Yep, I could use a nice cold beer! First off, I had a few things earlier this week to say about something that happened to my son...This LINK will take you to the second of two posts, it also contains a link to the first post...
So yeah, after that I wanted a drink or two...Then the New York Rangers went and lost game 7 to the Tampa Bay Lightning...I was having fears all throughout this series...The Rangers have been known for their speed and team defense...Problem 1...They play defense first...If they get a lead they just play all defense, and will only take a offensive chance if it come from a defensive breakdown from their opponent...Problem 2...The Lighting had the speed to match (if not better then) the Rangers...
There was a lot of complaining about the play of Rick Nash, which drives me crazy...He plays the system that he is in, and his defensive play was exceptional...And in 7 games against Tampa Bay, he had 7 points...That's not horrible people...What was horrible was the play of Martin St. Louis...From the moment the trade of Ryan Callahan for St. Louis was discussed, I hated it...Trading your captain for a guy 9 years older...It was ridiculous...And it showed...St. Louis looked nervous and uncomfortable whenever he had the puck on his stick...He was noticeably slower...Not good when you've made your name being one of the faster guys on the ice...His play was horrible...Callahan meanwhile played his normal gritty fashion just days after having his appendix removed...
Big Money defenseman, Keith Yandle, brought in at the trade deadline sucked...His defense was bad, and the offense he was suppose to bring, he must have left in Phoenix...He played his best game defensively in game 7, having to pick up the slack, as shutdown defenseman, Ryan McDonagh saw less ice-time because he had been playing the last few games with a broken foot...
There were some complaining that the injury of Mats Zuccarello in the Washington series had amajor impact on the team...Listen, I love how Zuccarello plays...He's a small, fast, feisty, gritty player, who has come into his own the last couple years...But if losing him is going to kill your Championship hopes, then you have bigger problem...The Rangers decided to let Defensman Anton Stralman walk after last year, and he walked right into Tampa Bay, and had great season, and his defensive play against his old mates was outstanding...The Rangers have been dead-set on keeping D-men Marc Staal and Dan Girardi, and Stralman's play proved they made the wrong call....The Rangers have grossly overrated Staal for years...And Girardi just looked tired through this series.
While I bash my team, I have to give proper credit to the Lighting...They played excellent hockey...They have a great eye for talent as Ondrej Palat who was a force, was drafted 208th overall in 2011, and line mate Tyler Johnson was an undrafted free-agent...So far in the playoffs, Johnson has 12 goals and 9 assists in 20 games...Kid is killing it...
Thankfully, Saturday night the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Anaheim Ducks...It's bad enough a city like Tampa Bay is in the Stanley Cup Finals, but if it was a California versus Florida Final, that would just be sacrilegious!
As for the Finals, I think Chicago is a better team...More talent with the likes of Toews, (best captain in the game) Kane, (insane talent and skills) Keith and Seabrook, (defensive studs and minute eaters) Hossa, Sharp, Saad, Bickell, Vermette, and more...I think Lighting Goalie Ben Bishop is better then Cory Crawford, but Crawford has been there before, and has a Cup under his belt...Chicago have been also been playing with pretty much 4 defensemen...That could bite them in ass if they can't feel comfortable mixing a couple other guys in there...Tampa Bay on the other hand seems to keep their legs fresh, dressing 7 defensemen...I think it will be close, but I'm going with Chicago.
-So, now that I got that hockey stuff out of the way, I'll move back into some personal stuff...About a month ago I took a chance on a new job offer...It was a "mom & pop" Italian place...The offer was good, and the plans and goals the husband laid out in front of me were very exciting...I had very high hopes for this career move...When I got in there I was saddened to find out they were using premade, frozen meatballs...Premade, frozen gnocchi, raviolis, tortellini, no in house made pasta...There were a number of little frustrating things, including I was training a new staff, without even knowing all I needed to know...Like how to make the house Red Sauce (which was actually homemade and delicious)...There was no recipes and no one showing me anything...I received a number of compliments on the food from the staff and guests as I was just winging it (doing it my way)...The couple of staff members who weren't new were telling me, "it's gonna get better, you're gonna make it better." That's a nice thing to hear, yet slightly alarming...
After some time, I felt the need to discuss changing stuff like the frozen shit, and writing out recipes with the wife...She ran the actual restaurant, and these were things her husband and I discussed...The talk didn't go well...Her saying "You better think about the choice you made." I left frustrated and upset...I called the husband, and he was not receptive to me, saying he "wasn't going to choose between me and his wife." I wasn't looking for a choice, just for them to get on the same page, and then we can work it out from there...
I got home and a was a wreck...Added to this, just days before we found out my Mother has Stage 4 Cancer...My wife and I talked for a while...We decided I would quit...My Mother was our primary sitter...She watched Molls every day that we were both working...Picked up the kids from school on those days...Got them started on homework, and has a major part of all of our lives...She was starting Chemo right away, and putting Molls in Daycare for a fuck-ton of a money didn't seem worth it...
I had felt like I had missed out on the last year to year and half of the older two kids lives...I had felt like a shitty father...So, for right now I'm Mr. Mom...(but looking to pick up some part-time hours)...Cooking, doing the dishes and laundry, taking care of stuff with the kids, and getting to a park with the kids as much as possible...I've a had a great time with Molls, and she's come back a bit to being Daddy's little girl...I feel like my son and I are reconnecting...My oldest is 13, she likes me and helps, but she's a bit bot crazy right now...But I'm happier then ever, and working on becoming the best wife I can be...(yeah, my wife and I joke and call me the wife...I like to cuddle after sex too!)
It's been a crazy, rocky few months...I'm terrified about what's going on with my Mom, but for everything else, I feel positive that things are going to work out alright...Hopefully her health will too...
For all the things that have been going wrong, I'll close with this....
Have a week!
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