Niagara versus Michigan

If there is to be a Cinderella in a hockey tournament, it would be Niagara.  Of the 16 teams playing in the NCAA tournament this year, Niagara is seeded 15th.  They are up against the number one team in their region, a team that had only five losses all season and 32 victories.  Pretty daunting!

 

A sea of purple showed up just about the time Niagara took the ice for warmups.  The fan bus and student bus from Niagara had left about 10 am Friday morning and didn’t come over to the Times-Union Center for the early game as there was a 5 pm Pep Rally at the Hilton Garden Inn, where the team and fans were staying.  While a great idea - a pep rally, that is, Elise and I were in town to see hockey so had skipped the pep rally to watch the early game.

The N-Zone gang even brought Monty, the Purple Eagle, with them.

The game was really intense.  Niagara was holding their own against a much larger and much faster team.  The big question, as the first period ended in a zero tie, I put to Elise was how long could they continue to hold their own.

 

Unfortunately, Niagara took some very unnecessary penalties at the end of the first period of play.  One of these carried over into period two and Michigan finally drew first blood by scoring.  It was like a different Niagara team, with the exception of Pags - the goaltender, had taken the ice at the beginning of period two.  Unfortunately, this team lost the game as there is only so far that good goal tending will take you.  When your team is held without a shot on goal for almost a whole period’s time, you are not going to go far.

The third period didn’t look much better, until Matt Carounas took the shut out away from Michigan with Niagara’s only goal of the game.  With 2:48 left to play and down by 3, Dave Burkholder, the Niagara head coach, tried his best to get his team closer.  He pulled Pags to give his team a scoring advantage, hopefully, by putting six skaters on the ice.  Unfortunately, this is not a great idea.  Niagara’s man up situation had not been all that effective all game so this was an issue.  Michigan scored its fifth and final goal into an empty net.

 

Clarkson versus St Cloud State

Lei and I wound, literally, our way through the will call line to get our tickets.  There was a slight problem as they had been purchased using Ed’s credit card but he was not there so we had a copy of it.  He had spoken to the ticket company and they had said this would not be an issue.  Only problem was, they didn’t tell the box office that.

The first game, which the students who came from Niagara didn’t go to as they were waiting for a pep rally at the team hotel, was Clarkson versus St Cloud State.  I have known a lot of really smart engineers who have come out of Clarkson but hadn’t really thought much about their hockey team until last night.  I didn’t realize that there were one of the 10 (I think that is the right number) at-large bids to this tournament of 16.  Niagara has played some of the same teams that both St Cloud and Clarkson have played.  Lei and I couldn’t decide who we wanted to win.  Fortunately, there were a few obnoxious Michigan fans behind us who had bet on St Cloud so we decided Clarkson was who we would cheer for.

The game was not particularly great hockey.  Neither team was very fast.  Neither team was very physical.  My father, who had tickets on the other side of the arena, called it “finesse” hockey.  I am not sure if either of these “finesse” teams can beat a Michigan or a Niagara.

I was introduced to a new hockey “thing.”  I have never heard a hockey pep band until yesterday.  Of the four teams at the Times-Union Center, three brought pep bands.  Niagara brought theirs, though it didn’t seem to understand it was not like basketball and there were no cheerleaders.

The game ended with Clarkson advancing to play the winner of the late game - Niagara versus Michigan.

Road Trip Day One

The day started out a bit slow.  Elise and I couldn’t leave home until the two school-aged boys had gotten on the bus.  Of course, due to the lovely spring weather in Binghamton, they had a two hour school delay.  It was rather icy out from the look out all windows in the house and from the amount of salt that was being dropped by the plows.

Everything was set, though, to leave as soon as the boys got out the door.  They headed to that spot in the backyard designated as “bus stop” while I started cleaning off the car.  Elise put our suitcases, well my suitcase and her duffle, in the truck and we were on our way to Albany by 11 am.

Elise is taking a photo class this semester, which she missed Thursday evening to come home so we could go to the tournament together.  Her assignment is to take pictures of her trip to create a travelogue.  She took pics of road signs and trees, pics of hockey and fans.  I also managed to click off 120 images at the hockey arena.  Thankfully, the cost of developing is not a necessity any longer.

We checked into our hotel a half hour early.  I love being a member of a frequent guest program.  Usually, if there is anything they can do for you, they will.   Also, I encourage all travelers to ask these small questions as usually your room is ready at least an hour prior to check-in time.

We only stayed at the hotel long enough to unload the suitcases and Lei’s laptop so she could get messages from campus.  Then, it was off in some ugly drizzle and a lot of traffic to find the Times-Union Center in downtown Albany.  Yes, I have directions but I have also found out they were not very good since trying to follow them.  Plus, Albany is a bigger city than I am use to driving around in so…. but we finally found, not only the arena, but a parking garage that was next to it at our end of the arena (lucky guess that this is the one we pulled into.

Simple Abundance - March 2008

I know you are all probably thinking I am nuts.  March is almost over, as I was reminded this morning by my mother who was wondering if March came in like a lion or a lamb as it is looking like it is going out like a lion.

This month Sarah Ban Breathnach is discussing the principle of simplicity.  I always find this to be one of the hardest principles for us to grasp in our world.  We seem to collect “things.”  Materialism seems to be rampant.

 In looking back over March, I want to point out a few important readings.  I also want to remind you all to use your Gratitude Journals.  If you have been remiss in this area, please dust it off and get back on track.

The very first reading of the month - about restoring our sanity to our lives - is not one I could have read on March 1st.  I was the whirling dervish that SBB discusses.  I was up at 4:30 am that morning and out the door, even though March was coming in like a lion and there was still a snow-covered road by my house.  I dropped my 13 year old at the local diner to have a “pre-event” breakfast with his Science Olympiad team.  Then, I was off to the high school to set up for the tournament that would find seven middle schools competing for the chance to advance to the state tournament.

The next discussion on meditation moves me more now than it did at the beginning of March.  I am currently reading Eat, Pray, Love  and am in the section on meditation and prayer.  We all, regardless of who we pray to or why we meditate, need to revive these practices.  The quiet time in our souls will help our creative selves come out and play more easily.

 The discussion of what appearance we put forward and can we find the inspiration in it if we are not “pulled together” intrigue me.  I am one of those who can sit at home and work in a hoodie and sweats.  I go out for a run in old warmups and ratting baseball hats.  I do, though, try to look together when I am heading out for other things as can be seen below in my “Easter” outfit.

The mid-month discussions of self-nurturing and self-acceptance always make me smile.  How can we nurture those around us and help them build self-acceptance if we cannot do this for ourselves?  I have often wondered how the mother who cannot nurture herself, even if only occasionally, can nurture her young ones.  

I also love the discussions of style and fashion here at the end of the month.  I am slowly finding my “style” and have gotten rid of a lot of things that were in my closets and drawers for I don’t really know what reason. 

If you have not yet taken part in the Joyful Simplicities for March, please read them over.  Many can be done in April!!!

Road Trip Coming!!

My college-aged daughter and I are heading on a road trip.  Yes, the trip is set to satisfy both of our college hockey fanaticism.  We may even get some shopping in on Saturday.

Tomorrow morning, in what is suppose to be snow so very appropriate for hockey weather, my daughter and I will head to Albany for round one of the NCAA Hockey Tournament.  We are heading to the Times-Union Center in Albany for two games on Friday - #2 St Cloud State vs. #3 Clarkson and then, the reason for the trip, #4 Niagara vs. #1 Michigan.  The games are suppose to be broadcast on ESPNU so look for me if you get this channel.

I have many reasons to cheer on Niagara.  That is where my daughter attends college.  That is the team I am going to call “my” team this tournament.  But more importantly, I am always, first and foremost, a WVU Mountaineer and at this moment in time, we all still hate the University of Michigan.  We hate that their basketball coach is John Beilein, straight from the Mountainners.  We hate even more that their new football coach is none other than Rich Rodriguez.  Some things are not easily forgiven.

Elise attends Niagara University.  When she left for college three and a half years ago, she was not a big hockey fan.  She has become a huge hockey fan since living in the Greater Niagara Frontier.  We have seen two Niagara vs. Cornell games this year that were at Cornell during her between semester break.  At that time, I also went to one game in Niagara.

Two weeks ago, at the beginning of her spring break, I went to Niagara for the College Hockey American Tournament.  Niagara hosted this in “fan friendly” Dwyer Arena.  They also won the tournament, earning themselves an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

The NCAA Hockey Tournament, unlike March Madness where 65 teams start, starts with sixteen teams.  There are four regional locations - Albany, NY; Worcester, Massachusetts; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Madison, Wisconsin.  We were going together if Niagara played in Albany or Worcester.  Elise was probably going if the team played in Madison.

Look for more details on the road tomorrow.

Canvas with Tissue Paper

With an online group, I am working my way through Mary Todd Beam’s Celebrate Your Creative Self.  The portion we were working on this month was to add tissue paper to an illustration board or canvas and then paint it. 

 The workshop leader was so smart and decided to break this into three weekly parts to make it easier.  And I am sure it would have been if life didn’t get in the way.  I started this last Thursday and still think I need to put some additional color on it.  I want the third that is basically in the center horizontally to have something else on it - a different color to contrast, something.

The first step was to get the tissue paper on the board.

While this does not look like much, it was harder than I thought it would be.  I knew what I wanted it to llook like, but really wanted to let the tissue have its own “life,” so to speak.

I have three pictures below that have the item with its first coat of acrylics on it.  I did gesso over the entire canvas once the tissue was dried on, including the tissue.  The acrylics I used were crimson, deep turquoise, and phthlato green.  I also used a pearlescent tint in the bottom area which tends to show as a bit of glare off my flash on my camera.   All three images below are the same canvas.  I just haven’t found a good way to take pics.

         

Photography

While I am working my way through several art books for the Triple Eight Challenge for 2008, I have taken a month off most of these workings.  I spent most of March honing my photography skills.  I have some of my shots below.

I have always spent a lot of time in the out of doors so to me, it was logical to take my pics outside.

This one caught my eye while I was running one day.  I didn’t have my camera with me.  I went back, via car, later and couldn’t find it.  The next day that I ran that route, I took my digital camera with me.  It was perfect.  I had my eye set on entering it in a environmental photography contest.

 

This image above is a closer shot of the same image.  This time the hide is not visible in the picture, just the rib cage.

My favorite shot is the one above.  It is ironically entitled Tire Garden.  It is truly just someone’s way of getting out of paying to dispose of old, used tires.

This is by far my most artistic in my mind.  It is the fog created by the snow that is left on the ground.  I call it Fog on Field.  

March Madness - For Real

I am not sure if I am referring to the suddenly, totally white ground outside or the NCAA college basketball tournament.  Actually, I live in upstate NY.  I know I am referring to the tournament.

I was excited as I drove home from the CHA Tournament last weekend and listened to the NCAA tournament selection show on the radio.  My initial shock wore off as I heard them name Cornell (the local team this year) a 14 seed as I was sure they were a 16 seed or the play-in game.  After all, their bid was an automatic one for winning the Ivy League, a league that doesn’t even have a championship tournament.  I was even more shocked to hear the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champs Siena were a 13 seed.  Last year when Niagara University won the MAAC, they were forced to the play-in game which I didn’t think then, and don’t think now, they deserved.

Through three regions, the radio reception was excellent.  I still hadn’t heard the name West Virginia said.  I realize they didn’t win the Big East tournament.  I also realized that a lot of Big East teams had already been called into The Dance.  I was sure, though, that West Virginia was also going to play.  Finally, I heard it but barely.  We had driven past reception for this small ESPN radio station and I was straining to hear that WVU was a seven seed - not great but not bad either.

Now day one is over!  I watched some fantastic college basketball yesterday and last night.  I watch a 15-seeded Belmont almost beat 2 seed Duke, a team that has never lost in the first round.  I watched a 14-seeded Cornell get walked on by 3-seeded Stanford, a team whose players admitted that Cornell would hands down beat them in the grades category.  I wanted to watch WVU and Arizona go at it for several reasons.  Instead, I watch Notre Dame beat up on George Mason.  I did think, though, if George Mason stood a chance, it was due to the pre-game pep talk the coach gave.  CBS broadcast it and it was magnificent.

I ended the day with 12 correct picks out of 14 on my bracket.  Day two cannot possible be as good!!

PS.  Should you want to enjoy a little extra-curricular bracket talk, check out Yahoo! Sports writer Dan Wetzel who blogs live from a sports bar during the games today, which you should be able to find here.

Holy Week

This is truly a reprise of a post from many years ago on my Yahoo! 360 blog.  Unfortunately, I don’t want to go through all of those posts to find this so it will be a new post about the same topic.

Most people believe that Christmas is the pivotal holiday in the Christian year.  It is true that without the birth of Christ, there would not be a religion of any sort called Christianity.  Truthfully though, Christians are a people of the risen Christ, a people of the Christ that suffered the fate His Father foretold and not without human misgivings.  Therefore, the most pivotal holiday and holy day in the Christian calendar is Easter, the celebration of the resurrection of Christ.

As a Roman Catholic, the celebration of Christ rising begins on Palm Sunday.  This past Sunday I attended Mass at Alumni Chapel on the campus of Niagara University.  The service was beautiful.  The celebration began with the blessing of the palms in the daily chapel area which is behind the altar.  Everyone in the church went up there and then processed around the church with palms to return to their pews.  This sharing of faith and action, though small and reserved for children in a lot of churches, was a true community procession. 

Now that I am back home, I will attend Mass and other services throughout the Easter Triduum.  We will, as a family, attend Holy Thursday Mass.  This is a celebration of the Last Supper of Christ with his disciples.  There will be a feet washing of twelve people by the parish preist to signify the fact that Christ humbled Himself to do the most humiliating of gestures for those who followed Him, hoping that we too will do for the least among us.

On Friday, there is Veneration of the Cross and communion.  This occurs at 3 pm.  In the Bible, the land was cast into darkness for three hours and most presume this began at noon.  Growing up as an Episcopalian, we would have a three hour service from noon to three pm with various readings about the Passion, Crucifixion and Death of Christ.  During the Veneration service, all are invited to come forward and venerate the cross as well as receive communion, though there is no consecration of hosts and wine on Friday.

Friday evening, it is the tradition at our church to have a Marian Stations of the Cross.  Throughout Lent, Stations of the Cross are held on Friday evenings.  Usually, these start at Station 1 - Jesus is condemned to death - and end with Station 14 - Jesus is laid in the tomb.  With the Marian Stations, the process starts at Station 14 and goes backwards to Station 1.  Each station’s meditations come from Mary’s point of view as the mother of Jesus.

Saturday will bring the Easter Vigil Mass.  Early on Saturday, parishioners can bring their food to the church to be blessed should they desire to do so.  The Easter Vigil Mass will begin in the dark with a fire outside the church doors.  All in the church will have candles that will be lit from this fire.  The Gloria and Alleluia will be sung for the first time since the beginning of Lent.  Also, adult candidates for baptism, first eucharist and confirmation will be received into the church.  This evening’s Mass and Rites of Initiation hold special meaning for me as I look back over the last 25 years of my own Catholic journey.  It was 25 years ago this year that I became a Catholic as an adult.

Easter morning at our church will be a beautiful celebration of life.  The children’s choir will sing.  The church will be decorated with pastel balloons and the joy will be evident.

The “Race” Card is Played

Of course, there are those out there who will say I have no right to talk about race.  I grew up in a town that had two black families and they weren’t looked on as black.  I am white, Anglo-Saxon.  But, now that the card has been played in the presidential campaigns, I am going to talk about it in the context of Barack Obama’s speech yesterday.

In case you missed the speech, you can find it YouTube or on his web site.  I strongly suggest you watch it, not read it. 

The words were wonderful.  My problem comes with the presentation.  Unlike all of his signature speeches given to date on the campaign trail, this was not given in a huge arena with screaming throngs of fans.  It was given in a large, sit-down setting.  Obama was not standing in the round, but on stage behind a podium.  He was not flanked by high-profile supporters, but by US flags.

The setting was presidential but the words were not.  Yes, those who currently supported Obama thought the words were wonderful.  Those of us a bit more skeptical didn’t.  I saw a man that did not seem at ease with what he was saying.  Unlike his normal speeches, he seemed hesitant and utilized teleprompters.  I am not saying that using teleprompters is a weakness.  I am saying it is not “Obama”-like.  

The speech did not whip the listener into a frenzy like his normal speeches do.  Why not?  Why is it that, when talking about something that goes to the core of who the candidate is, the candidate seems stiff and uptight in delivery?

I don’t look at Barack Obama as the “black” candidate.  I look at him as a candidate.  There is something in this particular delivery of this particular speech that causes me, as a skeptical voter, to give pause and think again about whether this man is really presidential material.