Big decks.......

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..... :)

Big decks.......

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......

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.

A brief hiatus......

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!

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

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

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?

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.

Prophecies?

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...............

Mmmm..... tasty little critters!

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

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

Mmmm..... tasty little critters!

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

Heroes.......

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."

Heroes.......

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....

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.

Superstitions and random observations....

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?

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.

Am I dreaming?

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.