badger_14

Thanks. I can't imagine how her mom & dad are feeling. (well, I can, sadly, but still). She was such a lovely dog.

If you get a chance, you should at least try it once or twice. It really does offer a great change of perspective. I think it helps with playing out, too, seeing the strategy from the other side. (and, of course, you gain a whole lot more sympathy for goalies).

Don't you love being able to wear intermediate or junior size equipment? Surprising how much that lops off the end price... Good luck with your skates, Optimus. :)

My job for the past three years has been walking a dog for a local family. Maya was a senior dog when I met her, and the past few weeks she's gotten sick and just ... went downhill. I said goodbye to her today. I'm so grateful I got the chance to hug her again and say, like I did every time I walked her, "Ok, Maya, be a good girl. I love you." But man, stuff like this is never easy.

Heh, yeah, I think about all I've got going for me right now is "get between ball and net". I think I'm getting better though. I can track the ball pretty well and anticipate the players' actions. I was nervous about dropping, for a while, but I've mostly learned hey, I'm wearing big squishy things on my legs, I'll be fine. As it happens, the pads I'm using (other than the blocker) are all ice pads. The C/A is a bit worn and probably won't do much against pucks at this point, but I have an idea of what might fit and what to look for. And the player I'm borrowing them from isn't actually a goalie, so I could probably acquire the pads from him permanently for a nominal sum. I just keep telling myself Badger, no, you don't have a car, taking skater equipment on the T is one thing, taking goalie equipment is liable to make half the greater Boston region hate you.

Oddly I seem to have the opposite problem, I keep trying to throw my body, blocker and/or stick in front of everything that comes at me, and keep forgetting about my glove. It got a bit better last week when I finally got a glove that fit. I definitely need to stop trying to catch and block at the same time, though. I think, anyway. (I just started playing street goal a few weeks ago, borrowing most of the pads, and I am dutifully attempting to resist the pull of playing on ice.)

It's been over four years since I was able to ride the bus (and walk more than a 1/2 mile or so) without some kind of anti-anxiety med, and yet that is exactly what I did today (20 minutes on the bus and 2 miles of walking, roundtrip to my dogwalking job). This has been a really, really good spring.

My apologies, I misread what you wrote. You said that you scrimmage at open ice/stick & puck, right? Would she come and watch a scrimmage session? Getting her to talk to a coach from whatever team or program you want to skate in could help, too. I know I've had a number of chats with new-to-hockey parents who are nervous about safety.

Would your mom be willing to watch you play in a pick-up game for a bit? She might see it's not so bad, that way, if her primary concern is your safety.

The best thing about the kids' games on Sunday was watching two of the stronger skaters on one team deliberately and carefully setting up their less-experienced teammate for (several) goals. The kids are alright.

My buddy sprained his knee/ankle a few weeks ago and since he can't skate/drive, and I can't drive/don't own a car, neither of us is playing, and he's going stir crazy. I at least have the option of (for the late game) taking the train and walking, and a taxi home from the train station, but don't really feel like paying almost $30 to play a game I already paid for in the first place. Cruddy situation for all concerned.

I would feel better about the whole thing if he was just a helicopter parent, and not 'parent who repeatedly violated the rink rules, and proceeded to have an epic tantrum, swearing at coaches and frightening other kids'. : / But I will settle for 'kid gets to play like the kid he is'.

Belligerent parent has been banned from the rinks for the rest of the season. So one less thing to worry about, I guess? While it does feels like a less than satisfactory outcome, his kid still gets to play, and I'm happy about that. :)

My trip out to see my brother & SIL and adorable awesome nephews in Oregon has been rescheduled for mid-March! So excited. No, as long as the weather cooperates on both ends of the country...

I know, it stinks, but number one, I'd really like to see where it goes, and number two, I hope it ends well. (I see it looks like it will. Hooray.)

I probably shouldn't crack wise about that being a sh*tty situation. In seriousness that sucks, I hope it's best-case scenario and reasonably fixable.

I know, I am someone's dogsitter/walker. Like I said: my parents haven't found anyone they'd trust with him. I don't ordinarily mind it (hey, I get the house to myself for a week), and as long as we can find another cheap flight, I'll go later in the spring. There are a variety of reasons why leaving the dog to someone else's care is not practical, feasible, or wise, and I'll leave it at that.

Because all of our family members live 500+ miles away! Well, essentially. We have no family here and don't know anyone willing to handle an 80lb standard poodle with separation anxiety.

Part of the 'ticked off' is that my parents get to go see them twice a year, but I have to stay home with the dog, and it's only because my mother is sick that I was going to be sent off as the emissary. My brother/SIL do want to see me, it's just I haven't been able to go.

Was going to fly out today to visit my brother, SIL, and my nephews for my littler nephew's 1st birthday - big deal, as I haven't seen the older one since he was 8 months old, never met the little one, and haven't flown anywhere since before 9-11. But the weather came, the flight is cancelled, and there aren't any free seats (with this airline) til the 18th. So, no flight, no trip, no mini-nephew's birthday. Ticked off, frustrated, and sad.

Yesterday, I told a kid (with absolute sincerity) that he'd done a really good job sticking with a kid about twice his size in a battle for the puck during a drill. He absolutely lit up. Best part of coaching.

The Glantz clinic I went to outside of Boston was good, but it probably varies depending on where you are. Laura Stamm clinics (if there is one near you - (Oakland?) also take adults - same deal, powerskating, edgework, etc. Weekend Warriors kind of depends on how many players and what kind of experience - some of the camps split folks into a more novice and a more intermediate group. However, if it is a very small camp, you are likely to get a lot of individual attention either way.

The new league jerseys run stupidly small (2XL by this manufacturer is roughly equivalent to CCM's L), so I fixed mine. Cannibalized an old jersey, put in some side panels. Doesn't look half bad, imho. And now for my next trick, to see if it holds up in a game.

Daughter, actually. 6-year-old Olympic hopeful, maybe?

Parent told his kid not to bother passing or trying to pass because "no one's going to be there anyway" and then asked me to confirm that, "it doesn't matter because no one else can pass at this level, right?" Man, it's called Learn to Play for a reason (in this case, 4 - 6ish). I tried to play it neutral and said "Well, everyone's learning. It's a process." I am not sure that went over well... (The thing of it is, the kid and a couple of others were actually passing pretty well with each other. I mean no one here is making Stanley-Cup-winning tic-tac-toe plays here, but the puck is getting from Player A to Player B with reasonable consistency.)