Goodbye October

So finally the Halloween festivities are coming to an end and fall can continue the way it should be, a focus on cooler weather, and colours abundant. Enough with all this “spooky” crap and decorations going up in every residence hall, especially the ones on my floor. (They always end up staying until mid-November too) I haven’t had a legitimate Halloween costume since I was 11, and haven’t trick-or-treated since 2008…I’ve been fairly far-removed from the holiday since. Being in college, I now just think of it as a weekend that has a ton of good parties.

Alas, October is over, along with all the good things that went along with it. So long to the marching band practices that were a nice, moderate temperature, and all the bike rides, cause those won’t be so bearable once the rain/snow picks up and the temperature drops. Hard to believe, but it’s already week 11 of 16 in this fall semester, time sure flies….I guess that means goodbye to the good part of the semester…

One thing that I sure hope doesn’t die in November though, is the Maple Leafs. 7-3-1. I am honestly blown away. Kessel has 18 points in 11 games, still leading the league. I wish I had been able to catch the Leafs-Pens game Saturday night, and watch Sundin return to the ACC and receive a standing ovation.

And well, all of us Leafs fans knew the announcement would come one of these days. Sundin’s number 13 will be honored by the Toronto Maple Leafs, and raised to the rafters on Feb. 11, 2012. I sure hope I’m at least tuned in to that game, can’t imagine anything else I would want to do that Saturday night. Sundin was my favorite player, and one of the greatest to play in Toronto. I owe it to myself to watch the ceremony live, it’ll be about the best thing that’s happened in the ACC since Mats was actually PLAYING THERE!

With my confidence for the Leafs at a peak right now, I’m also astounded when I look over to the West and see Edmonton on top of the entire conference!!! I think the Oilers have surpassed the Red Wings and have become my new 2^nd favorite team. With guys like Nugent-Hopkins, Hall, Eberle, all such young guys, I can’t get enough of this underdog-type team pull through and start out 7-2-2! THANK GOD the Oilers stayed in their right mind and kept RNH up in the major league, imagine, sending your top scoring player down to the minors? Imagine the outrage the entire city would have!

Let’s hope November has some good things in store. My birthday is coming up, that’s at least one. I don’t think I’m doing no-shave-November though, Nov. ’09 and ’10 were probably enough…

Certainly won't be anymore mornings like this...Friday, Oct. 14

The Interview

Saturday, October 21^st, 2006.

That was 5 years ago today. An anniversary that I remembered was coming up only about a week ago. But it immediately rang out with significance and nostalgia. I was in 9^th grade, and my Social Studies teacher assigned a big project, or at least one that seemed daunting to me at the time. Coupled with our textbook lessens of World War I/the Great Depression/World War II, we needed to interview someone, age 55 or older, and ask them 20 questions relating to their life/the world at the time/how it affected them. Right off the bat I didn’t want to do the assignment, I was fairly shy at the time and didn’t know any seniors that well.  From what I can remember, I think the interview had to be in person. So right off the bat I had to scratch my Grandpa off the list, as he was 5 hours away in Toronto, and I was in Southeast Michigan. The idea of using him for the project seemed like a great idea, but didn’t look like it was going to happen.

It was October 14^th, and I was watching the Maple Leafs play Calgary on HNIC. (The game where Sundin scored his 500^th NHL Goal) When I told my mom that I would totally interview Grandpa if I could, she remembered that she was visiting friends in the Toronto area next weekend. Sure enough, it was going to happen, I was actually going to Toronto next weekend, and getting dropped off to spend a day with my grandparents, all by myself, and to get this project done the way I wanted to. I was really excited.

That morning of the 21^st in Toronto, my Grandpa came in his big ’85 Buick and picked me up from another relative’s home, and soon there I was. Sitting at the dining room table with my Grandpa, I had him fill out some permission form or something, I almost thought he’d get annoyed and not want to be interviewed with how much there was to fill out! Finally, with my camera charged, full memory stick with 22 minutes of space, I set it down in the middle of the table, faced it at the wall, and pushed record.

I asked 20 questions, the first 5 or so were about growing up in Poland and what it was like, the next 5-10 were about World War II, (and his part in it, serving in the Polish army) and what followed the war for him. The last 5 were questions about culture/war that had taken place over the past 50 years or so. The interview was about 19 minutes, and I learned a bit about my Grandpa that I didn’t know. It opened my eyes to the fact that he served in World War II. WORLD WAR TWO. I think I had much more appreciation of my family history after that, and more drive to learn about my entire family tree. Another fun fact, I learned his name is actually Zdzislaw. (A Polish name) At the time I thought the interview was one of the coolest things I had ever done.

Little did I know there would be another project later in the school year, in the same class, about World War II specifically. We had to pick an event from World War II and present about it, so I chose the Invasion of Poland. When we visited Toronto as a family in April 2007, I had a interview with both my Grandma & Grandpa about the Invasion, and life during the first few years of the war. My Grandpa lived only a few kilometers from the border the night of the invasion, and said tanks rumbled right through the town overnight. The next few days for him were the beginning of his German education…My Grandma worked on a farm in Germany during the war, and after the war was in the Red Cross with the Polish Army. Both of them immigrated to Canada after the war, and met in Toronto.

That interview was not even 7 minutes, but incredibly in-depth compared to the original interview back in October. I had learned such valuable stuff because of those two projects. Whenever it’s October 21^st, I always think back to my grandparent’s house, and the stories they had to tell…

Phil Kessel

I have almost no time to talk right now, but all I have to say is this.

This makes me feel quite accomplished. Phil Kessel currently leads the league in goals and points. 5 goals and 8 points in THREE GAMES! For this very brief time, let's celebrate the fine performance done by Phil Kessel. WOOHOO. The Leafs are 3-0-0 because of him!

Also, congrats to Nugent-Hopkins on the hat trick on saturday night. Glad you're putting on a show right off the bat.

As for the jets, I see your 0-3-0 start and hope you get the ball rolling sooner or later. The fans might only put up with so much losing. (But of course, they put up with a lot of it back in the 80s and 90s)

Franson starts tonight!

Cody Franson, seen here in a Predators uniform, will start with the Leafs tonight.

Although at CMU today it’s our much anticipated Homecoming game against Eastern Michigan, I’m also anticipating tonight’s game with the Leafs against Calgary. It’s been an entire week off from hockey for Toronto, and now we finally get to see Franson, and MacArthur hop on the team! My only question to the Leafs is this, if you’re sticking Franson on defence for tonight, you’re taking Gardiner off, correct? I sure hope so.
Toronto’s defence line SHOULD look like:

Phaneuf-Schenn-Komisarek-Gunnarsson-Franson-Liles

Now that’s a pretty solid bunch right there, lots of experience. Anybody who thinks that one of these defenceman doesn’t deserve to play is out of their mind. For one thing, Gardiner’s a rookie, a ROOKIE, that has played two NHL games. Why would someone at the Toronto Star write that people want Komisarek out of the lineup? Take out Komisarek, and Toronto’s defence is back to the level it was just at without Franson, 5 good defenceman. Simple as that, I don’t have much faith in Gardiner yet, whose idea was it to stick him on the ice as soon as he got here anyway?

Whatever happens, I’m excited to see MacArthur back after his suspension that he didn’t deserve. Get ready for the Kulemin-MacArthur-Grabovski line!

Modern Rock 91-5, where music begins

So it turns out I’m on the radio.

On Wednesday nights from 11-1, I’m on the air for WMHW Modern Rock 91.5, based out of CMU’s BCA department. I basically sit in the studio for two hours, take requests, select songs for airplay, and do talksets. My job on-air is basically the guy that comes in between songs and says something like:

“Modern Rock 91-5, where music begins. Hello again everyone, Justin here, playing all your favorite Modern Rock hits. Right now it’s (band name) with their song (name of song), on Modern Rock 91-5.”
And I’ll do that every ten minutes or so, and record it using an SD card. It’s not a paid position, (nor should it be, the computer hypothetically can run the show by itself, and does overnight) I’m just on there like several other jocks just to get the experience. So far it’s been very enjoyable, of course I have to give up my Wednesday night, but on Thursdays I have no class so I don’t mind at all. In the journey of my Broadcasting major, this is a great way to gain some experience on-air, and of course, it’s always fun to tell your friends you’re on the radio, and have them listen to you.

One thing that I can see shifting because of my time at 91.5 Wednesday nights, is my taste in music. For the past couple of years I’ve been a massive fan of bands from the 80’s, like OMD, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode; and some others. Although that was pretty much the only thing for a while, I’ve slowly ended up liking a lot more stuff once I started hearing it. So I guess being on-air's good for that too.

If you ever want to listen in, here's a link http://www.wmhw.org/modernrock/home.html

I'll be on there Wednesday nights until early December, when I go home at the end of the semester. Take a look!

Crawford Rd tunnel

Ahh yes, mid-October in mid-Michigan…fall colours and for some reason for the past week, beautiful weather in the high 60’s-mid 70’s! (And it’s OCTOBER of all things) On CMU’s campus, everything certainly looks a lot more beautiful, but signs are seen even more across all of Mount Pleasant.

Here’s what Millpond Park looked like a few days ago…

But of course, the most scenic spot in Mount Pleasant by far, is a spot I don’t think most people on campus know about. If you turn north onto Crawford Rd from Pickard on the outskirts of town, you drive/bike under a sea of orange, yellow, light green, red, and brown.

But the most beautiful spot is just south of the entrance to Mission Creek Park, a tunnel formed by all the trees along the side of the road, covering the road with shade for a stretch of about 300 feet or so. Looking to the left & the right, you would think you’re in a forest, and you certainly don't feel like you're near a city like Mount Pleasant.

It’s now a fall tradition, on my bike rides, I detour my route up Crawford Rd between Pickard & River as much as possible, while it looks so nice. I had only a single midterm this week, and that class won’t meet the rest of the week because of it. Now my Wednesday & Friday morning between 9 and noon is empty. Time for more bike rides!

Season Preview part II

Now that the first game is over and I’ve had time to think things over, let’s go a little more in depth, and be a little more critical.

First order of business, hats off to the Leafs on the 2-0 win last night, I had to miss the second period due to a meeting, but I saw the Phaneuf goal, with an assist by Kessel. THAT WAS EXCITING!

Though Toronto did pull through quite well, they had some AWFUL play in the 1^st period, and gave the puck away in their own zone maybe, what, 5 or 6 times? How they got away with playing like that I haven’t the slightest idea. I wish guys like MacArthur, Connolly, Kadri, and of course Orr, were playing last night, the Leafs line-up seemed incomplete. Here’s hoping they’re stronger when they play the Senators tomorrow night…

Second of all, since I forgot to mention it yesterday, one thing I’m not looking forward to watching is this “new NHL.” I’m completely against what Shanahan is doing right now; he’s over-policing the league’s players and ruining a key component of the game. I support everything Don Cherry said last night in Coach’s Corner, especially the part about Scott Stevens. Hey Shanahan, how many games would Stevens get for the hit on Lindros in 2000? Or all his other big hits?

Hey Shanahan! How about this hit from the 2010 NHL Playoffs?

Turns out Sutton got suspended NO GAMES AT ALL! NOT EVEN ONE! You’re telling me Sutton could be gone for a month for THAT? Ridiculous, if players didn’t skate with their heads down, these “headshots” wouldn’t happen. The fact that there was NINE suspensions by Shanahan in the PRESEASON makes me really disappointed. MacArthur being one of them had me really worried the Leafs would be dead on offence.

Overall my focus this year is ultimately going to turn to how the game is played, and how physical it is. Just like Cherry said, if everybody’s gonna play like they did in the first period of Leafs & Habs last night, who’s gonna pay $175 for those tickets? Just wait for a nasty headshot/touch-icing to be the turning point, then hitting will be GONE. That’ll be a sad day...Believe me, I LOVE HITTING AND FIGHTS. Here's hoping Shanahan somehow loses his support for his job and has to give it back to Colin Campbell.

2011-12 NHL Season Preview

So it's once again that time of the year where the NHL season is starting and I get excited. Unlike previous years, my life as a college sophomore has pretty much taken control of my mind, so the preseason & regular season have snuck up on me. I have a little whiteboard in my room, where last year I wrote down team records, and until October 7th, counted down the days until the Leafs' home opener on there as well, starting at 30 days or so. This year there's been none of that. It's already week 7 of classes and I can't believe it's already October. Time sure flies when you're busy/maybe having fun.

So now I feel obligated to make a 2011-12 NHL prediction, even without knowing how to weigh teams as well as I have in the past. ESPN sure put in their fair share of predictions, with their "experts" putting their hopes in teams like Vancouver, Washington, Chicago, San Jose, and Pittsburgh. (Surprised to not see much for the Bruins) If I had to pick a team to win the cup, well........I don't know. It's probably toughest for an "expert" to predict a Stanley Cup caliber team, scanning the entire 30-team league for ONE champion is obviously difficult. I honestly don't want to pick one this year, in fact, I won't!!! I like teams like Philadelphia, the Rangers with Brad Richards, and Los Angeles with Drew Doughty & Mike Richards. If Crosby gets back, then I think Pittsburgh could head to the Finals, and if San Jose gets their act together in the playoffs, they've got a great fight to put up in the Finals. But for the fun of it, I'll just say the Winnipeg Jets will win the 2012 Stanley Cup! That'd be nice.....

Living in Michigan I obviously know my Red Wings as well. It'll certainly be a different year, and very likely the last for the captain Nicklas Lidstrom. Holmstrom & Bertuzzi are also on their way out sooner or later, at the ripe ages of 36 and 38. I'm excited to see Conklin back in goal for the Wings, as well as seeing Commodore & Ian White (former Maple Leaf) sign on. It's just a question of will this Wings team still be able to play as a team, like they have for the past 5 seasons? Lots of new/young faces either from other teams, or from the AHL. Detroit regardless shouldn't have any problems making their 21st postseason, but when they meet a team like the Sharks in the 2nd round again, if it happens, they once again won't get any farther.

And ahhhh yes…the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ever since I’ve been a decent fan, (right after the lockout) the Leafs have never made the playoffs. That to me is the goal above all things for Toronto right now, get some playoff hockey back in the ACC! Just like the start of last season, Toronto has a good line-up and some things going for it. I’m excited to see Reimer as the primary starter, hopefully he’ll be just as strong as he was in his 20 wins from last season, a team record for a rookie goaltender. I’m looking forward to the addition of Connolly, Lombardi, Franson, Liles, and just in the last few days, David Steckel (even with him being the guy who hit Crosby on New Year’s Day, but whatever, I guess we can look forward to some good headshots…RIGHT?). The Leafs seemed a bit more beefed-up then previous years. Some new faces, but ones I already know will be great, Kessel, Grabovski, Kulemin, Phaneuf, Schenn, and MacArthur are all here. It should be a great season, and if things go well, I can see Toronto slipping into the playoffs with 7^th or 8^th place. You’ve gotta hope, but hey, last year I predicted the Leafs would finish 10^th. They finished 10^th. MAGIC I TELL YOU! Even with this “hope” of mine, I’m just excited to get the season underway again, I just love following Toronto regardless of their record, it’s another source of entertainment in my college life, which by January or February gets a little sparse. Hockey’s there to fill the void.

And to watch Orr & Rosehill pound guys into the ice, like so!!! Hopefully Orr will be back on the roster soon enough...

Either way, I’ll be tuned into the home opener against Montreal tonight at 7pm EST, cheering for the blue & white as usual. I’ll have my Sundin jersey on, and maybe my Kessel sweater over top of that. Depends on how cold it is outside when I walk to a meeting afterwards, and how the game’s going.

My Leafs Vintage Hockey sweater, which I got customized with a big "81" last fall. Definately worth the $14 per number, I had always wanted to do that to it!

Even in Mount Pleasant, MI, there's still Canadians floating around somewhere....I FOUND THEM!