Penguins, Pot & Other Stuff

It is only now, several days after the fact, that I can post about this one.  BC-34 Hamilton-27: in overtime.  Was at the game with Brother Mike, Paulo & Dickhead.  While the Hamilton boys started out slow, they were able to gain momentum towards the end of the game and tie it up.  Unfortunately, over time was our demise.

 

It was such a lovely day.  Warm weather, great crowd, lots of enthusiasm and a sign we were carrying that just screamed "put us on TV".  Well, the end was disaster.  All in all, a good season for the Ticats but still, such a downer.  Oh well, looks good for next year!

 

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We try and do it every year just a little before Christmas.  Unfortunately, I’ve missed the last 2 because of health-related reasons.  Thank goodness I made this one.  We all met at Spice Avenue, one of the newer Asian restaurants on Upper James.  Lovely decor and a great selection.  Was so nice to catch up on things.  Unfortunately, quite a few could not make it and (for some unknown reason) some of those who said they would be there failed to show.

Still, a great time was had by all.  I enjoyed a lovely dish of broiled tiger shrimp, pork, spring rolls, soft noodles & veggies.  Liz was good enough to bring her camera and act as official photographer.  Thank you Liz!  The only downside: $3 for a cup of coffee.  Seems kind of crazy since my meal, which was delicious & very ample, was only $10!  Kind of out of whack to me.  Anyway, who am I to complain?!?

 

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Yes, The Oskee Wee Wee boys pulled through in Winnipeg.  A comfortable 39-17 victory in front of a hostile crowd.  Now the British Columbia Lions pay a visit.  It will be very interesting if Casey Printers starts for B.C..  Loyal Ticat fans will remember him from his recent attempt at trying to quarterback the Hamilton club.  What a disaster that was!  The guy wins most outstanding player in Canada in 2007 and turns into a bum when he plays for Hamilton.  Not only that, but a bum who threw in the towel when he thought the season was lost!  I’m sure some of the boys on the defensive side of the ball would love to re-introduce themselves on Sunday.

 

Long-range weather forecast is for a relatively nice day.  12°C and a partly sunny sky.  As long as the wind keeps down, should be beautiful.  I’m not worried though.  Just purchased an electric blanket to bring to the game.  Yes, an electric blanket!  The wheelchair section at Ivor Wynne Stadium is equipped with electrical outlets that actually work.  Now, if it doesn’t rain then I will be sitting in Comfortville!  But, come rain or shine, a Hamilton victory will make it a lovely day.  Oskee Wee Wee!

And it breaks my heart to say it.  Brother Mike & I spent a couple of hours yesterday closing down the pontoon boat and getting it ready for winter.  Anyone who owns a boat with an outboard motor is probably familiar with the routine.  Run some antifreeze through the lines, get that fogging oil into the carburetor and make sure the spark plugs are oiled for next year.  With the pontoon boat, we also had to make sure that the tarp cover was secure for the winter and able to handle any significant snowfall.

 

Now, the difficult part: waiting to get it ready for the next fishing trip.  Canadian winters are long enough.  Now, knowing what is waiting for Brother Mike & I, the wait will be even longer.  Guess I will just have to start watching those fishing shows on television through the winter.  Right now though, it seems so far away!

Well, that’s what one certain Dickhead is saying this morning.  He twisted my arm into making a $10 bet on the World Series.  Even let me pick the team I wanted to root for.  The thing is, I hummed & hawed so long, he went ahead and picked Philadelphia himself.  Damn, $10 for his Long John Baldry quiz and now this.  Will wonders never cease?  Oh well, in the end Dickhead is still way ahead.  He managed to win $50 in our weekly football pool.  Not only that, he co-won $460 (he got $230) in the NFL suicide pool.  It was down to Dickhead & Michelle: they were the only two left.  He offered to split with her and she accepted.  Let’s see; $50 + $230 = $280.  Minus my hard-won $20 = $260.  I have so much more to strive for!

Last regular season home game for the Tiger Cats.  With the playoffs still up in the air, they are all important games now.  Unfortunately Brother Mike was unable to attend.  It was his weekend to be working.  So, off to the game with Trish the Dish & Paulo.  Even Dickhead came along as there was an extra ticket for him to scoop up.

 

It was a very cool & windy day.  Usually the wind is coming from behind us so we are somewhat protected by the seats at our back.  Not yesterday.  A strong, somewhat cold breeze was blowing steady at us throughout the whole game.  Thank goodness I had 4 layers of clothing on.  Managed to stay quite comfortable during the whole game.  Of course, my smuggled in thermos of hot chocolate was also a lifesaver.

 

The game: total domination by the Cats.  They were running & passing quite nicely while Saskatchewan was having problems going into the wind and even playing with it.  24,000 people saw quite a good game by the Cats.  As usual, Brother Joseph came over at halftime to compare notes.  At that point, Dickhead was mumbling something about Long John Baldry & my blog to him.  Avid blog readers will know where I am coming from on this one.  Anyway, final result was a big win for the Hamilton boys.  Now, when we take care of those Bombers in Winnipeg, it will be back at Ivor Wynne for a home playoff game.  Oskee wee wee!

 

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Yes, not much happening that would warrant blog mentioning.  Played poker with the boys (minus Dickhead) a while back.  Lost $30.  Went fishing with Brother Mike over a week ago out at Binbrook.  He caught a couple, one of which was really nice: a bass that weighed at least 2.5 pounds.  We will probably be going out again Thursday of this week.

 

Football (both real & fantasy) is going somewhat better.  I have restructured my fantasy football team which has led to a slow but steady rise in the standings.  All the way up to 8th place for now and that will get me into the playoffs (as long as I don’t slip again).  Actually won $50 on Pro Line last week and that’s the first win this year.  Even the Tiger Cats are doing better.  If they keep winning, the playoffs are guaranteed and there will be a game in Hamilton.  Oskee Wee Wee!

 

Noticed the other day that David Wilcox is playing at the Hamilton Convention Center on November 27.  I’ve always wanted to see him in concert.  I’ll probably be going.  Is anyone else interested in attending?

I can’t believe how badly I am doing with my fantasy football team this year.  Really thought I would do well.  Had some good players with lots of potential.  Even picked up a couple of star players during our preseason draft.  Oh the excitement!  Then, the season started: end of excitement.  Injuries, players not playing up to their potential: end result-disaster.  Not in the playoffs right now and I will have to work hard just to get there.  Oh well, they say good things come to those who wait.

 

Then, my Tiger Cats.  Started out so well.  Second-place for almost the entire season.  Then, about one month ago, the dive started.  All of a sudden, those boys from Winnipeg were making it a race.  The annual Thanksgiving Day game was supposed to be one where a Hamilton win would almost guarantee second-place.  Unfortunately: Winnipeg-38 Hamilton-28.  Ouch!  There are four games left in the schedule and it’s a tie with the boys from the prairies.  Going to be a very very interesting finish to the season!

 

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Yes, twice.  Was lucky enough to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner on two occasions this year.  Seemed like nothing was going to be happening at first so I suggested to Paulo & Jeannine we have a nice turkey dinner in honor of the occasion.  I buy the turkey and Jeannine cooks it.  She put together a lovely meal for all of us which we had on Saturday.  Poor girl was so tired but she still managed to put out a fantastic spread.  Thank you Jeanine!

 

Of course, within hours of coming up with the Saturday dinner plan, Brother Mike called to invite me to Sunday dinner with his family!  Made sure I had nothing to eat after that Saturday feast so that I could really enjoy the next one.  I wasn’t disappointed!  Along with Brother Mike’s family, Cindy’s parents were there along with her sister.  Even Cassandra’s boyfriend Trevor made an appearance.  And to top it off, after dinner there were homemade desserts from a family friend.  Delicious, simply delicious!

 

Even before the dinner though, we got together to visit Mom at the nursing home.  Brothers Mike & Joe were there along with Sisters Dianne & June.  Those 2 cute nieces, Nicole & Danielle, also graced us with their presence.  Was nice to have such a group together visiting dear Mom.  Happy Thanksgiving to all and if you have any leftovers, well, there is lots of room in my freezer!

 

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Summer has faded away and with that, much of our nice fishing weather is going with it.  Still though, a couple of days ago it was nice enough for Brother Mike & I to head out to Binbrook once again.  There was absolutely no wind and the temperature was around 15°C so it was quite enjoyable.  To top it off, I caught my first real fish while on the pontoon.  A nice little bass which was close to a pound.  Actually broke water when it got near the boat!

 

Don’t know how many more (if any) trips we will be able to make this year.  I’m hoping we can get at least one more in there.  Then it will be time to get the boat ready for winter storage.  It’s going to be a long long wait for next year’s fishing fun. Patience Patience Patience!