isles

On saturday i finally went to my first islander game of the year. After having routinely gone in high school, i seldom go now because much of the season is played while im here at cortland. my stepdad frank got 2 free tickets from work so i took my friend nick and we were actually one section away from where he used to have season tickets so it was fun. we were sitting next to another guy around our age and the 3 of us were yelling and shouting the whole game. it was really funny because me and my friend nick always rip on this one player andy hilbert who tries hard, but just isnt very good and this other guy seemed to feel the same way. so when we were all ripping on him of course he scores his first goal of the season to tie the game. we were all so shocked and then happy when we realized what had just happened. anyway the islanders ended up winning the game 2-1 in front of a packed crowd which surprised me to see so early in the season. it was a great atmosphere and i cant wait to go to more games during winter break.

Its back

After a number of months off hockey is finally back! Im a huge Islander fan and after seeing our season end to the Buffalo Sabres in the first round of the playoffs 4-1, there was nothing better than sweeping a home and home with him to put us up at a 2-0 record to start the season. This is a team that lost 6 of its top 10 point scorers and whos biggest addition was new captain Bill Guerin. He has been leading a line with fellow newcomers Ruslan Fedetenko and Mike Comrie. That line alone combined for 13 points in the 2 games against Buffalo. Rick Dipietro, now in the 2nd of his NHL record 15 year contract has played well and the team needs him to play big if they want to go further than the 1st round. The defense led by veteren Brendon Witt, has also played well, today allowing only 12 shots to the Washington Capitals albiet in a 2-1 loss.

This week the team also signed penalty killing forward Richard Park and young defensmen Radek Martinek. Needless to say im very excited about this upcoming season especially after a strong first 3 games. This year it shouldnt be enough to just get in the playoffs only to outsted in the first round. Ted Nolan has coached this team well and I know theyre ready to play and take the next step to becomming a top team.

Lunch

So today for the first time i ate a sandwich that had peanut butter, grape jelly, and bacon on it. Thats right. Bacon. I must say it was quite good. My friend Nick told me he heard about the sandwich from ESPN analysist John Buccigross. At first, like I'm assumming most people would, I thought it sounded gross. But after manning up and eating it I thought it was really good. The bacon, which i thought would overpower the sandwich, added a nice little salty taste to it which really added to the flavor. I forced 2 of my friends, who dont even like bacon to try it and they agreed it was alot better than they thought it would be. When I ordered it the lady in dragons court gave me a funny look and my friends told me they were laughing as I walked away. This was the reaction I basically anticipated. But you know what I bet that the first person to add jelly to a peanut butter sandwich got the same looks and that sandwich is in lunchrooms all across America! I hope a similar thing happens with this sandwich.

Once again...

It's fall in Cortland so I think we all know what that means...illness. I've already been sick for about a week now and its making me miserable. I hate being sick. I am lucky though, I have a rather good immune system and don't get sick often. Last year I only got sick once for the year, but I was not ready for this cold to come so soon. I already hear people in class coughing and having some small sniffles and I just know this is how most of the year is going to be. I'm not in terrible shape, my head is just stuffed up and I have some chest congestion but its so annoying and I just want it to go away. It hasnt really prevented me from doing much, I've still gone to all my classes and after missing track practice Monday and Tuesday I've been back running.

Having just this one small isolated cold makes me feel bad for those who have bad allergies and are like this for months. I've never had allergies and I hate being like this for 2 weeks I cant imagine being like this for months at a time and then going into just winter colds.

Like I said it hasnt stopped me from running, other than those few days so I'd much rather have this than any kind of injury. My buddy Keith is on the XC team and has had leg problems since the 1st week hes been here and I know how miserable he is. I missed time in both 11th and 12th grade and it was awful, I feel really bad for him he works harder than most.

Oh well I guess other than complaining, drinking fluids, and taking some meds there isnt much I can do. I've been coughing and sneezing less so thats a start!

Living with our teams

I, like everyone else hates when my team loses. And I'm willing to bet that most fans' moods are determined, at least for a little bit by how their team does. Why do we do this? I know if my Jets lose on Sunday I feel like my whole week is shot where as if they win its the start of a great 7 days. When the Mets win (which right now they are not!) my whole demeanor is different. If they lose, especially a couple in a row, I dont want to talk to anyone and am the meanest person youll meet. But why do we (I) take it so personally? There's nothing I could do about it. It doesnt physically change my life at all. But as I sit here writing this, with the Mets down, and the Jets having lost yesterday, I am already angry at anyone who should send me an instant message and God help me if someone calls it will take all my strength not to throw the phone at the TV.

Yet we all still watch. Hoping that the next day is better than the last, that this is "our" year. For all in all there is only one team in every sport that leaves its fans in joy. One out of 30. Those are terrible odds! Youre better off going to Vegas to try your luck. But no. I'm going to watch until the final game for a chance of some happiness when all in all I make my own happiness. No one else. It's no ones responsibility for me being unhappy other than my own.

But its what we all do. We look for happiness in other places. And I'm just like everyone else. We have no power over the world of sports. They are the cause of more emotion than anything I can think of. Why? I dont know. 29/30 teams fans are left unhappy. That's a ridiculous amount of people. It really doesnt make sense.

Showers are so beneficial

I think something we often take for granted are showers. I dont know about anyone else, but they are a great part of my day I love taking showers. Besides the fact that they keep us clean and smelling great, each one is its own rejuvination. Youre having a bad day, you take a shower and you get out feeling somewhat better ready to take on the rest of the day. They are a complete cleansing of body and mind. They allow for a brief period to just escape the day and focus on yourself. I dont think its any coinsidence that some of my best thinking comes when I'm taking a shower. And they can also provide for an excuse that can come in handy. Someone calls and you dont want to answer you can just tell them later you were in the shower. The amount of benefits showers give are infinate. So the next time youre in the shower, take a moment to think of the wonder that is the almighty shower.

Be happy. Be yourself.