Things I'm noticing

1) The George Harrison tree was destroyed by beetles. Somewhere between funny and sad.

2) Why is it in every small group and meeting, there is always one person who doesn't know when to be quiet and let someone else speak?

3) One week to go in my 7th Master's class: action research and consulting. I've earned 818 out of 830 points. As long as I get a decent final project in, it looks like I'll keep up my 4.0 GPA. It's a good feeling. I wish I could have done high school trig online; I might have been decent!

4) It's strange how so many days take so long to go by, then I look back and it feels like a blur.

5) I'm not ready to say I've given up soda. But I could see myself sticking to one a week.

6) Went back to the driving range for the first time in over a year. I didn't get off to a good start, as I grounded 9 or 10 balls in a row. Once I went to my trusty 5-wood, I started whipping shots between 150 and 200 yards. I could even knock my driver 250 yards. But the iron gave me issues. Finally, I decided to turn my left foot in and open up my right foot, so I could get a wider, smoother backswing. It worked well and I hit some high arching iron shots afterwards.

7) As it sometimes happens when I play golf, I now have some nice blisters on my hands, probably from gripping the clubs too tightly. One big round one on the bottom of my middle finger and another on the outside of my lower right index finger. Time to bust out the Neosporin.

8) RIP James Garner. Just a shame some people only know him from "The Notebook"

9) One of these days, I really want to visit New Mexico. There's something mysterious and appealing about it that makes me want to go. Maybe it's the green chile.

10) Movies on Thursday night. Thinking it'll either be "Begin Again" or "Persecuted." Hoping it goes well.

Now what?

I really don't have much logic or thought; I just feel like I need to vent. I don't expect anyone who cares to be reading. I'm guessing it's strangers and the two or three people I know of who love to see me hurt. As in the Middle of (Springfield) Village...

1) Mom says I'm going bald. She apparently found a quarter size spot on the front of the top of my head. I have always been self-conscious about my looks and now I feel even more ashamed.

2) I have had a skin rash for over a week. My left forearm, the inside of my hips, my ankles, most of my legs, the sides of my stomach. Plus my left leg still has a lump from the injury I suffered in May. I have no idea what's happening to me. Why is my body falling apart?

3) The Mets' season is hooked up to the respirators. After a nice winning streak/tease leading into the All-Star break, they drop 2 of 3 to a Padres team that is awful! Unless they sweep Seattle, they are sellers and inconsequential in the NL playoff race. What else is new...

4) I organized a second annual bacon and beer tasting for the guys at Paddy Long's. Six of us showed up. I started with a three bacon and cheddar omelette. Excellent when there is more bacon than egg. We had our five bacons and five beers. Plus three orders of bacon grenades and some deep fried cheesecake. After church, this was my second religious experience of the day.

5) At least a walk around Lake Arlington on Friday night went well. A kiss is just a kiss...

10 thoughts of the moment

1) I'm so over Naperville Ribfest. The admission was 15 bucks this year. The best entertainment they had was George Thorogood & the Destroyers, Foghat, and the former lead singer of Supertramp. And I had ribs from three different places. None were anywhere near as good as the ribs I had four days prior at Smoque.

2) Maggie seems to be adjusting better, even with mom gone. She's sleeping well and doesn't cry anymore, at least not when I'm around. She loves organic dog food, made out of buffalo. If that isn't a bougie dog...

3) Itasca, IL still has the best fireworks I've ever seen. Throw in 100 friends and it just makes you feel good about life.

4) I did go down to Soldier Field for the USA vs. Belgium World Cup soccer game. I stood on the field, surrounded by a couple thousand of teenagers. Dang to think I was one one of them! It actually was a fun experience, even though the good guys lost.

5) Had a good three-way chat with Alison and Carrie from my small group yesterday for about two hours. We're all job searching and that gave us a good chance to express ourselves and let off just a little steam. That's community right there.

6) Ten days till the next men's bacon and beer tasting at Paddy Long's downtown. Had five guys last year. This year, eight are already confirmed.

7) It seems like the last three days, my eating habits are healthy breakfast, healthy lunch, healthy snack, and then the worst dinner I can find. Salads, Strawberries, Naked juice, chicken/rice/broccoli followed by sausage pizza, burger salad and fresh cut fries at Lucky Monk, Italian beef at Portillo's, etc.

8) I think 5 years from now, people in Americaa will look at drinking a soda with as much disdain as smoking a cigarette.

9) I'm ready for some more 90 degree weather. This 75-80 would be much better in September and October.

10) Still doing what I can to save money/not be bored. Sometimes that feels like an impossible combination.

Song pick: "Heart Won't Tell a Lie" Los Lonely Boys

Not happening

I admit I hurt. I just hurt right now. I've done my best to not discuss my job loss here and the pain that I'm going through. I doubt people really give a rip about it. But as every day goes by, as every week goes by, and as the rejection e-mails pile up, the situation just feels worse and I feel more and more unproductive.

I'm up to ten weeks out of work and it feels like it has been a year since I have been working. I admit I still have feelings most days about what I would say if I saw my old boss, and especially his boss. But I snap myself out of that, because there is really no point to it. Maybe one good slug in their jaws, just for good measure. Then again, I can't remember the last time I threw a punch where the target wasn't a bag.

What is really getting to me is these companies who I interview with. The interview goes well, they say they'll be back in touch with me, and then I never hear from them again. I have no patience for deception. If they explicitly say they are going to contact me by the end of the week, then they should do exactly that. Even if it is a rejection, don't screw with me like that.

Mom is urging me to apply for jobs outside of Chicago. I really don't want to do it. I don't know if I could handle losing my job as being the reason I left Chicago. I don't want those pricks at my last job to mess with my life up any further than they've already tried to.

Anyway, I'm off to get my blood drawn. After that...homework. Let the good times roll...

Los Lonely Boys setlist

Don't Walk Away
Blame It On Love
Give a Little More...rain starts
Heaven...raining harder
San Angelo blues...slowing a little
I Am the Man...raining again
So Sensual...it stopped
Jam
Mamacita
I'm a Man

Maggie has arrived

It's been almost seven years. Seven years since I've had a dog. It feels like it was just a couple of weeks ago when Hogan passed away. No dog can ever replace him. But the time and circumstances just now seemed right.

We started with a greakbreakfast at Frank's Diner in Kenosha. I went with a full garbage plate with two cheeses and two meats. I'm not sure I can finish off the challenge one with 5 veggies, 5 meats, and 5 cheeses, but I might be willing to give it s hot in September...and their cinnamon swirl French toast is wonderful too. then again, how can anyone mess up cinnamon swirl Frnech toast!

We drove up to Watertown, WI. which is a little bit northeast of Madison. It's one of those farming areas where the roads are identified by letter. Country Road KY, for instance. With a couple of exits closed for repair, we took plenty of detours. It was kind of funny that the GPS didn't recognize where we were since it wasn't a digitzed road.

We pulled up at this farmhouse. Basically, it's now a grandfather and grandson who raise these cocker spaniels and poodles. Maggie and her friend Minnie, both cockers, met us at the door, jumping all over us. Maggie is black, with a white chest. Mostly ebony, with a touch of ivory. About 25 or 30 pounds. After sitting with the family for about a half hour, we began the three hour drive home. I sat in back with her. We knew she would be pretty nervous and scared. She is six years old and has had three litters of puppies. She is used to being around a lot of other dogs. I don't even know if she had been inside a car before. How could she know what was going on?

We stopped at Pet Smart, where we picked up a black tag, blue leash, a collar, a car carrier that turned out to be too small, and some flea and tick medication. Hogan has had Lyme disease, we didn't want Maggie going through it too. We didn't get home till around 5 pm and at that point, I was ready to fall asleep. Maggie, not so much. She is supposedly a picky eater. Seems that way as she didn't care of the bag of apple crisps I got her. She barely ate at all that first day. She barely made a sounds until the thunder clapped hard outside. And she wouldn't even go to the bathroom for 18 hours. But the next morning, when we got some organic canned food and mixed it with her Fromm's, she gobbled it all up within a couple of minutes!

We're still getting to know her and she's still getting to know us. I'm sure it will take some time to get the communication down. Right now, the most important thing for me is knowing she has a new home and she will be loved here. She will be alone more, we can't do anything about that. I think that might be the hardest part for her. But we just hope the adjustment from the farm in rural Wisconsin to the townhouse in suburban Chicago isn't too hard on her.

Nice to have a sister.

Back to New England, part 2

I got up at 5:45. I really wanted to hit the gym, especially at such a nice hotel. I did my first elliptical workout in three weeks and I hadn't done it since my leg injuries. It went pretty well. I did weights for maybe a half hour and spent a few minutes on the stretching machine, since we don't have those at my home gym. Much to my surprise, they had Fit crunch bars for sale. I quickly grabbed a peanut butter and headed back to the room with some coffee for mom. I didn't have cash on me initially, so I figured I'd head back and pay the two bucks. On the way to the gym though, I had to walk past the jacuzzi. Yeah I didn't have a suit, but I thought...why but not. I took off everything but my gym shorts and settled in the hot water.

The rain was falling hard outside so I put on my Jets raincoat. In New England, I was wondering if I'd get any reaction. We drove 15 minutes north to Pawtucket. Mom checked out where a local tour company was headquartered and I took pictures at McCoy stadium, home of the AAA affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Aside from seeing ten cars inn line at the drive thru at the Dunkin donuts, there was nothing else memorable.
It took an hour to get to Newport It's different than most of southern New England which can be very quaint and dull. Newport has a lot of boats and small shops and curvy streets. It's also home to the tennis hall of fame. Just a good town to spend a weekend. Sadly, there is a $4.00 toll to get in and out, kind of like Coronado in San Diego. Going over that bridge through the fog, i remarked it felt like driving in San Francisco.

Newport is also home to Salve Regina University, who is in the same conference as Gordon, where I went. Pretty nice campus, but they are right on the water and they have some great walking trails in that area, especially the cliff walk. I wish it could have been a clear day, so we could have gotten a better view. After about a half hour treading on the trail, we did some downtown shopping. It was a lot of corny stuff, nothing that I wanted.

Then it was a half hour south to Narragansett, where my grandparents used to vacation. Lunch was at Aunt Carries, a seafood shack I had seen on the food network. They also invented the clam cake, such is basically a corn fritter with clams. Pretty good. We split the seafood deluxe platter. Clear clam chowder, salad, homemade cinnamon raisin bread, clam strips, clam bellies, shrimp, scallops, flounder, and fries. Lots of food, all of it fried, except the salad. Very very good. Oh and it included a homemade dessert. Coconut custard pie for me. It's so rare I can find that flavor of pie, so I savored it. Of course right before the dessert comes, I got a call from from Waubonsee College. Told me they weren't going to hire me, but good luck in my future endeavors. Same old frustration. I took it out on the pie.

Then we drove to Connecticut, specifically Lawrence Hospital in New London where my grandparents used to work in the chaplain's office. My grandmother is 85 and is a patient there now, as she's had some health issues. I even bought a basket of flowers for the room. We spent an hour with her before she just fell asleep.
Then we drove to Niantic, where my grandfather is staying at the Crescent Point nursing home after breaking his hip. He moved quite slowly, but his spirits were very good. We bought him some coffee ice cream, which he always enjoys. Good getting to see him again. Finally, we saw my aunt Linda, who just hasn't had a good go of it. Her cat just recently died at 19 years old, quite a run. There were 15 cigarette butts in the ashtray, not a good sight. Not a good smell either. And her voice is so shot from it. We went to the basement of the old family house, where Linda refuses to go. Turns out nearly everything has been removed. Pictures, books, electronics. All gone. And we had no idea that had happened. Quite an empty feeling.

We went to dinner and I wasn't even hungry. But I enjoyed a salad and grilled margherita pizza. Finally we dropped Linda off and headed to the Comfort inn in Mystic. Finding it was bad enough. I typed Whitehall lane into the GPS. Turns out that was a residential address. I had to type Whitehall avenue. Why a town this small would name two streets the same, I have no idea. Anyway, talk about going from the penthouse to the outhouse. No elevators, the room smelled like smoke, we could not control the thermostat, and we had to unplug lamps to charge devices.

I watched the Rangers play Game 5 of the finals in Los Angeles. One of the most emotional games I've.ever seen. I had to be quiet most of the game since mom passed out asleep. But damn, I could have screamed so many times. In the end, it was a 3-2 double overtime defeat/disaster, whatever. The series is over in five, with three losses coming in overtime. It hurts. It freaking hurts. At least the beautiful Jana Kramer responded to one of my tweets about the game. Shame she was rooting for the wrong team.

I got to sleep somehow, though it took a few hours. We packed and drove to the Mohegan Sun. The stop was the Hash house a go-go, a place known for twisted farm food. I ordered a large tangerine juice and we split the...Fried chicken eggs Benedict. Yes, that's what I said. It's a base of griddled mashed potatoes typed with a buttermilk biscuit, spinach, tomato, a crispy sage fried chicken breast, smoked bacon, scrambled eggs, griddled mozzarella, and a chipotle cream sauce. Great depression food. Needed more tomato bacon and eggs though with all those potatoes! And the biscuit was great, it wasn't too salty, it was crunchy on the outside, and soft inside.

We looked through a couple of shops as well. I went into Puma, where I bought a pair of blue Italy soccer shorts and two high quality brand t-shirts for $50. The store was running a special for $25 off a $75 order. The subtotal came to exactly 75, so it worked out perfectly. Not seeing any other reason to stay, we drove to the airport. In the airport bar, I finally got to drink my Blue Point Toasted Lager before flying home.

Back to New England, part 1

Life has been pretty stressful lately, so I welcomed a retreat back east, even if it was only 48 hours. I woke up at 4:45 am and headed to O'Hare. The flight to Hartford was supposed to have thirty open seats, so I wasn't worried. Well, the flight filled up. Apparently bad weather back east had canceled the final flight from the night prior. Amazingly, mom and I got the last two spots. Two people were connecting from Minnesota and their plane arrived late, so that opened the seats for us. I was out cold for more than half the flight. Apparently, I needed the sleep. We landed in Hartford, which looked gray, damp, and disgusting. Pretty standard for that part of the country.

We rented a dark red Ford focus from Budget. It was pretty good; it had a USB port and a 30 preset radio stations. Of course, these stations had the weakest signals ever. They'd last 20 minutes at the most before static took it over. The drive to Providence took around 1:45. We hadn't eaten in six hours, so lunch was stop number one. Olneyville NY system is known for their hot wieners with onion, mustard, celery salt, and wiener sauce (beef based chili). We each had one with fries and they were pretty good. Not the best, the celery salt was pretty strong, but they were a good holdover.

Of course, mom had to get her lobster roll fix. We drove to Federal Hill, the Italian section of Providence. Very old school with guys playing cards, everyone knows everyone, and tons of restaurants. We stopped in this small Italian market that had huge cold cuts, dinner platters, and just about any Italian food you could want. You could even get a container of cannoli shells. Awesome place, I would have had a grinder if we didn't have other plans. Providence Oyster House has the best clam chowder I've ever had. Tons of clams, a rich broth, not too salty. I had shrimp and chorizo tacos with avocado, lettuce, and Chipotle sauce. Plus more fresh cut fries. Amazing lunch.

From there, we drove around the city. We saw Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence College, and Thayer Street. We also saw the First Baptist Church in America, founded by Roger Williams in the 1630s. We would have gone in, but they were refurbishing the floors. We finally headed towards the Omni hotel in the middle of downtown. Unfortunately, there were so many quick turns that we wound up turning back onto the highway. Took another twenty minutes to get back. The hotel is attached to convention center, the Dunkin Donuts Center, and the new mall. Pretty prefect location. We chilled for an hour or two before getting ready to head out. We checked out the mall first, which had eight levels. Since there's no room to build out in most downtown New England cities, it had to be built vertically. It has an IMAX, movie theater, department stores and some nice restaurants. Mom checked out a couple stores, but nothing worth purchasing.

From there, we walked fifteen mins to Federal Hill. Dinner was at Andino's, which had been around 80 years. It looked simple traditional food, but done right. The service was great, first of all. Our server, Erica, knew the menu up and down and was willing to answer any questions we had. We started with hot antipasto: four stuffed clams, stuffed mushrooms and roasted peppers. Outstanding. Mom had what she described as the best chicken saltimbocca she ever had. That's saying a lot. As for me I went with stuffed chicken and eggplant parmesan with linguine. Two chicken breasts and two pieces of eggplant layered like lasagna. Not to mention homemade mozzarella. And the portion size. The food nearly came over my dinner plate. It was cooked perfectly, the sauce was dynamite, the chicken was crispy and juicy. And it was only 18 bucks. I would go back there just for that dish. I had zero room for dessert, but it was well worth it.

A beautiful victory

After 14 years of waiting and hoping and frustration and heartbreak, I have a team back in the finals. It has been four days now since the New York Rangers defeated the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden. They played a perfect defensive game. Dominic Moore scored late in the second period and Henrik Lundqvist stoned Montreal the rest of the way. The Rangers are back in the finals for the first time in 20 years.

The primary emotions I've been feeling are jubilation with a little bit of disbelief. I believed the Rangers would win this series even before Carey Price went out of the series with an injury. But the thought of this Rangers team just four wins away from winning the greatest trophy in all of sports...it's still amazing to me. I will go on record as saying that if the rangers win it all, I will travel to New York for the parade.

Now tonight, there is a Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals. The Los Angeles Kings, who led this series 3-1, travel to Chicago to face the Blackhawks. The winner faces the Rangers. Aside from one year and college, I have lived in Chicagoland since 1997. Never in my craziest dreams did I imagine a Rangers vs Blackhawks final. By tonight, I and the world will know if it will be reality. My belief is it will happen and I'm completely dreading it. I'd still like to have a few friends after it's over and not be made fun of all the time. Because I know it would happen for years. I would be a gracious winner, but losing that final to Chicago would be horrific.

Barry Gibb set list

Jive Talking
You Should Be Dancing
Lonely Days
Our Love (Don't Throw It All Away)
To Love Somebody
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
Staying Alive
How Deep Is Your Love
Ain't Got Time (Stephen Gibb)
I've Got to Get a Message to You
Morning of My Life
New York Mining Disaster
Run to Me
I'm on Fire
Spirits Having Flown
The Steps of My Shadow
I Started a Joke
Spicks and Specks
One
Islands in the Stream
Guilty
A Woman In Love
Nights on Broadway
Night Fever/More Than a Woman
Grease
Immortality

Encore: Words
Tragedy

What a difference three hours makes

Heading into Thursday's Game 3, the New York Rangers were in an ideal position. They had won the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals on the road and were coming home for Games 3 and 4. And Montreal's best player was taken out of the series in Game 1. Realsitically, I never expected the Rangers to sweep the series, but up 2-0, it would be bad to let Montreeal back in the series. The Rangers won their last two series in seven games, they had to win this series in less than that, especially as Chicago and L.A. beat each other up in the Western Conference.

Since I was having dinner with a friend, I had to watch Game 3 from Madison Square Garden on delay. Three minutes in, current Canadien, ex-Ranger, and former fan fave Brandon Prust elbows Derek Stepan in the head, shattering his jaw. Amazingly, Stepan returned to the game late in the first period. But now he's undergone surgery to repair the jaw and nobody knows when he'll be back. Oh, and depth forward Daniel Carcillo gets thrown out of the game for touching a official. He didn't use any force, but he's been suspended for ten games. The Rangers are already missing Derick Brassard, who has been one of their best offensive forwards throughout the playoffs.

The game itself was entertaining. When I saw Daniel Briere score for Montreal to give the Canadiens a 2-1 lead with five minutes left, I should have been nervous. But I wasn't. And why? Because two hours earlier, my friend Jen, who is a huge Blackhawks fan sent me a text. It simply said "OMG!!!!!" So I knew the Rangers had done something huge. Sure enough, Chris Kreider ties the game with 30 seconds left. Somehow, that felt a little anti-climactic.

I set the DVR to record for five hours just in case the game went to overtime. I shouldn't have bothered. Alex Galchenyuk scored on a fluke deflection just 1:12 in and Montreal was right back in the series. the Rangers now lead the series 2-1 with Game 4 on Sunday night. Considering the injuries to Brassard and Stepan, I wish they had three days off between games.

The good news is Brandon Prust was suspended. He got two games, he probably should have had 3-4 games. I think he would have received that if Stepan had been unable to play again. If the Rangers actually handle their business, they won't have to see Prust again in this series. If they lose Game 4, all the advantage they had is history. I don't expect the Rangers to win three straight games in Montreal. If they are going to win this series in six games or less, they really need to snatch control back, win Sunday, and take a 3-1 series lead.

This is the best opportunity the Rangers have had to reach the Stanley Cup Finals since 1994. I know they had home ice against New Jersey two years ago, but they are a more offensively-capable team now and they're not facing Martin Brodeur in goal, they're facing Montreal's 3rd string goalie. The opportunity is ripe for the Rangers. It is hard to imagine a scenario that will be this Taylor-made for them. Montreal plays a speed game, but the Rangers are quicker. The Rangers have dominated special teams play and they have outhit Montreal too. Now they have to take control back.

And...breathe...

It's strange how I thought I was so busy while I was working full-time and going to grad school. I knew what I had to do. Now I have a lot of little things to do every day and now I'm not sure if I am getting everything done that I want to every day. In the last week alone, I've had a birthday party for one of my best friends, a day-long hike, Rangers playoff hockey, more issues with the unemployment office, a computer crash twice, job applications, grad school work, starting DDP Yoga, career networking events, and a career fair. So every time that something gets done, I feel like another huge task is right around the corner. Hopefully, we can soon add legitimate job interviews to that list.

I have had some good news in the last 24 hours though. My first unemployment check finally came after a month of deliberating with the IDES. The less said about a certain rep at that office, the better. I had to file an appeal, but it worked. Also, I have my computer back after over three days away.

The HR field is getting frustrating for me already. It's amazing how to even be an HR assistant or generalist, candidates need 2-3 years experience. I'm not asking to be a manager or make a lot of money. But even the best HR person in the world had to start somewhere. It feels like an exclusive fraternity that I can't break into. I don't even know if I'll get a fair shot once I complete my Master's.

I did go to that career fair in Oakbrook Terrace, as I alluded to earlier. It certainly wasn't ripe with opportunities; only eight companies showed up. Ironically, I applied to one of them (a certain college that I won't reveal yet) three weeks ago and have been waiting for an interview since then. One of the reps had called me, promising the hiring manager would get a hold of me. Of course, they never have. So at least I have a second contact at that school now. I think something may come of it, we'll just have to see.

Let's talk about something better. The New York Rangers are on an absolute roll. They have won five straight playoff games and are up 2-0 on Montreal in the Eastern Conference Finals. Game 3 is tonight in Madison Square Garden. Once Montreal's best player, goalie Carey Price went out, my expectations changed. I felt the Rangers were the better team all along, but after this injury, I want to see the Rangers win in four straight. I wouldn't be upset if they won in five, but it might be too much to ask for them to win three straight games in Montreal. I feel the Rangers will win this series in either four or six games. And I'm rooting for the L.A. Kings in the West. Because I really have no idea how I would handle the Rangers and Blackhawks squaring off in the Stanley Cup Finals.

I'll have to DVR Game 3 though. Tonight, I have a pseudo-date. Eh, it really isn't a date, since I think she has a boyfriend. But that's cool, we get along well regardless

Holy crap!

I did not expect to be writing at 10:30 pm tonight. But oh my gosh, I can't believe how happy I am. The New York Rangers have defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals and are in the NHL Final 4. They will play either Boston or Montreal in the conference finals. I can't believe it!

All season long, two teams stood out in the Eastern Conference, Boston and Pittsburgh. The Rangers needed seven games to eliminate a formidable Philadelphia squad. Going agasint Pittsurgh, I knew it would be a challenge. But Pittsburgh needed six tight games to dispose of the upstart Columbus Blue Jackets. Plus, the Penguins had a lost a lot of Game 7's in their building. They seemed mentally fragile and ready to lose.

Then Pittsburgh won three of the series' first four games. I was convinced the Rangers were done. Their best defenseman, Ryan McDonagh, looked slow and injured. Rick Nash, their star forward, hadn't scored a goal in the first 11 playoff games. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvit had been good, but not great. Not the level we as Rangers fan expect. Even worse, the MSG crowd in Game 4 was disinterested, defeated, and quiet. They were all but finished.

Then Martin St. Louis' mom passed away unexpectedly. It happened just a couple of days before Mother's Day. St. Louis had only been a Ranger for six weeks, having come over from Tampa Bay in the controversial trade for captain Ryan Callahan. But St. Louis' new teammates rallied around him. They won Game 5 in Pittsburgh decisively, by a 5-1 final. Derick Barassard scored twice and Mats Zuccarello had three assists. And then Game 6 was on Mother's Day in the Garden. When St. Louis scored three minutes in, it just felt meant to be. The Rangers held on to win that one 3-1, forcing a decisive Game 7 in Pittsburgh tonight.

I felt pretty good going into tonight. I knew I'd have the butterflies in my stomach. But the Penguins have a had a knack for losing Game 7's at home. They have a classic glass jaw. As much as talent as they have, they also tend to fold when the going gets difficult. They outplayed the Rangers for the first half of the game, in my opinion. They hit the Rangers hard, they had twice as many shots on goals, they won twice as many faceoffs. But Brian Boyle, who many Rangers fans have never opened up to, scored five minutes into the game off a great pass from Dominic Moore. When they scored that pivotal first goal, I felt really good. Each time in this series, the team that has scored the first goal has won. Throughtout the rest of the first period, the Penguins were pouring a ton of pressure on and Henrik Lundqvist had to make some spectacular saves. Then Jussi Jokinen scored four minutes into the second period to tie the score. Just two minutes later though, Matt Niskanen tripped Brassard, putting the Blueshirts on the power play. Ah yes, the power play, which went 0-for-36 at one stretch during the playoffs. But St. Louis dropped a backhand pass from the left sid eof the goal line into the slot where Brad Richards slammed it past Marc-Andre Fleury. The Rangers had a 2-1 lead.

What else can I say about the third period. Lundqvist sometimes goes into these stretches where he stands on his head and you just know he is not going to be beaten. I felt he was in that kind of stretch during the whole third period. Even facing a team with elite players like Kris Letang, James Neal, Chris Kunitz, Evgeny Malkin, and the almighty Sidney Crosby, I knew Henrik was going to come through. And he did just that. He faced 36 Pittsburgh shots, and stopped 35. He made an amazing stop on Neal who was all alone in front with 5:26 left. Right after that, he stopped Paul Martin's backhand attempt. He was on his way to becoming the first goalie in NHL history to win five consecutive Game 7's. The time continued to tick down. When the buzzer hit 00.0, I jumped in the air and screamed for at least a minute! "YES!" "WE'RE GOING TO THE CONFERENCE FINALS!"

Rick Nash and Derek Stepan did not score a goal in this series. The Rangers scored 17 goals in 7 games, not an impressive number. Yet, they eliminated a team that scored the second-most goals in the conference during the regular season. They eliminated the team that they had never beaten in a playoff series in four previous attempts. Now they get to watch Boston and Montreal play Game 7 on Wednesday night. Hopefully, that game will go about five overtimes.

I don't know what's going to happen going forward. But if the Rangers and Blackhawks play each other in the Stanley Cup Finals, I may have to move away. But for tonight, I'm going to enjoy this win. Let's Go Rangers!!!

Denver recap, part 2

Going into this trip, I was interested in the makeup of downtown Denver. There are a mix of old and new buildings. There is some old school stone architecture and then there are modern skyscrapers a block away. Many buildings are vacant, yet as I saw the surrounding suburbs, it feels like Denver is growing quickly. As far as the people, many are thin, but there is a lot of ink on them. It's their choice, but getting a lot of tattoos is just not something I'm going to do. Fifty years from now, it's not gonna look so good. And I also find Colorado to be fiercely political. Between immigration and pot issues, people need to be prepared to defend their position on the hot topics.

Back to Day 3, which was Monday, not to mention Cinco de Mayo. We decided to spend the day in Colorado Springs, which is a little over an hour drive south from Denver. I bought everyone breakfast at Bruegger's (I went with egg whites, cheddar and sausage on a poppy seed bagel and an OJ) and we headed south on 25. The traffic was difficult getting out of Denver, but once we hit the burbs, it was smooth sailing. For the third straight day, we had amazing weather. 80 degrees and sunny. Couldn't ask for much better. Mom decided to arrange for us to take a cog railroad to the top of Pikes Peak. It was 9 when we arrived and we couldn't get in till 1:20, so we had some time to kill. 

First, we went to Garden of the Gods, one of the most popular parks in America. It's great for hiking, rock climbing, bicycling, strolling, etc. And it's free, which always helps. They also have a great trading post and gift shop. I wound up buying a Pike's Peak long sleeve t-shirt. It's black with a little orange and white. It just looks very fresh and very athletic. 

Lunch was approaching, so we drove five minutes to downtown Colorado Springs. We even passed by Air Force Academy on the way. We parked downtown and as soon as I got out, I saw a statue of Humpty Dumpty sitting on the ledge of a municipal building. I'm sure no matter how his summers go, he always has a great fall...Colorado Springs is also the home of the United States Olympic committee headquarters. Their building is right across the street from the place I had in mind to eat at. Since it was Cinco de Mayo, I wanted some Mexican food. Sonterra advertised themselves as having innovative Southwestern cuisine. And they made guacamole tableside. That sounded perfect to me. Only one issue, my father is 64 years old and has never eaten an avocado or a guacamole in his life. But he promised me he'd try out. We walked inside to a classy Mexican-themed atmosphere. We ordered the guacamole and our server, Brent, mixed 1.5 avocadoes with onion, cilantro, lime, and pico. All three of us loved it. I don't think Dad wanted to admit how much he liked it, but I could tell he was genuinely surprised by the look on his face. Needing a break from red meat, I got pollo asada, chicken topped with chimichurri and Mexican cotija cheese. It also had cilantro-lime rice, grilled onions, and a tortilla for doing. Just an excellent dish and I would be happy to order it again. Dad got an order of St Louis ribs topped with a pineapple salsa and tobacco fried onions. He really enjoyed them too. Safe to say, I opened my Dad up to liking Mexican food, if only a little bit.

We headed ten minutes west, back into Manitou Springs to board the train at 1. We climbed from around 6,000 feet to 14,100 feet in under 90 minutes. The entire trip covered 8.9 miles of land and we climbed at 24 percent upgrade at some points. That is a brutally steep climb. We had great views of waterfalls, mountains, ponds, grassy hills, and even the states of Kansas and New Mexico. For animals, we saw some sheep and groundhogs. I had been told it would be much colder at the top. Indeed it was; the wind chill was around 6. Now coming from Chicago, that's like springtime. I put on my new shirt and a gray thermal shirt as well and I was fine. We spent about a half hour at the summit before boarding the train for the ride back down. I actually slept most of the way back. As I woke up, I realized my ears had that popping feeling. I was pretty tired, as we all were.

It was 4:30, so we headed back north to Denver. We stopped in Castle Rock, a nice developing suburb and had dinner at Siena, an Italian restaurant. We sat outside, right near a fountain. A couple of times, the wind blew the fountain water on my father. I must admit, I found it pretty funny. Siena has excellent Italian bread, soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Dad got his typical order of linguini and white clam sauce with no butter and no cheese. I got chicken parmesan and wasn't too impressed. The marinara sauce was orange, probably from all the parmesan in it. The presentation was beautiful with the spaghetti under the chicken and a layer of cheese covering the chicken. As for Mom, well, she got the fish special. It was a Hawaiian butterfish and she said it was one of the best dishes she ever had. Coming from her, that is some seriously high praise. I also had my only dessert of the trip, a slice of key lime cheesecake with a tropical fruit compote and crispy macadamia nut brittle. I liked it, especially with the crispness of the brittle. We were all pretty happy until we got the bill and saw it exceeded $100. That fish dish cost $36 and we weren't told that in advance. It was even more expensive than the New York strip steak.

I admit during dinner, I checked in on the Rangers second playoff game in as many nights. What a joke. The Rangers couldn't score for the second straight game against Pittsburgh and fall behind in the series 2-1. And if that wasn’t bad enough, we had the Mets. Ahhhhh yes. The Mets blew a 3-0 lead in the eighth inning and fell to Miami 4-3. We got back to the room and knowing how early we were getting up, I didn't think any of us wanted to do anything. Both my parents were asleep by 8:30. I wasn’t at all ready to sleep, so I watched the last hour of Raw. The Shield vs. the Wyatt Family is always entertaining. I turned in around 10:30. I struggled to sleep, I felt dirty and I just could not relax. Maybe it was because I feel the need to start applying for jobs. Maybe it was just fatigue. Maybe it was the altitude. But I didn't even brush my teeth because I didn't want to wake anyone up.

I woke up at 4 and we were all ready to check out within an hour. Sidenote: A little organization helps reduce lateness. Anyway, we drove a half hour east on 70 to drop dad off at the airport, only to turn around and drive an hour west to Golden, home of the Coors brewery. Well we didn't go there, but that's ok. Mom’s just not a beer drinker. At six am, we didn't have many breakfast options. It was just Einstein bagels. This time, I had eggs, cheddar, and turkey sausage on a pretzel bagel. Excellent. With access to free wifi, I finally checked my email after four days away from it. And I still didn't miss much!

We went south to the town of Morrison, home of the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre. It is so picturesque between the colors and the sightlines. I would really like to go see a concert there one day, but I’d also like to attend one of their Easter sunrise services. We also visited the grave of Buffalo Bill Cody. We wanted to see the buffalo overlook so I could take some pictures of live buffalo, but we never could find it.

Without anything else going on, we thought we’d head back to the Denver airport early and try to catch the earlier plane home. It still amazes me how far from civilization this airport is. They need to finish building that train from the airport to downtown. Anyway, there were no good food options in the main terminal, so we headed towards security, planning to get food at Concourse A. Well, that took a little longer than we expected. Mom always is able to access through security through the employee entrance. She couldn’t find it this time. It was listed on a sign in tiny print, so tiny that we both missed it. So we got on line and even though there weren’t too many people on line, I noticed they were moving through very slowly. They basically had just two people handling the body scanners and pat downs. I have been through that scanning machine at least 50 times in my life now. I have never had to be inside it for more than five seconds. This time, I had to stand in the scanning machine for a full minute. I could only look outside at the other passengers waiting to get in and shrug. Even worse, we were so far behind that our items were going through security and we couldn’t get to them for a few minutes. This is an excellent opportunity for items to get stolen. The Denver airport is just very poorly organized, I’m sorry.

Anyway, we really wanted to eat some buffalo burgers and we went to Mesa Verde for lunch. We both ordered burgers with cheddar, bacon, and guacamole. I have to say they were delicious. The burger was big and juicy and it came with several slices of tomato, romaine lettuce, thinly sliced red onions, two slices of jalapeno, and a big pickle spear. Every ingredient was well planned. I was very satisfied. We also got these amazing onion strings. It is so easy to mess these up. But these were done properly. Not only were they not greasy, but they were crisp and well seasoned. That said, I need some serious time in the gym and produce and seafood back in my diet.

I am now on the ground and I can't wait to get off this plane and away from these two screaming boys in the seats in front of me. They’ve been going at it for the last two hours. I should have asked them if they wanted to go swimming in the water in the men’s room.

Denver recap, part 1

I woke up at 4:30 on Saturday, May 3. I drove 45 minute to the Radisson near Rosemont. I took their airport shuttle since it was free. When Mom returned later that afternoon from her tour, she would just take that car home. I got on the shuttle without a problem, I'm sure it helped that the driver didn't see me so he never saw that I came in from the parking lot instead of inside the hotel. I got to the gate without a hitch and I was sitting feeling pretty relaxed. The fact that there were 19 open seats on my plane helped. Suddenly, the gate agent made an announcement that it was a "very full flight." I was like, "What in the world?" Eventually, I got seat 8B and I learned they were just referring to luggage.

I walked onto the plane and sat next to a 300 pound guy, who was chomping on Ritz crackers. I could see the crumbs in his black goatee, it was gross. Even worse, this guy had no armrest consideration. Here's what I mean. I don't mind if the other person claims the armrest, that's ok. But the elbow better not cross the far end of the armrest and violate my personal space. His elbow crossed. His legs didn't stop shaking even as he tried to sleep. When I took out my tray table, I may have lowered it on his side with a little extra strength just to shake him a little.

And there was this weird part of the flight too. Just before we took off, I was asked to come to the front of the plane. I froze. I was wondering, as a standby passenger, if I was getting taken off the plane. Thankfully, they just asked to see my boarding pass, checked my row, and everything was fine. We took off and made two loops around the Denver airport before landing. My father met me at the gate, I collected my bag, and a headed to the super shuttle. It took us about 45 minutes to get downtown to the Hotel Monaco, a small, but luxurious hotel in the heart of Denver. They have happy hour with free wine from 5-6. Their water fountains are always filled with fruit. The lobby furniture was all different colors and very bright. On the other hand, there is no swimming pool and the internet costs eight bucks for every 15 minutes of use. If I wanted to use Wi-Fi, it would have been $13 per day per device. The room was on the 7th floor, which is also the top floor. It was well furnished  two queen sized beds and some elegant southwest paintings. I really wanted to take the yoga mat with me though...

Our hotel was between 17th and 18th streets. In downtown Denver, 16th street is a pedestrian walkway with shops and restaurants. Dad and I walked eight blocks down that street till we got to Larimer, when we turned right and headed to Ted's Montana Grill. I had been there many times, but he had never had bison before. We started with their salt and pepper onion rings, which were excellent as always. And free half sour pickles always works for us. In the high altitude, I was guzzling Arnold Palmers and ice waters. I ordered an Americas Cup bison burger with cheddar cheese, bacon, onions, and mushrooms and it was great. the fries are fresh cut, which is so key to a great fry. I dipped them in the mustard remoulade and I can't emphasize how good that dip is. I also got some roasted asparagus, maybe so I wouldn't feel so guilty. He ordered bison pot roast with double garlic mashed potatoes and no green beans. Not the healthiest approach! But he really enjoyed the meal.

Then we walked a few blocks north to the Tattered Cover bookstore. This is one of the biggest independent bookstores in the country. As much as he likes bookstores, I knew he'd enjoy spending a while there. I think the decline of the bookstore is as sad as the decline of the newspaper. There are few indoor places left to hang out where you don't have to spend money and can just relax. In the cold of the Midwest, that matters a lot. OK, I'll leave the commentary aside. We walked around the west side of downtown of Denver, or LoDo and checked out the outside of Union Station, which is under construction. And I got to torture my father a little more.Within two blocks of each other and on either side of Union Station are Morton's steakhouse and Fogo de Chao. Probably my dad's two favorite restaurants. Each time, he just stopped walking and stared at me. I didn't plan it!

We walked west again by the Pepsi Center and Sport Authority Field, where the Avalanche and Broncos play. We headed back to the room to clean up before walking north to Coors Field. I was armed in my blue Matt Harvey Mets jersey. On the walk, two different groups of people cursed at me. Classy state...I thought they were gonna be more...mellow, for many reasons. Anyway, I had been told I should try the Rockie dog, a foot long Hebrew National hot dog with onions, peppers, and kraut. When the woman reached into a drawer and plopped a cooked dog on the grill, I should have walked away. but I ate it anyway and it was one of the worst dogs I'd ever had.

I watched warmups by the left field foul pole where the Mets were warming up. Mostly, I saw bullpen guys. I got pretty close to Daisuke Matsuzaka, Scott Rice, Gonzales Germen, and Jeurys Familia. We sat in the rockpile, which are the elevated center field bleachers. And they only cost six bucks a ticket. My view wasn't really obstructed, aside from the deepest part of center field. People were still showing up in the fifth inning, which is ridiculous on a Saturday night. I felt like I was at Dodger Stadium. As for the game, it was just another disaster. The Mets built a 6-0 lead only to blow it all in the sixth inning as Colorado scored seven runs. The Mets rallied back and ultimately lost on a walk off home run to some schmuck that no one has ever heard of. 10-9 final.

On Sunday morning, I used the 5th floor gym: about ten minutes on the elliptical and a half hour with the dumbbells. Not great, but it was something to get me awake. After my shower, we had a light breakfast at Bruegger's. Well, mine was light, I had a whole wheat everything bagel with light cream cheese, whereas he had a salt bagel and rosemary/olive oil bagel and had grape jelly on both. Gross. Anyway, we walked south to the State Capitol building and the Denver mint. Most of the roads were closed off since they were preparing a cinco de mayo fiesta. I got to see the "One mile above sea level" sign on the Capitol step. We headed back to the room to clean up for the next Mets game.

After a fight over whether or not the cleaning crew was going to clean the room, I took off and began walking to game alone. He eventually came and we went to Biker Jim's, which is like a Hot Doug's, in that they make all these fancy sausage from unique meats. I had an all beef dog wrapped in bacon served Sonoran style. It had pinto beans, diced jalapenos,  tomatoes, onions, mayo and yellow mustard. The quality of the beef was amazing. It tasted like high-quality beef with fresh ingredients on top. And they didn't serve it in a hot dog roll; it looked more like a Philly hoagie roll. It was soft, yet it held together even with so many ingredients. I also had a southwest Buffalo dog topped el diablo style. That one had tomattillo green chile salsa, bacon bits, and Sriracha lime mayo. I loved the spice of the buffalo dog and I'm a sucker for green salsas. The crunch of the bacon gave a great contrast to the mayo. I also had a side of baked beans, which were fine, but not great. The manager told me some other news. He said the Mets owner came in a few days prior and it enjoyed it so much that the restaurant was catering the Mets that afternoon! As bad as the series had gotten, I don't think the Mets deserved those hot dogs!

Anyway, I wanted to try some local beer. I went to Wynkoop brewery, the oldest brewery in Denver. I tried seven beer samples and to be honest, I wouldn't have ordered a full glass of any of them. The Patty's green chile was pretty good, you could actually smell and taste the essence of the chile peppers in the beer. Thankfully, it wasn't an overwhelming spice, but it was a lively-tasting brew. After getting inside the ballpark, I went up to the rooftop, the new hangout in the upper deck above right field. I found about the $3 Miller Lite, Coors Lite, and Coors original before first pitch. Suffice to say, I drank a couple more beers. After getting somewhat happy, I went over to my second row seat sat on first base side, which gave us a good view of the mountains past left field. I remember being nervous the whole game, since a four game sweep would be a total embarrassment. Thankfully, Dillon Gee pitched great and the Mets won 5-1. Unfortunately, since I left the room so abruptly, I hadn't yet applied sunscreen. All game long, the sun sat right on my left side. By the end of the game, my forehead, the left side of my legs, and my forearms were all bright red.

During the game, Mom arrived. Dad had actually left in the seventh inning, he apparently figured she wouldn't want to be alone. Anyway, I met up with both of them in the lobby. Despite the availability of the free wine, I just wanted to drink about a gallon of water. We planned our evening and I went back upstairs, where I washed up and put on blue jeans and a designer Tori Richard shirt. Around 6:45, we left for dinner at the Buckhorn Exchange, the oldest restaurant in Denver. Since we were so early, we were informed our table was not ready. The restaurant wasn't half full, but nevertheless. So we sat in their 150-year old bar. I drank a bourbon and apple juice blend, which is one of their signature drinks. It was pretty good, I wouldn't get it again though. We sat down surrounded by rifles and animal heads on the walls. Clearly, it's a very unique steakhouse and distinctly Colorado. We started with fried artichoke hearts, which were ok, but I've had better. The batter tasted a lot like cornmeal, and I just didn't like how it blended with the artichokes. The salad was embarrassing. It was romaine lettuce, three grape tomatoes, dried cranberries, and mandarin oranges. What are mandarin oranges doing on any house salad? Anyway, I asked for vinaigrette and I couldn't taste any dressing at all, so I added oil and vinegar.

All three of us ordered a 16-ounce New York strip steak. I ordered mine medium-rare and it came out grilled perfectly bright pink. It was nicely seasoned and it was one of the juiciest steaks I have had in a while. They also top it with a spoonful of garlic butter. I personally think that a great steak should be able to stand on its own, but a little bit of the butter did indeed add another layer of flavor. My baked potato came with butter, cheese, and a lot of green onions, which is exactly how I like it. Very good. Unfortunately, the waiter forgot our side of vegetables. We didn't mention this to him, so I'm not sure why the end of the meal went as it did. The waiter brought out a complimentary dessert: a Dutch hot apple pie with sides of cinnamon rum sauce and vanilla ice cream. Well, mom took care of the vanilla ice cream. I had no trouble wolfing down the pie. It was a good place to go, but I think I would opt for other steakhouses for an overall experience. Not to mention $50 for an NY strip is outrageously expensive.

I wanted to walk around all night; it was still 70 degrees outside. But we got back to the room a little after 9. We turned on the Food network and watched Food Casino and America's Best Cook before falling asleep around 11.