Choke: A Hockey Story

I have witnessed one of the worst choke-jobs in sports history. The Canadian team at the 2011 World Junior Championships blew a 3-0 lead after two periods and lost 5-3 in the gold medal game to Russia.

Now, obviously receiving a medal at an event like this is an extraordinary accomplishment. And Canada does it year after year.

But this team LOST the gold medal. I refuse to celebrate a second-place finish in a team sport. Silver in team sports means you lost the final. End of story.

This team dominated 40 minutes of play, then got cocky, sat back, and the Russians made them pay dearly. The winning team took nothing for granted.

What makes that even more astounding is the fact Canada was considered an underdog entering this tournament. The USA was the pre-tournament favourite to defend their title. Canada beat them in the semifinals, but they blew it when it really mattered.

I'd rather play for a bronze, at least then you've won something. Team Canada gets a silver because they blew it. It's like awarding abject failure.

Maybe I've been too harsh because the loss is so fresh in my mind (I'm watching the medals being handed out as I write this), but this is still our game. And now it's two years running we've lost the gold.

I think another problem, at least from my perspective, is the memory of Sidney Crosby's golden goal in Vancouver is still very fresh in my mind. That was one of the greatest moments in Canadian sports history and it still brings a smile to face when I watch a replay. That team brought a country together.

This team just pissed off 30 million people because they choked.

This team became arrogant. And because of that, they missed an opportunity to bring home a gold medal.

A knock and strange triangles

"What does this have to do with me?" I asked.
That's the question I find myself asking when these conspiracy theorists bring me there wild ideas about some lost artifact that they claim will change our world forever.
"This is what I get for opening the door," I thought.
It's a mistake I make all the time. Every time someone comes calling at my office door I can't resist. I can't take the chance that this time it might be something worthwhile.
But every time, I'm disappointed, and sometimes mildly irritated that these people waste my time with their ridiculous ideas.
Like the guy who came in a few months ago, claiming he had information that would lead to a secret energy source that would solve the problem of the world's dwindling oil reserves.
I looked at him and told him he was the third person in a week to come to me with that idea. I admit, I lied to him. He was actually the sixth, but I wanted to spare his feelings a little.
But this time, for the first time in months, I was intrigued, even if only slightly.
"Look, this could fundamentally change the way we look at our world," the visitor said.
"I'm sure it could, but you haven't answered my question. I still want to know what this has to do with me."
The visitor paused and looked at the paper he'd been explaining to me. It was worn and faded, but I could still make out the image of a stylized triangle.
I took a closer look at the faded image. There was something familiar about it.
"I'll be damned," I whispered. "That's impossible."
The visitor sat down across from me, smiling.
"I told you it would be worth your while."
He was right. When I looked at that image, I saw something I thought I'd never see outside my parents' notebooks. I thought it was just something they'd doodled over and over, the same way I drew little trees when I was lost in thought.
But this, this was different. As far as I knew, this design had been exclusive to my parents imaginations and their doodles.
"You need to tell me where you found this. Right now."
"Perhaps a drink is in order? We've got a lot to talk about," my visitor said.
For once, I was glad I'd answered the knock at my door.

Legalized Insanity

Robin Williams has made a career of stream-of-consciousness comedy. He just picks up on an idea, starts riffing and an hour later ends somewhere totally different. Listen to his 1986 performance at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, or his Live on Broadway performance in 2002.

Or this clip from his appearance on Inside the Actor's Studio.



He just starts with a simple thing and continues to riff throughout the interview. It's such a natural thing.

I'm a big fan of Williams and his comedy. I'm sure he works hard to put together his performances, but he also has a knack for improvisation, and the rapid-fire delivery has always amazed me.

I'm not on his level, and likely never will be. But it's an inspiration to me.

Tomorrow, I'm going to write something. I don't have any idea what it will be, but I'm just going to sit down and write for half an hour and see what I come up with.

Check back here to see what I come up with.

The original

It's tough to come up with an original idea. I mean, hasn't everything been thought of already?

English author and journalist Christopher Booker wrote a book called The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories, which distilled everything ever written down to seven plots: overcoming the monster, rags to riches, the quest, voyage and return, comedy, tragedy and rebirth.

So how do I come up with something original if there's only those seven stories? Seems tough. Especially when you look around pop culture today and see nothing but remakes, sequels or adaptations. How does a writer come up with something original?

I've been exposed to a massive amount of pop culture in my life, almost 25 years. Everything from Sesame Street to Star Wars, all kinds of music and literature. Surely it's impacted my thinking and my imagination. Where do I come up with something new and different.

I guess it's a matter of taking one of those seven plots and adding my own twists to the idea. I've been reading some articles about free-writing; just sitting down and putting words on paper or on the computer screen. No self-editing or anything, just see what comes out. And I see the value in such an exercise. It's like brainstorming.

It's a matter of keeping a notepad or something with me at all times so I can write an idea down when it comes to me. I just need to do this.

I'm not fooling myself. I realize this is going to be tough, but it's something I need to do. I know I have some good ideas, I just need to get them from my head to the page.

The first link

This blog has been sorely neglected. When I last posted, I was all gung-ho on trying to write a novel. That went nowhere fast, and the idea has basically fluttered away on the breeze.

I need to write more. I had a conversation with a friend recently. We talked about a lot of things, including my unhappiness with my current job. I was basically told I had to stop bitching and moaning about my problems and just do something about them.

I read something today about Jerry Seinfeld's key to productivity. You can read the article here if you want. Basically it's about doing something daily, whatever it is you're trying to improve or achieve. Build a chain.

I may not write a lot every day, but I have to write something. I still want to write something big, but now I'm not going to limit myself to a novel. Why not a screenplay? Why not a play? As my friend suggested, "Just write an instruction manual. Write something."

I've tried in the past, and always failed at it. I'm not going to. This year, I start and I don't stop. I'm taking control of my life.

-BT

A brief aside...

Just a brief thought before delving into novel-writing.

President Obama called Kanye West a "jackass" after the singer interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the the MTV Video Music Awards.

The comment was made in a conversation with a reporter from CNBC. It was overheard by a reporter from ABC. The conversation was apparently off the record. It made out into the world.

Why the fuss? The most powerful man in the world offered an opinion (I think, the correct one) on the antics of a spoiled, arrogant, tactless musician. Much like millions of others around the world, he spoke up. The only reason it's a big deal is because he's the President of the United States.

Let's move on, but not before offering kudos to President Obama for speaking his mind, and to the ABC employee who tweeted the quote. Welcome to the world of new media folks.

Here goes nothing...

I love poker.

I love to play poker. I love to watch poker on television. It's a fantastic game. I play it online and, whenever possible, play live. Online, the game provides a relatively mindless distraction along with allowing you to improve the math skills (calculating pot odds, counting outs, etc.) involved in poker. Playing live is an opportunity to get together with friends, share a few laughs, enjoy a few adult beverages, and (hopefully) win a lot of money from your friends.

I'm by no means a great player myself. I've definitely improved over the past few years, but I'm still what would be charitably described as a moderately-skilled amateur. I've no ambitions to ever be a person who can make a living playing a game, but it's a good way to relax and unwind.

But I've thought about it, turning poker playing into a career. It was certainly never more than a little imagination run wild, but it's something I've thought about. Realistically, the only thing I ever want to do in terms of entering the larger poker world would be participate in the main event at the World Series of Poker (WSOP). For anyone unfamiliar with the event, it's a $10,000 buy-in event, where the game is No Limit Texas Hold 'Em. It's really the only game on television, because it's the easiest to explain and understand.

Participating in that event remains a dream, albeit a tough one to follow.

Then I got to thinking (yes, that is what the burning smell has been). There are other ways to pursue this dream.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've wanted to try my hand at writing a book for a few years. The notion festered for awhile in the back of my mind, but recently, it found a spot near the top of my to-do list. Much like my poker skills, it may be something that will never become a serious pursuit. But unlike poker playing, this is something I feel I have a legitimate shot doing.

So as I tried to come up with an idea, I found myself playing online poker, just as a way to get the creative juices flowing. And it hit me.

Why not try writing a poker novel?

Not exactly the most brilliant idea ever, but I figured I might as well start with something relatively easy, something I'm familiar with.

So over the next few weeks, I'm going to post some bits of writing that will (hopefully) turn in to a poker novel. I've already written most of a beginning.

Follow along as I try my hand at the Great Canadian Novel :P