Not much of an update... but hey!

Just thought I'd check in here quick.

The daily post plan didn't happen... not to be making excuses, but after the Kings game with Dawson Creek Thursday - I was dead tired and out of it with post-root canal issues. After Storm game last night - similar situation. After Storm game tonight - I had to move all my main furniture to the back of my home as I'm getting a matching set from a relative tomorrow afternoon, with the help of family friends moving it here. Strangely, even though my ear canals have been burning (post-root canal main issue of late) and I did a load of dishes... I strangely had the energy to get some progress done on the AJHL on EP. I'd like to continue getting more done now, but need to get some sleep ahead of helping move the furniture in.

Good things - I'm heading out of town for 4-5, away from main distractions & there's NO hockey games I'll be working until Friday when the Kings are up in Peace River to face the Navs to start both teams' seasons.

Bad things - I'll be out of town for 4-5 days and be around 2 (possibly 3, depending if this cat stays reclusive or not) animals that are half crazy/youngsters. Maybe 14-15 month old kitten (that seriously looks & acts more like a little cougar to me), and a not even 2 month old puppy. The reclusive cat is a mature adult, so likely wont be too distracting. Oh yeah - Fort St. John Huskies & Dawson Creek Jr. Canucks opened the NWJHL season 6 days ahead of the rest of the league - meaning I'm already behind on 2nd league I've committed to updating daily here & on EP.

Though time is still flying by, and there's LOADS of catchup to get done yet... I am still 100% committed to getting caught up and back to daily for the AJ & starting up daily (when games are played) N-dub updates as well. Giving up just isn't in my thought process for this - even if I'm doing a crazy amount of stuff and planning to do more than last hockey season.

Anyways, just a quick update. I cant and wont guarantee it, but I VERY much hope to have the AJHL as close to fully up to date as possible, tomorrow night (into Monday morning for most of the MST... haha!). Enough said for now. To bed I soon go.

Thanks for your understanding!

Bout time I updated here...

Okay, I've been meaning to post here forever already, so let's break the ice...

Some may hate it, most seem to like it/love it, but I am back doing the 4 hockey jobs I was doing last year, and as far as I know I'm still verbally committed to the 5th.

Weeks ago, I honestly didn't think I'd be doing any hockey work at all this season, besides on Elite Prospects - but heck, did that ever change fast! First day into Grande Prairie Storm training camp I get summoned back to help out with the Storm, and happily returned and have helped out since the 2nd day of camp there. Besides filling in for whatever needed like in the past, I'm updated stats gamely now and really enjoying it.

Same day, a new management member with the Grande Prairie JDA Kings (whom I know decently well from the past) approached me about returning and made a very good case. After thinking about it a bit I accepted, and am glad I did. Last season I dunno... I felt more so like I was with the team, almost like a third wheel after coming on for the last couple months of the season and beyond - and then things kind of went sour late. After the time with the team so far this season - I definitely feel like part of the team, and I'm loving that! Been at practices, games and travelling on the road. Working on website stuff, Twitter (team account and my main account, sometimes retweeting my tweets to team Twitter today as I got mixed up a few times - had a root canal like 7 hours ago, so I have a good excuse... haha!). Also will likely be doing stats on the league site for the team, but don't have the new login info for this season yet to have done anything for tonight's 8-1 win over the Dawson Creek Canucks.

Along with those 3, there's the verbal commitment with the Grande Prairie Athletics staff to help them with stats this season (I think the season is starting in October?), and there's this blog here that's been very neglected unintentionally so far into the AJHL season.

Apologies for being behind on the blog & AJHL... my hockey work life is really going more and more offline and I still haven't got my work focus back online from pre-February... it's still a work in progress. Anyways, between resting up post-root canal, I am hoping to get the AJHL stats and rosters up to date and try and get caught up on the days I've missed as best as possible. The way I look at it - in an extremely positive way... I only started what I was doing on this blog into December last season. Even if I am behind (which I'm ticked at myself for, regardless!), I'm starting on it all 3 months earlier.

I know some people have been getting ticked at EP (me - basically!) for not having the whole AJ stats up yet, but I'm trying hard to balance everything as best as I can and to get everything fully up and up to date as soon as I can. Everything I'm doing in these 5 hockey related jobs is 100% voluntary - no wages earned, though there is some perks included, so to say. All I can do, is do my best and try to balance everything... financially things aren't the best, but I'm not stressing about it. I'll get that all worked out eventually. I have a very positive attitude since late August... something happened, and I'm not elaborating, but it's had an indefinitely great effect on my life. Ever since then - I've seen things in a different light, and a lot of stuff that would really get on my nerves in the past doesn't phase me at all. I was easy going before - but a lot more so now!

Anyways, best conclude this. If all works out well, I do hope to have at least 1 post daily from now on until the season is out... or at least until the Christmas break and all season out after that... haha!

Bye for now... hockey fans! Haha!

A very very very overdue 2013-14 post

Hey there hockey fans... I am back to work in the GP hockey community, and I mean back (5 hockey related jobs, 4 confirmed as of right now - one being here and another being Elite Prospects), but I'm taking longer than I hoped to get my flow/focus back on here & EP so far.

Will try and get the AJHL stats/updates back and going for the new season as soon as possible between games and that, and if I can manage I'm hoping to do the same and daily updates as well with the NWJHL.

It's busy already, and I've only been working on stuff with 4 of the 5 jobs... will be interesting when they are all active more - going to be busy busy busy!

Anyways, just touching base before I get too tired to finish getting the Storm stats & roster up after the AJHL season started tonight (Friday - I haven't slept yet, so it's still Friday to me... haha!)... before I head to bed as quick as possible and am up somewhat shortly after.

More to come, in the immediate future.

Very long awaited blog update

Well, unintentionally this blog, AJHL updates, NWJHL attempted updates, and work on Elite Prospects really went out the window the last few months. A lot of people close to me, thought/assumed it was due to my work with the Kings - but it was mainly an especially hellish February & March for me offline especially, and a barely better start to April thus far  But, besides my explanation below - I'm 'turning the page' and starting a bit of a 'new [old] chapter' in my life... and I guess we will see how the months ahead of the 2013/14 season go before I really know what's going on for me.

I've actually spent the majority of this weekend in bed - actually about 3/4 of the hours or more, I'd say (as much of an exaggeration as it looks, I kid you not!) since getting home from the pharmacy after a 3rd doctor appointment for it in the at least 5 week duration of it so far. It improves, then bang... worsens to the point of it's worst. I cant decide honestly if I'm worse now than in the first week to two weeks of it, or if I've been worse this weekend... cause it's pretty close. Easily the worst sinus cold/head cold/throat & chest cold of my entire life... and add in what seems to be a pretty severe tobacco smoke allergy, and it just adds to that immensely. All this sick time unfortunately/fortunately has left me with a lot of time to think, and over think  and stress, and you name it...

But, in the midst of everything and especially after the Storm & Athletics were eliminated from their league playoffs - the time and work with the Kings was just about the only good going in my life. I loved being around the players and feeling like I was part of 'their' group, at least. Was great being part of their first NWJHL championship, great to have the opportunity to go to Provincials.

I'm not going to go full out angry venting publicly, that's for sure... but let's just say the whole experience post-NWJHL championship with the Kings (next to no communication with me, at all) has left me with a complete sour feeling/taste in my mouth about doing any sort of volunteer work anymore at all. I just came to feel that I was trying my hardest and in the end it felt like I was taken for granted for that, and due to working hard & doing my best - which is normal me when I really enjoy what I was doing. But after it, I kind of am 'done the season' so to say... with a bit of a hurt/used feeling after everything.

Through it all though - I was 100% behind the players (through it all I kept tweeting for the boys and supported them all I could that way), but due to other factors I barely felt like I was with the organization most of the time in Wainwright for Provincials. And I eventually started doing my own thing - and enjoying the Provincials and Wainwright due to that. If it wasn't for one of the players calling me over at Boston Pizza the last night we were all in town, and involving me in a team bonding prank (as I'll call it), and the good times after... I kid you not, I was planning to stay for the remainder of the Provincial Jr. B tournament in Wainwright and enjoy the full tournament. I only missed 1 full game of Provincials up until that time at BP's, and I was about 99% set on staying in town until at least hours after the tournament or even longer if something came up - cause I really made the best of my time out in Wainwright & around the Peace Memorial Multiplex (home of the Jr. B Bisons, and a twin rink arena in Wainwright) and absorbed the atmosphere and everything as much as I could. I more than happily would have stuck around and helped out if the opportunity arose to do so.

The real sad thing about the above pass... I didn't even get it through/with the team... I ended up getting it myself. No one ever did talk with me about any of the frustration I was going through (even since - and we've been back already a week)... there's where I really felt my value/feeling used & taken for granted, and there's where I, in the end, really feel sour about volunteering at all anymore.

That kind of echoes onto here... and with the Storm & Athletics also... I'm just not sure what I'm doing at all anymore. In the end I've been doing way too much, and getting nothing out of it to help myself. If anything I've just been spending more money - and that ain't right. All I've been getting is experience... and experience doesn't pay for anything...

But what I've come to decide, is well... things made the most sense for me working wise, pre-move back to GP (Aug 31st) when I was updating the NHL daily/nightly ahead of their BS lockout that I'm still a bit sore about (and that #HockeyisBack slogan - like honestly... it was like every other person playing hockey when the NHL wasn't - were nothing and meant nothing! Pretty ignorant & senile if you ask me.). But before I get back to there, I want to do my best to catch up on/finalize stats for the AJHL & NWJHL - maybe I will post a completely or finished part 2 of that never ending AJHL update I was doing for weeks until I totally lost track of it.

Honestly, things were going great for me and making sense for those first 5 months back in GP also (Aug 31/12-Jan 31/13) - I was unable to keep up with what I started working on in September on Elite Prospects, unfortunately, in mid-late November (I was updating around 10 leagues bi-weekly I believe on set days) and did my best to keep up daily AJHL updates until around January 28th (a day after joining the Kings organization). That just so happens to be the same day a relationship started deteriorating for me, and a bit of a snowball effect ensued until well... maybe it's lowest point in mid March, and around that point I ended up getting this cold I'm still suffering with.

- - - - -

But like I said... turning the page, so to say. Back to work on EP, like before. Two weeks left in the bowling league  - the playoffs. And the challenge of handling that and the newly started ball hockey league... that was a challenge, but I handled it better than I expected. Never played in any sort of organized hockey league, and got placed on division 8 of 10 in the GPMBH (GP Metro Ball Hockey) league. I figured it'd be over my head skill wise, and it was alright... just endurance wise was a real challenge. I barely had any energy left for the second half of the league debut - but, so did most of our team as we were badly shorthanded and out of shape. But hey, I got an assist on our first goal (Thundercocks #94 - we were just given random #s and I decided if I got the A I'd keep Smitty's #, instead of my usual 28... and sure enough) so I'm not doing too bad! Just gotta get some endurance going & get back to biking when I get rid of this cold. If anything, I've got one big similarity with Smyth - rocking the hair... haha!

But enough typing for now... time to fix a few things, some cleaning, and I've got to get back to online work. I've struggled with focus there since late January, and it's about time I got back to normal there already!

NWJHL Finals Game 3 - Kings @ Navs in Peace River - March 20th

Well, as anyone that's been following this blog knows... I have been badly absent here since Jan 31st. February was not easy, but never would I ever have expected March would be worse! Two good days - my birthday on the 4th, and the Kings game the night after I won the 50/50 for $117... so it wasn't too bad. Besides that my month has been hell... besides every game with the Kings. Absolutely love working with this team and being a part of the organization!

March for me... well there was serious hacking of all computers & cell phone, mass problems with original cell phone including virus laden pics sabotaged by hacker potentially making me lose all pics not Tweeted or FB'd, since Jan 1st - and it appears that the virus laden pic fried/permanently damaged my first 4GB SD card. Massive bills thanks to getting desktop computer reformatted, mass data overages on my phone (100MB is squat! Haha! But how am I to know better when I haven't had a active cell for 5-6 years u til Dec 14th - I have 1GB now though), getting behind on phone bills, other bills .. then I get badly sick... worse head & sinus cold of my whole life! There was some other issues, but between Saturday night & Tuesday afternoon I was deathly ill and could barely even get out of bed or get up off anything. I'm definitely not 100% since, but a lot better than that extent.

So yeah...got a 2nd working SD card Friday, so was able to take pics for Saturday's Game 2 of the N-dub Finals in GP, but due to illness haven't made it on this blog, on EP much, nor to update stats on the AJ or N-dub... badly behind but I plan to get things up as soon as possible when available... which well... could be soon...

I now have 5 jobs officially... EP (since 08), Grande Prairie Storm (since Aug 31st), blog here (since Dec 4),                                                     Grande Prairie JDA Kings (since Jan 27th) and the Grande Prairie Athletics (unofficially since their last home playoff game at the Coke Centre vs Spirit River - I was confirmed to do game stats help with them for 13/14 and for the heck of it I did game tweets that night... haha!). But unfortunately/thankfully (as my life has been hellish... it frees up my times bit) the Storm were knocked out weeks ago in Sherwood Park in the first round  and I believe the A's were knocked out of the NPHL division finals days earlier in Spirit River on Tuesday of the same week.

For now though... here's some pics from the trip and the game. I'll add notes later, but just wanna get a new post up. I plan to post from Game 2 in GP also. I didn't have a working SD card on Game 1 in GP, so no pics from the festivities and pregame we had that night to open the league finals.

Apologies... Again

Before I never get this typed out, I will try to now... Early AM of the 14th.

I didn't let on about this before... But since at least the beginning of March, my computers & cell phone have been obviously getting hacked. I know it will sound crazy & like another excuse why I've fallen so far behind here... But it is 100% real, and along with all the previous stresses, I've got extremely worn out and fed up with just about everything & everyone. "Rough stretch" would be just putting it VERY mildly...

Anyways though... Desktop is getting reformatted, wiped, cleaned, recovered to factory defaults, my laptop is fried & as it's 9 yrs old, it was pretty close to that anyhow. I am on my 2nd cell phone & #, and this one is already acting compromised. I will be changing my home phone # after sleep, if I even manage any, & my IP address is in process of being changed. I am getting a brand new laptop in about 1-5 Weeks but I don't even know if it will be safe to this BS either.

Very fed up with everything lately...

Only thing I enjoy lately besides the relative comfort & safety of my bed, is my work at/with the GP Kings game... Which speaking of which is Game 1 of the NWJHL Finals in 16hrs. Hope I will manage to hold on til then later "today"...

Untitled

I have the urge & ambition to get a huge amount done right now (I'd like to have the AJHL & NWJHL up to date NOW already!!!)... but unfortunately, as usual after a game night (today on the 2.5hr roadtrip to Fort St. John with the Kings and back)... my energy is just not there at all, and I hate it. Truth of the matter, like one close friend in particular tells me constantly - I'm doing way too much for one person or even a few, to handle. I totally love all the work I do with the 5 jobs I have (EP, Storm, blog here, Kings, & now A's... though they lost out of the playoffs Tuesday to Spirit River, so only 4 of them are currently active)... but it is too much for one person. Which is probably why the mainly online side of things (EP & blog work) have suffered the most due to my 'absence'. Unless the post serious breakup stuff since Jan 31st are still effecting me... though less and less since my 29th birthday on Monday... but I still have lost my online work focus ever since those events occurred.

It's just I'm actually posting about it all now, which I unintentionally haven't managed to do in other days lately...

Heck, and to add to it I suddenly & unexpectedly has acid reflux or something... which I've never had out of nowhere like that before... haha - what next! Haha! If you all only knew about the other stuff going on away from here... put it this way... my computers & cell phone have never performed so horribly as currently... and unfortunately there's proven reason for it...

Here's hoping tomorrow I still have the desire... after rest...