Thunderstorms, Mamma Mia!, and Claustrophobic Hockey Players

At 5:32 this morning, I was awakened by a crash of thunder. I used to be terrified of thunderstorms as a child, but I've grown out of that petrified stage and now just find them annoying because no matter how hard I try I can't sleep through them. So, I decided to read some of "Tuesdays with Morrie" and pace around with the lights on in my room, trying to make myself tired enough the sleep through the storm. No such luck. When the storm finally passed at 6:37am, I laid back in bed, turned off the lights, and snuggled with my Buffalo Bills pillow, it took awhile, but I finally fell back asleep and had the strangest dream. I dreamt I was at war with this air-heady, Mean Girl, Paris Hilton type and I was kicking her booty. She tried to throw water on me and missed so in retaliation, I decided to throw a carton of eggs on her and with much success, I hit her. Once, she was covered in yoke, I told her, "I hope you have an egg-cellent day!" (I'm even corny in my dreams). Then suddenly almost every guy I knew in college, high school, and elementary school was there and they were siding with me and the mean girl went away and cried. Then one of the guys tackled me and I smacked him and told him "don't mess" and woke up. I wonder what the dreams book have to say about that one.

Onto a topic that has some importance in this world like.... MAMMA MIA! I went and saw it Tuesday night with my mom, she found two free passes on the side of the road to a local movie theatre while she was taking a walk one day, so she asked me if I wanted to go see MAMMA MIA! with her. To my mom's delight, the free passes worked and we got to see the movie for free. It was fabulous! The scenic views of Greece were amazingly beautiful and that's an understatement and who knew Meryl Streep could sing? Her voice is amazing (unlike Pierce Brosnan, but he gets an A for effort) and she's always been an amazing actress. The movie was funny and the music was fabulous (Those Swedes really make some excellent music) and of even more importance I have a new mini-crush. Colin Firth....

I've always enjoyed his acting and thought he was attractive, but after watching MAMMA MIA!, I developed a mini-crush on him. Maybe because he was so sweet and he was so willing to step up to the plate and be Sophie's father. Or maybe the fact that he could sing and play the guitar and had an English accent. In any event, he's my mini-crush for the week, maybe even two.

I was out to dinner the other night with Harley and I shared with her a recent thought I had about hockey. If a hockey player is claustrophobic, does he freak out when he goes into the penalty box? I mean I know the penalty box is mostly glass, but for some claustrophobic people it doesn't matter. If they are in a small space, they freak out. If a hockey player is in this position does he say to the ref.... "Excuse me? May I please sit my penalty somewhere else? Like the locker room? I am a really bad claustrophobic." (okk, I just realized that no hockey player would probably use those words when asking except maybe Jason Pominville. He'd be that polite, he was a Lady Byng Trophy nominee after all). What would the ref say? "Sure, we'll cater to your illness and let you sit your penalty out in the locker room." or would it more likely be, "Are you kidding me? Get your pansy ass in that penalty box. You should have thought of these job hazards before you chose this as your career!" I think it would be the latter and I really don't see any hockey player asking to not sit his penalty in the box because he was claustrophobic, they probably mumble "oh crap (or other choice words)" to themselves, take a deep sigh and get in the box. No matter how excruciating it is, they sit there calmly even if they are freaking out inside and almost want to kill themselves every time the ref's whistle is blown and it delays his penalty time even longer. Or I could be completely crazy about this theory and no hockey player could ever be freaking out in the penalty box due to claustrophobia and it's just a crazy theory. But don't you think after all these years of the NHL and the players that have played in the NHL, there has had to be at least one player that this theory has happened to. I mean didn't former Buffalo Sabres Right Winger Alexander Mogilny miss some games because he had such a fear of flying? So, why couldn't a hockey player be claustrophobic and be afraid of the penalty box? Maybe they just never admitted it or maybe all the claustrophobic hockey players are goalies! The guys in hockey who even if they cause the penalty one of their team mates has to take one for the team (literally) and get into the box. Maybe that's how hockey goalies are born. Their thoughts are...

"I love to play hockey. I want to be in the NHL. I want to one day hoist the Stanley Cup over my head and kiss it in victory, but man does that penalty box scare me!!! I mean what if the door doesn't unlatch and I'm stuck in there with the penalty box babysitter!!! I mean I don't think it's possible to crawl out the top and even if we break the glass to get out of there, that's dangerous! This of all the cuts we could get or a piece of glass could land in my eye and blind me!!! Oh wait, there's a position in hockey where you don't  have to go in the penalty box? You stand between the pipes for the entire sixty minutes of the game and have the puck aimed right at you and it comes at you at lightning speed. Sounds a heck of a lot better than being in that box! I'm in!"

I'll bet good money that has happened, it's not so far-fetched.

Wedding Bug, False Perceptions, Spending my Tuesdays with Morrie

As I was talking to my bff and the person that I am completely opposite of, but for some reason our friendship works and I don't question it, because I seriously have no idea what I would do without her in my life and how I would have ever made it through college without her and she knows way too much about me (and vice versa) that I fear if I ever made her mad she could let all the skeletons in my closet out, Chichi. We were talking about our random stuff and then we started talking about all the weddings we have to attend and who just got engaged. Well, clearly I must have missed the boat, train, airplane, station wagon and ever other form of transportation of the wedding stage. Personally, until I recently thought about it I NEVER once had the urge to get married anytime soon. (Yes, I def. want to get married to a wonderful man and have the standard 2.5 kids and a dog, yada yada yada, so on and so forth), but I wasn't considering it anytime soon, I was thinking in maybe ten years? Grant it maybe the fact, that I've never been in a serious relationship and I'm sick of the drunken pick up lines in the bar (Seriously, all you got is "Hi, I was staring at you from across the room and I thought you're pretty."..... ???? I mean come on! All, I'm looking for is a little witty sense of humor and some intellectual conversation, oh and some respect... I don't think that's too much to ask for! No, I don't care how much money you make. No, I don't care how much you drank during your last power hour. No, I don't care how much of a stud you think you are and I'm not looking for a one night stand... seriously it's nothing personal, I'm just not that girl... all right so enough of my whining about guys pick-up lines and guys in general as my friends know.... this could go on forever.....). Anyway, back to why I have never really put the thought into marriage... ah, yes, we covered, no serious relationship, guys ticking me off with bad pick-up lines, my friends say it's because I'm picky and non-trusting of guys and I need a guy to knock me on my booty. (That's their opinion not mine ;-) oh well and maybe my mom's opinion, who actually tells guys who are interested in me that I may appear sweet and charming, but I have an edge and can give them a run for their money. (Thanks, Mom)), oh and prob. another reason I've never thought about marriage is because I am very much so involved in my career. Oh, I know many women have said this before, but it's true and I've always made a secret promise to myself that I would never be married before the age of 25 or I would be a sell-out. I've always thought the perfect age to get married is between the age of 30 and 35. But lately, as I sit here in my early to mid twenties on my computer, facebook stalking my friends to see what's going on in their lives, I notice that a lot of people are getting engaged or married. What's the rush? I mean I imagine marriage to be great, but I also imagine it as a lot of work! It's not all sunshine and lollipops, it's a lot of responsibility and personally I REALLY DON'T want that right now. I like being single and just going and doing what I please, the only current down fall is that I am dateless to all these current weddings I must attend.... but I'll just eat lots of cake during the slow dances. I don't know, I guess I'm just confused, I thought people were getting married later in life, but clearly it isn't the case. Oh well, I do wish happiness and all of God's Blessings on the people who are getting married and I hope you've found the one person you can tolerate and love for the rest of your life. As Chichi put it last night on the phone, I'm waiting for the one that completes me. I guess, I'll wait with her, it's not so bad.

Another thing me and Chichi were discussing was how guys are the ones who seem to pushing the marriage card. I don't know about anyone else, but I grew up thinking that guys were afraid of commitment and marriage, and they always had to be forced into it, but clearly this isn't the case. I know a lot of relationships were the guys are pushing for marriage and the girls are the ones saying wait a second or in some cases the girls are elated. Apparently, from what I've observed guys are just as gunhoe about getting married as women. I was watching an interview the other night on television with one of my favorite actors (and completely handsome gentleman, even though he's older) Robert Redford. He was talking about filming "The Way We Were" with Barbra Streindstand and how much he loves romantic movies and being romantic.... ZAAAAA? I thought to myself. REALLY? I mean I absolutely loved the fact that he admitted to it, but I truly didn't believe that guys fell in love with a girl as much as she fell in love with him. But recent circumstances have made me believe, that guys can fall head over heels in love with a girl as she can for him..... all right now I feel like I have to watch the sappy romantic tearjerker movies that are a 5 hanky minimum.....

I started reading "Tuesdays with Morrie" this past week-end and I must say I'm truly enjoying it. It's reminding me of one of my favorite professors in college, who no matter what was going on in my life made me feel loved, accepted, and like I could conquer the world. I'm not very far in the book, around page 40, but it's really captivating, I have a feeling I'll be finishing it sometime this week. I also really loved "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by the same author Mitch Albom. I'm really liking the way he writes and I noticed that he has wrote some other books, none that I've heard of, but I'm tempted to read them. If anyone else has read any of his other books, I would love to here what you think.

So, now I have to go and check out facebook and see who else among the people I know have been bit by the wedding bug...