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| 2009-2010 Stanley Cup Prediction 
I know how this might seem. But for the first time ever, I can confidently mark the Chicago Blackhawks as my Stanley Cup prediction secure in the knowledge that it's grounded in merit and accuracy rather than my personal bias. Granted, their winning would be one of the most glorious sports-related moments of my life, anyone can see they have all the tools to make it happen. My only fear is that youth equals inexperience breeds lack of discipline leads to excessive penalties at inopportune times. This has surfaced at key times throughout the season. Fix it please, Joel. 
As far as the Olympics were concerned, my original picks were as follows: Gold - Russia, Silver - Canada, Bronze - Sweden. However, Russia faces elimination against CZE today despite an overload of talent. Ovechkin, Kovalchuk, and Malkin on the same line? Forget it. On paper, they are a strong favorite but unfortunately for them, hockey isn't played on paper. Canada takes on USA at 6:30 in the games most marquee matchup this far. Go Canada. 
In other hockey news, last year Neil Peart, percussionist and lyricist for Rush, was commissioned to write a new version of the Hockey Night in Canada theme song. “The Hockey Theme” was composed in 1968 by Vancouver native Dolores Claman. Over the next forty years, Dolores Claman’s theme became synonymous with the CBC’s “Hockey Night in Canada” broadcasts. It is considered by many to be “Canada’s second national anthem,” as nearly every Canadian can hum that melody on demand, and serious hockey fans have the ringtone. Neil wrote an interesting piece on the experience here where he also worked in this nice little jab: ".....my bandmates and I will be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in March of this year—along with Dolores Claman! A total, wonderful coincidence. And isn’t it funny that by then the band will have been represented in the Motorcycling Hall of Fame, the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriting Hall of Fame, and the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame—but not yet in the “official” rock pantheon? Passing strange . . . "
Great point. You can listen to the song at Neil's site or it's available for purchase for $1.29 at Itunes. That's an easy purchase. | | |
| H e l p ! ! ! 
Doctors Without Borders is just one of numerous organizations providing invaluable assistance during a tragedy of historic proportions. They count on the financial generosity of our citizenry to provide the most basic of needs to those who would otherwise go without. Please find and select a worthy charity and make a donation. $10 donations to the Red Cross can be made by texting "Haiti" to 90999. Thanks, Stephen. N o w ! ! ! | | |
| New meaning to the term "Bitchin' music" Complaint Choirs Make Whining an Art Form Recently a group of about 100 Tokyo residents put their complaints into a pile and a composer, Okuchi Shunsuke, turned them into a song. About 80 of the complainers (accompanied by an accordion, a bass cello and a tambourine) then performed the composition at various sites around the city, becoming the latest example of what has become known as a complaints choir. .......The process by which the initial complaints were winnowed into a manageable song was democratic, Ms. Kataoka said, with the final version an interesting balance of issues covering public transportation, personal appearance, work, love, society and the future. ......Evan Solot helped to create a complaint choir in Philadelphia last year by following the nine-step process on the Web site. He is chairman of the Composition Department at the University of the Arts and has also “mastered the fine art of whining,” he said. ......The end result was enthusiastic if not particularly polished, and it received plenty of startled and amused attention in places like Rittenhouse Square, as the singers belted out lines like: Please listen carefully as our menu options have changed, your call is very important to us, New Jersey drivers can’t drive or park, I hate my job, and nobody listens to me.
Talk about missing the boat. Who knew I was so far ahead of my time at the age of six? I could have been "complaint music's" Mozart! There's still a chance for my son to capitalize on this as he's the Brett Hull to my Bobby in the whining department. Doug and Wendy Whiner also missed out on a possible career path - something else to whine about. Weeeeeee waaaaanted to siiiiiiing!! | | |
| I'm not dead.... ......just very, very busy. I hope to resume posting shortly. In the meantime, The Onion rounds out Darwin Year nicely. 
Puts it in perspective, doesn't it? | | |
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