tobyMac

So another New Music Tuesday in the books, and I'd say it went pretty well. I was pleasantly surprised at Toby's new album. It's pretty stinkin' good. The guy is 42, and he still puts out some of the best there is in Christian music. I tell ya, I can't wait to go to Nashville in April and meet the guy... Maybe he'll take me shopping for some new threads?

Deal Or No Deal Canada

Remember about a month ago I went to a taping of Deal Or No Deal Canada? Well our episode is finally going to be on tv! Yup, tomorrow night look for us in the audience. We'll be sitting behind the family about 7-10 rows up. I'm not going to spoil the ending for you, but I was upset when Jenny took the banker's offer. If I were in her shoes I'd keep going until I had at least $500,000. I'd want enough to buy as nice house with cash. Is that too much to ask? Anyway, look for us on tomorrow night's episode of Deal Or No Deal Canada.

Cities

Well another New Music Tuesday in the books... Another crazy night of non-stop phone calls is (sadly) done as well. Here's my review of the new Anberlin disc.
It's SOLID. I didn't like it that much at first, but the more I listen to it, the better it gets. I'd say my favorite song is either Adelaide or Dismantle.Repair. I would say (*FIN) but it's a 9 minute song, so it probably won't be played on the radio cause it's way too long. If you're on the fence on whether or not to pick up the cd? Do it! You won't regret it... Well I'm off to blast the new Anberlin from my car as I cruise through downtown on my way home.

Another Solid Weekend!

Another road trip was in store this past weekend. This time it was the annual "Boys Hockey Weekend." The destination this year was Pittsburgh to see the Penguins (Crosby, Staal and Malkin) take on the Washington Capitals (Ovechkin and Semin). We left early Saturday morning and hit the road full of excitement. (We= me, Tim Maassarany, Mark, Greg and Jordan). We crossed at Buffalo and headed down I90 towards Erie, PA. We stopped at Bob Evans for lunch and enjoyed the all-day breakfast. (Tim had never been before.) After filling our stomachs we resumed the drive to the Steel City. With the guys in the back watching DVD's, we drove through the mini snowsquall and made it to our hotel. Now that we were in Pittsburgh, it was time to experience the city. We decided to check out the Carnegie Science Center, specifically the sports pavillion. It was pretty sweet, they had this station that measured the speed of your karate chop, your reaction time, your 100-metre dash time, your hockey skills and balance (25 feet up on a steel beam).

Tim Maassarany and his super-fast karate chop.

Mark balancing on the steel beam

After the fun at the sports pavalion we went back to the main building and enjoyed the imax experience. It was a movie on a dome screen so it's like you're actually there. The movie was called "Hurricane On The Bayou" it was about New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina, and how the erosion of the wetlands made the hurricane hit the city harder than it would have 50 years ago. I was actually a little disappointed, I expected it to be about the hurricane, but it was more about saving the wetlands of south Louisianna. Don't get me wrong, it was still pretty cool.

After the movie we were pretty hungry so we made our way over to PNC Park (where the Pirates play) and a restaurant called Atrias. This place looked so fancy inside, nice burgundy curtains, fancy brass fixtures and dark wood tables, but the dress code was non-existent. (Most people were wearing jeans and polos) The food was really good.

Tim Maassarany enjoying his burger

Sunday we got to sleep in after an exhausting night of learning at the Science Center, and then made our way to Mellon Arena (aka: the Igloo) for the hockey game. We arrived 2 hours before game time expecting to be able to go in and walk around, check out the team store and enjoy everything a Penguins game had to offer. What we didn't know was that they don't open the doors until 1 hour before the game. So for the hour we waited outside the arena we played 20 questions, and I took a survey of people and what they thought of Mark's (no so cool) ear cups. Once they let us in we headed for our seats and stumbled upon this guy doing free caricatures. Needless to say free is a good price so we stopped and had ours done. We then headed up to our seats. In the nosebleeds, but still with a very good view of the ice.

Mellon Arena (aka: The Igloo). ***Useless Trivia: It was originally a concert hall, and has a retractable roof***

Mark (with his ear cups) and Tim getting their caricature done.

Tim & Jordan excitedly watching warmups.

It was another sellout in Pittsburgh, a packed house to see their playoff bound team. It was actually a pretty decent game, good scoring chances at both ends, Sid and Alex playing well, the fans getting excited with every hit. We even got to see a penalty shot (he hit the crossbar). Final score: 3-2 for the Penguins. Tim and I were both hoping for a tie because we wanted to see a shootout, but no such luck. After the game Tim chased down Iceburgh, the Penguins mascot, so we could take the cliche group photo. Once we left the game it was time to hit the road and head home. We stopped for dinner at the Cracker Barrel, where Tim & Mark paired up in an attempt to beat Greg in a game of checkers... No such luck (Greg is a genius). I can't really tell you what happened after dinner because I fell asleep in the car and Greg drove us back to Canada.

The group shot with Iceburgh (The Penguins Mascot)

A fierce game of checkers.

Overall, another solid weekend. Now the planning for next year's trip begins!

Another Road Trip

This weekend I go on another road trip... It's the annual "Boyz Weekend." 5 of us (Mark, Greg, Jordan, Tim and Myself) are going to Pittsburgh to see Crosby and Ovechkin square off on Sunday afternoon. Watch NBC's game of the week and you might see us! I'll be sure to post more pictures on Monday, and I'll try and get my camera into the game this time!

Much Love!

Krutches

I had a little mishap yesterday. I was wearing my winter boots when I came to work, (I shouldn't cause they are hard to drive in). I parked my car out back, and grabbed my stuff, ready for work. My foot however got stuck between the gas and break pedals, it didn't seem to want to come to work with me. My solution, pull until it decides to release itself. In the process I twisted my knee somewhat awkwardly, hurt myself, BUT I did get my foot free. My knee was hurting all through my show, so after I got off I decided to go to the hospital and get it checked. Turns out I sprained (or maybe strained) my ACL. That means I am on crutches today.

Here's where it gets bad... When people ask what happened, I don't have a cool story to tell them. I didn't climb a tree to save a cat, I didn't dive in front of a bus to save an old lady, I didn't even do it playing a sport! I'm on crutches because I struggle getting out of my car. VERY embarrassing! Hopefully I will be able to walk on my own in a couple days.

Ode To A Be-Heading

Can I start off by saying how lucky I am? I'm so stinkin' lucky! Crystal is the most amazing wife ever! My valentines gift was a mason jar, filled with pieces of paper... Each one representing one thing she loves about me. There are over 200 pieces of paper in the jar, enough to get me to my birthday. Yeah it's pretty much the most amazing valentine's gift ever!

So on with my post... I always thought of Valentine's Day as a nice mushy day... Until today. Did you know it's actually the anniversary of a be-heading that we celebrate? Let's take a trip back in time. Emperor Claudius is ruling over Rome. He's such a bad dude that the peasants call him "Claudius the Cruel." Well Claudius has this theory: Married men are lousy soldiers. They are reluctant to die for their country. So he makes this law that no one is allowed to get married. (Somehow this will keep the men brave and willing to fight harder) Enter Bishop Valentine... He decides this Claudius guy is an idiot and he's going to marry people anyway. Bad Idea. "Claudius the Cruel" lives up to his namesake and when he hears about this renegade bishop that is marrying people, he snaps. "Chop off his head!" he yelled. And so on February 14, 270A.D. Bishop Valentine was put on the chopping block, and the result (other than a very close haircut) was Valentine's Day. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and mushy inside?

Protection

So last Tuesday I took a hockey stick to the mouth at Tuesday Morning Hockey. So I went out and got a mouthguard to help keep my smile permanent. Today was my first day playing with the mouthguard, and it was quite the adjustment. It was hard to breathe with at first, it made me gag at times, and it made me really thirsty. I didn't give up on it though, wore it for the full 2 hours and by the end it wasn't that bad. I think I might have actually played better with it in. I don't think I could play with the full cage though, I can't see the puck cause all I see is the cage in front of my face. Maybe I could try the clear face shield if the mouthguard doesn't work out... But I'm pretty sure it will.

The Trip Of My Dreams

WOW! What an incredible weekend! For Christmas Crystal gave me a trip to Dallas to see the Stars play the Ducks. Well this past weekend was the time I had (patiently) waited for for a month and a half. It was totally worth the wait!

FRIDAY
We arrived in Dallas and went shopping just north of the airport at Grapevine Mills. Some sweet deals to be had. I got 2 hoodies and Crystal got a buncha stuff. After shopping we met up with a friend for dinner. He took us to Fort Worth and we ate at a hole in the wall called Joe-T-Garcia's (Est 1938). It's in this run down area of the city, with empty buildings, no street lights, and one parking lot... RAMMED! Seriously, this place was so busy. They have 2 items on the menu; Enchiladas and Fajitas. They were SO good. I guess if you've got good food, people will come to you no matter where you are. After dinner we headed down to the Fort Worth Stockyards... It was like going back in time. Cowboys walking the streets, saloons line the street and the world's first indoor rodeo. So off to the rodeo we go... It was an experience, the crowd cheering for either the cowboy or the bull. We actually saw one of the cowboys fall off the bull, and then get tossed around like a rag doll. Not the most pleasant sight.

Once the rodeo ended we went to Billy Bob's Honky Tonk. (An apparent "must see" in Texas) It was this huge country-western bar with a concert venue at one end (All the big names make sure they stop in) and a bull riding area at the other end. So afetr a quick walk around we went to watch more bull riding. This time you were right down next to the "field." At one point we actually had a bull crash into the steel fence that was in front of us. Pretty wild! We finished up at Billy Bob's and then went for a tour of Fort Worth's downtown area, Dallas' Downtown, and the street where all the rich people in Dallas live. A lot of nice houses there. We also took a quick walk through Dealey Plaza and had a quick history lesson on the School Book Depository, JFK's assassination and the x's that are on the road (each "x" marks a spot where Kenedy was shot). We never actually got to go to the Sixth Floor Museum (all about JFK's assassination) because it was closed whenever we had the chance to go. After the last couple tours it was time to head back to the hotel... We were gassed!

Yellow - Where Lee Harvey Oswald was when he shot JFK

Blue - An "X" marking where JFK took the final bullet


SATURDAY

We got to sleep in a little and then headed for the American Airlines Center in Dallas. We arrived early so we took a walk around the arena, and headed inside to scope things out.

The security people wouldn't let me go through with my camera (apparently it was too big) so I was escorted to guest services to leave it with them until the game ended. After dropping off my camera we walked around the concourse and picked up all the free stuff they were handing out. (Stars Team Yearbooks, A Marty Turco goalie mask, mouse pads, buttons, and whatever else I could grab) It also turns out that All-Star game merch was half price! Needless to say I did some shopping. (Got a clock, travel mug, hat and keychain) We made our way up to the seats and got ready to cheer on (the best team in the NHL) the Dallas Stars. I was amazed at how much people in Texas knew about hockey... you always hear about people from the Southern US being clueless when it comes to hockey, but they were on the ball. There was a fight 35 seconds into the game, and that got the crowd into it pretty quick. No scoring until the 3rd period when Jussi Jokinen scored a pretty goal to give Dallas the lead, and the win. YAY! (So my team won)

After the game we headed to Reunion tower. The view of downtown was pretty good, and the trip was pretty fun.

We weren't dressed up enough to have dinner at the revolving restaurant (probably couldn't afford it either) so we began our search for "Macaroni Grill." We had passed it earlier in our adventures in Dallas, now we just had to find it. After about an hour with no luck, we decided that since we saw it when we were lost, the solution would be to get lost again. It worked! We found it, and we were so glad we did! The food was delish! Dinner was now taken care of, and we ate alot, so it was time to crash.

SUNDAY

We decided to go to The Potter's House for church (T.D. Jakes' church). We looked it up online and service times were 8 and 11:30, so we planned on going to the 11:30 service. We arrived about 15 minutes before we thought church started, only to find cars parked along the highway, on the side of the road and on every side street. WOW! I had never seen this before. So we began to search for a parking spot. We found one...about a mile and a half away. We began to walk to the church when a pasenger van pulled up and offered us a ride. We went into the church and were directed down a series of hallways into what they called the overflow. (This overflow was bigger than any church I've seen in Central Ontario) They had 2 small screens and one huge screen projecting Bishop T.D. Jakes preaching up a storm. It was interesting, he didn't preach like I was used to, he walked around and seemingly just talked. Anyway, about 40 miutes later he gave an altar call and service was over! I was a little disappointed. We went to a church service with over 28,000 people and missed the worship! Another difference i noticed was that the people there were dressed to the nines! I mean full out designer suits and ties. I was wearing jeans and a button-up shirt. Did I mention the church is almost 80% Black? Needless to say Crystal and I stuck out a little. It was fun though... The people we so friendly. The walk back to the car... 25 minutes.

The view from where we parked... The church is circled in red

After church we went to Fuddruckers for lunch. I had never been, and Crystal raved about it (as did Steve Jones). I can see why, my burger and milkshake was great! After Fudds we had to head for the airport to catch our flight home. (It was delayed for 2 hours, but we didn't mind too much)

It was an unforgetable weekend and I consider myself to be so very lucky to have an amazing wife to put it together for me. This smile on my face will last a LONG time

Dallas

Tomorrow morning I finally get my Christmas present from Crystal... We fly out to Dallas for the weekend! (Yeah Baby!) We arrive early in the day tomorrow, go shopping, then we go out with a radio guy in Dallas. Saturday we sleep in and then go to see the Stars vs Ducks in the afternoon! WOO HOO! I'm so excited. I'll fill you in on all the dirty details on Monday!

Snow, snow, snow

HOLY SNOW! Honestly... this is insane. I feel like it is never going to stop snowing. Every day I go clear about a foot of snow off the radio station vehicles and when I come back the next day... THERE'S ANOTHER FOOT OF SNOW ON THEM! It's madness. I know winter came late, but I don't think we need to make up for the snow we missed. Oh well, last week that rodent from Wiarton said an early spring is on it's way... Let's hope he's right!

Why I love Tuesday's

I love Tuesdays. Ya know why? Cause I get to play Tuesday morning shinny! Well today my shinny experience was less than perfect. I wear a half visor, so it protects my eyes and nose (not mouth).

Well I got a stick to the chin today and I bit through my lip. (Yeah it hurt.) To top it all off, Steve Jones was the most unsympathetic person when he heard about it. He gave me the "Mom" lecture about wearing a full cage.

Now I don't like wearing a cage, but I think he might be on to something. I have a beautiful face and I don't want to damage it. OK, maybe not cause I have a nice face, but if I have to have my jaw wired shut, then I can't work... Maybe I should look into a full mask? Steve is getting married in a couple months, and I think he'll be a very good father. (At least based on his parenting me)

Superbowl

Super Bowl weekend has finally arrived and you probably want a prediction right? OK here's what I think. I'd like to see Peyton Manning play a horrible game (I just don't like him) I'd also like to see the Bears play well and Rex Grossman throw bombs all day. BUT Chicago won't win if they have to rely on Rexy, so I'll take a Chicago teams that runs the ball a lot and wins. I predict a 27-24 win for DA BEARS!

See me Monday and we'll see if I'm right.

Crosby

I watched hilites from tonight's Canadiens/Penguins hockey game, and I saw something that made me smile, but it saddened me a little too.

Right off the openign faceoff Sidney Crosby got a stick to the gut. (Not comfy) So what does he do? He gives the perpetrator a little shot on the next play. I get up and say "Way to go Sidney!" But then I stop and think to myself, that is what's wrong with the NHL. Why should the superstar have to send the message? That's what tough guys are for! Wayne Gretzky never had to worry about someone takign a cheap shot because he had Dave Semenko and Marty McSorley to take care of business. I'm not saying the tough guy has to be on the ice all the time, just have him on the bench in case something happens. Do you really want Jarome Iginla or Sidney Crosby hurting themselves? No. The fix is simple.