Hockey Pool: Week 5

If you know me, you know I love fantasy football.   So when I was invited to participate in my first-ever fantasy hockey league this year, I happily jumped right on board.   Everyone takes turns ‘hosting’ the weekly updates, so this week was my turn.  Ironically, Week 5 is the week I forgot to make my picks (thanks, bronchitis, for leaving me on my death bed and unwilling to turn on a computer!) and has been my worst week thus far.  Womp, womp.

Without further ado, here are the standings as of week 5:

Thanks to a combination of great picks by Mod Scientist and non-picks by me, Mod Scientist has taken over the lead in a tight race between Mod Scientist, Lavaland, and myself.  At the other end of things, Gregg Stanwood, Gen Repair, and Bam294 are, well, clearly not hockey fans.

Previous Recaps:
Week 1: CathVWXYNot
Week 2: CathVWXYNot
Week 3: Beth Snow
Week 4: Gerty-Z

Here We Go!

The past several days, I have received dozens of nasty, insulting comments on old blog posts. Of course, no blogger is exempt from "Anonymous" and his/her snide comments, but the sheer volume (and excessive rudeness) of the comments threw me for a loop.

And then, Statmeter filled me in. The comments all came from numerous individuals in the Wisconsin area, finding my blog by Googling some sort of Steelers-related term. And so, by the dozens, they proceeded to inform me that I am stupid, uneducated, fat, ugly, heinous, lazy, inept, extremely extremely selfish, moronic, and ignorant, and as a result of above personality traits, I deserve to be shot, should kill myself, will do no better in life than prostitution (except I'm too fat and ugly so no one would hire me), and the reason my husband is never around is because he is cheating on me with someone way hotter (darn, I KNEW that whole residency story was totally just a front!).

Really, Packers fans? This is how you are approaching the Superbowl? By Googling for Steelers fans and insulting us (and, SHAME ON YOU for your awful, derogatory language... I bet all your mothers raised you better than to use those words) in hopes that... what, exactly? We all get so depressed at your mean words that we overdose on painkillers and there are no Steelers fans left by Sunday? Shame on you, Packers trolls.

Needless to say, this just makes me even more proud to be a part of STEELERS NATION! And in order to get you hyped up for the game, too (and to annoy any more Packers fans to find me), I present this, in order to remind you who to cheer for on Sunday: the 2010 Edition of 'Here We Go'.

And, for all my Steelers Ladies (especially ImageGoddess and LNRBailey):

HERE WE GO, STEELERS, HERE WE GO!!!!!

Blues-Buster

Little Known Fact: I love the Olympics.  Especially winter.

I mean, really.  Downhill skiing.  Luge.  Curling.  Snowboard half pipe.  An event in which you have to ski around a course and then shoot a gun.  What’s not to love?  I really wish the Snowpocalypse had come this week instead, so I could stay home and watch all the daytime not-so-popular events too.

So, you’ll have to excuse my absence for the next week, but there are more pressing matters on my TV.  Though, I promise this weekend I will FINALLY take the pictures from this  month’s Daring Cooks’ challenge off my camera and get them on my blog, since the posting date was only, oh, four days ago.  No biggie.  Better late than never, right?

Anyway, figure skating is one of the events I am not so crazy about.  I still watch, of course, and appreciate with awe the ability to spin around four times and land on a toothpick-thick blade on a sheet of ice (while I, meanwhile, cannot stay upright wearing a full-width pair of boots, and wiped out on my lazy ass neighbors’ unshoveled sidewalks so badly on Tuesday that my knee is still the size of a grapefruit)… but well, I’d rather watch skiing.  Except when it comes to Johnny Weir.  I know he’s controversial and all, but he brings the attitude that makes it so exciting to watch him.  And frankly, I thought he did far better in the freestyle program tonight than his scores indicate.

I had a really, really, really crappy day today.  I self-medicated with an extremely thorough kitchen scrubbing (I find getting the burnt-on gunk off of burners is way more therapeutic than either ice cream or alcohol), but even after scrubbing until my hands bled, I still wanted to strangle someone.  And then I found this gem.  Every time I watch it, I feel better and better.  Because what could possibly be a more perfect match than a flamboyant figure skater and Lady Gaga?

So next time you’re having a crap day, watch this.  You’ll feel better. 

Mourning

I intended to (finally) write about my recent vacation (escape from the lab! woo!) this evening, but instead managed to find a secret streaming internet station showing the Steelers game.

The game in which the Steelers kissed their season goodbye.  Bye bye, defending Superbowl champions.

Clearly, I am now too depressed and mopey to think about things like vacation pictures.  Instead, I am going to look at the pictures my parents took of the six Lombardi trophies they saw on display when they were at Heinz Field for the Pitt homecoming game and try to make myself feel better.

As for the vacation pictures?  Maybe I’ll be feeling it tomorrow.  Or maybe I’ll still be mourning the fact that three days before my mega-Chrismukkah party, with all the food preparation to do, my no-longer-produced size built-in microwave started sparking and filled with smoke.  Perfect timing.  Or the fact that my foot, which had been healing well, suddenly started bleeding all over this evening.  I think I may have accidentally ripped out one of the deeper stitches.

FML.

I think this calls for sleeping in tomorrow.  Don’t tell my PI.

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?!

As you all know, I bleed black and gold.

So, I am sure it comes as absolutely no surprise whatsoever that I was ridiculously excited for Thursday’s NFL season opener between the Steelers and the Titans.

As it turns out, a particular PI whom I have befriended on Twitter happens to be a Titans fan, which resulted in quite a lot of trash talking throughout the entire day and evening. During the game, this appeared in my Twitter feed:

And, of course, the Steelers always prevail. Which means that, for the next week, the following is located on the laboratory homepage of one particular losing Principal Investigator.

Bow down, BethAnn, bow down… because the Steelers rule the field. (Okay, so maybe ‘ruled the field’ is a bit of an exaggeration. but at least Jeff Reed has a golden toe, which is obviously more than can be said about Rob Bironas on Thursday…)

And, my offer still stands… I’ll let you borrow my Terrible Towel if you need somewhere to dry your Titan-sized tears. I’ll even throw in some homemade baked goods to make up for all the food that PreppyChemist Twittered about that you didn’t get to eat.

Also, is anyone else extremely excited that it is FOOTBALL SEASON?? Thursday night I had a group of friends over to watch the Steelers game, I spent all day Saturday watching college football with PreppyChemist, went to Capitals practice (don't worry, still hate the Capitals and love the Peguins, but hockey is hockey) with PreppyChemist on Sunday morning, and then spent the entire rest of the day Sunday (and still am) sitting on the couch watching NFL games. Fall is here and I couldn't be happier!

Lord Stanley’s Cup

I very well may have, at age 25, reached my ultimate peak… at least when it comes to sports.  It’s all down hill from here.

First, the Steelers win the Superbowl in February… the very first NFL team to acquire 6 Lombardi Trophies.

And then, tonight, on the very same night, just minutes apart, the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup and the Hershey Bears (AHL minor league hockey) win the Calder Cup.  As my father resides in Pennsylvania, he got to watch BOTH games simultaneously.  I cannot remember the last time I heard him so happy.  Three Stanley Cups in my lifetime – each more exciting than the next.  I’m not going to lie; I almost teared up when Mario Lemieux lifted the Cup over his head and brought it down for a kiss.  As I’ve already mentioned, watching the Penguins has always brought me closer to my father, and I am so thrilled to have been able to watch another Stanley Cup win “with” (over the phone) him.

Picture from the last Penguins game I attended with my father – March 10, 2001 (Jagr had just scored a hat trick, conveniently on free hat giveaway night)

Hot damn, it’s GREAT to be a Pittsburgh (and central Pennsylvania) fan.

 

LET’S GO PENS!!!

 

Penguins win Stanley Cup versus Detroit Red Wings:

 

Hershey Bears win Calder Cup versus Manitoba Moose:

 

And Julie rejoices.

Thank You, Penguins

The first six games in the Penguins-Capitals series were back-and-forth, jumping up-and-down nail-biting type of games.  And, as a huge Penguins fan, I am, of course, ecstatic that the Penguins won the series and will be advancing in the quest for the Cup (and the fact that I hate the Capitals makes the victory that much sweeter).

But the best part about extending the Penguins season?  It continues to give me an excuse to talk to my father every other night.  I don’t call home that often – generally once a week at most, usually more like every 10-12 days.  It’s not that I don’t like my parents, it’s just that my mother has horrible phone etiquette and I cannot handle talking to her.  From the moment I say I need to go and say my goodbyes, it takes a minimum of fifteen minutes to actually get her off the line.  And as I have no patience for this (or the constant “When are you going to be done? Why aren’t you done yet? Do you have an estimated graduation date yet? rapid fire questions), I choose to just minimize the phone calls home.  (Really.  Every. Single. Time. She cannot get off the damn phone.  Ever.  And if I hang up on her, she calls back to yell at me for hanging up on her, even if I warned her that I desperately need to go and am hanging up the phone.)

Until hockey playoffs came into the picture.  My father follows hockey closer than any other sport, and stays glued to his TV during the playoffs.  He can give-or-take football, and taught me to love baseball but falls asleep in front of the TV more than actually watching the games.  But hockey?  And the Penguins are in the playoffs?  It’s perfect.  Every night after the game, he calls, and we discuss the game… and it is wonderful.  So thank you, Penguins, for pulling off the blowout tonight and giving me at least another four nights of hockey phone calls in which I am able to talk to my father in peace… with the guarantee that my mother will not answer the phone and ask a single question about the lab.  As a bit of a Daddy’s Girl, I really cannot thank you enough.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Superbowl XLIII Champions!!!

PITTSBURGH WINS THE SUPERBOWL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Is my celebratory evening a valid excuse for taking the day off from lab tomorrow?

 
 
           

Stay tuned tomorrow for why you should have been at MY Superbowl party!

Last Minute Inspiration

In case you need a little last minute inspiration to remind you who to cheer for in tonight’s game, I offer you this.  I know it’s a little confusing when the fight song changes on a regular basis, so here is the 2008-2009 version to help get you in the spirit.

HERE WE GO, STEELERS, HERE WE GO!!!!!!!!

Victory is Sweet

...and against the Ravens, it's even sweeter.

Superbowl, HERE WE COME!!

In Roethlisberger We Trust.

And any Eagles fans out there, my condolences for the unfortunate end to your season. I remember all too well the pain of being stopped at the conference championships (thank you Patriots and Colts), and my husband is currently in his bed in Philadelphia, probably crying himself to sleep. But, I have to admit, I'm kind of glad it won't be the SuperPABowl... I'm not sure my marriage could survive that.

Phillies Win! Husband Loses!

Tonight, the Philadelphia Phillies won only their second World Series in 125 years, ending the Philadelphia championship drought. The whole "we've gone the longest in consecutive sports seasons without a championship" whine never really did much for me, since for the most part, I dislike Philadelphia sports fans, but over the 7 years I've been with my husband, I've definitely developed a soft spot in my heart for the Phillies. My grandfather need not worry, I was born into a Yankees family, and will die a fan, but there's no reason why I can't support a National League team as well. And if I'm going to be forced to live out the majority of years of my life in Philadelphia, I may as well like ONE of the teams there... and well, my father instilled in me a loathing of the Flyers, and while I'm content when the Eagles do well, the people of Philadelphia seem to think there is some ginormous Steelers-Eagles rivalry, and I get booed and cursed at and called all sorts of derogatory things when I wear my Steelers attire, which doesn't do much for me. But the Phillies? The Phillies I like.

And tonight, the Phillies won the World Series. And instead of watching and celebrating with my husband, I watched by myself, because my husband is on night float, meaning he works every night from 7pm-8am. So, apparently, as his new wife, I am missing the Most Important Event in his lifetime, as he phrased it. Because my relatively unemotional husband, who was not overly excited nor shed tears of joy on our wedding day, just called me after watching Brad Lidge throw the final strike of the game, and was in tears.

Tears. Crying. Because watching the Phillies win the World Series was the Most Important Event of his lifetime thus far. I mean, hey, I was neither jumping up and down nor crying at our wedding, but I also don't cry for sporting events. There were no tears when the Steelers won the Superbowl.

And so, dear Husband, if the Phillies winning is the Most Important Event, then let me ask you this: once you are done with night float, and return to your regularly scheduled sleeping schedule, will Cole Hamels be the one keeping you warm at night?

SUPERBOWL XL CHAMPIONS!

Pittsburgh Steelers -- Super Bowl XL Champions! And my beloved Hines Ward as MVP! Seriously, I don't think I've stopped smiling once today. What an amazing post-season journey it has been, considering that after the Week 13 loss at Cincinnati, I didn't even think they would make the playoffs. And then to beat Cincinnati in the wild-card game, Indianapolis in the divisional round, Denver to actually win the AFC Championship game, and then despite an absolutely horribly played first half... to win the Super Bowl. HERE WE GO, STEELERS, HERE WE GO!

HERE WE GO!

Here We Go,
Here We Go,
Here We Go Steelers,
Here We Go,
Pittsburgh’s Going to the Super Bowl
Here We Go!

Cheer the Steelers,
Black and the Gold.
It’s time for Pittsburgh’s Heart and Soul.
With Cowher Power,
We’ll get the job done.
This is the year we’ll get that one for the thumb!

Here We Go,
Here We Go,
Here We Go Steelers,
Here We Go,
Pittsburgh’s Going to the Super Bowl
Here We Go!

Roethlisberger,
Is ready to Win
With Ward, Randle El, and Cedric Wilson,
We’ll go to Bettis, Duce, and Parker for a touch down,
And if you get in their way, they’re gonna knock you around.

Here We Go,
Here We Go,
Here We Go Steelers,
Here We Go,
Pittsburgh’s Going to the Super Bowl
Here We Go!

Now the offense is ready to score,
And there’s one thing we know for sure,
If we don’t get it in the endzone,
We’ll get 3 points off of Jeff Reed's toe.

Here We Go,
Here We Go,
Here We Go Steelers,
Here We Go,
Pittsburgh’s Going to the Super Bowl
Here We Go.

We got Farrier, Porter, Haggans,
Polamalu, Hope, and Townsend.
The other team won’t get any ground
'Cause the defense is gonna bring the Steel Curtain down.

Here We Go,
Here We Go,
Here We Go Steelers,
Here We Go,
PITTSBURGH’S GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!