Vive La France

2-1 over Germany in an exhibition err friendly on Wednesday in preparation for Euro 2012.

France has not lost since September 3, 2010 when les bleus lost at home to Belarus 1-0 in Euro 2012 qualifying.

Vive La France

No TV for UNC-Duke death match

Tomorrow night, North Carolina and Duke play for the regular season championship and top seed in the ACC Tournament.  Most years, this game is on tv in Canada but alas not this year.  We have three options for NCAA BBall in Canada, TSN, TSN2 and The Score.  They are showing other events at the time of the game.

To say I am choked is an understatement.  So far this year, I have probably seen about 10 UNC games on various networks but the one huge game isn't on.  Life is so cruel.

Oh well, I will just have to follow online or on my phone.

Go Heels!

Where to go on my holiday?

Well it's that time of year again when you have to decide where to go on holiday.  One week for us will be in Montreal for Count Jr's hockey school with the Canadiens.  However the second week is tough.  Spain is looking good, Hawaii too. 

What sayest thou?

Off to VCC tonight

Best part of teaching tonight is that my students are writing an exam so I get paid to watch them do that (while reading or watching a movie of course) ;)

Life is good.

Ugly season

Yeah I know I hzven't written much on the Habs this year, hell what really is there to write about.  A few spread out good runs follow by long runs of ineptitude.  Massive injuries to key players has us 3rd from the bottom in the NHL and dead last in the Eastern Conference.

In my wildest dreams, I could never have seen that happen this year.  Remember we were one shot away from eliminating the eventual Cup champions last year. 

We have 19 games to go and the only thing left to be determined is where we draft in the top 5.

A bright light has been the play of Max Paciorretty this year who has 25 goals.  Not many others have stood out.  It is the longest year for the team since I started following them in the 1970s. 

It is funny how so many wanted Martin fired, he was ruining the team etc, yet he had us one game over .500 and now we are five under. 

At least this should end the tenure of Timmins and Gauthier.

More to follow but if I write much more now, I might puke.

Count takes you to the Oscars

Hello my pretties.

As my yearly gift to my readers, I am providing you with my meaningless takes on the Oscars as I thought of them during the show.  Overall, the show was decent and I figure if you can Best Picture without dialogue, then anything is possible.

Anyway, here goes:

I wish I had Morgan Freeman’s voice, deeper than the Mariana Trench but more soothing than baby oil.  I would never lose a case.

Most gay men and all straight women wish they were Billy Crystal in that hospital scene with George Clooney.

Speaking of George, how long until he dumps that blonde?  I guess she hasn’t asked for a commitment yet.

If I told you two years ago that Jonah Hill would be up for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, you would have laughed in my face.

Great line, “millionaires presenting each other with golden statues”

Hey Forrest Gump, it’s called Grecian Formula, use it.

I want to be that seat filler but no blue tux please.

When did that guy from the Oak Ridge Boys become Rob Richardson?

Michelle Williams, next time you are at the salon, ask for more blonde dye, it isn’t blonde enough.

I guess I need to see Hugo, it is winning and I must follow a winner.

Jlo puts a younger Cam Diaz to shame.  Mark Anthony was not worthy!!

Hey there’s Willow being interviewed, now that the little person quota has been met, I am happy.

Memo to Hillary Swank, Julia Roberts has nothing on your teeth.

Sandra Bullock can even make a harsh language like German sound sexy, suck it Jesse James.

BTW Sandra, nice fake pony tail.

Why is it whenever I see Christian Bale, I am glad I’m not homeless?

I always laugh at the losers in each category clapping for the winners when in reality they are thinking, “bitch that should be my Oscar”.

Octavia Spencer, now that you have an Oscar, you should be able to afford to fix the Michael Strahan gap in your front teeth!

Hey, major shoutout to Stiffler’s mom.

Sarah Palin looked great presenting with Bradley Cooper.

Rooney Mara, you clean up well.

Martin Scorcese is wearing the same glass frames he wore when he filmed the Godfather.

Yep, I gotta see Hugo, it is kicking ass!

Kermit the Frog still rules.

Ooops, gotta fast forward during Cirque de crap err Soleil.

Christopher Plummer and Max Van Sydow, did you bring your daughters to the Oscars?  Oops sorry, they are your wives.

Robert Downey Jr is cool but damn your suit is way too tight.

I still say Mila Kunis got burned last year, she deserved an Oscar for that one scene in Black Swan.  Every guy I know thought that was Oscar winning material right there.

Chris Rock once said a man is only as faithful as his possibilities, well with that haircut, your possibilities are now nil.

Puss and Kung Fu Panda should demand a recount or beat the crap out of Rango.

I wonder if Ben Stiller felt like Willow as he stood next to Emma Stone?

Caesar the Ape got screwed for the visual effects award.

Rob Legato admitted it was awesome to win, no way.

Nice slam by Billy against Mitt Romney re income tax.

Melissa Reo, your hair is so 80s, I guess if you keep the same style long enough, it comes back.

Jonah Hill’s date is old and married, good job Jonah, losing that weight really helped you pull her in.

I still see Christopher Plummer as the Duke of Wellington in the movie Waterloo when he was asked what are your battle plans he responded “to beat the French”.

The role of Santa Claus on December 25, 2012 will be played by Nick Nolte.

Penelope Cruz and Owen Wilson, Beauty and the Beast.

Angelina Jolie, love that pose.  Translated it means “suck it Jenny”.

Mila Jovovich, open your eyes.

Length and girth skit by the bridesmaids, very subtle.

Looks like Catherine Zeta-Jones has nursed Michael Douglas back to health.

Meryl looks good even in her Tina Fey glasses.

Darth Vader has a great voice, I want it.

Stedmon Graham is still alive?  Why hasn’t Oprah dumped his parasitical ass by now?

Liz Taylor was hot.

Natalie Portman, who did your hair, remind me never to book with him or her.

Angelina, damn those lips are red.

How can you win the Best Actor award without saying a word and when you are outshone by a dog?

Glenn Close, you have come so far since you killed that rabbit.

Rooney Mara, you should have gone girl with dragon tattoo on Meryl when she was announced as the winner.

Tom Cruise hasn’t aged since he cross examined Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men, that’s it, I am signing up with Scientology tomorrow!

Until next year bye by.

As usual

the BCS championship goes through the SEC.

Right now the SEC holds down 1 and 2 in the BCS standings but one of those team will be out of the picture next week as LSU and Alabama play each other in the most anticipated game of the 2011 college season.

All honks for the other conferences, Boise State etc can just shut up now as it is clear the BCS champion will be from the SEC again, no other team in the US compares to LSU or Alabama.

Cold and rainy

Ugh, the lights in my office have had full effect for about 3 hours so far today and it is only 4:15.  Ah winter is near.

So far so good

Well Count Jr has completed almost two months at Burnaby Winter Club and has now been placed on his H4 team.  He is on C3, one of three balanced teams in his age group.

I can see his skill development occurring before my very eyes.  Count's mom takes him to his Thursday practices and told me she said to herself yesterday "who is that boy skating all over the place" and then realized it was Count Jr.

Strangest part is that of the eleven boys on his team, five are from New Westminster and played for NWMHA at some point in the past.  There are 31 boys in H4 at BWC and six of them are from New Westminster (one boy plays on C1). 

Count Jr is making new friends and enjoying his time. 

He is being pushed and so far is responding to the challenge.

A new season starts tomorrow

and I don't mean NFL (at least not in this post).  Tomorrow marks a new beginning in Count Jr's hockey development as he takes the ice for the first time with his new organization.  For the last two seasons, he has played with New Westminster Minor Hockey Association, the organization in the city where we live.  Our rules state you have to play in the city where you live and as we live in New Westminster, he had to play for that organization.  It is a small organization that is not all that successful.

The only way around it (other than moving to a new municipality or I guess lying about a sham separation, getting a new address in another municipality and signing him up there) is to pay the big dollars to sign up with a private club.  Even though he is still only 7, we decided to bite the bullet and sign him up with a private club, Burnaby Winter Club.

It was a hard decision from a social point of view as he had friends on previous teams, goes to school with some of them (even if they aren't in his class)  and had fun the last two years.  However, he also lost a lot and his teams were not very good,  He really loves playing, would be on the ice every day if he could.  A few months ago, we talked to him about perhaps moving to BWC but at the time he wanted to stay in New Wesminster Minor Hockey because he wanted to play with his friends.  He probably didn't think he was good enough to play with BWC.  I saw him play BWC last year and while he team was hammered big time, he did not look out of place and actually was arguably the best player for our team that day (dad's rose coloured glasses fully turned on), and even took the puck off their players on a number of a occasions (many of our boys never even touched the puck).  He had a good spring 3 on 3 season, attended five separate hockey camps/skills development clinics since last season and over that time, his confidence grew to the point he wants to move to BWC.

We looked into it, there was space so we moved him up.   It was a family decision including Contessa, Count's mom, Count's sister, Count and of course Count Jr.  We are very excited regarding the new challenges awaiting Count Jr. but we know he is up for the challenge.  He wants to be the best he can be and now he has every opportunity to do just that.

Only downside, we are a family of Canadiens' fans and BWC often wears Boston Bruin colours.  Ugh.  Could be worse though, he could be wearing Canuck blue and green.