Northern Sky

The 2008 Spring Fishing Trip has come to an end, again with far too many troubles and far too few fish due to some rather un-May-like weather conditions. It was great to get away and spend some time in the north, away from the comforts of home but close to nature, and not thinking about the stresses of life. With the fishing being poor and the lakes being cold, windy, and rainy I even took advantage of day three to stay back at the camp alone and read Schulz and Peanuts, a great biography of Charles Schulz.

The picture gallery is already up, found here for those interested. Here's the gist..

Left mid-day Wednesday and spent too much time in Sudbury before rolling in far too late. Our camp wasn't ready for inhabiting so we shacked up at a friend's camp for the night, got up early, and moved it to the new place. New place is great, located on Skog Lake, but requires a fair bit of hauling between where you park and where the camp is. That meant back and forth with an incredible amount of building materials and personal items, then into building bunks, installing stoves, chopping down trees, burning the evidence, and so much more. It was two tough days of hard labour that I was surprised to actually enjoy quite a bit.

Saturday it was off to my nemesis, the famed Meteor Lake. The guys go every year due to past success, but the lake has been a waste of time since I've started going and this trip was no different. It was cold and rainy and the 'rough-at-the-best-of-times' access road was horrific, and two of our three vehicles stood no chance of using them. It was a couple hours for the other 4x4 to tow in the boats and people and get them on the cold and blustery lake where, between nine of us, I think we caught about nine or 10 trout. It was another process getting out and after leaving shortly after 6:00AM we weren't back until after 10:00PM.

Sunday it was to Welcome Lake, a much better lake in my opinion and a joy to get into purely due to the view and the experience. It's a 30 to 45-minute ride through a river system to the lake, over fallen logs and rocks, waterfalls, and thin little access streams. Thankfully the water was high this trip and it was by far the easiest trip in I've experienced. Unfortunately, again, the fish weren't biting and our boat came up empty. I did, however, plant my first geocache there. I'm guessing it may never be found. Back to the camp we had a great night with the gang of nine enjoying an outdoor live-fire grilling of venison and moose, some great King beers, salads, desserts, and good times.

As noted, Monday I held back during the second day at Welcome, which wasn't much of a success I was told. Surprised to find the gang had decided to bail a day early after a tough, long week and we were on the road at 7:00PM to arrive back in Bolton close to 3:00AM! Thanks to the gang for making it a good time even during the tough parts, and congratulations to Mark for finally snagging that elusive trout.

Tasty Fish

I trust, seeing as Trout is still posting, that Mark didn't catch the trout. But congrats to our former surly resident poster on finally doing the deed!

Thanks for posting, KP, I'll take it from here...

KP's Last Words

Well, I suppose this will be my last post--much to the delight of House and Trout--because Rick is scheduled to return tomorrow.

Anyway, I don't think I "entertained" anyone here--Rick's intent when he gave a few of us posting access--but it was a change of pace for sure.

Here are a few more random rants:

1) A couple days ago, I'd written that I was a Jesse Litsch fan given the way he's pitched for the Blue Jays. However, I can't say the same thing for Boston's Jon Lester, who pitched a no-hitter today.

Yes, yes, Lester has battled cancer and was able to thrive, pitching in last year's World Series clincher and now pitching a no-no.

But that's exactly my point: Lester is anything but an underdog. He has it all--success, pitching for one of baseball's best teams, a World Series ring, etc.

Lester's the anti-Litsch, who has to pitch for a mediocre Toronto ballclub that can't score runs.

Hopefully Litsch will be able to continue pitching well and lead the Jays to glory.

Lester? Well, he's got it all, who cares about him...

2) It appears that only a few teams can battle back from 0-3 deficits. The Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks teased hockey fans this spring, but ultimately couldn't get the job done.

Lesson? Show up for the first few games of the series! Jeez.

And someone made a dumb comment on radio the other day, saying Boston was the first NBA team to win the first two rounds, each in seven full games. Duh, real smart comment, seeing that the best-of-seven was just introduced a couple seasons ago. Brilliant statement.

It's a pity that the New Orleans Hornets couldn't beat San Antonio in Game Seven tonight. It would have been a great story, but the Hornets blew a 2-0 series lead and lost the final game at home.

The Hornets won their previous three home games by about 20 points each time, but the Spurs won their own home games by about the same margin each time too, setting the stage for Game Seven.

So, now the Spurs get the Lakers, and even the NBA has a chance this year for its dream matchup: Lakers vs. Celtics (who take on the Pistons in the conference finals).

Of course, in the NHL, it's Pittsburgh-Detroit.

3) It appears I top out at roughly 18,000 words.

I finished off another manuscript, and the word count was just over 18,000. I don't do this on purpose, but it seems that's all I can come up with in any single piece.

The first manuscript, "Sweet Voice of Innocence", had roughly the same number. The second, "False Ex-Pectations", the same.

I didn't have a hard time coming up with the appropriate titles for those first two, but am struggling with this third one.

Will have to think more on No. 3 before selecting a winning title!

Well, Rick will be back Tuesday, so I'm outta here!

Jesse Litsch is a star!

I'm starting to root for Jesse Litsch of the Toronto Blue Jays.

The so-called fifth starter of the Jays is doing it all in just his second year in the big leagues.

Not only is Litsch leading the team in victories (5), but he is also 3-0 in his last four starts with a 2.67 ERA and more impressively, allowing no walks during that span.

Overall this season, Litsch is 5-1 with a 4.22 ERA. That high earned run average was thanks to two rough outings in April; otherwise, the Jays' hurler has allowed three runs or fewer in his other starts.

And Friday night in Philadelphia, Litsch rescued the Jays bullpen by pitching three innings in relief in a blowout loss.

Yes, the Phillies' Jayson Werth hit three homers and collected 8 RBIs, and Jamie Moyer pitched well for the home team--but for me, the star of the Jays' 10-3 defeat was Litsch.

Word is that the right-hander volunteered to pitch--despite having already thrown 5 2/3 innings on Tuesday. Yes, it was Litsch's throwing day anyway, but still.

Litsch relieved emergency starter and Triple-A callup David Purcey (0-1) to start the fourth, with Toronto down 8-2.

Litsch has shown so far that he's a team guy, pitches well when it's his turn in the rotation, and is just the type of unselfish athlete that should be applauded.

Well done, Jesse Litsch.

Who says Pennies aren't useful?

I found this story online.

I'm sure if it'd been Barry Bonds and not Griffey Jr., the home run king would have been scrutinized to death. But with Griffey, he gets a free pass.

And the Reds' outfielder certainly got a free pass earlier this week too, when he dropped a flyball but just laughed it off. Had it been Bonds, well, you know...

I just have to wonder though - was this debt gambling related? One can only guess...

All about 33's

So, the Red Wings didn’t sweep the Stars right out of the Western Finals on Wednesday, so that 33-year cycle could still happen. Though going in, no one was predicting such an outcome, given the way the games have gone so far in the series. What I’m referring to, of course, is the 33-year occurrence of the 0-3 series comeback in Stanley Cup play. Most people now know—if they didn’t before—that the Maple Leafs overcame such a deficit to win the Cup in 1942, and the Islanders defeated the Penguins after going down 0-3 in one of the early rounds in 1975. So, do the math, and you’d think we’re due for another one in 2008.

And while some in the media were hyping this possibility in the Conference Semi-Finals (when the Rangers, Sharks, and Avalanche found themselves down 0-3), none of them are saying the Flyers (down 0-3 to the Pens) or the Stars (who now trail 3-1 thanks to Wednesday’s triumph) can turn the trick.

Some—ie. House and Cliff on here—are even conceding that the Cup will be won by Detroit. Well, if so, hopefully it will be a four-game sweep, meaning the ratings would suffer in the U.S. But seriously, none of the contests being played so far in either conference finals will be viewed as classics.

Speaking of classics and the number “33”, I find it bizarre that The NHL Network once ranked a Patrick Roy game in its top 20 of all-time. No, it wasn’t a Stanley Cup winning game or record-breaker. It was the 11-1 pummelling suffered at the hands of the Red Wings, who scored 9 goals on 26 shots on St. Patrick. That was one of the so-called “Top 20 Greatest Games” in hockey history?!? (Yes, that was used in the title, the 20 greatest games.)

Okay, I understand the significance of that game—it caused Roy to be traded from the Canadiens to the Avalanche and started the Detroit-Colorado rivalry. But that Dec. 1995 game itself, was by no means a classic. Perhaps, if they counted that as one of the top 20, then how about the time when the Pens buried 12 on Grant Fuhr and the Leafs? Where would that one rank? Some of these choices are dubious. Who comes up with these lists anyway?

Speaking of that rivalry, yes, it was 12 years ago this week that the Wings and Avalanche wrapped up their second-round series and hooked up soon after in their first-ever head-to-head meeting in the playoffs.

Another pair of “33’s”: Ed Sprague (Blue Jays) and Steve Avery (Braves) both wore that number when their respective teams hooked up in the 1992 World Series. And while Sprague was the hero with his pinch-homer, Avery was the goat for not being to win either of his starts.

But now 16 years later, one must wonder about Sprague’s home run. Poor Jeff Reardon; his career was basically over thanks to that one hit.

And to echo what baseball analyst Tim McCarver said, “if you’re not going to bring him in in this situation, why is he warming up?” in reference to the dumb decision not to bring in right-handed Reardon to face the Jays’ right-handed power bats (Joe Carter and Dave Winfield). Braves skipper Bobby Cox instead let lefty Charlie Leibrandt stay in to face those two, and Winfield got the winning hit.

So every day I see the same kind of situation in reference to McCarver’s quote. If you’re (I mean the transit system) going to say “fare zone on buses” and employ transit cops, why are bus drivers still letting homeless people with no tickets or fares on the bus?

Nothing against them, other than the fact they usually get on the bus—for free—and 1) make loud noises or talk loudly, 2) use swear words, 3) bring a whole lot of garbage bags with pop cans in there, and 4) all of the above. They’re generally annoying, and drivers let them get on.

So, if drivers are letting these people get on for free, why am I paying for my ticket?

Why declare “fare zones” when these so-called zones don’t mean anything?

Poor Little Fish

Alas, the time has come. I'm not sure who has and doesn't have posting access, or who wants it, but it wouldn't exactly be out of character for us to have no posts until next Tuesday. I'm off halfway between Sudbury and Timmins for a couple days of building and upgrading the cabin, then Saturday and Sunday fishing for pike, trout, bass, and pickerel, and then on the road home Monday. Should be a good time if for nothing else than just relaxing and not thinking.

I'll bring back some great pictures as I invested in a waterproof, bombproof case to protect the SLR, so she's coming on the boat with me.

Oh, I've just provided posting access to three of the regulars, so hopefully y'all can keep each other entertained. :)

See you Tuesday!

Cheers,
Rick.

Raindrops In My Coffee

I've been contemplating a new marketing blog until it just came to me - I barely use this one, so why not talk about whatever I want? And this is what I want to talk about.

Dating back to my life on the road with Kroll I've been a bit of a Starbucks addict. It started off as a piece of familiarity on the ever-changing landscape in front of my car, and over time has evolved into something I can enjoy each morning that I know is produced within a quality level and standard higher than the more popular coffee chains. Since joining Ingram Micro nary a morning has gone by that my morning commute didn't include a Grande Bold Black.

So in my time as a Starbucks customer I've sat through some rather significant changes. The first was a move from manual to automatic machines, we're told to offer consistent quality. Lower quality, but consistent. Snacks were added many years ago, and still appear to do quite well. Lunch sandwiches were added in the late 1990s, and they failed. Lunch sandwiches were added back in a few years ago and, we're told, are failing. Breakfast granola was added last spring and failed. Monday morning what do I find at my local SBUX? Why, toasted breakfast sandwiches of course. Complete with this miniature little pizza oven looking device I got to watch a girl struggling with in order to toast the first sandwich of the day.

I imagine not everyone here is as captivated by branding as I am but one rule, more often than not, holds true: Stick to what you do best. With very few exceptions companies that begin diving out of their core competency not only fail at their new efforts, but the perceived or actual requirements of having gone there damage the core product. That is to say all the time Starbucks is spending trying to make more money on food, CDs, and equipment has resulted in losses in quality of beverages and staff, and subsequently, difficulty in earnings and store closings. I would not doubt these sandwiches are firmly directed at McDonald's, who have decided to target Starbucks with high end coffee drinks.

And I'll lay it down now that two years from now Starbucks won't be selling toasted breakfast sandwiches and McDonald's won't be selling lattes. But it won't stop the next guys from trying the very same thing.

Today's Random Links
The 50 Greatest Commercial Parodies of All Time
Great keyboard Guitar Hero-style game
Great Canadian deals and freebies site
Stephen Wiltshire, the Living Camera

Tasty Fish

I predict at some point in the very near future I will regain my desire to be an active blogger once again. Sadly, between the high levels of stressful work and the pending week vacation it's not going to be immediate.

Which reminds me - after a one year break I will be returning with Mark and the gang to the northern reaches of Ontario for the annual fishing trip. I can't possible indicate how much I'm looking forward to getting out of here and falling off the grid for a full week. I'll be completely and utterly unreachable as there aren't even cell towers where we're going, just unspoiled God's country and, hopefully, a Rainbow Trout (capitalized for a reason...)

For now, I leave you with my favourite videos of the past week. Some contain material which may not be suitable so tread lightly...