Why I Love Hockey

But first, a TV mini-rant. I've made it abundantly clear that I'm not the biggest fan of episodic television. I've liked some shows like Six Feet Under and The Sopranos, but after two seasons I usually get bored or annoyed. I'm a movie guy. I like resolution. But I did get sucked into a show called The Playboy Club on NBC. It just got cancelled after three episodes. Sure it wasn't the best show, but the writing was decent. There was a good flow, especially with the club manager's character. Anyway, just surprised, that's all. Especially since Pan Am is a horrible show and just got a huge article on it in the Globe.

Ok I just talked way too much about TV. Fuck TV. Reasons why hockey is the best-

1) It's on ice. Without a doubt the most unforgiving surface in every way.
2) They wear SWEATERS, not jerseys. I've always hated the word "jersey" and have always adored sweaters.
3) It's an international sport, but with interesting countries that you can't pronounce and are cold as fuck. As a New Englander, I appreciate this.
4) Beards

5) Goalies in full pads look like bears or monsters from Where the Wild Things Are

6) Punching.
7) Expansion teams are slowly being moved to places where people actually give a fuck about the sport.
8) Hockey gave us the greatest photograph ever captured-

Office Dullard

Can someone tell me why all the championship swag for the Bruins is really lame? They're all understated and poorly designed. There were seven games in the series. That gave designers at least two weeks to come up with something neat-o. All I want is a giant neon yellow hoodie that has Marchand punching the Sedin sisters in the dick. Is that too much to ask for?

$50 for a t-shirt and hat in Fanuiel Hall is highway robbery.
$50 for a t-shirt and hat in Downtown Crossing is a deal...when you throw in meeting Patrice Bergeron.

Yeah...that happened.

It's been pretty busy at GBH today (yeah that's a thing too now) but right now having a bit of a lull and now the e-mail refuses to work. As a result, I've started and stopped three different crosswords, watched the "Don't Give UP" video twice, and now getting choked up watching "Nothing Compares 2 U." It's so easy to forget how fucking amazing that tune is.

Guess I should go find something non-profity to do. Like...get a tote bag...or...eh screw it. Peter Gabriel is far more entertaining.

Victory

The Cup was always a thing of the past to me. The last time I cared about the quest for it was after Ray Bourque's bitter-sweet trade to Colorado in 2001. My dad was excited. I was excited too. The only thing that prevented full-out celebration was the jersey- a giant A where a giant B once was.

I still watched, halfheartedly so. The Sox win defined a new era, the Patriots started a new love of football, and even the Celtics got to have their say too. But I still thought of the Bruins. I thought of the Bobby Orr t-shirts that started to appear in Newbury Comic stores. I thought of the renaming of that area off Causeway back to the Gahhhden. When was it gonna be the B's turn? Has to happen sometime.

'09 looked good. '10 looked even better. '11 had to be the year.

And so it is. Tim Thomas giving a performance I'm going to tell my kids about. The sheer joy exhibited by Chara and Recchi. The disbelief on Seugin's face. The fireworks shot outside my friend's apartment window. Whether you're a hockey fan or not, this was a night for Boston. This was a night for us all.

90 Min to Go

Hockey, specifically the Bruins have always been part of my life. My dad taught me how to skate on the bog behind our house, there was a huge Bruins sticker on my bedroom door, I'd love watching the games on TV with my dad and as a result, I learned how to swear watching those games.

Yes friends, the Bruins in the mid 90s cause much cursing around New England. They haven't known the sweet taste of the finals since I was born...pretty much EXACTLY since I was born. Since I grew up in a place where hockey was important but the team was such a disappointment, the Cup was a mere fantasy to me. My dad would tell me of giants like Bobby Orr and Phil Espisito and the legendary Canadian holy grail steeped in tradition and superstition. It was all bedtime stories.

Tonight, it becomes a reality. Tonight, new stories will be created. Tonight begins a new journey with new giants of the ice. This is something I can be a part of just by living it.

Digital Venting

Tonight I watched the wicked intense Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Quarters- Montreal at Boston. 2-1 in the second overtime. Sweet shit. I don't think I've sworn that much in front of my mother. She got wicked into it too and she never watches hockey. Stayed up for the whole thing with me and my mom is like everyone else's mom- she'll fall asleep 10 minutes into a friggin' movie. The game wrapped up nicely enough right when Moses parted the Red Sea in The Ten Commandments over on Channel 5.

Speaking of, as far as that new HD print goes, brilliant. I think I'm starting to fall for Blu-ray. It makes those Technicolor pictures LOOK how Technicolor actually looks. Also in school I'm learning how to author one and I'm blown away how much they can store. Oh PS3, drop in price soon. Or let me have a surprisingly prosperous summer.

That being said, I still miss 2 VHS sets. Long movies should have appropriate home movie breaks. Pausing is so awkward and I've always felt that way. Plus it feels more like an event- taking out one tape and putting in another. I'm also looking at you, Laserdiscs and CEDs. You know how I'm a sucker for flipping discs.

I started writing a treatment to the second installment of Slip Conway after watching a great triple feature of detective movies- Chinatown (1977), The Thin Man (1934) and Soylent Green (1973). These characters are getting more developed and the stories are getting more ambitious. It's wicked exciting like when I started doing Clifford Gritts videos but times ten.

Hopefully most if not all of the post-production for Slip will be done by the end of the week. I can't believe I'm leaving the friggin' country next week. Still so much to do.

Right in the Beans

On one level, Ballet for Tape Music (new title) is done. I videotaped it. I edited it. Exporting is another story. I want to bounce it BACK to videotape then re-upload it to the computer for a QT file. The finished product will be both a physical tape and a QT file.

Sadly, that's not as easy as Joe made it sound last night. Especially when you're working with patch bays that date back to the 1980s and a computer that's obnoxiously up-to-date. Today, I went back to the school to work on it but the studio was all tied up trying to show off for Accepted Students Day. I think the last thing parents want to see is a hung over video artist, wearing a "Disco Sucks" t-shirt, cursing at a VHS deck. Hey, kids gotta learn the reality about art school some day.

Speaking of, I love Accepted Students Day. It's the day that art kid stereotypes shine. The goth girls who have probably screamed "No Mom! I'm going to ART SCHOOL" a lot in the past few days. The dorks who wear blazers over ironic t-shirts...oh wait...that one hits too close to home. Suddenly this bit isn't funny anymore.

Today is also opening day at Fenway- one of my favorite sporting events of the year. In fact, let's look at my top five sporting events-

1. Souper Bowl
2. Opening Day at Fenway
3. Wrestlemania
4. Kentucky Derby
5. Ultimate Fighter Finale

The city is humming. The Blue Angels set off car alarms all across the hill. The cheers from Pedroya's home run could be heard allllll the way back at 774. That being said, I hate baseball. So many games, so few well-payed players giving a shit.

Let's talk hawkey. Boston/Montreal. Washington/NYR. Vancouver/Chicago. These first round games aren't even fair. So yeah, I'll enjoy this Sox game today, but tomorrow, my stick is back on the ice.

Slobberknocker

Tonight's Boston-Montreal hockey game is the most exciting sporting event of the year thus far. Green Bay can enjoy their forgettable Super Bowl win, Anderson Silva did a brutal head-kick KO for the title, but this...this is what Bostonians live for. Brutal old school hockey. Boston- 8 (should have been 9.) Montreal- 6. Two huge brawls (including a square off between the two goalies), two smaller skirmishes, and lots of ill will exchanged. The only thing that would have topped everything is if Lucic or Ryder got a hat trick.

We like our sports to go into the wee hours. Who the hell needs sleep when you have hot testosterone and cold beer? The Canadians need to find a new hotel tonight, far outside the city limits, or else their safety could be in jeopardy. If I wasn't in my Pac-Man pajamas, I'd be darting between the high rises, hunting down a celebration. Who the hell cares about Spring Training? All I care about is Friday night when we play Detroit. If you're not watching the NHL, you are missing out.

Certainly canceled out all the shit I had to watch in Screening today. God forbid I ever run into Stan Brakhage's wife or daughter after seeing her give birth five inches away from her vagina on a full color 16mm print. Jesus H. Christ on a crutch.

Excited for tomorrow's writing and Hi8 transferring sessions. I predict screwdrivers in the AM and dark and stormy-s well into the evening. Gotta keep the fingers nimble, the mind clear, and the liver on guard.

Charazard

Zdeno Chara's hat trick and Boston's 7-0 win over Carolina restored my faith in sports. Chara SMILED today. That man shows only two emotions- anger and brutal defense. As Paul pointed out, "brutal defense" is an emotion and Chara's the 4th Bruins defenseman to get a hat trick...and the other three were Ray Borque. At least I know it's safe to listen to sports radio again because 98.5 will be gabbing about this win all freaking week...until some 50-something bonehead calls up bitching about the Pats game, which will undoubtedly happen. Maybe it's still best to avoid my radio...

I'd really love to be a pro-wrestling TV commentator. Actually ideally I'd wanna be a character developer and commentator. WWE Superstars are way too similar and generic now-a-days. They are all the "sorta in shape white kid doing well for himself." The nuanced personalities occur when they act like either a dick (any member of the Nexus), a douche bag (The fucking Miz) or lone wolf (Newbury's own John Cena). No one is really unique anymore and those who are unique are the comic relief or pathetic jobbers. The only cat that really impresses me on the WWE's roster right now is this kid from South Africa. He's brutal in the ring with lots of old school moves. Can't for the life of me remember his name...

Also way too many are trying to bank in on their famous dads- like Dusty Rhodes's kid and Ted DiBiase's kid. They are both very talented but serve no other purpose other than being third generation.

There's a lot wrong with the WWE right now. I'd love to work with them though, mostly because I don't want to move to Florida seeking employment from TNA. I'll just start looking for jobs in local promotions. Too bad my dear friends at NECW went under. Their shows were fantastic and the personalities were great. I will dearly miss stumbling around Quincy and sweating my ass off in the Armory.