badger_14

Happy (American) national EMS week to all the EMS modsquadders. May your week be safe and full of cool swag.

+10 to this. It's much the same as learning any complex set of skills - as you learn new things, you focus on those, and get lost on skills you already had as you try and incorporate the new ones. You start off okay, falter as you try and incorporate new skills, incorporate those, do okay, falter again, etc. Eventually the scaffolding all comes together. (I shouldn't say that, as it hasn't come together for me yet, so I don't know. ;) ) Sometimes it helps, also, to take a short break, to let your body and brain process. Then you come back refreshed and not thinking so hard.

Finally got in some hockey today! Not too many people at the lunch-time open hockey, but enough for 3 on 3 half ice, which meant a solid workout for an hour. Then two of them left and it was a less-solid workout for another half hour. I have had some pain in my leg for a couple of weeks - I think I may have tweaked something while stretching, because there is no obvious external damage, and there's no tenderness either. But after skating today sweet merciful crap going up stairs, or down stairs, or any kind of 'pushing off' on that leg hurts like a bejeebus. Ugh. I know it will subside with rest and ice, but rest isn't any fun. (I may have to take to the liquid form of ice for exercise for a bit.) I know the regular rink opens again on the 16th, but I've heard nothing so far of what the Russian Embassy's plans are for summer hockey

There's certainly something to be said for the adrenaline high. (and the part where I get to socialize with people who are not a) co-workers or b) under the age of 6.) Luckily, the mailing list (a sort of internet goalie 911) is always full of people pleading for a goalie for their pickup or to sub in for a league game. I had 5 emails just this morning. (of course, all for games tonight).

Probably no hockey the next couple of weeks ... primary rink is still closed and no one's yet sorted out if we'll play on a weeknight (vs Saturday morning) and what night that will be. Primary rink re-opens on the 16th of May. I'll try to find a skate or two between now and then - there is always someone looking on the MassGoalies listserv. I'd go somewhere Friday or Saturday of this week, but I have a 10-hour ambulance shift on Saturday. Hopefully something next week, and then the Russian embassy gets it together and we start skating again.

Congrats to the small fry!

Oof yeah that would be quite the hockey town. I would say if you can find a lesson with a coach, even just one or two lessons would be a far better value than just renting the ice. After all, the basic advantage is a live human (hopefully experienced) who can tell you what you're doing wrong, and give you things to work on that you can take with you to other ice times. You could also try Craigslist, and ask if anyone would be willing work with you a few times if you rented the ice.

I bet they would. A lot of outfits around here that run camps also have private lessons with their instructors. Even if not under the name of the company, I think plenty of coaches would like the extra income! Many of the group clinics I've been to were very mixed level - but there might only be 4 of us, and we'd rotate through each drill, and the coach would just modify it as needed for our ability level. Goalie A might use the drill as an opportunity to work more on basic crease awareness, while goalie B might be working on advanced movements. If the coaches have decided to cap a group at, say, 5 goalies, a beginner isn't taking away an advanced player's time, because each goalie's time is built into the camp, n'est-ca pas? And if there are fewer than the cap (only 3 of us poor padded bastards sign up), woohoo, extra ice and attention for everyone! Depending on how popular hockey is in your area, I think it'd be worth it to take a chance on asking if any of the lower-level or children's camps might be willing to accept an adult, if there was space (obviously, you are willing to pay). (some powerskating camps and clinics will take older skaters into a younger age group if that's where they're at). If they say 'no', they can probably direct you toward another avenue - "oh, we also do private/semi-private lessons" or "oh, coach [x] runs a beginner clinic across town". It's worth a shot. Honestly, $99 is about what a single, hour-long private lesson would go for where I live (outside Boston), so you might as well find a semi-private or private lesson at that price. Dunno what the going rate is for an hour of goalie torment where you're at.

Three cheers for gainful employment!

Excuse you I am an excellent driver. I am alert, observant, and cautious. I am so cautious that I actually drive the speed limit. In Boston. (seriously, in all my time driving I have never so much as even aggressively caressed a traffic cone.)

First fender-(non)-bender of my life yesterday, and it just had to be in the ambulance, too. Clipped mirrors with a guy (traveling parallel - he wasn't properly in his lane) - no damage, no one was injured, but there was the whole information exchange and then I had to go back to the main garage and fill out an accident report and got a written warning for first offence and I feel terrible about it. My supervisor insists that it's not that bad and nothing really happened. Not that I like driving anyway, but I'm pretty glad I have week until the next time in the truck. Ugh. I also learned some new ways in which my mother is basically a crazy person who hates me, and yesterday also included a somewhat non-cooperative psych transfer and a stair chair call. So this is not my week thus far.

That's not fair. I mean, being bitched out. Like knock it off, guys, quit acting like your gear doesn't stink. :( (imho, it's also just plain not safe to have A and D/novice players mixed together. What was their logic? Not enough people for separate ice?)

Good god that was the warmest arena I've ever played in. Gross. I soaked through my headband AND my sweatband. The ice was fine, but somehow the air was just hideously warm for playing hockey. Folks on the benches were taking their undershirts off. My friend (who has never seen a live hockey game) came to watch us play, and commented that "You were moving kind of stiffly, I thought you were hurt." Well thanks buddy. On the other hand, he enjoyed the game immensely and said it must be hard work to track the puck constantly. Counterpoint to that, one of our best players complimented me later for reading the play "perfectly" when he and one of our other best players had a two on 0 (oops, defence) and absolutely stoned them. So good for me.

There's a boatload of leagues around Boston. The league I play in has many, many long-running teams (the league's been around since 1978), but there's also a free-agent day before the season starts where coaches can pick up new players, and anybody not picked is assigned to a team based on his or her rated skill level. And, of course, the GLBT community is fairly small so word travels quickly about the league and who's looking for new players.

It's rare. It happened that I had thought we were on at 8pm, and the kids' practice before us ended at 7:50 and they made the ice, and since I was dressed by then I figured I might as well hop on. A few of the other guys were early as well. Since we typically skate in the morning, sometimes if we get there early we also get extra ice. Typically I am dependent on my teammate for a ride, though, and I can't make him wake up any earlier.

Softball season has arrived! Time for socializing, playing in the dirt, and hopefully winning a game or two.

Thursday was a good time. I got there early and spent the extra free ice practicing moving, squaring up, angling, butterfly slides where I get my vertical leg against the post (this did not end well but it was a good try). I thought I played pretty well - 7 or 8 goals over two hours. Very mobile, feeling quick, although my ability to stretch had to save me a few times. Not a whole lot of defence, but they did their best. Other side was somehow stacked with all the offense... better talk to the guy in charge of our pickup about that ;) (that would also be the guy who gives me a ride). After the game, for whatever reason, our teammate Saint Nik (vs another teammate, Naughty Nick) trotted out onto the ice in his underwear, like a sort of poor man's proto-sauna. This is why the latest missive has a photo of Saint Nik rubbing snow on himself and the notation: "Some people were driven to sadness after the game. But don't be sad! We will play again next week." I have great teammates. No hockey today, but we found another rink to skate at the next couple of Saturdays while we scout around for somewhere mid-week for the summer.

Oh, there are open rinks within decent driving distance (25-30 minutes), for sure, but we're trying to keep it fairly close to the city because so many of the guys live in Camberville (Cambridge/Somerville) or in Boston or Brookline (all neighboring towns) and it's not fair to make a bunch of mostly-grad students drive all over hell and gone and on top of that, pay significantly more per game. Some of the rinks are as much as $300+ per 50 minute hour. (vs. the $160/hour + extra time because the rink manager likes us) Couple of guys are trying to use their connections (such as they are) to get time at the Harvard rink, at least temporarily. Hoping everything will work out - I would miss my teammates as much as the ice time. I mean, I can play anywhere, I suppose, but they're my favorites, so. Bunnyman - almost every company I've ever worked for has felt entitled to my "leisure time", or rather, assumed that any time that I am not currently working for them means I am available for work. (oddly, the ambulance company I work for has been the most flexible about scheduling.) It's obnoxious. psulion - I hope this works out for you, that captain sounds like a piece of work. Hopefully he doesn't ruin an otherwise good time.

So the usual rink is closing entirely for - a month or two? And so my Saturday guys are hunting around for a place to play (somewhat limited - most of the rinks closer to the city close for May/June/often July, except for the one or two private rinks that will charge your first born) and a day midweek (since most people apparently don't want to spend summer weekends in an ice rink - who knew?). Thursday was suggested, and I said if they did Thursday I wouldn't be able to skate for them, but I said they could probably find another goalie. He says: "We would rather have you." Which is so nice. It makes me feel like it's worth it to play for three hours while sick and subsequently land myself in the urgent care for a nebulizer treatment. My teammate says "reliable and enthusiastic goalie", perhaps more accurately "stubborn and not good at objective decision-making". (in all seriousness though it's really nice to know that, of their selection of possible, and more experienced, replacement goalies, they would prefer to have me.) I think this past Saturday went fairly well, and since the rink is closed as of Friday, we're playing Thursday night. (ordinarily, I work, but I swapped out with a co-worker who needed a shift covered next week). Hopefully the guys find a night that works out, otherwise I will be a sad goalie for three months.

No offense taken at all. I appreciate the concern, and it has been a frustrating Fall/Winter. I was having trouble with my asthma as far back as last August, and I've had a cold on roughly a monthly basis since October, so it's starting to worry me. My bloodwork has all been good though. Does make it harder to play hockey, for sure.

I'm not sick all the time. But it's my first winter working on an ambulance and I think I've just been picking up a lot of crap in spite of my best efforts.

On the one hand, I think I let in like 20 goals. On the other, we played for three hours and I have a bad virus and kept hazing out when I stood up. So it evens out.

Sadly, I am not in charge of naming our facilities. That's probably a good thing, because they'd end up with signage like "Relaxing Toasty Room: Not Your Personal Underwear Warmer" and "Why Are You In Here? It's The Steam of Old Unwashed Men" and "Fire Exit: Do Not Use Unless You Are On Fire".

I have an assortment of Finnish relatives, I am familiar with how a typical sauna works. ;) To clarify however, our sauna is specifically a dry sauna. (We also have a steam room). It is not meant to have water poured on it, and does short out.

I can't wait for this week to end. I have a cold, got peed on by my patient, spent a 20 minute ride being petted by another (alzheimer's) patient, some creepy guy mistook me for a high schooler and tried to lure me into his car, and yesterday someone poured water on the sauna heating element AGAIN. The weekend and hockey cannot come soon enough.