I Got a New Toy for my Toy

I have not written much about my car lately. Mostly because its sitting in the garage while we get slammed with snow. The CLK has traction control, but it just makes driving dangerous in the way it cuts power. I drove it a few weeks ago to the dealer to have a warranty repair done and it was so much fun to open up the throttle and just rocket around. They gave me a loaner for what ended up being 4 days as they needed to replace the seat back and that had to be ordered. The loaner they give is a Mercedes Benz C300. A really nice car in and of itself. In fact going back to when I was looking to buy it was the other car I had to choose from. Man am I glad I bought the CLK500. The C300 is nice, but its not as nice as my CLK. Every time I get in the CLK and drive I end up smiling when I get out. I just love that car. So I had a few wants on the car that needed to be addressed.

I already upgraded the lights to factory xenon headlights. Now I went out and got an AMG steering wheel with shift paddles. This thing is so nice. Its partially wrapped with alcantara and leather and its nice and thick. The price? Oh over a couple grand, but I got a deal on it. Yeah these cars are expensive, but does your car make you smile every time you step out of it?

Who Knew There Was A Goal Scorer in the Family

We just returned from the first hockey tournament of the year. This one was in Indianapolis and Frudoch was there with the Columbus North Stars. This is Fru's first time making the North Stars and most of the other kids have played on the team for at least a couple years moving up thru the program as mites and now squirts. Needless to say they have an advantage as the familiarity with each other and the extra practices and games furthers their development. I was unable to make the first couple games as I had to stay back for a banquet so my wife took both kids and watched the first couple games while I came early Sunday morning and saw the last couple games. As I've noted before, Frudoch has improved his game quite a bit this year and now at the A level he is proving he belongs. In the 4 games he had 2 goals and 3 assists with 2 penalty minutes. He really has developed into a great forward and is willing to pay the price down low in front of the goal. What's maybe more impressive is his ability to setup his linemates with centering passes. In the Sunday game he was a monster crashing the net and scoring a goal on a rebound. His next shift out he was knocked down by an opposing player and he twisted his ankle and had to be carried off the ice and was unable to return. They held on to win the game, but the team lost a spark and his line allowed a couple of goals without him. His goal ended up being the game winner. His other goal was the first for the team in the tournament. I think he was having fun. His ankle felt a little better after keeping it iced and elevated and he played a limited role in Mondays semi final game. Unfortunately they ran into a team that was so disciplined and positionally strong and lost 3-2. It was a hard loss, but it will make them stronger. This story has not been finished.

In his most recent House game, Frudoch grabbed a couple early goals and tried so hard for the 3rd to get his first hat trick. He took 2 penalties in the 3rd trying to make something happen. The second penalty has a roughing for bumping this kid who just bounced about 5 feet off his shoulder. It was pretty impressive even though it was 2 kids running into each other and not a true penalty. This weekend brings 2 house games for both Frudoch and Poppy. Its gonna be another weekend of Hockey. Coming up soon we have Presidents Day weekend tournaments in Detroit for Fru and the North Stars and Poppy in Columbus for the Kings. See ya later.

Lufthansa Game --Try it

This was sent to me by my last boss. Its a fun way to waste an afternoon. How well do you know your European geography?

http://www.lufthansa-usa.com/useugame2007/html/play.html

The NHL "War Room" is full of idiots

Anybody that knows me knows I perseverate on things. Something inside me says don't let go. In that mode I still can't forgive the NHL for the no-goal call against Dallas in December. Now I saw the same group of "hockey experts" in Toronto called and goal good in a recent Islanders vs. Oilers game. I sent the replays to a local CBJ blogger and he agrees. Check out Light the Lamp for your CBJ blogger fix. Its excellent. Plus he gave me credit. Excellent.

http://lightthelamp.blogspot.com/2009/01/you-be-judge.html

Happy New Year

Its almost time for the Winter Classic. To heck with bowl games we got hockey!