The 2013 Lord Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2: Semifinals

Yeah, yeah, I'm a little late to the game again. I have a life and am not getting paid like so many other bloggers out there, so screw me. Round 1 was fun and had some intensity, Round 2 promises no less.

MY PICKS
Western Conference

• #1 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #7 Detroit Red Wings - Detroit made a major upset, *ahem* as I predicted they would, in beating the Ducks in Round 1, but they will be little match for Chicago, especially if their defense keeps lagging.
• #5 Los Angeles Kings vs. #6 San Jose Sharks - Beating the Canuckleheads was one thing, but taking on the Kings will be a whole different game for the Sharks. Kings will take this one.

Eastern Conference

• #1 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #7 Ottawa Senators - Ottawa has more fire power and the better goalie. They also don't have a complete d-bag in the form of Crysby. That's just win-win really. Senators will take it.
• #4 Boston Bruins vs. #6 New York Rangers - New York's defense shut down Washington's Ovechkin in Round 1; that is saying a LOT right there, however they lack the power up front. Boston is more balanced, has sharper lines and the higher rated defense. Sing Loud, Sing Proud for Boston.

Standings as of 5/16

The 2013 Lord Stanley's Cup Playoffs: Quarter Finals

It has to be admitted that I am not a huge sports fan. My parents were/are not very in to sports, so I had not influence there. Being on the chubbier side most of my life, gym class was more a source of embarrassment than enjoyment for me. Sure, I went to a couple homecoming games in high school to try and be in with the in crowd, but I was more focused on the guys than the game and, ultimately, I was, am and will always be a nerd, so that just wasn't my scene.

Flash forward to a few years ago and I discover hockey. I mean, I previously was vaguely aware of its existence; The Mighty Ducks was a good movie series, right? At least it had the talented eye-candy that is Joshua Jackson, but I digress. A now good friend of mine is a die hard hockey fan; like, has played since he was a kid, continues to play recreationally, has three kids playing (one of whom is a total rock star goalie) and even keeps up on the international teams. Thus, as tends to happen in friendship, his passion began to rub off on me. Now, it's not a huge hobby for me and I'm still learning the different calls, rules, players and trying to remember what all the stats mean, but I really do enjoy it even without that knowledge. Ultimately I've come to determine that hockey is one of the more challenging among sports that requires a multitude of skills, focus and endurance on the part of the players. That, in addition to my observation that hockey seems to be the only major league sport played in the U.S. that A) didn't "originate" here and B) is not only played internationally, but also actively welcomes players from around the world to play in the league, combine to make hockey, IMHO, the most bad-ass of sports. The action, the rivalries, the fights, its just exciting!

So. Here we are and, after a disgustingly long lock out, we finally had a (very) short season and are now into playoffs of Lord Stanley's Cup! W00t! Yeah, yeah I'm a little late coming in here, but A) I have a life and B) the inspiration for this blog/design project came after the playoffs had already started, thus requiring some time to complete. Below is the bitchin' bracket that I've fashioned up in Photoshop (thanks to sportslogos.net for most of the team logos). The little puck under each team shows how many playoff games they've won - notice the Vancouver Canucks (or Canuckleheads as my friend calls them) has no puck because they have not won a game. I'll update this each day as the quarter finals progress. I've also circled the teams I'm rooting for to win, which were of course chosen based on my own odd favoring system and some trace knowledge of team prowess.

Final scores of the 2013 Stanley Cup Conference Quarterfinals!

MY PICKS
In the Western Conference we have:

• #1 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #8 Minnesota Wild - Totes going with the Blackhawks here. I do try to root for the home team, and the Wild did pick up some great payers this year, but they just don't have it this time around, especially not to beat out the 'hawks.
• #2 Anaheim Ducks vs. #7 Detroit Red Wings - I have no legit reason for choosing the Wings here other than they are the older team with a better, more classic logo. Yep, there's my design nerd coming out.
• #3 Vancouver Canucks vs. #6 San Jose Sharks - Sharks. By and large, they have just bee playing better than the Canucks this year, even if they didn't have the points to make the higher conference ranking. I also have to admit some credit to my friend's preference in this match up.
• #4 St Louis Blues vs. #5 Los Angeles Kings - I'm going with the Kings on this one. My first reason is that they took the Cup last year. My second reason is that Wil Wheaton is a hockey fan, who lives in LA and thus roots for the Kings. Yep, I'm a nerd like that. I also recognize that this reasoning likely puts me on Sheldon Cooper's hit list.

And in the Eastern Conference:

• #1 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #8 New York Islanders - Islanders. Why? Because Cindy Crysby is a schmuck. Period. And I will root for any team opposing him. I would root for the Austrian Hitlers if it was a team opposing that tool. Go Islanders!
• #2 Montreal Canadiens vs. #7 Ottawa Senators - I'm going with the Senators here purely on the basis of they have a cooler name and logo. Oh, and 7 is my lucky number, I think that played into the initial selection too.
• #3 Washington Capitals vs. #6 New York Rangers - I went with the Rangers on this one. I genuinely dislike that the Caps don't have much in the way of a logo and while Ovechkin is a very solid player, he's always struck me as a bit of an egotistical tool. No Crysby, mind you, but just rubs me wrong.
• #4 Boston Bruins vs. #5 Toronto Maple Leafs - I have to go Boston here. It is a town I've always wanted, full of awesome history and significance for the U.S. It's a team that stands out in my mind for its history in the sport and clout in the league. I also totally prefer the black and yellow color combo to blue and white...maybe its a bit of Hufflepuff in me.

* Update 5/7 * - Okay, so I fell asleep last night before updating the bracket. Oops. Good news is, all my boys came up golden last night! The Blackhawks and Senators are both up to 3 games; Islanders are tied 2-2 with the Pens now; and even after the Canucks finally began to make a showing and put some fight into it, it was too little too late and the Sharks chomped 'em, making a 4 game sweep of the quarter finals series. Good night indeed. I promise to update the bracket after tonight's games.

*Update 5/8* - Life got busy and I didn't get to watch much of the games tonight. Thankfully I discovered the handy NHL app last week and could keep up on all the goals and such while I was out running errands.   My boys in Boston pulled off another win bringing them up to 3-1 over the Maple Leafs - mmm, mapley delicious victory; LA Kings also boost up with a third game win over St Louis; The Rangers evened up the score with Washington; finally, in the can't-win-'em-all category, the Red Wings fell to the Ducks in OT...fowl I cry! It was still a good hat trick of wins for my bracket though.

*Update 5/9* - Bummer of the evening is that the Penguins took game 5, setting them at 3-2 against the Islanders. That said, Tomas Vokoun stepped into the net for the Pens tonight (instead of their usual Marc-Andre Fleury) and completely shutout the Islanders clearly lending to their win tonight. Pretty damn impressive. Crysby can still suck eggs. In better news, Chicago Blackhawks beat out MN Wild and took game 5 advancing them to the conference semifinals. I'm a bit bummed to have the home team out of the running, but I expected it all along. Next year boys. Also, it was so awesome to have Harding starting even after being taken out so early in the last game. Finally the Ottawa Senators also advanced to the semis, beating out the Canadiens in their game 5. So a pretty decent night, even if my picks didn't take a hat-trick of wins.

*Update 5/11* - Well assballs. After an intense game, the Islanders fell to the Pens in OT, sending the Pens (along with Crysby) into the semifinals.  I wanted fish sticks dammit! I missed the games yesterday as I had plans, but was both happy and disappointed with the results. On the the down side, The Maple Leafs beat the Bruins, ruining what cold have been Boston's advancement to the semis. Also bummed that Washington took a win over the Rangers. On the upside, the Kings advanced to the semis. Also, I'm optimistic for tomorrow's games; Boston has won both of the previous games while in Toronto, meaning they could likely take over Toronto tomorrow. The Rangers, meantime, do better when as home, which is where tomorrow's action will happen meaning we could very likely see this match-up pushed to a game 7 on Monday eve. The more (hockey) the merrier :)

*Update 5/12* - Happy Mother's Day hockey fans! Well, Boston lost in Toronto, but that means a game 7 tomorrow night - w00t! Also, the Rangers proved me right, beating the Capitals and pushing a game 7 tomorrow night in D.C. Lastly, I called it bitches! Detroit defeated the Ducks, completing the line-up of the Western Conference Semifinalss; Red Wings will play the Blackhawks (an original 6 match-up no less!) and, last year's cup winners, the LA Kings will square off against the San Jose Sharks. This is going to be exciting!

*Update 5/13* - DAMN did Boston rock it! Coming from behind like that was brilliant! I'm playing some Dropkick Murphies for them right not :) It should be noted that the Rangers overpowered the Capitals as well. This means that all but one of my picks moved forward to the semifinals. Friggin Penguins stole my perfect score, but they'll get theirs in the semis, and then there will be fish sticks for all!!! Mwahahahaaaa! See you in the semis lovlies!

Random Post #1

Hello. Been awhile, I know. Fall quarter had me going crazy and my "break" was not really due to the holidays and work and such. C'est la vie.

My holidays were nice. For the family portion I made mini cherry pies using a muffin tin. Lessons were learned about using a proper-sized biscuit cutter. The best gift I got from fam has to be a tie between the first two volumes of Good Eats by Alton Brown and a killer fashion ring. I got some awesome gifts from my friends. Jo, Dawn and Heather all did great on our crafting-only gifts for each other. However I do have to say that the best gift by far goes to Chris for the TARDIS mug and Green Day Blue Grass CD. Sorry gals, but it's hard to beat the TARDIS... literally.

I've also been very distracted by YouTube lately.  Here are some of the awesome things I've been watching:

My Drunk Kitchen - Cookery, booze and one seriously funny lady! In her case, I feel it's best to begin at the beginning.


C.G.P. Gray - Smart and entertaining explanations of things. This guy is like the Alton Brown of everything. This is his most recent and I completely agree with him. Fuck pennies.


Vlog Brothers - Two brothers. One channel. Copious amounts of fun nerdery that will leave you smarter than before you watched. Bonus point: John is the John Green of YA literature fame; I haven't read his books, but after viewing this channel, I am definitely going to.


MukPuddy - Some hilarious animations that make me want to be an animator.


Chap-hop - Unquestionably the most entertaining and awesome music genre to arise in some time.


In fact I've been so distracted by YouTube that I've had two discs from Netflix since October. Shit. Gotta get on that this weekend.

Back on the 7th I went to my first viewing of the musical Les Miserables! That was pretty fucking sweet. Big thanks you my friend J for just randomly buying the tickets and telling me we were going. It was pretty sweet. The sets and lighting effects were great. The main men and Eponine we fantastic. Fantine was really warbly though, so I wasn't too disappointed when she died 10 minutes in.  I'm not sure if it was costumer choice or error that Marius blended in with most of the other revolutionary students in the battle scene. Personally, I found that annoying. High point of the night was the pre-show visit to Candyland and getting some sponge candy and key lime kisses (they're like butterscotch buttons, but lime! I never knew those existed!).

Quick Update

Because I'm a busy little beaver. This post is for my friend H.  She asked if I had any blogs.  I said, 'yes'.  She then called me out for not posting in over a month.  *shame face* Between a full class load, work, and the general weather making me rather lazy I have not gotten around to it.  So here's a quick update.

School is going alright.  My online class, Digital Photography, does not motivate me enough.  I like taking pictures, but when I'm forced to do topics that don't interest me, it's difficult.  I don't want to take family portraits and discuss the difficulties faced during the session. I work retail, that alone has given me enough varying people experience that my brain can go wild with all the issues that could come up in a situation where I am making people sit down so I can take their pictures... peoples be crazy!

Work-wise... it's retail. Same ol' bollocks.

Friends. I have awesome friends. I suck at reaching out when I'm in a down mood. I figure that these people have enough going on in their respective lives, they don't need to drop everything just to listen to my, admittedly sometimes silly and irrational, negativity. And there's the rub for me; typically I can assess what is making me feel a certain way, what the cause is, but that doesn't necessarily alleviate the problem. Anyhoozles, my friends always make me feel great, even if they don't know it. Here's a ginormous 'Thank you!' going out to each of you. Upon request I will give you a giant hug next time I see you, but I know touchy-feely not everybody's "thing" so I'm with-holding the urge to simply throw one at you.

Car.  My happy little car, Vinnie, has not been as happy for a few months now. He was making all sorts of loud, grindy noises.  When a front light finally went out, I took him in.  Mister Mechanic Dude noticed the noise.  One problem snowballed into 4 and $390 later, Vinnie is once again happy. In all honesty, if I won the lottery, I'd pay him off, fix him up, and use him as a turn in on what I really want; a RAV 4... who may or may not also get named Vinnie, depends on his 'tude.

Family. Oy. I want out. Like I'd give $20 handers behind a liquor store to make the money to get out. I'm not though... possibly only because of the illegality of prostitution and the fact that I'd have to touch people I don't want to. If I was a hooker, I'd totally up my charges for ugly people. And it's not discrimination because attractiveness is subjective (well, mostly).

OK, now I should really get back to the homework that has me sitting in a cafe on this, the first snowy day of Minnesota's 2011 autumn.

Favorite Things

So I needed to do an entry for this blog. I have been ignoring it like a ginger-headed stepchild - which is a little ridiculous for me to say because I would probably love a ginger stepchild. I've been busy, wrapped up in school, work and life, so it wasn't intentional ignoring, but I digress. I borrowed a list of 30 things to blog about in 30 days (I will totally take longer) from a friend who'd posted it on her blog a while back (thanks Jo and Dawn).  First up I'm listing 20 of my favorite things... no roses or kittens here folks.

1. My friends - My best friends especially (you know who you are). They are such very special and amazing individuals. I'm really lucky to have them in my life. You guys rock! And honestly, you're why I can make it through the bad days.
2. My mom - Best ever! The most understanding, generous, loving person I know.
3. Hugs/Cuddling - Hello. My name is Kris and I'm a cuddle slut. But I have to be pretty comfortable with someone before I get touchy with them, otherwise I'll cringe away.
4. Otters - They are adorable, frolicky, amazingly smart and tough. If I could choose so, I'd be reincarnated as one in my next life.
5. Pretty knickers - There is something about wearing a fun/fancy/sexy pair of knickers that makes me feel even prettier. Even if it's a basic cotton hipster/boyshort (my preferred style) in a really fun pattern, it's a special part of the ensemble that only I know about...well, unless I choose to let someone see 'em. Shopping for them is fun too.
6. Cooking/Baking - Whether it's from scratch, from a box, or dough from a tube, I dig cookery. It's fun, it can be challenging, I can get all creative and experimental with it and it's science (<3 Alton Brown)! Plus, the result is always tasty... unless you fuck up your sugar for salt or something, which I have never done *knock on wood*
7. Lime - Whether it's limeade (waaaaay better than lemonade), key lime pie, freshly squirted over some chicken or fish or making margaritas, it just has such a fresh and lively flavor that is unparalleled. It's the top dog of citrus.
8. My six-shooter earring - I always get a compliment when I wear them. Since they are studs I can wear them casually or add some edge to an otherwise classy/dressy ensemble. Definitely one of the top ten best birthday presents I've received in my 28 years.
9. The smell of craft/art supply stores - A motley aroma of wood, paints, glues, fabric, pastels... it's the smell of potential magic, waiting to be harnessed and manipulated into something awesome. My grandfather owned his own art & drafting supply business when I was younger; I loved the special days I got to go in to work with mom.
10. Buttons/Pins - These little suckers are irresistible. I have quite a nice collection going. They are a small and fun way to say something, show support or just your fun side.  I wish I could afford the tools to make my own, that'd be awesome. In the meantime I need to build an awesome way to display my collection. That goes ditto to my shot-glass collection; not quite as large, but equally cool.
11. Cake balls - My friend D turned me onto this recipe and I haven't looked back since.  It's cake, mixed with frosting, formed into a bite-sized ball and dipped in candy coating. They are a sweet explosions of AWESOME in your mouth! Also, it turns out I kinda rock at makin' 'em, so now I'm formulating new things to try with them.
12. The smell of Gardenias - Generally speaking, I hate perfumes. I use scented oils instead; there's no alcohol, no allergens and all that crap. Gardenia is one of the few I can rely on liking.
13. Books - "The pen is mightier than the sword." Books can inspire, enchant, motivate, educate, frighten, empower. They can take you to lands faraway or around the corner, empathize with or at least understand viewpoints previously foreign to you, make you feel emotions you didn't know you were capable of... Books are a special kind of magic. 10a. I love the smell of books and book stores.
14. Movies - Similar to books, movies are another kind of wizardry. They can do all the things I listed above, but through a different medium, a visual one, that is equally fantastic. However I do not like the smell of movie stores or theaters.
15. Pineapple - Nature's candy! I could eat this shit all day. I also enjoy cutting up fresh pineapple, not quite sure why...
16. Crafting - I like creating things, the contentment that comes when finishing a project. Painting, gluing, jewelry making, paper crafting, sewing, X-stitching... I have yet to pick up crocheting though.
17. Ice cream/gelato/sorbet - Whatever the name this cold, smooth, scoop of delicious wonderment has long been a favorite of mine. Forget a candy store, my eyes grow wide when I walk into a creamery. Flavor favorites include coffee, rocky road, cookies & cream, Ring Mountain's lime jalapeno sorbet and salted peanut gelato (not together though), Ben & Jerry's S'mores and Americone Dream... yeah, I'll just stop here.
18. My new wallet - I bought it shortly before my Vegas trip and am in love with it. It's has the perfect amount of pockets and folds out beautifully. It's big enough that I could carry just it around like a clutch without being all bulky and awkward. Also, it's by Vera Wang who, for some reason, is a fashion designer I've always admired.  Lastly it is a gorgeous dark green color with tarnished brass snap and logo detail, chic with a bit of edge; love it.
19. Cursing - This one should really be called linguistic/etymology, but anyone who knows me knows that I love to swear like a sailor. The more balls-out creative and mind-fuckingly outrageous the better.
20. Coconut - This tasty fruit has such a unique texture and flavor. It can be made sweet or savory - ice cream, baked goods, coating shrimp/chicken, toasted and coated with chocolate, etc). On a trip to Duluth, my friends and I went to a great little cafe/restaurant that made a coconut peach muffin; that thing sexually harassed my mouth and I loved it! As an added benefit, coconut is one thing I'm positive my dad hates, thereby ensuring anything I get with it will go untouched, mwa ha ha!
21. Dogs - Fuck rules, I'm making this thing longer. I've long lived in apartments and thereby been limited to my pet options. I've done fish, rodents and cats. No more; I want a dog. They are adorable, loveable companions that are waaay more fun to play with that cats (I'm all felined out). I obviously have to wait for my living and financial situations to improve, but in the meantime I have a number of friends with awesome pups that I love to lavish my affection upon.
22. Wing Night/Free Taco Bar - There's a joint named Bunny's in SLP that my mate Chris introduced me to, where we've become regulars. Seriously, we always seem to get the same server and he now knows my drink of choice... last time he even noticed that I was rocking contacts instead of my usual glasses! Anyway, they have late night specials on their delicious wings and FREE taco bar!  Mmm, taco bar...

Plague of Indecision

Recently I went on a real, honest, plane-trip-required vacation to Las Vegas,NV. While there, my friends and I went on a self-guided tour of the Ethel M. Chocolate Factory.  It was founded 25 years ago by Forrest Mars Sr. who named the company after his dear mother, from whom he'd learned about quality chocolate-making in their family kitchen. They do their chocolatiering in small batches and their products are preservative free. And, if you are wondering, "chocolate + 'Mars' is that guy...?" Yes, he is that Mars of chocolate fame. But I digress...

While the tour was pretty boring - not much was happening that day, mostly packing - they did have a great little store and, being a chocolate lover, I went ahead and got a hand-picked selection of 12 chocolates for a mere $18. It sounds like a lot, but most of the chocolates in their cases were individually priced at $2/piece; once I counted no less than five that I absolutely had to try, the upgrade seemed the best choice.

Now I'm home and have gone through all but 5 chocolates:

Pecan Brittle

Key Lime Ganache (dark chocolate)

Coconut Delight (dark chocolate)

Sea Salted Caramel (milk chocolate)

Honey Truffle (dark chocolate)

I go to get a treat today and I cannot decide which one to eat! The remaining chocolates are some of my favorite flavors, thus why I've passed them over until now (best for last)! This I went to do 20 minutes ago and still haven't decided (although I've done other things that have taken up brain time). 

I can be horribly indecisive;I can stand/walk around in Target for 30 minutes comparing two things before making a choice. Why am I this way? I have no idea.  If someone wants to give me a free psych rundown, I'd love it. Seriously, unless I have a predetermined list, I should not be allowed to shop without someone there to force me to make a decision...

Shopping chaperone needed! 

Volunteer position. Please apply via e-mail. 

Multiple positions available.

Winter Fun (aka Winter Want To Dos)

So Thanksgiving has come and gone and we are "officially" into the Winter/ Holiday season.

...When the hell did that happen?!

I am not ready for this yet! I still have shopping and crafting to do to get all the people on my gift list done. I still have stuff I want to do too! Between work (all those holiday shoppers *cringe*) and school taking up time until the week of the 17th, I want to find time to work in some fun and hopefully with my friends. So I, as usual, have compiled a list of fun things I'd like to do this winter. Not all of them have to or can be done before the holidays, but some of them I would like to do before then. So, in no particular order, I want to:


1. Bake cookies! And from scratch too! I don't do enough cooking and baking, but I always love it! Especially around the holidays there is a certain extra joy to it that I cannot place, but love the feel of. And now, since I noticed a kids picture book on the holiday display, I want to make holiday pirate cookies! Except I'm thinking of makin' 'em with sugar cookie dough instead of gingerbread dough.

2. See at least TWO more movies off my November and December (coming soon) lists. January and February too, but that's too far out to think and I hope by then I've seen two movies, sheesh!

3. Go see the Holidazzle Parade. I've lived in the Metro Area all my life and never gone down and stood on Nicollet Mall, freezing my tush off to watch a ton of pretty lights parade in front of me. I like pretty lights! And there are certainly enough nice joints along the mall to go to and enjoy a nice pre- or post-parade din.


4. I still want to try to make it to a Wild game! Even if they are not always the greatest, it's an awesome sport to watch and fun to support the home team.



5. Go to the St. Paul Winter Carnival. I have not gone to this since I was little, like Gimli would've dwarfed me little. The sculptures are always so cool, there's ice skating and all sorts of stuff I don't even know (there's not a calendar on the site yet).


6. Go ice skating. I'm not even sure if I remember how, but we should find out :)

7. I still want to go see the Titanic exhibit at the Science Museum.

8. Go for a walk in a state park or nature reserve or heck any nice park. Snow and ice covering everything with the sun shining down on it is so pretty and can make viewing wildlife a bit easier without so much foliage. Maybe even hit a park that rents snowshoes! This one is, of course, completely dependent on the weather.



This is all I can think of right now, but something else will probably pop into my head later on, that's just how my brain works :)