I am going with the Open Office option for tonight's blog. Not that it will make a wit of difference to those of you in the reading community. And yes, at some point this will turn into a glog. You might get one tomorrow as well, since I will be home for the French Open final, it really is just a matter of me getting out of bed in time for it. That is not a guarantee, because I could easily fall asleep right now, and we are about an hour before faceoff of game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Let's just say it was as I predicted, a pretty busy day. I woke up around 7am or so, and after a quick check of my email and what not, I went and got dressed and hopped on the bike to head into work. I wasn't perfect with the bike this week, I rode in on 4 of 6 days but even that saves me another $18, and it is another $18 that the Port Authority doesn't get. Hey, any way I can contribute to their destruction at this point is perfectly fine with me.
So I get into work around 8am, Sammy is there since we are getting a cooler in, but they aren't going to deliver until after 9am from what we have been told. And since the grocery order hadn't shown up yet, we decided to head off to breakfast. Technically it was at least partially on the boss, Ed handed me $20 yesterday for breakfast if Sammy and I were going to Deluca's, but since we had made no such plans, instead when I got to work I just split the money with him. But then as we were waiting around we decided to go to breakfast anyway, and walked over to Cherry's Diner near Market Square for a quick bite to eat. It was pretty good, not Deluca's good, but good nonetheless. We finished up and walked back to work around 9am, and shortly thereafter the grocery order arrived. Grocery is probably a bit of a misnomer here, the only thing we ordered was cigarettes for three different stores and a box of cough drops. Yet the bill was still over $15,000. So I sorted the cigarettes into boxes for their respective destinations to accomplish the first of many tasks.
Sorry, just thought of something and had to fire off a work related email, but I am back now, so I will continue with my story.
After getting the cigarettes sorted it wasn't long before Mark from Full Circle vending showed up with our new/used cooler. What was the old saying NBC used to say about running reruns, if you haven't seen it, it is new to you? Well, technically the cooler was new to us, even though it was a used Coke cooler that Mark had bought for our store. It may not be a permanent fixture, he is still trying to get brand new coolers from one of his suppliers, Xing Tea, but until then this should work as a holding spot for his growing product line in our store. Right now he supplies us with Xing Tea, New Leaf Tea, Bob Marley beverages, Xience Energy drinks, and Prometheus Water (which I love by the way). But it was just about to the point where if he wished to expand his already decent sized product line, he was going to have to supply storage space for it. We have room for some odds and ends, but when you are pushing that many different items, well then you have to provide a place to put them.
So we get the cooler out of the back of his truck, made a little more problematic because the other store took our dolly yesterday and were polite enough to not bring it back. While I have keys to that store and could have went down and got it, it would have been more of a time waster than anything else, so we just took it off of the truck and used a small cart type dolly that I had to wheel it inside. Then after some rearranging of a couple of freezers (thankfully they had wheels) and moving the now empty potato chip racks that were left from one of my projects yesterday, the new/used cooler was in place.
Next up I had to make some price adjustments in the computer system, and that actually was what my just finished email was about, because the changes didn't seem to apply through the register system, so I had to drop a line to Shawn over at Ultimate Retailer, in hopes he could take as look at it. It may simply be that not enough time transpired for the changes to take effect, though changes are usually pretty quick since we upgraded the system. I am sure I will learn more about it come Monday morning.
Then I spent time fixing a rack that was out of compliance in the store. Part of the whole vendors paying for space deal is that the vendors have some say over how their product is layed out. Well Ed didn't tell me that this particular rack was in fact leased space, I imagine he actually forgot it was because much of the stuff on it was in fact first put there either by Ed or at his request. Usually that isn't all that big a problem, but as it turns out one of their reps showed up in the store, saw how the rack was layed out and took a photo that they sent to their people and are now threatening to not pay if the rack doesn't have the proper products on it. Some of the products we actually had in house, probably about ¾ ths of what we actually needed I had, the rest I had to order. To make matters worse, some of the items didn't even have tags with either bar codes or item numbers for me to use to order, so I had to look up before I could order them.
If that weren't enough, I still had my regular order to do for Monday, and I ended up getting a call from our Pepsi rep, who was returning a call I made yesterday regarding some things that were missing from our 350+ case Pepsi order on Thursday, Yes, despite getting over 350 cases we were actually missing a few items, not that we were billed for them, but they were items that we are completely out of, so if possible I was hoping to get them in some time Monday, just so we don't go an entire week without them.
All in all it was about 7 hours of work on a day where technically I am not even on the schedule. Not that I can complain too much, I should end up with a decent paycheck for all of the overtime I have been pulling the last couple of weeks. And money is always good.
Look at that, the story of my day ends just in time for the hockey game, I guess I better get in glogging mode. Go get me some stats windows and what not.
Okay I have a couple of minutes here, they are still doing pregame stuff. Anyway I was just given some bad news, the first commercial in the break was an NBC promo saying hockey will be on NBC and Versus for the next ten years here in the states. I am sorry, ever since they left a tied Stanley Cup playoff game a few years ago for pre race coverage of the Kentucky Derby, I really would prefer that hockey wasn't on NBC at all if possible. It may make it harder for someone like me, sans cable, to view but treating hockey as the castor oil of television programming isn't exactly good for the sport long term either.
Again I am waiting for the singing of the National anthems, since the game is in Vancouver we will get to see the cool Canadian version. Maybe later if I can find a good version of the anthems on Youtube I will post it so you can experience how really neat it is.
Cool, I found it during the break, I think I will post the game 1 anthems now. Be right back.
Got it.
Just in time too.
As Bob Johnson would say, it's a great day for hockey.
Now the obvious question is, will we have to wait for 2 and half hours before we have a goal scored tonight?
Not a lot of good scoring chances early on, but lots of hitting, and I am quite okay with that. The game is a little over 5 minutes old and the shots are pretty even, Boston 4, Vancouver 3.
I might have to do some research here during our first commercial break during the game. Okay, just did a little math, and Vancouver hasn't allowed a goal in about 100 minutes of actual hockey play now, since the 24 second mark of the third period of their series clinching double overtime win against San Jose. That, my friends, qualifies as having a hot goaltender.
Just as I finish typing that, Roberto Luongo makes a save on a streaking Michael Ryder with his face. The shot literally knocked his mask completely off.
First power play coming up, Zdeno Chara is the guilty party so Vancouver will have the first chance this evening with the man advantage. Actually this may be a good time for Vancouver, Boston has extended their shot advantage to 9-4 here after 12 minutes of play.
Finally, someone scores with the man advantage in this series and Vancouver gets the first goal of the game, Alexandre Burrows with the power play marker. Yes, the same Burrows that effectively helped end two power plays for Vancouver in game 1 by taking dumb penalties, manages to play the role of hero here.
Assists on the goal go to Christopher Higgins and Sammy Salo, for those of you keeping score at home.
15 minutes in and while Boston still seems to have the advantage in good scoring chances, Vancouver seems to be throwing the bigger hits and of course the have the one goal lead on the scoreboard, which is the ultimate measuring stick.
Okay, that's the end of the first period, and after four periods of play in this series Boston is still looking for their first goal as Vancouver leads 1-0.
I am going to take the time during intermission to forage for food. Sorry, but all I have had this evening is a bologna sandwich and some potato chips. Not exactly the dinner of champions as it were.
So, how even was the first period? Both teams finished the first period with 11 shots and Vancouver lead in hits 22-20. 42 hits and 22 shots in a period of hockey? If you can't be entertained by that then you just don't like hockey.
Okay, second period underway. And Boston gets their first power play on a questionable delay of game penalty. It looked to the naked eye like the puck caught the glass before going into the stands rather than just being shot there, but it doesn't change the call in the rink, and Kevin Bieksa will serve the two minutes.
Mark Recchi gets stoned in front of the net on what was easily Boston's best chance to score so far. Can they get anything past Luongo at this point?
Well, no luck for Boston on the power play, they have now failed on their last 21 attempts with the man advantage. For those that are unfamiliar with hockey, yes those numbers are bad.
A little less hitting and shooting in the second period that in the first, at least during the first 10 minutes . A couple of scoring chances for each team, but nothing like the 22 shots in that were generated in the first period..
Finally after 91 minutes of hockey in this series Boston gets their first goal, and the game is once again tied, 1-1. Milan Lucic gets credit for the Boston goal. A small bit of personal satisfaction in that I had Lucic on my fantasy hockey team this past season. Johnny Boychuk and David Krejci with the assists.
And it looks like Boston will get a chance to not only break their scoring drought, but their power play drought as well, as Aaron Rome gets the 2 minute holding call, giving Boston their second power play chance tonight.
It has been a drought breaking period for the Bruins indeed, as they capitalize on the man advantage and take their first lead of the series, 2-1 here in the second. Mark Recchi gets credit for the goal, Zdeno Chara the lone assist. Unless that changes, which it might.
A couple of big saves by Tim Thomas helps to preserve the one goal Boston lead.. What started out as a slow period has seen the action and intensity pick up considerably.
I was right, they did add an assist on the second Boston goal, welcome to the score sheet Patrice Bergeron. At least it wasn't Tom Bergeron, because then we would have had to see some stupid animal video as part of the highlight.
While we are in commercial break I realize that if my penis were as long as my blogs, I would probably get a lot more action. Yes, sometimes during these stoppages in play really stupid things enter my cranium.
Just checked my email and it looks like I have something to do during the second period. My $10 gift card for Amazon has arrived, compliments of the fine people at MySurvey.com.
Uh oh, another Canucks penalty here late in the second and Boston will get their third power play tonight. Say hello to the penalty box Aaron Rome. 2 minutes for interference. But before any more damage can be done, the horn sounds the end of the second period with Boston having a 2-1 lead. Boston will start the third period with roughly a minute of power play time.
Okay, added the gift card, now up to $66.78 in cash over there. And I still think I have a gift card pending from Swagbucks, so more money, no whammies and all that jazz. The only question is what to do with it. I could certainly use some more reading material at some point, but I would also like to burn some more music for work, and I could get a decent amount of music with $66. Heck I am even halfway to a Kindle if that is what I want.
While checking my email I also see that I have emails from both Amazon and Proflowers asking me to remember Father's Day. Apparently they didn't get the memo that my father and I don't speak. We have a pretty good relationship that way, I don't talk to him and he doesn't talk to me. So unless Proflowers has a “Drop Dead” bouquet, I can't see be spending any cash on him this June.
Okay, third period underway, again I didn't get any nourishment during intermission. I will have to settle for a diet of cigarettes and iced tea for another 20 minutes. I got wrapped up in answering comments on Facebook and getting my gift card and next thing I know the intermission is over.
And Dennis Seidenberg gets called for a penalty with just 9 seconds left in the Rome penalty, so we have 9 seconds of 4 on 4 hockey, then Vancouver gets their second power play of tonight's contest.
Vancouver can't even get a single shot off in their time with the man advantage as we have once again gotten back to 5 on 5 hockey.
Oh no, I think I am hearing thunder, or the neighbors are just being really loud. It is actually hard to tell in my apartment because the house is made of brick and being on the bottom floor it has to be a pretty loud storm for me to actually hear it. I just don't want the power going out while I am working on this, not for my laptop, I should be okay with the battery, but with the TV, because then I can't watch the game. That would suck for glogging purposes.
7 minutes into the third period and despite some good chances and both teams having some power play time, there has been no change in the score to this point, Boston still leads 2-1.
Some extended pressure by Vancouver with about 11 minutes left in the third but Tim Thomas is up to the task and the Canucks come away empty handed.
And I think I figured out what that noise was. Fireworks Night at PNC Park.
Sorry, the Canucks just scored to tie the game at 2 with 10:34 remaining. Daniel Sedin gets the game tying goal.
As for Fireworks Night, while I can't see them from my apartment, I can definitely hear them and that was the rumbling noise I was hearing. The giveaway was the finale.
For the record, assists on the Sedin goal go to Alexandre Burrows and Alexander Edler.
Less than 6 minutes remaining and lots of end to end action, odd man breaks going both ways and yet nobody can seem to notch the go ahead goal. I stand by what I said in Game 1, if this goes past midnight, it still counts as my daily entry because the game started well before midnight. No, I am not using the video I posted as my entry for today. That would just be cheap on my part.
Less than 4 minutes to go, are we going to see more late game heroics from the Canucks? The stage is definitely similar in that regard to game 1.
A couple of shots for each team in the last two minutes but nobody scores and we will have our first overtime game of this series, and at 10:41 pm, that may mean I am going to be posting after midnight tonight.
Well, I guess this means I have another intermission to actually get that bologna sandwich. Yeah sandwiches!!!! Okay, it's not a Cuban sandwich, but it will have to do for the time being.
Okay, I got distracted again and my sandwich is still in the fridge. Damn shiny internet objects anyway. Sadly I can't even blame it on internet porn.
Well that was fast. Alexandre Burrows again, just seconds into overtime, breaks into the Boston zone, gets Tim Thomas completely out of position and then pulls of the wraparound goal after skating in behind the net. Vancouver wins, 3-2 and most assuredly Burrows will be the game's #1 star (2 G, A) including the game winner 11 seconds into the first overtime period. You know what that means don't you? I will have this posted by midnight and I will get a sandwich. Maybe not in that order.
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