North VS South, East VS West, Nugs VS Allison: Stanley Cup Final

Score

Nugs - 9

Al - 7

Recap

Nugs and I both picked LA, so easily each picked up a point there. However, I picked New Jersey over New York and well...

Ding Dong the Rangers are Gone. 

Picks

* Mine are in RED.

NJD vs LAK

I will admit that I first bet against the Rangers because A) They played the Senators in the first round and B) Nugs was diehard for them, so I had to be THAT guy and bet against her just for shits and giggles. But as the rounds went on I noticed that the Rangers were the only "winners" that barely squeaked by each round - and ultimately lost. They didn't dominate at all and I'd argue the Sens or the Caps could have easily beat them had things gone just slightly different. There were no blow outs. I'll allow Nugs to lick her wounds and such, but the fact is the Stanley Cup final will be The New Jersey Devils VS The Los Angeles Kings - two teams I'm sure very few people counted on being in this position.


Who will I choose? Do I even care? Well, I have to pick a team - regardless of my previous loyalties.


I'm going to go with LA.


Why? Well, two reasons. I'm enjoying their cinderella story. They're a team with fighting spirt who have knocked out many of the best teams in the West. Vancouver, St. Louis, and Phoenix - all with ease. My second reason is a more patriotic one, the Kings are full of Canadians. Way more Canadians than New Jersey. And let's face it, The Great One, Wayne Gretzky, once called himself a King and we all still love him.


I know I have little no chance of winning this bet overall, but I might as well risk it and pick what most would call an underdog team, but I don't really think you can think of them that way now. Their 8th place status really has no effect on what's happened this play-off season.

I've already lost, since I can't gain enough points to win :(

To be on my blog for a month if I lose (which I have).

Nugs:

I don't think that anyone is going to have a heart attack when I go with LA on this one. Why?

For one, Los Angeles is technically my hometown now, and even though I'm definitely going to have to deal with obnoxious bandwagonners who weren't even aware that a Los Angeles hockey team even existed, (see: Clippers fans) it IS pretty awesome that the Kings are contenders for the coolest trophy in the history of sports (GQ agrees with me).

Second: LA seems to be the team that surprised everybody this postseason. One of my friends, born in Vancouver, is an ardent Canucks fan, and during the Finals he sent me a text about how his guys had left him humiliated. I wouldn't be so embarrassed; I could have sworn that the Kings had just destroyed the Canucks AND The Blues and were well on their way towards the Cup. It turns out I was right. No one predicted the Canucks' loss; they put in a valiant effort. He just better not root for New Jersey or we'll have a real beef (see below).

LA made pretty quick waste of Vancouver, St. Louis and Phoenix, losing two games in the entire postseason and becoming the first eighth seed team in NHL history to eliminate both the Number One and Number Two seeds and move on to the final round. However, these will be the games that prove just how formidable the Kings really are. They have yet to face an Eastern Conference team and play hockey their way, and the Devils more than match up against their skill and drive. This particular LA team has never won a Cup, and the last time the Kings even made it to the playoffs was in 1993. The Devils have some solid veterans on the ice, backed arguably by the greatest goalie of all time, Martin Brodeur. Jonathan Quick is incredible, but he doesn't have 21 years of experience in the net. 

Considering they had one of their worst seasons in recent memory last year, New Jersey probably REALLY wants a win. It's going to be pretty tough for the Kings to skate by (see what I did there?) with just one loss. They have shown to be fairly aggressive on the ice, however, much like a lot of Eastern Conference teams, and although you can argue that while the Devils have some years on LA, have you really taken a good look at those dudes? The Kings are fucking massive. 

At this point it's anyone's prize. While I (and apparently most sports analysts) do believe that the Kings are going to win their first Stanley Cup this year, it won't be easy. I'm guessing at least 6 games.

Third- FUCK THAT SHIT. No way in Hell am I predicting a Stanley Cup for the Devils, especially when they just knocked out my boys. LA needs to take this. My dignity depends on it.

We both picked LA - so the points won't really change. I won't be putting up the Boston logo until it's officially over though...damn.

iTunes Playlist Tuesday #151

This week's theme is motivational songs - for life, love and general happiness and well-being.

1. Alone's Just Fine by Holly McNarland - We forget sometimes that it's okay to be alone. It's okay to have alone time and space to reflect.

2. Learn to Fly by Foo Fighters - So spread your wings...

3. Help! by The Beatles - Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.

4. Don't Stop Me Now by Queen - Ultimate motivation song!

5. Keep it Together by Guster - Words to live by!

6. You Can Do it by No Doubt - More words to live by.

7. You Can't Always Get What You Want by The Rolling Stones - But if you try sometimes, you get what you need.

8. It's a Good Life if You Don't Weaken by The Tragically Hip - Even more words to live by!

9. It's My Life by Bon Jovi - And I get to decide what to do with it!

10. Beautiful Day by U2 - And don't forget it.

A Feather in Your Cap

On Wednesday I received not one, but two email notifications telling me that I had private messages in my Etsy conversation box. My little Etsy shop has been my baby from the beginning, but more like a baby-doll - I haven't really done much in terms of helping it grow. Thus, the shop has remained sleepy and dormant for over a year now. I add the occasional item, but I really don't try THAT hard to market it.

Anyways, back to the messages. So, the first message was a request for the dimensions of a feather hair clip. So I quickly measured the piece in question and sent off the approximate length and width to the girl. Later that night she purchased it! Yay! Meanwhile, I was having a back and forth conversation with the other messenger. Her request was that she liked my mini top hat hairband, but wanted it in blue instead of pink. I only had one of these in my shop, and no extra mini top hats in my stash, so I told her I would be willing to take it apart and make it blue, but I'd have to increase the price.

Feather hair clip that I sold Tuesday night.

After many back and forth discussions about colour and price, I agreed to reserve it for her, but didn't want her to buy it until I was sure I had the proper supplies to make it the right colour. The customer was invited to a circus themed wedding and obviously had a dress in a particular shade of blue. I ended up finding the perfect elements and sent her off a photo for her approval. She OK'd it and we set a price. She bought it, and I disassembled the pink top hat to make it blue.

Now, I know prudent business people probably would have told me that I lost money in this semi-custom job, but I think part of being in "business" is customer service - making people happy. Like I said before, my shop hasn't had much interest in a while, so basically everything I've made to sell there is dead stock - so any money made off of these pieces seems worthwhile to me. The girl seemed genuinely excited, so that was also fun for me. In my other life, years ago, I worked in print publishing. There I learned that working within the confines of a topic and a timeframe doesn't have to stifle creativity. I'm the artist, but she's the one who has to wear this on her head and has paid good money to do so. Everything must be quality.

I'm not going to become a world-famous hat designer - but it's fun to work on a project like this. I feel like with everything I've been going through with this horrible breakup and such, this is just what I need to get my creativity back! Once I finish tweaking this for her I plan to work on some other crafty projects to get me back in the game. I might even try to get back into fine art and do some painting.

My Mad Hattress hairband from pink to blue!

My shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/QuarterLifeCrafts
My shop's FB fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Quarter-Life-Crafts/294173967296968

Long Weekend in [Instagram] Photos

Some photos I took this weekend using Instagram. A bit of a photo essay of what I've been up to.

On Friday I went to a big mall out of town with a friend and we had dinner at this 50s
style diner called Johnny Rockets.

Bought some new cheery nail colours for summer. Also the Nail Envy is
to help stop my nails from peeling!

Some books I ordered on Amazon to try and help cheer myself up during
this break-up recovery period. Normally I don't take much stock in self-help
type books, but the break-up book actually looked funny and it wasn't expensive.
Don't judge me!

My friend and I went to Build-a-Bear and I got suckered into making this. Her name is Penny.

I did my nails using one of my new colours. Call Me Gwen-ever from OPI's
Spiderman collection.

My friend Amanda visited and I "invented" a martini using Cake vodka.
Black Forest Cake Martini. 1 oz Cake Vodka, 1 oz Creme de Cacao, 1 oz Cherry liqueur.
A maraschino cherry and a splash of the syrup from the jar.

Trying to be artistic with the martini.

I put on pink lipstick for our night out because I'm single now
and why the hell not?

Sunday night dinner out: Slider burgers. They forgot my side salad though.

Started a new book last night. It's a book of personal essays about the
importance of books and reading.

Today's mail: A Thank You card from Things to Do because I mailed her
a CD of her playlist.

How was your weekend? Did you go anywhere fun? Get anything interesting? Have you ever received a 'Thank You' card? What song would you play on a Jukebox at a 50s style diner? Have you ever gone to Build-a-Bear? Invented a cocktail? What shade of lipstick do you wear if at all? Reading anything good?

alliweb on Instagram FYI.

iTunes Playlist Tuesday #150

Seems sort of sad that this is my 150th playlist and I'm not really doing anything monumental, but I feel like this week's playlist should be sort of like a part two of last week's. Last week I got the courage to make my break-up playlist, so this week I think I should list songs about moving on/recovering/healing. I'm still in the process - it could take a while, but I know that one day I'll be happy again.

1. It's Getting Better by The Beatles - I know I still feel twinges of melancholy at least once or twice a day, and I still get angry and sad, but it's less and less each day.

2. I Will Survive by Cake - I chose this cover version just because it's more my style. I know I will survive this.

3. Changes by David Bowie - I'm not good with change, but hopefully one day I will accept that this was a necessary change.

4. Stepping Stone by Duffy - I won't be your stepping stone again.

5. Figure it Out by Emma-Lee - This song is a bit late, this is more of a pre-break-up song. It's a girl telling a guy that he has to figure it out or he'll lose her. I wish I'd had the courage to say something like this sooner.

6. Extraordinary Machine by Fiona Apple - I am an extraordinary machine and I will recover!

7. Erase/Replace by Foo Fighters - Wouldn't it be nice if I could erase him from my memory like in Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind?

8. Dear Pain by Holly McNarland - Writing a letter to pain asking him to please go away.

9. Smile by Lily Allen - Think about all his terrible qualities makes it easier.

10. Help I'm Alive by Metric - Being human sucks sometimes, but I guess we need these things to remind us to keep striving for better.

Being Joan

*Contains Mad Men spoilers if you're not caught up on the current season.

Me as Joan for Halloween 2011.

Most people who know me even just a little bit know that I love the television show Mad Men. I love shows set in different eras from my own (Boardwalk Empire, Downton Abbey) that really focus on character development. Even if I don't really KNOW what it was like to work in an office in the 1960s, I can still relate to the characters. My favourite character is Joan, as I've stated before I believe.

While in the past I haven't related much to Joan - as I'm not a sought after sex kitten, I mostly related to Christina Hendricks, the actress who plays her. But this season I've really found some common ground with her. Things happening to her character have been oddly happening to me at the same time.

A few episodes ago she said a line to Peggy, the copywriter, regarding men and ending relationships.

"Men don't take the time to end things. They just ignore you until you insist on a declaration of hate."

At the time, my boyfriend was strangely withdrawing from me and I felt sensitive about this issue. I kept thinking, "I really hope this isn't what's happening to me." Turns out Joan was right. She's so wise.

Earlier in the season, Joan's husband returns from Vietnam, after missing the birth of "their" son (it's not his...not that I'm condoning infidelity). So they had been conducting their relationship on a long-distance basis - another thing I'm well acquainted with. He comes home, but doesn't seem quite connected to her. She ends the relationship and he storms out when he tells her he's volunteered for another year in Vietnam.

After having her empowering moment where she got to decide their fate, she returns to work. She finds that work is a safe and controllable place where she doesn't have to think about her failed marriage and the sadness that comes with that. When her husband has her served with divorce papers at the office she is outraged. At first I was confused, because I thought she wanted to end the relationship - but what he really did was take away her safe place and also turned the situation around. He made it look like he was the one who left her and took away the power she had when she ended it.

Just goes to show, you can pull the trigger, but only because someone else gave you the gun. I found these moments so real when I was watching last night. I felt for her because I know how it feels to be sad, lonely, angry, trapped, and isolated because of a break-up. She's a woman who likes to be in control, and so am I. When I'm not in control of things in my life I feel like I can't function and it takes the tiniest thing to set me off and feel sad.

I finally went back to the local pub on Saturday night for the first time since I broke up with my boyfriend and it was really hard. I found that everyone was trying to ignore the elephant in the room and it made me feel sad, like everyone was just pretending like he and I were never together (he wasn't there, but his friends were). Maybe it was too soon to start trying to fit myself back into my social circle. It's a lonely place to be when you know you're the good person but you have the most to lose.

Joan's a single mother now, and has to deal with the aftermath of her decision. Guess when you make that call you have to accept the consequences of being the one who ended it, but lose the power that supposedly comes with that decision. My social life has changed and that is just something I'm going to have to deal with so I can eventually be happy again.

"Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned,

Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned."

- William Congreve, The Mourning Bride

1697, act III, scene 8.

Are You Green? (May Poll Results)

Yes, I try to do everything I can to reduce, reuse & recycle 4 (44%)

Sometimes, I do what I can 7 (77%) 

My city/town doesn't have a recycling program, but I wish it did 0 (0%)

No, I think we're already doomed 0 (0%)

I think big industries need to step up and reduce first. 1 (11%)

iTunes Playlist Tuesday #149

So, here it is, The Break Up Mix!

1. Song for the Dumped by Ben Folds Five - I dumped him, and I don't owe him any money or anything - but I like the anger and bitterness in this song.

2. The Bad in Each Other by Feist - We really did bring out the worst in each other these past few weeks.

3. It's All Gonna Break by Broken Social Scene - And it did.

4. Ex-Girlfriend by No Doubt - Though I had plans in my head and thought he was "the one" there was always a part of me that felt like he had one foot out the door the whole time.

5. I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You by Colin Hay - It feels that way now, anyways.

6. Everybody Hurts by R.E.M. - I've been trying to take comfort in my friends.

7. Breaking the Girl by Red Hot Chili Peppers - He's definitely breaking me, that's for sure.

8. You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette - "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

9. New Loneliness by Sarah Harmer - A song about everything suddenly changing after a breakup. What was two now becomes one, and plans change.

10. Change the Sheets by Kathleen Edwards - A song about moving on.

What are some good songs for a bad break up?

North VS South, East VS West, Nugs VS Allison: Round 3

Score

Nugs - 8

Al - 5

Recap

Well, the only series that really mattered in Round 2 for us was the NYR - WAS series, as it was the only opportunity for me to gain a point. And like the Ottawa series that proceeded it, it wasn't a blow-out and it went to game 7! Game 7 was kinda boring, NYR got an early lead and pretty much just road it till the end. Washington tried to come up with some stuff in the 3rd, but it was too little, too late. So I lost that one.

The other interesting series was SLB vs LAK! Both Nugs and I thought they just got lucky against Vancouver, but no. They're hot and look like they're fighting their way to the Stanley Cup!

Round 3

*My predictions are in Red.

** Nugs's predictions are longer, funnier and have photos and graphics.

EAST 

NYR vs NJD 

To keep the rivalry going ill go New Jersey. Go Marty! 

It's safe to say that I'm pretty stoked that the Flyers have been knocked out of the Playoffs- I think by now we're all familiar with my intense Philly death wish, so I won't get into it again.

OK, maybe one more:

Anyway.

Although I'm psyched that the Stupid Flyers are no longer eligible for the Cup (HAHAHAHAHAHA!), considering it won me another point AND humiliated both the team and the bandwagon fans in the city of Philadelphia, I'm now faced with the foreboding knowledge that we now have to play the Devils in the Conference Finals. Not only are we bitter rivals in the Atlantic Division, going back decades, but New Jersey is the one team in the East that I can honestly see sending the Rangers home. Regardless of the fact that the Devils are the sixth seed in the East, I have to admit that they are an absolute match for us and make me very, very nervous. 

While we're fortunate enough to boast Lundqvist in the net, whose goaltending skills this postseason have been monumental, no one can argue with Brodeur, who has spent his entire 21-year career with the Devils and is arguably the greatest goalie in the history of the NHL. Forward Brad Richards has been a powerhouse and multiple other players, including defenseman Michael Del Zotto, have given the Devils reason to step up their game. New Jersey, however, has had fifteen different goal scorers in this postseason so far. Captain Zach Parise, who reaches free agent status in June, is more than likely looking to end this season with a win. 

The animosity between the Rangers and Devils has been brewing not only in the NHL, but between my brother and I, and also between myself and Coyote Tits, for years. While I'm leaning toward the side of my beloved Rangers, evidently the two of them are clearly focused across the river in New Jersey. Lest you are wondering whose side to take in this very important matter, I have provided you all with a stirring and compelling argument detailing exactly which choice is clearly correct:

Exhibit 1: A picture of our goalie:

A picture of their goalie:

Exhibit B: Come on. It's NEW JERSEY. The only thing to look forward to about New Jersey is leaving it.

Exhibit Unicorn: I have twelve dollars and thirty-four cents in my wallet right now that can easily be divided up. (READ: I am not above bribery). 

Exhibit DD: We have a player named Hagelin, which sounds like something my Yiddish grandmother would have called me when she tried to force-feed me homemade soup, and that makes you go "awwww," and remember stuff. All the Devils have stupid names. EXAMPLE: Travis Zajac can easily be mistaken for this dude:

This will be a rough couple of weeks, so please choose your alliances wisely. And by wisely, I mean choose me. Because I am adorable.

WEST 

PHX vs LAK 

 I can't deny it any longer, LA is so hot right now.

This was an EXTREMELY tough series for me to call. My first instinct was to go with Phoenix- they're such a great team, with amazing chemistry, an outstanding coach and an incredible goalie in Mike Smith. Their Semifinals series with Nashville was like seeing a mirror image, with each team going strong against each other, and although I'm not a huge fan per se of either team, it was still exciting to watch. Phoenix's story should be considered even more of an event due to the fact that they were going to be sold by the NHL, and now they're one of the best teams in the West. 

Unfortunately, I think Phoenix's run is about to end due to their match-up with LA. Personally, I'm shocked that the Kings made it this far- they spent the regular season just barely squeaking into the playoffs, knocked out first seed and President's Trophy winner Vancouver in five games and then swept number two seed St. Louis. LA, BTW, are the first eighth seed team to ever pull this off. If you told me at the start of the post-season that the Kings would be in the third round of the game I would have laughed at you, but there you have it. This is going to be a showdown between the two goalies- Quick and Smith- and based on their unbelievable 2012 postseason run, I have to give it to LA.

The Break Up Survival Kit

What would be in your arsenal? 

No, I'm Not Okay

Yesterday I was doing better but today I'm feeling sad again. Ever since my breakup on Saturday people have been asking me, "are you okay?" or "how are you doing?" I can't wait for the day when I say "I feel good."

The truth is I don't have any answers or closure - and I keep thinking that that's what I need to move on, but maybe not. Maybe the truth will hurt 10 times more. Sadly I still love him. I can't go back to him even if the opportunity presented itself, but that doesn't take away the fact that I still love him. It's going to be a while before that fades. Don't get me wrong, I also hate him right now. I hate him for making me feel this way. I hate him for always being away and not calling and being a shitty boyfriend. I hate him because this is tearing me up and he doesn't care.

So yeah, I'm not okay. I'm not okay with this. This isn't fair. It wasn't supposed to be like this!

Expectations VS Reality

My weekend.

iTunes Playlist Tuesday #148

Welcome to the neutral, non-love, non-breakup, non-sad playlist.

1. Leopard-Skin-Pill-Box Hat by Bob Dylan

2. Space Oddity by David Bowie

3. Safety Dance by Men Without Hats

4. Pets by Porno for Pyros

5. I Love to Boogie by T Rex

6. Little Acorns by The White Stripes

7. Yellow Submarine by The Beatles

8. All The Right Friends by R.E.M.

9. Happiness Loves Company by Red Hot Chili Peppers

10. Smile Like You Mean it by The Killers

K - that was really hard.

I'll Never Fall In Love Again

For a year now I've used this blog as a safe place to write about the struggles I've had being in a long-distance relationship. It's been nice to vent, and hear feedback and other people's stories. I'd like to thank all of you for that.

Today has been a really hard day. Today I ended my relationship. It wasn't pretty and I'm a complete mess. And that's all I'm going to say. While it's been very therapeutic talking about my frustrations here in the past, this time it's different. This time I lost the one I love because it wasn't working for us. I need time, I need privacy. So please respect the fact that I'm not going to go into great detail here.

I fell in love, it was wonderful for a while, and then it wasn't. That's all you need to know.

I'm not sure how much blogging I can muster for the next little while. My mind will obviously be occupied - filled with thoughts of loss and regret.

When I love someone I jump in with my whole heart, I do whatever I can for that person to make sure they know I love them and want to be with them. But I fall just as hard. Having anxiety doesn't help, it only amplifies those emotions.

I'll try to come up with a non-depressing playlist for Tuesday, but aside from that I might not be writing much. Anything I write will just sound like bad teenaged poetry right now. Emotions are real, but sound so cliched. Like I know I'm not the first person to have their heart broken and I most certainly won't be the last. I'm not unique - so I won't pretend that my story is special or different.

I love you guys - I truly do. This little world away from my real life is so important to me. Don't worry about me. I'm sure I'll feel okay, eventually.

iTunes Playlist Tuesday #147

Today is the first of May, or May Day to some (mostly in England). This is my special May 1st playlist.

1. Month of May by Arcade Fire

2. Lilac Wine by Jeff Buckley

3. Sundress by Ben Kweller

4. Love Lives by Black Dub

5. Paradise by Coldplay

6. A Day in the Life by The Beatles

7. Today's Another Yesterday by Emma-Lee (feat. Luke Doucet)

8. Shine by Daniel Lanois

9. The Park by Feist

10. It Happened Today by R.E.M.