http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/ourgame/story/2009...

Normally I am one of the most patient and calm people you will ever meet.  Not tonight, however, as I try to complete a level two coaching course via correspondence.  I'm not upset with anyone else, only myself for being so foolish once again. 

I should have learned from my initial experience that the material was so badly written that trying to complete the next phase would be nothing short of complete and utter frustration once again.  The material is not all that difficult, however, the problem lies in trying to figure out what exactly they are asking.

I consider myself of general intelligence (that is, until I decided to undergo this completely frustrating exercise for the second time in as many months).  The worst part in all of this is that I'm not entirely sure why I am taking the coaching course.  The first part was required in order to take a spot behind the player's bench, however, the second level was completely optional, and considering that I can't see myself actually coaching a team at this or any point in the foreseeable future, completely unnecessary.

Perhaps this whole experience is going to teach me nothing about coaching, but it is teaching me a whole lot about myself.  So far I'm not liking the lessons being learned.

It always amazes me how often people approach me asking me if I have an extra cigarette.  At least once in each of the past three days this week I have been asked by someone, both young and old, if I have an extra "butt".  Once I finally clue in and figure out that they are not making fun of my weight, I'm still left feeling a little offended, since I've never smoked even a single time, and do not approve of the practice because of the irrefutable evidence that it causes harm both to the smoker themselves as well as innocent by-standers.

Perhaps they are only asking everyone indescriminately, however, I always am left to wonder if they are asking me because I somehow fit their "active" smoker profile.

Maybe I am looking at this all in the wrong perspective.  Perhaps I should be grateful that they are not approaching me asking for harder drugs...it is Welland I live in after all. 

I can't understand why anyone (particularly males) would not want to go to the dentist.

I love going the dentist, and even the orthodontist...I'm not one of the wusses who has a fear of pain, after all.  It's a fact that one of the few times you will ever see me smile is during my dental appointments.

Why, you ask, would one like going to the dentist?  The answer is quite simple, at least for a single guy like me... the cute hygenists and assistants in the office. Nearly every dentist's office I've ever been to has them :-)

There are some real cuties, and I don't mind at all having them play around in my mouth. :-O 

Unlike me, they all have great smiles, so that is always sure to brighten my day at each visit, even if things are a little painful or don't go particularly well.

Today's visit was quite a painful one, but because it also took longer than normal that allowed me more time to check out all the office staff more closely, so I wasn't really complaining at all that it took them almost two hours to finish with me.

The only downside to the appointment was when one of the girls was trying to show me how to apply the elastic bands to correct my cross-bite.  I have a hard enough time seeing things at the best of times, and trying to latch onto areas at the back of my mouth when my fingers are sure to get in the way is not going to be an easy task for me.  I can't tell you how many times I either gagged myself or swallowed the small elastics today...finally I gave up and told the girl I would figure it out at home as I was just having too much trouble seeing what I was doing.  I think she was starting to get a little frustrated with me, and I was kinda hoping (wishing?) she would slap me around a little.  Maybe during my next visit...hopefully they'll allow a little extra time. :-D

I was a little frustrated (okay, I was actually really pissed off for a couple hours earlier today) when I started thinking of the inconvenience of having to take off the elastic bands for every meal, but once I started joking with myself about the situation, it became easier to accept.  Yes, no one is safe from my sense of humour, not even myself...and that's a good thing I think.

Last week I decided to get a mohawk.  As it turns out, I ended up with a brushcut instead of a mohawk when the barber cut too much hair off, but that’s a separate issue...

Parental reaction to the move was not favourable, which is really what I would like to talk about.

I think that those who know me well enough realize my motivation for the haircut was not to rebel against authority (as my parents and many others might assume just from looking at the hairstyle), but rather to simply show my confidence and support for the Minor Bantam A hockey team after all the hard work they’ve put in this season. 

I couldn’t be with them in person for the first two games of the final series, because of a previous commitment I had made to help with our Little NHL tournament, so I figured the next best way to let them know that I was behind them 100% was to join them in getting a mohawk as most of them did last week.

Unlike tattoos and piercings which are more permanent signs of rebellion, hair grows back rather quickly, so I don’t know why it would ever become such a big issue between parents and kids in the first place.  There are much more serious issues than this to become upset about, so this wasn’t something that caused me any great concern or hardship.  (For the record, I would never consider getting a tattoo or piercing under any circumstances, just because I don’t personally like them.) 

Many kids we read about today are unfortunately involved in all types of risky sexual and drug behaviours that I don’t condone at all, so I’m sorry if those kids who simply experiment with different tastes in music, hairstyles or clothing choices just don’t raise the same level of concern in me.  I might not always particularly care for the choices they make, but haven’t we all made bad choices in these areas in each of our lives at some point?  The evidence is often still in our closets or displayed in our CD collections if we take a look.

As for the Minor Bantam A hockey team, obviously I’m very proud of their accomplishments on the ice this season, no matter how the final series turns out for them, but what impresses me more about them is how they conduct themselves off the ice.  I consider it a privilege just to be around them, and to have been able to spend the amount of time with them that I have the past few seasons.  In the process of watching them grow up and mature, I have grown and matured in many areas as well.  I’ve learned to loosen up a little and have a lot more fun in life in the process.  I’ve done things this season that I never would have previously considered, (yes, including the intention of getting a mohawk), and for that I am very grateful to them.

I’m looking forward to even bigger and better things next season as I find even more ways to become involved in things.  I wouldn’t consider doing anything else with my free time at this point, and I certainly hope most of these kids will return for next season as well.  With any luck, it will be to defend the championship we intend to win this year.     

If you are a minor reading this, you shouldn’t be able to understand the punchline... if you do, blame your parents, not me.

This past Friday, March 15, was known to some as Steak and BJ Day. 

I don’t count myself in the category of those who recognize this above holiday, as I don’t even celebrate Christmas, Easter or many other traditional holidays as most do. 

I happened to be running on very little sleep this past Friday and a random thought crossed my mind late in the day that I found quite amusing and thought I would post.

Not being one, I wondered if homosexual males celebrated this particular holiday as well, and if so, I wondered if that wouldn’t  be too much meat for them in one day? 

Msg me if you found this to be as funny as I did.

One way I've learned to cope with many situations is to simply not to ask too many questions.  I tend to over-think everything, so if I ask too many questions of myself, it would never end well because I already know in my head what my answers would be.

For example, I'm sure people wonder at times what motivates me to volunteer as much time around my hometown as I do.  They assume that their must be some sort of financial incentive for me to put in the hours that I do each week.  There isn't, and I'm not looking for one.

There are nights that I question if my efforts are worth it.  Last night was one of those.  While there are many other acts of charity I do behind-the-scenes that few find out about, my most visible act of volunteerism in the winter months involves doing what I can to help out around the local minor hockey scene.  A large portion of the time I can think of no place I would rather be than watching, announcing and writing about the games that I do each week.  However, there are times when the hockey just isn't very entertaining, the effort or skill does not seem to be there, and the crowd doesn't seem to care one way or the other whether there is music playing or announcements being made.  There are still several teams where I don't know any of the players personally, which makes finding reasons to stay on those nights even more difficult to come up with.  

There are a few stand-by excuses I've come up with to keep me around during those nights.

1.  I can't remember quitting anything in my past, whether it be a job or a group to which I belonged, before it ran it's natural course.  I have always let circumstances dictate when certain things ended and have never had to actually tell someone I was quitting or moving on from anything.  I'm such a creature of habit that I find it difficult to see things come to an end, and so I'm most comfortable when things stay the same for long periods of time.

2.  I have several principles I live by, one of which is an attempt towards fairness to all.  As much as possible, I strive to treat everyone equally.  This explains why you'll find me just as often at house league hockey games as you will at AAA or Jr. B games.  I don't discriminate based on age, skill level, gender, economic status, or any other criteria.  They are all kids afterall, and I try as much as possible to give them equal benefit of my time and efforts.  The assumption I make, of course, is that every kid likes to receive the acknowledgement of having their name announced over the loud speaker every once in awhile, and prefers to have music at their games versus the silence of apathy.

3.  If I learned anything about economics during high school (and I should have, because if memory serves correctly, I took Economics during two or three separate semesters), it was about the principle of opportunity cost.  This is the one area that gives me the most difficulty to reconcile.  Is there something that I could better do with my time on those nights that it seems my efforts have little to no impact? So far, the answer I've come up with is no.With no girlfriend or other pressing obligations to attend to, and no other skills or hobbies that I'm any good at, I haven't been able to come up with anything else that I can say is more worthwhile of my time.

4.  But the easiest cop-out I've come up with is to simply not ask any questions.  On those nights when the weather is terrible, or I anticipate a less than entertaining game, I simply don't ask whether I feel like going to the arena... I just simply do it.  And, so far, that works for me... and hopefully it works for others as well.      

I've figured out that I don't like shopping or seeking out women for the exact same reason:  I don't see the point in spending time looking at things I'm never going to have because I can't afford them.  It's not that I don't appreciate the finer things in life (and I certainly include women in that category), but to go around looking at all the things that one can't have just isn't a whole lot of fun for me.  Some might consider that a bit of a pessimistic view, and think I shouldn't give up so easily, but that's how I presently feel.

Several people I know are consumed with either thoughts on how they can make as much money in life as they can or about how to get as much sex coming their way as they are able.  Myself, honestly, I likely don't give enough thought to either.  Perhaps I'm just content with my life, but it's more likely true that I just feel that my prospects of getting much of either one without a whole lot of begging are slim to none.

I've had times where I've had more money than I needed to meet my immediate needs, which was nice because now it's a struggle to make ends meet at times.   I still realize that there are those who are still less fortunate than I am, so I don't go around thinking that my needs are somehow unique or more important than others, which is why I'm often so hestiant to ask for help when it is needed.  Is it pride, or is it a problem of being too humble... I honestly don't know.  What I do know is that I still have plenty of time, talent and even a little bit of money to offer for the things and people that are the most important.

I'm not a good loser. An experienced one... yes.  But I've never learned to like it.  Everything I do, I play to win.  Even things I know that I'm not particularly good at I expect to at least have a chance at success based on the amount of effort I invest in them.

I have slowly come to realize that I can't even compete in computer or console games anymore.  Whether it's Kick Ups or Texas Hold 'Em on Facebook or NHL 2008 on PS2, chances are that you'll beat me. Feel free to play against me any time but be prepared to win handily.