Why?

I didn't feel like blogging about hockey today - Geezus, Tammy - shock of all shocks, are you feeling okay? ;-) So instead I'm going to ponder. I have to ponder in a rambling, stupid, what the hell kind of way because it's complicated and I like to be as ridiculous as possible most times.

Shoot, why is there no spell check auto correcting my word-flubs? Oh well, lets run with this. Wordflubs and all.

Today's theme = Why?

Why ...

1 - ...is work driving me crazy? I mean, what the hell? Am I totally insane? Why can't I be thrilled with what I've got? It's like a million times better than Target or Walmart or lapdancing for my dinners. So I'm stressed because it feels all wrong, and I don't know why -- I love the people there. Most all of people there. And the people I don't really click with aren't even that bad. I definitely don't
hate anyone there. And, I know if I got fired or layed off tomorrow that I'd be sniveling about it being the best damn opportunity I've had for years. So crap. Why not be happy and zen and warm and fuzzy?

2 - ...do I insist on keeping people in my life close to me who aren't even remotely the type of people who should be influencing my life on a daily basis in the first place? C'mon, I'm a hell of a lot smarter than that. Maybe it's the whole, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger thing. But I'm not quite sure I buy
that at the moment. If I drank a bottle of bleach and it didn't kill me, it would absolutely not make me stronger. I probably couldn't walk around the block ever again after doing something like that, let alone eat Namiko's sushi or drink my own body weight in gin. So what? Sometimes it's better to throw out the damn bottle of bleach and find an eco-friendly bleach alternative instead.

3 - ... did it take me 19 years to get another tattoo? Yes, I am that old. And technically I don't quite have my new tattoo yet, but it's blazing and beautiful in my mind so happy early birthday to me. And Chris! And possibly Brenna, but I haven't confirmed that yet. ;-)

4 - ...did I buy open toe purple pumps with no clothes to go with them? :)

5 - ... did the Avalanche come out and play totally flat last night in Dallas (oh, Dallas - the bane of my early 20's!!!!)? Ok, I lied about there being no hockey in this post. I just can't help myself.

6 - ...do the radio announcers continue to use terms like "Finger, banged one off the back boards..." when making play by play calls concerning Av's defenseman Jeff Finger? Is it just me or does that just take you out of the element for
a wee moment? Hee hee hee. Ok Tammy, grow up!!!

7 - ...am I not sleeping right now? (I have to wake up in 5.25 hours, ouch - another long day ahead).

8 - ...did my mid-term project for Advanced Photoshop come off with this evil aggressive feel to it, when everyone else chose a happy funny space theme, I chose a burning orange-eyed, angry, dark, liquified, tortured kind of theme for my composite. Hmmmmm..... feeling a bit angry and angsty are we?

9 - ... did I never write the great American Novel and become filthy rich and horribly pathetic and stalked by crazed fans of my work? Ok, still working on that. It could happen (as soon as I find time to write more, after I find time to work up a better portfolio, after I find time to be mother-of-the-year, after I find time to do the laundry-dishes-walk the dog-and exercise, after work, after cooking, after filling all worldly obligations, after all that. It just might happen.

10 - ...did Sticks, our IT guys hermit crab, PINCH the CRAP out of me today??? I'm a nice mutha-flippin animal lover. Beotch!!!!! Ouch!!!!

Good god, do I seem like a huge ball of stress right now?

Well, I'm sure I'll wake up and it will all be better. It's just the Monday talking. Surely Tuesday will look brighter when I get there :)

At least I do have some wonderful people in my life right now, whom I am very thankful for -- you know who you are. Take a bow! Thanks for the blog-vent. I'll now return you to your regularly scheduled hockey post...

Cheers!

Goalie thoughts...

Yeah, yeah.... it's *another* hockey post. So don't read if you don't want to!

Avs did well tongiht, beating the defending champs. Hejduk and Wolski were on fire tonight. Forsberg, Sakic, Salei, and Stastny -- not so much, but they weren't awful. Still, a win is a win!

Ben Guite was miked tonight. Very nice (hey Ben, where's the ol' Guite faceoff maneuver???? It's your signiture move, dude -- Bring It Back!!!)

I REALLY wanna know what Guite and Lappie were grinning so big about on the bench tonight. I really, really, really, really, really, really wanna know!!!!! Hey Altitude, what the hell's the deal with putting Peter McNab between the benches during the game? Not only does it look gay, it sucks. So stop it. Immeidately. Oh, and please mic Ian again - he's got a fantastic nonstop motor mouth, it's worth a million bucks mic-ed! (please and thank you)

Too much fun!

So goalie talk time.... I don't know why I don't like Theodore. He's been amazing lately. He's cute. He's got it goin' on. But I'd still like to see Budaj in net. Call me insane. Actually given the choice of anyone at all from anywhere I'd choose this guy as my goalie...



Oh yes. Yes I would.

Side note.... I cannot get his song outa my head.



I know. I expect the criticism. I hate JT. But I loooove this damn song. So shoot me now :)

YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!

Forsberg Announces He'll Play Tonight
Forward Back with Avalanche Against Vancouver
Colorado Avalanche
Mar 4, 2008, 1:39 PM EST

Forsberg
Colorado Avalanche forward Peter Forsberg announced following this morning's skate that he is ready to play and will make his 2007-08 season debut tonight against the Vancouver Canucks at Pepsi Center (7:30 p.m.)

Forsberg, who signed with Colorado on Feb. 25, will be playing his first game with the Avalanche since the 2004 playoffs against San Jose. Tonight will be his first regular season game with the club since April 4, 2004 vs. Nashville.

The Ornskoldsvik, Sweden native has recorded 871 points (248g/623a) in 697 career games, ranking him eighth on the NHL's all-time points-per-game list (1.25). Only Jaromir Jagr (1.26) has a higher points-per-game average among active players. Peter ranks fourth on the franchise's all-time scoring list with 741 points (216g/525a).

Forsberg made his NHL debut with the Quebec Nordiques during the 1994-95 season, where he earned the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie. During his next nine seasons in Colorado, he would go on to win two Stanley Cups, capture the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP (2003), was named a First-Team NHL All-Star three times (1998, 1999, 2003) and appeared in seven NHL All-Star games.

Paul Andrews, Kroenke Sports Enterprises Chief Marketing Officer, revealed that there are approximately 1,800 tickets remaining for tonight's contest. Visit www.coloradoavalanche.com or the KSE box office at Pepsi Center for ticketing information.

I am totally blown away!!!!

Attempt 2.... Damnit! Myspace ate my first post attempt (that was full of raw off the cuff hillarity and emotion, and much better writing) BUT I'm still buzzed and hyped up enough to try to recapture it all....

On we go...

So YES. Peter Forsberg, played a total of 20 min, 19 secs tonight!!!!! Holy huh!!!!!??!!!!!! Did anyone expect Foppa to come out and kick ass the way he did? I seriously expected him to play as little as possible while he regained his "sea legs" (c'mon, it's been 10 months since he's played a full NHL game. But I forget -- he's a HOCKEY PLAYER!!!!!! Duh! These guys lose teeth just for fun, and play with broken and/or missing limbs during playoff season. So....)

Oh yeah!!! He played tentative at first (for like.00726 minutes!), but it didn't take long for him to get out there and take names. He played longer than Sakic (if I'm not mistaken) and
he played a very physical game!!!!! He's still got the moves. He's still got it goin' on! As long as he's healthy, he's going to be unstoppable! Did you see him grinning from ear to ear during the post game interview??? Yeah, he was happy with how he played. He's glad to be back. If he's half as thrilled as we are, then wow. Watch out -- it's gonna be quite a ride!

No, he wasn't perfect, but there was a lot of chemistry. There was grit. There were punches and a fire under the surface. I am so excited, I can't wait to see the rest of the season! Though we will surely miss Svatos (and hope to see Smyth back in the line up soon).

Ah, ***sigh*** I'm in heaven. No one bring me off my cloud for the next few hours. Let me be all
silly and blissful and wound up for a while.

Sweet hockey dreams to you all. (And thanks to my co-worker Patrick for trying to get me tickets tonight. As embarrassing as it was, it woulda been worth it had it worked!!!!).

And wow, I'm sooooo impressed with Salei. He's gonna be HUGE for us! Just you watch!

;-) G'night!

Marek out for the season - Smyth out until he’s symptom free (Not good news here folks).

Smyth and Svatos Update
Smyth Suffered Concussion, Svatos Out With ACL Tear
(Ouch!!! Bad news Avs fans...)

Colorado Avalanche
Mar 3, 2008, 8:46 PM EST

Colorado Avalanche forwards Ryan Smyth and Marek Svatos met with Avalanche medical personnel this afternoon to determine the exact nature of their injuries.

Ryan Smyth suffered a concussion after his collision with the padded partition near the Avalanche bench. Until he is symptom-free, he won't be able to exercise or return to the ice. He also suffered a minor shoulder separation and will be out indefinitely.

Marek Svatos was diagnosed with a torn ACL and will require surgery. He will be sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Kings take out Smyth and Svatos - (But we still kicked your @ss!)

So, one of the great perks of my new job is that I get to see a LOT more live hockey. Two games in the last three weeks. God, I'm in heaven. :-) And yes, the news about Forsberg, Foote, and Salei joining the team is enough to send me through the roof. I know Salei's joining the team kind of got lost in the hullabaloo over Foote and Forsberg, but he is going to be HUGE for us on defense. He's on the ice and you just KNOW it's different out there. It's great we were able to get him, I hope he's here to stay.


The tribute to Foote when he played at the Pepsi Center on Saturday was tremendous. He (deservedly) received a huge rowdy standing-O, the home crowd definitely likes seeing him back on the bench. I cannot wait for Peter's return. I was hoping I'd get to see it live on Saturday (and yes, I'm working on tickets for when he does get to play, but I don't know if that will be doable or not. Though it never hurts to ask!).

It's always such a high to see a game live, and we were playing very well. Smyth was having an amazing game (two scores in the 2nd period - anyone need to buy a hat???) I told my husband -- you better go get one (a hat) because the man's on fire tonight!!! Then Svatos crumpled into the boards and it happened so fast I couldn't tell who it was and my initial reaction was that it was Ryan Smith. It didn't take long to figure out that it was Svatos, but that whole thing felt even eerier when Smyth did go down. And people, you do not want to know what it sounded like to hear Smyth slam into that glass edge. It was a nasty loud thud followed by seeing him fall motionless to the ice and just lay there. The place was rocking until that happened and you could just feel the air sucked right out of you as you watched that. I'm a fan hockey's fast and violent stuff, but when someone goes down, it's just not cool. The rest of the night just wasn't the same even though we won. Yeah, we kicked butt and took names. I'm just glad the jumbo-tron doesn't replay the injuries like the tv replays do.

After the game I heard Ian Laperriere
on the radio talking about going to go "talk" to Jack Johnson (the kid who
took the hit on Smyth). I hope we never trade him, he's so fantastically funny! But it's true, the hit was a clean one. Unlucky, but clean. However, (as Lappie said on the radio) you can't just hit one of our big guys and not expect one of the tough guys to come talk to ya! Here's a great article that sums it all up...



From MSNBC Sports Online

Smyth scores twice before leaving on stretcher



Colorado forward lay motionless on ice following hit; Avs beat Kings, 5-2 Ryan Smyth is attended to by training staff after Smyth was hurt following a hit by Jack Johnson of the Los Angeles Kings late in the second period of the Avalanche's 5-2 win over Los Angeles.

updated 9:56 p.m. ET March 1, 2008

DENVER - Soon after scoring his second goal of the game, Ryan Smyth was being taken off the ice on a stretcher after a violent check.

The Colorado Avalanche were still troubled by the image even after their 5-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.

"It was scary," said Ian Laperriere, whose team snapped a four-game home losing streak. with the win "You hate seeing that happen. It's a bad feeling."
Story continues below ?
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Smyth was injured when Los Angeles defenseman Jack Johnson checked him into the glass at the end of the Avalanche bench late in the second period.

The Colorado forward lay motionless on the ice for several minutes as trainers rushed out to attend to him. The Avalanche reported that he was conscious and walking, but was sent to the hospital for further examination.

"I saw him walking around, so that's great," Adam Foote said.

Johnson felt bad about the check that sent Smyth sprawling to the ice.

However, he knew what was coming next. Clean hit or not, a fight had to happen. It's part of hockey's code.

But there's honor among fighters, and Laperriere extended Johnson the courtesy of deciding when the brawl would occur.

"He came up to me and said, 'Do you want to get it over with?"' Johnson said. "I said, 'Sure."'

The fight never took place as Rob Blake stepped in and played the role of peacemaker, quickly breaking up the fracas. He didn't want to see his young defenseman get hurt by the fists of Laperriere. Not for what he thought was a clean hit.

"Unfortunately, Ryan got hurt on the play, and nobody wants to see that," said Blake, a former Avalanche player. "Jack is a young guy and I think we need to let the situation go."

That was difficult for the Avalanche.

"It doesn't matter if it's clean or not clean, it's a big hit on one of our big players and he got injured and someone had to do something," Laperriere said. "I felt like it had to be me. Jack knew exactly that someone had to come."

He knew all right. That's why he was willing to drop the gloves and take his lumps.

"The kid knew exactly where I was coming from," Laperriere said. "He wanted to fight and Blake came right in there. I have so much respect for Blake. I knew he wasn't going to punch me."

Smyth wasn't the only banged up Avalanche player on Saturday. The team also lost Marek Svatos, who injured his right knee after assisting on Ruslan Salei's first goal in an Avalanche sweater midway through the second period.

"It would be tough if the guys were out for any amount of time," said Joe Sakic, who scored a third-period goal, his ninth of the season. "But we've dealt with injuries all year. You have to play through it and persevere."

The Avalanche could soon be receiving a boost from Peter Forsberg, who went through a 60-minute workout session Saturday morning. The Swedish forward said he could possibly make his Colorado debut Tuesday night against Vancouver.

"Peter Forsberg at 80 percent is better than anybody," Laperriere said. "He's so talented. It's better for him to take his time and come back when he's ready."

Colorado has won three straight since the signing of Forsberg and the acquisitions of Salei and Foote at the trade deadline.

Foote remains a fan favorite and highlights of his first stint with Colorado were shown on the scoreboard during the first period. The crowd erupted and Foote acknowledged the applause by standing up in the bench area and waving his stick.

"It's great to be back," said Foote, who had an assist on Smyth's second goal, his first point as a member of Colorado since April 22, 2004. "It was good to add to the offense."

Notes: Avalanche forward Jordan Leopold set a new high with three assists. ... Goalie Jose Theodore won his third straight start, matching his longest streak of the season. ... Blake and Michael Cammalleri scored for the Kings. ... It was Smyth's second multi-goal game of the season, both coming against the Kings.