Jason Arnott, in exactly the right place to handcuff Ed Belfour, and the Devils are the Champions

Quite a few days. Saturday College, Matt and I went to pitch and putt at Evergreen. Damn i suck at golf. Matt hit the flag off the tee, but everything went down hill from that point for all us. More so for me than those 2.

Then after work, sat with Braud and Steph and drank Coronas(at $3.80 a peice!?). Then made it down to House of Pasta where College, Kate, Christina and Wayne were hanging out. Along with them were some funny characters, including a feisty black girl that had me in tears in the corner by the fence. She was shaking her ass in my face and talking like a man, and Wayne was great repaying a favor from Colleges bbq a few weeks back. Quite a night.

Red Sox Update: They picked up the weekend series with the Filthies, but still are 6 games behind the Spanks. The Wild Card looks to be the target, but im still convinced, Next year is This year. Manny is off the radar so far and Schilling is the man.

"You can't be afraid to slay the dragon."--Mark Messier, 1994

Maine-A-Mania: 4 days and counting.
Current TV: Raw

Everybody's got a price. Everyone's gonna pay.

MGD 2, the others 9. Yeah, the less said about that the better.

Maine A Mania draws closer and i'm jazzed. Drunken nights, hangover mornings, Gary the Animal, sports talk. Collegeboy, Don Cornstein and Allure's own shining star Eric Constein. Apparently we are going to jam 15 people into a 4 bedroom house, which means i get the floor. Can't wait.

QVC and TGI Fridays have ravaged my body. Every ache and pull has intensified. I feel 90 years old.

Would you like a chocolate?

Tonight was to be the deciding game of the League Championship of our hockey league. Inches 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 of rain in the last week cancelled that. Rain always kills my plans. Dammit. We started out down 1-0 in the series after an OT loss, then came back to tie the series 3-2 last night. So Wednesday is it, Cup # 2. Since Durkin is in Florida, his jersey will be hanging in tribute, just like his 10 game suspension days of old. I could use the extra day, since i have a heinously pulled groin muscle, that has ruined my walking. One wrong turn and its coming off the bone. I cant even cross my damn legs or piss straight because of it.

Back on Sunday, i enjoyed quite the time. Chit chat at the compound with Gary and Braud, then down to the Spring House with those 2, The Lovely Miss Donna, College and Matt. Good time had by all, then adjourned back to the Compound for beers and sports talk with Gary and the boys, which is always heartwarming and enlightening.

I picked up Forrest Gump the other day on DVD for 14$. I always knew it was good, but it just might have knocked Casablanca off its perch of my personal selection for best movie ever. Gary Senise is really great in it.

Current Mood: ohhh, my groin
Current TV: Law and Order
Wednesday Night is Great For: Cup

The Story of the Stanley Cup Picture

Whew. Worked at Fridays again..and that girl Ashlen fucked me over again. Should have gotten out around 930, but didnt until 10:30. That pisses me right off.

Tomorrow i close, which should be some sort of hell, but the beauty that is Natalie will soothe the wounds.

So after work i went on down to the Springhouse and met up with College, Josh, Cindy, Kate, Amy, Fries, his girl Lauren and three of her friends. And it was one of the best times out ive had in ages. No one seemed to realize that Foreigner sang "I wanna know what love is," but i knew, so its all good. Great night.

I've damn near had enough of everything. Work, school, life. It cant only get better though.

The Stanley Cup Picture Story

June 2000. Chester and I decided to fly to Toronto Ontario, Canada. Just to go to Canada was worth it in itself. But there were more important circumstances: The Stanley Cup. For those who are unaware, there are two copies of Lord Stanley's Cup. Normally the original would reside on Younge Street in downtown beautiful Toronto. But, we were there during the Stanley Cup Finals, so the main Cup was following the Dallas Stars and the New Jersey Devils throughout the Finals. A second replica waited for us in the Hall of Fame. Chester and I made no haste...the Cup was in our reach and we mus'nt make waste. We were in Canada for 1 hour before we made our way to the Hockey Hall of Fame to complete our journey to stand infront of The Holy Grail. We purchased our entrance pass into the grand Hall. We politely made our way through the hallowed Hall and through the brand new Wayne Gretzky exhibit. We paid our respects to the Greatest One. But fullfillment of our journey laid ahead. We followed our manual map to the treasured Trophy Room. The Ultimate Journey began at the steps. To our right, a team photo of the Dallas Stars rested, at that moment the reigning Stanley Cup Champions. A mere 2 days later, the New Jersey Devils team photo would occupy that glorious space. So, Chester and I took our first, yet final steps to see what every Canadian boy ever dreamed. My life's journey neared complete. We ascended the steps. I walked, with nervous trepidation, and entered the Trophy Room. I was nervous. More nervous than i had ever been. I entered the room, and there amongst the various hardware, by itself, under the lights, the centerpiece of the room and my journey in life, sat The Stanley Cup. All i could muster was a breft, "there it is," to my fellow traveler. I have read and heard stories of obscure people who have claimed to have met the Virgin Mary or our Lord Jesus Christ, and their descriptions of their encounters were no different than mine at that moment. Like a father seeing his newborn for the first time, i was completely mesmorized. We plunged into the cornucopia quivering with desire and the ecstasy of unbridled avarice. I was within reach of the Stanley Cup. The same trophy that Wayne Gretzky won four times. The trophy Gordie Howe, and Jean Beliveau, and Bobby Orr fought for. The same Cup that Scott Stevens, Martin Brodeur, Scott Neidermayer, Mario Lemieux, Mike Bossy, Guy Lafleur, Rocket Richard, Ted Lindsay, Patrick Roy, Steve Yzerman, Lanny MacDonald, and Larry Robinson spent their entire lives dedicated to attaining. Those greats, and i had the chance to be with the Ultimate Prize. I cautiously stepped forward and took the in the moment. There was only one thing to do. Get my picture taken with the Stanley Cup. I paid the $14 Canadian, and stood on the cusp of immortality. As i waited, i wrapped my arm around the podium, afraid to actually touch the Silver Grail. Unbeknownst to the guard, i slipped a few fingers onto the Cup. A flash, and my life was complete. Me and the Stanley Cup, captured in time forever. After that moment, nothing was the same ever again. The picture of me and the reason for existence hangs proudly on my wall. The culmination of the greatest trip ever taken.

Current Mood: $1.50 bud light drafts
Current Music I can't get out of my head: Bette Davis Eyes
Coming Soon: The Final Post.

Dick, he's always said, the only thing that's important is the Stanley Cup.

Today i finally had a day off. No QVC or TGI Fridays, just a day off to relax. Played a little playstation, watched some tv and had some good ole R&R. Later in the eve, went to the Springhouse for some beers. It was great, reminisced about the golden days....Emerson's, fishing and drinking at the Compound with Fries, drinking underage on the backporch while Brad, Eric or Matt brought their underage friends over to drink or smoke pot. I really miss the good ole days. Later we went up to the Fairview for the first time in ages, and saw the lady who calls me Eric all the time. Then we stopped back to the Springhouse and BSed with Amanda. Great night.

Our hockey team has made it to the league finals for the 5th time since we started. We've only won one of the first four so far, so hopefully we can pull another one out of our ass and have another trophy.

Tomorrow i work, but i dont close....maybe they got the idea that they were making me close every night and felt some pity. Either Brad said something on my behalf or they just forgot. Seems like Natalie is closing more than I anymore since she graduated highschool. I would feel sorry for her, but she is one of the top 10 most beautiful girls i've ever met, so yeah.

Current TV: Seinfeld, the one with the raincoats and the close talker.
Current Mood: alot of Bud Light
Current Wardrobe: Wifebeater and adidas shorts

up your nose with a radiator hose

Going back to New Castle was a success. The trip to and back wasn't the hell i thought it would be. Got to see alot of family members that i have not seen in years like Aunt Shirley and Aunt Vera, along with Rick and Cindy and Uncle Charles and his family. Played some of the worst volleyball ever, but it was fun.

We came back early so i could play in our playoff game today. We did win a tough game, but i played like hell. Just one of those days i guess.

Now i get back to working, which means 7am to noon at QVC tomorrow morning, then a 5 hour reprieve before i close(again) at TGI Fridays, which means i miss game 2 of our playoffs dammit.

I now have a choice to make. Do i go to Maine with the Consteins in early July or do i go to Las Vegas with my parents and my Aunt and Uncle and cousins? I could possibly pull both off, but it would hurt the finances. Ive got a month to figure it out.

Current TV: Red Sox - Dodgers
Current Mood: pulled muscles everywhere

Home sweet Hell

Got back to closing at Fridays again last night. Wasn't too bad, since i had a 3 day break. Close again today...i wonder if they are giving me the shaft by making me close all of the time.

Tomorrow, bright and early, im going back home to New Castle, PA for the first time in 5 years. Not my favorite town in the world, even though its where i was born and all of my relatives live there. I just hate the 5 hour ride cramped into a back seat. And i read that more people die there than any other county in the entire state of Pennsylvania. But Doink the Clown of World Wrestling Federation fame was born there, and Rodney King made his home there for a time. I do get to goto my cousin Kristy's highschool graduation party and everyone will be there so thats not bad.

Married...with Children:

Peg: Would you ever dance for me Al?
Al: Only at the end of a rope, baby.

Andreychuk = Cup

Monday was a hell of a day. Started off bright and early for orientation at QVC. It seems like a nice place to work, if you dont mind working with retarded, moronic, white trash, brain dead idiots. The people in orientation could not grasp the simple ideas of the workplace and kept us in there for an extra half hour trying to comprehend something a grade schooler could have realized. But it seems like an easy enough and neat job with good pay.

Afterwards i joined Kyle down at the Springhouse to watch Game 7 between the Lightning and the Flames. It was an ok game, with ALOT of questionable calls against Calgary. But Iginla couldn't get it done. I wanted Calgary to win it, but good for Andreychuk. Brad and John joined us later and after the game we tried to get to the Underground but that was closed, so we got to Villa Nova which was open for business. Had beer, shots of vodka and tequilla and i was pretty smashed. And i spent way too much money. All in fun though.

Current TV: Law and Order
Current Mood: bleh

This one's for the Gipper

Quite an interesting day.

I was looking for the Belmont Stakes on the TV in the lobby at work for the people waiting when i found out that Ronald Reagan had died. Pretty shocking. Cleary one of the most popular Presidents and one of the greatest. As President, he oversaw the end of the Cold War and the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, two of the biggest moments in world history. Quite a resume.

Then the Belmont Stakes. I was surprised to see that Everyone in Fridays was into the race. Sucks that Horse Racing garners more attention than the Stanley Cup Finals, but it was cool to watch regardless. Smarty Jones started out 3rd or so, and then he took a large lead coming around the final turn. The crowd at the bar was going crazy. Then down the stretch he lost steam and lost to some other horse. Every year it happens, seems like they just run out of gas at the end.

Then the Stanley Cup Finals. I tried to watch as much as i could at work, but i ended up missing Tampa's goal in double overtime. Kind of dissapointing, seeing that i would have loved to see Calgary win it infront of their rabid fans.

Three bad incidents makes for quite a bad day. But i finally can look to a day off tomorrow and a hockey game at noon.

Current Mood: RIP RWR
Current TV: Fox News

I reccomend the sugar pucks..they're excellent.

What a week so far. Close Close and more Close at TGI Fridays. I finally got out of closing today which was great. I get another reprieve tomorrow, then close again Saturday. Then i finally get a day off Sunday, the first since last Thursday. This job would really suck if there weren't about 20 hot ass bitches working there to stare at. I spent today trying to find a passenger side rear view mirror to get my car to pass inspection. There's something about junk yards that is weird, kind of like the Klopek's house in The Burbs. I finally found one at Earl and Jack's Auto Grave Yard for 35$, not cheap but cheaper than getting the garage to order one.

Brad Constein has turned 21 and it ready to take on the world. He took time out of his celebration to phone me around 1 am, and while the connection was horrible and he was drunk as shit, i could make out that he just called to say he loved me, and that Razor Ramon was his bartender....classic. Can't wait for the opportunity where College, Gary the Animal and myself can drink with Brad, should be a night to remember.

Eric Constein on the other hand, finally anted up the 250$ he owed from the great cell phone debacle of about 2 years ago. Receiving the money in my hand was one of those great moment of moments, like the time College finally paid me the 140$ he owed me (after i did not see him for nearly 2 years after the moment i lent it to him), or the time the Devils won the Cup in double overtime, or like the time Brad and i got so high, that even looking at each other made us laugh so hard that our hearts nearly stopped. Now i just need $14.99 from Matt for the Hooters shirt i bought him, and about $6,349 from CollegeBoy and the entire family is out of the red in my ledger.

The Calgary Flames won in overtime tonight and they stand to bring the Stanley Cup home to Canada on Saturday night, which is great but i have to work. Damn it. I'm already looking to next season for the Devils. They have Zach Parise signed and he looks good and theres another rookie that is supposed to be great, but they better get a big hitting defensive defenseman like Chris Pronger.

Quote of the day:

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."--Confucious

or

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the valley of fear
To the river so deep
I've been searching for something
Taken out of my soul
Something I would never lose
Something somebody stole (?)--Billy Joel, River of Dreams

Current Music: Billy Joel
Current Drink: leftover Miller High Life