Bittersweet Afternoon at The Bank

As many of you already know, I had November 22 circled on my calendar for quite a while now.

I had purchased pre-sale tickets for the Sens game that afternoon way back in early September - so long ago, that it felt the day might never come. I was eagerly awaiting this game for a special reason. Not just because I love going to Sens games, nor because I was interested in seeing their new third jerseys.

I was there on "Back in Black" day to see one player in particular. And he wasn't even wearing one of those snazzy new black sweaters.

The player I was there to see was suited up in a number 6 jersey, wearing the white, red & blue of the New York Rangers.

I'm still not used to seeing Wade Redden wearing different colours. It didn't get any easier in person. From the moment he stepped on the ice for the warm-up, right through to the end of the Sens 4-1 win, I couldn't help thinking, "He's on the wrong team. He doesn't look right in that uinform." (Although he does look pretty sexy in this photo, from http://www.ottawacitizen.com/)
That being said, I was really glad I was there, and it was a great game to be at. We brought Caden to his first live NHL game. He loves watching hockey on TV, and going to see his Uncle Luke play on Sundays, so we figured he'd like to see a Sens game in person. He was pretty quiet most of the time, and refused to take off his coat, tuque and mitts until Cowan bribed him with cotton candy in the third period, but apparently he couldn't stop talking about it afterwards! His only issue seemed to be the traffic getting out of the parking lot - while stuck in the bottle-neck of vehicles trying to escape, he kept saying, "Go, Daddy! GO!" (Don't we all feel that way leaving SBP, though?!)

As for the actual game - it was great to see the Sens back on track! They dominated the Rangers, especially through the first period, when they recorded the first 14 shots on goal. Alex Auld played another strong game, leaving me to believe that Martin Gerber's not gonna get much of a shot in nets again this year. Too bad, so sad.

My new favourite Sen, Jesse Winchester, scored a goal, his second of the season, so that was pretty cool. It was like a changing of the guard, as he and Wade Redden both went tumbling into the net after he scored - my new fave taking out my old fave while scoring on the same play. Jesse's still a far cry from being my Wade, but I admire his grit and he seems to work really hard. I look forward to seeing him grow and develop as a Senator.

The other Ottawa goals came from Jason Spezza, who opened the scoring, Nick Foligno, who had actually scored earlier but the goal was disallowed after they said he touched it with a high stick (bullsh*t), and the captain, Daniel Alfredsson.

Wade did manage to earn a point on the lone Rangers goal, collecting the second assist on Markus Naslund's tally. It was pretty cool to be scored against and still be able to cheer and smile!

But for me, the absolute best part of the afternoon was seeing the video tribute to Wade Redden on the jumbotron about 6 minutes into the game. During a TV-time out stoppage, my mom elbowed me and pointed to the big screen. Matchbox 20's song "How Far We've Come" was playing, with clips and images of Redden flashing across - videos of him scoring goals and celebrating wins with his teammates, pictures of his signing autographs and posing with kids at CHEO, a shot of him holding the trophy the year they beat Buffalo to become the Eastern Conference Champions and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals...

After the classy video tribute was over, they thanked Redden for his 11 years in Ottawa, and all the the valuable things he did for the team and the community. By this point, the fans were up and cheering, giving him a well-deserved and lengthy standing ovation. Redden rose from the bench and waved his glove at the fans in thanks.

I had a lump in my throat; I had tears in my eyes. Only afterwards did I find out that my mom was struggling to keep her emotions in check too, and my sister actually even had tears streaming down her cheeks (which she's blaming on being overly-emotional at 8 1/2 months pregnant...but I think she would've cried anyway...)

Being there for that moment - after all the crap I've had to go through as a Redden fan over the years - it made it all worthwhile. Seeing him recognized for his contributions and seeing an arena full of people applaud him - it made me proud to be a fan of Wade Redden's. And while I had hoped I'd never see the day that he'd be sitting in another team's colours and waving to the fans in his return to Ottawa, I'm so glad I was there to see it. I wouldn't have wanted to miss it for the world.

He's still #1 in my heart.

How Far We've Come by Matchbox 20

Waking up at the start of the end of the world,

But it's feeling just like every other morning before,

Now I wonder what my life is going to mean if it's gone.

The cars are moving like a half a mile an hour

And I started staring at the passengers who're waving goodbye

Can you tell me what was ever really special about me all this time?

I believe the world is burning to the ground

Oh well I guess we're gonna find out

Let's see how far we've come

Let's see how far we've come

Well I believe it all is coming to an end

Oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend,

Let's see how far we've come

Let's see how far we've come.

I think it turned ten o'clock but I don't really know

And I can't remember caring for an hour or so

Started crying and I couldn't stop myself

I started running but there's no where to run to.

I sat down on the street, took a look at myself.

Said, "Where you going, man? You know the world is headed for hell."

Say your goodbyes if you've got someone you can say goodbye to.

I believe the world is burning to the ground

Oh well I guess we're gonna find out

Let's see how far we've come

Let's see how far we've come

Well I, believe, it all, is coming to an end

Oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend,

Let's see how far we've come

Let's see how far we've come

It's gone, gone, baby, it's all gone

There is no one on the corner and there's no one at home

It was cool cool, it was just all cool

Now it's over for me and it's over for you

Well it's gone, gone, baby, it's all gone

There is no one on the corner and there's no one at home

Well it was cool cool, it was just all cool

Now it's over for me and it's over for you

I believe the world is burning to the ground

Oh well I guess we're gonna find out

Let's see how far we've come

Let's see how far we've come

Well I, believe, it all, is coming to an end

Oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend,

Let's see how far we've come

Let's see how far we've come

That Was Some Unsettling TV...

If it's possible to be bothered by television shows, that happened to me last night.

First, with Survivor. Already disgruntled that Marcus was banished last week to the jury, things didn't improve for me this week. I'm still baffled by this wacky twist of events in Gabon that has seen the decimation of the powerful alliance that once included Marcus, Charlie, Corrine, Randy, and Bob. At one point, when they were all at Kota, it appeared they had the game in their hands. Suddenly they are being tricked and blindsided by the likes of Crystal and Kenny - left, right & centre. Last night, they managed to get their hands on Sugar and sway her to their side. First Susie, now her. And this week, their coup de grace was eliminating Charlie from the game.

I hate the way Kenny looks like a rat - he even compared himself to one last night, and that's exactly what he looks like. A friggin' RAT!! And he seems proud of that!! And hoooo boy, if I was there, I'd be slapping that vile little smirk off Crystal's face everytime something goes her way. I haaaaaaaaate her!!

Damned good thing Matty's still there. At least he's hot. But even he's annoying me now, and I can't believe he's choosing to side with Crystal & Kenny; however, it looks like Corrine, Randy & Bob are going to do their best next week to turn the tables and bring him over to their side, now that they've merged. I hope & pray that they're able to secure his vote to get out Crystal - otherwise, The Uglies (that's what I call Crystal & Kenny) will have this thing in the bag. And if that happens...what a waste of a season that once held so much potential.

So after watching that bothersome episode of Survivor, I decided to stay up and watch Grey's Anatomy too.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love Grey's. Love it. But I'm a little disturbed by the fact that they're bringing Denny back. Now. After he's already been DEAD for 2-plus seasons.

I'm not sure if he's a ghost, or if Izzie's just hallucinating, or if the rumours are true and they're giving her a brain tumour and that's the reason why she's seeing Denny. I have no clue. I'm trying to see beyond the weird awesomeness of having Denny back, and having Izzie be able to touch him, and, by the looks of the previews, she's going to actually sleep with him next week...?!? How can this all be possible?!? I'm trying to see beyond it, because while many Grey's fans are in an uproar over the silly ridiculousness of bringing back Denny, I'm thinking it could lead to some really great plotlines.

The truly bittersweet part of the whole thing is that Izzie was finally - FINALLY - starting to be happy with Alex. They had cute scenes where they finally decided they were going to "go steady", and after Alex had been all bent out of shape and angry and hateful over his crazy ex-girlfriend Ava/Rebecca, it was so nice to see him smile again. And in a healthy relationship.

Whoopsie. Maybe not so healthy after all. Imagine the turmoil he's going through, seeing Izzie -his beautiful, wonderful Izzie - talking to her dead ex-fiancé in the halls of Seattle Grace.

Yikers. I don't want Alex to have another crazy girlfriend. He doesn't deserve this! He's already suffered through so much pain and tragedy... Can he really handle having to battle Denny again for Izzie's affections? He battled Denny once, and lost. Can he battle Denny's ghost and win?

I'm actually hoping the rumour that Izzie has a brain tumour, causing her to hallucinate Denny, is what's really going on. Not that I want Izzie to die - but if that is what's causing her to see Denny again, then they'll discover her illness, and I think it would be super-romantic and awesome to see her come through it and realize all along that it's been Alex at her side, not Denny.

But for now...Denny's back!! And while it is odd and troubling, I'm super-stoked that for a few episodes, I get to soak up the humour and the hotness that is Denny. Woo-Hoo!

Aside from that, my other favourite part from last night was when Callie broke down in the OR over Dr. Hahn leaving without even saying goodbye. I was not a fan of Hahn's, so I wasn't sorry to see her go, or to see the end of their experimental lesbian relationship - but I did feel for Callie last night when she started to sob and couldn't stop. And I absolutely loved that McSteamy, who's usually only around for comedic relief and to take the women of Seattle Grace into the on-call room for a romp, was the one who stood by her, and let her have her moment, and held her while she cried. I love it when you find out the assholes of the world really have good hearts.

Last but not least - Dr. Mark "McSteamy" Sloan gets credit for one of the best lines ever on the show, after labelling Meredith's younger sister Lexie "Little Grey". Meredith (aka "Big Grey") was worried that he'd be making predatory sexual advances on her sister, so she asked Derek to speak to him and tell him to keep "Little Sloan" away from "Little Grey". When Derek repeated that pretty much word-for-word, Mark looked at him incredulously and said, "'Little Sloan'? No, no, no. 'BIG Sloan'!"

And that, folks, is why I love this show!!

Not Enough Pigott on The Border!!

To follow up on yesterday's Blog, I did get to watch my taped episode of the CBC drama The Border, which featured a guest appearance by Sebastian Pigott on Monday night.

I've searched and searched the 'Net for still-frames to show you how Sebastian looked, but I can't find any. So here's a pic of Sebastian acting in a play - the closest thing I could find in pictures.

I only could find the actual video for the episode "Articles of Faith" on The Border's website. If you want to check it out, here's the link:

http://www.cbc.ca/theborder/watch.html

You don't have to watch for long to see him in action - I was thrilled when I caught sight of Seb very early on in the episode. He played the role of Jason Whitmore, a young Canadian border guard, who claimed to have a tip that a van carrying women & children belonging to a fundamentalist religious sect across the border would be also trying to sneak over weapons.

Turns out he was only trying to save an old friend, Rachel, with the twist being he was also once a part to the same extreme Christian group, and was banned at the age of 13. He had received emails from her, and she was telling him she was dreading her forced marriage to an aging polygamist who had many other wives. She used Jason to get her safely across the border, with him under the impression he had to save her from this injustice, but Jason had no idea he was just a pawn in her game to get to her to the ring-leader of their church, her true desire.

It was sort a crazy episode, with lots of twists and turns along the way, but I really enjoyed it. I'm not saying I'll become a regular viewer of The Border - without the Pigott allure, I'm not sure I'm all that interested in the show - but for Canuck television, it was pretty decent.

I had my issues with Sebastian in the episode. For one thing, he didn't last long enough - he turns up dead about 19 minutes in. That sucked big-time. His character actually was a main focal point of the episode, but I didn't get to see nearly enough of him.

That being said, I'm sure it truly was a wonderful opportunity for him to get some exposure as an actor. Even though his screen-time wasn't as great as I'd have liked, he did have an intriguing role to play, and I thought he played it extremely well.

At the very least, Sebastian seemed to take full advantage of his chance to display his talents - the dude is definitely more than just a singer, and I'm positive more acting opportunities will arise thanks to his guest spot on The Border. His portrayal of a scared, stricken young man trying to protect a girl whom he has so much in common with was terrific, and I'm hoping his role as Jason will open more doors for him in television and film.

And I did come to one very positive conclusion - the boy should have to wear a uniform. At all times. He looked absolutely delicious!!

Wish I had a picture to show you - but just in case you've forgotten (like I'd ever let you!), here's one more look at Sebastian:

*sigh*

Gettin' Me a Dose of Pigott!

Hey guys.

So I moved. I've been gradually moving for about a month, slowly moving stuff down to the new house, while still sleeping in my own cozy room at home.

But this past weekend, it actually got done. Aside from some clothes and little stuff, I've officially changed addresses.

And if there's one thing I've learned (or been reminded of from my college apartment days), is that I'm not a good mover. I worry about everything, and when I let my mind really slip into the deep, dark places that make me bubble with anxiety, I end up panicking, thinking, "What if things are never right & normal again? What if I always feel like I want to move back home?"

I talk myself back down, reminding myself that it's not exactly normal for a 25-year-old to be still living at home with Mom & Dad, yet I'm still close enough that I can skip back whenever I want. It's not like I've moved to frickin' Siberia. I'm just down the road.

This week, having no groceries or satellite dish yet, I've been actually at home more than I've been at the new place. I eat at home, I watch TV at home - then I just go to the new house to sleep, and shower in the morning.

So far, that seems to be working quite well for me. Just might have to keep it that way.

Anyways...If there's anything that can bring me back out of my doldrums, it's news on the Sebastian Pigott front! Remember him? The dude I drooled over pretty much all summer long?

Well, I've given you a long enough reprieve - it's time he get some more space on the Blog!

I was super-excited when I heard yesterday that he had a guest-starring role on the Canadian television drama, The Border. Never watched it before in my life, and I still haven't actually seen the episode, but I did tape it and I'm looking forward to watching it. Word on the street is Seb got to do a lot of his own stunts, and that his character eventually dies. But I won't mind, so long as I get to look at his handsomeness for another while!

Just to remind you, here's some pics.


It will be interesting to see Sebastian in an acting role, after watching him on Idol doing the singing thing. From the rooting around on the Internet that I've done, it appears that Sebastian's heart lies more with acting and playwriting than music or modeling. He's written several scripts that have been produced by DropShip Entertainment in Toronto, in which he has also acted, and he's also had bit roles on other movies and shows, such as the Canadian film "The Poet", set in WWII.

Being on Idol certainly will have opened more doors for him in acting, and I'm sure his guest appearance on The Border will give him even more exposure, as it is his first mainstream acting role. I'll let you know what I think of his acting once I actually get to watch the episode (hopefully tonight). I can't wait!!!

The Rise of Jesse, The Demise of Marcus

I missed the Sens game last night, but for good reason. I had a ticket for the Cabaret in Shawville, and once again, Mrs. Conrad's crew put on a wonderful show. The theme was "And Peace Ever After", with the chorus performing songs from the WWII era. I didn't know most of the songs they sang, but they were wonderful, and it was a great night! A special shout-out to Lindsay, Jared & Holly for lending their voices to the show, you all did a fantastic job.

When I got home, the first thing I checked on was the Sens score, and I was thrilled to hear that they defeated the Philly Flyers soundly on home ice, 4-1. While I haven't had the opportunity to watch many of the games recently, it seems as though they are finally starting to come around and gel together as a team. There has been praise for how they're paying more attention to team defence, and for how Alex Auld has stepped in and played strong after poor ol' Marty Gerber floundered (once again).

So I went downstairs to watch the highlights, and I was informed by Luke that my boy had scored. For a moment, I thought he meant Wade Redden, because he will always be "my boy". But then it clicked when I saw the replay of Jesse Winchester scoring his first NHL goal. The other day I spoke of the smile on Fisher's face when he scored his first of the season - well, last night, the smile on Jesse's face was just as sweet. (Even though Luke told me that he thinks Jesse has a crooked face. Like, c'mon, how can you have a 'crooked face'?) I was very happy for him, and I hope he has continued success in a Sens uniform. It'll take me a bit longer before I start considering him "my boy", but last night was definitely a step in the right direction for my relationship with Jesse!! (hee hee!!)

It would figure, on an evening that was going so well, that something would have to go wrong. That happened on Survivor last night. STUPID Survivor shake-ups that screw up alliances...I hate it!!

So yes. Jeff fooled them with a feast and had them thinking they were merging, but all he actually did was split them back up into two new tribes once again. Marcus ended up back at Kota with Bob and Susie from his alliance, and the wretched Crystal & Kenny. (The two of them may be my most hated Survivors ever...I loathe them). Former Kota members Randy, Charlie, and Corrinne headed back to Fang to hang with Matty & Sugar.

Marcus really ended up with the bum end of the deal by getting stuck with Susie on his new tribe. She is one of the most erratic, unpredictable players ever in the game. Marcus was nervous, and rightly so. I absolutely loved it when he broke his tribe down by saying there was him & Bob on one side, Crystal & Kenny on the other, with Susie playing "dizzy bat" in the middle. Quite an accurate description!!

Then Kota lost the Immunity Challenge, thanks to Matty out-lasting Bob balancing two poles on his hands. Props to Bob for hanging in as long as he did, and for a long time it looked like he was going to pull out the victory. Admirable for a man his age, up against a young guy like Matty.

I'm not sure what happened to the Fang plan to throw the challenge. Randy, Corrinne, and Charlie were afraid for Marcus' safety, due to him having the flighty Susie on his tribe, and they discussed losing purposely to save Marcus from the vote while they would gladly take the opportunity to vote Matty off their side. However, things didn't fall into place. Marcus bowed out of the challenge sooner than I think any of them expected, and they had no way of controlling Matty, who went on to win it for his tribe.

I thought Marcus might be OK with Crystal & Kenny after he found out that he and Crystal had an interesting connection - one of Marcus' best friends from back home is Crystal's cousin! He thought he had cemented a pretty good relationship with her based on that, but then he told her of his plans to oust Kenny, and Crystal went on the attack. She convinced Susie that Marcus couldn't promise her Final 3, and the next thing I knew, those dumbasses were voting him out.

I could've cried. Marcus is the best thing I've seen in this game since Colby, and it's complete bullsh*t that he's gone this early, while Crystal & Kenny, and espcially Susie, get to sit there with smug smirks on their faces. ARGHH...It makes me sooooooo mad!!

It made me think of a line that Mike Boogie used on Big Brother in Season 2, when some of his alliance members were getting evicted from the house. He said something like, "This is a joke! This game is losing all its stars and its being taken over by the f---ing EXTRAS!!"

That's exactly how I felt watching Marcus walk off last night with Crystal, Kenny, and Susie still sitting there. It's like the nasty people have risen up and taken control of the game, while the good, educated people are getting axed left and right. It doesn't make sense, and I only wish Marcus had somehow been dealt a better hand at the tribal shake-up.

Oh, and it's also too bad that Marcus orchestrated the whole "setting the Idol free" lunacy, when they took the hidden Immunity Idol that they found in the sand at their feast and tossed it into the ocean.

That stupid thing sure woulda come in handy at Tribal Council last night. I'm sure it's a decision he'll regret. For a long, long time.

A Good Day. A GREAT Day.

Today is a good day.

A great day, in fact.

First of all, I awoke to the news this morning that Democrat Barack Obama is the first black President of the United States. As I've mentioned in previous blogs, I really don't pay all that much attention to politics, but one would have had to be living under a rock not to get caught up in this epic Presidential campaign.

From what I've seen of Obama, he's an articulate, intelligent man, and he certainly impressed me far more than his Republican counterpart, John McCain. (I won't even get into Sarah Palin...)

It was an historic vote, not just for Americans, but for the entire world.

In Obama's first speech as President-Elect, he said this about the tasks at hand: "The greatest of a lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face."

I can't wait to see how Obama's reign as President unfolds, and how it will affect us as Canadians. We'll find out soon enough what kind of a leader he is, because with the world in the precarious state it is in, he'll either sink or soar.

But something tells me the future has been left in very capable hands. He has the potential to be one of the greatest Presidents in history. Indeed, today is a very good day.

So what makes today a great day?

Why, the smile on Mike Fisher's face last night when he scored in OT to beat the Washington Capitals before a hometown crowd at the Bank in Ottawa.

What a beautiful smile it was!

I haven't blogged much on the Sens yet this year, due to the fact that they've gotten off to a bit of a shaky start, and the fact that I still miss Wade. Painfully so.

But we've all been hearing the mutters about Mike Fisher as this young season develops. "He works so hard, but no points in the first ten games? Not good enough for a guy making $6M this season."

No one could ever question Mike Fisher's grit or heart, but people were starting to squirm impatiently the longer he went without any points. Secondary scoring has been an issue for the Sens the past few seasons, and he's supposed to be one of the key guys providing it. As Bryan Murray publicly mulled over the possibility of moving a roster player to acquire a puck-moving defenceman (ahem...anyone remember when we used to have one named WADE!?!), or possibly a goaltender, Fisher's name was starting to come up as the guy they might have to lose in order to gain in other areas.

Safe to say the Fisher Frenzy was starting to reach fever-pitch going into last night's game. He just had to do something about it.

I only got to catch the last few minutes of regulation time, with the score dead-locked at 1 apiece, and when I arrived at my spot on the couch, I was informed by the family that Fisher had broken his point drought by assisting on Dany Heatley's goal. I let out a sigh of relief, glad to know the pressure on him would be lessened now that he had made it onto the scoresheet.

Mike Fisher's not my favourite all-time player or anything, but losing him would sure decrease the Hotness Factor on the team!

(And I supposed I would miss his hard-working, all-heart performances as well).

In any case, I wasn't a fan of the talk of him leaving town, so hearing that not only did he have a beauty assist on Heater's goal, but also that he could have arguably been called the best player on the ice throughout the game, proved to me that Mike had decided to take his fate into his own hands. He was making sure to step up to the plate and prove to the nay-sayers that he is perfectly capable of being one of the best players on this team.

With time winding down in Overtime, a sweet play developed when the Sens stormed the Washington end and Alfredsson slid a pass over to Fisher in the slot. Fish one-timed the game winner past Caps goaltender Brent Johnson to put an exclamation point on his stellar performance.

So yes, the smile on his face as he was mobbed by his teammates was beautiful.

I'm sitting here smiling just thinking about it.

And that's what makes today a great day.