My First NHL Game

Last night, a coworker and I went to see the Toronto Maple Leafs play lose to the Boston Bruins at the ACC. We got the tickets from our employer as a thank you, which I thought was really nice. The seats were pretty good, in the reds, up behind the net. Unfortunately, the Leafs lost 6-2, and they played a sloppy game in my opinion. Not very impressive at all, and they deserved to lose. All in all, it was a fun first NHL experience for me. Here’s a few random thoughts about the night:

I was surprised at how lax the rules are with the sale and consumption of beer. We each got a medium beer, which cost about $9 or so. They didn’t ask for ID from either of us, and we were free to carry the beer around wherever we wanted. This goes against anything I’ve experienced at almost any other event where alcohol is served. At concerts, alcohol is only served in roped off or designated areas, away from underage kids, but at the hockey game, you can freely drink your beer anywhere you want.

I was also surprised at the amount of advertising presented. There were commercials on the big screen between plays and during intermissions, and the outer screens that surround the arena constantly cycled through various ads.

I wasn’t really surprised about how overpriced everything was, because everybody already knows that’s just the way it is. However, there’s no way in hell I would ever pay the $146 my ticket was worth to watch the Leafs play. I would much rather go see the Oshawa Generals play, where I can get the best seats in the house for $25, and see a much more exciting, action-packed game.

My first NHL game was fun, but I won’t be going back unless I get free tickets again.

Justice Live At The MySpace Music Tour

Last night I went down to Toronto with some friends to see Justice at the MySpace Music Tour which was held at The Sound Academy. It was a great time, although the scheduling for the night FUCKING SUCKED.

Doors opened at 8pm, and we got there close to 9. Fancy was supposed to be there to start off the show, but I’m pretty sure the opening act was some DJ I’ve never seen before. Does this guy look familiar to anyone?

Busy P played an awesome set and really got the crowd jumpin’. He did drag on for a while, and there were a few lulls, but overall he had a good energy and kept the crowd excited. Busy P has the craziest French accent I’ve ever heard.

After Busy P finished up, there was probably the longest wait I’ve ever experienced for the next band or performer to come out. I would say this is where they fucked up big time with the flow of the night. Everyone waited around with the house lights turned up, while they played classic rock for at least half an hour until Justice finally came out on stage.

Justice finally took to the stage at around 11:15 and the crowd went craaazy. Their stage setup is amazing, with the glowing cross and Marshall stacks everywhere. They were so fucking LOUD! The Sound Academy has probably the best sound system I’ve ever heard at a live show. It was ridiculously loud, but still crisp and not distorted or hissy like the sound quality I’ve heard at other venues. And when they dropped the bass, it hit hard!

We saw Justice play about three songs and then we had to leave so we didn’t miss the last train home. Bunch of fuckers! I mean honestly, doors opened at 8pm, Fancy didn’t even show up, so I don’t think it was too much to expect the show to be done by 11:30 or so. Especially considering it was an all ages show on a Monday night. The kids have school in the morning, the adults gotta work, and I’m sure a lot of people came from out of town and didn’t want to miss their trains and buses home.

Anyway, here’s a couple blurry pics of the stage during Justice’s set:

Dreams of Death

I didn’t sleep very well last night because I kept having nightmares. It was the weirdest thing. I woke up 3 or 4 times all sweaty and kinda freaked out. Each nightmare was almost the same as the last, and they all involved something or someone trying to kill me.

In each dream, there was some invisible force or something that was keeping me held down in my bed. It was one of those weird cases where I woke up in my dream, but I was really still sleeping in real life. I thought I was awake, but I was paralyzed and couldn’t untangle myself from my sheets or get up out of bed. The whole time, there was this feeling of impending doom and a sense that I was facing my death.

My very last nightmare of the night started out the same way, but this time I was able to sit up, only to see the Grim Reaper sitting at the foot of my bed, with his long, bony finger pointing at me. I recall trying to punch him and yell, but I was paralyzed, just looking at this dark figure pointing at me and not saying a word.

When I awoke, I was freaked out, but I had a sense of relief that I wasn’t dead. I’m counting on it just being my imagination going crazy while I slept, but is there a hidden meaning? Was I visited by Death himself?

Random Acts of Kindness Make Monday Mornings Happy

My piece of shit car was deemed too unsafe to even be tested for the Ontario Drive Clean emissions test, so I couldn’t get my plates renewed. The car’s not worth fixing, so I’m looking for a newer car at the moment. But that’s not what this post is about.

One of my coworkers lives near me, and offered to drive me to and from work until I get a car, which was really nice of her. I had to adjust my schedule, since she starts at 7:30am and I used to start at 8. Today was the first day and it was a bit rough getting up earlier, but that’s not what this post is about either.

So anyway… on our way to work, we stopped by Tim Horton’s to get morning coffee and tea. When we got to the drive through window, the cashier informed us the lady in the car ahead of us paid for our order! That was a pleasant surprise and brought a smile to our faces. My driver (the nice coworker, not a real chauffeur), in turn, paid for the order of whoever was in the car behind us. Hopefully it sparked some sort of chain reaction that continued all day, but I’ll never know how far the giving went.

I have heard of this sort of thing happening before, but never seen it firsthand. I hope the nice lady in front of us had a great day.