NHL Cancels Rest of Preseaon

Not to be unexpected, the NHL cancelled all preseason games due to the lockout today.  With no talks going on, starting a season on time is in jeopardy.

For whatever reason, the league and the players' association have not met in over a week.  Their next scheduled meeting is not until Friday.  The chances of getting anything done tomorrow are slim to none, which means an on-time start of the 2012-13 season is in jeopardy.

The players have scattered - most are in Europe or Russia playing.  Arenas sit cold and empty.  Staff don't earn paychecks.  Concessions are not being sold.  With a struggling economy, this is not helping fix that issue.

Players and owners have both forgotten who gets hurt in this work stoppage.  I guess the silver lining is I'm not paying for season tickets anymore.  Right now neither side really deserves my money.

NHL Locks Out Again!

For the 2nd time in 8 years, the NHL is in a lockout.  The league officially locked the players out last night because the NHL and the NHLPA couldn't come to an agreement on a new labor contract.

And for the 2nd time in 8 years, I find myself seriously pissed off at both the NHL and the NHLPA.  They think the fans are going to come back after another round of their bullshit?  I'm tired of the two not being able to settle their differences and come up with a solution, when they've had a long time to work this deal out.

So if you're a hockey fan, your options are:

• AHL
• ECHL
• college hockey
• watching your kids play
• beer leagues

I play hockey in a beer league.  I PAY for the privilege to play on my team.  There are no sponsors, no contracts, etc.  We play because we love the game.  The NHL has forgotten where their loyalty is.  It should be with the FANS and those that love the game.

The players will simply go play in Europe and Russia and be welcomed with open arms.  It will hurt some of the lower tier players that get displaced as a result.   Who gets hurt in the end?  The fans.  Try explaining to your 5 year old why Alex Ovechkin isn't on the ice for the Washington Capitals.  Explain to millions of kids in Canada why the Leafs, Canadiens, and Canucks are not playing.  It's a no-win situation.

I am thoroughly disappointed in both sides. 

Back to Europe!

After a Labor Day in New York with friends, I boarded a plane bound for Atlanta, then for Belgium.  I was going to do some work about an hour south of Brussels.

I arrived Wednesday morning early.  My colleague was expected in about an hour after me.  I cleared customs and waited for him to arrive.  Once we got in and settled, we had a quiet, relaxing day.

We went to work Thursday and finished almost everything we had planned.  There were a few loose ends that would have to be tied up, but we pretty much finished our major work Thursday.

Friday we finished work around noon.  I was scheduled to go home Sunday.  We headed to Brugge, about 90 minutes from our location.  We spent the afternoon walking through Brugge, enjoying the sights.  We didn't make it to the coast or to Flander's Field. 

Saturday we had a complete day to do whatever we wanted.  So we headed to Paris, which was about 3 hours by car.  We arrived at de Gaulle airport around 10, hopped on a train, and was downtown by 11.  We started at the Notre Dame, then walked up the Champs-Elysses to the Arc de Triomphe.  Next stop was the Eiffel Tower.  We decided to not go to the top due to time.  After lunch we walked back to the Notre Dame to get back on our train to de Gaulle and head home.

We had a great trip.  Work was a success and we had a chance to spend a little time sightseeing.  I'll definitely go back at some point to see Paris again.

Houston

A few weeks ago I went to Houston for work.  I'd only been to Houston once for a friend's wedding and didn't have a lot of time to explore, so  I was excited to go back.  Work was teaching a class on Johnson Space Center.  I was excited about going, but later found it wasn't that big or exciting.

I arrived Sunday afternoon and was picked up by a co-worker who was already there.  Met up with my friend Craig and we went out to lunch.  Then spent the rest of the day preparing.

Work consumed Monday and Tuesday.  Tuesday night we headed down to the Kemah boardwalk for dinner and riding their roller coaster. 

Wednesday and Thursday were pretty dull, just going to work and hitting the gym and then dinner.

Friday we finished work around noon.  After a nice workout, we headed to the Saint Arnold brewery in Houston for their happy hour.  Good beer and times.  Then dropped my co-worker off at the airport and headed to the Astros game at Minute Maid park.  Decent game, but I missed the fireworks since the game ran late and I needed to get back to my hotel to pack for my flight the next morning.

Good week, good times.