Mike Monsoor

Mike's name was passed on to me in an email from the head of the officials in the CHL. There is a fraternity among all officials and we all remain keenly aware of the sacrifice our brothers and sisters give to our country. Color guards frequent the rinks we work in, the National Anthem conjures images for all of us and there are often videos from local men and women serving abroad asking that everyone in the building rise for the Star Spangled Banner. Stories of our military circulate amongst us via email, phone calls or tales in the locker room.

Many things go through my mind during our National Anthem. In among those thoughts are my gratitude to Sam and Stephen who have and still serve our nation in times of peace and unrest.

And stories, like the one of Mike Monsoor, bring tears to my eyes each time I think of their bravery during war in the face adversity.

Thanks

It almost feels like it would be far to easy to write about what we have to give thanks for this year. Many of the things are obvious and nearly all revolve around our daughter, Emiko. The remainder would be for friends and family.

On the drive home last night, my friend and officiating colleague and I had a conversation about this. And we touched upon many of the things that strike us as unfair in life. We are lucky and thankful for our children but we spoke of good friends who would be fantastic parents and are unable to conceive. Not to mention the hoops they have to jump through in order to be adoptive parents.

My suggesting for this Turkey Day (or National Gluttony Day) is to slow down. Don't rush a thing today but take stock in the family and the friends we are all so lucky to have. We have struggles and stresses on a daily basis and we often rush through every day and lose sight of the fantastic miracles that surround us.

Happy Thanksgiving.

All of our love,

Seth, Hope, Emi and Gibson

Preparation

We all go through things differently. We all have our little pre-game tics, routines, habits and superstitions.

Some guys like to always sit in the same seat in the locker room. It's up to guys like me to remember who I am working with and what bench my partners like to have. I'm not one who holds out for the same seat each time...I sit wherever there is an opening.

Some guys gear up the same way every time. They may always put the right skate on first. I remember one guy I played with always had to insert his hand through his elbow pad three times before he finally strapped up. I think I generally go left to right though it is only out of sheer habit that I do so. When I am thinking and catch myself doing so, I often switch up and gear up right to left.

Some guys like a pre-game nap. I'm a big fan though I am not always able to sneak those in as I am often at work. Hope is willing to let me nap at home when I have weekend game days but there are times when I simply can't even fall asleep.

Some guys like the pre-game meal. Me? As long as there is no marinara, I'm ok. But that is only because the red sauce tends to reflux on me when I am skating. I think I threw up in my mouth a little bit there.

My preparation? Usually I'm at work. And so, reverting back to my playing days, I like to wear the suit pants and shirt all day long. The tie goes on before I leave the building. It reminds me that I have something I need to do that coming evening. Something to focus on. Other than that, it's just another normal day with some additional fun and excitement at the end. And at home, I just like to spend as much time relaxing with my family as possible. It puts me in the right frame of mind and it reminds me why I am so involved in this game: I have something I need to be prepared pass along to my daughter.

Passion.

1/2" Hollow

Ah, the 1/2" hollow. I've been using this grind for the past eight years and it has treated me well.

But I am off and into a new experiment. Last night, I had Hoog do my skates with a 3/8" grind. Even flatter! I'm looking to get less bite and more glide out of my skates.

Tonight is the test. I'm off to a CHL game and this will be the first time I have skated on skates this flat. We'll see what happens....

If it works out well, does this mean I have to change the title of this blog?

All's well

The previous post mentioned a bit of stress and high drama. After a quiet day yesterday, we received an email that stated that the conflicts had been resolved. We will likely still have some issues to iron out in the coming weeks and months but the divisiveness that came to a head two days ago is no more.

That ends well.

A long day

Far more has gone on today then I care to blog about. What ended as a long day on the phone when I came home resulted only in more phone calls, emails and text messages. All accompanied by a very unhappy Emiko (we're convinced she was gassy and wanted to let the world know about it).

Hope took me for a nice walk where I got a chance to vent (and deal with more phone calls). Bless her for knowing how to settle me down...I'm a lucky, lucky man.

I go to bed tonight knowing that I spoke my convictions and stood before them to be judged by my peers. Right or wrong, I said my piece and will now wait to see the outcome.

Wish me luck....

Hypermiling Update

I finally got tired of the measly increases I have seen in my little Saturn. I had mentioned before that I wasn't going try too many crazy things to the car.

However, midway through the last tank, I decided to inflate my tires to the maximum allowable pressure to try and reduce rolling resistance. Let's see how it changes my next tank of gas. Except that Hopey will be taking it to school tomorrow....

Last tank: 33.56 mpg

I'm thinking I have slacked a little bit with the hypermiling. Not to mention trips to lunch with multiple people in the car (highway driving so I end up having to push the engine a little harder).

Time to try again....

A question of love

I don't have much to say about this...I think Keith Olbermann says it all. But I will say thanks to Fibby for pointing me to this video (and I apologize if I am plagiarizing Nostomania in any way).

The next post

I have had multiple topics run through my head. Some I have started writing about, some I have just turned over in my mind. And I hope they all come to fruition. There is so much to talk about. Emi is becoming more and more responsive to various stimuli around her. An African American has been elected President. DHL has closed domestic operations and laid off how many thousands of people.

This morning I came across this article. Why would it be so interesting to me? Well, being half Japanese may have something to do with it. Having a family who was interned in Canada during World War II may have something to do with it. Ultimately, it is the fact that I know so little about Japan following the war. The fact that I know next to nothing about Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These are things my grandparents never spoke about. Unfortunately, I never asked them about the bombs and our family in Japan at the time. My grandfather always spoke openly about the internment camps and I wish I had the blind curiosity to ask more.

This leaves me piecing together patches of stories to understand my past: American, Japanese and Canadian. Someday I hope I'll know enough to leave Emi with more than I know now.

Put up or shut up

Alright everyone. Do your civic duty. Vote.

And cross your fingers.

Keep an eye on it all here.

Madelyn Dunham

I'm not one who deals well with death...I never know what to say and words always seem to become flustered and choked.

But to you, I'd like to say a simple thanks. Thank you for sharing your incredible grandson with us, for raising him to become the man who stands on the verge of history in the making. I can only hope that tomorrow's election will conclude with him as the decisive victor. It is clear that the contributions you have made to his life and education created the star he has become and that your memory will live on. We should all aspire to raise our children as you raised yours.

Pax vobiscum.

Stupidity

Well, this may go down as my first post on my own stupidity. Yup, it has finally happened after 32 years of life...

Yesterday, I waited for as long as possible for my cell phone to update the time automagically. Which it never did. I finally gave in and reset the time before heading off to the Av's game (which was atrocious). Thanks to Sally for the tickets but I have to say that last night's game wasn't something that needed me to bear witness to.

But that's neither here nor there.

This morning, my cell phone alarm woke me, as usual. I climbed out of bed and did my standard morning walk through of the house. I started Emi's diaper was as I do every morning. I fed Gibson as I usually do. I climbed into the shower, toweled off when finished, made myself a cup of hot chocolate and finally climbed into my little car for the drive to work.

The roads during the drive were surprisingly empty. I pondered this as I was driving but I figured I had left the house about eight minutes earlier than normal. This is what the roads look like if I get out of the house just a little bit earlier.

I rolled into the office parking lot just a tad earlier than I usually do. And it was empty. I checked my cell phone clock. 7:55. Hmm. Where in the world is everyone?

I began going through the glove box and cleaning out the mung that exists in Hope's old car. At 8:05, I began getting frustrated. I wondered at the same time if I had somehow screwed up the time change. Who can I call who won't be judgemental and use this as fodder for later ribbing?

Mom. I could trust my Mom to not be judgemental, to not poke fun. She can keep a secret. She won't think her eldest son to be an idiot.

I called my Mom.

She laughed at me.

I blamed my cell phone.

She laughed at me again.

I took my newly found hour and got some breakfast.