The Cats Part - Goodbye to a Friend

The Itty Bitty Kitty is no longer with us and the world is smaller place.  Itty Bitty lost his fight against old age and cancer today at the age of 18.

According to my sister, Itty Bitty spoke with the voice of Darth Vader.   In reality, he spoke with a distinctive half-chirping meow.  And a giant purr.  Itty Bitty was not your typical cat.  He loved olives, yogurt, deli ham and a freshly opened box of Cat Chow.  He had a glorious white coat and luxurious neck fur, a long tail and tufted paws. 

Itty Bitty found us when we were living in a ground floor apartment.  We think his previous owner had abandoned him after a move.  My husband heard him calling at the window and let him in the apartment.  Oily and undersized, he walked in like he owned the place and  16 years and two residences later, he was still our cat.   I had tried out several names on the Itty Bitty Kitty.  Molly didn’t work when a vet pointed out Itty Bitty was a boy.  Ellis didn’t work (too stuffy).  So we kept calling him the Itty Bitty Kitty.  And it stuck.  Even as he grew into his frame and eventually weighed fifteen pounds, he was always the Itty Bitty Kitty.

Itty Bitty loved sleeping in a warm sunny spot in our back yard.  Not an outdoor cat, Itty Bitty still spent time in the back yard with us, chewing grass and just hanging out.  He supervised every construction project and house repair, offering advice as needed.

He was a gentle soul and a good friend.   Our lives are richer for having him in them, and we are lucky to have had him so long.  Itty Bitty will be missed beyond words.  And I know, even though I wish he was with me,   he is in a better place, chewing on grass and sleeping in the sun, with an endless supply of Cat Chow.  And olives.

Game One - The 2014 Stanley Cup Playoff Edition

Detroit vs. Boston.  An original six match up.   Wildcard #2 vs. the best team in the East.   Some might think this series was a blow out in the making.  How could Boston, with their amazing goalie and veteran, gritty team not dominate the Red Wings,  a team hampered by injury and playing a slew of recent AHL call ups?

But Boston did not dominate.  Game one was well-matched.  Both goalies stood on their heads, fell on their sides, kicked out their legs, and denied shot after shot after shot.  Both teams played hard, played physical, played to win.  There were mistakes on both sides, but not many.  There were chances on both sides, but to no avail.  Until the best player in hockey took control of a haphazard pass and somehow dragged it from behind while still skating forward to shoot and score the game winner.  And the game's only goal.  1-0 Red Wings.

It is only the first game.    There are potentially seven games in a series and we have only played one game. But what a game it was.  And how much better is it to have won the first game in a series than not.

The Basement Top Hits - The Very Belated 2013 Edition

With apologies.

		Terry Riley – The Tuning Path
		Muse – Madness
		Muse – Survival
		Yoko Ono – Yang Yang
		Kronos Quartet – Anthem of the Great Spirit: Fanfare in the Minimal Kingdom
		Harry Nilsson – Good Old Desk
		The Residents – narration
		Prince Rama – Om Mane Padme Hum
		Daft Punk – Get Lucky (feat. Pharrell Williams)
		Harvey Danger – Flagpole Sitta
		Miles Davis – Move
		Kings of Leon – Red Morning Light
		Karlheinz Stockhausen – Hymnen mit Solisten für elektronische und konkrete Klänge, Regionen III und IV
		Simon & Garfunkel – Cecilia
		The Hollies – Bus Stop

And another new favorite song...

Thank you once again, CBC Radio 2.  Yes,  I have a new favorite song.  Check out Pour a Little Poison by David Ford.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzpgshZ9ajU
  

Fandom - The 2013 NHL Playoff Edition

Not done yet.  Not words you normally use for a team up 3-2 in a 7 game series.  But I feel compelled to say it.  The Detroit Red Wings are not done yet.

Yes, Chicago won tonight 4-1.   They won the President's Cup Trophy, after all.  They are a very good hockey team.  They were at home.  They had the last change.  The Red Wings took a few dumb penalties.  The Blackhawks had lost three straight games coming in to game five tonight.  They were due for a win.

There are two more games in this series.  The Wings need one more victory.  Every night in this series, they have played hard.   They don't quit. They have the best player in hockey on their roster.  Let me repeat, they have the best player in hockey, Pavel Datsyuk, on their roster.  They have an amazing goalie in Jimmy Howard.    Henrik Zetterberg as a captain.  A bunch of kids playing out of their minds.  And a slew of seasoned veterans who know how to get the job done.  The future is so bright.

But for now, there are the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Red Wings are not done yet.  I told myself I would be at peace with this odd season if they made playoffs.  They not only made the playoffs, they made it out of the first round.  And they are up, against the "best team in hockey" this season, in the second.  What a great time to be a Wings fan.  A Detroit fan.

So we come back to Hockeytown on Monday for game six.  Back to our city,  with our fans filling Joe Louis Arena to cheer for our team.

Bring it on, Chicago.  We'll be ready.

Go Wings!

New Favorite Song

Thanks, once again, to CBC Radio 2, I have a new favorite song.  I cannot stop listening to All the Little Lights by Passenger.

Have a listen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxOSM9lR9B4

The Bucket List, or, The Things I Never Regret Edition

I keep hearing the phrase "Bucket List" all around me.  I use it myself - particularly with regard to playing hockey or traveling.  I played at Yost.  I played in Canada.  I've been to Maine.

But what is a "Bucket List" really?   A list of things you want to do before you, ahem, die.  Things that are so important or so cool you have to write them down and check them off.  Priorities. 

If I were to make a list with those rules,  it would go like this (not necessarily in order of importance):

Go to Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.
Go to Ireland.
Go to Napa.
Go to Sweden.
Get a degree from the University of Michigan.
Adopt a German Shepherd.


But when you stop and really, really think about it, is  a bucket list more important than a "Things I never regret doing" list.  Like this:

Growing  and cooking as much of my own food as possible.
Spending  time with my family and friends.
Sitting in my chair with my cats.
Going to the Farmers Market on Saturday mornings.
Taking walks or going on a drive with my perennial dining companion.
And, of course, because it is me, moving as much as possible every day until you can't move anymore.

So I am going out to lunch with my parents tomorrow instead of staying home and cleaning my house. Which is part of another type of list - the stuff I "should be doing" list.  Lunch is after, of course, going to the Farmers Market in Ann Arbor.  And after taking a run.  Then I am making dinner, talking a walk with my husband, and watching my favorite hockey team on television.

Sounds like a good day - the kind I won't regret.

Senior Night at Yost, or the We Have a Goalie Edition

I have a thing for senior night at Yost.  My husband and I are Michigan hockey season ticket holders and I am a bit of a hockey geek.  We sit in a section near the band among the same set of season ticket holders we have for some time.  Yost is easily one of my favorite places on the planet.  And senior night is a can't miss game.  A chance to thank the seniors for four years of hard work and effort.  A chance to say goodbye to players you've watched grow and develop over four years from rookie players to seasoned senior veterans.

This season has been a little different than recent seasons.  The team has struggled to find success despite a roster of super-talented players and one of the greatest coaches college hockey has ever known.

I am always amazed at pre-season college sports polls for both hockey and football ranking a team that had  great success in the prior year very highly in the current year after a superstar senior goalie or quarterback, respectively,  has graduated.  Such was the case with Michigan's hockey team, which lost one of the most spectacular college hockey goalies of all time in Shaun Hunwick, to graduation this spring.

And the team struggled, falling out of NCAA polls. Two of the top five defensemen battled injuries as the team rotated between three goaltenders in the search to find its goalie, sometimes losing both games in a weekend series and eventually falling into the bottom half of the CCHA standings.

Then something changed.   After months of switching up goalies, Michigan put Steve Racine in net against Ohio State and swept the series in Columbus, only to return home to a two-game home stand against Ferris State.  These games would be the final regular season games for Michigan ever in the CCHA and by winning  these games, Michigan had a chance to win home-ice advantage in the first round of the CCHA tournament.  Winning the CCHA tournament being Michigan's only change to continue its streak of NCAA tournament appearances, home ice advantage, especially at Yost,is crucial.

Racine rose to the occasion as Michigan won 4-1 Friday night and again in a shoot out on Saturday night, at a Yost Ice Arena which was without the student section, due to a conflict with spring break.   Making save after sometimes spectacular save, Racine stole the game from Ferris State on Saturday night, and saved senior night for the five Michigan seniors honored that night.

Because of the effort and heart of the team, Saturday's game will not be the last game the Class of 2013 plays at Yost.  They will return to the ice next weekend to host Northern Michigan in the first round of CCHA Tournament play.  And with Steve Racine as the backstop, Michigan has a chance.  Let's Go Blue, boys.  Way to battle back, fight through the tough stuff, and win the hard ones.  And thank you, seniors, for leading the way.

Winter, winter, winter

The background music in my head for the last few weeks has been the title of "Life in a Northern Town" by the Dream Academy - a song from my junior high years that I remember as somewhat bleak.  I don't know all the words.   I just sing the title and the "hey las", intended bleakness notwithstanding, and rejoice in the winter in Michigan.   I love my four-season state.    It is cold and snowy in January and all is right in the universe. 

During the winter, when there is snow on the ground under a clear night sky, the air has an almost unearthly glow.  Everything seems clean and fresh with the brisk air.  The stars in the night sky are amazingly bright.    We get to wear cool boots and hats, make fires, drink mulled cider or have hot cocoa.   Leave soup simmering on the stove.  Layer on the blankets.  Enjoy water that comes out of the tap at the perfect temperature.   Wear our favorite sweaters.  Watch hockey.

My friends in southern states think we are crazy to live here.  But I love the winter, both for itself and for the appreciation it gives me for the other three seasons.  And I would take January in Michigan over Florida in August hands down, any day of the week.  

It will be spring soon.  The crocuses sometimes bloom in late February.  Tulips and daffodils by Easter.   The frogs will be calling.  We will switch from wool to cotton and leave the heavy boots and mittens and hats in the closet.  Winter birds will transition to summer birds at the backyard feeders. We will plan the garden and ride our bikes.  The sun will warm our faces.    Baseball will become my obsession as the hockey post-season ends.

But not just yet.  We have a few more weeks of beautiful winter in Michigan.  Watch the moon glow off the snow tonight.  Spring will be here soon enough.  

The Basement Top 10 of 2012

We have a few repeats this year.   We must be getting predictable in our old age.

1		Модест Петрович Мусоргский – Promenade
2		Harry Nilsson – Good Old Desk
3		The Magnetic Fields – Three-Way
4		Swell Maps – Read About Seymour
5		Harry Nilsson – Puppy Song
5		Harry Nilsson – Rainmaker (Mono Single Version)
7		The Killers – All These Things That I've Done
7		Ian Hunter – Fuss About Nothin'
9		The 101'ers – Keys To Your Heart (Version 1)
10		The Flaming Lips – Turn It On

The Hard Sport or The There Is No Can't Edition

This latest chapter in my sports adventures is my husband's fault.  He's at least partially responsible for hockey, too, but I think I can put Cross Fit all on him.  One of his personal trainers at our gym had left to work at something called "Cross Fit".  "You should try it," he said.   "Have you called Cross Fit yet?" he would ask.  I blew him off.  I ran 3-4 miles a day most days of the week.  I played sports.  What did I need with this Cross Fit?

I am a weekend warrior.  I used to run 40 miles a week and even ran the marathon in Detroit in 1999 in a middling 4 hour 20 minute time.  Then I discovered team sports, and my mileage dwindled as I fell first in love with soccer then hockey, playing as much as possible as many days a week as I could.  The gym was for winter, when I couldn't run outside or when I went through one of my "weight lifting" phases when I'd use the weight machines a couple times a week.  But team sports were where my heart was.  I loved the thrill of the game - the winning or losing with my friends, and solo sports had lost their appeal.

"Try Cross Fit," my husband kept saying.   So I called.  And showed up at a converted industrial building, now a gym unlike anything I'd ever seen before, at 7am one Friday in early July to meet with an instructor who would take me through an "introductory session".  I thought "How hard can this be?"  Little did I know, 12 hours later I would barely be able to move.

We did some stretches.  We did some sit ups.  Some push ups.  Some rowing (that, at least, I could do).  I attempted a pull up.  It was hot, humid, miserable.  We went through some barbell skills.  I think there were kettle bell swings, maybe some wall ball throws.  I was terrible.

But I went back.  And back.  Then I sprained my ankle.  And I took two weeks off.  Then I went back. I kept going back even when my arms would shake with exhaustion and  I wanted to crawl into a ball in the shower after a work out.  I kept going back even when I was the least coordinated and oldest person in class and when I wasn't sure if I could make it through a work out.

And now I'm not terrible.  I'm not great.  I'm not even good.  But I think I've moved beyond terrible.  I can dead lift 125 pounds.  I can push press 65.  I can "double under" with a jump rope, do banded pull ups, do 10 "real" pushups in a row.  I am a decent rower.  I can jump on and off  a 20 inch box.  I can flip a big tire (my husband thinks that is the coolest thing).

I have learned so much beyond how to do a clean and jerk or a dead lift.  One of the instructors once told me "no one is going to do those burpees for you".   I actually look at many things in life that way, now.  No one is going to do the tough stuff for me, so I might as well just get it done.  And if I need to chip it out into small chunks; it is best to get the biggest chunk done first.

Cross Fit has taught me there is no "can't".  When you walk in for a class, the work out is on the board.  I have frequently thought "I can't do that."  But invariably, I do the work out.  I get through it.  It isn't always pretty, but I get through it and feel better for it.  So what if it is hard?  If it were easy I wouldn't want it so badly.  And I wouldn't feel nearly so good once I've done it.

And even though it is an individual sport where you mostly compete against yourself  by getting a better time or lifting more weight or getting more reps in, Cross Fit feels something like a team.  We encourage each other, commiserate over a tough work out, and help clean up each others' equipment after a class.

I haven't really lost any weight, but I'm smaller.  I have new muscles.  I can skate harder.  Run faster.  I feel great.

"Try Cross Fit," my husband said.  I did, and now I'm hooked.

Brushing the dust off....

Well, that was quite a gap.   In the interim, the sprained ankle has healed, the hockey season has started (at least for my rec teams and for Michigan),  I've fallen in love with cross fit, we went to San Diego and New York City,  many batches of chili have been made, I got a promotion at work, the cold frame is up, and winter is here.  In the past, I would have said so much has happened.

But a college friend passed away this week.   A wickedly smart, funny friend that I hadn't seen in a few years and now I never will see again.  A friend I am determined to remember as I knew him in college and not in the casket I saw him in this week.  I am faced with a friendship that, because of the "busyness" of life, I let slip.  And I so regret that.

5 years can go by in a heartbeat.  10 years in a few breaths.  I want to slow my heart rate and my breathing down to a crawl.

And so I brush the dust off my blog once again in hopes of slowing down my life and focusing on the good stuff.  The small stuff.  The take a walk after dinner stuff.  The get together for lunch or for coffee  stuff.   The best girlfriend coming into town for a night stuff.  The sit in the backyard with your Dad stuff.  The hang out with your cats stuff.

The stuff that matters in life. 

Ankle Sprain - The Sidelined during the Summer Edition

I twisted my ankle at a drop in hockey game a couple weeks ago.  A totally accidental fall, combined with an apparent failure to lace my skate up quite tight enough, and I was out of commission for a couple weeks.  I skated this morning at another drop in.  After about 50 minutes, I could feel my ankle start to get a little tired, so I stopped.  But there is no pain, just a little tightness which I figure is normal after all.   The body's ability to heal itself never ceases to amaze me.

That said, I learned a few things during this experience which I'm going to try to remember, going forward.

1.  Flip flops are not real shoes.  As cute as they are, they give absolutely no support.  I think I did myself a disservice in the healing process by wearing flip flops for a few days because they were the only shoes I could fit my foot into.  Next time (please, no) I will go buy a cheap pair of sneakers a size or two too big and suffer the style points.

2.  It takes real determination to get out of bed in the morning when the first thing you are going to do (take a step) will cause you to experience pain and discomfort.  My pain was temporary.  There are a lot of people out there who deal with pain daily and my respect for those folks increased exponentially.

3.  There is no shame in going up and down stairs on your behind.  At least at home.

4.  If you can't walk normally, getting ready to go to work takes at least half again as long as a normal day.

5.  Your non-athletic coworkers will have amazingly unhelpful things to say to you.  For example,
"Oh, did you get a boo-boo", or "Well, I guess you're done for while" or "At your age, that's going to take a while to heal".  Pay them no mind.  They know not what they say.

6.  If you need to drown your sorrows, you can't do much better than Ben and Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie ice cream with caramel sauce.

7.  Ibuprofen is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy (apologies to Ben Franklin).

8.  The ability to walk down a flight of stairs without hanging on to something or bringing both feet together on each step is under-appreciated.

9.  Patience.  Patience.  Patience.

10.  It is almost as much fun to cheer for your team as to play with them.  Almost.

Happy 16th Birthday to the Itty Bitty Kitty

14 years ago today, a matted, oily white kitty meowed at the window of our first floor apartment.   My future husband let him in, and we became the proud people of an amazing cat.  We tried out and discarded several names, and our new friend became known as the Itty Bitty Kitty, or Itty Bitty for short.  We took him in to the vet, who estimated his age at two years.  We count July 8 as his birthday and anniversary.   IBK loves olives, turns his nose up at tuna fish, and likes nothing better than to keep us company in our backyard.  Many happy returns, old friend.

Happy 40th Anniversary Title IX

Happy 40^th Anniversary Title IX.   I celebrated by spending my weekend on the soccer field and the hockey rink playing the games that I love with some amazing women.   Thank you, Title IX, for making this possible.

Spring Pasta with Peas and Asparagus

8 oz penne or fusilli pasta
1/4 cup fresh peas, shelled
1 cup asparagus, rinsed and chopped into 1 1/2 - 2 inch pieces
4-5 garlic scapes, rinsed and chopped
10 walnuts
1/4 cup olive oil
kosher salt
2 cups spinach, rinsed and thick spines removed
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 - 1/2 cup pasta water

Heat over to 350 degrees and toast pine nuts for 15 minutes or until golden

Prepare pasta according to package directions.  Make sure to salt your pasta water.  Add the peas and asparagus for the last 4 minutes of cooking.  Drain and return to the pot.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the scapes, spinach, walnuts, olive oil and salt to taste until well mixed.  I use about 1 tsp of salt.  Add the pasta water until the pesto is still very thick, but saucy enough to coat the pasta.  Toss with the pasta in the pot.

Serve in two bowls, each topped with half the pine nuts and cheese.

A Checkbox off the Restaurant Bucket List - Awesome Night in the D

Thursday night my perennial dining companion and I made a check mark on our Restaurant Bucket List - The Whitney.  We had tickets to see the DSO at Orchestra Hall that night, so we made reservations ahead of the concert.   The Whitney lived up to its hype.  A gorgeous building - we were given a brief overview of its history by our server.  The service was very, very good.  So was the food.  I had a filet and my perennial dining companion had scallops - both outstanding.  We split the side of brussel sprouts and chorizo (yes, we are getting old) and started with eggplant bruschetta.  All very good.  The wine was outstanding - you can't go wrong with Barolo.   So a very happy check mark next to The Whitney.  We would definitely go back.

As to the concert, all I can say is if you have the opportunity to hear Pictures at an Exhibition live, you must go.  It is one of those lifetime imperatives that you may not understand until you do it - but Pictures at an Exhibition never disappoints.

Thank you, Brandon Inge

Brandon Inge is no longer a Detroit Tiger.  And I am sad.  The face of the Tigers for so many years, especially the thin ones, is no longer on the roster.  Maybe it was time.  But I'm not sure the next time we will see a player with such a love and enthusiasm for the game play it with such pure athleticism.  Inge has been my Tiger since Bobby Higginson last wore the Old English D.  Thank you, Brandon Inge, for giving me a reason to watch, years ago, when the Tigers rarely won a game, just to see what amazing play you might make at third base.  Thank you for supporting the community.  And thank you playing your heart out, every day, with such a love of the game.  You will be missed.

Hope Springs Eternal

I have been in a blog-subject drought lately.  Work has been taking up most of my thinking time recently.  But tendrils of creativity are swirling around in my head....

My hockey team won its rec league championship a couple weeks ago.  Our new season starts back up Sunday.

 NHL Hockey playoffs are in full swing (come on, Wings!).

The plants are growing  at an amazing rate, thanks to the early Michigan spring.  We even harvested our first asparagus last weekend.  And it was good.


My perennial dining companion has given me a plethora of new cookbooks to explore.

And baseball is back.  Go Tigers!

Life is good.

The Last Game at Yost for the Season or the Thank You Seniors Edition

One of the things that makes college sports so special is that you know every year will bring change as the seniors graduate in spring and freshman join the team in the fall.  Four years may seem like forever, but every year former freshmen, now senior leaders, graduate and move on.

College teams typically celebrate their senior players on "Senior Night", the last home game of the regular season.  And Michigan's hockey team celebrated four of its best this year,  that Saturday night in late February - all captains or alternate captains, all outstanding contributors to its team.  But in my mind, due to the success of the Michigan program over the years, you can count on a couple more home games every year because the CCHA playoff games are played at the higher seeded teams' home ice.  And Michigan typically hosts one round of the CCHA playoffs at Yost.

So while Senior Night was officially in February, tonight was Senior Night in my mind.  The night when, for the last time, the four seniors took the ice as the team defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to move on to the semi-finals of the CCHA playoffs.  Captain Luke Glendenning, and Alternates Greg Pateryn, David Wohlberg, and Shawn Hunwick played their last game at Yost tonight.  The crowd was electric, the band spot-on, and Brady Hoke was in the house.  You couldn't ask for a better atmosphere, and the Wolverines came to play, apparently recovered from the marathon double overtime game the night before, to sweep the series against Notre Dame.

But how bittersweet it was to watch Shawn Hunwick, perhaps the best goalie Michigan has ever had, perhaps the best goalie it ever will have, lead his team onto the ice for the last time.  The last game was  a victory in which he, as he has so many times this season, made spectacular save after spectacular save to give his team the chance to win.   And then to be the last player to walk off the ice after the game was won,  turning around to look backward at the ice one last time.


Thank you, seniors.  But especially, thank you Shawn Hunwick.    And with the grit and the talent of this team, we hope to see you playing in April.  But never again at Yost.  And you will be missed.