Thoughts from under a blanket of white

Monday Maiku: Physically snowed in, mentally all over the road

The aforementioned blanket of white…

Not gonna lie. I’m a little tired this morning. Last week was a grind of a work week and this weekend was a grind of a life weekend, insomnia- and snow-removal-wise. Two more great football games—though I don’t have any skin in the game for SB LVI. I do have my reasons for why I’d root for either QB so I guess the thing I’m rooting for most is an exciting game. It’s also a weird coincidence that last year was the first time a team ever played in the SB on their home field that now it’s happening again this year. Will the Rams have the same outcome as the Bucs? Tune in on February 13th to find out.

Anyhow, whether I’m motivated to type right now or not, the “show” must go on and here we go with this week’s entry, Monday Maiku.

Well, one more thing before I start…on top of being tired, I’m having some trouble landing on an area of focus.

Clearly I can start with the obvious:

Bombogenesis.
Snow, wind, wind, snow…and more snow.
Sun, shovel, football.

It encapsulates the weekend pretty well, but so what? Who cares that our gas fireplace wouldn’t stay lit because it was too windy or that we got two feet of snow in an official blizzard/bombogenesis/frontogenesis or that we did hours of snow removal or that we put Rumchata Peppermint Bark in our coffee two days in a row?

I don’t even really care about that. So Monday Maiku Option #1 is out. (That said, if you get a lot of snow make sure to keep your heating/dryer vents clear and also to do your local first responders a favor and shovel out any hydrants near you and clear three feet all around.)

I can always go with the “ripped-from-the-politcal-headlines-but-shouldn’t-be-political” option, something like:

Boycott Spotify‽
First Neil Young and now Joni.
At least Denver’s dead.

Jesus Christ. I draw the line when Blowhard Joe Rogan starts disrupting my day.

And we’re at that point.

Stop the madness.

There’s a difference between stopping the spread of misinformation and censorship. And the fact that people are actually taking medical advice from a D-list-at-best-actor-turned-Ivermectin-promoting-podcast-host is a total mindf-ck. I get that while everyone is entitled to an opinion, spreading misinformation perpetuates a problem and so I am glad people in the spotlight are taking a stand. That said, does anyone really care that I’m happily upset by Neil Young leaving Spotify and Joni Mitchell threatening to follow suit, but that I doubt I’ll be taking such a stand? I listen to Joni Mitchell on the regular and Neil Young sometimes so her loss will be a big auditory blow for me, but at least there’s Crosby, Stills & Nash (for now). Saving grace (also for now) is that John Denver’s dead so hopefully his estate leaves well-enough alone and I still get my weekly dose of JD. Bottom line, I support what they are doing and why but I have waaaaaaaaaay too many (awesome) playlists on Spotify to stand on principle right now. I also really am not in the mood to get “political” this (or any other) morning, so Option #2 is out. But please, Spotify—kick Rogan TF off your platform already.

Or I suppose I can go the “ripped-from-the-headlines-pop-culture-is-he-or-is-isn’t-he?” route with these seventeen syllables:

TB12. The GOAT.
Is it football without him?
Eat a tomato.

But then, given all the hullabaloo, and the fact that Tommy isn’t officially retired RIGHT NOW, I probably should scratch Option #3. But when he does retire, whenever it is, I hope he eats a tomato. And a pepper. I hope he stuffs his face with all kinds of nightshades and washes them down with a cocktail I think I just “invented” called the Tubthumper (a whiskey-vodka-lager-cider drink) and stays up past 7PM and then sleeps in a bedroom warmer than 60 degrees (or whatever ridiculous almost-cryogenic temp he sleeps at). He’s the GOAT, for sure. And football won’t be the same without him. Regardless, when he retires I want him to live it up. Pretty sure Gronk can give him some tips on the high life.

So strike that and there I have it, Strike 3. Do I call it here, wish you a good week now, say “love you too” and go back to the dugout and wait until my next at-bat next Tuesday?

Nah. I gotta deliver a Monday Maiku I can get behind…and since I’m not feeling any of the options above, I suppose I can go with the immediate…basic, practical, and what’s top of mind (but meaningful) for me as the week kicks off.

Short work week.
Pond Hockey Classic weekend.
Party on the lake.

I love me a good short work week (duh), but I especially love why this is a short work week. I mean, what’s not to love about this?

Scenes from PHC weekends past.

So first things first, I don’t skate. I’m the Number 1 Fan (officially) of the Red Hot Chili Puckers. And, yeah, it can be long, cold days. But what fun those long, cold days are! There’s something like 1500 people, 500 games, and two dozen rinks. It’s insane. Such a spirit of competitive fun, regular fun, and friendship.

Kerri had been going to the PHC for a while. I had no interest in being cold watching hockey all weekend. Until the one time in 2017 that I had such a crappy work day and a clear calendar on Friday that I called an audible and told my boss I wouldn’t be coming in the next day. Fortunately Kerri hadn’t left town yet, so I hitched a ride figuring there was no way it could be worse than that work day and thus I had nothing to lose. Anyway, the first time I set foot on the frozen lake under a brilliant sun and saw rink after rink after rink and hockey player after hockey player after hockey player as far as the eye could see, I felt like I stepped into my dad’s heaven. It was like I felt him with me, physically and emotionally. So I knew immediately that the weekend was gonna be great. And then it didn’t take long for me to catch on that it was a huge party on the ice. The hockey is almost incidental. It’s been a great weekend each year since, and I feel my dad with me every time. After having to take a break last year (because, COVID), I can’t wait to be back up North Thursday night. So, yeah, I’ll stick with this one:

Short work week.
Pond Hockey Classic weekend.
Party on the lake.

Hope all of you had a great weekend, hope my friends in the Northeast bore the wrath of Mother Nature without too much disruption, and hope that this week is kind and gentle and fun for you.

A million thanks for your support and for your being here. Drop a line with any comments or feedback. Hearing from you makes me happy.

Love you too.