josie

Much better. Sucked to be out of it for several days. The worst part was the never-ending, vivid, horrid nightmares. I swear to god it made me really depressed, too. Probably in relation to the nightmares/insomnia. But it's all improving. I'm honestly still a little surprised how much it affected me. I still believe it was minor. I cannot imagine getting a severe concussion, let alone multiple ones, on a frequent basis. Doc had told me not to go to the barn, work or play hockey. I usually do the bulk of the heavy lifting/hard work at the barn. Because I wasn't there and there weren't any extra volunteers, the 2 little old ladies who run it did it all... and one of them had a heart attack Saturday. I know, on a logical basis, that I bear no fault, but I can't help but feel really guilty. She is doing alright, and should be leaving the hospital today. It's good it happened around people who could help. Stupid head.

Working 1 full time job in my industry, teaching adjunct, and doing a fair amount of freelance, not clearing 40k. No loans. Renting. Saving saving saving, still have enough to enjoy hobbies like hockey and volunteering. Still on my parent's healthcare (what my company offers is utter crap), and still getting some help from the parents (cell phone plan). Not married. I'm not on welfare nor am close to qualifying, am relatively comfortable, so middle class? But if 25k is considered middle then ######. I'm loaded. Gonna buy me a Rolls. But man, I couldn't imagine trying to raise a kid or two on what I make (which at 25 is a reality for many). Noooo kidding. All the jobs I've looked at are in NYC or LA or somewhere else big. Pay looks nice until you look at rent. My friends are pushing 30 and sharing a closet sized apartment with 4-5 other people in Brooklyn. We're doing great though. Really. When you take in the big picture. I keep telling myself to be proud of what I'm doing and happy with where I'm at, but I'm having a hard time not being super bitter/down about everything.

A couple of our windows at work broke a few months ago. We were told this happened because the butcher paper we had been half assedly putting up to block out the sun on our monitors had created a little heat shield and cracked one of the double panes of glass. We still do not have curtains or shades, for whatever it is worth. Well, they're replacing the glass today. Which means we're working through hammering and drilling (actually pretty normal considering we're expanding up a floor) and... no windows. It's pretty cold in here. No way we could've had this fixed over a weekend? Early morning, even? Sigh. We were told not to park in the adjacent lot anymore, as there are too many of us and not enough spots for the 3 apartment tenants who need them. Fine. Empty lot now, all hours of the day, we park behind a mall sort of thing now. Fine. I hate walking alone to my car at night around here. Fine. Where does boss man park his massive brand new SUV? Oh right here in the adjacent lot. Rules don't apply to him. He also was bragging about his snowboarding trip with his family MLK day (on brand new super pricey snowboards for everyone!) while we all worked. Also, my boss hired his favorite bartender as our new head project manager. I'm not denying that the guy may be great at his new job (don't know yet) and it is probably a great opportunity for him but it just adds to the buddy buddy network and general discontent around here... Petty grumps, thanks for letting me vent on here at you internet folks. Constant lurker, not so often poster lately.

I came across this awful buzzfeed list. http://www.buzzfeed.com/morganshanahan/21-hipster-baby-names-that-take-it-up-a-notch While the list itself is stupid, the comments are what had me wanting to cry. I guess these are the hippy names of my generation. Let's make a modern baby name generator- slot one, names of 20th century inventors/scientists/tech references. Slot two, superhero (male or female, or let your kid choose!) Tesla Thor! Buzz Voltron! (buzzfeed and buzz aldrin yay) Edison Hulk! God. At least it's not Mackenzee or something. Actually, I think I'd want Buzz Voltron (last name here) on my hockey team.

I called the doctor to appease my freaking out mum (my dad even called from Ireland last night to tell me to get scanned). They said, nothing's available, but our nurse will get back to you. Gave them info of the incident, how i feel now. Just got a call, they are demanding I come in at 330 today. I asked if there was any way we could just do it in the morning tomorrow, nope, need you in now, not good to wait. So, another short day at work... (I left at 4 yesterday because the screen was hurting my eyes) Makes me nervous for my job.

Concussions. Tuesday night marks the second time I have played out with d4rk in net. It also marks the second time I have collided with a large player and slammed the back of my head on the ice. d4rk, dear, love of my life, you are bad luck for my brain. Brain feels fine now, but all the neck/back/stomach muscles I somehow ripped in those 2 seconds that I don't remember are sure annoying. I know I hit the back of my head and woke up on my stomach, so I musta done a good spin in there somewhere. The worst part is embarrassment. I'm not a great hockey player by any stretch of the imagination, and I'm usually one of a small number of girls, and I just don't want the rep as the weak, fragile, wimpy girl. Dammit. I finished my shift, even though the ceiling was spinning and the ice was suddenly the deck of a ship in heavy seas.

Some of you know I'm a relatively recent hockey fan. Well, Dom was probably the first living player to absolutely fascinate me. d4rk wasted no time in showing me highlight reels and explaining what he meant to Buffalo, and it works out that he played for my home team too. Hasek is a big reason for my hockey obsession. Amazing to watch. Did a quick painting of him today- small version of it is up there in my icon. Looking forward to seeing the ceremony tonight.

What, you think I ain't enough for him? An extra girl around just means he has more reason to hide in his room and play World of Tanks. Trust me, that's all he's doing. Unless he is into world war 2 themed explosion porn. (does that exist? It probably does). Things that are awesome- how cold it is. I mean in the real sense of awesome, not "hey man that's great". It's not even THAT cold, honestly. I was working with some water buckets at the barn this morning and within 5 minutes, my heavy duty waterproof gloves were a solid block of ice. (Lucky I always bring a couple extra pairs of gloves). Our hoses were freezing before we could even get them inside. My phone, which was under about 4 layers of clothing and in my Carhartt overalls, was too cold to function. We all had little beginnings of frostbite on our noses, despite covering our faces. That wind gets through everything. So stay warm, everyone. Keep extra warm stuff in your car too- not sure if anyone saw that I-94 pileup video from Michigan, but just always be prepared. I knew a couple people who got caught up in that. What a mess.

The stripes kill it. Looks like someone dug a shirt out of the salvation army bin that had been worn by someone with jeans on backwards. Black and neon green could work for something like the all star game but... not in this execution. The white version is simply terrible. The trompe l'oeil metal effect on the NHL shield sucks too. Man, I want the old black/orange NHL logo back. Seattle Seahawks have successful dark color/neon green uniforms in my opinion. Solid with an accent.

Simmer down, hound dogs, she's taken. With another goalie, as it figures. Oh, another thing that's awesome. A very good friend of mine back from high school has taken up triathlon in the last couple years. Well, he's competing in an Ironman this summer and wants me to fly out to Whistler, Canada to cheer him on. I asked for more info in terms of logistics, and he told me I'd be staying in a house that he and his triathlete friends have rented, should I make the trip. (before you all get all creepy on me again, yes, d4rk's invited too). Uh, a house full of Ironman competitors? I'm just going to sit there and figure draw all day. "Josh, who's your weird little friend who keeps staring at us and scribbling in a book?" But seriously, I'll go on my own if that's what it takes to go see Vancouver. And what a cool thing to witness.

I discovered that one of my coworkers (an intern, so sadly she won't be around the office for much longer) is a hockey fan and wants to learn how to play. Another hockey loving art chick? What are the chances??? Makes me so happy. And although the cold is bitter and awful and the wind makes me hate life, the ice is getting thicker so pond hockey soon!!!!

Right there with ya, buddy. It has been weighing very heavily on my mind since coming back. Oh, the guilt a mother can bestow upon you for not quitting everything you're doing to come home and validate her decisions in life...

Well, not really.

I scored my first goal last night! I know it doesn't really seem all that impressive, but after getting loads of assists, I was beginning to think I'd never get one myself. And the first night of the session, I did! It was a beauty too, not just a garbage rebound slam it in/force it past the goalie deal. I really blame the new stick d4rk got me for xmas- the curve is great, the stick is lighter overall, and the shaft is a bit longer than I usually play with. I've had accuracy for a while, I just needed to lift that puck. It's kind of scary how good of a mood it has put me in. Damn I love hockey.

I'm sorry guys, I came back into town and have been a distraction. Or maybe it's the other way around- he posts on here to avoid me...

I'll hop off the Toledo train here in a sec, but our zoo is still amazing. Top 10 in the country. I volunteered there for a while, got to do all kinds of amazing stuff. But that's another story. Our art museum is really great, too. It's where I went for classes every Saturday to learn. It's on the edge of the ghetto though... I'll be at the Mud Hens stadium this Friday for their winter fest winter classic thing. Should be nice. And that comparison seems fair from what I've read/heard. Thing are pretty rough in the Glass City these days.

I always welcome a POV from Detroit proper. I was a NW Ohio burbs kid who happened to go through there quite often, but never lived downtown. My father worked in Toledo at Owens Corning during that time and life was pretty darn good. Then everything fell apart around 99, businesses starting failing left and right. Whatever happened in Detroit usually cast a shadow on us since our industries are so linked, so the worse they had it, the worse it got for us too. We're Detroit's side car. But Toledo, no renovations, no repurposing, no life. We've got a nice baseball field and a couple streets around there that are safe before dark... We're known for our sewer collapses and big ol' sinkholes appearing downtown. I remember going to a lot of those areas for company holiday parties with my dad as a kid and it was sorta swanky. There was a night life and all. Nice office buildings, a hustle and bustle downtown. Buffalo felt like my area when I started college in 07. Not anymore, really. It's a good thing. I go home and when driving around my old haunts in downtown I just want to cry. There's not a lot of hope in that city, or the pride I mentioned in my earlier post. That being said, I have quite a few friends who've moved to Detroit for engineering jobs at GM. They say there's improvement. I haven't been. Poor city went bankrupt last year. I haven't really been there in years- just Toledo mainly. Sorry, I get all nostalgic and weird this time of year. I'm headed back there tomorrow afternoon. I fly over Detroit and laugh wondering where all my friends' hubcaps went (stolen while at concerts or visiting museums/going to games at Comerica or the Joe). I'm gonna write that song: "Where Have All The Hubcaps Gone"

I gotta say, the feeling that Buffalo is getting better only intensifies when I go home to my own rust belt of Detroit/Toledo. There's nice areas, sure, but there's still that dreadful cast of gloom that just smothers anything nice. I'll be attending Winterfest for our ECHL team this week (the Walleyes!), so maybe I'll get more of that feeling... But really, the contrast is pretty intense. WNY has it pretty damn nice (all things considered). One thing I've never encountered anywhere else in the world- the sense of community you guys have. Never known a place to have such pride, even if it's tinged with grudges occasionally. It's like how a young kid talks about his/her brother. He's icky, and loud, and bothersome sometimes, but dammit, he's my brother and I love him and don't you dare take a shot at him. Only I'm allowed to do that :) So yeah, I need to get my butt to canalside and harborcenter.

hahaha well, I'm mainly a lurker. I read most things and have lots of opinions but I'm not the best debater out there. I don't have the "argue on the internet" talent d4rk does. Also, being newer to hockey means I can't just whip facts/memories out to back up gut feelings. So I stick to OT and if I can ever catch a game in time, the GDTs. but down the road... Frequency may increase. :thumbsup:

Lovely. I am hoping to get a chance to check it out after New Year's with d4rk. It sounds so awesome. I wasn't around in the days of the Aud, so I won't have that connection, but I can appreciate the history. I'm really looking forward to it. The whole idea has this little excitement in the pit of your stomach "buffalo is getting better" thing. At least for me.

d4rk and I gave each other the same xmas prezzies last night. Complete surprise. I gave him a hockey stick and some toys (OYO sports figures). He gave me a hockey stick and a toy (a little Toothless dragon from how to train your dragon). And we both gave each other the exact same card. With the same message written in it (not just "merry xmas, love..." weird specifics) (I also gave him some Bulleit rye and goalie knee pads but they weren't really a surprise) I think we've assimilated each other.

It makes you poop the next morning just like cheap wine?

I was just settling down to enjoy the first night of no crazy deadlines when my email bings and a massive rush illustration I'd sent out last night... has a last minute massive change. And it's a kind of stupid change, and vaguely insulting to women if I did it wrong. Not too pleased. But, not my choice... BUT we had a big office White Elephant party and in addition to some really great gifts, there were some odd ones. I ended up with a tshirt with a cosmic cat on the front and religious symbols down the sleeves. So I did the only obvious thing, took a picture of it with my cat. Stick that in your theology thread. Hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend! I'm going to start drinking alone.

:w00t: Yet so huggably soft.

Ok, yes, that is absolutely awesome!