What Day Is It?

Seriously! Does anyone know what day it is or how long we've been cooped up in our homes trying to avoid the Covid19 pandemic?

Life has been anything but normal and I think most will agree that this really sucks.

I know in the grand scheme of things I have it pretty good right now with a roof over my head and high speed Internet to stream Netflix. As good as that is, I still miss so many other things we used to take for granted.

The nicer weather has started to show signs of returning as the days get longer and warmer. I might even take my snow tires off the car this week. This change that we'd normally be happy about isn't being met with the same enthusiasm as it would have had 2020 gone as planned.

Everything is pretty much shutdown or closed to try and keep people safe, although it seems some selfish morons are still trying to do things they shouldn't. These mental defective numbskulls aside, most people are making an effort to keep themselves and the most vulnerable in our communities as safe as possible.

Here it is the end of April. What things would I be doing at this time of the year that I can't now. Obviously the first thing I think of is spending quality time with my Fiancée. We don't live together and therefore are not allowed to get close to each other. Are either of us carrying the virus? Probably not but that doesn't mean we can risk it for her health or mine. We'll make up for lost cuddle time when this is all over.

The snow is gone so clearly I'd love to put my golf clubs in the car and head to the course to shake the rust off my swing after a long winter.

Not to mention carrying my clubs around the course chasing the ball for exercise. As of right now, all golf courses are closed and our leagues will have to wait to begin, if we ever get them started this year.

I'm not alone in wanting the option to do other things like go to restaurants, walks in Provincial Parks, going to the gym and most importantly, gathering together in person with family and friends.

All we can do right now is put everybody's health first. That is more important than standing outside Tim Hortons having a smoke with your buddies drinking coffee. It's more important than taking kids to play on the swings at the park with their friends. It's more important than getting into arguments and fights with store staff or other people because you had to wait in a line to get groceries. Use the common sense you were born with and do what HAS to be done and not what you WANT to do.

Stay safe and let's take care of all of us.

Self-Quarantine TV Shows

Sitting here late on a Saturday night self-distancing and doing laundry, I flipped on the TV and realized with no hockey and mostly Big Bang Theory reruns on, watching the tube is getting old quickly during this crazy time we find ourselves working through.

During the week there are still some shows bringing out new programming and while watching the news is important, it can also be depressing and it's nice to escape with some pointless television fluff.

Everyone has their thing when it comes to the TV shows (not movies) we enjoy. Some people don't like Reality TV programs and in this day and age, that shrinks your options significantly. We can all use a laugh but oddly enough, some folks don't see the humour in Comedies. For me personally, I used to enjoy Cop and Lawyer programs but I can't think of any that are on now that interest me.

So what I thought I'd do, because what else do I have to do approaching midnight during a pandemic, is just share with you some of the shows I enjoy or enjoyed watching. Some you may have watched already and others you might not. This may include regular broadcast television, Netflix and other streaming services and programs found online.

So in no particular order, here we go with Dramas and Comedies:

The Crown (Netflix)
This is a historical drama about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. I was hesitant to watch this but once I started I couldn't stop. There have been three seasons so far and you can binge watch them all right now.

Homeland (Showtime)
This is an American spy thriller currently in its Eighth season. While the main character can sometime be a bit annoying with her story line, this final season has been amazing so far.

GLOW (Netflix)
This is a comedy-drama set in the 80's based on the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. Once again, I didn't think I would enjoy this but so far I've watched all three seasons and look forward to the next.

The Goldbergs (ABC)
How did I not give this show a chance long ago? A comedy set in the 80's now in it's seventh season. Lee and I just started watching this program and catching up on all the seasons this year. The writing is smart and funny and for those of us who lived the greatest decade, it transforms us back every episode.

Hunters (Amazon Prime)

With only one season so far, this series has been excellent. Nazi hunters discover high ranking Nazi officials and search them out to bring them the justice they deserve while stopping their plans to continue where they left off at the end of WWII.

The Mandalorian (Disney +)
If you love Star Wars, you'll love this show as well. Set five years after The Return of the Jedi, a bounty hunter becomes the one hunted after he fails to turnover a very special bounty.

Game of Thrones (HBO)
I know some of you haven't watched this series yet and you are really missing out. It's a fantasy drama with several interesting plot lines and characters. It really is as good as the hype surrounding it. Plus, how can you not want to see dragons. By far the best show on TV in the last 10 years in my opinion.

There are so many more dramas and comedies worth watching if you haven't seen them that I could mention here. Peaky Blinders, Mindhunter, Sex Education and Black Mirror all on Netflix to name a few.

When it comes to Reality TV, we watch a wide range of these shows and honestly, there are way too many to mention them all so I'll just give you a few of our favourites.

Gogglebox (Britain and Australia)
Picture a camera in your living room pointed at you capturing your reactions and commentary on the shows we watch and news of the day.

The program shows clips from the shows they watch and edit in the comments they make. It can be hilarious. This is a really fun show and I would love to see a similar program on Canadian television.

Survivor (USA, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa)
I'm sure everyone in North America is familiar with the American and original version of the show but other countries have their own versions as well. To be honest, it's only in its seventh season but the Australian Survivor has been the most entertaining of them all and the competitions are a lot more intense and difficult.

Love Island (UK and Australia)
Ya I know. What the heck am I watching this drivel for? I don't know why but this show about finding love while competing to win cash has been fun to watch the last couple of years. The only downside is avoiding spoilers because the show airs hours ahead of our time zone.

Cooking Shows (Various)
This is more of Lee's thing but I have enjoyed several of these cooking competitions as well. Among my favourites would be Top Chef, MasterChef, Hell's Kitchen and Chopped.

First Dates (UK and Australia)

Singles of all ages are set up on blind dates in the First Dates Restaurant and we get to listen in to the conversations. This is like being a fly on the wall and if you're someone who wants to know what you should or shouldn't do on a date, you can learn a lot here and have a laugh as well.

Again, there are so many shows in this genre that can help pass the time. A few others we enjoy include Vanderpump Rules, Real Housewives, Married at First Sight (U.S. and Australia), 90 Day Fiance and Big Brother.

If you have any shows you enjoy that you'd like to share, feel free to leave a comment. If you don't like the shows mentioned here, that's okay as well. Just find something that helps you and your loved one's get through these tough times and if all else fails, turn off the TV and try playing a board game.

Get Away From Me!

It doesn't take much to realize our world today is much different than it was a few months ago. Everything was holly jolly at Christmas but little did we know how quickly the normal day to day routine would change.

This COVID19 outbreak has turned the world and our lives upside down. If it hasn't for you, then I fear you're either part of the continuing problem or you'll have a serious wake up call before too long.

For some I'm sure self-quarantining is no big deal. If you rarely ever leave your home and interact with people in your normal lives, you likely aren't being too inconvenienced.

For someone like me, I prefer to be on the go either shopping or chatting with people here and there.

I don't mind being inside doing stuff but I can get the "Jimmy Legs" after a while and really desire an escape to the outdoors. Of course, being outdoors isn't really an issue, it's being around other people that is to be avoided as much as possible.

I think we've done a pretty solid job of that so far. I've quarantined my parents and I'm hoping their friends call rather than visit. Lee and I also limit our trips as much as possible. I encourage her to stay in and I volunteer to do all the shopping for us and my parents and when I return home I hose myself down with soap and hot water.

Yesterday when I was out to pick up a few things I couldn't help noticing how little traffic was on the roads. The fact so many places are closed likely has much to do with that.

It was also nice to see most people practicing self-distancing. Well, until they got in line at the checkouts. I was shocked at first to see how bunched together people were waiting to purchase their supplies. Do they think this is smart?

I tried my best to set a proper example but that went horribly. Standing in line at Dollarama I made sure to leave six feet between me and the man in front of me.

I thought this was going well until a woman moved in behind me and was about an arms length away and to make matters worse, she had a cough. I covered my mouth and kept my back to her to shield me from any possible sputum and also so she couldn't hear me cursing her under my breath.

It baffles me how inconsiderate or unaware some people are. I realize there are people who don't follow the news and don't care to be informed. Any other time I couldn't give two shits but when people's lives are at risk, your ignorance is not only embarrassing but it could also be deadly to someone. I won't be so nice next time.

COVID 19 Anxiety

I can't help but wonder if all generations go through something traumatic and scary that has us praying for the best resolution possible.

My Great-Grandparents had the Flu Pandemic that killed 20-50 million people worldwide. My parents and Grandparents had the Asian Flu that killed two million. My parents and others my age have lived in fear with the HIV/AIDS Pandemic that took 36 million lives. Most recently the SARS epidemic in 2003 struck fear in all of us and the threat of an Ebola pandemic still can't be ruled out entirely as parts of Africa continue to deal with that.

In war time, at least traditional war, you knew your enemy. Often you had to see them to defeat them. Our ancestors fought bravely in WWI & WWII and of course the many smaller wars in various parts of the world since then. Fighting a war with a microscopic virus is a different battle altogether and very unsettling.

As of my writing this, the COVID19 virus or Coronavirus has no known cure and many parts of the world are seeing significant infections and deaths. Here in Canada we have 424 confirmed cases and there have been several deaths. World wide the numbers continue to grow.

I don't need to sit here and spout numbers. Just turn on the TV and you'll have numbers thrown at you constantly. What I set out to do by writing this and bringing my old blog back to life was to share my own personal concerns.

First and foremost the biggest concern is the health of my family and friends. My Fiancée Lee and I have been doing our best to limit our contact with others. We haven't self quarantined at this point but we are staying home as much as we can. When I go out I try to follow the guidelines on how to reduce the chances of contracting COVID19. Hand washing has never been more important and while I've always considered myself to be hygienic, I've certainly upped my hand washing frequency.

My parents are my biggest concern. They are the most vulnerable being 82 and 79 and both diabetic. To make matters worse for my father, he is also on oxygen with diminished lung function due to severe pulmonary fibrosis. And if that wasn't enough, he's been fighting stage four renal cell carcinoma since 2014.

They are essentially under self quarantine until things improve. I'm pretty sure I've convinced them to not leave the house or at the very least, not spend time with others.

This is not an easy task for my mother who, let's be honest, has a gift for the gab and a need to converse with everyone she knows. Hopefully she can fulfil that need by telephone only for the time being. Dad, well, he's a home body and is quite content for the most part although the lack of televised sports will cause some discomfort to him.

I've decided that I or Lee and I will do all of their shopping until this passes. Mom loves to shop and this will be another tough pill to swallow for her but it's for the best. My only fear is that, despite my best efforts, I might get the virus and pass it on to them. So when I do go out I will try to practice safe shopping habits by distancing myself from others, avoiding human contact physically and by limiting my trips to stores to a minimum.

It's my hope that others will do the same and together by being smart about the whole thing we can come out the other side healthy and wiser.

My NHL Moments

Hockey is a sport that the majority of Canadians have a passion for. Not everyone I'm sure but for most our National Sport is something we all enjoy and to some extent worship. 

All levels of the game are appreciated and celebrated. I liken it to the fervor that surrounds football in the United States or soccer in Europe. Hockey in Canada is a way of life and a source of national pride. And aside from international tournaments where our very best compete, the highest level of competition comes from the National Hockey League.

The NHL provides the best and brightest in the game a place to play and entertain. Certainly the talent level is watered down now that the league has grown from six to 31 teams but each team has its stars and there's nothing like sitting in the crowd to cheer on your favourite team in person.

My favourite team is the Montreal Canadiens. Twenty-four Stanley Cup victories and a perennial playoff participant usually. I've been fortunate to be alive for 10 of those Championship seasons. Sadly, this season they've faltered but don't get me started on that.

I come by my love for the Habs honestly. My father is and always has been a Montreal fan all of his 80 years. We'd sit in front of the TV and listen to Danny Gallivan and Dick Irving Jr on Hockey Night in Canada. Of course for my dad, it started with Foster Hewitt and the Montreal and Toronto rivalries.

My grandfather was an Engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railroad and my father as a young man also found work with CP in the train yard in our hometown. Back then CP ran passenger trains as well and among those passengers were the Montreal Canadiens players who would from time to time stop in Trenton on the way too and from Montreal. For a young man to see these legendary figures was something to behold.

So the Habs have been my team for 50 years and I hear if from my friends who are Toronto Maple Leafs fans quite often. We enjoy some friendly jabs back and forth but despite our loyalties to our respective teams, we all share a common love for the game.

Over the years I've been lucky enough to attend some of these game in person. Ticket prices now are for the most part obscene and attending a game is a rarity. I have however been witness to some wonderful memories at the few games I have enjoyed at the rink.

The best player to ever play the game, in my opinion, is Wayne Gretzky. Number 99 holds all kinds of records and to see him play with Edmonton and Los Angeles on TV was a treat. But there was nothing compared to seeing him play live. I had an opportunity to see Wayne play for L.A. in 1991 at Maple Leaf Gardens.

My ticket stub from the game.

When you see what he did when the camera wasn't on him it was so impressive. The way he could anticipate the play and where he needed to be was one of a kind.

Going to the game I remember thinking to myself, "I'd just like Wayne to score a goal." It was the one and only time I was going to see him play and I just wanted to say I saw him score once. My all-time favourite player was Guy Lafleur and I did have an opportunity to see him play in person at the end of his career but his age was a factor and even though the thrill of seeing him was there, he just wasn't the player he used to be. That wasn't the case for Gretzky on this night. Not only did Wayne score one goal but he added another and two assists on the way to a 5-2 win over the Leafs. Luc Robitaille also had two goals in the game and one assist. I left the rink a very happy 23 year old kid at heart.

My last time in Maple Leaf Gardens was also the last time the Montreal Canadiens played there as well. I had a pair of tickets to see the Leafs host the Habs in the final meeting between these two teams at MLG. Being able to say you were there was pretty cool.

My ticket from the game.

My friend Matt and I were seated at the south end of the rink and before the game even started, the level of excitement was intense. It usually is when these two teams meet but on this night with what it represented it went to a whole new level.

The game itself was entertaining and Montreal would win 2-1 but it was the pre-game festivities that I was most excited about and will never forget. With this rivalry and the history we knew something special was going to happen and we weren't disappointed. Welcomed to the ice for the ceremonial puck drop were two legends, former Maple Leaf Ted "Teeder" Kennedy and former Canadiens player Maurice "Rocket" Richard. I didn't put a stop watch on it but the standing ovation for these two greats had to have lasted at least 10 minutes if not longer. My hands were killing me by the time the applause finally subsided. The love and appreciation shown to these two men I'm sure was something to see on Hockey Night in Canada but to be there in person was exhilarating.

The last of my favourite NHL hockey moments doesn't involve any player. It centers around a man who I've admired, loved and aspired to be like my whole life...my dad.

In the past I had on a couple of occasions to take my dad to see Montreal play but it was always on the road. We saw them play the Lightning in Tampa a couple of times and after this we saw the Leafs and Habs play at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Seeing a game with my dad has always been special, even a Junior hockey game.

My dad had never seen Montreal play in Montreal. The Forum would have been fantastic but sadly it was gone and the team was playing in the Bell Centre but I was determined to get him to a game to experience a Habs home game first hand. 

The game was on Valentine's Day in 2012. We took a train to Montreal and got our hotel room for the night.

Dad standing beside the plaque of his favourite player.

It was freezing cold so we couldn't venture out too long but we could see the Bell Centre just a block away so we decided to bundle up and go down in the afternoon to view the monuments and history outside the rink. We then went and enjoyed an early supper before going back to the hotel to get rested and then left for the rink to be there when the doors opened. I must say, we didn't speak a word of French and anyone we talked to were kind enough to switch to English no problem at all both on the street and in the arena.

Seeing dad look out at the ice once we get inside was kind of a cool moment for me. He was finally going to see a Habs home game. It didn't matter if they won or lost, we were just thrilled to experience the atmosphere first hand. And I can tell you, even for a regular season game against Carolina, the crowd and feeling inside that arena was like nothing else. It's true what they say about seeing a game in Montreal. In the end the trip cost me a pretty penny but the memories I have and to experience that with my dad was priceless.

I've included a video below that I shot of my dad walking out and seeing the rink for the first time.

I have been very lucky to witness some very cool NHL moments in person and I'm sure many of you have similar experiences as well. What saddens me is seeing what the prices of tickets are now and knowing that there are a lot of hockey fans who will never get to have similar opportunities simply because they can't afford it or justify spending so much money on tickets to a game. Greed has taken priority today.