The Whammer

This lady will be my mother-in-law. The Whammer! Or, if you like, Anne Fast nee Ritz. She pumps iron, watches hockey and lacrosse, gardens and cooks -- a fine balance for the 21st century woman. We were out for a special dinner with all four parents the other night, had a great time and a wonderful meal. The Mariott Hotel's restaurant is awesome, kind of expensive but good value for those dollars methinks. Fantastic value when the dads pick up the cheque.

When Bethy and I first started going, she said her mom is a tough nut to crack. More like an easy nut to crack up! She and I hit it off right away, thanks to our common love of sports, my entheusiasm for her cooking, and her obvious appreciation for my special brand of humor. Often when I drop a funny, it looks like she just sucked on a lemon -- that's when I know I've found her funny bone.

I'm quite lax on the blogging lately. Not getting online much, and the blog is suffering. A few hilights in recent days include said dinner with our folks, a wedding reception for a good friend in the broadcast biz, meeting another good friend's baby daughter (what a cutie!), the annual hockey pool draft with my five most-hardcore hockey fan buddies. Bethy and I took in a wedding fair, along with Kristen and Ren (the new parents) -- exhibits ranging from the useful (Thrifty's wedding cakes) to the laughable (want to fit into your dress? try fat-burn capsules!). I took advantage of a tux rental discount, so the visit wasn't a waste. I also had a free posture analysis, and sure enough, I'm going to be crippled in 30 years unless I visit the back pain store.

Work has been good, I've been beat reporting again lately which is the best -- calling in news reports from here, there, anywhere. I'm enjoying a four day weekend right now, before doing 10 shifts in a row (another member of our small newsroom staff is taking vacation). NHL hockey starts this week, and I'm on nights twice per week -- when the Canucks play, we have no news during the broadcast. Good and bad: I can enjoy a hockey game (always someone to cheer for when Vancouver plays), but there's not much work to do. Once in a while there'll be a reason to break in, but very little preempts the game in this hockey-mad market!

With the start of the season comes the hardest time of year to not have cable. Last season, I listened to more Flames games online. Video hilights on nhl.com didn't play smoothly for me, but we have a new computer this year. So we'll see.

Enough! More later...