Hey S-fans!

Ah yes, your blog-neglecting hero is back!!! I'm sorry for the long and retarded absence. How long was I gone for...just hold on as I click the link here...ok, searching for last entry and I last posted...HOLY MOTHER OF JOSEPH!!! SEPTEMBER???!!! Holy goddamn it, dudes and dudettes, my apologies 10 times over. I am such a shit. It won't happen again! (Well...at least I'll try my damndest!).

Now that my self-depricating/pitifully apologetic moment has come to its conlusion, there's a little piece of my sisters nexopia account that I'd like to share with you... 

It's a conversation between my youngest brother and my little sister. He's 7, and my sister was 15 at the time.

Death to a 7 year old...

"Kacie...when you die, do the angels come down to take you up?"

                                                                                         "Yes Riley, they do."

"And Grandpa's up there, right Kacie?"

                                                                                             "Yes Riley, he is."

"Is there enough room up there for everyone, Kacie?"

                                                                                             "I think so Riley."

"Good, cuz there is a lot of clouds so everyone should be able to fit."

This is what my sister ended her entry with:

"Ohh Riley...I love you...you make everything so simple, and so...understandable, in an impossible sort of way."

I was in tears by the end of it. I miss my Grandpa so much, and when I think about not having him here, it hurts so bad. Yet my little brother, free of any religious influence whatsoever, comes out with the most simplistic yet beautiful view of how it all works and suddenly everything seems so much easier to cope with and get through.

I've got one more moment like the one above as well between the same little guy and my dad. It's from the day Grandpa died and shortly after he'd told my other brother, who was 17 at the time, and me the hardest news we'd ever heard. Dad went upstairs and sat down beside Riley (who was 5 years old then) and told him as gently and as clearly as possible what had happened and reminded him about how sick Grandpa was and that he'd died because of that. He then asked Riley if he understood what dad meant. Riley asked if Grandpa would be coming back, and dad calmly and gently told him no. Riley was quiet for a few moments afterward, taking it all in and making sense of the whole thing as best as a 5 year old can. Then he looks up at my dad and asks him the following:

"Do you know how to make 'octopus hotdogs', Dad?"
*For those who don't know, an octopus hotdog is a hotdog the has been sliced up the length of it halfway and then again perpendicular to the first cut but along the same length, so that when you boil it up, the 4 segments curl up and the whole thing looks like (yes, you guessed it) an octopus.*

"Yes."

"Good, because I like them a lot and Grandpa always liked to make them for me."

Wow. All my brother and I could think of at the time was not having Grandpa anymore and how hard things in the coming while were going to be, yet the first thing that comes to the littlest one's mind is something good that his grandpa did for him and how happy that made him feel, and how that can be a way to remember the man by.

Adults should pay more attention to kids. Sometimes their the brightest ones of us all.

To my littlest brother, Riley:

Little buddy, when this world and this life seem to suck...you give me hope.
The best part is...you don't even now that you do it.

I love you buddy, you do more for me then you'll ever understand.  

Your biggest bro,

- Seany

Read me later.

- Sean

hey faithful readers,

"ACHOO!!!"

Wow, is this thing dusty. How long's it been? Almost 3 and a 1/2 months by my count. That's TOO LONG in my books! I'll do my damndest to open my mind to you all more often, and that's a promise. But speaking of books, I've got a kind that's near 'n' dear to my heart to tell you about...

Comic Books.

Or, as I like to call them (technically, it's actually what I read them in the form of anyway), Graphic Novels. 

Here, dudes and dudettes, is a medium that I feel is generally overlooked by the majority of the population. It's under-valued, under-viewed, and most definitely under-appreciated. Now I'm not just saying this because I'm a comic book reader and fan, or because I'm on some mission to make everybody view the comic book as the new bible (although that would be pretty fucking cool, and that may even make me actually go to church). No. I'm merely saying that the comic book isn't just some happy colorful chunk of paper with pages full of speech bubbles and
WHAM!s, meant solely for the enjoyment of the "12 and under" crowd.

What I find fascinating about comic books is how they're mostly just pumped up metaphors for reality, events, changes, and ideologies that effect us in our everyday lives. 

However, all of those notions and such are items that I'll touch on in the future. 

For this entry, I'd like to focus more on what's probably the most prevelent aspect and component of the art form...

...the heroes.

There are, of course, the ones that everybody knows. You know what I'm talking about, the ones of heroes in tights and brightly colored spandex that fly around and save the world time and time again from the absolute worst of evils. And sometimes, yes, I'm in the mood for those. There's something to be said for them in the fact that I think deep down, everyone at some point or another wishes more than anything that they had the ability to, metaphorically speaking, "save the world". 

However, there are other types of heroes in comics that I think get overlooked by the general public.

As with actual novels and books of the "no picture" variety, there are stories of protagonists who are their own antagonists at the same time. No matter how much good they do or how many selfless acts they commit for the benefit of everyone else other than themselves, it seems that they only dig themselves down further into their own blackholes. It seems that despite all that they do, and all that they sacrifice, their efforts are all for not. However, somehow in the end, they rise above it all, victorious. Their triumphs never go unscathed, and will always carry the scars, yet they still find it deep within themselves to fight back the darkness despite all the pain.   

It's this 2nd type of fictional saviour that grabs MY attention. 

The reason why I'm more attracted to those individuals and their stories is, to be simply put, they are so much more human. We aren't perfect, and we never will be. We as a race have flaws. We have cracks in our armor, and we bleed when the barbs and the edges we encounter in our lives slip through those cracks. These heroes in these stories aren't bulletproof. They don't have skin and spirit and thoughts that are impervious to injury. They suffer, just like we do, yet they still find it within themselves to overcome the pain and the hurt and the obstacles to "defeat the forces of evil".

These characters represent a feeling that all of us have somewhere down the line, a feeling that most of us have more often than we ever should. It's the feeling that no matter what you do or how hard you try, you'll never be enough. You know deep down that what you do and what you keep doing is right, but it seems as if you are the only one who ever notices. It seems that there aren't any rewards, or even the slightest hint of recognition, and most of time it seems nobody even knows you've done anything at all, but you continue to do it despite all that, and you always will because you have hope.

That, to me, is the truest hero there can ever be, and it's the kind that I admire and appreciate most in this world.

Read me later.


- Sean

Hey there guys and gals,

Below I've compiled a whole shwack of quotes that I've found while tromping about the Internet. If you're bored, or if you're actually interested, give 'em a quick red-through if you've got a moment and see if any actually mean something to you.

"If you don't want the truth go bug somebody who will tell you the lies you want to hear. Don't bother me." 
- Anonymous

"The wonder of a single snowflake outweighs the wisdom of a million meteorologists."
- Anonymous

"That's the whole problem with science. You've got a bunch of empiricists trying to describe things of unimaginable wonder." 
- Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes

"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently." 
- Nietzsche

"As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality." 
- Albert Einstein

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honourable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."
- George Bernard Shaw

"I am a common man with common thoughts, and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough."
- Nicholas Sparks

"He gave her the cup of happiness and said, "Drink not from this cup unless you forget the past and the future, for happiness is naught but the moment." And He also gave her a cup of sorrow and said, "Drink from this cup and you will understand the meaning of the fleeting instants of the joy of life, for sorrow ever abounds."
- Kahlil Gibran, "The Creation"

"Is this what people call wealth? Is this the god I am serving and worshipping? Is this what I seek of the earth? Why can I not trade it for one particle of contentment? Who would sell me one beautiful thought for a ton of gold? Who would give me one moment of love for a handful of gems? Who would grant me an eye that can see others' hearts, and take all my coffers in barter?"
- Kahlil Gibran, "Yesterday and Today"

"The author who benefits you most is not the one who tells you something you did not know before, but the one who gives expression to the truth that has been dumbly struggling in you for utterance."
- Oswald Chambers

"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction of being loved for yourself, or, more correctly, being loved in spite of yourself."
- Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

"I know you. You have hurt me, almost to death, but still, I live. And I will go on living...."
- Ursula K. LeGuin, The Farthest Shore

"...each deed you do, each act, binds you to itself and to its consequences, and makes you act again and yet again. Then very seldom do you come upon a space, a time like this, between act and act, when you may stop and simply be. Or wonder who, after all, you are."
- Ursula K. LeGuin, The Farthest Shore

"Whatever became of the moment when one first knew about death? There must have been one. A moment. In childhood. When it first occured to you that you don't go on forever. It must have been shattering, stamped into one's memory. And yet, I can't remember it. We must be born with an intuition of mortality. Before we know the word for it - before we know that there are words. Out we come, bloodied and squalling, with the knowledge that, for all the points of a compass, there's only one direction, and time is its only measure."
- Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

"I have always been more curious than wise. Yet any wisdom I have ever gained has come to me from my curiosity. So I have never learned to turn away from it."
- Robin Hobb, Ship of Magic

"Half the evil in this world occurs while decent people stand by and do nothing wrong. It's not enough to refrain from evil, Trell. People have to attempt to do right, even if they believe they cannot succeed."
"Even when it's stupid to try?" he asked with savage sarcasm.
"Especially then," she replied sweetly. "That's how it's done, Trell. You break your heart against this stony world. You fling yourself at it, on the side of good, and you do not ask the cost. That's how you do it."
- Robin Hobb, Mad Ship

"Then we have no choice?"
"There are always choices. But sometimes there are no good ones."
- Robin Hobb, Fool's Fate

"You seek a false comfort when you demand that I define myself for you with words. Words do not contain or define any person. A heart can, if it is willing. But I fear yours is not. You know more of the whole of me than any other person who breathes, yet you persist in insisting that all of that cannot be me. What would you have me cut off and leave behind? And why must I truncate myself in order to please you?"
- Robin Hobb, Golden Fool

"Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement.
- J.R.R. Tolkein, Fellowship of the Ring

In order to rise
From its own ashes
A phoenix
First
Must
Burn.
- Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Sower

"Ideas are more difficult to kill than people, but they can be killed, in the end."
- Neil Gaiman, American Gods

"I believe that anyone who claims to know what's going on will lie about the little things too."
- Neil Gaiman, American Gods

"I would never achieve a victory at the cost of my honor; that is the difference between us."
- Steven Brust, The Lord of Castle Black

"I miss the days when I used to be nostalgic."
- Steven Brust, Issola

"No, I fear what we are facing is rather more powerful than a god."
"Good," I said, "I wouldn't want it to be too easy."
- Steven Brust, Issola

"You should learn, my friend, to have a care with women, lest your mouth place you in a position from which your feet cannot extricate you, nor your hands free you, but which will leave your brain confused."
"But when one's heart is engaged--"
"Then you must take even more care, for where the heart is engaged, the mind is nowhere to be found."
- Steven Brust, The Phoenix Guards

"But that's the way it works in fairy tales, isn't it? Something always goes wrong, or there wouldn't be a story. You have to be strong, you have to earn your happily ever after."
- Charles de Lint, The Onion Girl

"There's more to life than just surviving," he says.
I know that's true. But I also know that sometimes just surviving is all you get.
- Charles de Lint, The Onion Girl

"People who've never read fairy tales, the professor said, have a harder time coping in life than the people who have. They don't have access to all the lessons that can be learned from the journeys through the dark woods and the kindness of strangers treated decently, the knowledge that can be gained from the company and example of Donkeyskins and cats wearing boots and steadfast tin soldiers. I'm not talking about in-your-face lessons, but more subtle ones. The kind that seep up from your subconscious and give you moral and humane structures for your life. That teach you how to prevail, and trust. And maybe even love."
- Charles de Lint, The Onion Girl

"I wasn't necessarily a bad person; I just wasn't very thoughtful or considerate of anybody else. Sometimes what you don't do is just as bad or worse than what you do."
- Charles de Lint, The Onion Girl

"Sculptors, poets, painters, musicians -- they're the traditionals purveyors of Beauty. But it can as easily be created by a gardener, a farmer, a plumber, a careworker. It's the intent you put into your work, the pride you take in it -- whatever it is."
- Charles de Lint, The Onion Girl

"Things'll work out the way they're supposed to in the long run," I tell her. "We might not like all the details, and the trip's not always fun, but we'll make do. That's part of the blessing and the curse of being alive."
- Charles de Lint, The Onion Girl

"God doesn't do anything to us," Angel said. "He doesn't have to. We're too busy doing it to each other."
- Charles de Lint, The Onion Girl

"I really do care about people now," I go on, "but that's something I had to learn. I had to let go of all the hurt and old baggage and teach myself to meet each day with anticipation and a smile. To look for the best in people, instead of the worst, because when you look for the best, you can bring it out in them."
"Not to mention in yourself."
I nodded.
- Charles de Lint, The Onion Girl

"You shouldn't compare yourself to other people," Jilly said. "All that does is get in the way of being yourself."
- Charles de Lint, Trader

"Nothing's free in this world," Zeffy told her, "except leftovers and friendship and even friendship costs. The difference is, usually we don't mind paying the coin it requires."
- Charles de Lint, Trader

"We're all carrying around devils inside us, but the thing to remember is, we're carrying angels, too. Sometimes we just have to wait a little longer for the angels to show up, that's all."
- Charles de Lint, "The Pennymen"

"Imagine if life was fair," she says to me one time. "I think maybe that'd be worse."
"How do you figure that?"
"Well, then we'd deserve all the awful things that happen to us, wouldn't we? It'd mean that at some point in our lives - or maybe some life we had before this one - we were pretty creepy people."
- Charles de Lint, Someplace to be Flying

"There's no such thing as fiction...if you can imagine something, then it's happened."
- Charles de Lint, Someplace to be Flying

"I wish I was. Tough and fierce. Sure of myself."
"It takes work," I tell her. "And it doesn't mean you don't get scared anymore. It just means you don't let the fear stop you from doing what you want, or need, to do. That's where the work part comes in."
- Charles de Lint, Spirits in the Wires

He can't put me in a box, except for the one that he carries in his own head. It's not going to change who I am inside of me. He cant' know me any more than I know him, except for the things we tell each other, and the trust we have to hold on to to believe that what we're saying is true.
The only box I can be in now is the one I make for myself.
- Charles de Lint, Spirits in the Wires 

Read me later.

- Sean

hey to all my "S-MaNiacs" out there,

I went on the weekend and saw the final installment of the X-Men trilogy...and I'm almost wishing I'd hadn't. What a bastardization of one of the richest, expansive, well-written, and most popular comic book series ever made. I'm insulted. Maybe it's just the fanboy in me, but FUCK!!!

**WARNING! - The following is pretty much a spoiler of the flick, so if you have any desire at all to see this film (and I use the term, "film", VERY loosely!) STOP READING NOW!!!**

Why I thought X-Men 3 was utter shit...

By: Sean

Ok, before I pick up the literary sledgehammer and savagely pound this unfortunate occurance of a picture into the farthest reaches of hell...it did have a few bright spots. Granted, these spots were few and very far between, but they did exsist. The first was the very opening scene of the movie. Prof. Xavier and Eric Lensher (before he was Magneto) visit this young girl who at around 11 years old can levitate damn near anything. She shows potential for great power by making every car on the block float. Pretty cool. We find out (well, us nerds knew already) that this gifted youngster happens to be none other than Jean Grey. Bad-ass. I liked that. 

I also dug the Danger Room scene. It hadn't been displayed yet so far in the other 2 movies, and finally seeing it made me a little giddy. The even cooler part about the scene was Colossus ends up hurling Wolverine at the unkown giant thing advancing upon them, and then a few seconds later, the creature's head falls out of all the smoke, revealing it to be a Sentinal (giant mutant exterminating robot from the comics, and again, yes, I guessed at what the big bastard was before it was revealed to us as any real fan should). This little maneuver of Colossus hurling Wovie at something is known as the "Fastball Special" in the comic world, and it's a move that's been done periodically between the 2 heroes in the X-Men's history. It was pretty wicked to see that little bit get a nod on the big screen (it also happens again later on in the movie as well). New fans think it's cool, and old fans feel acknowledged. That's how this movie should have gone. 

Beast finally making his debut was pretty cool too. Kelsy Grammer did a fan-friggin'-tastic job bringing him to life. Him fighting the soldiers in the "last stand" was pretty awesome too.

Also, the inclusion of Calisto (that chick with the piercing in face tattoo) and her go around with Storm was again another nod to us living here in the land of comic book geekdom. The 2 of them battled in comic books for control of the society-shunned band of mutants known as the Morlocks. Again, another moment of "here's to the fans" that comes all too sparsely. And well, yeah. That's about where the goodies ended.

Now the shit begins. First off, and something that ate me up for awhile afterward, WHY IN THE BLUE FUCK DID CYCLOPS HAVE TO DIE?!?!?! That was NOT fucking cool. I was pissed! Cyclops is the perpetual leader of the team, and as well, he also has huge potential as a driving character given his history. Cyclops is a mutant who will never see the world the same way again. Everything's red to him. That can be used both literally and metaphorically. The world is an angry place when it comes to mutants, and he has potential for a lot of pent up rage because of it. Yet he's also a hero to the core, and will always do the right thing. That's called "inner conflict", and can make for a pretty intriguing cast member if you ask me. Also, the love of his life is taken from him, and he has to struggle with that. The Cyclops in the comics survived that. Plus, him and Wolverine have never agreed on much of anything, and that could've been explored better also. Damn did I ever feel cheated. Oh, and from a "Hollywood perspective", he has one of the most visually rad powers ever!!! HUGE special effects opportunity there people! Fuck. 

Also, Professor X dying was infinitely retarded. It made my head hurt. That was a totally creepy smile he gave too. Speaking of Prof. X, his and Magneto's relationship is so complex and it goes back so far that it was hardly done justice at all.

Juggernaut was stupid. Just plain dumb. The damn writer could have had the brawl of the century between Colossus and Juggy, but hell no. Instead, Juggy runs into a wall. Pathetic.

Oh, and how about that Angel guy. Remember him? He was the guy with the wings? You know, the only guy with big feathered things growing out of his back? Oh yeah, that's right...HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!!! Nope. All he did was look man-pretty and save his near the end. He didn't stop to fight in the war, and he didn't do a whole hell of a lot.

Where the fuck was Rogue??? Oh yeah, she was letting the greater pressure of society win. What was that? You say that the X-Men have always had an underlying message of "just because your different doesn't mean you can't accomplish great things"??? Well, apparently the monkeys who manufactured this piece of shit ignored that bit. You know, it's only the chief and primary moral and lesson that the X-Men convey in the end. That's all. It's just their sole cause to be accepted because of their differences, and not having to give up who they are in order to fit in. Oh, yeah, I keep forgetting...The guys who crapped this picture out, totally forgot that bit, and now Rogue is human. Morals schmorals, eh?

And Beast beats Magneto??? Hell no. But yes, that's the case. It almost made me cry. Why Beast? I know, I can't think of an answer either. 

Ah yes, and how could I forget the Pheonix. It was pretty easily actually. Hey, all she did was stand there by magneto all the time like a statue. Oh, and when it came time for her big "smashy smashy" scene, she killed a few people, blew a few things up, made the water splash a bit, and then couldn't even budge Wolverine. The Pheonix is fuckin' all powerful, and she could've mangled the living crap out of Wolvie, healing factor or not. He just walks up to her, his shirt gets a bit shredded (pants conveniently untouched, by the way), feeds the cheesy line, then stabs her. He kills the woman he really loves, who technically is the widow of his fallen teammate. Uncool. 

I understand and fully accept that when comic books are translated into theatrical releases that continuity issues will arise. It's a roughly 90 minute bit of film that MAY be fortunate enough to have 1 or 2 sequals of the same length, as opposed to sometimes 60+ years of generation-spanning comic book history. I get that. Spidey's webs weren't organic either, like in the movie. In the comics, he had web-shooters with fluid that he'd crafted and concocted. I get that. Sure. I'm good with it. But it's fucking depressing when a director totally fills back up the ground broken by the previous 2 flicks.

Oh, and the biggest hooping that occured in the movie? It lacked the fundamentals that all movies should have; A solid plot...character depth (or any depth at all, for that matter!)...and above all...coherency.

It was just a bad movie, and it made the little comic book geek-fanboy shed a tear or two. On the plus side, we never actually saw Cyclops' body, and the movie left a cliffhanger a mile wide. In the books, Jean Grey as the Pheonix has died and come back several times. A resurrection perhaps? I sure to fuck hope so. Oh, and Brett Ratner (the criminal mastermind who devised this horror) can't be allowed anywhere near the sequal. If he is, a "cure" for the mutant gene won't be needed, but a "cure" for the "shitty-director" gene will most certainly be required!!!

Read me later.

- Sean

Sean: Hey Calgary! Guess what?

Calgary: What, Sean?

Sean: The Edmonton Oilers are the new...
           ...WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS!!!

Calgary: Really?!?!

Sean: Oh hell yeah!!!

Calgary: Oh...

Sean: So how's "Iggy" doin' on the golf green?

Calgary: ...*sniffs, and wipes tear*...

Sean: Just as I thought.

It doesn't matter...
Whether it's Buffalo or Carolina (I'm hopin' Buffalo! It'd make for better hockey!), it really doesn't matter. Lord Stanley will make the trip home to the City of Champions.

Final Round:

Who:
Edmonton Oilers vs. Whomever

Result:
Oil in 6. We'll win it here at home at Rexall Place. It'll be beautiful. 

The Edmonton Oilers.

Western Conference Champions.

Future Stanley Cup Champions.

Read me later.


- Sean

Hey S-fans,

To all those hockey analysts and nay-sayers out there who thought we were fucked when we drew the Red Wings for the first round of the playoffs...

We're COPPER 'n' BLUE...
and we're off to
ROUND 2!!!

HA!

Ok, so I'm a little pumped. Can you blame me though? Our beloved Oilers haven't made it to the second round since 1997 or something to that effect, so it's pretty exhilerating. I am a little sad though that the "Battle of Alberta" can't take place. The Flames shit the proverbial bed this week and hooped themselves. Oh well, such is hockey.

Now, how about those picks that I'd made a bit ago? How'd I do? Well, here's the results...

The Western Conference:

Who:
Detroit Red Wings (1st) vs. Edmonton Oilers (8th)

My Prediction:
Oilers in 7.

Actual Result:
Ok, so we only needed 6 games to send the Wings home, but that's even better because we got to do it here at our home. The kickers of Red Wing ass...THE EDMONTON OILERS!!!

Who:
Dallas Stars (2nd) vs. Colorado Avalanche (7th)

My Prediction:
Stars in 6

Actual Result:
Ok, I kinda missed the boat on this one. I pretty much picked near the exact opposite of what actually happed. The Aves sent Dallas packing in 5. Holy crap.

Who:
Calgary Flames (3rd) vs. Anaheim Ducks (6th)

My Prediction:
The Flames in 4.

Actual Result:
Well Sweet Sassy Molassy, did I oops here too? Why yes I did. I put to much faith in the Kipper and not enough in the Teemo. Damn. The Ducks won it in 7. Shitty. 

Who:
Nashville Predators(4th) vs. San Jose Sharks(5th)

My Prediction:
Daa da...daa da...dadadadadadadada...um, yeah. I picked the Sharks in 5.

Actual Result:
Ha! Sharks in 5!!! My first dead on prediction. "Holy Miss Cleo, Batman!"

The Eastern Conference...

Who:
Ottawa Senators(1st) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning(8th)

My Prediction:
Sens in 5.

Actual Result:
Ha, yet again! I called this one too! Ottawa rode the Lightning in 5, just like I thought. I think I need my own infommercial...

Who:
Carolina Hurricanes(2nd) vs. Montreal Canadiens(7th)

My Prediction:
The 'Canes in 6.

Actual Result:
Guess what? I'm 3 for 3!!! There's my hat-trick, ladies and gents. Carolina beat the Habs in 6.

Who:
New Jersey Devils(3rd) vs. New York Rangers(6th)

My Prediction:
Jersey in 5.

Actual Result:
Ok, I gave NY too much credit. The Devs actually swept them like dirt in 4. But hey, I still guessed the winner.

Who:
Buffalo Sabres(4th) vs. Phillidelphia Flyers(5th)

My Prediction:
Sabres in 6.

Actual Result:
Well, what do ya know? I did it again. The Sabres impaled the Flyers and watched 'em crash in 6. I seriously need my own infommercial.


Well, in the end, I picked the winners of 6 of the 8 series. 4 of those 6 that I'd guessed right on, I'd even correctly predicted the # of games that those winners needed to beat their opponents. Not bad. It's times like these where I wish I'd have joined a hockey pool. Ah crap, eh?

I'll toss my 2nd Round Predictions in a bit.

Read me later.


- Sean

hey peeps,

I think I'm gonna start posting the lyrics to one of my favorite songs at random in my blog here and there. Why? Cause I feel like it. That and you all get a little glimpse at what my musical tastes are really like and what they consist of. Each song may or may not carry some kind of significance or special meaning to me, and if it does have one, I'll write about it. I feel that music should be able to take you places and invoke images in your mind or emotions in your heart. Feelings of happiness, sadness, loss, warmth, regret, or truth are all possibly risen inside you because of music, and I think that's amazing for the soul.

Here's a song that I really got into after my parents seperated.
- It starts out a bit sad, but it still sounds a touch uplifting. Like if you were in a room full of darkness, with just the smallest speck of light off in a corner to give you a glimmer of hope.
- Then it gets near positive and optomistic in the middle, like you started moving toward that speck, believing you can be free despite your prison.
- Then the bridge hits hard, as if you've reached that speck, and now you're pounding and clawing as hard as you can to break out and rid yourself of that blackness.
- The end of the song feels like you've escaped your cage, and are now out, bathed in that light, finally able to see again.
It helped my then, and it helps me now.

Not Enough 

There's nothing you can say
Nothing you can do
Nothing in between
You know the truth
Nothing left to face
Nothing left to lose
Nothing takes your place

When they say you're
not that strong
Well you're not that weak
It's not your fault
When you climb up to your hill
Up to your place
I hope you're well
There's nothing left to prove
Nothing I won't do
Nothing like the pain
I feel for you
Nothing left to hide
Nothing left to fear
I am always here

When they say you're
not that strong
Well you're not that weak
It's not your fault
When you climb up to your hill
Up to your place
I hope you're well

What you want
What you lost
What you had
What is gone is over
What you've got
What you love
What you need
What you have is real
If it's not enough
It's not enough
It's not enough I'm sorry
If it's not enough
It's not enough

When they say you're
not that strong
Well you're not that weak
It's not your fault
When you climb up to your hill
Up to your place
I hope you're well 

It's not enough
It's not enough
No, it's not enough
It's not enough 


               - Our Lady Peace





Read me later.


- Sean

  

HEY MONKEYS!!!,

It's NHL Playoff time!!! I'm super-fucking pumped!!!

We were deprived of this momentous event last year due to the Lockout...

...an event that causes great rage in the fan in me...

...but to hell with the fan-rage, HOCKEY IS FUCKING BACK, and I'm gonna post my picks for the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs' first round right about...

...NOW!

"1st Round Predictions"

The Western Conference:

Who:
Detroit Red Wings (1st) vs. Edmonton Oilers (8th)

Key Factors:
Detroit is one of the greatest hockey clubs of all time. They have experience out the ass and then some. They've won cups, their players have won awards, and they have one of the greatest Canadian hockey players in history as their captain, Steve Yzerman. Not to mention some of the most talented names in hockey today, such as Chelios, Shanahan, Lidstrom, Draper, and Zetterberg. The team is just built to be, you guessed it, great.

The Oilers at one point were THE greatest team in hockey history. Bar none. The team today isn't that team, but they're a bunch of young, talented hockey players who have the potential to be amazing. Names like Ryan Smyth (or "Captain Canada", as we call him here in our great nation), Ethan Moreau, Shawn Horcoff, Georges Laraque, and the team captain, Jason Smith, are all names that will forever stand out in Oiler history and have been mainstays and arguably the soul of this team for about the last decade. Names like Ales Hemsky, Jarret Stoll, Marc-Andre Bergeron, and Fernando Pisani are all players with unlimited potential and are realizing it this season especially. The rest of the team can be rilied to play a hard fast physical game as well, and one thing about the Oilers is that EVERYBODY scores! There isn't one single player who they rely on solely for the big points. With new "big name" additions like Chris Pronger, Michael Peca, Sergei Samsonov, and veteran goalie Dwayne Roloson added to the already young tough high scoring squad, Edmonton may just have the ammo they need to blast the hell out of the competition this year, and sip the wine from Lord Stanley's trophy. Plus George Laraque can beat up anybody in the playoffs, and captain Jason "Gator" Smith can kick the tar out of any other captain in the league!

Key Weaknesses:
With the exception of Zetterberg, all those players that I listed up there are in their late 30's and even early 40's. Chelios is the oldest on the team at 44 yrs. old. They aren't as young as the Oilers, not saying that they can't keep up, but you have to believe that the younger you are, the longer you can play. As well, I don't think Manny Legace is a good enough net-minder to pull that team through to the cup.

While youth is on their side, it can also work against them. Playoffs = Big time nerves, and if the players who've never been there before can't pull it together, they could be in trouble. Goaltending, again, is also just OK, and hardly great.   

The Winnah!:
I'm from Edmonton you hosers! "The City of Champions" will end "Hockeytown USA" and send those boobs packing like it's moving day!!! The series will go to 7 games, with Shawn Horcoff scoring the winner in the final 5 minutes. Hey, it's not impossible!

**Currently, this series is tied 1 -1. Looks like I might be right...

Who:
Dallas Stars (2nd) vs. Colorado Avalanche (7th)

Key Factors:
Both teams have big names, big numbers, and great goalies. It's gonna be hot.

Key Weaknesses:
The only possible weakness that I detect is the Aves' Jose Theodore being not quite as good a goalie as the Stars' Marty Turco. The only weakness is whichever goalie happens to choke first.

The Winnah!:
They are so close, I just wish they'd both eliminate each other in the first round. But since that ain't an option, I pick Jose being the goalie to utter "Uncle" first. Dallas is 6 games.

**Right now Colorado has the lead, 1 - 0 in this series. Not like I thought, but I might still be on the money in this one.

 
Who:
Calgary Flames (3rd) vs. Anaheim Ducks (6th)

Key Factors:
Darryl Sutter's Flames are the best in the north western division, the toughest division in hockey. As far as Miikka Kiprusoff is concerned, I think he's the greatest goalie ever. Defensively, the flames are damn near unbeatable. The offence is loaded up too. The numbers posted by the team have been low, but do they really need to score a lot when Kipper is king?

The Ducks shoot and score a lot. J.S. Giguere isn't horrible in net, but he's damn sure not a Miikka Kiprusoff. If the ducks are to win, then those high scoring forwards have to find a few cracks in the "Finnish wall" that's standing between Calgary's goalposts.

Key Weaknesses:
If the Ducks poke a few holes in Kipper's armor, Calgary needs to score some goals. They haven't done that a ton this season, but win because of Miikka's goddamn ability. If that fails, though I highly doubt it will, the Flames could be in trouble if they can't put more than 1 or 2 pucks in the Ducks' cage.

The part about the Ducks that makes them "not so mighty", aside from of course the name change, is the defence. The D ain't stellar and Giguere's not great.

The Winnah!:
Kiprusoff will be as invincible as always, and due to the shitty D and goalie, the Flames will score just enough to cook Anaheim's goose. And yeah, I know that wasn't very funny. Cow-town in 4.

**At the moment, the Flamers are up 1 - 0. Just 3 more wins, and it's in the bag.

 
Who:
Nashville Predators(4th) vs. San Jose Sharks(5th)

Key Factors:
The dynamic duo of Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo. Holy shit. 2 top scorers who make swiss cheese out of goalkeepers.

None. Vokoun's out for the post-season, and now they're undoubtedly fucked. No goalie, no hope.

Key Weaknesses:
It doesn't matter where the Sharks are lacking, as Nashville practically doesn't have a goalie.

The Winnah!:
Thornton and Cheechoo will pepper the fuck out of Nashville's net. I feel bad for the backup goalie, whoever he is. The Preds be prey, and the Sharks be hungry...
An easy meal, San Jose in 5.

**This series is tied 1 - 1. For me to come through on my prediction, the Sharks can't lose another one.

The Eastern Conference...

Who:
Ottawa Senators(1st) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning(8th)

Key Factors:
Ottawa is arguably the most complete team at all areas of the ice.

Tampa Bay won the Cup last. That really doesn't matter though, and that's really all they've got going for them.

Key Weaknesses:
Ottawa really doesn't have many, if any at all. They just have to click together.

Tampa's big line and best players have played like crap for most of the season. Goal tending ain't great either.

The Winnah!:
They say that lightning never strikes the same place twice, and the Lightning will prove that theory here as well. Ottawa is going to punish T-Bay. It won't even be close. Sens in 5.

**Right now, Ottawa is up 1 - 0 in this one. I'm feelin' good about this one. 

Who:
Carolina Hurricanes(2nd) vs. Montreal Canadiens(7th)

Key Factors:
Carolina is fast, and they have Doug Weight.

Montreal ain't got tons. They've got Koivu, but that's about it. They gave up Jose Theodore, so now they don't have much in net either.

Key Weaknesses:
I Can't stand either. I think both teams suck. But Montreal is worse.

The Winnah!:
I'm giving it to the Canes' cause they're ranked higher. Other than that, I really don't care who wins, cause they'll get spanked in the second round. Carolina in 6

**At the present, The Habs are winning the series 1 - 0. They're allowed to win more, then it must be all Carolina.


Who:
New Jersey Devils(3rd) vs. New York Rangers(6th)

Key Factors:
Jersey has Brodeur. He's one of the best playoff goalies ever. They hit hard too.

The Rangers have more high priced talent than they know what to do with. And they have Jagr.

Key Weaknesses:
I don't really know much else about Jersey.

I hate the Rangers. Plus, Jagr's hurt it looks like. I hate him too. The goal tending is balls as well.

The Winnah!:
No Jagr = No Cup. Rangers are screwed. Devils in 5

**It's 1 - 0 for the Devs. It's gonna be a slaughter.


Who:
Buffalo Sabres(4th) vs. Phillidelphia Flyers(5th)

Key Factors:
Sabres are hot right now. They don't have any real notables, but they don't need too. They just click.

Philly has Peter Forsberg. One of the best forwards playing today.

Key Weaknesses:
If the Sabres don't meld as well as they know they can, they don't have any real "stars" to pull out that big game-saving goal.

Philly ain't all that awesome without Forsberg. If he doesn't show up mentally and plays his best game all the time, then the Sabres will take it. Also, Philly's goalie, Esche, has Kid rock on his mask.

The Winnah!:
Kid Rock sucks, and so will the Flyers. Sabres in 6. 

**The Sabres are up on the Flyers, 1 - 0 so far. It's lookin' like I'm a regular crystal ball here too.



Well, fellow hockey fans, there's my predictions. Stay tuned for more of my "not-so-expert" hockey analysis and predictions in the coming days...


GO OILERS!!!  

Read me later.


- Sean

    

hey loyal readers!,

Well, I hope I still have some readers after my long stupid absence from my poor neglected digital brainchild, my blog. I know, I know...who's an ass for ignoring the blog? Yep. I am. So, in light of my "lazy ass-ery", I will right the situation and type like it's going out of style!!! Well, seeing as computers are the future...typing won't go out of style any time soon, but you know what the hell I'm talk...er...typing about.

First...a few notes...then...a commentary...

- This past weekend, myself and some friends went up to the buddy's cabin for a fun weekend of drunken tomfoolery and sober enjoyment. It was hysterical. The drive up sucked though! SO MUCH FOG!!! You couldn't see 5 feet in front of your vehicle. Just bad news. On the good side, there was good beer, good steak, and best of all,...good company. Definate joy.

- I went to the Oilers' game earlier in the evening against Pheonix. Fucking 7 - 1!!! the Coyotes got ass-kicked. It was INTENSE!!!

- I just finished watching "V for Vendetta". WOW!!! It was insane. It takes a pretty blatant jab at conservatives (or "Right wing" politically-minded individuals) and kinda shows you what goes on inside the head of a revolutionist. It hurls haymakers at George Bush and men like that in that kind of position of power who have the chance of going too far, and it touched on the results and what might possibly happen if those individuals ever crossed that line. I could go into further depth on the subject, but I'll save that up for another time.

What I'd like to address actually is the subject of contentment, and how that relates to a relationship and single life. I'm touching on this topic because Courtney hit on it in her blog, and I think it's something that I may have personal experience with.

Contentment is vital in one's life and I believe it's neccessary to maintain your piece of mind. Very few people are truely and completely content with themselves, whether it be spiritually, personally, emotionally, or just with various things in life in general. 

Contentment is very important in "single life". If you are one of those dudes/dudettes who can't stand a single moment on your own, you'll just drive yourself crazy and by doing that, you may possibly be scaring off anyone who might want to get to know you a little more. Contentment is a neccessity. Discontentment in this regard can lead to conditions such as depression, paranoia, and so on.

Contentment in a relationship, on the other hand, is only part of the puzzle. It's half of the whole, and with only contentment in a relationship, is there any love? I don't think so. You might tell yourself that you have a connection with that person, yet what you really have, and it may be all that you really have, is a connection with the thought that you aren't by yourself anymore. I've known people who've been in that situation and I myself have done it too, and it's so unfulfilling it hurts by the end and you end up having to endure pain and worry, both of which really shouldn't be there at all. It's no way to live, and in a wrenchingly ironic twist, being content is the one thing that you end up being the furthest from.

That being said, if all that you are is content, that means you stop looking for something more. That "something more" could end up being the thing that makes you feel more content than you've ever been, so much so that you achieve true happiness. Is there a risk? Yeah. Sure there is. But life's full of those. 

I'm an artsy kinda guy, so I'll liken the whole thing to a painting...

At first, in the beginning, you have a blank canvas. Is it fancy? Nope. Is it wrecked? No it isn't. But do you have it? Yes. That's contentment.

Now the question is do you take that brush in your hand, dip it in the paint, and take that first stroke? There's your risk. 

If you make that stroke, it could lead to something that, either right from go or at that final dab, won't make it any further than the trash bin. Here's your Heartbreak.

Or, you could make that first stroke evolve into a masterpiece that you'd never before thought possible in all of your wildest dreams. Happiness.

You have to ask yourself...

  ...are you content with that blank canvas...

       ...or do you want to attempt to create your masterpiece?

Read me later.

- Sean    

hey to all my peeps out there,

There's a whole shwack of my pasts posts that most people probably don't have the time to go back and read, so I'm gonna start re-posting some of them every once in a while. I'm going to call them..."Retro Reads"!

Ok kids, here's the very first "R&R"...

*The following was posted back on 07/29/05

Who else is sick to fucking death of prejudice???


hey all,

It's about fucking time the homos get a chance to form the bond of holy matrimony here in Canada. Gays and lesbos alike have been denied that right for far too long. To deny them that right would be like saying that black people can't get married because they're black. Homos are born homos just like black, red, yellow, turquoise, and purple people are born black, red, yellow, turquoise, and purple. 

*Note: By the way, in case you think I'm an ignorant jackass for using words like "homos", "blacks", and "purples" to describe races and orientations, all of those terms are ones of endearment as I have no prejudice in me whatsoever towards any minority. And yes, if your wondering, I am a straight white male, and yes, I do refer to myself as a "hetero" and a "white". In addition to that, writing out "homosexual", "African-American", and "caucassion" just takes too fucking long and I'm too impatient an individual to bother. So, in short, don't be offended!

As I was saying, denying these folks the right to wed should be a crime. A dude just doesn't wake up one day with the notion that he 'd like to sample some pole, it's a trait that he was born with. Same with the ladies. A dudette just doesn't wake up one day with the notion that she'd like to like to sample some pu...er...um...well...you get my drift! That's a trait she was born with. Well, maybe I should re-word that a bit, as I'm sure some guys and gals wake up and want some of what their own gender's got. That's cause they're kinky and freaky. Let me try again. Dudes and dudettes don't just wake up wanting to be with a member of the same sex for a long-term relationship or a lifetime, they're born wanting that kind of commitment.

And I don't give a big blue fuck what the hell the Bible says. There's so many goddamn versions of the thing that it's near impossible to determine which one is right. If there is a god, then I hope he/she (I'll bet you it's a she!) is above petty hate and prejudicial bullshit. And hey, according to religion, we are all God's creations. If God made homos, then he must love 'em as much a us heteros, don't ya think? If God does condemn them, then God's been fuckin' up for centuries. Being "gay" isn't some trend or fad that just recently crept up on us like say girls' lower back tattoos, or guys and that "put-the-hat-on-and-let-your-hair-grow-like-a-tumor" farmer look. It goes back to the caveman days, people! Even animals can be gay. There was a story a little while ago about 2 gay penguins in a zoo who treat stones as eggs and sit upon them in hopes to hatch. And in case you think that maybe the penguins are just retarded, they make sweet gay male penguin-love too. Animals don't just learn that shit, they function on instinct. Gay male penguin-sex is in those genetic make-up of those little birdies, and even we humans want to break that up too. It's a discredit to today's world and society as a whole that we haven't accepted homosexuality. Oh, and if you look at the catholic church and their beloved Pope whom condemn homosexuals in general, let alone them marrying, how many assholes, or "preists" as you like to refer to them, molest little alter boys of all ages??? Not only are these sickening fucks homosexuals, but they happen to enjoy and partake in the sexual exploitation of minors. Being a homosexual sure as hell isn't a crime, but the latter portion of that sentence sure a shit is!!! They can be gay, and Catholosism (as well as I'm sure every religion on the planet) seems to have so many gay people in it that hey, they'd might as well join the party. God loves all, and if God descriminates, then God sure as fuck ain't God.

Oh, and as far as the "true" definiton of marriage goes, well, a wedding should be the union of 2 people who want nothing more than eternal happiness with the one that they love. Man, woman, or even penguin, NOBODY should be denied the right to be happy.

Come on up to Canada and get married homos, we support you!



Read me later.


- Sean 

I hope that was entertaining! I'm particularly proud of that one.

Read me later!

- Sean