I've got nothing.

I have nothing to say about the pitiful loss to the Lightning. Nothing at all. Except this: Drew, maybe I really did need to bake you a cake. Maybe you would've had more incentive to play. But I don't know about the rest of the team... Maybe they expected cupcakes, or something. I guess I'll have to try again with Jason's birthday...

Anyways, I have to say that MJ's post today is fantastic! You should all go read today's installment of My Safety is Harvard. Now. But then come back, because I have some pictures to show you:

Thomas Vanek. Wow. He does pull Dumb and Dumber off well, though.


I think Paul took my flapper idea too far... Though, the balloons are a nice touch.


Pat looks like he's trying to be... Well, I don't know exactly.


Clarke is going as the winner of Pretty, Pretty Princess.


Mark's friend makes a nice, cute fairy princess, and Mark is Pippy Longstockings.


Stefan is a very sexy hula dancer. The hair is incredible.


Nathan wears that headdress nicely.


Jason's dressed as a very flamboyant member of Buffalo's Fire Department.

That's all I've got. And those are all stretches (except for Vanek's) because they're actually from the Amerks at Your Service Dinners, but whatever. They serve my purpose. And since you've all seen this picture, I couldn't very well use it:


I do like Vanek's, um, stance as he impersonates Lance Armstrong, and Paul's exposure of his legs as John McEnroe. Very nice, boys... Very nice.


And really, if you haven't read MJ's post yet like I told you do, do it now. You won't regret it.

Happy Halloween!!

Tampa Bay? Seriously? and no this is not Grey's Anatomy

So I originally wasn't going to go to tonight's game because my mom and I share season tickets with my uncle and he had tonight's game. But a guy my mom works with said he couldn't go and asked my mom if she and I wanted to. Of course she said yes and now I'm wishing she'd said no. Because not only was I depressed as hell that the Sabres lost to Ottawa, I'm even more depressed that they lost to TAMPA BAY????? How the hell does this happen? How the hell do we lose to Tampa Bay a team that, for all intents and purposes, was the worst team in the NHL two years ago and last year near the very bottom if I'm not mistaken. Okay now that my rant is out of the way.

Two bright rays of sunshine made the day marginally better, Paul played tonight for the first time since the preseason and Hank played after having his leg slashed by an errant skate last week. So our injured team is slowly making progress back to full health, the only players missing are Rivet, who skated today and said that his leg was feeling good, and Timmy, who knows or cares when he's going to be back. Let's all hope that no one else gets hurt in the interim, especially defensemen, because we really can't afford not to have a completely healthy team.

What I wondered about tonight was why Mike Weber played instead of Nathan Paetsch, considering Paetsch is technically on the team and Weber is a call up. Why pay to have Weber up here when we have a perfectly good defenseman waiting in the wings for a chance to play another game?

In other news the Sabres' coaches and broadcasters all wore ties to support Hockey Fights Cancer tonight. The players wore small stickers on their helmets because as obvious they couldn't wear ties because they were too busy LOSING to TAMPA BAY. Also they sold pink hats signed by the players tonight with proceeds going to benefit the Sabres foundation and Roswell Park. Mine this year was signed by Nathan Paetsch, which was another reason I was disappointed he didn't play.

But what can you do besides look to Saturday's game and hope that Craig starts playing really soon, because without him we seem a little lost wait...no.....REALLY LOST, as in lost to OTTAWA and TAMPA BAY, without him.

I'm going to go cry now.

It's Drew's Birthday.

First thing's first:  Happy Birthday, Drew!!

Again, I told Kim that I wanted to bake you a cake for your 23rd Birthday, but she is still of the opinion that baked goods are too stalker-ish, so I caved.  But Drew, understand that if I knew where your doorstep was, there'd have been a cake waiting for you this morning.  I could have even made it paste-flavored.  But anyways, I hope you get lots of ass for your birthday, because that's all any guy wants, oh, and a goal and a win would be nice, too, I suppose.

I still haven't completely forgiven you for the whole "mouse potato" thing yet, though...

But let's get down to business:

THE ANDREW PETERS SHOW, Star 102.5

(1)  Andrew seems to have a bit of a stuttering problem, which is really cute.  I don't really think he does, though; it's early.  I stutter in the morning, too.

(2)  Andrew lets his wife buy the Halloween candy, but she hides it from him.

(3)  Brian Campbell used to plan the Halloween parties for the team.  Petey says they probably aren't having one this year because of their schedule; he doesn't know the plan.  (We'll see what Derek says.)

(4)  Andrew insulted the guy on the radio.  He suggested that he wore a lot of drag for Halloween in his childhood.

(5)  He likes Entourage.  Big surprise.

THE DEREK ROY REPORT. Kiss 98.5

(1)  He was told that Adam Mair was trick-or-treating.

(2)  He refuses to go to HSBC Arena at sunrise.  He admits it probably is nice, but no.

(3)  Derek got the pigeon for his OT goal.

(4)  Would be a golfer if not a hockey player.

(5)  Thinks Petey is the funniest person on the team.  They try not to laugh at his first joke, otherwise he just keeps going, and going, and going...

(6)  He dresses from the left side up.  Crazy.

(7)  He likes brunettes more than blondes.  I have red hair...  Where do I fit in?

I got gipped...  Both shows were only 5 minutes.  Lame.

Oh, and the TBN reports that Timmmmmaaay could be back next week.  Kim and I were talking the other night and we decided that it would be fun to start a pool amongst the Sabres Blogosphere in regards to the next game Tim gets hurt during.  Seriously, that would be amazing.

My mother insists that he needs to have his own hospital wing, with his own little bed, and own private nursing staff.  WAITT!!  That could be a bad idea...  Well, they're all in the hospital, so I guess they could stock up on the needed vaccinations and antibiotics and what not...

And tell me why, every time I watch the Pirates play online they lose?  Granted, yesterday's loss was in overtime, but still.  I fell asleep during the first period (at a 0-0 tie), only to wake up about halfway through the second and find the score to the 2-1 Hartford.  Note to self:  Stay Awake.  But Gerbe tied it up at the end of the third, but they obvs blew that.  Whatever.  As long as they win next Friday while I'm there, that's alright.

Oh, and someone please try to deny the fact that Paul Gaustad is the most adorable grown man in the history of mankind.  Please.  Because I give you Exhibit A for the defense:

From today's Buffalo News:  

Paul Gaustad took a one-timer at the end of practice Wednesday, and it was a rocket.  The puck glanced off the goaltender's arm and continued into the net.

Gaustad raised his stick, smiled broadly and shouted, "I'm back!"

Cute!  You can't deny it.  I dare you to try.  And I'll win because MJ will be my lawyer, and we all know how she feels about Paul.

OH MY GOODNESS, I FORGOT AGAIN.  Two new-ish signings at Dave and Adam's have been posted.  I say new-ish because one is new, the other just got a date.

Tommy will be at their Transit location Tuesday, December 2nd.

DEREK WILL BE AT THEIR SHERIDAN LOCATION TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16th.

Is it fate that he's going to be there exactly 6 days before my birthday?  Probably not.  It's probably just coincidence, but seeing as how Thursdays are usually Cari + Derek = Fate Day, and all I could garnish from his interview this morning was that we both prefer brunettes, I'll take this.  It's his birthday present to me.  Yay!

That's it for coherent thoughts, so I'm off to Anatomy.  I'll post after the game, while I watch the replay of the Pirates playing in their pink jerseys.  And they're not just pink; they're HOT pink, which makes it even better, but they had to throw the black in there to man them up a bit, I guess...  Anyways, I'm taping it.  For those of you who care, it's on channel 13 at 8:30.

Ugh, and unfortunately, I'm going to miss the first two period of the Sabres game.  I hate having plans during Sabres games.  It does no good for my relationship with them...

Greatest Hockey Sign Ever

So my mom sends me an email with a subject line of Greatest Hockey Sign ever. So here I am thinking, okay, yeah sure, it's probably another will you marry me (insert player's name here). However take a look at this...





Can I just say that whoever made this sign has my complete and undying love. Because let's face it looking at Monday's game against Ottawa it's totally true. We got trampled and it was partially the fact that the Ref's sucked and didn't call practically anything and when they did call something it was usually against us for something we didn't do.


Also Sabres Edge reports that Paul Gaustad is practicing fully for the first time since injuring his hand in the preseason. They report that he could return to the line as soon as Thursday. So I'm a very happy girl.

Hello, Paul? It's Me, Cari...

Paul: Hello?

Cari: Hey, Paul, it's me.

Paul: Oh, hey!!  How are you?

Cari: I'm good, but Paul?  Why do you have bunny ears on?

Paul: Oh, Cari, don't you know that Friday is Halloween?  I have to find my costume still, you know.

Cari: So what are you trying to be with that getup?  A modest cross between a Chippendales dancer and a Playboy Bunny?

Paul: How'd you guess?

Cari: It's not that difficult...  Anyways, let me get to why I called.  Paul, are you healthy?

Paul: Well, I don't know.  Ultimately, that's up to Lindy.

Cari: Well, please decide, because if you or Timmy aren't ready to play tomorrow night, and Adam does get suspended for his shenanigans--oh my God, I just thought of this, but if Adam does get suspended, who's going to take care of the Man Children?--but if he does get suspended, we need another guy, and it had better be one of you.

Paul: Cari, we'll have to cross that bridge when we get to it.  The NHL is quote-unquote investigating is, so...

Cari: Well, I don't trust the NHL.  I'm hoping at most they'll slap him with a fine, but Paul, what if?  Who would we get from Portland?  Mark?  So we can risk waiving him again?  No thank you.

Paul: Stop being such a worry wart.  You're upsetting my aura.  Hey, where are my milk and cookies for being hurt?  I never got them.  I thought you were going to leave them on my doorstep for me?

Cari: Kim wouldn't let me.  She said that would be crossing the line.

Paul: They're cookies.  Cookies never cross the line.

Cari: Good to know.  But Paul?

Paul: Yes, Cari?

Cari: Hurry back, please.  And next time don't punch people too hard.  Oh, and Paul?

Paul: Yes, Cari?

Cari: Can you tell your BFF Ryan that he's kicking ass in the TSN Power Rankings?  And ESPN's for that matter?

Paul: Sure.

Cari: And you didn't tell me who would watch Danny and Clarke in the event of Adam's absence...

Paul: Um, I don't know for sure...  Maybe Jaro?

Cari: JARO??!!  He'd probably try to lure them into the shower room with the cookies I'd make for you and then he'd fillet them, or something.  And he'd probably hang Mr. Snuffles on a plaque above his mantle...  No, Jaro; I love you, but no.

Paul: Drew, maybe?

Cari: Are you kidding me?  Drew eats paste.

Paul: Fine.  How about I give the job to the equipment guys?

Cari: They think a taxidermic pigeon is funny.  Let me think, NO.

Paul: Well, who do you suggest then?

Cari: Yourself.  Duh.  So get healthy.

Paul: I'm working on it.

Cari: I'm going to school now.  I'll talk to you later, okay?  Bye.

Paul: Bye...

Cari: (in a txt to Paul)  Oh, and tell Pommers I won't see him tonight at Dave and Adam's because I have trip preparations to commence.  And tell Petey that I'll be listening to him on Star 102.5 tomorrow at 8:10, but I might have to turn him off for Derek.  Okay?  Thanks Paul!

BOY, AM I STUPID

FIRST OF ALL, LET ME APOLOGIZE... AGAIN.

This is becoming a trend with me, no?  I'm always apologizing to you...

Anyways, I forgot to mention this morning that Craig Rivet was at Dave and Adam's this evening.  And before you get all excited and think that I'm going to have pictures for you, just don't, because I don't.  I didn't go.  I wasn't about to pay $20 to get him to scribble on a couple things.  I did want to make him milk and cookies, though, as Derek suggested.

(Speaking of Derek's suggestions, SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS TO HIM HERE.  And if you do ask him a question, be sure to tell me what you ask him so I can totally pimp you out when he answers it.)

BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE I DIDN'T DO???

I'll get to that in a second.  Today, at 12:04 pm, I received this text message:

YOUR SABRES DELIVERED:  Txt your questions for winger Daniel Paille until 7 p.m. tonight to 722737 (Sabres).  Answers will be posted later on Sabres.com Txt End 2 quit

alohgalkgn;akjglajfglawjgflh how could I possibly have forgotten to come up with a good question for Danny???  I HAD 7 HOURS!!  All I could think of though was "Does Mr. Snuffles get his own seat on the airplane during roadtrips?  And who babysits him while you're playing hockey?  And how does your fiancee feel about having to share a bed with you and Mr. Snuffles?"

Yikes...

Um, and all I have to say about the whole Adam Mair fiasco is that Chris Neil and Jarkko Ruutu are jokes, and that's only because that's what Adam said.  But really, I never want to be on his bad side.  Ever.  I do think he crossed the line, a bit, though, but I think a fine is sufficient.

AND CAN I JUST SAY THAT I ALREADY HAVE PLANS TO GO TO THAT FATEFUL NEXT GAME BETWEEN US AND THE SENS??!!??  SOOOOO excited!!  Tuesday January 6, 2009.  Mark it down, kids.  It's going to be a wild and wooly one!

Oh, and before I forget (again), my new friend Caroline has started a blog (Hockey Night in Buffalo.  Amazing title, btw.), so be sure to read it, because I'm sure it'll be fantastic.  It's about the Sabres; how could it not be fantastic?

'Til tomorrow.

This Pretty Much Speaks for Itself

So this is something most of you probably know about by now Adam Mair and Jarkko Ruutu got into an altercation in the hallway behind the team locker rooms after last night's game. No fists were thrown, unfortunately, and how do I know this? Well because this dandy little piece of footage was discovered while I was perusing YouTube.


Now you can all probably guess what the censors so unfortunately bleeped out, I'm guessing a lot of words starting with the letters F and S. It's too bad the security guards had to step in because I can just see the headline on the 11 o'clock news, Brawls Starts At Hockey Game...and Not On The Ice. Hope you all enjoy the scariness that is Adam Mair when he's pissed, I would not want to be on the receiving end of that anger. Unfortunately we don't play Ottawa again until January so we won't be able see the full repercussions of this. However, there is talk that both players could be fined and/or suspended for this incident.

Oh, and who didn't feel like punching Jarkko in the face after that interview at the end of that?

Wow. Just, wow.

I'm not going to say "I told you so," but, wait, yes I am--I told you so. I just knew that the Sabres would waltz back into HSBC Arena and not take the Sens seriously enough. Okay, maybe they did take them seriously, and yes, I realize their travel schedule was nuts (I figured it out that they probably didn't get in to Buffalo until 6am-ish Monday morning. No thank you.), but excuses are excuses. And I don't want to hear them.

And yes, I know we had to lose in regulation sometime, BUT DID IT HAVE TO BE YESTERDAY, LIKE THAT, TO OTTAWA??!!?? You killing me, Sabres. Plain killing me.

I'm not even going to comment on anything about the game except this:

MAX GOT HOSED. What the hell was that? Sure, maybe his shot was a bit late, but in his defense, the initial whistle sounded a he began to wind-up for the slap shot, and it was short and faint. As he connected with the puck, the second, more obvious whistle went. Even if he had taken a late shot, that doesn't warrant THREE Senators jumping him. FROM BEHIND. Kudos to Mair, Kotalik, and Weber for jumping in there immediately. Mair's reaction reminded me of those nature shows were the lions are feeding on carcasses. Obvs Adam was the lion and the Senator smothering Max was the carcass.

I don't even know if I can come up with three Sabres stars... Let's see...

First Star : Maxim Afinogenov

He had two assists on the night, and he actually was all over the ice trying to make things happen, so, Max, I'm throwing you a bone for Kim's sake.

Second Star : Clarke MacArthur

Breaking the goose egg is huge in my book. I never like to see my boys go scoreless.

Third Star : Teppo Numminen

I was toying with giving you the second star, Tepps, but you stole Derek's goal, so I can't bring myself to do it. But you did get a goal, so there ya go.

And Kim and I were discussing who would get the pigeon last night... I voted for Miller. He didn't do anything right because he didn't play, but, by default, he didn't do anything wrong, either. See where I'm going with this??? Do you understand my logic? Ahhhh it works sometimes!

That being said, do you realize how many of our players were negative last night??? Yuck. (And I just realized that I'm rambling on about the game even though I said I wasn't going to. Oh well.) Not one guy in blue and gold was in the black, and only six broke even (Kotalik, Numminen, Ellis, Paetsch, Afinogenov, Peters). Nine players were -1, and three were -2. (Derek, I'm extremely disappointed in you.)

And despite how terrible and excruciating that game was to watch, I'm not sure if I've ever laughed more at a game. Kim ended up coming over to my house, and we ordered food from Mike's Subs, and I had already stocked up on Dr. Pepper for myself, Sunkist for her, and chips and Bison French Onion dip. I'm telling you, unless I'm watching by myself, I get the good stuff. But anyways, combine the caffeine and sugar from Sunkist with Kim's pent-up energy (she has pretty much been a hermit as of late, due to an obscenely large microbiology test looming over her Wednesday)... And I can't even tell you what was said or done, but I could not stop laughing. At one point, and I believe this was after Pominville missed the wide-open net, she did something, and I was doubled-over in tears. It was fantastic.

The only thing that makes last night salvageable is a picture I found. The other day, in my search for Nathan Paetsch pictures, I actually found quite the variety of guys (that's how I found that ridiculous picture of Reggie). I was showing her this picture I found of Paul, and a picture of hockey players lined up in their jocks popped up. So that prompted us to recall this post of MJ's, in which we're treated to a shirtless Antoine Vermette. I then decided it would be fab-u-lous to see the Sabres like that. Any of them. I'd even see Teppo or Pigeon like that.

But then we recalled our days of Rochester Americans-stalking... Ever since the first game we went to down the 90, we've been sitting right behind their bench. I mean, it's $25, why the hell not? Back to the story... Something happened while we were standing there for the anthem, and Kim and I were laughing about something, so I turned around to say something to her and caught Stefan Meyer staring at me. I was done for when he got that frightened "Omigosh she just saw me" look on his face and do the not-so-subtle-quick-look-away move. Anyways, we had gone to some go kart race thing that the Amerks had last year. We noticed that Stefan had some ink on his arm, and that made me wonder about the Sabres. Do they have ink? But back to Stefan... I was aimlessly looking through the most prominent of Sabres albums on Webshots (dmb2218's albums) and found this beautiful picture:

He's mine. My Florida Panthers prospect.

Wait. What?? Did I just say that? Did I just admit that I'm in love with a... with a Panther? Even after my ginormous rant yesterday? Well, friends, yes I did. But in my defense he was an Amerk. He played with Sparky, and with Mark, and with the rest of them... But at the end of the day, he also has played with Gregory Campbell. Alas, Stefan is my guilty pleasure of the AHL. But come on... Just look at him!! Oh, and Kim would enjoy this one:

Drew Larman is a bad-ass mofo.

Drew is Kim's AHL guilty pleasure, as he too is a Panthers prospect. He, however, has a redeeming factor because he's from Buffalo. Or at least that's where he was born... I don't know.

But see what happens to me when the Sabres are off?? I go on tangents and I stray away. Now I have to go stick my head in the oven or something because I feel guilty. I told you. I have reverse commitment issues. In my relationship with the Sabres, my stance is that they can do whatever, even whoever, they want, as long as they come back to me at the end of the day. And by that I mean as long as they're Sabres, I'll love them unconditionally. That is, unless they're really ridiculous. I used to dislike Petey, but he's won me back. But I can't be unfaithful to the Sabres, which is why I feel tremendously guilty. Does that make sense? I doubt it. Whatever though. I'm still going to like him, I just could never be with him because he's not a Sabre. I'm cheating on the Sabres. And it is oh-so-thrilling, just because they lost last night. =]

And as far as the World Juniors go, I'm a little bit disappointed in the ticket prices. They're high to begin with, and you know that it'll sell out immediately, and as soon as they're up on eBay and StubHub, they'll be jacked up like crazy. Kim and I decided that we'd just go to the bars downtown and see all the cute youngins, but then I remembered that it's an under-20 tournament, and they can't get in the bars... Well, there is a TGIFriday's on Chippewa.... They serve alcohol...

Oh, and I'm sure you've already heard, but some genius (literally, a genius) who I believe is Chris Butler, put a little kid's pair of hockey skates in the little one's locker stall up in Portland.

And I'm sorry that you read this. I'm not even sure what I just wrote because I'm freezing, half asleep, there's something in my eye, and I'm watching Kathy Lee and Hoda talk to three attractive men and another who looks like a bum about sex. I have no attention span this morning...

I FEEL GUILTY WHEN I FALL FOR NON-SABRES...

...because, like I've said, I don't get over people too quickly. And I feel this odd Buffalo-allegiance to the Sabres. You know, the one where I live and die by how they're doing in the season, and when they're not playing, I'm thinking about them anyways. Call me crazy, but I call it die-hard, devoted love. So I feel guilty when I fall for a guy who has never had the pleasure of donning a Sabres jersey. And because of that, I don't often admit that I love guys from other teams. I can now, though, admit that I love Ryan Getzlaf, thanks to Anne over at Sabretooth's House, because of this:

(You have to admit that it's pretty sick when a kid from Regina, Saskatchewan wears a Sabres jersey. THOSE CITIES ARE OVER 1,600 MILES APART, but Ryan hearts the Sabres. No wonder he hangs out in Buffalo over the summer with Ryan Miller. RANDOM.)

THAT BEING SAID, a few seasons ago, when the dear Alex Ovechkin came on the scene, I was done for. And it's not that he's super good-looking or anything, but for the fact that I can speak, like, five word in Russian, and the fact that he's got the heaviest accent I've ever heard, and he bumbles through the English language, barely better than Jaro Spacek, and he's got his own fashion line. DOES THIS GUY GET ANY BETTER? He's a freaking hockey celebrity, and he loves fashion, in a completely non-Sean-Avery way. LOVE. And let's not forget that commercial he did with the vending machine, which somehow ended up on my cell phone...

Oh, wait. He does get better. He's a FREAKING ROCK STAR. Ovie and the Caps are now my second favorite... no, third favorite band in the NHL. (First is the band that Derek Roy and Ryan had down in Rochester (yeah, I know, AHL, but it's a technicality, people), and second is Invisible Children. What kind of Drew Stafford fan would I be if I didn't love his band?)

AND CAN I PLEASE SAY THAT JOSE THEODORE LOOKS FANTASTIC WITH EYELINER ON???


And you all are by no means to allow me to go back to my punk rock/skater/surfer/local band groupie days, okay??? Because those were ridiculous days. And I'm not bitter at all that a certain band I went to ELEMENTARY SCHOOL with got huge after I liked them from the beginning and now they're pricks. But anyways, Jose Theodore looks FANTASTIC. I said it. He looks like a cross of my acquaintance (he's been demoted from friend) Keith and Chris Daughtry...

And Ovie didn't look too shabby himself, as a punker:


He said he likes to shake his booty. =]

He also said that he won't shake his booty for a goal celebration. BOOOOO.

Here's the reason behind this whole post: Behind the Scenes with Alex Ovechkin. And be sure to watch the Rock the Red music video, too.

WHY CAN'T THE SABRES DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT???!

Oh, speaking of the Sabres, the TBN had this to report:

Centers Paul Gaustad (thumb), Tim Connolly (back) and Jochen Hecht (finger) continued making progress Sunday. Gaustad and Connolly had progressed so much that Ruff refused to rule out either player for tonight's game.

Please excuse me for a minute while I AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Okay. Carrying on:

However, there seems a better chance both would remain on the sidelines because there is no reason to hurry them back. It's early in the season, and the Sabres are winning without them. Ruff would need to take someone out of the lineup, which is difficult to justify when a team is undefeated in regulation.

"We've got decisions," Ruff said. "We want to make sure they're ready. The effort that the guys have put into the game, it's tough to take guys out right now."

As much as I want these guys back on the ice with the team, Lindy's right...

Whatever, though. WORLD JUNIORS ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY!!!! Read this if you haven't already. Ryan over at the Goose's Roost nailed it right on the head.

And while it seems like we may just steamroll over the Sens tonight, you can never underestimate a bad, bad team. Look at how we did a few years back, before the lockout. We sucked. We were at the bottom of the league, and it seemed we couldn't beat anyone. But we could be the top teams in the leage. I'm just hoping (and that's more or less reassuring myself) that the Sabres are as humble as they are, and will actually show up for tonight's game, because if they don't, the Sens are desperate for a win, and they'll get it if we're not ready.

That being said, GO SABRES!!

IS IT JUST ME??

Or is there a rash of strange injuries going around the league this year?

First, it's Erik Johnson's inability to remove his foot from a gas pedal correctly, and tore his ACL AND MCL.  Nice, Erik.  Nice.

Then, it's Timmykins and his effed up back.  We all know it's from laying on bar floors, and not from getting hit in Roberval.

Next, we've got the Sabres' rash of finger injuries, with Paul tearing his thumb up, and Jochen shattering the tip of his middle finger.  Do you realize that if they had to have their fingers splinted, Jochen would be flipping Paul off permanently, and all Paul would be able to do would be to give Jochen a thumbs up?  hahahahah.

Then, I found out last night that Daniel Briere (ew) is out for about a month with a torn abdominal muscle.  Does anyone remember what happened to Danny while he was here?  That's right, folks, he had an inguinal hernia.  That's a torn abdominal muscle, where the intestines begin to protrude through the abdominal wall, if you didn't know.  So I'm thinking the surgical procedure to patch the wall has given in...

(I'm not sure if I like Danny, or if I hate him.  I think I'm indifferent.  I liked him while he was here, and yeah, he's great, but I hated the situation in which he left, and I'm kinda bitter with him about it, so idk.  But really, I dislike him like I dislike Hasek.  And I used to think I was going to marry Hasek.  Hey, I was five.  I didn't know any better.)

And I also see that Blues goalie Manny Legace is on the shelf, no thanks to Sarah Palin.  This is what TSN reports:

The Alaska governor dropped the ceremonial first puck before the Blues hosted the Los Angeles Kings.  A narrow carpet walkway was placed from the gate at the Blues bench to centre ice for Palin, her husband and two of her daughters.

Just before the ceremony, Legace was the first player onto the ice for St. Louis.  A team official pointed to the carpet.  But Legace said the official moved his own foot from the carpet just as Legace stepped down, causing the carpet to slide.

Legace fell, then gingerly made his way to the crease.

Sarah Palin is hurting our players.  Nice hockey mom.

But these injuries are just weird.  Right?  I mean, take a gander at exactly how many injuries there are in the league.  That's a lot.  And hahaha Gregory Campbell is hurt.  OOOH and another bizaar one?  Ryan Getzlaf has an impacted tooth.

And what's up with all this "Undisclosed Injury" crap??  I thought all injuries had to be disclosed?

Well, anyways, I won't be posting about the game tonight until midnight, or so, when I get home from work, so I probably won't be posting.  But definitely tomorrow.

Go Sabres!!

Friday Ramblings, and 33 (Actually 4) More Things

Please allow me to contain my ecstatic cries (and by that, I mean not at all), because THOMAS VANEK PICKED GINGER, TOO!!!  Danny, I'm disappointed in you...  But you do redeem yourself by saying you like chocolate.  AND OH MY GOODNESS!!  NEXT WEEK WE'RE TAKING A PEEK INTO YOUR LIFE FOR A DAY?  Am I finally going to meet Mr. Snuffles????   Oh, Danny, I'm so excited!!

So by now I'm sure you probably have heard about the press conference being held at HSBC Arena Monday at 2 pm in regards to the 2011 WORLD JUNIORS!!!!

CAN I PLEASE JUST TELL YOU HOW EXCITED I AM THAT WE'RE HOSTING THIS EVENT, EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT OFFICIAL YET??!!??!!

(1) Because I adore hockey.

(2) Because I adore foreigners.

(3) Because by 2011, I'll be 21, and then I can watch all those youngins play hockey, realize that I'm a pedophile for thinking they're gorgeous, and then drink away those thoughts with a nice, cold Blue Light, and then start all over again.

AHHHHHH Love.

Oh, and when you're lacking Sabres news, and you want something interesting to hear about/listen to, I dare say you should check out the podcasts on the Sabres' site.  Yes, they're old (from two seasons ago), but they're entertaining as hell.  You've got Derek talking about his house, Drew talking about limo rides and spaghetti parm, and Marty talking about his little boy.

But more about me, since I cannot find anything else to write about, at least anything I find amusing.

(34)  I'd be the first person in line to buy tickets to the *N Sync reunion tour.  In fact, I'd probably camp out for them. 

(35)  I have this theory about the number of kids I'd like to have.  Ideally, in a perfect world (where I'd marry a Sabre and have a ridiculous amount of money), I'd want to have two boys and two girls.  I really wouldn't want four boys (too much testosterone) and I wouldn't want four girls (too much estrogen).  So I came up with this idea that I'd have three and evaluate my situation.  If I have three boys or three girls, that's it, I'm done.  But two boys and a girl, or two girls and a boy?  Go for the fourth.  BUT, since that will probably never happen, I'll probably stick with two.

(36)  I cannot remember lock combinations for the life of me.  However, to this day, I can remember the combo to the pink Master lock that I bought in third grade for my gym locker:  36-18-4.  And I remembered it by saying Barnaby-Grosek-Wilson.

(37)  When I was in fourth grade, I made in my mission in life to read all the Nancy Drew books.  I got about halfway through before the library ran out them.

And right now I can't think of anything else because Kim and I are about to go through 5 or 6 ridiculously scary haunted houses with a few guys I used to work with.  So yeah.  I just might die, because I get really scared at things like these.  Yikes.

I Apologize, But OH. MY. GOODNESS.

FINAL SCORE

Sabres 4

Wild 3

Yikes...

So last night, at the end of overtime, I was trying desperately to post my thoughts at the end of my half-hearted attempt to liveblog, but I was thwarted by three things:  (1) My MacBook had about two minutes of battery life left, (2) Blogger was being impossible and wouldn't provide me with a "Publish Post" button, and (3) I was exhausted, from doing basically nothing all day.  Whatevs.

SO YAY!!!  I just love Drew Stafford, Ryan Miller, Nathan Paetsch, Adam Mair, Thomas Vanek, and Derek Roy!!!!

Okay, so before I get to my little recap/awards for the game, I want to share this ridiculous story with you, just to show your how messed up my actual Sabres-watching life is.

A while back I was decorating the planners that Kim and I bought for this semester.  They're fairly large in size, and I did the front with song lyrics, stars, and flowers, ya know, made it all girly.  But then I wanted to do the back all Sabres.  So I ripped apart the calendar I bought last season, which, mind you, still counts until December of this year, and cut out Paul and glued him to the back of hers.  Well, that just about ruined the entire calendar, and it all fell apart.  To make this long part of the story short, Derek ended up on the refrigerator.  Tuesday night I was complaining that he hadn't scored yet, and my mother points to the picture, and says, "Do you know what I'm going to call Derek now?  Dreck."  So I had to find out what dreck means, and this is what Google reports:

"schlock; merchandise that is shoddy of inferior; trash, junk; worthless merchandise; crap"

Can I just tell you how mad I was at my mother?  (Because, of course, my brother and father just had to overhear, and now Derek will forever be Dreck to them.  These are the guys that, for years, taunted me with Gay Jay McKee.  Not even funny.)  But now whenever the Sabres are playing bad hockey, I call it schlocky hockey.

But then somehow, for some reason, my mother thought it would be funny to turn Derek's name around, so when he scored in OT last night, she goes, "Cari!  Backstrum just got Yorkered!!"  Hahahahahahahah.  He got yorkered.  That's special.

BUT ANYWAYS.

My Three Stars would have to be as such:

(1)  Thomas Vanek.

Yet again, Tommy's a beast.  Coming through in the clutch is what true leaders do (and I'm not going to name names here, but you know exactly to whom I am referring.), and Tommy is definitely our team leader, on the score sheet, at least.  Actually, make that the undisputed league leader.

OH, BY THE WAY, WE'RE FIRST IN THE LEAGUE OVERALL.  YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I SAID.

(2)  Derek Roy.

I have to give him props for scoring the winner.  And while he hasn't been turning up on the score sheet, he must have been doing something right because he's playing with Tommy and D-Money.  Plus he's been putting forth consistent high-energy performances.

(3)  Adam Mair.

Scoring the goal to jump-start our comeback is always a good choice.

MY HONORARY FAVORITE SABRE:

Nathan Paetsch.  He stepped up big-time to fill the skates of Craig.  And while he wasn't perfect, and he didn't quite hit the mark that Craig probably would, he still had a great game.  He had a couple of offensive opportunities himself, and gave Mair the feed for our second goal.  Keep it up, Nate, and they'll be hard-pressed to knock you out when Craig returns.

But Ryan, come on, man...  I don't even have anything to say about that goal you scored, except for that you pulled a Mike Ryan...  At least you've got a decent sense of humor.

OOOH and for those of you who'd like to get a glimpse at the Portland Pirates, but aren't psychotic enough as Kim and I to drive all the way to Maine, check this out.  Can I please just tell you how excited I am???  (That's channel 13 for those of you in the city of Buffalo and the closer 'burbs.  I'm not sure as to the digits when you get farther out...)  And don't let me forget to mention that the Pirates are wearing and auctioning off pink jerseys in tomorrow night's game, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Aw, thanks guys!!

Oh, and speaking of that, has anyone been to Boston or Portland recently?  Have any ideas as to what Kim and I can do while we're up there?  I'd appreciate any tips.  (And I think we might make a stop in Mike Ryan's stomping grounds for MJ and see if he's there at all, which is totally plausible.)

And before I forget, Dave and Adam's Card World posted new signing information:

Andrej Sekera  :  Tuesday, November 25, Sheridan location

Thomas Vanek  :  Date and Location TBA, but sometime in December.

I have a feeling that Tommy's will be at their Transit location, since he lives out that way.

Remember, too, that next week they're having Rivet (Tuesday) and Pominville (Wednesday).

And if you go to Craig's signing, bring him some milk and cookies.  I wanted to bake cookies for Paul and leave them on his doorstep, but Kim thought that that would be crossing the line.  But Paul, just say the word, and I'll break all of my plans to bake you some cookies, and I'll be at your house in 5 minutes flat.  I promise!

Sabres @ Wild

Okay, so apparently Derek is avoiding me.  I guess I just turned off my radio too early this morning and missed his delightful interview.  But he neglected to mention the identity of the true womanizer on the team, but we all know who that is anyways.  And he didn't really tell me anything I didn't know already, except for the fact that Reggie is his roomie now.  That's kinda cute, especially seeing as how Sekera really needs some guidance in the fashion department:

Yikes...

And as far as Tim Connolly's choice of Halloween costumes?  I'm just glad he didn't pick something along the lines of this (PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't look if you're at all squeamish).

Alright, since I ditched my plans for this evening, I plan on blogging (or attempting to) throughout the game (or at least during intermissions).  So, game on!

END OF THE FIRST...

1-0 Buffalo!!  Okay, so Drew's goal was FAN-EFFING-TASTIC!!  And what a beautiful assist by Derek.  Awesome goaltending, Ryan!  And can I please offer my opinion, in that I believe Minnesota has some of the oddest player names in hockey?  Clutterbuck?  That's my favorite right there.  And Brunette, Boogaard, and Zidlicky, to name a few more.  Sheesh.  And I honestly cannot get enough of this pigeon talk!  Did you happen to see Lalime talking about it?  His little "birdie, birdie, birdie?"  Adorable.

END OF THE SECOND...

2-1 Minnesota.  Yuck.  I really don't have anything positive to take away from this period, but I will say that I hate The Trap.  However effective it may be, it makes for one boring game of hockey.  I just pray, pray, pray that someone--ANYONE--puts us back in the lead in the next 20.  (How quickly my mood changes...)

Derek Roy is Missing (and a Stalker), and Who is Nathan Paetsch?

First of all, I have to say that, thus far this morning, I'm highly disappointed in Kiss 98.5.  WHERE THE HELL IS THIS WEEK'S INSTALLMENT OF THE DEREK ROY REPORT?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?  Hmph.  I'm going to pout for the rest of the day.

I was really looking forward to telling Derek that because of all of our common ground, I'm not stalking him, he's in fact stalking me.  Because stalking, by definition, means that a person willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly follows or harasses another.  Willful?  Yes, most definitely.  Maliciously?  Hell to the no.  I am by no means spiteful to Derek, and I would never, ever, ever want to hurt him.  Do I follow him?  No.  Well...  No, we'll just leave it at no.  Do I harass him?  I've never spoken to him, so, again, no.  But does he tell me that we have all sorts of stuff in common?  Yes; that makes him willing.  Is he malicious?  Yes, because he knows it's going to hurt me.  Does he repeatedly follow me?  No, but he presents situations for me to follow him regularly.  Does he harass me?  No, I have to let him off there, too.  But trust me when I say he is (borderline) stalking me.  Yeah, I said it.

Second, I'm not going to talk about Craig Rivet's knee injury, because it makes me want to cry.  But, I did find some silver lining, at least for those of us who adore Nathan Paetsch, because he gets to play!!!!!!

But then I started to think, I don't remember much about him, because I haven't seen him in so long!  So, here we go...

Mr. Nathan Paetsch, hailing from Leroy, Saskatchewan, is 25 years old (3.25.83), and wears the same hoodie all the time.

Maybe the rest of the team took pity,

and they're letting Nathan have the hoodie from the BotTH.

Or maybe it's because it looks better on him than Petey...

But you have to like the deer-in-the-headlights facial expression.

And some more useless information about Nate:  He has a sister named Vanessa, his father, Rick, is an electrician in a Potash mine, and his mother, Brenda, is a financial advisor.  (I think I should call Brenda.  Maybe she can help me sort out my debt and actually have some money in my bank account once in a while.)

Also, according to that terribly addicting forum, which I always swear is trashy, but it's still fun to read, Nathan is engaged to a chiropractor, but he's also not engaged to her, but instead he's dating a doctor from Rochester.  I don't know what to believe...  I'm so lost.

(You know what?  It's really hard to find good information about dear Nathan.  I can't find any more.)

Moving on.

DEREK!!  I NEED YOU TO SCORE THIS EVENING!!  But please score after 9 pm, because I won't be home until then, and I'd prefer to see you score.  So TOMMY!!  I need you to keep us up over the Wild in the 1st, okay?  And Nathan?  Good luck, toots!  Um, and Ryan, please be the status quo brick wall.  Patty K, please hold off from doing anything crazy until I get home, too.  Power play and penalty kill, stay strong!  Okay????  Thanks.  I appreciate it.  Oh, and hockey gods?  I never said this.  Ever.  As far as you're concerned, I want...  No, I'm not even going to say it because it would probably back-fire on me.

Go Sabes!!

Dear Drew

Drew is a beast.  And he knows it.

To My Dearest Drew Stafford,

Thank you for rescuing my heart from the depths of despair.  I do not know what I would've done if you had not tied up the affair yesterday evening, with the flair of Jason's goal in the 2006 playoffs.  And then you, again, lifted my spirits in the much-dreaded (by me, at least) shootout.  I cannot thank you enough.

Please pass along my sentiments to Clarke, for scoring the first goal for us (I'm so proud of him); Ryan, for being spectacularly and fabulously incredible in net (I'm in awe of his performance thus far); Thomas, for his jaw-dropping moves (I love the Around-the-World!!); and the rest of the dashing young men who make me smile with a win (and scream, and jump, and dance, and carry-on like I just won a million dollars).

But Drew, I do request that you do two things for me:

(1) Please send my regards to the penalty killing units.  They tried so hard to keep the puck from crossing the line, but alas, it had to at some point.  I was quite impressed that they went five complete games maintaining that standard, and even yet they have still served their purpose for 96.6% of the time when they needed to.  And I thank them profusely for that.

(2) Please inform Derek that if he does not increase his offensive production on this upcoming road trip, I will be very upset.

That being said, Drew, I hope you were not including me in your thoughts last night when you uttered this:

"This game is for all the mouse potatoes out there that don't think we can stick with it in a 2-1 game and come back."

Because, Drew, first of all, I am not a "mouse potato;" just because I can take an hour or so and peruse the internet to find something about you beautiful men to write about before I go to school, or whenever I find the time, does not imply that I spend my entire day writing about you.  Yes, it is true that I love and adore all of you, but there are other things that require my time in life.  Don't be so selfish.

And second, I do not believe I ever said anything of the like.  In fact, I have been nothing but supportive of you all (Okay, except maybe in Tim's case, but I love Tim, and he knows that, so all is forgiven in that respect.).  And Drew, I never breathed a word of your lack of production until last night, so I do not want to hear it from you.  We're even now.  Because, just to set the record straight, I love a team that can bounce back from a deficit, and do it with flair.  And the Sabres have a knack for the flashy, flair-filled events, so it's obvious that I would never count the Sabres out.  Never.

Oh, and Drew?  Can you please mention to Ryan and Derek that I believe you three were the best players for the Sabres yesterday?  I would have placed you as such, though:  (1) Ryan, (2) yourself, and (3) Derek.  But, while he put forth an outstanding effort last night, please don't forget to tell Derek to get his ass in gear.  Please.

Oh, and Drew?  You get to be my honorary favorite Sabre until puck drop on Thursday, okay?  Just don't tell Derek about that; he may get upset.  Although, his getting upset might help his name pop up on the score sheet a bit more.  I don't know, though.  He did seem pretty upset after he failed to score during the shootout, you know, dropping the F-Bomb, and all.

Well, Drew, I'll see you on Thursday, perhaps.  Keep up the excellent work.

Love,

Cari

Updates, and My 100 Things

Tim Connolly is on the mend!!  Still not 100%, but he's getting there.  But, hey, he's not dead yet!!

Paul Gaustad and Jochen Hecht participated in practice.  Paul did a little bit with the stick, while Jochen merely skated.  At least it's something.

I found a new Sabres news outlet.  And no, I won't share it!  =]  It's not the most obvious for sports news, but it does give an interesting view into Sabres matters.  I'll be posting with things from this source in the very near future.

DON'T FORGET TONIGHT'S GAME IS ON VERSUS.  Yuck.

And because Kim started a 50 things about herself, I guess I'll do it, too, but I'm actually going to do 100, because I have ample amount of time to come up with 100.  Here's the first 33:

(1)  Like I've mentioned, I have red hair.  Not bright, fire engine, Carrot Top-esque red, but more of an auburn-ish chestnut red.  And I'm covered in freckles, and my skin is fair with a rosy undertone.  But guess what?  I'm not Irish.  Well, okay, one person in my very distant lineage is Irish, but that's it.  Otherwise, I'm mostly German, British, and Canadian.

(2)  If I could be in any profession, regardless of job availability/security, income, or my ability, I'd either be a wedding planner or an interior designer/house flipper.  What fun would those jobs be?!

(3)  I insist on taking funny/ridiculous pictures when I go out, no matter where I may be.  Don't believe me?  Just look at my facebook.

(4)  I can be an extreme neat-freak, but also the messiest person ever.  I insist that the entire house be clean, but my bedroom looks like the scene of World War III.

(5)  No one can spell my name right.  Not even a single part of it.  My own grandmother didn't get it right until I hit high school.

(6)  I have a very fat cat named Delilah, and I love her to death.  She chases squirrels, fights dogs, and terrifies every other cat in the neighborhood.  She's a beast in the likes of Danny Paille.

(7)  When deciding where to go to college, all but three of my choices (those being Albany, Brown, and Bowling Green) were in cities or very close to where I have friends or family (i.e. Michigan State, Georgia State, Northeastern (I know, MIKE RYAN!!) and Boston College, to name a few).

(8)  I went to Germany on a school trip in high school.  It was the most amazing two weeks of my life.

(9)  I have genetically terrible teeth.  I've had countless fillings, five caps when I was little, braces twice, and I was, at one point, a candidate for jaw surgery.  I still have braces at almost 20 years of age, and the only thing that's gone right with my teeth is the fact that my wisdom teeth grew in straight.

(10)  I drink way too much Dr. Pepper, apple cider, and Starbucks.  I'm probably an addict.

(11)  I'm an advocate for the cause of bringing an H&M to the Buffalo area.  I'm tired of driving to Rochester every time I want to shop there.

(12)  Despite having the capability of remembering the singer/band, song title, and lyrics to most songs, and knowing directions around the greater Buffalo area at will, I have a hard time remembering very simple things, or comprehending chemisty.

(13)  TV on DVD is quite possibly--in my opinion--the worst thing ever invented.  I can't get enough of my shows, especially Entourage, The Tudors, Gossip Girl, and Sex and the City.  My guilty pleasures.  =]

(14)  I love picking out shirt and tie combos.  When my brother got his new job I went shopping with him, as his fashion consultant.  Too bad we have different taste in clothing.  (Oh, and I hate, hate, hate short-sleeved dress shirts, and shirts with French collars.)

(15)  If I couldn't text or go online on my phone, I'd die.

(16)  I sing along to the jingles on commercials, all the time.  It drives my family crazy.

(17)  Certain members of my family also thought I was crazy when I decided to paint my bedroom silver.  It turned out really cool, actually, and yes, I tend to be a bit flashy.  I live it up.

(18)  Law and Order, House, or NCIS marathons ruin my plans.  If I see a marathon, I get nothing done--nothing at all--the entire day.  Good thing I didn't notice the one I'm watching now until after school.

(19)  I love to bake.  I've been told my cookies are quite possibly the world's greatest.

(20)  I'm afraid of heights, but I'll sit front-seat on roller-coasters in a heart beat.

(21)  I have this (sorta) thing for cowboys...  Enough said.

(22)  Gay guys like to play with my hair, more than usual.  When I was a secretary at the nursing home I work at, every gay guy who ever worked on my unit (4 of them, actually) played with my hair every time I was there.

(23)  Scary movies (legit scary ones; not the ones with the Wayans brothers) scare the living daylights out of me, yet I have this sick compulsion to watch them, either (a) in theaters, or (b) at home, alone, in the middle of the night, with all the lights off.  Me = Stupid.

(24)  I get gipped on birthday and Christmas presents every year.  It's because my birthday is December 22nd.

(25)  I like all kinds of music, so I can never pick a favorite band, singer, or song if asked.  So don't ask me.

(26)  I've never ridden a city bus in my life.  Well, not in North America, at least.  Taxis, subways, trains, and planes, yes, but no busses that weren't yellow.

(27)  I'd love to get a tattoo, but three things prevent me from doing so:  (1) I'm petrified of needles, (2) I'm afraid I'd hate it down the road, and (3) working in a nursing home has exposed me to the effects of aging on skin, so no.  (Although, I'd probably get my favorite song lyric inked on my right foot.)

(28)  I love cold weather because of the wonderful fashion accessories:  coats, scarves, beanies, mittens, fingerless gloves, and let's not forget Uggs!  (I have four pairs; excessive, I know.)

(29)  I know the songs from all of the classic Disney movies by heart.

(30)  I can pretty much quote the entire film of both Mean Girls and Napoleon Dynamite.

(31)  Earlier I said I was addicted to Starbucks.  That being said, I don't like coffee.  I love their tea and their hot chocolate, though.

(32)  I love nothing more that curling up on the coach under my down blanket and watching movies all day in the dead of winter.

(33)  I'm obsessed with all things black, silver, charcoal grey, hot pink, royal blue, mustard yellow, and zebra print.  Love.

Enjoy the game in a few hours, and I'll either post later tonight (if I get my anatomy work done), or tomorrow morning.

THIS IS TO BE EXPECTED (Or, In Defense of Derek Roy)

This is by no means in defense of Derek's performance thus far in the season.  I'm very upset with him in that regard.

I DO NOT, HOWEVER BADLY HE MAY HAVE PLAYED IN THE PAST FIVE GAMES, CONDONE SHOVING HIM UNDER A BENCH!!!  That's absolutely disgusting!  Alex Burrows, you are on my shit list.  And as I said to Kim when I realized who was being shoved under then bench, if I see you on the streets, sir, YOU ARE DONE.  Yes, that is a threat, and no, I'm not afraid of you.

Do you, Mr. Burrows, realize how dirty the floor of the bench can be?  As much as I love them, hockey players are just like any other guy--gross.  You all spit on the bench, bleed on the bench, sweat on the bench...  Need I say more?  Would you like your face shoved in that?  I didn't think so.  So what makes you think you can shove Derek's face into the floor?  Oh, that's right.  You're just jealous that he's got an impeccable fashion sense, he's damn good-looking, and oh, yeah, he plays for the Sabres, who are 4-0-1, comparable to your Canucks, who are 3-3-0.  It's easy to see why you don't like Derek because through 82 games last year, he had 81 points, but you only had 32.  Or is it because he makes $4 million a year, and you only make $483,000?  Well, whatever it is, I still hate you.

Derek didn't deserve this from you.  A hit, sure.  Sending him flying over the boards, okay I can live with that (1, it's pretty funny when that happens, and 2, he's small, so it's plausible).  But Alex, pick on someone your own size.  Derek's 5'9" is hardly in the same category as your 6'1".  Why don't you try shoving Pat Kaleta under a bench?  That might work out better for you.  And when I say for you, I mean for me.  So work on that next time we play, okay?  Great.

MOVING ALONG.

As you're all aware, the Sabres have posted the 10 Stupid Questions on the website (well, 8 of them, at least).  And as I've already touched on the Mary Ann and Ginger situation (I heart Pat!!).

Cabana on the beach?  Or, a cabin in the mountains?

Cabana on the beach.  Derek, Adam, Pat, and Pat, I love you guys.  I'll sit in a cabana on the beach with you whenever you'd like, especially if it involves a trip to Cabo!  And Ryan, I like that you chose a cabin in the mountains.  That's pretty fun too, although I like the beach more than the woods.

Chocolate?  Or, vanilla ice cream?

Chocolate ice cream.  Ryan, again, good choice.  But I'm surprised you didn't do a write in for Berrier Breakaway.  But that's damn good ice cream too, while I'm on the subject.  And Patty L, you're so cute.  You picked vanilla, which I'm not crazy about, but then you justified it by saying, "You can put a lot of stuff on vanilla ice cream.  You can put chocolate on vanilla!"

Motorboat?  Or, sailboat?

It depends...  I've never been on a sailboat, but I've always wanted to go sailing.  So I guess by default I have to say motorboat, and go along with Derek, Patty K, and Adam.  I guess Derek can take me out on Love Potion #9 sometime.

Poker?  Or, blackjack?

Blackjack.  I can't play poker; I've tried.  I can never remember anything.  And I'm not necessarily good at blackjack, but it's easy.  Patty K likes it because it's easier for him to count.  Ryan doesn't like blackjack because he's bad at it, but he's bad at poker too, but not as bad.  And Patty L picked poker..

Porsche?  Or, Mercedes Benz?

Porsche.  I don't dislike Benzes, and this was tough for me because of all the wonderful German engineering.  Porsches are just sick though.  Give me one of those and I'll be a very, very, very happy girl (coughcough, a black Cayenne).  Although, I'd probably take Derek's Mercedes G55, the Kommander edition, even though it reminds me of a safari wagon.  Derek was the only one who said Benz, I believe...

Mary Ann? Or, Ginger?

Ginger.  In a completely heterosexual way, I have to pick Ginger, just because she's got red hair.  I explained this unwritten redhead code.  Patty K was the only one on my side.

Night out?  Or, home with friends?

I have to agree with Patty K, here--it depends on the day, and it depends who I'm with.  Ryan and Derek like to go out; Patty L likes to chill at home with friends, crack open a bottle of wine, and play some cards; and for Adam, it depends on how the team did the night before.  Good answer, Adam.

Athletic?  Or, voluptuous?

Athletic, obviously.  Most guys aren't voluptuous, anyways.  But all of the guys asked (Derek, Patty K, and Adam) said athletic.  Pat offered his opinion and added that he likes "a girl that can wear a baseball cap and go out and throw a football around."  But he added that she has to be good-looking.  Patty K doesn't want a butch girl.  (So he wants an athletic, pretty redhead?  HI!!!!)  Actually, Adam didn't answer.  He was laughing too much.

LOOK!!  EVEN MORE THINGS I HAVE IN COMMON WITH DEREK ROY!!  Although, Pat Kaleta seems to be making a case for himself...

Anyways, we take on the Bruins tonight, before a short Western Conference rendezvous with the Minnesota Wild and the Colorado Avalanche.  I'm going to miss the first period, so when I turn the game on at about 8 o'clock, I'd better not be disappointed with what I see.  Derek, that means you have to score in the first period, and Tommy, you'd better make sure that we're not losing at that point.

Pocket Sized

So I think it was last year sometime that I was marveling at the fact Derek Roy is so short especially when standing next to Hank or Paul or his admitted best friend Petey, when one of those traveling commercials popped into my head, you know the ones where the announcer says 'now available in travel size for your convenience.' Now being me I said outloud, "Derek Roy now available in travel size for your convenience' and his being shoved under that bench really made me reexamine the truth in that statement, cause let's face it, you were all thinking it too.

The whole time I was watching that video all I could think of was someone trying to shove an oversize suitcase into the space below the seat in front of them on an airplane, while of course being horrified at the same time. And while I would love to be able to link a video to this blog to show you exactly why I was thinking this alas there were no videos on youtube, I know seriously, of all place I expected it to show up I thought for sure it would be there. I'm sure if I looked hard enough I could find a video of my grandmother's colonoscopy.

So awhile ago, M.J. from the My Safety Is Harvard blog decided to do a list of 100 interesting things about herself, well, I'm not able to think of that many interesting things about myself so instead of 100 I'm going to do 50. Here it goes:

1. I'm the only one in my family that doesn't have blue eyes, they're green and they change color depending on what I'm wearing and they have small blue pigment gaps in them at the bottom shaped like diamonds.

2. My first favorite hockey player was Afinogenov and I liked him before everyone else did, to tell you the truth I just liked his last name and then low and behold he turned into a decent player and then it was the cool thing to like him. And even though I may rag on him from time to time he still holds a special place in my heart.

3. I'm going to school for nursing because I think it is one of the most honorable professions that a person can choose, it's always changing and always interesting and I get to help people.

4. I don't want to have children, not because I don't like them, don't get me wrong, I do I love my niece to death but I just can't see myself being a mother at least not right now. If I do have children I want one of each and I'll probably adopt them instead of having my own, there are too many children in the world who don't have good homes and good families and it would seem unfair to bring my own children into the world.

5. I was never one of those girls who planned out what her wedding was going to be like, I'm an idealist I know you don't always get everything you want. If I do get married, it's going to be a shotgun wedding with the people we want to be there getting a call the week before saying hey we're getting married, be there.

6. I've never had a boyfriend, well okay that's not true, I dated a guy in high school for 17 hours and then had his best friend break up with him for me, but lets face it, that's not a relationship so I choose to forget that it ever happened.

7. I've been kissed actually kissed once by a guy, his name was Aaron and he sat next to me and my mom at the Bandits games all last season and at the championship game, which we won by the way, he reaches over, after saying goodbye, and plants one on me. Then releasing me says, 'now you'll have something to remember today by.' Can anyone tell me what the hell that means????

8. I'm a good student, I've never missed a class in college mainly because I'm paying close to 20 thousand a year for it and figuring it out if I missed a class it means I'm wasting almost 400 dollars on that one class. But because Cari and I are going to Boston I'm going to be missing a Friday of classes which I have to say scares me a little because I've never done it before. Oh yeah, and I have a 3.9 GPA.

9. I love to sing and act. I was Glinda/Auntie Em in the Wizard of Oz my junior year, big pink fluffy dress, crown and wand the whole thing. Funny story, I literally had 2 minutes to change from being Auntie Em to being Glinda, which included putting on a hoop skirt, which I despised, a skirt and a really heavily beaded top as well as massive amounts of blush and glitter, well I had gel glitter and in my haste I got the glitter in my eyes the first night. So needless to say there I am trying to be all smiley and happy because I'm just so happy that I get to parade around in a fluffy pink dress that weighed literally 20 pounds, with a crown on my head carrying a long wand which I smacked a few of the munchkins with, by accident of course, while I'm literally crying because of the glitter.

10. I hate eggs, weird I know, I'll eat them but only if forced to, fried, scrambled, sunny-side up, over easy, over hard, whichever way you give them to me, chances are I'm going to hate them anyway, so you shouldn't even try.

Well that's about it, GO SABRES, and all that jazz, oh and I'm going to the game on Tuesday, soooo excited about that.

I'm a bit behind, I know...

Okay, so I got a little bit caught up in shopping, being girly, eating at Chef's, watching lots of hockey, and also Slap Shot, so I haven't posted in the past 48 hours like I said that I would.  So here goes a small recap of this weekend's activities and findings:

Vancouver @ Buffalo, Friday 10.17.08

First off, Kim and I had spectacular seats!  (We were in the 19th row, dead center behind the net where we shot twice.)  I'm proud to say that I took her to her first Sabres game in the HSBC Arena outside of the 300 level.  Awwww.

The game was fantastic.  Kotalik's 2 goals, power play keeping it hot, penalty kill still perfect, Kaleta causing a raucous, Vanek sort of tackling Kotalik, and Derek Roy's playlist...  What more could I ask for?  Not much.  And God forbid I forget to mention that I got to see two of my Western Conference Loves, Taylor "Bedroom Eyes" Pyatt (thanks, Grandma!) and Steve "Big Bear" Bernier.  Love!  And Steve got a goal...  Not sure how I feel about that, but I guess it's okay since his goal was pretty much nebulous.

Buffalo @ Atlanta, Saturday 10.18.08

Definitely not overly pleased with this game.  Roy's performance was far from perfect, yet again, and the effort from the entire team for an entire 60 minutes wasn't there.  Something new and different!  But really, though, we're lucky to have come away from that with a point in hand.  Lalime was awesome; I can't fault him at all.  And yet again, our special teams were outstanding!  Vanek, too, was fabulous, continuing his hot ways; he's now on pace for 114.8 goals, and 147.6 points for the season.  Roy?  Not nearly as good; 0 goals and 32.8 points.  Kind of lack-luster numbers for the defending scoring champion...

Does anybody else think it's a bit coincidental that our streak came to a screeching halt against the Thrashers last night, when our 10-game winning streak was ended by the same team in 2006-07??  Anybody?  Because I do.

And I have to say that I paid extra special attention to the crowd in Atlanta, because I have family there.  Two of my favorite cousins live there with their husbands and children, as do my aunt and uncle.  Funny thing is, though, my cousin Jen's husband is from Connecticut, but he's a huge Sabres fan.  One day, two years ago, he surprised my uncle with a Sabres jersey and tickets to one of their games there.  So I was hoping that I'd see them in their Sabres jerseys, but since Jen was supposed to have a baby last week (I don't know if she had the baby, yet...  I should get on that.), I didn't totally expect them to be there.

10 Questions

I have to say, I LOVE PATRICK KALETA MORE THAN DEREK ROY...  For a moment, at least.  When posed the question "Mary Ann or Ginger?", Pat chose the redhead!  Now I'm forever endeared to him.  Everyone else (Derek, Miller, Lalime, and Mair) chose Mary Ann.  I don't have anything against Mary Ann, or blondes in general, for that matter, but when a really cute hockey player says he likes redheads, I love him.  Pretty much the same thing as when I started liking Brian Campbell because he had curly red hair.  Redheads are not that common, so we have to band together when we get the opportunity.  =]

Anyone know when that's supposed/going to be posted online?  Because I'm dying to see it.

hockeysockpuppettheatre, by Charlie Teljeur

Speaking of Brian Campbell, he was the focus of this cute little comic strip, run regularly in The Hockey News.  This is the banter between Soupy and, I presume, an interviewer:

Guy:  Brian Campbell, you signed for mega-bucks over the summer.  I suppose money can really change a young guy's life...

Brian:  For some, maybe.  I'm still the same old guy, putting on one skate at a time...

Guy:  ...and those would be rabbit fur-lined skates...

Brian:  Chinchilla, actually.

Oh, Brian.  You're so fancy.

Jersey Hound

Also in this week's issue of THN, was a small feature on the Sabres' new third jersey.  This piece runs weekly, as well, but focuses on different jerseys in hockey, throughout history, throughout the world, in any league, anywhere.  This is what Ryan Kennedy writes:

"Sometimes justice does come for those who need it most.  In this case, fans of the Buffalo Sabres can once again wear a current sweater of which they can be proud of both the design and the team it represents.  The much-maligned 'Buffa-slug' is still the primary symbol of Western New York's finest, but the Sabres have blessed the hockey world with a reworking of their classic sweater, which will now serve as the team's third jersey.  The blue is darker than the original and the graphics are more defined, but oh, how it feels so right again."

I DO NOT WANT TO WAIT UNTIL DECEMBER FOR MY JERSEY!!!!  Can I please tell you all how much I want my new jersey?  I ordered a Roy jersey for myself, and a blank for my friend who is stuck in NYC until January--order numbers 155 and 156--but they won't be in at the Sabres Store until at least Thanksgiving.  I WANT MY NEW JERSEY!!!  Now, don't get me wrong, I don't mind the slug too much, and I still love Tim Connolly, but I'd rather wear the jersey of someone who can actually play, and doesn't just sit in the press box, night-in, night-out.  I guess I'll have to wait...  But did I mention I'm not the most patient of people?  In fact, I'm downright impatient...

Portland Pirates

Nathan Gerbe had two goals to lead the Pirates to a 3-2 victory Friday night against the Springfield Falcons.  Colton Fretter also scored in the win.  The guys are playing again tonight in Portland against the Providence Bruins.

Speaking of the Pirates, the Sabres Store is now carrying a few pieces of Portland merch.  They have some blank jerseys, a hat, and player jersey t's, featuring Nathan Gerbe, Tim Kennedy, and Mike Weber.  I would've bought one (or two, or three) if they had one for Mancari, Funk, and/or Card...

And their game is going to be shown on the internet today (as they all are), so since I can only listen to the Bills and their power outage, I'm planning on watching them.

I'll post again tomorrow, as I'm sure I can find something to write about.