Habs and other Moey musings

It's beginning to look a lot like......

2012-01-14T07:45:00.000-05:00

winter.

Matinee with Moey......

2012-01-08T08:10:00.005-05:00

Every so often I see a movie that looks interesting and I record it. Nine times out of ten I watch the first five minutes and end up deleting it. During my week off at Christmas, I came across this little gem. It's about two British friends that embark on a road trip to England's Lake District. It has a little bit of everything that appeals to me, British humor, nice scenery and awesome food.

Holbeck Ghyll, one of the country hotels featured in the film

It wasn't until after the movie ended that I googled the two leading actors and discovered that they are British comedians and impersonators. I am enclosing a link to the movie review and please click on the restaurant links within the article. The country inns/hotels look absolutely divine and for the first time since 1990 I have a hankering to return to the UK. I'd love to do the same trip, it's going on my bucket list.

Moey gives "The Trip" two thumbs way up.

http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/2011/07/the_trip_funniest_food_movie_ever.php

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T09:38:00.001-05:00

I make the same resolution every year, lose the pounds I've gained over Christmas. I'm a quick study. I have to say that Mr. M redeemed himself in spades in the food and wine department. I usually do all the grocery shopping and cooking so in a previous post I whined about Mr. M's one and only contribution for the holiday season, Guinness. He brought home these goodies and two cases of wine. No cooking for me on New Year's Eve, I just threw a package of cheese fondue in a pot and cut up a baguette.

But of course........

Fine cheese, tipsy olives (in vermouth) fresh foie gras

New Year's Eve 2011, 11:55 PM He's usually fast asleep but I found him sitting here....

As for the Habs, they are what they are. This prayer says it best:.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous 2012!

Some hockey talk.....

2011-12-27T11:52:00.003-05:00

What? No food? No makeup? No pictures? Sorry to disappoint but I need to get a few things off my chest. First on the list is P.K. Subban. He may have the makings of a superstar one day, but there are some things about this kid that irritate me. When Martin decided to bench him last year for foolish and reckless play, I didn't like the vibe that was coming off of him. Sometimes the camera would flash to him in the press box and the facial expressions said it all for me. He was rolling his eyes, not watching the game at all and he had this "I have no idea what I'm doing up here" look on his face. Andy Bennett was still with the Team 990 last year when she reported running into him in the Bell Center. She commented on what he was wearing and the first thing he said was "it certainly wasn't my idea that I'm banished to the press box." Well to me that translates to HE has no idea why he was in the press box. Yesterday Dave Stubbs tweeted that P.K. was so embarrassed walking through the airport in Winnipeg because he was benched. What? If that's his biggest concern he CLEARLY doesn't get it.

Now in his defense Ken Hitchcock was on the radio the other day and he said the hardest thing about coaching young players is they come into the NHL with a sense of entitlement. He said they are extremely well coached and know a lot more than the players of yesteryear. They ask a lot more questions and don't just do what they're told because the coach says so. They require a reasonable and logical explanation for what they are being asked to do. Okay, fair enough. I hope Randy can get through to PK about what he needs to do in order to be successful. He needs to leave the cutsy moves by the wayside and focus on playing a team game. Tonight will be interesting to see if anything has sunk in, because if not he'll be ingesting a few more hot dogs before the season ends. I also think the return of Markov will help this kid a lot, not only with his development but the media focus will be re-directed as well.

Second thing, Mitch Melnick was talking to Scotty Bowman last week and Scotty had this to say about the current state of our beloveds. He saw them play Boston and thought they looked solid for the first two periods before falling apart in the third. He also watched them playing the Hawks and saw the same pattern. According to Scotty, their biggest problem is losing focus. No rants and raves about firing the GM or trading away the whole team except Carey Price. When Scotty speaks, I listen. He also said that players tend to use crutches when things aren't going their way. He said the job of a coach is to get rid of those crutches. Let's hope Cunnyworth can convince this Tiny Tim team to focus, take baby steps and then sprint all the way to the playoffs.

Third thing, there are a lot of media and bloggers feeling bad for Randy Cunnyworth because they feel that Gauthier has hung him out to dry. If I am Cunnyworth I would celebrate and seize the day. Who cares about the circumstances? This is a fantastic opportunity for him to prove his mettle as a head NHL coach. I'm sure the word pity has never entered his head. And I expect nothing less from the team I've supported for over forty years to regain some of it's pride and professionalism and gives this guy a chance. Show some class boys, get behind him and give him your best effort. You owe it to him, your fans and most of all yourselves.

Moey's must-have Christmas checklist....

2011-12-26T12:39:00.011-05:00

Surprise gifts!

A fine bottle of champagne, this was wonderful

A box of your favorite chocolates - Cadbury milk tray is my guilty pleasure

Savory munchies - smoked salmon, smoked oysters with my special marinade

Italian lemon cake

Scents of the season - available at Bath & Bodyworks

A stocking filled with goodies for your favorite furkid(s)

An ornament with your favorite team's logo

A festive manicure - Designer De Better by OPI

And the most important thing of all.........snow

Twas the night before Christmas.....

2011-12-24T16:05:00.000-05:00

when all through the house,

not a creature was stirring

cos Clicquot devoured the mouse.

The CH stocking was hung by the chimney with care

in hopes that Santa puts a win in there.

Merry Christmas!

Got Guinness?

2011-12-21T17:15:00.000-05:00

I came home after work the other day and was surprised to see that Mr. Moey had done his Christmas shopping.

For himself. How thoughtful.

A letter to Santa.....

2011-12-16T19:27:00.005-05:00

Dear Santa,

Can you please bring me back my Habs? You know the team that used to win a lot of games and Stanley Cup championships every other year?

Can you please bring me my blogging mojo back? See above. Even my rants fizzle and die (much like the Habs) before I can get them to paper.

Can you please bring snow for Christmas Eve?

Can you please bring me the Chatty Cathy doll that I asked for when I was four years old and never got? I've never forgiven you for that. And no, the doll that spoke twice the amount of phrases didn't suffice. I don't like imposters, it's all or nothing for me. (See item one again). Or at the very least, if you can't deliver on the doll (again) can you leave cash to cover the cost of years of therapy it's taken me to get over that fateful Christmas?

Oh, and one last thing Santa, when you come this year can you park your sleigh at the end of the street? The pitter patter of eight tiny reindeer on the roof scared the shit out of my kitties last year.

Love,

Moey

Not even this is helping........

2011-11-29T18:51:00.001-05:00

ease the pain of watching the Habs this season. I just want the team fixed, no matter what it takes. I want a competitive consistent team and I don't care who stays and who goes in order to get it. No favorites, no allegiances, it's all about winning. Fire the GM, fire the coach, trade whomever. Just.do.it.

Lest we forget......

2011-11-11T07:13:00.000-05:00

Casanova by the sea......

2011-11-04T10:04:00.000-04:00

No, I'm not talking about Mr. M, he's still coddling his man cold. It's the name of the Italian restaurant we dined at last night, my belated birthday celebration. Located right on the water in Georgetown, the service was superb and the food was delicious. Here's a sampling of what we feasted on last night.

Tuna sashimi with oriental spices

Veal scallopini with mushrooms in a red wine reduction with cream

Tri-color pasta with mushrooms, truffle oil and cream sauce

Somebody (me) informed them that it was a birthday dinner so after we finished our main course the staff came over, sang Happy Birthday and put a plate of Tiramisu with a dollop of fresh whipped cream in front of me. They also gave us complimentary shots of Limoncello as a finishing touch. Very nicely done, we will definitely make a return visit on our next trip.

We arrived in Grand Cayman early Sunday afternoon and it was frigging hot. There had been inclement weather for the previous ten days before we arrived and the humidity was off the charts. It reminded me of some of those horribly humid July days in Montreal this summer. There are only two places to hang out in that kind of heat, either in air-conditioning or submerged in cool water. We've been doing plenty of both. The humidity levels have dropped off now and there's a welcome breeze on the beach.

Picture perfect seven mile beach, Grand Cayman

On Tuesday night we decided to walk over to the Ritz Carlton to have a couple of cocktails and watch the sunset. I had a Cayman Sunset, a rum based concoction that went down smoothly while Mr. M. played it safe with a Mojito. Thankfully we decided not to order another round, when the bill arrived it was $34.00 for two drinks. Highway robbery but at least the Ritz graciously provided the twenty or so mosquito bites I endured free of charge. I never have to fear that Mr. M will run off to the tropics without me, I'm the sacrificial piece of meat that keeps him bug free.

Tonight we are headed over to Rum Point via catamaran for a sunset dinner on the beach. I'm really looking forward to it, we tried to get over there last year but it was canceled at the last minute. The Habs are back on the ice tonight so I will be checking my trusty iPhone for the score. They're out of sight but never out of mind. Go Habs!

And we're off......

2011-10-29T21:36:00.001-04:00

I asked Mr. Moey for a new set of wheels for my birthday and this is what he gave me. I wonder if he means anything by it? Never mind, it's cheap on gas. He's thoughtful that way.

So we're off for a ten day escape to the sunshine. I'm traveling light this time (obvious lack of trunk space) toting only my iPhone and iPad. Blogging will be a challenge, but I WILL prevail. Updates and gloating to come.

Happy birthday....

2011-10-28T08:41:00.002-04:00

to me.

I hope it's not cat litter again. *sigh*

Mr. Moey is the sweetest thing ever, he's staying home today with his man cold to keep me company. I am one lucky girl!

Something's gotta give........

2011-10-23T09:55:00.006-04:00

I was contemplating this for a few days.....

But opted for this instead......

Now that I'm thinking more clearly, I got a better sense of what's going on with our Habs last night. There were two different conversations going on at Chez Moey's on Thursday night (we had company) and it was next to impossible to concentrate on the Habs/Pens game. Last night I only had Mr. Moey to cope with and naturally after all these years I've mastered the art of filtering out a lot of it and nodding at the appropriate times. But I digress. I watched a team that I thought played as well as they possibly can and yet still can't bag a win. That has to be frustrating. You won't hear them say during the post game interviews that the reason they keep losing is because the D corps sucks the big one, but they know it and we know it. HNIC pointed out that the in our own end the defense squad resembled patrons stumbling out of a bar on Crescent Street at 3 AM. An apt description. Can Gauthier afford to wait until Spacek and eventually (fingers crossed) Markov make their way back into the lineup? I don't think so. And what about Campoli, are there any plans in place to replace him? Gorges and Gill can only do so much and nobody is capable of getting a first pass out to clear the zone. That's what's hurting them the most.

Believe it or not, I actually mentioned to Mr. Moey that an emergency call to Patrice Brisboise might be in order. Seriously. It couldn't make things worse than they already are and I bet he would do it for a couple of free beers and a hotdog. Something has to happen and soon or the hole they're digging will be so deep that they'll have to swap their hockey helmets for a miner's hat with a halogen light.

You know you're getting old when........

2011-10-16T10:53:00.003-04:00

Mr. Moey and I all ready for a night out on the town

Last night we were invited out to a surprise birthday party for my work colleague's wife. I know her really well, we often plan afternoon tea during the week just for girl chat. However, with the exception of one couple the rest we had never met. So I took my time to get ready, doing my hair, putting on my makeup and decided on my fitting jeans with high heeled patent leather boots. Checked myself in the mirror and thought I didn't look too bad for my age, of course it can always be better (that's what we women think our whole lives) but it could be a lot worse. So we set off for the restaurant and arrived in plenty of time for the surprise. The waiter pointed us toward the back of the restaurant where there was a large table set for the group. We started introducing ourselves when this one girl walks up to us and says, "ooh, are you Andy's parents?" WHAT? Andy is my co-worker and is a forty four year old man. First I was stunned but that was quickly followed by outrage. I squealed back at her, "his parents, are you serious?" She looked afraid, and she should have been. The last time I checked I don't think the women who inhabit the poorest third world countries could bear children at the age I would have to have been to have had him.

We sat ourselves down, but quite frankly my mojo was completely gone. A triple martini would have been in order but because I decided to be the designated driver I had to settle for a diet Pepsi. That did nothing to numb the shock and horror. Mr. Moey (bless him) tried to take the harm out of it by trying to convince me that she really meant he looked like like the parent because he's five years older than me. Nice try but I wasn't buying it. Firstly I was too busy trying to decipher the looming cost of obviously much needed Botox injections. Secondly, Mr. Moey does not have a single gray hair on his head.

One thing I learned a long time ago, if you don't know people it's best to keep your mouth zipped. NEVER ask people if they're pregnant if you don't know for a fact that they are. NEVER guess a woman's age. NEVER assume anything.

Our friend (or should I say new found son) Andy and his wife finally arrived and the surprise went off without a hitch. It was a pleasant enough evening, the food was good. The restaurant specializes in thin crust pizza. I was surprised to learn it's been there for ten years, I've walked by it in the past without realizing it was even there.

Here is the link and the only picture I have is of my leftover pizza that I brought home. For some unknown reason I had lost my appetite, maybe it's because senior's tend to have delicate tummies at times.

http://www.violetangel.ca/bienvenue-welcome.html

Spinach, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, bacon and Bechamel sauce. Yum.

On the bright side, it's nice to know I now have bigger worries than the Habs' crappy play. We got home just in time for the shootout (I'll admit to checking the score on my iPhone during dinner). When all is said and done even though my looks are fading and certain things have shifted in flight I still have my Habs. That will NEVER change.

Is it too early to panic?

2011-10-14T08:57:00.001-04:00

No. Normally I poo hoo people who start to panic in the early days of a new season. Watching the Habs squander two points last night pissed me right off. And by the look of the empty seats at the Bell Center, I'm not alone. I get no joy watching this team scratch and claw their way into the playoffs come April. As a matter of fact I'm sick and tired of it. I realize we have injuries and there's no time frame yet on when Andrei Markov will be making his return to the lineup. In spite of that, this team CAN play better than the debacle I witnessed last night.

I think that Brian Gionta has not only inherited the "C" from Koivu but also his penchant for taking stupid penalties. Carey Price has to be on top of his game on any given night to give them a chance to win. I think he knows this and that's a lot of pressure to be under. Erik Cole needs a dose of smelling salts. PK Subban needs a good hard slap because if he keeps playing by himself he'll be sitting by himself eating hot dogs in the press box.

There's not a whole lot to like about this team right now and instead of being ticked off that I 'm busy tomorrow night and won't see the game, I'm looking forward to it. Pics and restaurant review to come on Sunday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-10-10T08:22:00.000-04:00

I left my turkey shopping too late this year and the only ones Metro had (besides $60.00 Butterballs) were of the cook from frozen variety. I've never cooked one like that before but I'm pleased to say it came out beautifully. It tasted pretty darn good too! I'd also like to give thanks that the Habs beat the Jets 5-1 last night but I only caught bits and pieces of it between stuffing my face with above turkey. The TV was on in the family room and the one thing I kept hearing was "another great save by Price". I caught the post game segment with Cherry calling Price "the best goaltender in the world right now". Wow. Cherry praising a Hab? If there were any doubts about his senility, now it's official.

Season opener - Habs versus Leafs

2011-10-08T08:39:00.003-04:00

In a nutshell..........

Not much to add to that but I do have a couple of thoughts. The general consensus is the Habs aren't big or tough enough to handle a team like the Leafs and that they will continually be out muscled and intimidated by the likes of the Flyers and the big bad Bruins. Hogwash.

The Habs came out killing dead things in the first period but the wind was sucked out of their sails with a Leaf shorthanded goal early in the second. Then they stopped doing the thing they do best, skating. They were standing around, letting the Leafs have their way with them. Recipe for disaster.

I can't vouch for the historical accuracy of this depiction of David versus Goliath, but it looks to me like David was sensible enough to keep more than an arm's length between him and the big oaf before launching the lethal rock.

So take a cue from David boys, when facing a visibly bigger and meaner opponent, keep your distance, use your strengths and intelligence wisely (a no brainer against the Bruins). And that my beloveds will get you (and I) to the promised land.

Let the bells ring out and the banners fly......

2011-10-02T08:29:00.000-04:00

A glass of wine & Twitter, what more could a girl want?

After stinking out the joint for most of the pre-season, the Habs finally notch a fairly convincing win against Tampa last night. I'm taking full credit for this win, I tweeted this to Mike Cammalleri early yesterday morning. As they say in life, when you want something, just ask for it.

@MCammalleri13 Pass this on, please win the game tonight so I don't have to listen to whining for the next week. Thank you. #nuttyfans

Thank you Cammy, from the bottom of my heart.

And this gem was tweeted by Hal Gill, who much to my delight has finally decided to join the Twitterverse.

FYI. If you wanna talk hockey, go to a rink. #thatsnotmybagbaby

If lady luck is on our side this year, the entire roster will escape unscathed in the season opener against the leafs this coming Thursday and be in top form to play some meaningful hockey in Winnipeg on Sunday.

#thisisouryearicanjustfeelit

Why can we all just get along?

2011-09-18T08:07:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine sent this video clip to me, it's awesome.

This is a video of a homeless man in Santa Barbara and his pets. They work State Street every week for donations. The animals are pretty well fed and are mellow. They are a family. The man who owns them rigged a harness up for his cat so she wouldn't have to walk so much (like the dog and himself). At some juncture the rat came along, and as no one wanted to eat anyone else, the rat started riding with the cat and, often, on the cat! The dog will stand all day and let you talk to him and admire him for a few chin scratches. The Mayor of Santa Barbara filmed this clip and sent it out as a holiday card.

Marky, get better soon....

2011-09-15T23:07:00.001-04:00

we kneed you.

The mighty roar and the power of me in the bleu, blanc et rouge.

He'll be fine. *positive thoughts* *gulp*

Back in the saddle.......

2011-09-13T17:14:00.002-04:00

With cooler weather settling in and summer soon to become a distant memory, hockey is creeping it's way back on to my radar. I'm getting excited for this upcoming season, I think if the stars are aligned and our key players manage to stay healthy, this could be our year.

I've been listening to sports radio (as painful as it can be in the off season) and there seems to be a big kerfuffle over Kirk Muller's departure. Quite frankly I've never bought into the idea (fantasy) that Kirk ran the team. Yes he was often shown to be discussing strategy and drawing game plans with the players but more often than not it was about penalty killing or power play tactics. That was his job, wasn't it? I don't see how that tranlates into him running the team. I also heard Kirk being interviewed not so long ago where he stated that Martin likes to get a lot of feedback from his players, he welcomes their suggestions and thoughts. Shocking! Not really what some of the media and fans wanted to hear. I'm sure those comments were disregarded just as quickly as they were said. Some people just want to hate on Martin regardless. I say give the man a healthy decent roster and let's see what he can do with it this year. He's managed to keep them competitive for the past two years in spite of the geriatric defense, the inconsistencies of the two top six lines and the Price versus Halak saga. I also poo hoo the notion that the player's hate him. The easiest thing a team can do to a coach is get him fired. It's a no brainer, just stop playing for him. Somehow the Habs taking the Bruins to overtime in game seven in the first playoff round seems to dispel that silly notion. Well it does for me anyway. If Muller was the brains and inspiration behind the team, why couldn't he right the ship when it was going down with all hands on deck in 2009? All of these questions should be answered by the end of the season. As much as Martin will finally have a fair chance to prove his mettle, so will Muller as a head coach in the AHL.

Gone fishing....obviously

2011-08-06T10:14:00.000-04:00

I do think I could give the Royals a run for their money in this chapeau, n'est pas?

I do have a bit of a backlog in the blog post department, but I'm enjoying our fabulous summer weather here in Montreal. I have no desire to be sitting in front of a computer. However a couple of rainy days in a row could change all that. I hope wherever you lay your hat you're enjoying your summer too! I'll be back......

Ahem Ladies and gentlemen.....

2011-06-21T17:12:00.000-04:00

I have an announcement to make. Since this is a sort of hockey blog, I have to grudgingly acknowledge this fact. *Mumbles* The boston bruins are the 2011 stanley cup champions. (notice I couldn't bring myself to use any caps).

In the word's of Forrest Gump, that's all I have to say about that.

Debbie does cats......

2011-06-19T11:32:00.000-04:00

One of my internet friends sent me this video. Do you think she's still single?

Moey's (almost) home made pizza....

2011-06-11T07:53:00.001-04:00

You will need:

1 package Pillsbury pizza dough
1 container of Cavallaro's pizza sauce
1/2 lb prosciutto
1 container of mushrooms
1 package of mozzarella cheese
1 cookie sheet
1 oven

Cook pizza dough according to directions on package. Remove from oven and spread approximately 3/4 of the pizza sauce on the dough. Place 2 layers of prosciutto on top of sauce, scatter mushrooms on top of the meat then finish layering with the cheese. Place back in oven following pizza directions on Pillsbury package. When finished baking (about 10 minutes) place under broiler for 3-5 minutes.

I used prosciutto because Mr. M. doesn't care for pepperoni. Feel free to use any toppings you desire. You may want to saute the mushrooms a few minutes before adding them to the pizza. The sauce is the key, if you can't get Cavallero's try to find an Italian bakery that makes it's own sauce. I've used regular store bought before and it doesn't compare. This pizza was delicious, it could give Tevere or Romano's (our personal favorites) a run for it's money.

Enjoy!

Awesome video!

2011-06-03T07:12:00.001-04:00

Sent to me by my cousin in California. Thanks RM, you rock!

Drumroll please.......

2011-05-27T19:47:00.010-04:00

(Better late than never, I finally got around to publishing our spring vacation blog from two weeks ago.)

Mr. Moey and I left last Thursday morning for destination San Francisco. We've both been there a few times before, but Mr. Moey left his heart there two years ago on a business trip and had a burning desire to return. The weather is somewhat coolish for my liking but you do have to throw them a bone once in a while.

He has an annual convention in Las Vegas that he attends so we decided to combine the two. Three days in San Francisco and on to Las Vegas Sunday afternoon. Mr. Moey and I have somewhat different ideas on how to spend a vacation. He likes to walk the city streets and look at all the architecture while I'm just looking for the closest shopping and restaurant hub.

We trawled the streets of SF and finally arrived at Market Street. Unfortunately with two hours of walking already under my belt I sort of lost the desire to shop. By the time we reached Union Square my feet and calves were aching. It's no secret that I despise winter so the most walking I've done since October was from the sofa to the kitchen and from my car into the office. Even bears are wise enough to slowly stir from a deep hibernation. But said bears aren't in a relationship with Mr. Moey who insisted that a good long walk would be good for me, get the blood flowing. Right. More like the blood boiling.

Enough of that, Saturday was going to be MY day. I had decided that I wanted to visit the farmer's market at the main ferry building and take a ferry over to Sausalito for lunch. Sausalito is my kind of town, tiny with little art galleries, small boutiques to browse through and very good waterside dining establishments. Bliss. We spent a couple of pleasant hours there and returned to San Francisco and Market Street. We walked back to Union Square, did a little bit of shopping and finished the afternoon off with a cocktail at the top of the Hyatt Regency.

We elected not to dine out in the evenings while we were there because we knew that we'd be out every night during our five days in Las Vegas. We found a Whole Foods grocery store within close proximity to the small house we rented and it had everything imaginable. In fact it made Trader Joe's seem somewhat ordinary. Great cheese selection, Pont Levesque was among them I was impressed, usually in the US finding decent cheese is like searching for the Holy Grail. They also had a very good selection of California wines.

Here are a few pics of our time in San Francisco. The farmer's market is terrific, all kinds of organic fresh fruits, vegetables, seafood, local cheeses and of course sourdough bread.

Home sweet home - Protrero Hill

The wine on the left was really nice, we bought another bottle the next day.

Outdoor dining at San Francisco's farmers market

'shrooms anyone?

Fresh oysters for sampling, wonderful

Mighty fine selection of Californian wines

Fresh organic fruits and vegetables

Not even the seagulls were left out, they're enjoying a pizza lunch. Some kind soul had bought the pizza and placed it on top of the bin for them. I thought that was pretty cool.

From the Sausalito ferry, a view of Alcatraz

Union Square, San Francisco

Next up....Viva Las Vegas!

We arrived in LV late Sunday afternoon. Warm and sunny, I couldn't wait to be poolside. By the time we were unpacked and settled in I put off going down to the pool until the next morning. BIG mistake, the next day was overcast with a high of 65 degrees. You've got to be kidding me! However I wasn't about to let that stop me, I went down for a quick breakfast and found a deck chair. After two hours of shivering and having to purchase a coffee to warm me up, I decided that my time was best spent elsewhere. Retail therapy works every time. Off to the outlet mall and I did manage to pick up a couple of items.

That evening we went to the Foundation Room restaurant located in the Mandalay Bay hotel. It used to be a private club that was recently opened to the public on Mondays and Thursdays. The food was good and we had a nice wine recommendation from the waiter that we really enjoyed. The downside was the ambiance and decor was very ordinary. One nice feature was a balcony at the top of Mandalay Bay hosting a magnificent view of the Vegas strip at night. I would recommend going to the lounge for a pre dinner cocktail or a nightcap to take in the view and then take your pick of the many fine other dining options Las Vegas has to offer.

The trough (buffet) dining at the various casinos is good value, especially if you're not sure what you're in the mood to eat. Something for everyone's taste and endless refills if you're a piggy.

For our last evening I booked an outdoor table at the Italian restaurant Bartolotta located in the Wynn Hotel. We struck a home run with this one. Fantastic food coupled with a very pretty outdoor setting. We would definitely return to this one.

Roasted artichokes, porcini mushrooms on a bed of greens with shaved pecorini cheese, lovely.

Seafood stuffed ravioli with a white wine sauce

Ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese smothered in a pecorino cream sauce.

Outdoor dining cabanas, outstanding!

My favorite view, my feet at the end of a sun lounger on a nice day.

Mr. Moey is positive that I'm a weather jinx, San Francisco was 80 degrees the day we arrived then settled into the mid sixties for the rest of the weekend. Las Vegas was 85 degrees until we got there. The next two days were cold and rainy and much to my dismay I only managed a couple of days at the pool. (Pictured above). When we arrived back in Montreal on Friday it proceeded to rain for the next five days. It really hasn't stopped since. All in all it was an enjoyable trip with the exception of the weather. The little bit of color that I got is barely hanging on, a visit to the tanning salon is next on the agenda.

Stand by......

2011-05-15T16:23:00.000-04:00

we are currently experiencing technical difficulties. As in very little technology, meaning no Wi-Fi and an alleged "high speed" Internet connection in our hotel room. Which we have to share, so in other words, these are my stolen five minutes of Internet time because Mr. Moey is the biggest Internet hog on the planet. I have blog posts lined up but the connection is so lousy it's next to impossible to load the pics. It duplicates some, while erasing others. Arrrgghhhh. It will all have to wait until I return home tomorrow. In the meantime, go Wings go!

Just call me L'il Miss high roller :)

The bestest...

2011-05-02T19:04:00.000-04:00

and most romantic marriage proposal EVER.

Be still my heart. *sigh*

Sayonara Habbies......

2011-05-01T09:25:00.005-04:00

that was a fun (albeit short) ride, can I put another quarter in? *sigh*   The Habs' season ended much too soon, but on the flip side I have a life again and summer is right around the corner. I'm not too terribly disappointed, they certainly were not on a cup run this year, not with our two top D men out for most of the season. But the future looks bright. Price, Subban and Pacioretty will only get better. Our defense will be solid for a few years to come. With free agency kicking in on July 1st, who should stay and who should go? I'll put my general manager's hat on and set forth my recommendations.

Defense - Sign Hal Gill for two more years. The chemistry and mentor ship between him and Subban is priceless. I would offer Roman Hamrlik a year deal. He could be paired with Spacek for next year, then the two of them can move on. Spacek gets a lot of criticism from Habs' nation and granted he is slow. On the plus side, he is a team guy and there's no doubt in my mind that he does his best and gives one hundred percent. People also have to keep in mind that he was coming off knee surgery, so that didn't help his cause. If he plays lesser minutes next year I think he'll be fine. Resign Andre Markov and Josh Gorges for another three years, they are a solid first D pairing. I like the Wiz, but his defensive play had lapses and with the (hopeful) return of Markov and PK's laser we no longer need his shot on the powerplay. He would also be too expensive. Brent Sopel did what he was hired to do, block shots and be a good team player. Best of luck to him in his future endeavors. Ditto for Paul Mara.

Forwards - Give Pouliot and Kostitsyn their walking papers, replace them with a winger that's consistent and engaged.   Give Gomez a chance for redemption, if he doesn't come through next season, make some hard decisions. Try to trade him, put him on waivers or in Hamilton. Whatever it takes, the team can't afford to be weighted down for another three years by a non-productive top six center.   Sign Darche for another year. Alex Auld is not worth another million dollar contract to play twelve games. But I like the fact that he's comfortable in his role as backup and doesn't appear to be bothered by lack of ice time. Try to sign him for another year for half of that amount.   David Desharnais and Lars Eller stay as third and forth line centers. The rest of the pieces are interchangeable in my opinion, perhaps an upgrade on Travis Moen could be in order.

I have no plan B for this years' playoffs, my beloved Sakus' Ducks are keeping company on the golf course with the Penguins. In the true spirit of sportsmanship, I hope the Flyers knock the Bruins into tomorrow. But after yesterday's 7-3 blowout I think we may have to lend the Flyers Carey Price. *gasp* Hey, it's for a good cause, right?   I don't want the Canucks to win the cup, their fans are so arrogant without having won a thing. Just imagine what they would be like if they really had bragging rights. Ugh. I'll settle for a Tampa Bay/Detroit final. I feel no ill will towards either team but I think Detroit would come out on the winning side.

Enough about hockey. Now I can turn this blog into a travel/foodie/adventures of the Moey kind chronicle for the next few months. Next up - departing this coming Thursday for a nine day vacation to San Francisco and Las Vegas. If my three readers choose to stick around, lovely! :) If not, see you in September.

Hellooooo dolly!

2011-04-27T17:46:00.000-04:00

Embracing my inner child

Seven pins, seven games, my lucky number is seven......

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T09:16:00.000-04:00

Despite the fact the Habs lost in overtime last night, the sun IS shining in Montreal this morning. Maybe it's a sign? Fact - even if the Habs win this in seven, I don't see a long playoff run. Special teams and goaltending win cups. Our power play looks like a dog's dinner. Boston is no better.

Maybe it's mean of me (especially on Easter Sunday) to hope for a 'Hawks win this afternoon. Maybe it's wrong of me to want Luongo chased from the net, again. And maybe it's not very nice of me to hope the Vancouver fans feel the crushing disappointment that I felt in 2009. Maybe I'm just a bitch :)

Who do they think they are?

2011-04-22T11:19:00.000-04:00

Yours truly having hissy fits during the game last night.

The selfish bastards. The Habs had no business winning those first two games in Boston, now they've given me high expectations thinking we could have swept the Bruins in four, five at the most. There would have been dancing in the streets and the unrelenting taunting and mocking of all things Bruin would have been delicious. How dare they snatch that away from me.

In all seriousness, the series is tied 2-2. Nothing to be ashamed of. Moey still says Habs in seven, so it is written and so it shall be.

Death, taxes......

2011-04-13T17:47:00.003-04:00

and the Bruins in the playoffs. We have a good chance of winning this series because we're faster, smarter and human. Go Habs!

I spit in their general direction......

2011-03-31T06:32:00.002-04:00

but Carey Price gets a free pass. As for the rest of them, I don't really have anything to say that doesn't include the "F" word. Oh wait, there is one thing.....GO DUCKS!

Dear Moey.......

2011-03-27T11:24:00.000-04:00

Gloating over other hockey team's misfortunes can result in this.

Signed,

Karma

Dear Bruins.......

2011-03-20T08:26:00.001-04:00

Karma sucks, doesn't it?

Spring is in the air......

2011-03-12T10:09:00.004-05:00

and I'm slowly stirring from my mid winter hibernation. The time of year I dislike most is right after the Christmas break until the first signs of spring. I haven't been inspired to do much, far less blog about hockey. When I first started this blog in late 2008, I was recapping every game and slowly if not surely I've drifted away from that. There are so many hockey blogs that have sprung up since then that I no longer feel that I can set myself apart from the pack or offer anything much different than is already out there. After all, how many ways can people essentially, say the same thing?

But I will weigh in on hockey from time to time, when I feel that I have something relevant to say. I also feel a profound sense of gratitude to my fellow hockey bloggers who supported and listed my website on theirs.  There will be hockey, but it will no longer be the main topic. I want to use this blog as an outlet for my other passions; travel, food, reading a good book or just sharing bits and pieces of daily life that I find to be of interest and/or amusing.

I do however have some thoughts in view of the events that have befallen our Montreal Canadiens the past week.   There have been varying opinions on the horrific hit on Max Pacioretty by Bruin's defenseman Zdeno Chara. What's interesting is the majority of Quebec media think it was intentional while those outside of the province tend to sway to "accidental." Given the previous history between the two, and the team goon mentality of the Bruins and their fan base in general, I have no doubt in my mind that it was indeed intentional. I know I can't get into the head of Zdeno Chara to know exactly what he was thinking, but I didn't need to be in the head of O.J. Simpson either to know that he killed two people even though the justice system ruled otherwise.

Chara's guilty in the court of Moey for three reasons, one for wanting a piece of Max who pushed him out of the way so Max could celebrate an overtime victory with his teammates.   There's footage of that and in the games that followed that clearly shows that Chara had an axe to grind with Max. He wasn't about to let that blatant show of "disrespect" go unpunished.

The second reason is not so obvious, but plays a large part in it. Boston is a better team on paper and has been for the past three years, but that rarely translates on to the ice when facing the Habs. It's a source of endless frustration for the Bruins and even though they should already have an advantage by playing against a depleted and band aid version of the Habs' D corps, it still wasn't enough. What better way to improve the odds of winning by taking out the Habs most productive winger? Max was bringing an element to the Habs that has been missing and sought after for years, he was emerging into a true power forward.

The third and most important - gut feeling. Some things you just know.

I've always stated that I hated the Leafs but respectably hated the Bruins. I used to think they were a worthy opponent, but that's no longer the case. Winning at any cost is a trait I find despicable. Now I just hate.

As far as our Habs go, I'm not sure how much more adversity they can possibly overcome.   They've been a gutsy and admirable bunch, staying comfortably in the playoff mix in spite of missing three of their top D men. The excellent play of Carey Price should keep them in the race, but my hopes for a long playoff run are starting to fade. What is encouraging however is the Habs have been down this season, but never out. They still may have a surprise or two in store. Hope springs eternal.

A cure for the mid winter blahs.......

2011-02-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

and no hockey on Saturday night. Just had to content myself with this paired with a nice red Australian Shiraz.

COFFEE ROASTED FILET MIGNON
topped with a parmesan crisp with black pepper and whisky sauce

Courtesy of Le Gourmand restaurant in Pointe Claire village. The food was great as was the company.

Now bring on the Calgary Flames. Go Habs!

Gio takes on Chara.......

2011-02-12T08:51:00.006-05:00

Finally, the chance I've been waiting for. I've got the big gorilla right were I want him, lying down. Let's settle this for once and for all, captain to captain. First a shot to the head. Hey, that was easy! Now a little ankle nip, woo hoo! A bite in the butt. Ha! Now in for the kill. Uh oh, I've awakened the sleeping giant. Holy crap, he's bigger than I thought, I think I've bitten off more than I can chew. I want my mommy!!

It's been a rough couple of days......

2011-02-11T08:30:00.001-05:00

for my poor Habbies and me. The boys got the crap beat out of them in Beantown and then lost to the lowly Islanders last night. Yesterday afternoon Pierre McGuire was being more sensible than Mitch Melnick. The planets must be out of sync. Anyway, this song is for my boys, especially Spacek and Pyatt. Chin up boys, beat the leaf on Saturday and all will be right with the world.

The week in review......

2011-02-06T10:39:00.004-05:00

and I'm not talking about hockey. Within the span of a week, I saw what I considered to be the best and worst of movies.

The first one was "The Killer Inside Me" with Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson & Jessica Alba. It was offensive, disturbing and pointless. Two thumbs down and it's two hours of my life I'll never get back.

The other night I just happened on a lovely little film "Capturing Mary" with Maggie Smith. I love Maggie Smith, she's a little long in the tooth but still a wonderful actress. Loved her in "The prime of Miss Jean Brodie."

And to round out the week, last night due to the absence of HNIC, Mr. Moey and I watched the Expendables with Sylvester Stallone (I'm a big fan, I love Rocky and Rambo) with a supporting cast of action characters, Arnold even makes a brief appearance. Loads of fun and definitely has the potential for a sequel or two even though the trailer claims that won't be the case. Stallone wrote the script and stars in it, and if he stays true to form somehow I can't imagine there won't be another.

This is off the movie topic but something that came to mind last night when we were watching the movie. Mr. Moey and I went to Egypt a few years back and after a couple of days in Cairo and interacting with the locals at the outdoor markets we figured out their way of distinguishing between American and Canadian tourists. Americans were "Rambo" and Canadians were "Canada Dry." Interesting.

The pause that refreshes.......

2011-01-28T07:51:00.001-05:00

is the All Star game. Frankly, I don't understand why hockey fans get their collective knickers in a twist over it. All I've been reading and hearing for the past couple of weeks is how people aren't going to watch that garbage, it's meaningless, it's all just schmoozing etc. Personally, I have nothing against mindless entertainment. Just ask Mr. Moey, he's often heard saying "I can't believe you're watching that #@$&%." (I think part of his criticisms are due to nerves, I'm usually watching some made for TV movie about killing or maiming one's spouse). But I digress, I have a plan for Saturday night and it involves oysters and a DVD rental. (Once in a while you have to throw them a bone, don' t you)? Of course I'll PVR the skills competition and watch the game on Sunday afternoon. I quite enjoy it really, no edge of your seat fretting over whether or not we'll get the two points. No feelings of dread and angst over who will be next on the IR list. I just take it for what it is, pure entertainment and a chance to see the best of the best gathered together for a weekend of good clean fun. In a world where television is usually used as a vehicle to deliver more bad news than good, pour your favorite beverage, put your feet up and enjoy the festivities. I know I will.

Never underestimate.....

2011-01-23T09:01:00.002-05:00

the power of the jersey. It was groundhog day yesterday, when the Ducks were up 3-1, off came the jersey. Cue the comeback, and voila, the Habs did. It went to a shootout but this time good fortune fell on the Ducks side, final score being 4-3 Ducks. I'm wondering just how much power this jersey really has, I'll be giving it a test run in the coming weeks against other teams. Not that I'm superstitious or anything silly like that :) I managed to keep my emotions in check until Saku was named second star and skated out for one last wave. When he patted his heart my eyes filled up, I was patting mine too and he'll always have a place in it.

In other news, yesterday I had to take my little rescue cat Sabrina to the vet. For the past couple of months she's been pulling out the fur on her back.

After examining her, he sat me down for the diagnosis. He spoke in a very somber tone and said " I hate to tell you this but she's a leaf fan." Imagine my shock and horror, after all I knew nothing about her background. And if that wasn't bad enough, he went on to say that there is no cure and probably won't be for another forty four years. In the meantime he's prescribed anti-anxiety pills (I'm not really sure if they're for her or us) and we are under strict orders not to jeer or make fun of anything leaf in front of her. That, I daresay will be next to if not impossible.

Welcome back Saku.....

2011-01-22T13:34:00.001-05:00

My best side.......

In honor of Saku's return to the Bell Center tonight for the first time since he left Montreal, I'm wearing this jersey today. I figure it was only a jinx wearing at the Ducks/Habs game at the Honda Center last March. Habs were down 3-1 when I took it off, Price was replaced by Halak in net and we ended up winning in a shootout.

All's fair in love and war........

2011-01-15T11:41:00.000-05:00

and I have no issues with Fleury emulating Price's pose the other night. Fleury first endeared himself to me while playing against Detroit in game seven of the 2009 Stanley Cup final. I loved how he patted his saviour the crossbar, because without it there surely would have been a goal and possibly another cup for the Wings.

He strikes me as fun-loving kind of guy, especially after watching his antics on the HBO special 24/7. Both he and Price are young, highly competitive goaltenders. In a perfect world I would love to see Price and Fleury square off in the Eastern Conference finals this year.

Friday morning musings.......

2011-01-07T09:26:00.001-05:00

I'm normally a glass half full type when it comes to the Habs and life in general, however I'm not feeling as optimistic about our boys this morning. I thought Pierre Gauthier had acquired the Whiz kid from the Islanders to semi-replace Andre Markov, it never occurred to me that it he was brought in to fill Josh George's skates. Before the bomb was dropped about Josh I was certain that we were one D man and a power forward short of being a cup contender. I was confident that Gauthier would address both of those issues before the trade deadline in February, now not so much. I don't see how we can do any serious damage with the D or the offence as it stands, assuming and it's becoming a bigger IF we manage to get into the playoffs. The playoff round against the Flyers is still fresh in my mind, notably the three games that the Habs didn't manage to score a single goal. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. This squad cannot get past the likes of the Flyers if the lineup stays the same. The fretting and hand wringing has officially started now, much too early for my liking. In three short weeks we've gone from from thinking the sky was the limit to the sky is falling. I truly hope Gauthier is not done, but I'm not holding my breath.

Something else crossed my mind last night, I know there are a lot of fans and some of the media complaining about Jacques Martin's coaching style and that they would rather see Kirk Muller behind the bench as the head honcho. Maybe that's been the plan all along, let Kirk work with an experienced coach before handing him the reins, give him the best chance to succeed. Yup, I like that idea and I'm going with it.

I watched the final episode of HBO's 24/7 this week. I enjoyed it very much, but something really niggled at me. Specifically the alleged bitter rivalry between the Caps and the Penguins. I think that rivalry is fabricated by the NHL brain trust simply because Crosby and Ovechkin are the league's best players. I've never sensed a feeling of true rivalry between the two teams nor the two players. The only negative thing I recall hearing Crosby say about Ovechkin is "I don't care too much for his showboating." Oh my, them are fighting words! Contrast that to the "we hate them" comments that came out of the Pens room after the Habs beat them in the playoffs. I'm not blaming the producers of HBO, after all they'll just report what they've been fed by Bettman and company. One thing is for certain, as long as Bettman is steering the ship we won't be seeing any Winter Classics or HBO specials showcasing our Habs or any other Canadian team anytime soon. Pity.

Totally off hockey now, (it's my blog so I'm allowed) Moey's grocery tip of the week.

Frozen baguettes, the next best thing since sliced bread

Made by "Au Pain Dore" these babies will set you back about $5.00 for a package of four. You put them in the oven for seven minutes at 400F. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, they're perfect for cheese fondues, sandwiches or just on their own with a pat of butter or a piece of cheese. Fresh baguette at your fingertips whenever you fancy it. Brilliant.

Mid-season meltdown..........

2011-01-01T11:52:00.002-05:00

and Maxim Lapierre is traded to the Ducks. The lucky so and so, damn I'm green with envy. I could happily live there, get an NHL Center Ice package to watch my beloved Habs and be close to my Saku at the same time. I'll root for both teams no problem. What's really cool about the Honda Center is even if you have a ticket for the cheap seats, if there are better ones closer that nobody's using, you can just move. It's excellent.

I'm not going to write about the current Hab's crisis, it happens every year and they manage to get through it. Well except for the spring of 2009 meltdown, but how often can a GM fire the coach, the team and then himself? People just need to calm down, the commentator on HBO's 24/7 said it best, it's part of the normal ebb and flow of an NHL season.

Happy New Year to one and all.

And now for something completely different.......

2010-12-27T10:02:00.000-05:00

Our Christmas plans took a different path this year. Mr. Moey has been battling a cold for the past week, so we didn't think it would be a good idea to risk having his 91 year old mother over. We decided to switch our traditional turkey with all the trimmings for our New Year's fare and do the turkey thing next weekend with his mum. However I've had a dry, hacking cough since last Thursday and the full force of the flu decided to strike on Christmas day. By early evening I'd mustered up just enough energy to open a tin of soup pour moi and put a frozen lasagna in the microwave for Mr. Moey. Good times indeed! First time ever that I haven't had turkey on Christmas day, with the exception of one year that we celebrated Christmas at the Bitter End Yacht Club in the British Virgin Islands. The sun and sailing more than made up for the lack of a turkey dinner.

Bitter End Yacht Club Clubhouse Steak and Seafood Grille

We did manage to salvage a little bit of the Christmas spirit (for the furkid's sake) by opening our gifts and watching a couple of Christmas movies.

Look what Santa brought!

Clicquot's look of disgust, the toys aren't edible......

Good things do come in Ogilvy boxes!

After a long day of eating, playing & sleeping, a serious cat nap was in order.......

Habby Holidays.....

2010-12-24T09:25:00.000-05:00

From our house to yours.

Cats like Christmas too!

Waiting for Santa

Broadcasting at it's finest........

2010-12-17T15:14:00.001-05:00

Ron MacLean, Mike Milbury, P.J. Stock

I'm really doing the poor monkeys a disservice. I have no doubts they would be far more intelligent and entertaining than the three stooges that were on HNIC last night providing their "insight" on the Habs and Bruins game. It was nothing short of shameful. How I long for the days of Danny Gallivan and Dick Irvin. *sigh*

This and that.........

2010-12-13T21:01:00.001-05:00

Excuse me a moment *brushes off cobwebs* there, that's much better. I haven't been here in a while, a little housekeeping was in order.

First things first, when the cat's away.......

This is what Moey eats for dinner

Thankfully Mr. Moey is back in town tomorrow night to rescue me from such poor eating habits. *sigh*

I listen to the Mitch Melnick show every afternoon on the Team 990, last week on Pierre McGuire's segment the subject of Alex Kovalev came up. Pierre was suggesting that in light of Andre Markov's injury, the Habs have extra cash available to add a couple of players to the roster. McGuire thinks Kovy would be a good fit in Montreal because, in Pierre's words, "his heart just isn't in Ottawa." That comment didn't sit well with me, all I could think about was how Koivu left Montreal with a heavy heart and he's playing his heart out in Anaheim for a lot less money. I sent in an email comparing the two of them, making the point that Kovy's "heart" was where the money was.

Mitch read my email on the radio and then had this to say. "Make no mistake, after all he'd been through Saku Koivu wanted out of Montreal and decided not to sign a new contract." He got as far away as he could and says it's the best thing he's ever done."

I was gutted. Did this mean that I had to dab my red tinged eyes, blow my nose for one last time and put away the Kleenex box for good? Never. Even if it's true (it probably is) I'll still mourn the loss of Koivu for all eternity. Which isn't difficult watching the eight million dollar imposter floating around the ice wearing number eleven. He knows who he is.

Clicquot's best imitation of the Habs against the Leafs Saturday night, the cheeky Lynx.

I was so bored watching the Habs play the Leafs on Saturday that I thought I would try and amuse myself on Twitter. It turns out (to no surprise) that Leaf fans are so dopey you can't even have a decent ~~fight~~ discussion with them.

Me on Twitter : Boy, Leafs are 0-3 when it comes to D men, What kind of lame scouting staff do they have?

Leaf fan : You can't say Phaneuf is bad, I mean you just can't. He's good, okay?

Me : Phaneuf isn't fit to shine Markov's skates, far less anything else.

Leaf fan : Well of course he can't shine Markov's skates, Markov isn't even in Canada, he's getting his knee fixed.

Oy vay.

Saturday recap - Leafs, Habs and Mr. Moey's birthday.......

2010-11-21T09:38:00.002-05:00

It was so windy and cold yesterday, I nipped out to get a few groceries and then spent the afternoon as a couch potato. (One of my favorite winter pastimes). I decided to choose something from my Habs memorable games DVD set. To date, I've only watched the comeback against the Rangers. I picked the Heritage classic in 2003, I've never seen it and I thought it would put me in the mood for the upcoming Flames/Habs outdoor match in February. Some of the commentary from the game sounded awfully familiar, "Habs are in 28th place in the league on the PP, their centers are too small, they have trouble scoring five on five." Souray was back in the lineup after having major wrist surgery, I guess he still hadn't perfected his laser from the point. It was nice to see a young and healthy Markov. On the Markov front, the Canadiens have not made an official announcement yet on his injury status. I know RDS and Tony Marinaro report he's gone for the season, but I'll wait until I hear it from the horse's mouth. Maybe it's not as bad as people are making out. *fingers crossed*

It was also Mr. Moey's birthday, I had my birthday dinner at the Ritz in Grand Cayman, Mr. Moey got pizza and the Leafs. I think that sounds like a fair trade, no? In all seriousness, I'll be taking him to his favorite restaurant sometime in the next month or so. We've been going here for years and it's always good. I highly recommend it.

http://www.restaurantlegourmand.ca/index.php

I ordered the pizza for 8:00 PM, Mr. Moey lit the fire and we opened a bottle of Liberty School Syrah.
The Habs paid a nice tribute to Pat Burns at the beginning and a shout out to the crowd who managed to maintain a moment of silence, it was an impressive show of respect. Beating the Leafs on a Saturday night always feels satisfying, shutting them out was even better. Carey Price is off the charts good.

Although Mr. Moey's birthday was kind of low key, he did get a present from the furkids. (I've ordered something for him online and it hasn't arrived yet).

I had bought myself a pair of crocs at the dollar store in the summer, our backyard was in shambles and they were the perfect shoe for wearing in muck and rocks. You just hose them down at the end of the day. Mr. Moey thought they were a good idea, but thought they were just for women. My pair are a bright fuchsia. Don't be silly I told him, if they're good enough for this guy, they're good enough for you.

The hard part was finding them, not every store stocks them. Of course, these aren't from the dollar store, they're the real deal.

Mr. Moey's manly crocks

The furkids have a sense of humor, check out the card they gave him, sadly there were four of them when they bought it. R.I.P Tara.

A laid back but enjoyable birthday for Mr. Moey, capped by shutting out the Leafs on home ice. Now I'm ~~nervously~~ eagerly looking forward to tomorrow night's sequel ~~Rocky~~ Flyers II.

You can't win 'em all..........

2010-11-19T09:05:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately. But the boys can redeem themselves, and I'm not talking about beating the Leafs this Saturday night. The Leaf's are just nuisance value, there is no true rivalry there in a hockey sense, it's more of a Montreal rocks Toronto sucks as a city kind of thing. Once in a while you have to show the Leaf fans some mercy and toss the poor deluded souls a bone. While they scurry like roaches to plan the parade, we'll be busy getting ready to beat teams that actually matter, like Philadelphia on Monday night. I've given it a lot of thought and I'm leaning heavily towards this game plan for the filthy Flyers.

Carey Price is......

2010-11-17T22:42:00.000-05:00

the Mikhail Baryshnikov of hockey.

I've always been in love with the ballet. To have seen Mikhail in his prime would have been a dream come true, but watching Carey Price in nets is becoming a close second.

R.I.P Tara July 1994 - Nov.14, 2010

2010-11-15T06:08:00.000-05:00

Rainbow Bridge

Yesterday was a sad afternoon at chez Moey's, we had to put one of our cats to sleep. She was originally my mum's cat but when my mum moved to a senior's home in 2007, Tara came to live with us. At first she was a very shy and introverted kitty but when she started living with my other two terrors she came into her own. She became very sociable and outgoing, and she loved people food. Mr. Moey usually eats around 8:00 PM and Tara always made sure she was sitting right at his feet to wait for some goodies. Pork and fish were her favorites and she never met a piece of bacon she didn't like.

Sleep well, sweetie. You were such a good girl and we will miss you. You can now keep mum company again, sitting in your favorite spot on her lap.

Hurricanes rain on our parade.......

2010-11-14T08:40:00.000-05:00

Talk about putting a damper on things, Mr. Moey and I were having a nice evening by the fire nibbling on some fresh seafood. We were drinking a bottle of Mumm Napa sparkling wine, crisp and dry it was the perfect pairing. Another reason to love California (and there are numerous).

So it was all good, the Habs were giving the Canes a good and proper beating, the cats were beating up each other. The furkids always get chippy during hockey games, maybe it's because there's a lot of noise in the background and they feel left out. They love being the center of attention.

I nipped into the kitchen to get dessert, when I hear Mr. Moey yell, "Markov's hurt!" I came running into the family room just in time to see him lying on the ice wincing in pain. I felt like I had just been kicked in the stomach. Talk about sucking all the air out of your gut. I hope it's nothing serious, the Habs can get by without him, but he just makes the team that much better. I'm starting to wonder if there is some kind of statute of limitation on happiness if you're a Habs fan. It's either that, or we should have stuck to our Saturday night ritual and ordered pizza. *sigh*

Lest we forget............

2010-11-11T07:42:00.001-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQlzITtxAMA

In defense of Jacques Martin........

2010-11-06T11:46:00.000-04:00

Do I like him?  I have no feelings one way or the other, the only thing that matters to me is that he wins games. But I would like to take a look at the most common complaints from fans and break them down.

He can't coach. His coaching record says otherwise and that's a tangible. Sixteen years in the NHL as a head coach, a lifetime record of 556-439-119 works out to an average of .550 hockey. Nominated three times for the Jack Adams award, winning it in 1999. The biggest criticism is he never brought a team to a Stanley Cup. There are so many factors and mitigating circumstances in winning a cup I wouldn't hold that against him. A lot of good coaches have never won a cup, it doesn't mean they can't coach. Case in point, Lindy Ruff.

When the team has a one goal lead he instructs them to sit on it and focus on defense. Really? Okay, so I have to believe that he goes into the dressing room between periods and says " Listen up boys, we have the lead, I don't want to see any more scoring, it's all about defense, defense, defense. If anyone scores a goal the team bag-skates tomorrow." Nonsense.   I've listened to a few ex NHL'ers who say that it's human nature to sit on a lead, in other words, the players themselves tend to lapse into a protective mode.

He ruins young players and doesn't give them a chance. He does seem to lack patience with rookie mistakes, but then again, he's been running a hockey summer school for the past 20 years, one has to believe that he's been watching and working with young players long enough to know what attributes and characteristics will translate into successful NHL players. Case in point, Benoit Pouliot. Benny has a rep of being a bit of a head case. So far his line mates Gionta and Gomez have not been producing so of course the blame naturally falls on Benny. Martin has made a point of defending him to the media, inferring that the blame might be better directed toward his line mates. I watched very closely last night against the Sabres, Scott Gomez allegedly got a spanking from the coach yesterday morning and still only has eyes for Gionta. Obviously Gomez isn't into threesomes. Martin saw it, most of us didn't. Benny seems happier in his new relationship with Halpern and Darche. Coach Martin 1, fans 0.

He's dull and boring. I like that, he's calm and I think he keeps the team grounded. Very Bob Gaineyesque. The thought of having a coach like John Tortorella makes me shudder. His hissy fits behind the bench and with the media are embarrassing.   Martin gets it, it's not about him and he wasn't hired to entertain the media. He quietly goes about his business and his business is to win hockey games.

Speaking of Bob Gainey, he had to have known in early spring of 2009 that he was planning on gutting the team.  Gainey realized when Carbo couldn't right the ship of a team that had finished first in the Eastern Conference and were in danger of missing the playoffs, he simply didn't have the experience to take on a brand new roster in the fall. I have to believe that was the main reason for Carbo's demise. Maybe Guy and I could meet for coffee one of these days and I'll explain that to him, since he's still seems to be in the dark.

Jacques Martin took on a brand new team, he had to find chemistry, juggle lines and deal with injuries to top players all season long. He still managed to squeak them into the playoffs and out coached Bruce Boudreau and Dan  Bylsma in the process.  The Flyers however are a different kettle of fish, we can hardly pin the blame on Martin. If he doesn't have the proper tools he can't get the job done.

I think the team is in good, more than capable coaching hands. The team's success or failure this year ultimately rests on the shoulders of Pierre Gauthier. He needs to address two major issues, the power play and getting more punch into the top six. Fans love to point fingers and lay blame, which is fine and is their right as the money paying public.  I have no problem with that, as long as it's pointed in the right direction.

This is getting to be a tad annoying......

2010-11-01T20:05:00.002-04:00

Last summer this guy decides to visit my place of work in Dorval, and where am I? Driving to Mirabel on an imaginary emergency.

Last week Vinnie frickin' Barbarino decides to visit my place of work and where was I? On vacation of course.

A big shout out to my buddy and co-worker who snapped the pics for me. He rocks.

Prime cuts and sunsets.......

2010-10-30T08:02:00.006-04:00

was the name of the restaurant in the Ritz Carlton where we decided to have my birthday dinner. Mostly for reasons of convenience, it's right next door to us.

I subscribe to Conde Nast Traveler magazine and I had packed my most recent copy. The November issue has a feature on "Best in the World" hotels, islands, resorts and cruises. Much to my surprise the Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman was chosen by Nast readers as the number one resort in the Caribbean. It's a bit of a head scratcher for me, I've stayed on properties in my beach travels that surpassed this particular Ritz by a country mile. To be fair, I wasn't a guest, we were merely there to have a meal, but from what I saw I have to disagree.

View of the Ritz from the beach

The pool

Prime cuts and sunsets restaurant

Yellow fin tuna tartare

Pan seared scallops

Surf and turf with lobster mashed potatos

A very nice Beaune to compliment the meal

A special birthday creme brulee

Beach view from the restaurant

The food was very good but pricey, the service was impeccable. They will also arrange a private cabana for two directly on the sand at an additional cost of $285.00 caymanian dollars. (Add another 20 percent to the Canadian dollar).

The resort sells residences, starting at one million for a one bedroom up to forty-four million for a 20,000 square foot penthouse. To be honest, even if I had that kind of coin, there are other properties on the island that I would prefer.

Still, not a bad way to spend a birthday.

Just another day in paradise......

2010-10-28T12:24:00.000-04:00

Not a good day for shopping, evil cruise ships lurk in the distance.

The weather was a little dicey this morning, but Mr. Sun knew better than to incur the wrath of Moey, and Mr. Moey thanks him too from the bottom of his heart.

Watched the highlights of the Habs/islanders game this morning on the NHL network, they're out of sight but not out of mind. Keep up the good work boys!

.

On location......Grand Cayman

2010-10-26T20:50:00.002-04:00

A well deserved vacation for Mr. M, who valiantly fought the battle of our backyard during spring and summer after a foundation problem was repaired last November. Our back and front yard consisted of large mounds of earth, the grass was gone, the cement patio around our pool was broken up. We took that opportunity to replace all of the pool plumbing. What a mess. Weekend in and weekend out, night after night he was out there and sometimes in temperatures upwards of 40 degrees Celsius. I did my small part by keeping the troops fed and watered. A major job but the worst is behind us now. The front lawn was replaced and a new rock garden built in early October. The infamous big deck will wait until spring.

We arrived on Grand Cayman Sunday afternoon, the humidity hit us like a brick. It's been beautiful so far, very humid but we're in an oceanfront villa so there's a little bit of a breeze. The only downside to the Cayman Islands is everything with the exception of restaurants is closed on Sunday. It's a good idea to bring a couple of bottles of wine and a small container of milk for coffee the next morning in a carry on bag.

I had one of my tastiest meals in Grand Cayman on Sunday evening. A little restaurant right across the street called "The Sunrise Grill", it's part of the Sunshine Suites hotel complex. Jamaican pulled beef tacos with sautéed onions and mushrooms, fresh tomato, cabbage and cilantro. Absolutely delicious, complimented by a frosty Margarita and a large glass of Wolf Blass Shiraz.

This is our third trip and our best accommodation so far. We're nestled between the Ritz Carlton and the Westin, so we're enjoying the best stretch of seven mile beach. We opted not to rent a car this time, grocery and liquor stores (the important stuff) are within two blocks. We're planning to rent a car just for the day to explore the northern part of the island, Rum Point and Kaibo Kai.

I managed to watch some of the Habs/Coyotes game last night on Coyote TV live internet streaming. Not bad at all, we're tied for first in the East. A pretty impressive start considering we're still missing our most valuable player. And to coin a phrase from Mike Boone at HIO. the 'Yotes are hardly the "little sisters of the poor." They racked up 100 points last season, much like our Habs they're speedy and opportunistic, a worthy opponent.

More updates from Grand Cayman as the week progresses, I am sitting typing this overlooking the gorgeous Caribbean sea watching the sun come up sipping on a hot cup of tea. There's not a cloud in the sky, looks like another fine day at the beach.

Taken live on seven mile beach this morning on my new IPhone 4. This phone rocks!!!

A picture paints a thousand words.......

2010-10-22T14:07:00.001-04:00

Matisse watching the Habs/Devils game last night

Hockey night in Beaconsfield.......

2010-10-17T12:48:00.000-04:00

Scotch anyone?

We have officially declared Saturday nights hockey night in Beaconsfield. We had our launch party last night and invited some friends over. There was a lot of pizza consumed with plenty of red wine and Scotch to wash it down. I didn't catch much of the game, but the important thing is we won. I've PVR'ed it and plan on watching it this afternoon. I'm very optimistic about this year's team and I can't wait for the return of Andre Markov.

Three games into the season......

2010-10-15T09:43:00.000-04:00

and these are the things that are irritating me, in no particular order.

PK Subban - you're not Bobby Orr, yet. Take Price's advice - chill.

Guy Boucher - can we wait until the season's over before anointing him as the second coming of Scotty Bowman.

Sidney Crosby - there was nothing "strange" about beating your team in Game 7 in the playoffs. It wasn't an episode of the Twilight Zone where the Leafs are 3-0 to start the season. I think you might be suffering from a case of Guy ( I still don't know why I got fired) Carbonitis. It's really simple Sid, you sucked, your D sucked and so did your goalie. End of.

Tony Marinaro - Word on the street is TMZ is looking for reporters. Do us all a favor and go for it. Please.

Mike Cammalleri - You're my new favorite Hab, please stop the buffoonery or we could drift apart.

The Anaheim Ducks - the Leafs are looking better than you are, sort yourselves out

Idiotic Quebec drivers - enough said.

The lint that sticks to Mr. Moey's black wool socks.

Bring on the Sabres.

Season opener....Habs vs Leafs

2010-10-08T07:38:00.000-04:00

Ummm...can Price borrow Halak's stop sign? I'm not blaming the loss on him, but the softies are proving costly. We need that point now so the boys aren't chasing it in April to grab the last playoff spot. My nerves can't handle that three years in a row. The Leafs really only have one true goal scorer, what's gonna happen on Saturday night in Pittsburgh with some real firepower? It's always the same scenario, one gets by Price while he looks like a deer caught in the headlights. Enough already. *slaps him on the head*

I was disappointed that Komisarek didn't do anything dumb, but come to think of it he didn't do anything at all. I see him ending up the same way as Souray one of these days, being the oldest and tallest kid in the class after failing a couple of grades.

Unless Pouliot picks it up about ten notches, I think his days in Montreal are numbered. For the love of God, please get Gomez a decent winger. His puck moving ability is an exercise in futility, it's frustrating to watch, imagine how he must feel.

The Leafs didn't look all that bad (damn) but the next match up will be more telling when we (hopefully) ice a full roster.

The best part about the game? No injuries to any of our key players. Bring on the Pens and welcome back Cammy, you were missed last night.

Captain G!

2010-09-29T19:20:00.000-04:00

Godspeed Gio and good luck with some members of the French media, you'll need it.

Scott Neidermayer's retirement has left the Anaheim Ducks rudderless, but I can't think of a better guy to fill his skates and steer the ship.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/koivu-267483-year-team.html

Mea culpa.........

2010-09-24T08:46:00.000-04:00

I'll be the first to admit I was overreacting to Price's performance against the Senators on Wednesday night. Certainly not in the same way as some of the Bell Center "fans" who were booing and mocking Price every time he made an easy save, but for very different reasons. Deep down I was praying he'd have a shutout and when he let in the first softy I felt that the life had been sucked out of me.

I'm fully aware that these preseason games are meaningless but I'm also very concerned about Price's future with the club. Bob Gainey said it best last year when he spoke about a young goaltender that had been booed out of LA by impatient fans and ended up having a nice career with the Dallas Stars. "Be careful who you boo out of town", Bob warned, "you just might end up playing against them one day".

Price's situation also reminded me of an interview between Oprah Winfrey and the poet Maya Angelou that took place a few years ago:

Oprah: Earlier you were telling me that your life is defined by principles. And one principle you have taught me is that we can't allow ourselves to be "pecked to death by ducks."

Maya: That's true. Some people don't have the nerve to just reach up and grab your throat, so they just take....

Oprah: Little pieces of you—with their rude comments.

The ducks (vultures) are circling up high in the Bell Center rafters, waiting for a chance to swoop down at the first sign of weakness. The situation could quickly become untenable, Hal Gill remarked that it's not just frustrating for Price, but it's affecting the whole team.

I agree (gulp) with Pierre McGuire, management has to take a stand and speak out on behalf of their young tender before Price comes to the conclusion that if you can't beat 'em join 'em. In Anaheim.

And that's the kind of summer it's been.........

2010-09-17T12:01:00.002-04:00

Moey nursing her sore head

With hockey season right around the corner, I thought I would take this opportunity to give an update of how I spent my summer. Back in May I mentioned how Mr. Moey wanted a bigger deck. That was all well and good but it took him three months to decide what kind of deck he wanted. (And they talk about women). He was driving moi and our friend handy Andy (who will be building it) to distraction and on more than a few occasions, drink. We were slowly losing the will to live. We had managed to agree on a multi level deck but Mr. Moey was having serious issues about how many sets of stairs he wanted. At one stage I had visions of this floating through my head.

Finally, Mr. Moey had an "aha" moment when Andy suggested that we lower the deck's overall height with an extra step down from the back door. That and the fact that Andy and I were both holding razor blades seemed to do the trick. Andy muttered to me, "one small step for Mr. Moey, one giant step for the deck."

So now we had a plan, the next the step was figuring out the quantity and location of the posts. Another stumbling block, Mr. Moey didn't agree with Andy's calculations, he wasn't sure if the posts would be deep enough. I really don't blame him for second guessing Andy, who builds aircraft in his spare time, where thousands of lives hang in the balance every day. *rolls eyes* I sweetly suggested that I give one of my buddies in stress engineering a call to get a seal of approval. I think in the end my comment about the Sistine Chapel being painted quicker ultimately put things into perspective for him.

A deck is born.......

There have been various other projects in the works at chez Moey's, including the construction of a new cabana. Handy Andy has already completed the frame, made up of two by fours and measuring 12 feet in length. One afternoon I arrived home from work and one of the frames was still outside on the driveway. There was overnight rain in the forecast but the structure was too heavy for Andy to move into the garage by himself. He was already late for a friend's dinner party so he suggested that when Mr. Moey got home to give him a call and he would nip over to help him move it. Of course, men being men Mr. Moey decided to try and move it himself. The thing was so damn awkward and heavy I was worried about MM getting hurt so I stuck around to help in any way I could. Together we pushed the thing into the the middle of the garage and then Mr. Moey had the bright idea of hooking it to the garage door runners so it wouldn't fall over while he cleared some space for it against the wall. (They don't pay him the big bucks for nothing). He asked me to open the garage door on the other side. Easy peasy, it's an automatic opener so I flipped the switch and started walking back to help him. The hook holding the frame dislodged from the runner and the twelve feet of two by fours hit me square on the forehead. Now this thing must weigh about a gazillion pounds, or so it felt to me anyway. I was in shock and so was Mr. Moey. He yells "are you okay?" I was rubbing my head, where I felt a definite dent and said I think so, but what are you doing at the prom? I started to shake from top to bottom and went inside to inspect the damage. Mr. Moey came running in after me, insisting that I go to the hospital. I was hesitant at first, until he remarked about Liam Neeson's wife. Well that cheered me up considerably. Based on that tragic accident, Mr. Moey's logic dictated that although he had hit his head at various times in his life, girl's heads might be different. (You got that right honey, girls actually HAVE a brain that can swell).

So off the the hospital we went, where there was a ten hour wait period in emergency. The nurse asked me if I had blacked out, vomited or had a headache, I told her I had felt like that when I woke up this morning, before I was hit. (Note to self, too much Grand Marnier is eerily similar to a concussion). Since I wasn't showing any signs of a serious head injury, I went home and put an icepack on the egg that was starting to grow out of my forehead. But in the end, as one of my co-workers so kindly pointed out, the important thing was Mr. Moey didn't get hurt moving that &%* frame.

There you have it, the highlights, or should I say lowlights of my summer.

But there is some good news, the Hab kittens, namely Josh and Cammy were adopted together by a couple in Pointe Claire. Josh made a full recovery, but not without leaving a string of vet bills behind him. If you have a few spare dollars, please click on the Cause4Paws link on the right of my blog to help them out. Josh thanks you and so do I.

Introducing.....the "mewest" Hab fan

2010-08-22T09:52:00.004-04:00

Sabrina

I'm not quite sure if she is a Hab fan, she slept her way through the Habs/Pens playoff game six last night on the NHL network. I want to get her acclimatized to my yelling and screeching before hockey season begins.

She's a two year old seal point Siamese that came to me through a rescue group called "Cause 4 Paws." It all started when I placed an ad on Craig's list last February, I was giving away a sofa and love seat and the lady who ended up taking the furniture runs a cat rescue. I already have three fur kids and believe me, I wasn't looking for a fourth. I do however have a weakness for Siamese, they're a wonderful breed and they get deeply attached to their humans.

On Friday I met with the cat lady to finalize Sabrina's adoption when I mentioned that my favorite Siamese is the blue point. You gotta love this, she says "well then you'll just have to adopt Josh Gorges." Are you kidding me? Josh Gorges? Check out these pics of Habs' kittens, the family that is fostering them are die hard Habs fans. Ursula (the cat lady) had no idea that I'm into hockey! I think it's fate :) Mr. Moey will have me committed!

Isn't Josh gorgeous? He has some medical issues at the moment, he's not eating and thriving the way he should be :(

Cammy

Subby

There is also a fourth kitten "Marky" but I didn't see his picture on the website. These kittens are available for adoption, you can find out more about Cause 4 Paws by clicking the link below. They appreciate any help you can give, whether it be adopting, fostering, or donations for never ending vet bills. Do it for Josh!

http://cause4pawsrescue.com/

On location, training camp 2008.......Moey style

2010-08-13T07:30:00.001-04:00

As I have stated many times before, I'm your less than typical hockey fan. I don't obsess over the Habs, own any Habs jerseys and it would take a herd of wild horses to drag me to the Bell Center to watch a game. I've even been known to give away tickets that I've received. I don't attend Tweet-ups or Summits, my favorite venue is my sofa in the family room.

However, a couple of years ago, the Habs held their training camp 15 minutes from my house and I figured I could manage that, even though it meant getting up early on a Saturday morning to get a decent parking spot. The personal sacrifices I make for this team are mind blowing. I had forgotten about a couple of pics that I had managed to snap outside and just came across them this week. I didn't take any indoors because it was too cold in the rink and in typical Moey fashion I was wearing heels with no socks. I watched the on ice training exercises through the glass, with a coffee in hand.

The blond guy looks awfully familiar, but I can't for the life of me remember who it is.

Joisey shores update.......

2010-08-10T17:37:00.001-04:00

I had lofty ambitions about posting every other day while enjoying a quick beach getaway. Unfortunately on the Tuesday I came down with a rotten cold, so there's not a lot of blogging material and quite honestly I didn't have the energy nor the inspiration.

The weather was great for the entire eight days. Very hot and humid, but there was a lovely breeze during the day to make it very tolerable to sit back and catch some rays. The ocean was nippy but nice if you just wanted a quick dip to cool off.

Mr. Moey did an admirable job of being a single parent while I was away keeping the furkids fed and becoming an expert poop scooper. One thing I failed to mention before I left is that it's not necessary to dump the entire 12 kilos of kitty litter into the tray at one time. The smaller furkids looked like they were drowning in quicksand when they attempted to do their business. It's probably a good thing the clumping doesn't work instantaneously or they would have been anchored to the bottom with little cement shoes around their paws. But all in all I can't complain, they were happy and healthy and the head count remained the same.

So the countdown begins until the next beach vacation, Grand Cayman in October. With the weather we've been having so far this summer, it can't come soon enough.

She's back..............

2010-07-31T09:16:00.002-04:00

And off to the Joisey shores tomorrow morning for a week long vacation. Will be reporting in daily with pics, restaurant and shopping reviews.

Do you know what would be my dream job? Doing an "On Location with the Habs" column following Les Boys on their road games. Giving Moey's two cents on the game and reporting on the best places to eat, stay and shop in each city, from budget to luxury.
I wonder if the Montreal Gazette or The Suburban would be interested in something like that. Hey, a girl can dream can't she?

I do have a small glimmer of hope, the Gazette actually pays Jack Todd to write his *ahem* stuff, so one has to believe that anything is possible.

Hallelujah!

2010-07-11T07:33:00.002-04:00

I love this rendition of Leonard Cohen's song Hallelujah. The first time I heard it was in a scene from "The West Wing", which before it was cancelled was Mr. & Mrs. Moey's favorite show. Sadly, Jeff Buckley accidentally drowned when he was just 30 years of age.

However, the real reason behind this post is - we finally have water in our swimming pool. Hallelujah.

Thank you God!

2010-06-18T08:36:00.001-04:00

Not because Jaro is leaving Montreal, but the ridiculous and never ending goalie controversy is now officially over.

Jaro, thanks for the memories, you gave us an amazing playoff run and the most excitement Hab's fans have seen in these parts in years. I wish you the best of luck with your new team.

It's a beautiful sunny day at Chez Moey's and I don't intend to spend it wasting time speculating about how Carey Price will do in October, because there's one thing that I know with absolute certainty. I've been blogging about the Habs for the past two years and I've come to the conclusion that at the end of the day I know diddly squat.

My time will be much better spent soaking up some rays and catching up on my latest magazines. That's what summer is for and I'm amazed at a lot of fans who wish it was October already. I guess I'm not a "real" fan, thank God for that too, it means I still have my sanity.

Old Nelly fights back....

2010-06-07T19:21:00.001-04:00

Old Nelly is/was my washing machine, she's 21 years old. She's been on the brink of death a few times, but Mr. Moey refused to part with her. We've had her repaired, but she was never the same. The whining and grunting noises that come out of her were unsettling except of course to Mr. Moey and his selective hearing. I put it down to his separation anxiety and his fear of change. Oddly enough, TV's and stereo/computer equipment don't seem to fall into that category. Poor Nelly has tried to leave us a few times, I've caught her halfway across the room but managed to push her back into her corner. She just wants to go to the big washing machine cemetery with some dignity. She doesn't owe us anything, she's served us well.

Well last night she finally took matters into her own hands. Mr. Moey was outside in the rain yesterday doing some yard work, his jacket was mud spattered and needed a good wash. I threw it into Nelly and went to collect it about a half hour later. The jacket looked like it had been attacked by a pack of rabid dogs. It was ripped everywhere, all the insides hanging out. She ate it alive. The jacket was a Helly Hansen which is a decent brand of outerwear clothing, not exactly dollar store material. Mr. Moey was beside himself, "how could this happen? I don't get it, this doesn't make any sense." I was desperately trying to conceal my glee. I decided to try to wash a couple of other things to see what would happen, she started to fill up with water; there was a strange humming noise, a few feeble attempts to spin, some wheezing and then silence. With a little coaxing and some sweet talk I managed to get her to empty all the water in the tub, bless her little sudsy soul. I've taped a DNR order across her lid in case Mr.gets any ideas.

So it's off to Sears this week for a washer for moi and a new jacket for Mr. Moey, and Nelly can finally rest in pieces.

Big decks.......

2010-05-30T12:31:00.000-04:00

Well, the best laid plans of mice and men.......the backyard construction continues and I still don't have my old deck re-attached. Turns out Mr. Moey wants a bigger deck....what's up with men and the size of their decks? I was happy enough with the old one, it was nothing fancy but it was functional.
Enjoy the video..... :)

A brief hiatus......

2010-05-27T18:07:00.000-04:00

Going dark for a little while, hockey was getting in the way of life. It was a heck of a ride, but it's time to move on. I'm hoping for a few additions in the off season to a pretty good blueprint of a hockey team. I hope we're back next season bigger and better.

Lots of things happening at Chez Moey's inside and out, we had our house excavated in the fall of last year to address a foundation problem. As you can imagine there is no lawn, a huge pile of earth sits in the spot where my deck used to be. An empty pool begging to be filled completes the look. Mr. Moey and I have finally arrived, last weekend we officially reached white trash status. Our BBQ was on the driveway and we were sitting in our lawn chairs eating burgers and listening to sports radio. Uggghhhh. The horror. The trucks will be here this weekend to start taking the dirt piles away and with any luck I should have my deck re-attached by Sunday.

I'll continue to post during the summer, I will probably resurrect my beach series that I started last year along with whatever thoughts and happenings are worth a mention.

Ciao for now.

Sunshine, eighty degrees and playoff hockey....ya gotta love it!

2010-05-22T09:24:00.001-04:00

With the Habs being deep in the playoffs naturally hockey has taken over the airwaves in Montreal. I heard this the other day and thought it was quite interesting. According to an ex-NHL'er, on average on any given team only fifty percent of the players are interested in how far they get in the post season. That, along with the fact that they don't get payed for playoff games surprised me. Maybe that's part of it. They do get a per diem, but in the case of P.K. Subban, he's literally playing for free. I can only draw one conclusion from this, teams that do manage to be successful post season are playing for the pride and glory of a championship, not for their wallets. This year's edition of the Habs seem to understand the importance of hockey to the fans and the city. They get it. I think it was Scott Gomez who remarked that the team wants it even more than the fans. Well Scotty, that's some mighty powerful want and it's refreshing to hear. From where I was sitting, the biggest desire of last year's squad was the fastest path to the golf course.

Watched a little of the Sharks/Hawks game last night. I think San Jose should consider changing it's name from Sharks to guppies. If we can rid ourselves of the vile Flyers, I think a Montreal/Chicago match up would be fantastic. The Habs and the Hawks have the speed and skill to make it a very interesting and exciting final. Of course in order to make that happen, I have to keep practicing my rituals. You can read all about them by clinking this link.

http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/story.html?id=3058476

Prophecies?

2010-05-15T08:14:00.003-04:00

The last time I felt this euphoric was watching the Habs Centennial celebration on Dec. 4th, 2009. It was a magical night that brought back so many fond memories. Ken Dryden was my favorite Hab during the Canadiens' glory days of the seventies. I loved the interview he did with Ron MacLean just before the Habs/Bruins match got underway. Ken, Patrick Roy and Guy Lafleur were asked to share their thoughts about the current team and Ken had this to say, "You do your best when you do something that feels like it belongs to you. The past year has felt like it belonged to us. It's too much. It's not Guy's team, Patrick's team or my team, it's their team. It's time for the next hundred years to begin and for this team to begin it. They have to leave the past behind and write their own story." As always, Ken never disappoints with his poignant words and what a story it's turning out to be.

I wrote this in July 2009 after Bob Gainey cleaned house. I was still pretty emotional about losing my beloved Saku; so in order to get my head around it I decided to try and take a peek into Bob's. This is what I came up with.

As GM it's Bob's responsibility to ice the best team he can. Bob never struck me as a gambling man, in fact he strikes me as quite the opposite, very methodical, plodding and slow. Let's go back two seasons ago when we finished first in the conference. When we lost to the Flyers, did anyone one out there think we had a chance of getting past Pittsburgh? I didn't. Put your hands up if you thought Boston would beat Pittsburgh if they had managed to get past Carolina. I didn't. If I'm Bob Gainey and I want a team that's a cup contender, how do we get past Pittsburgh? Not with the lineup we had, not even with a few tweaks and additions. The Pens are getting better and stronger, they'll be a force to be reckoned with for a few years to come. We were getting older and slower, no disrespect to Saku, I love the guy but even I had to admit there were times out there when his skates looked like they were made of cement. He was good for 12-15 minutes max. If that's your best center it's just not going to cut it. The Pens have too much jump and they don't quit. Our new first line have the skill and jump. Enough jump to get past the Pens? Who knows, but it's a start and I'll take a question mark over an emphatic NO any day.

Obviously I had no idea what was going through Bob's head when he put together this team, he himself says at the end of the day it's a crapshoot. If I were Bob, I'd be on the next plane to Vegas.

Tuesday's giggle...............

2010-05-11T15:12:00.002-04:00

Mmmm..... tasty little critters!

Catching up on my sleep after the game, meowmy was yelling so loud!

Heroes.......

2010-05-09T08:56:00.001-04:00

Another heroic effort by the boys last night. I'll admit I was getting cranky watching the Pens outplay us for most of the game but at the same time I kept reminding myself that Pittsburgh is icing a full roster, we're missing our two best defensemen and lost Hal Gill in the third period. We STILL managed to stay with with the freakin' defending Stanley Cup champions and almost tied it late in the third! That's an accomplishment in itself. The boys are fighting the good fight, but what's left of the defense is running on fumes. I wouldn't be surprised to see the return of Spacek and Markov for game six back in Montreal. Desperate times require desperate measures, especially in the playoffs.

The biggest difference between the team this year and last comes down to this:

Last year after the Habs were swept four straight by the Boston Bruins in the first round, Georges Laraque was interviewed and had this to say, "You didn't honestly think we had a chance did you?" Was it just Georges or was it the mindset of the whole team? Judging by the way they played I have to go with the latter.

Before the first round started against the Washington Capitals Mike Cammalleri was asked if the team felt they had a chance of beating the Caps. Without missing a beat he replied "If there's anyone in this room that doesn't think we can beat them then they shouldn't be here."

Superstitions and random observations....

2010-05-07T09:28:00.001-04:00

I'll admit it, I'm superstitious when it comes to hockey. If I do something differently and the Habs win, then I'll stick with it. As I've metioned in a previous post, this year's winning formula is quite simple, no live blogging or tweeting during the game and reciting snippets of Herb Brook's famous speech once during each period. I've only strayed from the rituals twice and both times we lost. I'm starting to feel the weight of a championship on my shoulders. Last Tuesday night I was invited out with the boys to watch the game at a local bar. It was an enjoyable evening, albeit quiet, they were subdued and dignified Habs fans while Old Yeller here was ready to explode at every missed call and scoring opportunity. To top it off, we lost. I'm chained to my sofa and my laptop is on the shelf during games until the Hab's magical run is over.

Geno reminds me of Lurch on the Adam's family, I guess Dan Bylsma finally figured out he had to tinkle the servant's bell to get his attention. He's also dangerous when woken up, like a bear in hibernation.

The Sharks won't disappoint, they're living proof that it's never too late to choke. (See last night's game against Detroit).

The Pens are tenacious little terriers, but the Habs are Chihuahuas on steroids.

Carey Price needs to take notes from Sid the kid on daycare etiquette, hissy fits are fine, just don't get caught and end up in the corner wearing a dunce cap.

Mad Max slept through the entire season but he hasn't wasted a minute of ice time in the playoffs. Apparently because of his incessant chirping Sid the kid hates playing against him. Max should start sending Sid annoying tweets between games, it might push the boy wonder right over the edge.

Sid the kid's boyhood idol growing up - our very own Kirk Muller.

It irks me that every day more and more Habs car flags are appearing, there's nothing more annoying to me than bandwagon fans.

I love the "history will be made" fan commercials on YouTube. One day I might figure out how to use YouTube and enthrall everyone with homemade videos of my furkids. Now that's something to look forward to!

Don Cherry was defending the Habs last night on HNIC, iron clad proof that he actually is going senile.

Does anybody think that Guy Carbonneau should still be behind the Hab's bench?

As much as I still love and miss Saku Koivu, I've come to terms with the fact that it was time for him to move on. I love this little team, especially it's heart and character, after last year's centennial debacle they've managed to restore pride and a real sense of hope. They really are a joy to watch.

Am I dreaming?

2010-05-03T18:56:00.000-04:00

I was watching the game on Sunday afternoon and I've come to the realization that it really hasn't sunk in that the Habs are in the second round playing the Penguins. *pinches arm* Pretty cool, now we have a split and it's back to Montreal, the Bell Center will be rocking. Long may it last, I plan to enjoy every minute of it. Nobody, including myself could have predicted this.

Habs are hot! Las Vegas is not......

2010-04-30T13:39:00.001-04:00

My cousins and I get ready for a (nippy) night out on the town

Brrrrr!!! It's freaking cold here today, the predicted high is 65 degrees. Global warming my ass. But hey, we're basking in the warm afterglow of the Habs nail biting edge of your seat win over the Caps in game seven. Be still my beating heart, that was probably the longest three minutes of my life, we begged and pleaded with our parents, who have all passed on to throw their blessings down. They're secretly smiling now.

My cousins and I went to the sports bar in the Paris casino to watch the game, Mr. Moey joined us for the third period. Nice comfy chairs with our own TV, it was just like being at home. At the beginning we were the only three watching but midway through the third people started to slowly gather around us and were rooting for our boys. Of course I had to ask if they were Habs' fans, and surprisingly the answer was no, there were a few Pens' fans mixed in with a sprinkling of Ovechkin haters. My cousins had placed $20.00 each on the Habs to win, they were the underdogs so they both collected $66.00 after the game, not bad but they'd wished they bet more. In any case, I was so proud of our boys, what an achievement (especially Halak) and there was nothing I enjoyed more than knocking Ovechkin out in the first round. It's no secret that I'm firmly entrenched in camp Crosby.

I stuck to my new ritual, no live blogging during the game and reciting snippets of Herb Brooks' famous speech to the 1980 U.S. Olympic team in each period. Three's a charm now, I will be doing a repeat performance tonight.

The weather has not been good, we've had 50 mile an hour winds for the past couple of days, it's actually warmer in Montreal today. *sigh* The last time I was in Las Vegas was in 2001 but there are always new hotel/casinos in the works, the notable newer ones since my last visit are the Bellagio, Wynn and Aria. It's really getting congested and it's starting to look like downtown Manhattan, but it's still a fun place to visit for a few days, an adult Disneyland is probably the best way to describe it.

Back on the subject of hockey, I'm anxiously awaiting tonight's game, I'll be jumping off my boy Sid's bandwagon for now, but ready to leap back on depending on the outcome of this series. Can we surprise the hockey world again?

GO HABS GO!

The Vegas nightlife is killing me.........

2010-04-26T10:03:00.003-04:00

Two nights in a row and I'm wide awake at 2:30 in the morning and no, it's not because I'm partying and gambling, I'm having a hard time adjusting to a three hour time change. Thank God I went to Australia a few years ago, now it would probably take me a month to recover from a 16 hour difference. *Yawn*

My cousins are joining me in Vegas for a few days, they fly in tonight. Imagine, the last time the three of us were here together was 1978! Back when the dinosaurs still roamed the earth, shag was the carpet of choice and Jerry freaking Lewis was one of the top dinner shows, which of course we went to! It was fun, I was a big Gerry Lewis fan when I was a kid, so it was a novelty to see him live. (I just checked Google, he's still alive, I wasn't sure.)

I've been back a few times, the landscape has changed dramatically in 32 years, my cousins won't recognize the place. Back in the day, the MGM Grand, Caesars Palace and the Flamingo were the hot spots. They're all still in existence, only much bigger and better. We'll be out and about for the next four days, exploring all the newer casinos, sampling some of the great eating establishments and fitting in some retail therapy at the outlet stores. There's a gaggle of shows to choose from too, I'm giving the x-rated hypnotist a wide berth this time around, I still have nightmares about blowup dolls.

If I manage to stay awake this afternoon, I'll catch the Habs' game on Versus. I wish they were playing in Washington though, their playoff win record on home ice is downright scary. But you never now, the stars and the bars on the slot machine may align and they (I) will win big. Maybe. Please?

Viva Las Vegas and Habs win!!!! Woo hoo!!!!!

2010-04-24T20:38:00.000-04:00

One thing I won't be doing while I'm here is this:

It's all good. Had a great flight down here, gotta love Executive class, real food with real dishes and utensils. Aaahhhh. Just settling in right now, I'll be posting updates in the days to come!!! Our Habs are still in it!!! I don't want to get my hopes up too much, at least they've made a series out of it. I'm so proud :)

Ouch! That hurt.......

2010-04-20T20:55:00.004-04:00

Muttered Carey Price last night as he picked the splinters out of his butt. You know the feeling, you've slept in, didn't hear the alarm, you're in a nice deep sleep; you get rudely awakened and you realize you're late for work. No time for a cup of coffee or a shower, throw on the clothes and get into the thick of it. It sucks, you're whole day is thrown off, but with a good night's sleep and a new game plan to back up that frigging alarm clock, you feel like a million bucks the next day.

CAR-EY! CAR-EY! CAR-EY!

A rare treat......

2010-04-18T08:15:00.001-04:00

I'm a lazy blogger. I can't be bothered to go into the finer details of hockey games. My in depth analysis of last night's game would go something along the lines of "well that really sucked." Fortunately for me, a fellow blogger emailed me his recap on last night's atrocious reffing in Washington.

His name is Daniel G, he hails from Alliston, Ontario, and here is his take:

http://thehockeyfile.blogspot.com/2010/04/sad-day-for-hockey.html

I concur.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T..........

2010-04-17T09:53:00.004-04:00

Matisse and Clicquot enjoying the Habs/Caps game on Thursday night.

Looks like we're going to have to earn it. I always thought that the HNIC/CBC crew were Hab haters, but what's up with TSN? On Thursday night's intro the Habs were a team "in desperate need of a miracle." A bit over the top, don't you think? I mean we've had our struggles during the season but so have a lot of other teams. I was reading the comments on FourHabsFans yesterday and one of my favorite commentors posted this:

moeman said...

dave hodge, tsnasshole;

"But perhaps the biggest eyebrow raiser came on Thursday when the Canadiens
- with the lowest point total among the 16 postseason teams - edged the
Eastern Conference-leading Capitals 3-2 in overtime and made sure super
sniper Alex Ovechkin didn't get a single shot on goal.

Are these games a microcosm of what will happen their respective series,
or does a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while?

A blind squirrel finding a nut once in a while? Them's fightin' words. Now I'm stoked. I want the Habs to knock the Caps into tomorrow. Show no mercy boys. Please? Pretty please?

I don't quite get the hate and total lack of respect. It certainly isn't because of any recent success that the Habs have had. Are they holding 24 cups against us? Is it political? Equally as confusing is Pierre McGuire has decided to jump on the Habs bandwagon. He actually said that he was "honored" to be calling a Habs playoff series. What?? Unless the dufus has finally figured out slagging them at every opportunity isn't the fastest path back to gaining employment with them, which is what I think he ultimately wants.

Great game on Thursday night, a scary first period but then the Habs found their legs in the second and didn't look back. Both Jaro's were brilliant, I'm just concerned about Jaro Spacek being able to contain Ovie for another six games, he's no spring chicken. I hope the "good" Habs show up for tonight but even with a loss going back to the Bell Center with a split is a much better scenario than I initially predicted. Not because I think they're "blind squirrels" but they've been so inconsistent during the regular season that I thought they might squeak (pardon the pun) out a win and push the series to five. When they all show up they're a pretty decent team, a team capable of knocking the Caps out in the first round. Okay, I've said enough. Don't want to jinx them.

GO HABS!!!!!!

Who ever said it would be easy?

2010-04-11T08:59:00.002-04:00

Yours truly before, during and after last night's game.

Nothing comes easy when you're a Habs fan. I've run the gamut of emotions from A to Z for the past two weeks, from feeling hopeful to tweeting "if the Habs playoff hopes rest on the final game against the Leafs, I'm quitting my fandom and jumping on the Pittsburgh bandwagon." A little too hasty perhaps, obviously I'll wait until the Habs are out before hitching my wagon to Sid and his cronies.

The boys got their elusive point, it wasn't very pretty but they did what they had to do. I would prefer to play the Caps, even if we can't get by them at least the games will be entertaining. Also, keep in mind the Habs have a habit of playing to their opposition, so anything can happen.

If our goaltending is solid, if our power play picks up again and Cammy regains his scoring touch things could get very interesting. In a perfect world I'd like to see Halak play the first game, lose it and Price come riding to the rescue like a knight in shining armour. The poor guy needs a break and I'd enjoy nothing more than to see him redeem himself in front of the booing idiots in the rafters at the Bell Center. Don't get me wrong, I don't take goaltending sides, winning is all that matters, but Price deserves a shot at redemption. He's been playing well but lady luck hasn't been on his side.

I'm disappointed that the Ducks didn't make the playoffs despite Saku carrying the team on his back for the last few games. Would have loved to see them coming out of the west for the final.

It's a brand new season, let the games begin.

Look what they've done to me..........

2010-04-09T07:06:00.005-04:00

I woke up this morning, looked in the mirror and saw this. The Habs are SO not worth it.

I'm just going to start using Noxzema again, the fancy expensive creams are clearly not working. But I digress.

Enough already. Candles, angel bear, lightening in the sky. Nothing works. I need a holiday, soon. I'm taking one. I'm tagging along with Mr. Moey to Las Vegas, while he attends a convention. The million dollar question, will I be packing my trusty Hab's flag for the playoffs?

Bob Gainey didn't like what he saw last year. I can understand that. Why keep beating a dead horse? He wiped the slate clean. Back to the drawing board. New coaches, ten new players and we are now looking at an exact replica of last year. There must be something in the water at the Bell Center.

In loving memory of my mum who passed away on April 2, 2010

2010-04-03T17:57:00.000-04:00

This little angel bear sat on my mum's sidetable in the hospital to watch over her, I lit this candle last night and the Habs won. A new ritual is born.

My sweet mum passed away peacefully on Friday afternoon. Being a church going Catholic her entire life, she now has bragging rights that she and Jesus departed this earth on the same day. She'll be more than happy to share that with her sister who predeceased her by ten months, the ongoing sibling rivalry can pick up where it left off.

Mum had been in the hospital for the better part of three months, she missed Christmas with us, her presents are still wrapped, we were hoping at some point she would have been well enough to have a mini-Christmas celebration, but it was not to be. My best recent memory was the two of us watching the Habs centennial celebration on Dec. 4th, she really enjoyed seeing all the old players and shed a few tears when Elmer and Butch's jerseys were retired. We had a nice dinner that night and were looking forward to Christmas.

Rest in peace mum, I'll miss you very much, but I know you'll be in good company; reunited with Dad, along with your brother and two sisters, and your favorite hockey player of all time, the Rocket.

One step forward, two steps back.......

2010-03-28T10:22:00.001-04:00

Can't we just get enough wins to clinch a playoff spot? Is that asking too much? Obviously, yes it is.

The best part about last night was this,

The best smoked meat in town courtesy of Smoked Meat Pete

On the other hand, Pete's logo may have played a part in jinxing the Habs

Whatever. I'm not going on and on about it, let the chips (or fries) fall where they may; there's not a damn thing we can do about it. In the meantime I'll just keep stuffing my face with delicious food and leave the hockey up to them. It won't help my waistline, but at least my sanity will remain intact.

Cursed?

2010-03-27T09:06:00.000-04:00

Halak's grandmother with Carey Price voodoo doll

Sniffs of spring........

2010-03-21T11:38:00.005-04:00

You know, the usual stuff, dog poop and playoffs. Speaking of dog poop, we lost to the Leafs in overtime last night mainly because of our stinking power play. I was watching the game with Mr. Moey and at one point while I was in mid yap and not paying attention he tells me one of our guys was hit in the face with a stick and we were on a four minute power play. The first thing that came out of my mouth was that I hoped it was Maxim Lapierre. No offense to Lapierre but he is expendable and not exactly an important piece of the puzzle. A few minutes later there was a closeup of Max's mug and it was evident that his chops were on the receiving end of someone's stick. A couple of stitches with a shot of whiskey and he'll be fine. What's up with Max this year? He was the winner of the Jacques Beauchamp Molson trophy for the 2008/9 season (unsung hero award) but so far he's been useless. Maybe he's saving up all his energy for the playoffs? What's more concerning is that it's becoming more and more evident that Mr.Moey has chosen the lesser of two evils; watching hockey has become preferable to listening to me yap.

We could have used the two points, but to be honest the fact that Markov emerged unscathed was much more important to me. I'm waiting for the fallout on the Team 990 tomorrow morning, when we're on a winning streak we've practically won the Stanley Cup; lose one and the sky is falling, we're too small, not tough enough, the power play is terrible, yada yada yada. Such highs and lows, enough to make you seasick.

In any case, the boys better smarten up for Monday night's meeting with the Sens. It's a four pointer, so no excuses and hopefully Bambi (MAB) will be back in the lineup and manning the point on the PP. The return of Cammy can't be too far off either but it may take a couple of games for him to get his timing back.

I guess we'll be seeing Price in nets at some point this week, maybe against the Panthers, it's going to take a few days to clear the cobwebs off of him. The spiders will be raging, they've all but completed the penthouse on the condominium complex.

Happy St. Patrick's day!

2010-03-17T16:50:00.002-04:00

As for my own Irish heritage, my mother is Scottish but she loves Ireland and all things Irish. When I was young, I was dying to take ballet lessons, mum wouldn't hear of it and insisted on Irish dancing lessons instead. I've never forgiven her for it and to this day when I see commercials for Riverdance I cringe.

As God intended it to be........

2010-03-14T07:45:00.001-04:00

Beating the Bruins that is. There's nothing more satisfying on a Saturday night on HNIC, well except maybe beating the Leafs, but we'll be taking care of that next weekend.

Chara comforts Lucic after he's hit by AK46

Great game, lots of energy and what about Scott Gomez? My personal nickname for him is Speedy Gonzales, he justs zigs and zags down the ice leaving the Bruins in his dust, such fun to watch. Every time that line steps on the ice you just know good things are going to happen. I can't wait to have the last two missing pieces of the puzzle back, Cammy reunited with AK46 and Pleky and Bambi back on the powerplay are just going to drive this team up another notch.

Bob Gainey must be feeling some satisfaction, his vision for this new team is finally coming to fruition. For all the naysayers, whiners and so called experts, how could anyone possibly rate this team when the full roster were only on the ice for two games this season?

I realize there are games left to be played and I'm not counting my chickens, but I can't help but feel a little excited about our team. The biggest difference from last years' squad is not so much talent, but the character and will to win. As a fan, as long as they are giving it their best that's all we can really ask. Well, that and making it through to a third playoff round would be nice too.