street from Lewis because Lewis is a one way street. To allow those folks who can only leave their houses from Lewis to legally drive to the next intersection the city temporarily made Lewis a two way street. It's a bit of an annoyance since the street is not built for two way traffic, but there isn't really a ton of traffic on the street and I walk or bike most places anyhow.

Today I read this article in the Ottawa Citizen. The city is fining people who park on Lewis facing west, which is the ordinary direction traffic flows when the street is a one way street. People are steaming and I don't blame them.

I'm going to sound like I'm mimicking the article's author, but that's because I fully agree with Hugh. Because of the reconstruction project Bank street businesses are hurting. If you fine people who decide to deal with the annoyance of walking down a dirt sidewalk to shop at the Herb and Spice store or grab a pint at the James Street Pub for facing the wrong direction in a parking spot, a wrong direction that is ordinarily the right direction, you are going to make people think twice about heading to Bank street. It's already a mess and a pain in the ass to navigate around. Adding a $35 fine is just the cherry on top.

I've had issues with Ottawa parking police in the past. I've fought every ticket and won each fight. I think it's because they are generally over-agressive. But this story just takes the cake.

Great job Ottawa. Way to help out the Bank street businesses.

My Love/Hate Relationship

In case you hadn't already figured it out, I'm a Habs fan. It's kinda weird, because I love the team, but I hate Habs fans. They're obnoxious, rude,they love to hate their team, they'll turn on their own in an instant and turn on you as a non-fan even quicker. And now, some douche has sunk to a new low. Check out this post. The guy is blaming players for shit that hasn't even happened yet. He's expecting a bad season and pinning the blame before the pre-season even starts.

I'd almost rather be a fan of the Leafs who think anyone with a leaf on their jersey is the greatest player in the world and they always have a chance to win the cup. Ignorance is bliss they say.