hockey, warm weather, journalism

For those of you living in Illinois, and particularly the east central part, I (among the other denizens of this region) have been experiencing unseasonably warm weather -- temperatures that I'm sure would make many on the east-south coasts a little jealous. I think at last check the temp reached something like 63 or 64. Which means: I don't have to wear a coat, it's damn near short pants weather, I can wash my car without the doors freezing, and it's just an all-around good time of the year to have 60+ weather. A News-Gazette article on the weather recently.

(Update) I'll think I will go wash my car, because now I don't have to worry about the doors freezing on me. I love warm, winter weather. I only wish I had the cash to go skiing in the next few days. There's nothing like plunging down a snow-covered hill, in 40+ weather, and the sun shining brightly. Skiing in bluejeans, T-shirt, and gloves is the best feeling in the world. Let's just hope that you're good enought that you don't fall into some snow. That would suck.

On a sadder note, I'm going to a wedding tomorrow of a good friend who I have known for awhile (and even adopted her as a little sister). The actual wedding is the sad part, it's the fact that I'm going alone, which always depresses me. I've only been to one other wedding alone and that sucks. Weddings are the reason that Richard Simmons got fat, lost weight, and went the way of Elton John and Liberacci.

(Update) Wedding was a good time. Ceremony went a little longer than anticipated, but it was good. There were no "are you done yet?"s. Did talk to some friends that I haven't seen in a long time. On a side note, I was wanting to go visit my friend Misty who lives in Charleston and in taking the wrong road, I inadverntently gone out of my way by about 30 minutes. There is this little town south of Decatur on U.S. 51 called Assumption. Mental note to self: Assumption would be a great name for a town in an Old West movie or book. But I (didn't) see much of the country because it was night and foggy. Blah. But the side-trip took quicker than I expected and I made it to Charleston right on time. Yah.

Even sadder, for those of us that are fans of hockey, we no longer have a season -- you can stick a fork in it, it's done. As far as the NHL, that's a league thats over-cooked, it's burning away in the oven. Don't expect professional hockey to ever be the same. Look at the way a lockout hurt baseball. If it hadn't been for the McGuire-Sosa homerun race, baseball wouldn't be where it is today. But don't get me started on Sosa, that will only anger this Cubs fan who is probably going to find another team to start rooting for. Too many crybabies and whine-for-me attitudes. Bunch of primadonnas. Because of the hockey lockout there are plenty of smaller independent leagues and college games that are getting some much needed notoriety.

(Update) No update, the world of professional hockey (at least the NHL) sucks. Sorry for such a downer.

My goal of one day being a freelance journalist, where I get paid for belching forth series of eposidic, and stream-of-concious rants, isn't any closer than what it was a year ago. Oh well. I never expected to get paid for writing, so I guess my hope isn't completely lost.

(Update) I'm applying for some grants in the hopes that I make some decent side cash. While the competition is high and usually you have to pay to enter these contests for poetry and fiction and such, if I did get something published through them then that would be one more feather in my cap. Besides I'm making enough money now that I can maybe afford to enter one or two every couple of months. In the mean time, I plan on trying to get on with a Web site that either caters to my warped sense of logic or begin regularly contributing to other Web sites. Maybe
Well, I gotta go back to