May 2008 - Posts

• 2007 & 2008 Dallas Stars at a glance

  [ cross-posted from the Dallas Stars Podcast ] Before I actually get to the schedule, allow me to reflect a bit, in no great detail, about this years Dallas Stars: Marty Turco continued to prove that he is a clutch goalie and that he has it in the playoffs.  While he had a rough bout against the Wings, he not only pulled the team 3 rounds deep, he finally got his first win at the Joe ... ever ... in the playoffs. The freshmen are AMAZING.  Who would have expected a group SO chock full of rookies to make it as far as they did.  Barch, Erikson, Grossman, Fistric, Niskanen, Peterson, Stephan ... I know we saw more guys, but these guys really impressed me this season.  I can't wait to see what happens with our backup goalie situation next year - and how about Grossman with his first career NHL goal being in the Playoffs ... no ... in the Western Conference Finals???  Nuts I tell ya, nuts! Oh captain, my Captain.  When the "C" was abruptly and rudely taken from Mike Modano many people questioned the move, and also the choice of Brendan Morrow as the replacement.  If there are ANY doubters left, allow us to reflect, without me digging up the stats, how well Morrow did this series.  First and foremost, if we had made the finals, he would have, in this bloggers opinion, won the Conn Smyth this year.  Second, was there a player with more heart, more drive, and better to model the rest of your team after this series?  How about his injuries?  (yeah, we'll get to that in a moment).  I admit, when I first saw Morrow I questioned him as Captain.  I knew there had to be a reason, but I wasn't sold.  I will never question him again after this year. Shoulder surgery, sports hernia, torn shoulder, bum leg, concussion.  And this is just the list of players who PLAYED WITH THESE INJURIES this playoffs; for the Stars.  We knew about Boucher, Zubov, Barnes & Fistric, but how about Morrow & Norstrom?  That's right, for the entire Playoffs Norstrom did everything he could to ignore a sports hernia; and it was, in my opinion, the most alive he has been as a Dallas Star.  As for our Captain, he was "basically laying on one leg" since the final game against the Sharks, not forget the partial tare in his shoulder. Mike Smith was an amazing backup goalie; Jussie Jokinen a clutch on the breakaway/Shootout; Jeff Halpern a quiet leader; and we saw all of them leave this year.  It was a sad day for everyone, not a single fan I know was happy to see all 3 of these players leave, and I'm certain the team had a rough time of it too.  However, Brad Richards and 3 years of contract came to Dallas.  This will be HUGE in the coming years as we see some of our vets retire.  It was huge in the playoffs as he was tied for second in points and led the lines of not only Mike Modano but also the rookies at different times.  B-Rich will be a major player next year, the year after, and going forward. Brett Hull and Les Jackson were placed into the first ever co-GM experiment in the history of the NHL.  They relieved an unspoken pressure between the players and their concern for job security; they relieved a similar unspoken pressure of Dave Tippet and his team of coaches, who just hadn't proven themselves in the playoffs (don't believe me?  Look at San Jose's head coach; oh that's right, they don't have one anymore).  They placed a few minor pickups in Iowa; and they tailored the deal that got us Brad Richards without giving up our entire future (can anyone say Marion Hossa to Pittsburgh?).  Rumor has it that Tom Hicks is actually trying to convince the two to stick around together another year; wow. Fabian Brunnstrom; this years hottest free agent; a supposed #5 overall draft pick, without the draft pick and without the ramp up time in Iowa.  Need I say more about next year? Ladies and Gentlemen, Boy and Girls, it's time to look at 2008/2009.  Hold your heads up high because the Dallas Stars were a team to be proud of in 2007/2008 and will be a team to reckon with next year. GO STARS! --j Posted May 20 2008, 11:30 AM by Digital Serenity Filed under: Hockey

• Just a few hours behind schedule

  Because I Can, I'm 5 hours behind.  Like it, or bugger off :-) Friday, Day 16, I'm thankful for good music. A legend of a local DJ here in Dallas and I have become friends over the past year.  He is the Music Coordinator / Entertainment Director (last time I called someone that she was a Madam in Vegas, but I digress) for the Dallas Stars, and also the liaison at the Stars for the Fanatics: Jeff K.  Jeff, who doesn't DJ as much these days did a set tonight at Whiskey Bar on lower Greenville - while the place was small and not as busy as I expected (the whole area was dead tonight), Jeff was fantastic in bringing back some good, old fashioned (aka - old school) dance music - the stuff that made me fall into the techno/hypno/trance/dance genre back in the day.  While not as many of us showed up as I had expected (and boo on you sir, boo on you) it was still an awesome time.  So today, I think I shall end my day with a note for you, sir Jeff K: Rock on, sir, Rock on! Posted May 10 2008, 06:11 AM by Digital Serenity Filed under: Grateful

• Being Grateful - Day 15

  As seen in my post, Because I Can, here is what I'm grateful for, today: Today, Day 15, I'm grateful for second chances. Yup!  Tonight the Stars showed up in Detroit and acted like a bunch of prospects.  Talking with Streakgrl from the Dallas Stars official boards we (probably she) commented it was like watching the annual Pros vs Prospects game.  It's simple, guys: you have the talent, you have the skill, you have demonstrated the ability to play the level you need to.  However, tonight, you chose not to.  You were nervous, star-struck, afraid even.  Who showed up?  Morrow showed up.  Turco showed up (you really can only blame one of those goals on him alone).  Zubie & Robie kinda showed up, but their defensive pairs were too flaky to produce enough.  And Daley ... oye.  One play he kicks ass, deeks the wings, does a few fans over the puck and makes a beauty of a shot; the next play he acts like it's his first AHL game ... yeah that's right, AHL, not NHL. So here's to tomorrow, when the Stars will practice hard so when they come out Saturday the team that shows up is the same team that beat Anaheim & San Jose, not the prospects we watched tonight - so they don't blow their Second Chance.   Posted May 08 2008, 11:16 PM by Digital Serenity Filed under: Hockey, Grateful

• Being Grateful - Day 14

  As seen in my post, Because I Can, here is what I'm grateful for, today: Today, April 7, Day 14, I'm grateful for the Internets and all of it's splendor. The list is FAR too long to actually list them all, however, here are some the most important, life changing parts of the internet (this, of course, being a family safe list), in my opinion. E-Bay - I recently gave in, after much peer presure, and purchased myself an X-Box 360.  My biggest deturrant has always been the cost associated the console, however, once the pressure got hard enough I thought I'd see what I could find.  Thanks to the world's most popular auction website I found one, plus a wireless controller, for an amount that didn't entirely break the bank.  E-Bay has brought many changes to the world of person to person sales: it has made internet selling easy and almost garunteed if you follow it's best practices; it has made the weekend garage sale an every day (quite literally) occurance; it has also spawned many brick-and-mortar stores that afford people who are afraid to sell things themselves online the opportunity to do so. Google - It's hard to argue that any company has had more effect on how the internet is used.  From mail, calendar and business applications to their flagship search application (which includes topical searches for blogs, images, news and many more) Google has revolutionized every aspect of using the internet.  They even have their own video sharing site - YouTube, eat your heart out (ok, maybe the video sharing site is lacking).  And for all you MAC/Apple Fan Boys, I am a Google Fan Boy. Evite - I don't have quite the praise for Evite that I do for Google, but Evite was the first (that I knew of) publicly available internet event planning system. Wikipedia - No one said everything you read on the internet is perfect, and this site has had more than it's share of mis-information; however, if you are looking to learn something quick this is a great place to start.  START being the key.  I have, on many-a-night, been watching a historical fiction on TV (most recently The Tudors on Showtime) and found myself skimming Wikipedia's database for more information.  I do sugges,t however, if you're using this for any fact-finding you find other sources; this user-driven content is not always the most accurate. Craigs List - Craigs list, too, has been around for quite some time.  It, like E-Bay, has brought the garage sale to the internet, however, it's lack of restrictions has given it as many negatives as it has positives.  Oh, if you're a regular Craigs List user, I suggest ListPic.com: a site that displays Craigs List results using their photographs ... a very cool site to use. IMDB - The Internet Movie Database.  Want to know what actor was in what movie and who co-starred in it?  How about some reviews?  Maybe photographs from the movies.  How about Television shows?  The list goes on, and this site has all the data you could need on your favorite star, or starlet. Like I said, there is PLENTY more, but these are some of the sites that, I think, have revolutionized the internet, and our lives.  What would you add? Posted May 08 2008, 12:26 AM by Digital Serenity Filed under: Grateful, Best Of

• Being Grateful - Days 11-13

  Sunday I woke up thinking "Don't forget to post your Being Grateful article today" and as the day wore on I thought "No no, you can post it when you get home from tonight's game, you'll have plenty to be thankful for then.  And I was, MORE than grateful.  I had a bleeding split upper lip (damn plastic horns), sore fore arms (damn drum) and no voice (damn screaming) ... but allow me to continue my Being Grateful series by telling you that on Day 11 I was grateful for Tailgating. What, you didn't expect me to be thankful for the NHL Conference Finals, did you?  Come on, that game didn't end until 1:30 Central time.  No, no, Sunday the Fanatics had our second Tailgate and, I think I can safely speak for all 40+ attendees, it was awesome.  We even had people not attending the game join us for the tailgate ... and non-fanatics asking about it at the game (so I'm told). Day 12 I was (and am still) grateful for Marty's sticky fingers ... and toes ... and his back ... and his helmet ... ... Seriously, is there a spot Marty Turco did NOT make a save off?  You see, Sunday night into Monday morning, for over 5 hours, the Stars played hockey against the Sharks.  This game, the 8th longest NHL game ever recorded, cost the Sharks their opportunity to continue onto the Conference Championships, and afforded the Dallas Stars their 2nd trip to that hallowed round since winning Lord Stanley's Cup in 1999, the previous time was 2000.  Marty made a franchise high 61 saves that game; the game winner by Brendan Morrow came in at approximately 1:25am - almost 5.5 hours of hockey.  Bliss my friends, pure bliss. Day 13, catching us back up to Today, I am thankful for a good nights sleep. When I was 21 I convinced my parents I needed a new bed, and they helped me buy one.  I love this bed, it's a pillow-top style (brand/model I can't seem to recall), that's not too fluffy, not too firm; that combined with my Brookstone Tempur-Pedic Pillow AND my feather pillow and Eddie Bauer Goose Down Comforter ... After Monday mornings hockey shenanigans I needed a strong nights sleep. Posted May 06 2008, 03:39 PM by Digital Serenity Filed under: Hockey, Grateful

• Being Grateful - Day 10

  As I drove around today to: find out status of part for broken cell phone; get refund for part that isn't coming for broken cell phone; go to AT&T store to get broken cell phone fixed; go to AT&T support center to get broken cell phone fixed; find out broken cell phone is out of warranty, thusly not able to be fixed by support center; go back to AT&T store to buy new cell phone go to friends house to pickup house keys (note to self: never lose house keys again); go to other friends to get smoker for tomorrows Game 6 tailgate; go to office to make up for lack of hours during normal M-F hours ... I came to realize something that fit perfectly in my 30 day writing experiment; I realized that ... Today, May 3, aka Day 10, I am grateful for Sunlight. It may sound silly but I love the Dallas weather.  First, we don't have weeks of rain.  Rain comes and within 36 hours even the worst of storm fronts are completely gone; usually you only have to wait 6 to 12 hours for it to clear ... if that.  Something similar to what we northerners call Snow comes and 6 hours it's 60 degrees and the ground is dry.  Humidity comes, and well that sucks because it's 100 degrees when it comes, but it's gone in 24 hours. Seriously, I don't mind the 105 degree summer days (even when they are 60 days straight).  While I do miss my snow and the changing of the seasons (don't even try to tell me there are "seasons" in Dallas), I wear shorts and sandals 8 months out of the year; and almost NEVER say "gosh I just wish [insert next season] would come already!" Posted May 03 2008, 08:09 PM by Digital Serenity Filed under: Grateful

• Being Grateful - Days 6-9

  This is what I was afraid of: I'd lose track of days, next thing I know a week's gone by.  Not bad, it took me 5 days of successful blogging before I missed the opportunity.  So, to continue my 30 day theme as seen in my post, Because I Can, here we are, days 6, 7, 8 and 9, all in one post. Tuesday, Day 6, I was grateful for the Stars' 3rd straight Playoff victory over the Sharks. It's not cheesy, it makes perfect sense.  I was high as a kite, and tired as heck, as the overtime winner made it look like a possible sweep. Wednesday, Day 7, I was grateful for Facebook & MySpace. I feel about as dirty as you having written that, but in reality, those sites aren't all that bad; it all depends on how you use them.  I use Facebook & MySpace for about 15% Dallas Stars Podcast publicity, 15% to keep in touch with current/local friends & co-workers, 65% to keep in touch with old/distant friends, 5% miscellaneous random stuff.  On this particular day I found a friend of mine from when I was a volunteer in training at the Southport Volunteer Fire Department. Thursday, Day 8, I was grateful for Telligent. I know I've been thankful for work once, but on Thursday Telligent found out that it was officially voted the number 10 small-medium sized business to work for in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex (funny, spell check doesn't like that word much).  A very cool article in the Dallas Business Journal displays many of the things that make Telligent cool - when/if I get an online link I'll be sure to post it. Today, May 2, Day 9, I am grateful for the ability to Serve. Yes, I put serve there with a capital S.  "Service Above Self" is the slogan of Rotary International, an organization I am a member of through the Park Cities Rotary Club.  It is also a slogan I have come to believe in and follow, as mentioned a little here and here.  I have learned that it is very easy to feel good about yourself when you know you are doing your best to help others, be it by raising funds, getting your hands dirty with Habitat for Humanity, cleaning the local parks, serving food at the soup kitchen, or shaking hands with the USO to outgoing troops.  It's not about agreeing with political views, respecting the decisions that led us to certain situations, or laying/accepting blame; Serving is about knowing you did something towards a goal of leaving the world a better place then it was when you got here. Posted May 02 2008, 07:45 PM by Digital Serenity Filed under: Hockey, Volunteering, Grateful