Raquel and I got another round of surprise tickets to the Thunderbirds from a still mysterious benefactor and tonight I found a fun souvenir in my seat.

Face off on the Thunderbirds turf.
Selfie of Raquel and sitting in the stands.
Lacrosse ball that I found in my seat sitting in the cupholder of my seat.

As has become tradition over the years I have pulled together my NHL bracket. Very strange to be doing it and not being overly optimistic about the Penguins winning.

2023 NHL playoff bracket predicting that the Colorado Avalanche will defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Stanley Cup final

Took some time to unwind tonight by baking a batch of cookies. I didn’t even end up eating any of them tonight!

Fresh batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies sitting on the cooling rack on top of the stove in my kitchen

I was craving some baked goods so I made a batch of soft pretzels for the first time in twenty years I’m pretty happy with how they turned out.

A bakers dozen of soft pretzels on a cooling rack on top of the stove cooling in the sun.

Raquel and I took in the Thunderbirds game this afternoon after I won free tickets. Half way through the game Raquel said “I think I like sports now!”

One cool touch was that they had a drum circle before the US and Canadian anthems.

The Thunderbirds turf and Jumbotron in the Scotiabank Center pregame.
A drum circle at Center field performing the Mi’kmaq Honour Song before the US and Canadian National anthems
Post game moment with the team gathered at center to celebrate the win

Apparently it has been 10 years since “this is fine” was published. This meme has deeply embedded itself in my professional life and even taken up a spot on my shelf.

Plush dog wearing a bowler and holding a mug from the “this is fine” comic sitting on my shelf.

The original artist posted a great reflection on the impact of this phenomenon on them.

And it feels like it’s only getting harder. The best I can ask for is for people to simply forget, but the dog persists. So I do what I can and try to keep in good humor and be thankful that I can still do what I do for a living.

Reflection on a decade from the author

On Christmas Eve we had a little family outing to the rink and I got to take Gwen for a bit of a spin around in addition to playing some hockey with my cousin’s children.

Gwen in a red snowsuit sitting in her stroller while I am pushing her around the ice surface of Kentville arena while wearing a hockey helmet and holding a hockey stick in my other hand.

As far as Gwen is concerned this may as well be the Infinity Gauntlet with all of the Infinity Gems installed. The moment I fully assemble it she will stop whatever she is doing and come pull it apart and distribute the rings to all corners of the room to keep the house safe.

Fisher price Rock-a-Stack assembled properly sitting on the play mat