People know I don't care much for sports, but there is one that gets my blood pumping every time, Hockey. God I love hockey.
I did this thing on Facebook a few years ago where it calculates what you talk about most and gives a percentage. Hockey got the highest rating. To say I'm obsessed is a bit of an understatement.
The fascination started around high school. I grew out of baseball at an early age, always hated basketball and golf, and football was fun but only if it was Raider's football. Other than the Silver & Black I just wasn't all that interested. One of my friends said he loved hockey and suggested I give it a shot. I watched a Redwings game, I don't remember who they played but I liked it! There was so much going on that it was impossible for me to get distracted. I would watch an occasional game on TV but I wanted to be there and the fact that I knew I probably wouldn't go to a real game just made me lose some interest.
Fast forward to 2005 my city got a minor league hockey team, the Stockton Thunder. I was pretty excited but my friend had moved away and I knew of no one that liked hockey. I asked a few people to go but I couldn't find anyone interested. I live in a city in Northern California were it doesn't snow or get all that cold, why would anyone be interested in a game that no one around here plays or grew up with?
It took me until the 3rd season of the Thunder being here to make my 1st game. It was love at first ice. It was fun, entertaining, exciting, and emotional! I'm the type of person that gets distracted easily but this game had my full and complete attention. From constantly tracking the super fast puck, to watching the grace of the players skate up and down the rink as equally as fast as the puck, to the refs letting the guys go at it in a full on brawl. I got the hockey fever bad. After that 1st initial game I haven't stopped going.
A few years ago I hit a rough spot and got depressed a bit. I credit two things that kept me going through that dark time, my wife and hockey. I don't want anyone to think my wife isn't the single most important thing that's ever happened to me but this post is about hockey so lets keep that going. The game made me feel alive. I'd love going to the arena wearing all the Thunder Wear I had acquired. Walking in with thousands of other fans wondering what would happen during the game. Who would get goals? Who would fight? Let's face it, we all knew who would fight, *ahem* Garet Hunt, but how many fights would he get it in? What would the final score be? Would this game get us closer to the Kelly Cup?
The buzz and the electricity of the arena mixed with the cool cold air coming off the ice was and is always so refreshing. Then the lights go off and the entrance music comes on, my personal favorite is when Young Men Dead by The Black Angels starts playing. The players are announced and deafening cheering is made for our hometown gladiators. The lights come back on after the National Anthem and then as soon as the puck drops I get full on hardcore fan mode. I love sitting behind the goalie in good old section 107 to yell and get as rowdy as the people around me will let me. Hearing the players yell plays, the crack of the puck against a stick, and the boom of the glass as players are pushed into it gets my adrenaline going like nothing else could. The moment someone fights and you cheer for Thunder and boo the night's rival is the most fun to be had. The pure joy you feel to see the red light flashing and hear the loud horn is amazing! The best feeling however, the absolute best feeling is when at the end of the game you see the team all in the middle of the ice holding their sticks up saluting the fans that cheered them on. How could anyone not love this sport?!
This past weekend was St. Patrick's Day weekend and I went to two games in two days. Never once was I bored. Never once did I wish I spent my weekend any other way.
Awhile back the team announcer mentioned how much some guys on the team liked the TV show Sons of Anarchy. Soon after I saw an image from a fan that had a biker-type logo and a banner that said "Sons of Thunder". I have embraced that and will always think of myself as a member of the Sons of Thunder, Hockey Club section 107.
I feel so grateful and glad that our city has the Stockton Thunder. They helped me through alot and let me share them and turn family and friends into fans.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Friday, March 15, 2013
After the Laughter
I teased someone with the blog and was told the title was a little sad. Maybe I should explain.
I've always loved the phrase "after the laughter" for what it implies. Its simple really and the old song by Wendy Rene explains it, "after laughter comes tears". I find that to be very true. Life is full of ups and downs. Normally I'm a happy person and very extroverted. I'm the type of guy that can walk up to a person, strike up a conversation, and by the end of it we'll be friends. I thrive off of people's energy. That's my laughter of life. There's so many people to learn from and talk to and so many stories to be heard.
Certain people are sometimes described as the life of the party but, life IS the party.
So what happens after?
For me, on nights when my wife is at work and I'm home alone I go to my personal mental space. I retreat to the depths of my mind. When I paint or draw I often go to that place. It's my time to reflect on everything and analyze and be harsh about myself. It's the time I worry about things and be scared. I allow myself that so that way others won't see.
So after the laughter, comes the tears.
I guess it is a bit sad, but if I'm using this blog as an outlet why not share a bit of the me that no ones ever sees? It would be better to type and let things out than to bottle up the stress and be scared alone. If the me you see in person is the laughter than this is the tears. This is what and who I am when no one is around. This is the scared little boy that hides in the strong willed happy man.
Everyone sheds the tears, I guess this is just going to be my way to show them.
Not to say this is blog will always be depressing or that it'll always be about what I'm going through, but some of that might show up from time to time. I will try to keep some laughter here despite the name.
I've always loved the phrase "after the laughter" for what it implies. Its simple really and the old song by Wendy Rene explains it, "after laughter comes tears". I find that to be very true. Life is full of ups and downs. Normally I'm a happy person and very extroverted. I'm the type of guy that can walk up to a person, strike up a conversation, and by the end of it we'll be friends. I thrive off of people's energy. That's my laughter of life. There's so many people to learn from and talk to and so many stories to be heard.
Certain people are sometimes described as the life of the party but, life IS the party.
So what happens after?
For me, on nights when my wife is at work and I'm home alone I go to my personal mental space. I retreat to the depths of my mind. When I paint or draw I often go to that place. It's my time to reflect on everything and analyze and be harsh about myself. It's the time I worry about things and be scared. I allow myself that so that way others won't see.
So after the laughter, comes the tears.
I guess it is a bit sad, but if I'm using this blog as an outlet why not share a bit of the me that no ones ever sees? It would be better to type and let things out than to bottle up the stress and be scared alone. If the me you see in person is the laughter than this is the tears. This is what and who I am when no one is around. This is the scared little boy that hides in the strong willed happy man.
Everyone sheds the tears, I guess this is just going to be my way to show them.
Not to say this is blog will always be depressing or that it'll always be about what I'm going through, but some of that might show up from time to time. I will try to keep some laughter here despite the name.
Where to start?
A friend recently asked if I had a blog. I dont remember how the subject came up but thats not vital to this posting in particular. Upon my friend asking, I had two immediate thoughts,
1) Why would anyone care what I thought or how I felt about anything?
2) Why DON'T I have a blog?
Let's ( I say lets because I'm assuming at some point I will have a reader of this horrendous thing.) discuss the first thought. Not to be too hard or negative on myself but I've tried having art/sketch blogs. After starting them I would boast to whoever would listen, I'd create something and post with the hopes of getting feedback from people, as soon as I hit that publish button I would go to Facebook and Twitter and tell the world I was ready to share! It took a lot for me to be comfortable with people seeing my art or the progress of it. This was a huge step for me. Then the thing I was scared of... happened. No one responded. No one cared. The comments stayed as empty as the malls on Christmas Day. The analytics showed that a few visitors stumbled on my page. I eager awaited some form of response. And...nothing. The silence was deafening...
Not one to give up too easily I posted again. And again. And again. And again. Everytime I got a few more responses but nothing to get happy about. I guess at that point I realized if no one cares to see what I do, I shouldn't care to show it. I would make art, at most post sketches and the works in progress on Instagram and wait until the final version and just put it on my website. Again that was with art and sketch blogs, I hadn't even thought of a *gasp!*, "real" blog.
See to incorporate my second thought ( please see above if you forgot! ), why not try my hand at a written blog? Even if no one cares what I think, what I say, or how I feel, I could always use it as an outlet. I could post sketches if and when I felt but to be more own critic. Who cares about other people think? A blog by me for me, and if others happen upon it then they could read along. I guess it could be like a a train with people hopping aboard and getting off and just see where they go with what I write.
The friend that asked about my bloggyness said she'd be interested to read what was on my mind. Well at least that's one reader, although I'm not so sure she knows what she's getting herself into. I'm sure my wife would read, and she loves everything I do, so thats another reader. As far as I'm concerned they could be my only readers.
I've disabled comments but if anyone really needs to get ahold of me or tell me what they think of whatever it is I'm going to blog about my newly created email strictly for the blog use is floating around the about me section somewhere.
I'm just curious to see where this is going to go...
1) Why would anyone care what I thought or how I felt about anything?
2) Why DON'T I have a blog?
Let's ( I say lets because I'm assuming at some point I will have a reader of this horrendous thing.) discuss the first thought. Not to be too hard or negative on myself but I've tried having art/sketch blogs. After starting them I would boast to whoever would listen, I'd create something and post with the hopes of getting feedback from people, as soon as I hit that publish button I would go to Facebook and Twitter and tell the world I was ready to share! It took a lot for me to be comfortable with people seeing my art or the progress of it. This was a huge step for me. Then the thing I was scared of... happened. No one responded. No one cared. The comments stayed as empty as the malls on Christmas Day. The analytics showed that a few visitors stumbled on my page. I eager awaited some form of response. And...nothing. The silence was deafening...
Not one to give up too easily I posted again. And again. And again. And again. Everytime I got a few more responses but nothing to get happy about. I guess at that point I realized if no one cares to see what I do, I shouldn't care to show it. I would make art, at most post sketches and the works in progress on Instagram and wait until the final version and just put it on my website. Again that was with art and sketch blogs, I hadn't even thought of a *gasp!*, "real" blog.
See to incorporate my second thought ( please see above if you forgot! ), why not try my hand at a written blog? Even if no one cares what I think, what I say, or how I feel, I could always use it as an outlet. I could post sketches if and when I felt but to be more own critic. Who cares about other people think? A blog by me for me, and if others happen upon it then they could read along. I guess it could be like a a train with people hopping aboard and getting off and just see where they go with what I write.
The friend that asked about my bloggyness said she'd be interested to read what was on my mind. Well at least that's one reader, although I'm not so sure she knows what she's getting herself into. I'm sure my wife would read, and she loves everything I do, so thats another reader. As far as I'm concerned they could be my only readers.
I've disabled comments but if anyone really needs to get ahold of me or tell me what they think of whatever it is I'm going to blog about my newly created email strictly for the blog use is floating around the about me section somewhere.
I'm just curious to see where this is going to go...
Thursday, March 14, 2013
After...
After your laughter
I'll try to hide, hide my sorrows
I wonder can i hold them till tomorrow
Maybe ill hold them for a year
But they keep say
After your laughter
Now you will see those wet little tears
I'll try to hide, hide my sorrows
I wonder can i hold them till tomorrow
Maybe ill hold them for a year
But they keep say
After your laughter
Now you will see those wet little tears
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