The excitement of the moment...

I was in my hometown for Christmas this year.  It's always nice to take a break from the grind of life and have Mom feed you some home cooking.  This year, there was an added treat to all the festivities: Rush Hockey!

The Rush had a two game home stand after Christmas.  I was hoping to talk a friend of mine, Eddie, into the game.  Eddie and I go way back.  We grew-up in the same neighborhood and first met when I was 6 and he was 4.  We've been friends ever since.

Eddie wasn't able to make the Thanksgiving game, so I wasn't sure if he would be able to make it this time around.  To my surprise, not only did Eddie say he was interested, but his dad and two boys were as well.

It was a men's night out!

As excited as I was, sometimes things don't go your way.  If you have ever built up excitement for an event and then had it fall flat, this was one of those times.  The Rush, for whatever reason, were not into the game for the first 2 periods.  I think the guys were enjoying the game overall, but I had a nagging suspicion that they were maybe just being polite.

However, at the drop of the puck for the third period, things changed.

I'm not sure if Coach Ferras gave a strong talk during the second intermission or if a player stood up in the locker room, but there was a noticeable difference in the intensity.  We dominated the third period with 20 some shots on goal, but couldn't overcome the deficit we had built for ourselves earlier in the game.  It didn't matter, the guys were hooked.

The best moment?  After the game, Eddie's oldest asked "Dad, can we go to another game?"

Yes, hockey is fun.

A day to reflect (and de-stress)...

Sunday did not go well.  My Avs, Broncos, and many of my other teams lost two days ago.  The worst part about it, my Broncos might miss the playoffs after having led the division from Week 1 through Week 15.

In all fairness, Denver can still make the playoffs with a win in San Diego (a 'winner takes all' game).  But I'm not overly optimistic and this pains me to admit.  As an eternal optimist, I often find myself clinging to a thread of hope when all others have long bailed.  Don't believe me?!  Ask Ryan ("There is ALWAYS hope!").

If Sunday should go our way, it truly will be a miracle.

Merry Christmas!

ps--need a story of hope and love?  Read this story.

Supporting Legislation...

The BCS is a mess.

In case I haven't stated my opinion on the BCS, let me state it now: THE BCS NEEDS TO GO.

Rep. Joe Barton (TX-R) has introduced co-sponsored legislation (Bobby Rush (IL-D) and Michael McCaul (TX-R)) which will...

"prohibit the marketing, promotion, and advertising of a postseason game as a 'national championship' football game, unless it is the result of a playoff system.  Violations of the prohibition will be treated as violations of the Federal Trade Commission Act as an unfair or deceptive act or practice."

How fired-up am I on the issue?  Let's just say that someone from the High Plains of Wyoming just made phone calls to the Washington offices of each of the above named Congressional Representatives to thank them for the proposed legislation.

The price of a cup of coffee...

I enjoy spending time in coffeehouses.  The people interaction is something I enjoy and it makes my research and writing much more tolerable.  As noted previously, most of my work (such as the greater portion of my dissertation) has been completed with the help of a little caffeine boost.

Laramie has 3 such establishments that I frequent: Coal Creek Downtown, Coal Creek Uptown, and Turtle Rock.  Most independent cafes have qualities that make them unique, something as a cultural geographer that I really enjoy taking in.  However, the two Coal Creek locations have an additional quality that would make them unique on the national level: a clover machine.

A few years back, the clover machine was introduced as a new (and somewhat revolutionary) way of brewing coffee.  The coffee is made a cup at a time and has a reputation as being of the highest quality.  Expensive, but of very high quality.

A certain coffee giant from the Seattle area recognized the potential in this and bought the rights to the product keeping it out of the hands of any competitors.  However, before doing so, a handful of clovers were sold to independent establishments.

One of these establishments is Coal Creek.

As someone who needs cream and sugar with his brew, I'm by no means a true coffee connoisseur.  But even I can taste the difference.  Yesterday, I used a free coffee drink card to try a $24.99 16 oz cup of coffee.  Let me just say it was amazing.