Drinking Games

So... The PC's 21st birthday is right around the corner...
There is supposed to be a big shindig at the Estrogen Palace that will probably end up in a series of drinking games like Quarters or Asshole...
I'm going to try to get them to stick with Quarters and it's permutations-
I'm had some bad experience with Asshole....
Like this and this...

Anyone remember this?:

Yeah- that's Yours Truly walking through the hotel lobby with my pants over one shoulder and shirt over the other... Listen to your Uncle Jay, kids- Don't play Asshole, ummmkay?

So- in order to keep things lively...

Drinking Game Rule Making

PhoneMaster - If any player touches their phone, the Phonemaster can send a text message of their choice to any name in the contact list.

ForeheadMaster - (Variation of ThumbMaster)-
Just like ThumbMaster but you put your forehead down on the table.
After a couple rounds, getting your forehead down before the last person leads to slamming your head down and perhaps a concussion after a few rounds.

Meow - Can't use the word 'now'... Players must use the word 'meow' instead

No Eye Contact - Players cannot make eye contact

Gummies - If you laugh, you cannot show your teeth.

Viking Rule - The Viking (rulemaker or designate) makes horn motions on his 'helmet' with his/her hands. Every one else must paddle. Last one to do so drinks.

3rd Person - No one can talk in 1st Person

T-Rex Arms - The designated T-Rex must use 'tiny arms' when they drink. Double up if they forget.

Anyone got any others to add to the list?

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Quote of the Day - USA Hockey Edition

"The American heroes are wearing camo. That's not me."
- TJ Oshie on being called an American hero.

T.J. Oshie leads USA to thrilling shootout win over Russia

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

About Damned Time...

Well, it's been 7 dog years as an NHL Minion, and it's finally over.

13 months on the road in every NHL arena, some more than once (and some more than twice), and even a couple extra sites...

Just for the record- starting May 19th 2011-
Jacksonville FL to
Minneapolis,
St Louis,
Buffalo,
Ottawa,
Montreal,
Home (PC's Graduation),
Ft. Lauderdale,
Nashville,
NY (Long Island),
Atlanta,
Ft. Lauderdale (Drive),
Tampa,
Minneapolis,
Vancouver,
Houston (weekend off),
Dallas,
Chicago,
Winnipeg,
Calgary (Drive),
Edmonton (Drive),
Calgary,
Denver,
Toronto,
Detroit,
Los Angeles,
Phoenix,
Home,
Detroit,
Home,
Berlin Germany,
Home (Drive),
Ft. Lauderdale,
Calgary,
Denver,
Phoenix,
Home (Drive)
Atlanta (Drive)
St. Louis (Drive)
Dallas (Drive)
St. Louis (Drive)
Chicago (Drive)
Indianapolis (Drive)
Atlanta,
Home
Chicago,
Philadelphia,
New York (Long Island),
New York (Manhattan),
Columbus OH,
New York (Long Island),
Ft. Lauderdale,
Raleigh,
Boston,
Detroit,
Philadelphia (Drive)
New York (Long Island) (Drive)
New York (Manhattan) (Drive)
Washington DC (Drive)
Pittsburgh PA,
Home
Pittsburgh PA,
New York (Manhattan),
Augusta GA, (Drive)
Ft. Lauderdale,
Ottawa,
Detroit,
Chicago,
Philadelphia,
Vancouver,
San Jose,
Los Angeles (Drive),
San Jose,
Vancouver,
Detroit,
Chicago,
Home (Drive)
Ft. Lauderdale,
Phoenix, (drive)
Los Angeles (drive)
Phoenix (drive)
LA,
Home,
Raleigh,
Home.

And this is what it looked like...

click pic to engorge

Number of hotel nights: too damned many.

Miles traveled: 78,466 on 6 different airlines and 59 rental cars.




I love my job.

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Happy Easter - Part 2

Dropping off the rental was uneventful, as was check-in and clearing security.
I even used my Nexus card for ID and the Testicle Squeezer took it without protest.
Damn.


The flight to LA was short, and the only hitch was that I had to change terminals at LAX over to the mini-International terminal.
I cleared security there with a minimum of fuss and was tucking into a Bloody Mary at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant and watching the Masters on the TV in the bar until it was time to head to my gate.
That's when the wheels wings fell off...


The flight was at 2:xx- we boarded the flight and all was well until the door closed.
There was a long delay before the safety briefing-
and finally the overhead crackled to life:

"This is the captain, yadda yadda, yadda - equipment difficulties- working on it, we'll be underway as soon as possible."

10 more minutes.

"This is the captain, still having problems, thanks for your patience. Go ahead and use your cell phones and small electronic devices."
That's never a good sign.

I got to wondering about "small electronic devices"...
If they are so dangerous to have on during takeoff, why are we even allowed to have them? I mean, in the interest of public safety and homeland security, what's to keep 5 Radical Islamic Terrorists Islamic Freedom Fighters from each bringing 7 or 8 cell phones on a flight and powering them up during roll-out?
Would that endanger the flight?
Just wondering.


20 minutes later.

 "Well folks, we're still working on our problem, but we know you're kind of uncomfortable back there and there are a bunch of you that are worried about your connections in Vancouver, so we're going to deplane and left you guys see about rebookings and such. Please don't leave the gate area in case we get things fixed."

Fuck.

Oh well.


There was a long line of folks trying to rebook connections. Me, not so much.
I just needed to get to Vancouver sometime today.

After another 30 minutes there was an announcement.
Basically, our plane was DOA. They were unloading baggage and towing it off.
There was another flight due in at 8:00pm tonight, and they were going to send us back to Vancouver in that plane.

Lovely.

So...
Here's a 10 dollar lunch voucher. Don't spend it all in one place, and be back to the gate by 7:30.


So my 2 hour layover became a 12 hour layover...
I sat through a bartender shift change at Puck's, and got to watch Bubba Watson win the playoff for his Master's victory.

One good thing- with the different folks bailing on our flight, I did get a seat change- I got my coveted bulkhead aisle seat... Ah, sweet legroom...

Not so sweet: I got to my hotel after 1am and found that I didn't check my itinerary as well as I should have... The agent made my flight arrangement - but not my hotel reservation. Oops.
Fortunately I have enough status that they were able to accommodate me without issue.

So... very little sleep, $150 and one lockblade poorer due to Office Motherfucker and his bullshit, 2 flights and 11 hours of airport boredom.
One of these days I'll get or qualify for executive lounge status...but I won't hold my breath.

Happy Easter to me.

(Of course, this Easter weekend was a vast improvement on last year...
Last year I was recovering from the The T-Bone and the Demise of Physalia.)


TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Ew. Just ew.

Overheard in the car:
TBG: "That must be a bakery or something."
JR: "I don't know... Could be an underwear store."
TBG: "Uh...Wow. That's pretty gross."

The Past Week - TL;DR

 Well... I know it's been a quiet week here at the old 'blog.

I've been busy...sorry.

On Monday I had to do a little equipment install down in Tampa, so I took advantage of the weather and rode my bike down...

On the way down I had the pleasure of driving through this little slice of heaven...


Both Waldo and Lawtey FL are speed trap city, as anyone going from Jacksonville to Gainesville for a Florida Football game will tell you...
Having traveled this road a couple hundred times in the last 30 years I know not to tempt fate...

I did my thing in the St. Pete Times Forum and then got a bite-
The Woman and the Perfect Child suggested a place that was featured on Diners, Drive Ins & Dives- Danny's All American...
I had their Mojo Cuban sandwich- marinated cuban pork- tasty!

I headed back north- staying off the interstates as much as possible...


I made my way through some nice canopy roads in central and north Florida...

On Tuesday I was back on the road, or more precisely, back at the airport...

I have been following the tales of The Mighty Skunk and his fortunes with the Trusted Traveler / NEXUS system...
I started my paperwork back in September and finally got tentative approval in November, only needing to have my in-person interview somewhere in or near Canada to get my NEXUS card...
When I was in Detroit a couple weeks ago I was able to schedule some time for my interview and finally cleared the last hurdle...
It was touch and go for a bit... They want to know the details on all your youthful shenanigans... And I have had more than my share of hijinks when I was a young'un. And some when I was not such a young'un... And they have access to everything- even stuff that is expunged and had records sealed. Scary, really.
Customs Guy: "So, Mr. Young, tell me about this charge in 1985 - assaulting a law enforcement officer."
TBG: "W-w-w-what? That charge was dropped!"
CG: "Not from OUR records."

Note to would-be applicants for the Trusted Traveler/Global Entry Program-
No prevarication... They know everything.

So I got my NEXUS card in the mail and was looking forward to using it, to see if I would be able to clear the fast entry line at JAX...


(image from Homeland Security Theater)
Yeah- No.

It did get me into the preferred traveler line, but the TSO at the primary checkpoint declined it as a form of ID.
Not only did she decline it, I was treated with such rudeness that it bordered on abuse-
You'd have thought I was trying to use my Costco card for ID...
She chastised me soundly... I took it stoically- making note of her name and some of her choice phrases, planning on speaking to her supervisor.

Which I did...
And her supervisor was also ignorant of the DHS's rules, telling me that this card was not acceptable- that it wasn't even issued by our government...
(Because there is french terminology on it, I guess.)

Dumbassery on parade- I guess the TSA agents spend their time learning how to cup a guy's testicles correctly, rather than know their own  guidelines.


(Notice the change in terminology- no more Concealed Carry Permit)

She made quite a show of inspecting my card, then making a photocopy of it and writing several notes on it...
Good thing too, since I spent the next two hours on the TSA website filing a carefully worded complaint about the attitude and knowledge level of the TSA screeners. I wonder how long it will take for my complaint to filter down, if it ever does.

Hopefully my next TSA experience will be more pleasant...but I doubt it.

The next few days were a whirlwind-
I flew into Philly Tuesday AM- went to Wells Fargo Arena, drove through Manhattan up to Long Island, loaded my SUV with equipment Wednesday morning,
drove back to Manhattan, picked up JR, drove to Newark and visited the Prudential Arena.

It's a new facility, and the guys that work there have a sense of humor-



A little juvenile, but a sense of humor none the less.

We went on from there- we headed down to DC to install equipment in the Verizon Center... I haven't worked in that arena since December of 1997.
Thursday and Friday we did the install, and I headed to the next location-
Pittsburgh.

Just outside of DC the temp went from 50 to the low 20s very quickly.



Then the snow started...



Fortunately the SUV has all-wheel drive...
I got into Pittsburgh with a minimum of problems.
We start installing our gear here tomorrow. 6:00 departure time from the hotel.
Yay.
The old Mellon arena is across the street from the hotel...
What's left of it, anyway...


Not pretty.
Spent a good amount of time in there...
It was a pretty unique arena.

Ah well...
Onward - through the fog.


TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

I Knew It Would Happen Eventually

Who didn't see this one coming:
I spent the night in jail...
The Suffolk County Jail.

Ice Ice, Baby (with additional TWSS goodness)

Don't disrespect the Garden...

Bonus TWSS:
JR: "...I should still be in bed."
TBG: "That's what she always says."


TBG - In the Gaaah-den.

Eats: St. Louis

Went to Johnny's in Soulard with RickP from Scottrade Arena.

Wow.

If Hooters pisses you off, don't go to Johnny's



My my my.
Yes, that is how the waitresses dress.

But the real showstoppers are the wings...
That 27 year old recipe for Johnny's Famous Hot Sauce?
It is awesome.

Frank's Red Hot sauce, Durkee's & butter...
It's like liquid love...
Angry, kick-your-ass-so-you-can-have-crazy-weasel-makeup-sex love.

They were so good, I forgot to get a picture when they were delivered.

I even finished the bones.

If you are in the area, run, don't walk, to Johnny's.
1017 Russell Blvd St. Louis MO (314) 865-0900

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Tech Tips - #246r.3

-or, how I spent my day in Dallas

When seating cards in an Evertz frame chassis,
Press the card in as hard as possible.

Then press even harder.

Only then will the card seat completely and start to function properly.
Seems that the chassis have a TFS that is set at a pretty high threshold.

TBG - Dallas, westbound.

(TFS? That would be the Technician Frustration Sensor.)

2011: a Team Cam Oddity

TBG: "Open the penalty box door, Helen."

Helen: "I'm sorry Jay, I'm afraid I can't do that."

Back in the Saddle

Welcome to St Loogie.
34 Degrees.

Last time I was here it was wicked insane hot and we had tormadoes.
Now its just gray & cold...

You're killing me, Whitey*...

Another day, another 45 minutes trying to get access to the building internet.

1'M 71r3d-71r3d-71r3D 0f j00 73cH-7YP3z 7H@ L1k3 70 D0 26 Ch4r4c73R P4Zzw0RDz 1n L337-5P34K Ph0r j00 N37W0Rk 4cc35z.
17'Z r34lLY P1551n' m3 0ff.

4zzH0l3z.


*One of Coop's favorites...

Background here: Just-Passing-Through-Lou
TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

What The Hell...?

Thursday - Game Day
8:00am - Depart hotel
8:30 - Arena
8:31a - 3:30p Testing, tweaking & general maintenance. Everything is 100%
3:31p - Training & game operations mode. (Not 100%, but not bad.)
7:30 pm to 10:30 Game time.
10:31p - Depart arena

Apart from some machine cuisine (a Snickers bar) in the arena I didn't have any food, so I was ravenous...
I headed to the Chili's near my hotel and had a burger for dinner.
Beverage of choice: Diet Coke.
11:15pm - Back at hotel.
11:17pm - Dead asleep.

Friday - Heading home!

8:10a - Head to hotel parking lot.

Uh oh. There's a note on my car.



WTF??!!?!1

Uh, I must have missed something last night...Or...
Did some Hockey Operations groupie follow me and sneak a Roofie into my Diet Coke?


And... Oh no...
That handwriting looks a little masculine to me.

What the hell happened last night?



TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Quote of the Night Week Month

From an arena technician I first saw waaaay back in May,
when I ran into him again last night at The Game:

AT: "Still at it, eh? Are you DOING this cat, or are you just holding it's tail?"

TBG: "(stunned silence)"

Succinct, descriptive and creative.
Very nice.

I'll be using that one.

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

O2 World Arena - SRO

(This is only interesting if you are into arena minutiae...)
Hmmmm...
We seem to be missing some seats in the north end zone.


I asked one of the arena guys what the story was... It's the Standing Room Only section...
The crowd loves it... They get packed in like sardines.


Nothing like standing for 2+ hours amongst a ton of people that have only a fleeting relationship with soap and deodorant.

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

I Am Not A Jelly Donut

...but, for the last few days Ich bin ein Berliner!

Having absolutely nothing to do but wait for my partners in crime to return to the O2 World Arena last night, I went on walkabout at about 9:30PM until almost 1:00AM.

Note to Constant Readers- Avoid the Kebab/Doner/Pizza joints that abound in (East) Berlin...
The Kebab/Doner is probably highly spiced rat & rabbit, while the hunk of cardboard slathered in catchup and sprinkled with grass clippings that they suggest is pizza, well, you'd be better off just eating your euros instead.


During my walkabout I was able to get quite up-close and personal with the old Grenzmauer 75 section of the Berlin Wall in Friedrichshain, near the arena.

Constant Readers will also recall that I'm a sucker for Graffiti, and man, the Berliners Berlindians Berlinites Berlinese folks that live in Berlin love their street art, especially when it comes to the old Antifaschistischer Schutzwall

For instance:





As a side note, the Oberbaum Bridge (Oberbaumbrücke) over the river Spree has an interesting feature: there is a neon art installation called "Stone Scissors Paper" that plays a constant game of roshambo at the center of the span...  
 I kind of hope they eventually modify it to play rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock...



















But then, I'm a dreamer.

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Quiz

Today:


A week ago:

Guess where I'd rather be.

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Signs of Our Times - Part 100101

I know exactly what this guys feels like...



If things don't start improving soon, I'm going to find a high-powered rifle and a clock tower and start thinning out the neighborhood.

And let me tell ya, there's plenty of clock towers in Berlin.

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Ice Ice Baby

This shot needs a couple players, a Zebra dropping a puck and a cephlapod carcass.
Otherwise it's some rather nice ice.