The World of Mr.H

Let's See if We Can Revive this Blog

2008-12-17T16:04:00.011-05:00

Well, I suppose enough has happened since March of 2008 that I really should update this blog...if only to get one more post in before the end of 2008...which I believe would bring my yearly total up to about 5...which is quite pathetic. Nonetheless, better late than never.
Since it has been so long, I suppose I will just need to talk about recent stuff, as there is really no point in giving a blow-by-blow retelling of the last 8 months.
Well first and foremost (and the most exciting news if you ask me!), my lovely Kate has become a Canadian citizen. It has taken her over 4 years, probably over $3000 in fees/applications and a hell of a lot of stress but a few weeks ago she got sworn in as one of us.
Despite now having the right to vote, the right to run for office and the right to a Canadian passport, something tells me that longlegged Kate will always be English, with just a hint of Canadian. Very proud of you Babe.
Other news, we recently got back from New York City (my first time) and we had a ton of fun walking the city as tourists. I took Kate for her, um...21st birthday and all the photos can be seen (as usual) on our flickr page. This photo was my favourite as it was taken during a huge rain storm (seems like rain follows us everywhere after our Vancouver experience) in Central Park.In more travel news, we'll be heading to the UK this Friday for another fun holiday week or two with the in-laws. I honestly cannot wait to leave work on Friday, have a beer or two in the passenger's lobby and get Kate back on a plane home. Since leaving Vancouver it has been fantastic to see our family and friends again, but I would be lying if I said it hasn't been a stressful time looking for work, moving across the country, etc. So I think that kicking it back in Landbeach with my English parents (and John, Kate's bro) is just what the doctor ordered.
Which brings us to work and my new job. Now I say new, as it has happened since March, but I have actually been at this postion since August and have just now decided to get off my ass and blog about it. I am working as a producer/director for butterscotch.com . Butterscotch is an online video network designed for folks who find technology too techie. The site is a division of Tucows.com and I am lucky enough to work with some great people and some old friends. Andy Walker, Sean Carruthers and Amber Mac are all working on the project in various roles on a number of different shows including Lab Rats, The A-List, The Noob, Mr. Mobile (launching soon) , Miss Download, and On Deck. Please check them all out and feel free to give some feedback.
And finally, it appears hell has indeed frozen over and some how (at least for now) my Bruins are in first place in the Eastern Conference and are in second place in the NHL....absolute craziness. A friend recently asked me why I thought they were doing so well and I answered 'balanced scoring, solid D, fantastic goaltending and a ton of luck...all things that can dry up in a heartbeat'...so here's to a great 2009 and a big hope the B's can keep filling up the 'W' column.

Casey's Monday Night BoomShuffle

2008-03-10T22:47:00.002-04:00

Long time...no post!

2008-03-07T12:11:00.004-05:00

Hey all,
So perhaps it has been a bit long since I last updated this blog...oops. Hmm, stuff that is new...nothing really comes to mind...uh except Kate and I are now in Toronto (where we belong!), Kate has a new job and I couldn't be more proud of her. I am still waiting to hear back from a few options...so currently I am a kept man, but I don't anticipate that being for much longer (fingers-crossed). As Kate mentioned on her blog, we love our new apartment and being back. Apparently, it has been the worst February/March for snow in T.O. in a very long time...as you can tell, we both enjoy the snow over rainy Vancouver any day.
I don't want to bash Vancouver throughout this whole post (lord knows I had a year of doing that while in BC) but Toronto truly is where we belong...it is where our family (well half of Kate's) and friends are. Since arriving February 3rd...here is a list of folks who have made our transition back well worth it. These folks either helped us move in, had us over for dinner, had dinner with us in our new apartment or simply just met us for a drink to say "glad you are back".
- My dad and brother: I can't think of two other faces I would have rather seen when our plane landed.
-Peder and Patty Pedersen: These two held a kick-ass Super Bowl party the night we arrived and let us actually see the game (no TV in our house at the time). Not to mention everything they did to help us secure our wonderful apt. I won't mention who won the game:)
-Greg and Liz, Doon and Jane: Our first official apartment gathering...lots to drink, lots to eat and a little healthy Wii competition never hurt anyone! Fun nights with these four are worth the move back...period.
-Frank Linhares: Frank and his wife Sarah also came over for some eats and drinks (freaking Leafs beat the Bruins that night...but what is new of late?). Frank is a great friend and is, yet another, key player in helping us secure our new apartment! Thanks Frank...now get my PVR fixed!
-Monica Litonjua: A great friend who always brings over a huge amount of food and is always good for some hockey banter.
-Andy Walker, Amber MacArthur, Mike Lazazzera, Dave Ringer et al.: Amac organized a get together last Saturday for some TechTV alum and some CityTV peeps...and it was great to chill in a bar with old friends...Ringer didn't make it, but I did get the chance to catch up with him at a Digital Underground TV shoot.

Anyway, thanks to all our friends who have made our move back well worth it. After 4 weeks of being back, we have had far more fun than we did in 52 weeks in BC. I can definitely say we are both really happy and we still have a slue of people we haven't had the chance to catch up with yet...you know who you are! Here's to a great 2008 for Kate and I and to the Bruins NOT giving up more than 5 goals in a game for the next week or so!

Movers Came...20 days Till We are Back!!!

2008-01-14T12:00:00.000-05:00

Hey all...Happy New Year and all that crap. Kate and I are back from the UK (see all the details from our trip on her blog- I am FAR too lazy to give a summary now)
After getting back into Crapcouver on January 8th, we had about 4 jet lagged days of finishing up our packing and prepping for the next 15 episodes of "The Lab with Leo Laporte".
We have 20 more days until we are back in Toronto, 15 more work days and 15 more episodes. After 600+ episodes of TV with Leo, it is going to be weird to wrap the last few shows. But it is a new year and new beginnings (and all the crap...yet again) so Kate and I are very excited about 2008.
For the next few weeks Kate and I will be camping out in our apartment and sleeping on an air mattress...loads of fun. Thanks to Vic and Marcy, we have borrowed a 19' TV from work so at least we won't miss any Bruins games:) Here are some shots from our pikey lifestyle for the next few weeks: (try not to get jealous )

Our New Apartment in T.O

2007-12-12T17:02:00.001-05:00

Kate and I have found an apartment in Toronto, so don't worry kind friends we will not be crashing our your collective couches (thank you all for your generous offers!) It is 219 Fort York Blvd (pretty much Bathurst & Lakeshore...how's that for irony!) and we take control on January 15th...yee haw. The View from the balcony

The Living Room/Balcony view

The Kitchen.

The Kitchen area

More Kitchen/Living Room etc.

The Bathroom

The Bedroom

We hope to have friends and family over really soon for a housewarming party...well ok...not real soon, but soon enough:)

Back to Toronto

2007-12-06T17:27:00.000-05:00

Hey all,
A little news from Harris/Abrahamland, Kate and I have decided to resign from Greedy Productions and head back to Toronto. It was not an easy decision to make, but ultimately we are not Vancouver people. The most fun either of us has had this past year was in October when we returned to Toronto to see our friends. Life is not all about just having fun, however it is about being happy and Vancouver just didn't make us happy.
I am very proud of the 165 episodes of The Lab with Leo Laporte we produced in 2007 (technically 180 if you count CFH) and I want to thank Leo for helping get my career to where it is today. As of the end of January 2008, I will have worked on 630 episodes with Leo and I am very proud of this feat.
Kate and I will pack up a truck and drive back to Toronto starting February 2nd (probably not the best timing weather-wise, but we'll take 'er slow and be safe). I can't wait to see the Bruins play in the Eastern Time Zone...no more of this 4 o'clock PT stuff and to see my dad's smile when we pull up the U-Haul.

Cool New Music Service....Boomshuffle

2007-11-15T15:48:00.000-05:00

Found this cool site for creating music playlists...make your own Boomshuffle then rock out at work...check out my cool lineup:

Long time no post- trip summary

2007-10-17T19:33:00.000-04:00

Hey all,
Kate and I recently took a trip to Ontario...let me tell you...tons of fun! First stop was Barrie, home of my brother and mother. It was great to see Casey (my bro) as it had been quite a few months since we last hung out. I bought him NHL'08 as a house warming present and being I have played about 75 games so far on my own, I figured I would smoke him...well needless to say it took about 3 games for him to get the hang of it and after that...I could barely keep the games competitive. Downtown Barrie is pretty much how I left it...drunken folks late at night and line ups to get into the lamest bars.
Next stop was Orillia and my dad's Thanksgiving dinner. Many Harrises (and an Abraham) under one roof, a Red Sox win and a Yankees lost makes for a happy Sunday dinner. I think it was worth the trip seeing my Grandma's smile as she looked across the room at the whole family.After a wicked visit with Darryl and Kristine (and all their cute little puppies), Ontariopalooza continued East to Brooklin, ON and to the new residence of Greg and Liz. Much like many fun nights was Gregger, we had a few bevies, played some fun games and watched the Bruins lose. The four of us made a trip to Sneaky Dees and this was a group shot after dinner and drinks:
Although I can't say enough for how great to was to see friends like Doon, Jane, Greg & Liz...Kate seemed to get food poisoning from Sneaky Dees (gee didn't see that coming) which made for an interesting night of sleep!
The final stop was downtown Toronto...our old stomping grounds. So weird when you go away from a city that has meant so much to you for so long, come back and realize very little has changed. I love Toronto and look forward to calling it home again sometime. The friends are great, seeing family is amazing and the city just seems like home. Our good friend Rob organized a 'come see us' party and, I have to say, it was the most fun either Kate or I have had in a long time. For those folks we saw on our vacation, thank you for making it a great time. If we missed you, we'll catch you next time. To everyone in general...cheer for them Red Sox...they need all the help they can get in game 5!

Back from England...Ordered Myself a Present

2007-09-19T13:50:00.000-04:00

Kate and I just got back from a well needed vacation in England. It was grrrrrrreat to sit in her parent's living room, chill out, have a few bevies and not have to worry about work for a bit. We did a bit of traveling while we were back...headed to Cromer (which apparently is a joke if you are from the UK) but I had a lovely time chilling at the East coast of England. Plenty of more pictures on my flickr site. Big thanks to Mike and Di for a lovely 10 days of great food, great times and great memories.
Soooo now that Kate and I are back at work and the vacation is over (booo), I thought I deserved a present. And since Shaw FINALLY is going to offer the NHL Centre Ice package (after 10 years of online protests...seriously, some stuff in BC is in the dark ages) I officially placed my order today. 40 out of town games a week, over 1000 games a season, but most importantly...EVERY single Bruins game. I am ever so excited. Now if only I could live in the Eastern time zone so games don't start at freaking 4:oo PM!

Great Visit from My Dad/Booked a Trip to Toronto

2007-08-20T17:28:00.000-04:00

Hey all,
It's Monday August 20th and things are pretty good. Had a really great weekend. My dad and Janine are currently waiting at YVR to head back to Ontario after a jam-packed visit to BC. Kate and I took them to Whistler, Bridal Veil Falls, Harrison Hot Springs, Yaletown, Gastown, Cracktown (a highlight of any trip to Vancouver) and pretty much any local sites that we were aware of. It was great to get a visit from people from Ontario and it was a huge added bonus it happened to involve my dad. While we had company, Kate and I decided it was about time to plan a trip back to Toronto for a bit of a vacation sooooooo....we are coming back to Toronto Saturday October 6th to Sunday October 14th.
Friends of Ontario...lend me your ears...we'll be having a get together some time during our Ontario vacation in Toronto for beverages and to get caught up with friends and/or family. Most likely on Friday October 12th. Not sure where we will be doing this yet, however I'll get you the details as the date approaches. Kate and I are currently accepting proposals for places we can stay, while in Toronto (please read this 'if you would like to offer us a place to stay in Toronto for a night...that would be great').
More photos from the weekend are on my flickr account.

Back from a Great Camping Weekend

2007-07-30T17:08:00.000-04:00

This past weekend Kate and I went on our first camping trip in BC. We rented a car, filled it with our brand new tent, an air mattress, some blankets, plenty of booze,/food etc and headed to the sunshine coast. Let me tell you, if you are ever in the mood to take a ferry ANYWHERE in BC, be sure to show up plenty early. Kate and I arrived 40 minutes before our desired ferry and still didn't get on! So we waited for the next one (an hour and change later) and began our journey into the wilderness. We ended up in Egmont at a place called "Strongwater Cabins & Campgrounds" and it was a really great place. Although I embarrassed myself in the fire making department (I still swear it was wet wood!), I still had a wonderful time. There are plenty of pictures on my flickr account.

Hello Greg....I Want to Play a Game...

2007-07-26T13:24:00.000-04:00

What movie is the best horror movie ever? (Not so fast Se7en boy) If you choose the correct one, we shall remain friends forever...if not your head might roll. Here's a blatant hint:
So excited...only a few more months to go before Saw 4.

Happy Canada Day! Bruins get a New Goalie

2007-07-02T18:31:00.000-04:00

Happy Canada Day all...uh yeah I am aware it is July 2nd, just didn't have time yesterday. All is good in the land of Harris. We have four more days of pre-production until we are back in the studio shooting "The Lab with Leo Laporte".We are shooting 15 episodes between July 10th-13th and they will be episodes 61-75 on the season.
My eyes are doing well. After my last check up I was 20/15 in my left eye and 20/20 in my right eye. So now I have to go back in 2 months and then (all being well) I am pretty much good to go with my new eyes.
And some other news from the weekend...the Boston Bruins have acquired Manny Fernandez from the Minnesota Wild. Hopefully Manny has about 40 wins ready for next season...man the B's are gonna need it!

Wanna watch the Lab Production Live via Webcam?

2007-06-12T14:19:00.000-04:00

If you want click on of the links below to follow along with production:

As promised, we have behind-the-scenes cameras this shoot week to give you a look at the production of the show. Here are the links to the profiles that will be active on and off through the week:

Leo:
http://www.stickam.com/profile/leolaporte

Kate (at the caller station):
http://www.stickam.com/profile/kateatthelab

Ryan (in the green room):
http://www.stickam.com/profile/ryewell

Matt (in the control room):
http://www.stickam.com/profile/mattatthelab

Sean (on the lab bench):
http://www.stickam.com/profile/labrats_sean

Laser Eye Surgery Complete

2007-06-04T14:55:00.000-04:00

Well, I finally got up the gonads and did it. On Friday June 1st 2007 at 5:00 pm (PT) I drifted into the world of sans corrective lenses. Let me tell you, it was an experience like no other. My good friend Greg has a great Lasik blog post called "Spotting Dimes & Avoiding Mailboxes" and is well worth the read. In fact, while my eyes were being lasered into the stone ages, it was this post that was my "power animal" as I recalled some of Greg's insights as the procedure went on and I think I may have actually smiled. That being said, and feel free to call me a wuss, but Lasik eye surgery is no walk in the park. I am 100% happy that I did the surgery, my eyes are healthy and my vision is phenomenal. The procedure itself is very intrusive and very uncomfortable. Anyone who tells you different is either so happy with the results and/or so far removed from the procedure being done that they don't recall how uncomfortable those 15 minutes are. In no way is it the most pain I have ever felt, nor it is the longest surgery I have ever had (in fact it IS the shortest I have ever had) but for me it is 15 minutes I will never forget. Perhaps it was because the ativan (sedative) had little to no effect on me and I was fully non-relaxed the whole time. I dunno. Like I said, I am very happy with the results, but watching the footage (we taped it for "The Lab") I still recalled every moment and it wasn't pleasant.

I Think I am Closer to My Answer

2007-05-23T16:28:00.000-04:00

So I came up with a great plan. How about I take a camera and shoot the eye procedure and do a segment for "The Lab with Leo Laporte"? We can take a close look at the tech behind laser eye surgery and that way, we get some content for the show! So I pitched the idea to Kate's eye surgeon and they said "yes" so now all I have to do is get a camera (easy), bring myself to the clinic (easy) and get the balls to go through with it (hmmm not so easy). Anyway, I am going with Kate to her next appointment, go over the logistics of shooting my consultation and procedure then set a date for my consultation. This is not to say I am going to go through with it...it just means I am one step closer.
Last week we shot episodes 31-45 and they were the best we have done to date. Now it is time to focus on episodes 46-60 which will be shot June 12th-15th. Never a dull moment in The Lab.

To Laser or Not to Laser

2007-05-08T19:29:00.000-04:00

So, I have been giving this laser eye surgery some thought...and what conclusions have I come to? Well, the jury is still out on that one. Kate recently went under the red laser and had PRK corrective eye surgery. Let me tell you, there is nothing more frustrating than watching someone you love in pain...especially if it is something they volunteered to do...what am I a gonna do, go pick a fight with a laser? Let me tell you something...despite the Wii boxing reputation that precedes me, I could kick that freaking laser's ass. But seriously, so far the results of Kate's "procedure" (they don't like it when I call it an operation) have been good. Sure there have been some moments of itchiness, pain, discomfort but that is what meds are for. Side bar: if you ever hang out with Kate and asks you for some Ativan do us both a favour and do not give her any...looooopy. She has been a tough cookie and I think she will see (pun intended) the fruits of her patience in the next few days. As for me? Well I think I am still a bit of a wuss because I am not 100% sold on having my eyes "fixed". Perhaps my good friend Greg can re-convince me LASEK is a good idea.

So I Might Get a Bit Stressed at Work

2007-04-25T19:43:00.000-04:00

So the "Lab with Leo Laporte" recently launched and so far most people are happy with the product. Since we shot in HD we have had some issues when it comes to down converting to standard definition and therefore the first 15 episodes are being broadcast quite dark. GRRR. Ah well, it is a problem that we fixed for episodes 16-30. We were in production last week (shooting episodes 16-30) and my good buddy Rob did the drawing you see above. I found it quite funny so I thought I would share it.
Kate and I are good. Kinda tired from last week but all in all things are coming along. We recently booked flights to England (for Christmas) so at least we once again have another trip on the horizon. I have also recently jumped on the Canucks bandwagon. I haven't watched competitive hockey since about January (that's when the B's decided to mail in the season) so watching the Canucks has been a fun, local experience.

Back from Vegas...Back to Work

2007-04-03T16:30:00.000-04:00

Well Kate and I both made it back safe and sound from Sin City. To be completely honest (and maybe it was just the spots/attractions we saw) Vegas was a lot classier than I was expecting. Of course there were the stereotypical Elvi, the large women who CAN NOT pull themselves away from the slot machines, a slew of hookers, but most of the time, I was very impressed.
Tons of pictures are available on my flickr site. One of the highlights for me was seeing Elton John. Believe it or not I have been a closet (pun intended) Elton fan for a while and although the tickets were quite pricey, it was well worth it. And finally, much like many of our trips taken in March, by the time we got back home the Bruins were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Ah well, time to focus on the Sox...hmm who lost 7-1 yesterday...there truly is no joy in Beantown.

Heading to Vegas

2007-03-28T19:06:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Harmony Airways going bankrupt yesterday, Kate and I were forced to cash in our Harmony vouchers much earlier than we had intended (we got bumped a while ago and were given free return travel to anywhere they fly). Basically we had two options, head to Toronto...uh yesterday, or head off to Las Vegas for the weekend starting tomorrow. So Vegas it is. Neither one of us has ever been to Vegas before so we aren't entirely sure what to expect, but we are staying on the Strip and ready for a good time! We'll be back on Sunday April 1st.

Greetings and I Recently Got Punished by the Blogging Police

2007-03-26T19:36:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I think I am officially on probation. My good friend Greg has recently entered the blogosphere (by recently I mean in the last four months) and he has found and written some really clever stuff that has entertained me almost daily. Much like any friendly blogger, Greg has figured out the way to link to other blogs on the Net and thus, promote the flow of content between users/readers. It was such a nice harmony of being entertained by Greg and then reading material written by Greg's readers. However, I have recently had my "linked status" revoked, being I am not a regular contributor to Greg's world of cyber entertainment. You see, I have recently moved from Toronto to Vancouver, started working on a new TV show and one would think I would have TONS of things to write about. However, it is the lack of time to do so, that has put me on Greg's black list. Perhaps this post will get me off probation, but who knows what crazy criteria one must adhere to in order to continued to be linked.
Now for an update...we have recently shot the first 15 episodes of "The Lab with Leo Laporte".
Things went really well and we now have 3 weeks to prep the next 15. Episode 1 will premiere on Monday April 23rd. Vancouver is starting to get consistently sunny (two days in a row this week! the picture above is from our Sunday walk around the city) so hopefully we are reduced to 2-3 days of rain/week vs the 5-6 we have become accustom to. Now if you excuse me, I must go find a challenging, Java based Web game to entertain the cyberthoughts world before my probation turns into a walk down cyber linked death row.

All You Need to Know About Vancouver

2007-02-26T13:33:00.000-05:00

Things are great in Vancouver, uh just a little bit wet, but nonetheless Kate and I are enjoying our new life in BC. One HUGE minus for the city however is that you CAN NOT get the NHL Center Ice package if you are a Shaw customer. This forces Kate and I to head to a bar every Saturday and try and find the B's game. This was the look this past Saturday...BTW, the B's lost 7-2.

Settled in Vancouver (this is our living room)

2007-02-12T17:29:00.001-05:00

So it has been a while, yet again, but Kate and I have moved to Vancouver and began work at Greedy Productions. The move went fairly smoothly but unpacking was a little overwhelming. We have finally got our apartment the way we like it and can start our new lives right away. Our going away party was a big laugh, we ended up going to Shoeless Joe's on King St. in Toronto and we had a pretty good turn out. In fact it was such a good night, I actually won Proline...that's right 91 big dollars in my pocket which brought up my career winnings to -$545. Yes that does say negative 545 dollars.
Anyway all is well in BC and there are some more fun pictures of our place and our going away party on my flickr.

Found a Place to Live!

2007-01-11T13:22:00.000-05:00

So good news, Kate and I have found a place to live in Vancouver. We are deep in the heart of Yaletown in a new condo building and you can check out some pictures on my flickr.

Moving to BC

2007-01-04T10:12:00.000-05:00

Well a ton has gone on since my last post. Christmas/New Year's came and went, Kate and I went to Vancouver, the Bruins won...uh and lost a few times, Kate resigned from OMNI, and we both got jobs with Greedy Productions in Vancouver. Craziness eh? After our trip to Van., we both were very impressed with Victor and his whole team and the facilities at GP. And after Kate was offered a job too, well the decision was really a no brainer. So we head out West and start sometime in mid February. Sooooo much to do before then, kinda overwhelming but I know ultimately we will both be stronger people for it in the long run. Good thing for Kate is that Bruins games start at 4:00pm out there, so we can actually have a non-hockey Saturday night now! HAHAHA.... unless of course we want to watch the Canucks game!
Anyway we are both very excited and will be having some kind of going away party...I will keep you posted.

Off to BC

2006-12-19T11:49:00.000-05:00

Kate and I are heading out tomorrow to Vancouver to meet the folks at Greedy Productions. Neither of us have ever been to BC and we are both very excited about the trip. As you know by now, Torrent and Call For Help are both going to be produced in Vancouver now, so this trip is more business than pleasure. Thursday and Friday Kate and I are gong to meet Victor and his staff and then the weekend is for exploring Vancouver and looking for possible places to live.
The Bruins are playing Vancouver on Thursday, which was almost too good to be true, but alas they are playing in Boston. Ah well, I guess Kate and I will have to look for our favourite BC sports bar that has the B's game. We are back on Christmas Eve and I am sure come Christmas morning we'll both have a better idea of the future and/or what city we'll be in.

A Quasi Update

2006-12-04T14:34:00.000-05:00

Ok so much has happened since my last post of Nov. 20th. Firstly, Call For Help and Torrent have been outsourced to a production company in BC called Greedy Productions. This will leave the G4TechTV production team no longer employed as of January 31st, 2007. It took us all by surprise and I am not entirely sure where to go from here. Kate has been great and more then supportive, and I know that with her help, I will land on my feet. For the last 2.5 years, I could not have worked harder than I did and I am willing to give that dedication to my next employer. I started a show from the ground up and 8 months later someone else liked it enough to want to take over production. I must have done something right and whether it be in Ontario, BC or England, I know what I have to offer to an employer and they would be lucky to have me. I will have more to report in the next few weeks about where I will be employed. In the meantime, I will still produce/host Torrent and I will still help produce Call For Help at least until January 31st.

Back from England/Ireland

2006-11-15T11:47:00.000-05:00

Well Kate and I are back safe and sound from Europe. It kinda sucks because it really feels like we never left. We are both back at work, both jetlagged and both looking forward to the weekend so we can relax and get caught up on all our PVR watching. It was great to see Mike, Di and Jon again (Kate's family) and I want to thank them for all of their hospitality. Kate and I FINALLY got onto the London Eye and we both got to kiss the Blarney Stone. Pictures from the vacation are available at my flickr account.
Well I am looking forward to tonight because I get to watch my first B's game in 2 weeks. The Bruins are heading to Washington and I think it is only fair I get to watch a victory. We are shooting Call For Help this week and then next week I am getting back in the swing of Torrent. We shoot episode 29 on Tuesday and it will air Saturday November 25th.

Saw III and a Bruins Victory all on the Same Day

2006-10-29T13:03:00.000-05:00

I am one happy camper.

Hello Kate...I Want to Play a Game...(uh and a Bruins Rant)

2006-10-27T11:56:00.000-04:00

So it has been a while since a Bruins rant so here goes: Why in the hell do I bother watching the games anymore??? The team changes but the results are always the same. Last year you may recall during the B's season opener they played a solid 59:49 seconds of hockey, only to give up a late goal to the Habs and lose 2-1. Well last night, they made it 59:58 minutes before surrendering the GWG to Montreal and lost 3-2. Now I know the Bruins aren't going to only have 2 wins by the end of the season, but at this pace they MIGHT have 10 if they are lucky. And last night's loss wouldn't be so painful had I not actually referenced the fact there was 10 seconds to go and the Bruins hadn't been scored on...man that hurts. Ah well, with our England trip coming up (Nov. 1-14th) I have one more game to watch (Ottawa on Saturday) then I have an excuse not to watch them.
Torrent is going well, only 1 more show before the trip and all the pre-production has been done. It is just a matter of getting in the field, shooting it, editing it and then I am gone...woo hoo.
And the most important announcement of the day: SAW 3 opens today! So Kate and I will be first in line at the 7 o'clock show... nothing says romance on a Friday night like a little blood, guts, and gore! I have been waiting for this for a year...Saw 3, don't disappoint!

Meet the Parents Part 2

2006-10-11T11:45:00.000-04:00

Kate and I got to visit with my family recently in Orillia. I had not seen my sister Jocelyn, my step-mom Janine or my Grandma for quite some time so we improtu hopped on a bus this past weekend and well, kinda invited ourselves to dinner! It was a wicked time and I was really glad to catch up with everyone. So we had to take the 8:15 bus home from Barrie and when we got on the platform, it was HEAVING. Waaaaay too many people and we had been informed that highway 400 was closed due to some idiot running onto the HW and getting splattered. GRRRRRRR, anyway we took a cab back to T.O and managed to relax at about 10:30. Ah well, despite the extra travel time, the $100 for the cab and the more than annoying people on the bus to Orillia, I can honestly say it was a cheap price to pay to seeing the smile on my dad's face when we surprised him at the door.

Back from Cali, Looking Forward to England

2006-10-10T19:29:00.000-04:00

Well (once again) it has been a while since an update. But nonetheless, here goes: Kate and I went to the podcast expo in Ontario, CA and shot an episode of Torrent that I think we are both really proud of. Not only were we able to nail a bunch of key interviews and manage to not miss any of our flights, we also found out we work very well together professionally. No seriously, I didn't expect us to argue or anything but you really never know if you will click professionally with your significant other until you do it. I am very proud of her and she was a HUUUUUUUUGE help, I wish I could work with her on every shoot. Only a few more weeks and we will be able to hop on a plane again and head to the motherland.
Got back from a shoot today (episode 25 of Torrent which will air this Saturday) and it went really well. My good buddy Matt Parkinson came out and did the field producing and once again he was a big help (despite not giving me kisses when I wanted them like Kate did). We shot it at the Toronto Aerospace Museum and pictures are available here.
The Bruins are currently 1-1 and they looked pretty good in their second game of the season, uh we won't talk about their season opener...that was just painful! They play Atlanta tomorrow, let's hope their A-squad shows up!

OUCH!

2006-10-06T22:07:00.000-04:00

Ah well, 81 to go.

Rocking the Torrent, Heading to Podcast Expo

2006-09-21T11:20:00.000-04:00

Hey all,
Long time no speak. So it is official, I am the new host of Torrent and I have shot my first 2 episodes. They went pretty good, 0bviously stuff to work on, but nonetheless, I am having a fun time hosting. I understand fans are gonna be upset that Amac isn't hosting any more, but hopefully the focus can be more on the podcasts than my dumb ass! Next week Kate and I are heading to Ontario, California for the Podcast and Portable Media Expo. We are gonna shoot an episode of Torrent and she is gonna be my field producer. It will be a lot o' fun but I need this weekend to relax as I know it is gonna be crazy next week. We leave Thurs. Sept. 28th and we are coming back Sunday October 1st and the following week (Oct. 3-6) is Call For Help .
On to more fun news, the Bruins beat the Habs last night (oh yeah and the night before Habs Fan!)
so things are looking good for the B's in pre-season...however...uh it is only pre-season so I won't brag too loudly. Anyway, all is well in T.O. can't wait for Friday at 5:00 p.m.

Jesus, It's September...and I am Trying Not to Be Grumpy!

2006-09-07T11:23:00.000-04:00

Ok so just to confirm, did it take 4 or 5 days for July and August to pass us by? What a crazy fast summer! Ah well, with summer out of the way that means that our trip to England/Ireland is that much closer. Only 2 months till I will be sipping on Guinness in an Irish pub.
Sooooo the update...I shot an episode of Torrent (with me on camera) this last Saturday at the GameExpo in Toronto. I was Amber's co-host and I think I did a pretty good job. You never really can tell until you get feedback from people. So if subscribe to G4TechTV check out Torrent episode 20 at 20:00 this Saturday (Sept. 9) and email me some feedback.
So Kate is going mad with TIFF, I am trying to work out what to do with the recent departure of Amber MacArthur from G4TechTV (congrats again Amac!) and hockey doesn't start until October 4th. It truly is a 'Wake Me Up When September Ends" moment!
Recently, a bunch of work friends got together to have some drinks...now generally Kate and I have a rule about hanging out with people you work with (I mean nothing against them, they are all great people, but I spend 40 hours a week with them!) but nonetheless some fun pictures are available here. Now that I think of it, I probably wouldn't have met Kate (well at least so quickly) had we not been at a work gathering...so they can't be all that bad!

Eye Declare "Weirdest Weekend Ever!"

2006-08-21T10:57:00.000-04:00

So yeah the Red Sox were/are horrible and the football game? We'll we didn't quite make it. So my friend who promised us, third-row seats for the Argos game...uh forgot about us. Let me tell you, there is nothing cooler than lining up at the VIP Will-Call booth only to get up there and there be no tickets for you. So whatever no big deal right? Kate and I are grown ups we can find our own fun so I suggest a lovely dinner at East Side Mario's. I order the chicken parmesan and for some reason get it with potatoes (not pasta!) and it turns out to be quite possibly the worst food I have ever eaten in a restaurant. No big deal though right? So we decide to hit HMV on the way home from dinner (being we had some extra Sat. night time) and we pick out a few choice selections. Jackie Brown (finally came down in price), Good Will Hunting (always a good watch), Where the Truth Lies (nothing wrong with a little lesbian porn) and horror movie called High Tension (although we had never heard of it, we like our horror and it looked promising). However as I placed the DVD in the player, I had a horrible realization...the reason we hadn't heard of it was because it was a crappy, poorly dubbed French film...and Kate REALLY loves the French. Saturday was just one of those days you know need to end, because nothing goes the way it should.

Oh Yeah Our New Crack

2006-08-18T13:03:00.000-04:00

Move over 24, Lost, Desperate Housewives...we got a Prison Break. Two more episodes to go (well 3 for Kate as she feel asleep during last night's viewing) and then we are all ready for the premiere of season 2.

Rocking Weekend Planned

2006-08-18T10:37:00.000-04:00

Hey all. So it is Friday, the end of what has been a very weird week. Work's been crazy (more than usual) and I am looking forward to the weekend ahead. The Red Sox head into the weekend 1.5 games behind the shite New York Yankees and they are playing the Yanks in a 5 game series at Fenway this weekend. So all things going well, the Sox will be a 3.5 games up on the Yanks come Tuesday morning (ok not likely but here's hoping).
Greg and Liz are coming over tonight for a BBQ which will have many photos to share and some great times. G & L are two friends that Kate and I don't get to see enough but when we do, it is always a riot and we always pick up right where we left off. I think we all have good friends like that.
And tomorrow we head to the Argos game. Yeah there is a story there but not to be told on a blog. Kate and I have a "friend" who has hooked us up with some tickets...it will be an interesting time for sure. Anyway, here's to fun weekend all, I know I need it!

Sleepy and Back From Ottawa/Montreal

2006-08-08T20:46:00.000-04:00

Kate and I are back from our long weekend in Ottawa/Montreal. It was an awesome time. We went to see David Gray in Montreal and went to hang out at "Fat Tuesdays" in Ottawa (a wicked bar with duelling piano entertainment). A big thank you to Katya for letting us borrow her car and a big (sarcastic) thank you to "Mathieu" our hotel desk worker who brought douche bag levels to a whole new high....what an ass.

Anyway...some great pictures available here. Thanks Sean for letting us use your camera.

VCR Repair 101

2006-07-26T19:13:00.000-04:00

Well as promised...here is some insight as to how I like to fix things. First, I actually try to fix them, secondly (when that doesn't work) I step away and go back to it later. I repeat step 1 after some time has passed and if this doesn't work, I move directly to step three...smashy-smashy. Kate and I bought a VCR a while back and at first it worked well. Then when it turned 4 months old, it decided it had done all the recording it was gonna do. Therefore, we got a PVR and Mr. VCR had a date with "Office Space" Matt.

When Things Get Too Stressful

2006-07-24T15:33:00.000-04:00

I have been known to stress out a bit at times about most things in life. I sometimes take my job too seriously and my sports too seriously (in fact it was once quipped that I don't need a girlfriend only my Red Sox and Bruins!). So it is in these moments that I like to fill up the sink with bubbles and soak my head. Let me tell you...no matter how crappy things get...you just can't not laugh when your head is surrounded in bubbles.

For more stress relieving advice...click back here in a few days...I will show you what to do when you VCR stops working. And believe me my VCR stress solution felt great!

Come On Weekend

2006-07-13T15:25:00.000-04:00

Sitting in my office, kinda tired...waiting for the weekend. Just finished editing episodes 13 and 14 of Torrent that we shot on Monday and Tuesday of this week. Now as we look forward to episode 15 (which we shoot on Tues. July 18th) I realize this crazy sked may not stop!
Kate and I plan to do absolutely crap all this weekend. Hang out and sweat in the sun and perhaps play some sony (well I am assuming that will be just me).
And if things couldn't get worse in the ex-Bruins player world...Sergei Samsonov signed with the Montreal Canadians. I mean shit, I could at least cheer for him when he was with the Oil. Now he is in the same division, playing for the enemy...I don't think things could be worse. Ah well, I wish him luck and Habs Fan...enjoy your Sami, I have a feeling he will thrive in Montreal.

England Lost to This?????

2006-07-06T16:13:00.000-04:00

Yet another reason why hockey is better than soccer/football.

Happy Canada Day! Gutted About England....Going to Ireland!

2006-07-05T13:20:00.000-04:00

Well there you go, I represented the 3 countries I will be seeing in November. Obviously Kate and I live in Canada, but in November for 14 days I will be (once again) an honourary UKian. We will be staying in Landbeach (Kate's parent's house) for a bit (Nov 1- 6) then heading to Ireland for a few days. I am not sure why, but growing up as a kid, Ireland was one of those countries I just always wanted to see. So we had a few drinks, booked some flights and booked a rental car...me thinks it is gonna be much fun!
This past weekend we celebrated Canada Day in a rather sad fashion. After watching England lose to Portugal, we said goodbye to Kate's parents as they headed back home. It was great to see them and I truly think they had a great time while they were here. As for the English football squad, although I don't think they ever really played up to their full potential the whole tournament, it was crushing to see them lose they way they did. The problem with soccer/football is that it is a sport that one referee's call can literally change the game. I am not blaming the refs for England's loss, but unlike say, hockey/basketball or baseball the game can take such a direct swing from an official's call. There is generally so little scoring in soccer that a subjective ruling (and it is very subjective!) can crush a team's morale. England played a man down for over 60 minutes, thus they had to change their competitive strategy. They became a more defensive team (albeit they played better as a team then they did all tourny) and couldn't counter with many offensive attacks. Now this sounds familiar...wait a minute oh yes the Portugal/Netherlands game. When Figo head-butted Mark van Bommel, he was simply given a subjective yellow card, instead of a red card, and a few minutes later, there was a subjective red card given to the Netherlands player for an offense on Figo. So the Netherlands played the rest of the game 1 man down and had the ref called a red-card on Figo for head-butting, the other offense won't have happened and it would be Portugal who would have played a man down. So I understand this may be confusing, but the bottom-line is, it drives me nuts watching a sport where an egotistical ref can directly put his thumbprint on the outcome of the game. Don't even get me started on the subjectivity of Rooney's red card...how can Rooney get red-carded for a push, yet Figo didn't get red carded for a head-butt....the sport needs some consistency.
Ah well...all is well in Bruinstown; Chara, Savard and Donovan makes for a more competitive B's team. I can't wait!

Meet the Fockers and the Annual OMNI Party

2006-06-26T15:58:00.000-04:00

Well it was only a matter of time before the two families met, and this past weekend The Abrahams met The Harris/Giles/Harvey/Wellses. Yes indeed, it was Kate's and my weekend of Meet the Fockers; her parents and my parents/family. We had a BBQ on the roof top and then we went to the Jays game and to be completely honest, it went really good. The food was yummy, the conversation was good and the weather was perfect, albeit a little too hot at the Jays game. It has been really good to see Kate's parents again (they came to stay with us on June 22nd, left yesterday to see Northern Ontario and will be back on June 29th for a few days) as we only to get to see them once or twice a year. We took them to see the Blue Man Group on Friday and I think Mike and Di thoroughly enjoyed it. They really are great in-laws (and I am not just saying that cause I am sure they might read this!) and they always bring a smile to Kate's face which is a solid bonus for everyone.
Yesterday was the annual OMNI company party and it too went pretty good. Kate and I took Greg and Liz as our dates which was a good buffer from the usual corporate crap. Take a look at the fun photos here.

Back From San Francisco...and a 2 Year Anniversary

2006-06-14T16:11:00.000-04:00

(especially when we let hot English girls in)

Well I made it to Vloggercon and back all in one piece...despite almost dying on the flight home. Ok well maybe I exaggerate, but coming into T.O., we were approaching our landing (gliding nicely) when all the sudden, we took off (rather quickly) and a frantic flight attendant says over the PA "Um sorry apparently we cannot land in Toronto, I am sure the captain will make an announcement shortly". I don't know about you, but when it comes to quick, sudden and/or unexpected plane movements, I would prefer if the first thing I heard on the PA wasn't a panicked announcement. As it turns out, there was a plane on the runway we were about to land on, no big deal, we got landed all safe and sound...but I tell you, for that 2 minutes (which seemed like 10) between the panicked F.A and the captain coming on the PA, I just assumed I would never see the ground again (safely). It is really funny the games your brain plays on you when you think something bad is going to happen when realistically you are probably safer than you would ever be walking in rush hour. There are a few pictures of the trip here. Any who, it was great to get home and see Kate again; can you believe as of June 11th she has been in Canada for 2 years? Way to go babe! So, fittingly and ever so romantically, I picked her up a bottle of Tequila from the Duty Free. Nothing says being in Canada like getting retardedly smashed...now if only we could find the time, eh babe? I am supremely looking forward to this weekend, I think we will just sit on the couch and relax. Next weekend Kate's parents are in town (which I am really looking forward to because they are great people) and they get to Meet the Fockers (which I am not really looking forward to, not that I have anything to worry about, just gonna be intense). Anyway, all is well in Abraharrisland...just come on Friday and get here already!

Weekend Wrap with a Couple of Haircuts

2006-06-05T11:10:00.000-04:00

Hey all,
What a fun weekend! Friday night consisted of chilling on the couch and having a few bevvies with Kate. After a long week of Call For Helping I thoroughly enjoyed spending some time with my girl. My brother Casey came down on Saturday as we decided to celebrate his birthday one week early (cause I am in San Fran. on his real birthday; June 10). We had a lot of fun, watched Clockwork Orange, and went to the Brunswick House. Let me tell you...how old did we feel? God, we really have gotten to the age where we can no longer go to college bars. Kate got her haircut on Saturday and I think it looks great. And no, this isn't one of those yeah I have to say it looks great things, I truly think it looks wonderful; short hair really suits her. If you don't believe me have a look for yourself. Speaking of short hair, Mike Lynett (my good friend from Ryerson and now my co-worker on Torrent) decided (after a few drinks) that he no longer wanted to have long hair. And me, always the supportive friend, offered to shave his head for him. Here is a before and after shot:

Happy Birthday to Kate and a Warning to the Eye.

2006-05-29T12:07:00.000-04:00

Oh ok...so her birthday is not until November, but I decided to get her a gift early. We are gonna head back to England on November 1st until November 13. It, once again, is very nice to have a trip on the horizon as I think Kate has caught a case of the wanderlust again. Although the weather might be shite in England in November, it will be great to see the famous "Bonfire Night" in Cambridge as well as the London Eye on Kate's Birthday. DO YOU HEAR ME LONDON EYE??? WE ARE COMING ON NOVEMBER 6TH SO YOU BEST BE OPEN IF YOU KNOW WHAT IS GOOD FOR YOU!!!

We have 15 more episodes of Call For Help to shoot this week. Man it always seems so daunting at the beginning of the week, but somehow we manage to get them all done...uh touch wood. Then next week I am off the San Francisco for Vloggercon and we will be shooting 2 episodes of Torrent. I have always wanted to go to San Fran but I have a feeling I won't get to see a whole lot of it with our shooting schedule so I will have to go back with Kate to see the sites...perhaps a 28th Birthday present!

ahhhhh the long weekend.

2006-05-19T15:55:00.000-04:00

Thank god the long weekend is here. It has been (once again) quite a while since I last posted, no so much because I don't enjoy posting it is just that there is little time anymore. Things at home are great, Kate and I are both gonna lay on the couch tonight, relax and watch some of The Office (speaking of The Office, Kate bought me a wicked David Brent T-shirt which I love and is what my picture is a homage to). It has been a while and I think we have both earned it. Once again my lovely Kate, I am sure Tuesday morning will come waaaaay to quickly, but I am really looking forward to all the funny moments we have together this weekend.
I got to shoot another 2 episodes of Lab Rats this week. I had not helped Sean and Andy for a few months because unfortunately it had got to a point where I didn't enjoy doing it anymore and I had decided to step away for a bit. I am glad I went on Wednesday and completed shows 27 & 28 as well I had a good chat with the guys. I am gonna help out from now on every so often when I get time in a directing role. Guys like Andy and Sean don't so much need a producer (because they know the content like the back of their hands) but someone to direct, light, set audio levels. Geo and Maurice (two guys who have always shown more energy/interest than I could) are both very capable and will help Lab Rats continue to produce great content...at least they better, I need some content for Torrent!
Hope you all have a great long weekend...be safe and don't forget to relax.

Ikea and Boston Legal: A Winning Weekend Combination

2006-05-08T15:58:00.000-04:00

There truly isn't a bigger stress hole than Ikea. I swear to god, that I cannot stay more than 15 minutes in that place without feeling like going postal. The people are crap, the kids are crap, the food is crap but alas the furniture is very well priced and only slightly crap. Kate and I took an adventure this Saturday to the crap, stress hole that is Ikea and decided to build her an office so she can do her school work. Despite the crappy commute, the crappy people and the crappy waiting for delivery, our appartment looks pretty sweet...if not a little cataloguish. I am proud to say we have our own little "The Office" (UK editing of course).

And a big special thanks to Mohit for lending Kate and I Boston Legal Season 1 on the weekend. I love having fresh crack; Kate and I watch 11 episodes in two days and I can't wait for more.
Thanks for the fun weekend babe!

A Little disappointed...

2006-05-05T15:47:00.000-04:00

So last night at about 8:00 p.m. I came to the realization that with only 4 hours left, I still hadn't uttered my annual statement of "May the 4th be with you" all day long. DAMMMMITTT! I suppose that is the cost of being quite busy. So on behalf of yesterday, I would like to wish you all a marry "May The 4th be with you" albeit one day late.

Torrent episode 6 is shot and edited and ready to rock. My lovely Kate started her course on Wednesday (woo hoo Ryerson represent) and I am very proud. I figure tonight will be a night of relaxation and celebration of a busy week done. Between Kate's new World Cup project/school course and my lovely G4TechTV responsibilities neither of our asses have touched the ground in a while. Here's to a weekend of chillaxing!

PS I am not quite sure who Stephen is...good ole Google Images!

Rocking Out in the Control Room

2006-04-27T16:37:00.000-04:00

Hey all. Just shooting Call For Help and I wanted to see if I could post while I work. So far, so good. Sean Carruthers (our Tech Researcher on CFH and Podcast Content Manager on Torrent) has taken some great pictures of both Torrent and CFH on his flickr account. Check em out if you like.

Red Sox are still in first, I am in second in the baseball pool and Kate and I are looking forward to our relaxing weekend. We have nothing planned, no one to hang out with and no work to do. I think there may be some hot tubbing, beer drinking, movie watching and, if the mood strikes me, some home made lasagna cooking.

Weekend Wrap

2006-04-24T13:17:00.000-04:00

Well, it was quite a fun, busy weekend. My dad, Casey and Collart all came down on Saturday and we went to a Jays game. I would like to say we went to a Red Sox game, but they played so horribly, it definitely was a Jays game. In fact, I am starting to question what is worse, my sports fantasy pool record or my live sporting event record. Although I do quite poorly in almost every pool I participate in, I think I have only seen the Red Sox/Bruins win live about a combined 4 times in my life (and that is after about 22 games...no shit). This is not to say that the Red Sox/Bruins always lose to Toronto, I just seem to happen to pick the games in which they do lose to attend. Ah well, it was fun just to hang with them all on the weekend.
Torrent is coming along well, although the shooting/editing schedule kinda wears on me. Luckily I have managed to change our editing time from 5:00pm to 2:00am to 8:00 am- 5:00 pm. So hopefully the new sked will make things seem less chaotic. This week is a Call For Help week so I am looking forward to the change of pace. It is funny, I recall when I used to dread these weeks because my ass would never touch the ground, now I look forward to them as a vacation from Torrenting.
A good friend and co-worker, Mohit had his baby on the weekend...well I suppose Mohit's wife Katie did most of the work. Nonetheless, I was glad to speak with him today and hear that his new baby girl Maya Kate Rajhans and Katie are both healthy (the new baby is 1/2 Barrian...that's right, Katie is from Barrie...represent) Congrats again dude!

Update Time

2006-04-12T10:12:00.000-04:00

Hey all, me again...yeah I know, I have been quite lazy with the blogging or perhaps busy with the real life. Things are good; Kate and I have been together for 1 year this Sunday (April 16th). And I can honestly say I have never been happier in my life. Many things have changed in the last year: roommates (not so much roommates anymore, kinda more lifemate), jobs, residence status, jobs, friends, passport stamps, but the overall thing that has changed is my happiness. On another positive note, (no the Bruins did not win last night, in fact they lost their 10th straight on the road) Kate has decided to take a writing course at Ryerson. I am glad because she is the type of person who needs to have her brain challenged or else she goes crazy. In order to get into the course she needed to have an interview with a Ryerson Prof. to make sure she was up to Ryerson standards (apparently it wasn't enough she was living with an Alum!) and after the interview I believe the comments on her little approval card said "Ideal Candidate". Now I don't know about you, but I have never been an "ideal" anything...nice work Babe I am very proud.
Torrent premiered last week, and from the emails I have received, people seem to like the show. We are going out tomorrow and shooting episode 4; it should be a lot of fun.
On the sports front, the Bruins still suck but the Red Sox are in first place in the American League East with a record of 6-1. The play the Jays tonight but David Wells is getting the start on the mound for the Sox so I am not anticipating a 7-1 start to the year.

Work is Good, but I am LOST Without my Crack.

2006-04-03T14:57:00.000-04:00

Sitting at my desk, trying to get some work done and I realize I have not posted for a while so I thought WTF...why don't I post now?! And here we are.
The last week or so has been busy as I try and balance two shows. We shot 15 Call For Help episodes last week and Torrent premieres on Thursday April 13th @ 20:00 on G4TechTV...woo hoo! (we also have 3 episodes of Torrent completed). So enough about work...Kate and I had a relaxing weekend (got to use the hot tub and chill out) and we are FINALLY up to date with Lost. Now we must be at the mercy of our new dealer: the lovely folks at ABC. There is only so much BitTorrent can do to get you episodes; you can't very well get them before they are released which sucks because I need another fix. Perhaps my original addiction of 24 will settle me until Wednesday.
And it is official; the Boston Bruins are not going to make the NHL playoffs this year. Oh I know, big shock to you all now, but coming into the season they were picked by many prognosticators to be in the top 4 in the Eastern Conference. So much promise at the beginning of the year with new players like Zhamnov, McEachern, Scatchard, Isbister and Brian Leetch. Andrew Raycroft was supposed to be the answer to the goaltending question that has long been asked since the absence of Andy Moog (yeah okay, I suppose Byron Dafoe had a good year in there somewhere too, but alas he went to Atlanta after the B's wouldn't pay him what he was worth). But much like many of the underachieving Bruins this year, Raycroft got hit with the sophomore jinx and lost his starting job twice in the same year! Young goalies like Hannu Toivonen and Tim Thomas stepped up to ensure the Bruins were at least somewhat competitive but without any supporting cast, their efforts were wasted. I have ranted enough about the trades made over the past year, so I will leave that one alone, accept to say that I hope the new GM is willing to get good players and pay them what they are worth. Otherwise it will be another 25 years before the B's win the Cup as no one will want to play in Boston.
Tomorrow it going to be a fun day, get to go see the band Korn in Toronto. And yes I am aware I just turned 27 years old and I am going to a Korn concert. To be honest, I am more looking forward to spending time with my brother Casey than seeing the band. I don't see him enough and it will be fun to hang out with him and Collart. Perhaps now that I am 27, I will swerve the mosh pit...perhaps.

Weekend Wrap

2006-03-27T11:03:00.000-05:00

Well it was about time that Kate From England and I had a normal weekend. With all the work I have been doing on the new show , I had forgotten what it was like to just sit on the couch and relax with Kate. Let me tell you, there is nothing better than sleeping in on a Saturday (after a wonderful Friday night of beers and tequila), waking up with nothing to do but chill out and watch some Lost. And to top it all off, the B's FINALLY beat Buffalo this year. Although the hockey season (for Boston) is lost, it was good to see the Bruins play a competitive game for once. The B's also fired GM Mike O'Connell on the weekend which I find quite amusing. What does this say of the Joe Thornton trade? It would appear Mr. O'Connell did NOT know what he was doing if 4 months later after the shocking deal he is relieved of his duties as GM. I am not saying that Sturm, Primeau and Stuart have not played well (in fact I have been pleasantly surprised) but trading the league's leading scorer is never a good way to run a hockey team. (Ok, I know Jagr has 1 more point than Joe, but Joe has played two games less...in my mind he will win the scoring race.) And poor Glen Murray, he must be baffled at how his year has gone. Going into the lock out, it appeared Murray would never wear the Black and Gold again; surprisingly O'Connell finally offered Murray what he was worth and therefore Murray resigned with Boston. Cut to a month later and Murray is on a line with Joe Thornton and Sergei Samsonov and all appears to be well. Well Mr. Murray I am sad to say that as of Monday March 27th, there is no joy in Mudville, you are stuck playing on a line with Marty Reasoner and Mariusz Czerkawksi thanks to Mike O'Connell. And what other great decisions has Mike made this year? Oh that's right he kept Andrew Raycroft in Boston, re-signed Tim Thomas to a THREE YEAR DEAL! Now don't get me wrong, Thomas has been fantastic and is the only thing keeping the B's somewhat competitive, but a 3 year deal for someone who has played 35 career NHL games and is 32 years of age?!?!?! And the best thing yet is that Hannu Toivonen is still on the roster. So you get my point...I am not sad to see O'Connell go, but it is only a matter of time before Harry Sinden finds himself another puppet and the Bruins management will continue to under pay players and have sub-par seasons.
On a happy note, Kate and I had a turkey dinner last night. It was great to have some home cooking after a few weeks of eating in crappy Boston, Austin, Toronto bars. We went grocery shopping and bought one of those small serving turkey "roasts". Well Kate and I were quite deceived by the turkey "roast's" packaging as we had our next 15 meals planned out. "First we'll have a turkey dinner, then turkey sandwiches for lunch, then turkey soup for dinner, then turkey turkey for a snack...etc"....well let me tell you friends although the turkey boasted a price tag of $10, it certainly would not cover the 15 or so meals we thought it would. In fact, it barely made 2 servings for dinner and we had to cook some sausages just to ensure there would be no late night hunger. DAMN YOU TURKEY BASTARDS FOR YOUR APPEALING PACKAGING! Anyway, word to the wise...next time spend your $10 at KFC, you'll certainly get more meat for your dollar.

Been a While...

2006-03-21T23:57:00.000-05:00

Well once again, I realize it has been a while since my last post. But here goes nothing:
Got back from Boston and it was absolutely wicked. Although the Bruins only scored one goal in two games, it was great to get away with Kate and just chill. Pictures are now available on my flickr account. (I finally had to splurge for a Pro account!).

Austin was good too. Load of shooting and work and travelling around, but I got back on my birthday to a lovely surprise. Kate had decorated the apartment, cooked me dinner, had a fridge full of beer and wine, and bought me the PS2 game 24. Now I was addicted to the show 24, but man the game is 10 times worse. At least with the show all you have to do is watch, with the game you need to be active. And not that I am competitve (well ok maybe a bit) but when some bastard terrorist kills Jack Bauer in the game...man, I want revenge! Thanks for everything Kate, although I traveled far and was tired on my birthday, you still managed to make it a very special day.

Back from Boston, packing for Austin

2006-03-12T20:24:00.000-05:00

short post, just to say we got home safe and sound...uh despite two Bruins losses. I am currently in the process of packing for Austin, TX, but many photos will follow of Boston on my flickr account..so stay tuned.

Before I go, I just want to thank Kate for making me take the trip to Boston. It has been something I have always wanted to do, but it took her motivation to get it done. Thanks for the trip baby, I love you very much and I am proud to say I saw my first NHL game in Boston with you and that your first NHL game (ever!) was with me. It only took me 27 years to see the B's score in Boston, I highly doubt it will be another 27 before it happens again. (well saying that...the way the B's are playing....ah nevermind!)

Thanks again Kate.

Off to Boston, then Austin

2006-03-08T16:27:00.000-05:00

Well the day has finally come! I am officially 30 minutes away from going home and packing for Boston. I am so very excited and I am quite surprised the moment has come. Over the last few weeks I have been busy with Call For Help, the new show and late night EFP/Editing segments...all the while Kate From England has kept me sane. The next 4 days are ours baby...I predict 1 regulation win and 1 come-from-behind overtime win. Bruins, Cheers, Beers, Blue Man...we will do it all!

After Boston, I am traveling to Austin, TX for the South By Southwest Festival (March 13th-16th). Unfortunately, this will not be for pleasure but for business. This is not to say that I am not looking forward to it, because it is a good opportunity, but it will be tough leaving my Kate for 4 days in a row. I know it sounds unbelievable, but I haven't been away from her for more than 1 day since July (no shit). It just always seems fitting that at night I have her next to me and in the morning she is the first one I see. Luckily for me, I will be coming home on my birthday (March 16th) in the early afternoon which automatically means she MUST cater to me. j/k.

Looking forward to our Boston/Birthday extravaganza babe!

Monday's Thoughts...

2006-03-06T13:32:00.000-05:00

Following the lead of my lovely girl Kate, I have found the bullet points are the way forward when you are exhausted:

*2.5 days left until we go to Boston.
*Lots of fun this last weekend: beer, Bruins, Lost (uh not Bruins lost, although they did, it certainly wasn't fun!)
*6 points out of a playoff spot (damn you Habs Fan!)
*2 hours of sleep last night
*2 excited to sleep
*uh I like beer too!
*2 hours of 24 tonight
*Need more Lost...season 1 is done.

This is all for now, look for more extensive posts after our Boston trip.

Bruins/Raycroft Win...no Really!

2006-03-03T11:06:00.000-05:00

Well it only took about 3 months, but Andrew Raycroft finally got his 8th win of the season last night. Although he was only tested 22 times, Raycroft only let two pucks past him to seal the 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers. Marco Sturm scored two goals and the seasoned pro Tom Fitzgerald picked up his third goal of the year. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the B's win, but I am telling you, it is getting more and more tough to watch these 1 goal games. I swear, if my job doesn't give me a heart attack, watching Boston in all these close games certainly will!
Kate From England and I are (still) counting down the days till we travel to Beantown; 3.5 more work days. Things are really stressful right now but I assure her (and myself), come next Thursday it will all be worth it. I can't wait for our mini-vacation Babe! It's gonna be great!

Eight Days 'Till the Weekend of B's

2006-02-27T13:18:00.000-05:00

Not that I am counting the days but we are getting ever so close to our trip to Boston. Unfortunately for me there are about a billion things that need to get done before that plane leaves; I suppose it will just be a matter of putting my head down and getting through it all. Editing the first episode of a new show will be on tomorrow's agenda and the rest of the week I will be playing catch-up with the Call For Help post production crap that goes on.
On a good note, on the weekend Kate and I added another "B" to our trip: Blue Man Group. That's right, her and I will be watching the loveable smurf-like characters on Friday March 10th in Boston. We have already seen the Toronto show so we figured why not see the Boston chapter of B.M.G.? So those keeping score at home...the B's weekend is shaping up as following:

Boston
Bruins
Black and Gold
Blue Man
Booze
Birthday
Bars
Boyes
Boynton
Beer
Best Girlfriend in the World.

Why do you ask is she the Best Girlfriend in the world? Well other then the obvious stuff she does, she also has provided me with more crack. Being we are now all caught up with 24 (and are now at the mercy of FOX 29 to get another fix) Kate decided to get me hooked on a new (drug) show. As an early B-Day present I got the first season of Lost on DVD and 7 episodes later...I am hooked. I am not saying that Dr. Jack Shephard is in anyway a substitute for Special Agent Jack Bauer but let's just say he and his band of marooned characters will keep me satisfied until my next hit of 24... Lost is my own personal methadone. Thanks again Kate!

I Did Consider a Career in Law...

2006-02-23T12:42:00.000-05:00

Ok so the link I put didn't really work...anyway...here is the jist of what Kate From England had to say:

Me:

Judge Alex (Me at age 40 apparenlty):

Now you can discuss.

Weekend Wrap

2006-02-20T11:03:00.000-05:00

I hate to say it, but I think I am becoming a fan of the Mac. Sean Carruthers was nice enough to lend me his Mac Mini for the weekend and man is it slick. I am not saying I am a Mac wizard or anything like that, but let's just say I could really get used to using the quiet little bastard. My computer is so frickin' loud when I fire it up, with the Mac Mini I seriously had to check if it was ever on. Some might say I am not using the Mac Mini to its full potential. Instead of using it for minor video and photo editing...I have used it to get me caught up in Season 5 of 24. But in my defense, I had to offer some entertainment to Kate From England after the two very depressing Team Canada losses. It really is tough to sell someone on the excitement of Canadian Olympic hockey when the team gets shutout two games in a row. Ah well, I swear Kate next Sunday morning when you and I (well realistically, when I) am watching Canada beat Sweden in the gold medal game (at 8:00 a.m.) there will be some excitement. BTW...is 8:00 a.m. too early for drinks on a Sunday? I suppose it is 1:00 p.m. in England at that time so let the drinks flow! Final score...4-1 Canada.

Where Everybody Know Your Name.

2006-02-16T09:29:00.000-05:00

So it is official, Kate From England and I are going to Boston to watch the Bruins. March 9th-12th will be my pre-birthday (March 16th) trip and I am so stoked about it. On Thursday (March 9th) the B's will take on the dreaded Habs and on the Saturday (March 11th) the pesky New York Islanders are in town. It's funny that the two teams that the B's play during our time in Boston happen to be the two teams the B's have had the most trouble with this year. So it could either be wonderful and the Bruins win both games or tragic in that the Bruins officially get knocked out of the playoffs. Either way, it will be great to go to Boston for the first time and witness either outcome. It will be Kate's first NHL game too, so I mean hey, it's only fair the B's beat at least the Habs. But of course it isn't all about the Bruins, we may have to stop in to a few pubs for a drink or two.

Bruins on a Break and Happy Saw2tine's Day

2006-02-14T13:03:00.000-05:00

Well it has been a while but here is what is up. The B's went into the Olympic break on a low note as the lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-5. Tim Thomas (sadly) was not himself and Mr. Raycroft had to play the last 6 minutes of the game (yeah scary I know). But all is well in Bruinstown, they are still playing well and are just barely out of the playoff picture. I am not sure if they will make the playoffs but it should be entertaining either way. Being it is Kate's first year as a hockey fan I will settle for simply entertaining Bruins hockey; gotta hook her early for life! On the subject of things scary (and in Raycroft's defense he did play well in the 3rd period) today (Feb. 14th) is the 1st Saw2tine's Day in Kate and my relationship. Since the movie is out on DVD today, her and I are going to have a Saw marathon. What else would we do on this lovely February 14th? And if are thinking flowers and chocolate...you can bite me...I do not need a man made commercial holiday to let my girl know I love her. Anyone (in my opinion) who buys into the 1-day/year romantic bullplop is totally under minding the other 364 potential days to express his/her feeling and thus...under minding his/her relationship. If anything, perhaps start an argument with your significant other...this way you really let the commercial world know that love and romance is the last thing on your mind. Obviously this point is a joke but think about it...it could be a simple as bickering about whether it is cold enough to wear gloves in the morning or whether or not to go back for those gloves once they are forgotten!
Anyway...I am thoroughly looking forward to my night of Sawing, having a few drinks, dinner and cuddles on the couch. Love you ootles Kate From England.

Weekend Wrap

2006-02-06T12:45:00.001-05:00

Well it was a fun and exhausting weekend. Darryl and Kristine (good friend from the B-Dot) came down and spent the weekend with Kate from England and me. This meant tons of drinking and game playing fun. Some of us drank more than others but overall it was a great bash and we rolled into bed at about 4:30 Sunday morning. Man am I getting old or what? sitting at my desk Monday afternoon, I can still feel the FX of lack of sleep. Jack Bauer (and Mr. Almeida of course) entertained us for most of Sunday with the exception of the 3 hours when I watched the Bruins lose to Carolina in a shootout. What a piss off, sure it was great to get a point of the league leading 'Canes but so close to 2 points and to come up short really sucks. The B's Eastern Conference rivals, the Montreal Canadians, managed to dominate the Flyers, pick up two points and once again move in front Boston. Damn you Habs Fan! Just when I thought my bet with you was a lock, Les Habitants find a new Lord and Saviour in the form of Cristobal Huet. Man has he ever looked good.

Bruins Win Big in Ottawa

2006-01-31T14:06:00.000-05:00

Wow, what can you say about Tim Thomas?! 44 saves for his first career shutout in a 5-0 win over the Ottawa Senators. Bergeron, Samsonov, Boynton, Sturm and Boyes provided all the offense neccessary and it made my and Kate from England's blah day turn into a great evening. Nothing could've been better than sitting on our sofa drinking chocolate milk (after all, it was a school night) watching the Sens get beat then kicking back on watching a little 24 (up to season 4 now!). Tonight I shoot Lab Rats with Andy Walker and Sean Carruthers, which my make my long stressful day even longer...I can't wait till 9:00 when I walk in the door, get a hug from My Kate, and put in an episode of 24. Roll on 9:00!

Bruins Keep Rollin'

2006-01-27T13:00:00.000-05:00

Kinda busy, need to be short...the message:

2 points out of the playoffs
tied with Montreal
1 point behind the Leafs...

Keep it going strong B's!

Kate From England Had Faith in You...

2006-01-25T14:41:00.000-05:00

I didn't...nuff said.

24...the Magic Number?

2006-01-23T15:57:00.000-05:00

Ok so sitting at my desk (Monday nearly over) I had this strange realization that everything in the world revolves around 24. Ok so 24 hours in a day...too obvious...24 beers in a case...still a little too much on head...but my (and Kate from England's) current television addiction is the show "24" with Kiefer Sutherland and Elisha Cuthbert (who is now in her 24th year!). When not relaxing on our couch, chilling with my babe, and watching an episode of 24 (now mid 3rd season) generally speaking I am watching the Boston Bruins. The Bruins are currently in 11th place in the Eastern conference. As you hockey fans know, only the top 8 teams make it into the playoffs. In the table below you will season the final standings for the 2003/04 season:

Total Points:
1- Tampa Bay 106
2- Boston 104
3- Philadelphia 101
4- Toronto 103
5- Ottawa 102
6- New Jersey 100
7- Montreal 93
8- NY Islanders 91

Now currently the B's have 44 points with 35 games left on their schedule, using last year's standings if a team wants to make the playoffs they are gonna need at least 92 points. And this my friends is where it gets scary, for the Bruins to get 92 points this year they must get 48 more points... plainly stated, they must win 24 games. Perhaps 16 piercings is not the magic number after all babe, you still have 8 to go!

Bruins Have 5 Goalies and Beat the Flyers

2006-01-20T15:38:00.000-05:00

Well I have no idea what is going on in Beantown...The B's have Tim Thomas starting (and winning) games, Jordan Sigalet backing him up, Hannu Toivenon on the IR, Andrew "I like fighting pucks" Raycroft day-to-day and now they have claimed Craig Anderson off waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks. So I figure I will reserve comment until THEY know what they are doing because as of now, I am not so sure they do. Habs Fan let me know of some rumours of trading Raycroft, which wouldn't really surprise me. Thomas has played amazing and Toivonen will be Boston's starter as soon as he gets back. Where does Raycroft fit in? Realistically Sigalet will be sent down to Providence; after all, they need a starting goalie too. Who knows what the plans for Anderson are? Providing the Bruins keep playing well, I don't really care. The B's went into Philly last night and embarrassed the Flyers 5-2. Travis Green had two goals and Thomas (as per usual) held them in all 60 minutes. Let's hope his luck keeps up tomorrow against the Rangers.

Bruins Lose and Win in Extra Time

2006-01-16T16:04:00.000-05:00

Going into the 3rd period on Saturday afternoon, the B's had a chance to shock the visiting Dallas Stars and pick up a victory. Unfortunately, Boston could not hold on to their 1-0 lead and the Stars tied the game up sending it to overtime. With nothing settled in the extra 5 minute period, the game went to a shootout and eventually Dallas won 2-1 on a high-light reel goal by Jussi Jokinen. Today the story was the same but with a different ending. Boston went into the 3rd period with a one goal lead over Anaheim and once again blew it. In fact, the B's built themselves a two goal lead early on in 3rd but got into some horrendous penalty troubles that cost them. Sergei Samsonov was called for using an illegal stick and Patrice Bergeron was called for hooking on the exact same play. 14 seconds later, Boston's lead had be cut in half and it was 3-2 with a half period to play. Less then a minute later the Mighty Ducks tied the game causing a chorus of profanity from my office at work. (Due to the early start, I could only listen to the game). Luckily for the Bruins (and my co-workers) Patrice Bergeron scored with just under 2 minutes to play in OT and the B's won 4-3. The game was the second game in a row that goaltender Tim Thomas started as Andrew Raycroft sat quietly on the bench. Boston now travels to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers on Thursday night.

Providence Bruins Lose 6-0 to Los Angeles and a Trade Proposal

2006-01-13T16:07:00.000-05:00

No seriously, after last night's display the Bruins (Boston) should be relegated to the AHL. This way Boston might be somewhat competitive on a nightly basis. Actually on second thought, this plan may not be fair to the Providence Bruins as they DO have a winning record and ARE putting up good numbers in their league. I, once again, do not have all the answers but clearly the message set when trading Joe Thornton has fallen on deaf ears. The B's have given up 12 goals in their last two games and have scored only 2 of their own; tough to win in any league with those numbers. One suggestion, and I believe it would be the best thus far, would be to "get rid of the tosser with the folded arms". Of course, what Kate From England meant is to fire Mr. Sullivan. Although I am not in the dressing room or involved with the team in ANY capacity, it would appear good ole' Stevie boy has lost his motivational touch.
Yet another suggestion, and a much less likely scenario, would be to trade Raycroft for a goalie in a similar situation. Perhaps someone who is not living up to potential, is currently overpaid, and needs a fresh new start to get his confidence back...what do you say Habs fans?

First goal of the season for the Habs;
One of many to come agains Raycroft.

Joe's Return a Joke and Where is #33?

2006-01-12T11:46:00.000-05:00

Well I have had two days to recover from what was one pathetic ass game. I cannot imagine being a hockey fan in Boston, going to the Garden to see the return of a home town hero like Joe Thornton only to see him kicked out in the first 6 minutes on a blown call! The two refs, Chris Rooney, Francois St. Laurent are both first year refs and St. Laurent (not the one who made the BRUTAL call) did his first NHL game at the end of November! Why these two rookies were chosen to do such a high-profile game I will never know. Obviously Rooney wanted to make some name for himself and take the spotlight off of Joe and put it on himself. I could be wrong, but look for a similar rant this Saturday from Don Cherry.
As for the game, the Bruins were horrible in their own zone and played an all-round sloppy game. It was as if they were more concerned about Joe being kicked out than actually playing hockey. The B's lost 6-2 and Andrew Raycroft was pulled with 4 minutes to go in the second period. Although none of the 5 goals were solely Raycroft's fault, he certainly was not the same Raycroft he was two years ago. In fact, I am having hard time remembering any game this year in which Raycroft was the deciding factor in a Boston win. It appears he is fighting the puck and generally gives up weak goals that his counterpart Hannu Toivonen stops routinely. I am not saying I am not a Raycroft fan, I think he is a great goalie, I am just saying someone or something needs to be said/done to put him back on track. Until this happens every time I don't see #33 between the pipes I shudder at this image:

Pictures Now Available

2006-01-10T13:02:00.000-05:00

Well I got off my ass and finally uploaded all the pictures from the trip to England; they are now available here. As well, Joe comes back tonight...it is certainly gonna look weird seeing him go to the visitors bench. Go B's!

Greetings and Salutations

2006-01-09T16:00:00.000-05:00

Well here I am, back in one piece from the UK. Unfortunately I have been a very lazy blogger, but alas, I was in England vacationing so blogging took a huge back seat. There will be many photos to come on my flickr account once I get around to uploading them. I had an amazing time chilling in good ole' Landbeach with Kate From England and her family. Mike, Di, John and Diesel (well maybe not Diesel) couldn't have been more welcoming and generous. The home cooking was great, I saw my first football game and in the words of David Brent "el vino did flow". Once again, we couldn't manage to get on the London Eye due to annual maintenance; I swear Kate and I are just not meant to take a ride, so we went to London and pouted in front of it! (Like I said...photos to come) And finally, although I lost contact with my B's, they seemed to hold their own and have won 5 of their last 8 games. The fun really starts tomorrow when Joe Thornton and his Sharks (wow, that still doesn't sound right) come to Boston to take on the Bruins. Of course this will be Joe's first visit back since the shocking trade just over a month ago, so I hope the B's win but Thornton gets a great reception.

Bruins Win in Minnesota, I'm Getting Ready to Travel Again!

2005-12-17T11:49:00.000-05:00

MARCO CELEBRATES AFTER SCORING THE WINNER IN MINNESOTA

So it has been almost 10 days since my last post. So the update, Bruins beat Minnesota lost to Phoenix and are still 4 games under .500. But the good thing is that my vacation is finally here! 3 weeks off to do nothing but chill out and not stress about work. As well I have the honour of traveling overseas to spend Christmas in England with Kate's family. I am very excited and I am supremely looking forward to just relaxing with the in-laws. First thing is first though, we have to travel to Barrie and do my family Christmas. Today we venture to the B-dot and Kate From England will get to see her first live hockey game. It's not the B's, but baby steps...we'll get there soon! The Barrie Colts will be playing the Ottawa 67's...should be a lot of fun with my brother Casey and my dad. As well the Bruins are traveling to Calgary tonight to take on the Flames (Casey's fav team) so I am sure there will be some fun sibling rivalry as we watch the game in a random B-Dot sports bar. I hope to post one more time before we leave for England...can't wait to travel again!

B's Lose to Avs 4-1

2005-12-08T12:46:00.000-05:00

Yet another abysmal performance from my favourite men in gold and black. The Bruins lost the Colorado and only put up 21 shots on rookie goaltender Vitaliy Kolesnik. For Kolesnik it was his first career NHL game and the rare times he was tested, Kolesnik was up for the challenge. Boston gave up the first goal of the game (again) just under 12 minutes in, when Milan Hejduk out waited Andrew Raycroft and tucked the puck into the net. Boston tied it up with less than 30 seconds to go in the first when hot-handed Marco Sturm tucked in his own breakaway rebound. For Bruins fans, this pretty much is when the television could have been turned off because the rest of the game was certainly no gem. The game winning goal was scored by Alex Tanguay in the second period after a brutal cough up by Brian Leetch. After intercepting Leetch's pass, Tanguay completed the play by undressing Raycroft and roofing the puck into the top of the net. Unluckily for B's fans who managed to watch the remainder of the game, the rest of the goals were scored by Colorado and in our household, were followed with many choruses of profanity. Ah well, Sunday is another game...Boston hosts the Phoenix Coyotes on December 11th. One thing that is great is I have my new toy to console me during my cursing rage fits...
Thanks again Kate, I smile just thinking about it!

Weekend Wrap, Bruins get 2 points

2005-12-05T11:47:00.000-05:00

Once again, it was a relaxing weekend. This was pretty much the last weekend that Kate From England and I could literally do nothing. The upcoming weeks are pack with loads of Chrapmas fun with family and friends being we head back to the homeland December 21st. Friday night saw us playing in and around the lights of Nathan Philips Square as well as a few bevies and Wes Craven's New Nightmare. It is a fairly lame movie but Kate needed to see the final chapter of the series...how did that movie turn out Kate??? Kill Freddy Vol. 2! But seriously, a great weekend was had by all, thanks again for dinner Kate.
And the Bruins have got themselves 4 out of 6 points since the Joe Thornton trade. Yee Haw...I just hope it sticks. Watching the B's last night was a bit frustrating but in their defense, they had played 3 games in 4 nights and made the trek across country to do so. Hannu Toivonen has played great in his last 3 starts and praise must go to my lovely Girl for believing in Hannu before I did. Boston travels to Denver to take on the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday, here's hoping the points keep coming!

Say It Ain't So Joe.

2005-12-01T13:41:00.000-05:00

Big Joe got traded last night to the San Jose Sharks for a bag of pucks...oh sorry...correction 3 bags of pucks. Marco Sturm, Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau. I cannot image what Bruins management are thinking with this move, but I suppose we will see tonight when the B's take on the Sens. Much more on this topic when I am not so fed up with Harry Sinden and Mike O'Connell.
Best of luck in San Jose Joe.

31.4 Seconds Away from a Point

2005-11-30T14:32:00.000-05:00

SOOOOOO close. Man did that suck. Watching the Bruins at my lovely Xmas party last night was actually fun. However, I ended up leaving the party early (and the Bruins had a 2-1 lead) to watch the final period in the comfort of my own home. I am not sure what possessed me to do such a thing, in hindsight, it would have made more sense to drink copious amounts of free alcohol and ignore the final period which has brought me so much anguish this year. Going into last night, the Bruins had been outscored 39-25 in the final period and overtime this season. Why did I assume it would be any different last night in New Jersey? Despite Andrew Raycroft's 31 save heroics, the Bruins gave up two more goals in the final frame to lose 3-2 to the Devils. The game winning goal by Alexander Mogilny was scored with 31.4 seconds left in the game. Man did that suck. Poor Kate From England came home to see a very distraught and displeased boyfriend, sulking in bed. As usual, she had me laughing on my way to work this morning, making last night's crappy ending a faint memory. Unluckily for her (and Boston) the Bruins play against Ottawa on Thursday night and we get to do this whole dance again.

First Xmas Party of the Year Means Watching The B's in a Bar

2005-11-29T14:08:00.000-05:00

Well Boston heads into Jersey tonight with a solid 8-12-5 record. The game will start at 7:30 and will be on TSN so hopefully I won't miss too much of the game at my first Christmas party of the year. Man I love Christmas. The party does take place in a bar...most bars have TV...I say it is a 50-50 chance I will see the game. Which, oddly enough, are probably better odds than the odds the Bruins are getting in Vegas tonight against the Devils. The last time to the two teams met (Oct.29 in Boston) the Bruins blew (yet another) two goal lead late in the 3rd and ended up losing in a shoot out 5-4. I hope Joe and the Boys come out to play, after all this game won't be on the NHL package so it only makes sense they will win.
The Lab Rats and I will be shooting again next week, tonight I will enjoy an evening of drinks without cameras.

$200/8 Wins = $25 per Victory

2005-11-28T13:02:00.000-05:00

I have recently come to the conclusion that the NHL package so far has cost me $25 for every Bruins win this year...ouch. In fact, 2 of the Bruins 8 wins this year have been against the Toronto Maple Leafs and therefore I have not watched these wins via the NHL package. I would really like to justify paying $2oo per season but I find it hard when I see Joe Thornton lollygagging around his own defensive end for most of his shifts. Playing against Ottawa on Saturday, Thornton appeared happy to float at his own blue line and wait for the puck. He never seemed to be skating hard and as the team's captain, he is supposed to lead by example. Obviously the B's did not beat the Sens as they fell 4-2 and it was their second straight loss. They also lost to the Flyers 5-3 one day earlier, which I might add, was the first Bruins game I missed all year. My point? I have watched a lot of Boston and I am becoming less and less surprised with every loss. It has been a long time since I have seen consistent hard work by the team and if they are going to play crappy they deserve to lose. They need to play better and it needs to start with Joe.

Bruins Win (No really!)

2005-11-24T14:30:00.000-05:00

The Bruins seemed like a completely different team last night when they took on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Boston came out with something to prove and managed to actually play a full 60 minutes. Glen Murray got the Bruins rolling with 2 quick power play goals and the Bruins never looked back. Patrice Bergeron, Shawn McEachern, and Sergei Samsonov added the rest of the offense for the B's as they took the game 5-1. Andrew Raycroft got the nod and despite a very slow first period, he played like the Raycroft of old when called upon late in the game.

Side Note: Man I hate scalpers and Leaf fans. Just out of curiosity I priced out what tickets would have cost off scalpers. I managed to talk one of those fine, upstanding gentlemen of society down from $180 to $140 for 2 purple tickets. Now this isn't all that bad considering the tickets are worth about $100 face value for the pair. So I took this fine gentlemen's "business" card (and I use the term business extremely loosely!) and I went to the bank machine to get some cash out (for some reason I didn't have the $140 in my wallet while walking around Toronto ...no really). Once returning to this guy's "office" he let me know he no longer had the tickets, but I could upgrade to green seats...for a price. What a piece of crap ass scum. Ah well, it just goes to show what is wrong with the game of hockey in Toronto. I went home and watched the game with my girl, had a few beers, ate a great dinner and thoroughly enjoyed the victory. Funny how it is that when the Bruins win, Leaf fans are quite hard to find. The cell phone stays quiet, the inbox receives no new mail and the visits to the office are few and far between. It kinda reminds me of trying to find hockey fans in the city of Toronto in May, the Leafs are long eliminated and there is a Jays bandwagon ready to be hopped on.

Bruins 12, Everyone Else 24

2005-11-21T13:47:00.000-05:00

Well I suppose it has been a while since I last posted. The only real excuse I can come up with was that I was waiting for the Bruins to win again. Since it has been such a long time, I decided to give up and accept that the B's may not win for a while. In the last six games they have been out scored 24-12...man it is tough to win with those numbers. Watching Boston in the 3rd period has become similar to watching a slow-motion car crash. They always seem to end up playing not to lose instead of playing to win and therefore, Boston is now on a 6 game skid. In the upcoming weeks, the Bruins take on Toronto, New Jersey, Philidelphia and Ottawa (twice) so these inflated numbers could get even uglier. So what is the solution? A coaching change? Player trades? Move the team to Ottawa? I am not sure. But what I will say is playing competively for a full 60 minutes will optimize the B's chance of winning enormously. Mike Sullivan needs to find a way to motivate his players or else it could be lights out for the young coach.
Despite the shabby play of Boston, my weekend was quite fun. It was rather low key and relaxing after a long Call For Help week in the studio. Kate From England did a great job of cheering me up and putting up with my grumpiness.

Weekend Wrap From L'ill Vegas

2005-11-14T13:22:00.000-05:00

Once again it was a wonderful weekend. I had the honour of landing Kate From England into Canada and now she is officially a permanent resident. We went to Niagara Falls (which truly wants to be Vegas) and played in our fun hotel room. Big thanks to Amber for letting us use her car and to all the people who supported Kate throughout this long 2 year process.
Believe it or not, we actually found a bar that had the Bruins game on. And although I was thoroughly entertained at Boston Pizza, I really could have dealt with the B's actually winning on this momentous Saturday. Surprise, surprise, Boston came out flat in the 3rd period and gave up 3 goals to the Islanders and ended up losing 5-2. Ah well, the important things in life are settled and I couldn't be happier!

B's Get Thumped at Home

2005-11-11T13:06:00.000-05:00

Well not that it is really any surprise, but the Boston Bruins lost last night to the Ottawa Senators 5-2. I am not too angry with the loss except to say it is how the Bruins lost. Generally speaking the Sens are going to score at least 4 goals against a young Bruins defense. After all, Ottawa boasts arguably 3 of the best scorers in the game right now. But as I so poetically put it to Kate From England last night, the Bruins needed to make the Sens earn the victory not hand it right to them. After a well played first period, which saw both teams notch a goal, The B's came out flat in the second, took too many penalties and were absolutely horrendous in their own zone. Hall Gill (with a little help from rookie Milan Jurcina) coughed up the puck in his own end and gave Bryan Smolinski a gift that made the game 2-1. Less than 2 minutes later, and with the man advantage, Boston gave up a two man breakaway and Peter Schaefer made no mistake on the rebound making it 3-1.
One positive thing about the game is that the Bruins did play convincing in the third period. Although outscored 1-0, they didn't collapse as they have so often this year. Dominik Hasek held on to the lead in the 3rd period as Ottawa was out shot 15-10. The Bruins next play on Saturday when they travel to New York to take on the Islanders.

Bruins Earn a Point in Philly...Awesome.

2005-11-09T12:49:00.000-05:00

So the title may be a bit sarcastic, but going into last night's game with the Flyers, I would have been happy with the B's getting one point playing in Philidelphia. The piss off is that Boston had a two goal lead with 4 minutes to play in the 3rd period. Simon Gagne scored to cut the lead to
3-2 and with 24 seconds left in regulation, Joni Pitkanen scored sending the game to overtime. It was Pitkanen who won the game for the Flyers just 2 minutes into OT when he was left alone in front and beat Hannu Toivonen. Both the tying goal and winning goal were not gems by any means, and Toivonen will most likely not play tomorrow when the Bruins host the Senators. Andrew Raycroft did dress last night but watched from the game from the bench.

Kate the Canuck Gets Screwed by Vancouver

2005-11-07T13:00:00.000-05:00

After arriving home on Friday night to celebrate her 26th birthday, Kate From England FINALLY received the important document she has been waiting for; her Canadian Visa. This means after landing next weekend in Niagara Falls, she will be allowed to stay in this lovely country indefinitely! WOO HOO! Kate will know what it feels like to officially call Canada home, making her my new favourite Canuck (although until she gets citizenship, we will still call her Kate From England, Kate Who Knows the Queen, Kate Who Loves the Beatles, Kate Who Talks Funny, ETC...) But seriously, congrats Kate! I love you and I am proud of you.
As well two other things happened on the weekend that were shocking. Firstly, the Bruins won their second straight game by 2+ more goals and Kate (once again) went 3-4 on proline. The Bruins handed Pittsburgh a 6-3 loss and the B's dominated the Pens throughout the game. Joe Thornton led Boston with 2 goals and 1 assist and Hannu Toivonen secured his 4th win of the season. The Bruins victory gave me the only win I had on my proline ticket for Saturday. Kate on the other hand, embarrassed my 1 win performance by picking 3 of 4 correct only losing the Vancouver/Calgary game. The Flames hung on to a 1-0 lead throughout the game and when the buzzer sounded at the end of the 3rd period, Kate's ticket was done. So for those playing along at home, Kate has been screwed the last two Saturdays by the Montreal Canadians and the Vancouver Canucks. How is that for Canadian hospitality?

Bruins Win Big and Kick Off Birthday Weekend Celebrations

2005-11-04T11:06:00.000-05:00

It took just under two weeks for the Bruins to finally win a game convincingly. Last night the Bruins made Kate From England and my night by handing the Florida Panthers a 4-1 loss. It was the first 2+ goal victory the B's got since beating the Penguins 6-3 on October 22nd. Hannu Toivonen started his 4th game in a row and once again played great stopping 29 of 30 shots. Andrew Raycroft's return is doubtful for Saturday when Boston hosts the Penguins. The Bruins have hired Hall of Famer Ray Bourque (who just happens to be my favourite player, see the jersey collection) as a coaching consultant. It is great to see Mr. Bourque back in the Bruins organization.

The victory was a great start to a weekend of fun and celebration. The more-than-lovely Kate From England is turning 26 on Sunday (despite clinging to year 25) and I can't wait to have a wonderful weekend with her. She had some bumps and bruises along the way in her 26th year, but I can more than assure her that her 27th year will be all for her. I am very proud of everything she has done over the last year, she has persevered through hard times and emotional times and came out on the other side smiling. Here's to you Kate; your birthday weekend celebrations and your 27th year!

Islanders 4, Bruins 3, Star Wars 3

2005-11-02T13:48:00.000-05:00

If nothing else, last night's game between the New York Islanders and Boston Bruins was entertaining. Once again, the Bruins gave up the first two goals of the game and had to play catch up the rest of the way. Only 52 seconds into the first period Oleg Kvasha netted his first goal of the season beating Hannu Toivonen upstairs. Fearless leader, Joe Thornton, led the offense for the B's scoring an early assist and a late goal to push the game to overtime. In OT it was ex-Bruin, Shawn Bates, who scored with only 29 seconds left in the extra frame to seal the victory for the Isles. Although I was quite happy with getting a point on the road, it is getting more and more frustrating watching the B's consistently lose.
And what may you ask is the best cure for a bad dose of frustration? Well presents of course! A big thank you to my lovely girlfriend Kate, who noticed I was a little more than grouchy yesterday so she bought me Star Wars Episode III. I am not saying that I am a spoiled little boy who needs presents to cheer me up, but as usual Kate realized it is the little things she does that makes me smile. The token gifts, our simple jokes, and the fun nights we have together always put a smile on my face. Thanks again Babe!

Weekend Wrap with Tons of Death

2005-10-31T10:36:00.000-05:00

What a relaxing, wicked weekend. Well let's start with the painful news, the Bruins lost at home to New Jersey on Saturday. It was really a great game; Hannu Toivonen started again and played stellar. Joe Thornton was, yet again, the strongest Bruin on the ice scoring 4 points and netting a shootout goal. The B's had penalty trouble throughout the game and if they had exercised a little more discipline they might have picked up their 6 win of the season. The Bruins play the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.
Switching gears for a moment, the weekend of SAW 2 turned into a weekend of cinematic death. A mid-Saturday screening of SAW 2 produced a taste for more guts and gore. I had the honour of introducing Kate From England to the lovely series which is A Nightmare on Elm Street. Five movies in 24 hours made us a little sleepy getting up on Monday morning. In fact, some might say, I had a pretty mean case of the Mondays this morning. (Sorry about that KFE!) If calculated, the cinematic death toll for the weekend was well over 30 which sets us up nicely for Halloween.

SAW 2, Bruins 2, Leafs 1

2005-10-28T09:49:00.000-04:00

So there is joy in Bruinsville once again. Despite being out shot 37-30 by the Toronto Maple Leafs the Bruins managed to win 2-1 in Beantown last night. Rookie goaltender Hannu Toivonen played phenomenal throughout the game and especially in the 2nd period. The B's were out shot by the Leafs 20-4 in the second and really had no business going into the 3rd period with a 2 goal lead. Jiri Slegr got Boston on the board with a power play tally late in the first period. Sergei Samsonov got the eventual game winner early in the third period as he notched his 6th goal of the season. Providing the lone goal offence for the Leafs was Eric Lindros. Although the Bruins were once again extremely outplayed by their opponents, hopefully stealing a game from the Leafs is just what they need to get the season back on track. Boston hosts the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night which will most likely see Toivonen back in net due to the injured Andrew Raycroft.
It is Friday October 28th, which means the long awaited film SAW 2 is released today. For those who don't know the original film SAW, I highly suggest you pick up a copy. It is a crazy psychological thriller that has a well timed twist.

Anyway, I am not going to describe too much of the film, if you want to see it you will. But for me, this weekend is SAW 2 weekend and I am wicked excited. I am gonna spend it hanging with Kate From England (missed her a lot this week despite living with her!) just relaxing and chilling.

Hurricane Carolina Wrecks Boston

2005-10-27T09:58:00.000-04:00

Two things came to me last night as I watched the Bruins and Hurricanes game: one, the Bruins can really play like garbage on any given night and two, those young Hurricanes forwards are impressive. Although the B's had a two goal lead at one point in the second period, they never seemed to be in control of the game. Their first two goals came with the man-advantage and after Brian Leetch put Boston ahead 3-1 midway through the game, it seemed inevitable Carolina was going to battle back and tie it up. In the late stages of the game 21-year-old Eric Staal made undressing the Bruins defense a habit. He assisted on both the 'Canes 2nd and 3rd goals of the game and relentlessly proved the Bruins could not compete with Carolina 5-on-5. In fact, if not for the play of Andrew Raycroft late in the 3rd period, the 'Canes would have won in regulation. By forcing the game into overtime, the Bruins picked up on point on the road and thanks to Matt Cullen's OT heroics, Carolina won 4-3.

Tonight could be ugly. If the B's play the non-physical, poorly supported defense they played last night in Carolina, the Toronto Maple Leafs will walk into Boston tonight and be handed two points. Generally speaking, the Leafs always seem to play well in Boston and if the Bruins don't bring their A game, they will get shellacked.

Bruins Get Hurt by Tie

2005-10-25T09:54:00.000-04:00

Well as predicted Tie "The Bruin Killer" Domi got a point last night by scoring the opening goal of the game. The Bruins battled back from a two goal deficit and took the lead mid-way through the third period, only to see the Leafs tie it up with a short-handed tally a few minutes later. Ed Belfour held the Leafs in the game through the last few minutes of the 3rd period and O.T. sending the game to a shootout. Eric Lindros scored the only goal of the shootout and gave the Leafs a victory. Although I was disappointed with the loss, the game was amazing and the Bruins came away with a point.

Weekend Wrap with a Little Porno

2005-10-24T14:25:00.000-04:00

What a great weekend. Friday night saw the official celebration of Kate From England's visa arrival. The famous martini glass made an appearance and held 4 French Vanilla Vodka coolers. Such a yummy way to celebrate such a great thing.

Saturday was a day for smiles as well. The Bruins managed to finally played to their full potential and beat the Penguins 6-3. While the win kept me quite happy, I think the real test comes tonight as the Bruins play in Toronto against a team that actually has a victory this year!

I saw the new Egoyan film on Sunday and was quite impressed. Although this was my first exposure to the "Other Man" in my girl's life, there is something about a well written, directed and acted movie that makes going to the cinema worth while...oh yeah and the girl on girl action helped too!

Side Note: Why is it that morons still insist on leaving their cellphones on in the theatre??? I really believe that the statute of limitations for accepting this kind of behaviour has expired. Cellphones have been out long enough that everyone should frickin' remember the courtesy of turning them off. And so you forget (yet again) to turn it off and it rings...DO NOT FRICKIN' ANSWER IT!!! I swear some people are retarded.

Anyway, the weekend was great and I am looking forward to the game tonight. I don't have any predictions about who is going to win (as Bruins/Leaf battles are usually unpredictable) but what I will say is Tie Domi will get a point. There is something about that guy that makes him score a point virtually every game I have seen him play against the B's.
Go Bruins!!!

Bruins Lose, Thornton looks good, and The Montreal Europeans

2005-10-21T14:37:00.000-04:00

So I am not panicking...not yet. Bruins lost last night to the Sabres 4-3, but the silver lining is Big Joe was back in the lineup and playing great. He and Samsonov combined for 4 points and if not for Bruins penalty issues in the 3rd Period, they possibly would have earned their 4th win of the season. The funny thing is, despite being 3-5, Boston hasn't looked all the bad this season. Other than the 5-1 beating against Ottawa, The B's have been competitive in every game. They have lost by only one goal 3 times and I suppose this is what makes the new NHL so exciting. Teams can be up by two goals and in the blink of an eye, can be scrambling to get the equalizer with a minute left. The Bruins will take on Pittsburgh at home on Saturday. Hopefully Andrew Raycroft will return to the B's net (as it was Toivonen who started last night) and will be able to get the Bruins their next "W".

So far this season, the Habs fans I know have been generally pretty nice during the Bruins winless streak. In the past, Montreal supporters can quite easily get the upper hand on any Bruins fan by simply stating the following factual information: 24 Stanley Cups. This argument is perhaps the strongest by any hockey fan as to why there cheer for their team...albeit living extremely in the past. The agrument I cannot stand as to why an individual cheers for a certain team is country orientation. The number of times I have been ribbed for cheering for a so-called American team is countless. The irony being that the Boston Bruins have more Canadians playing on their squad than the Montreal Canadians. In fact, the Canadians have more Europeans on their team than Canadians. No offense Kate from England, but for a team to have more Europeans than Canadians and still call themselves the Canadians just doesn't seem right to me. This is not to say I don't respect the Canadians or their fans, I was in Montreal for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup playoffs when the Habs eliminated the Bruins in 2002-03 and the fans had a great sense of the game and were very courteous to the B's fans. (Unlike Leaf fans, but don't get me started on them!)

Anyway, I am looking forward to the weekend, spending some time with Kate from England, and cheering on the B's on Saturday night.

Good Day

2005-10-20T15:42:00.000-04:00

Here be the first post of many I am sure...just testing stuff out.
You can check out my gal's blog to get a peek into the weird world of Mr.H and Kate from England.
In the meantime, here's a pic of me rocking out in Slough.