I'm writing this on the plane from Chicago to Buffalo, because my inablity to sleep on the plane may be my inablity to update my blog later on. But someone can't just go down south for a hockey game and not tell the tale, right?
If you're still reading, then you agree.
I was suppose to arrive in Nashville on Friday night. However, all those times of sucessfully getting to Dubai without as much as a hiccup finally kicked me in my karma-laced behind. The flight out of Buffalo was delayed (big shock, right?) and thus I missed my connection in Chicago. They put me on a standby flight in Chicago, which I was ACTUALLY on, but then was asked to step off because the person whose seat I had gotten ended up showing up. I was livid, and I usually don't express anger because usually the person I'm getting mad at is not at fault for the problem at hand. But, I was mad. I've been on standby flights my entire life because my dad is a pilot, and when he worked for Air Canada we could fly for free if we flew standby (and I never had such a serious problem, that I could recall). In fact, I've been on planes since my days in the uterus, and never once had a problem. The whole point of standby is that if the person doesnt show up, tough shit. They even closed the door to the plane behind me (I have a picture!).
Then they told me they couldn't give me my bag, and it would have to stay on the plane and I could get it in Nashville in the mornings. I had a hotel voucher from Southwest to stay in Chicago. I was a little nervous, because I had never been to the city, and was pretty much on my own. My dad and I had constant plans on what to do if this ever happened to me in NYC while going to Dubai, but I've never had to face it. It honestly wasn't that big of a deal, I took the shuttle from the airport to the hotel, slept there for about four hours, then did the same thing back. Finally, I was on a flight to Nashville.
When we landed there, I started feeling queezy, but figured it was stress/anger/exhaustion/all of the above and ignored it. Then, I found out my bag was on the same flight I was on, thus it spent hte night in Chicago just like I did But noooo, I couldn't have it. The only thing I wanted out of it was my cell phone charger, which I abruptly learned not to keep in suitcase, but rather, purse (words of advice, folks!). Regardless, I met up wtih the family that I was staying with, and everything seemed to be falling into place.
Until...we decided to get Mexican food for lunch. Then that nausea that I was feeling on the plane ended up being vomit in the parking lot (graphic, I know). I can't remember the last time I ever got sick like that, but it figures it would throw itself in there with the unplanned overnight to Chicago.
I ended up sleeping from about one or so to about four, and felt a bit better. Not 100%, but enough to put on a smile and go to the hockey game. I was fed numerous popsicles, which to my unknown surprise, were very helpful. I managed to eat a little dinner, which only angered the storm on tummy island, but there was no encore of earlier the afternoon (though I had a plastic bag in my pocket just in case).
Now, the hockey stuff...as the above was irrelevant.
We missed the first ten minutes or so of the game because of dinner being held up and parking and what not. It's not like anything major happened in those ten minutes, right? When we first got into the Sommit Center (JP Dumont was on the ticket, by the way, even though he didn't play, but was showin on the jumbotron) it felt so surreal to be seeing the Sabres. I mean, I've seen the Sabres. I was at the first two games this season, I've seen them more than my parents in the past year, and I've been to a few away games. Maybe it was because I was down south, I don't know, I just felt like I was out of my comfort zone with them. But maybe we shouldn't have Sabre comfort zones.
Our seats were amazing. We were about seven rows behind the net (Ryans net twice). My first instnict was to find Patty. I was livid that he wasn't playing, after promises that he would be, so I wanted to see him, and I know that away games he doesn't always get a bench seat. We were sitting right against the rail to the zamboni garage, and he wasn't there. I looked all along the boards, nothing. We were on such an angle that I couldn't see the bench that well, but luckily the always faithful Shelby informed me that he was in the tunnel behind the bench.
That aside, Nashville has fans! It wasn't a sold out game (and it looked a bit bigger than HSBC, which it might be? Since its an expansion team) and I was told that many other nights its a lot emptier, but for what they had I was very impressed. Nashville was one of the southern teams that I wasn't too concerned about their fan base (probably because they're one of the few southern teams, no?), but they were just as rowdy as we are in the north, and that is fantastic. There was one point towards the end of the game where they were all on their feet cheering and screaming. Was there a goal? No (we know that). Penalty? No. Fight? No...they just wanted to do it. I loved it.
There were also a lot of Sabres fans, even about three in the row in front of me. One of the girls in the front row spent the entire game screaming ' Lets Go Sabres' in the most annoying voice...ever. It was just...I don't know. It's bad when the Sabres fans tells you to shut up, hun. My friends husband who was with us was horribly amused, and not being anything close to a hockey fan started going all out for the Predators just to compete with her.
All in all I think it was a great game. Both goalies did a fantastic job, and I was so happy to finally be at a shutout game (where we shutout, rather than get shut out that is). One of my friends, who I've known since I was about six and use to be a hockey buff but just went to have fun, graciously sat through me grabbing his leg in the dying few seconds. And Mike Grier scored, so I'm sure that no one is going to shut up about that for a long time. For some reason, I cannot get my stomach to settle on him being back on the team...no pun intended.
I'm sure all the Miller fans out there were stoked for his first shut out of the season- oh hell, I was even grinning like an idiot (though that could have also been the misspelled Gaustad jersey I saw on a Sabres fan while we were leaving). But no one was more excited than Patty. He was jumping all over the players when congratulating them, which I have amusing pictures of. Then when he got to Ryan, he did this weird ' c'mon' pose that I can't described, then gave him the biggest hug which I would have had a great picture of ifi it wasn't for those silly boards. That's one of the things I think it most adorable about a back up goalie (specificially ours) is that you can dish it out that extreme when your starter does that well. Especially when you were SUPPOSE to play...but that's cool, if we had lost I would probably be more sore about that...and no, I don't know why.
Totally random awesome hockey story!
The next day we went to the movies, after gettting Mexican for lunch take two (it was successful, or at least more so). It was Couples Retreat, and it honestly wasn't that good, silly Vince Vaughn. Anyways, we were getting out of the actual theatre to the hallway for the bathrooms, and I see this woman and I think to myself " wow, she looks a lot like JP Dumonts wife." And its the weirdest thing that I would think that, and that I would remember what she looks like, because she hasn't been around in, what, three years? But I for some reason can remember clearly what she looks like. Then I look at the man that she's standing next to against the wall, and...it's JP Dumont.
I was so stoked, because I had only seen him on the jumbotron the night before, and I love that man, and I would gladly sell like....Drew Stafford to get him back. Maybe not, but you get the idea. I think we all loved JP at one point. He saw me making eye contact, and he looked a little scared. Not of me, I hope, but more like a huge crowd of people who adore this mean, and he was making it very obvious that he didn't want to be noticed (he had a Titans hat on, and they lost that night). I had my ticket from the night before in my bag, and would have totally gone and asked him to sign it. But, even in an away city, I stick to my rule that if they're not in a hockey related setting, don't go up to them with a Sharpie in your hand. And, I felt bad enough that I got my two friends staring at him when I tried to be sly and asking if it was him in the first place.
It was a fantastic weekend, but I am so ready to be back in Buffalo. I was told it was cold, but anything beats four cramped planes (the inside of the overhead storage says weight cannot exceed 160 pounds so it makes me wonder if thats how Ryan could cheat the the standby system). My shoulder blades are absoultely killing me for reasons I am still trying to figure out. I see a lot of Aleve and a hot bath in my near future. Shelby and I are going out to dinner at Chilis tonight because I'm craving it after eating half a bowl of pasta and one fajitia in the entire weekend. We're plotting to get tickets to the Atlanta game on Saturday, because I have a good feeling maybe we can remove our lips from Ryans ass long enough to let Patty play...so come December we're not like ' oh yeah, Olympics, oh well.'
...but Max better not score if he does.
....the flight attendant says we have to get prepped for landing. Adios!
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