Checksum Arcanius

Last night I went to my first Seattle Thunderbirds game at the Key Arena. It was not quite my first hockey game ever — I went to a Carleton College women’s hockey game many years ago — but it was definitely the most intense and fun sporting event I have been to in a while.

After the opening faceoff, the first thing I noticed was how fast everyone was going. The players are really incredible on their skates. Where I normally would have thought about how cool that would be, this time I mostly thought about how much it would hurt for me to try that right now. Kinda lame, I know.

Anyway, the game started out poorly — The Everett Silvertips scored two goals, both on power plays, the the Thunderbirds seemed to have trouble controlling the puck for long periods of time. The second period went much better, with the Thunderbirds battling back to score a shorthanded goal, then a powerplay goal, then a third goal. In the waning seconds of the second, however, Everett ended up scoring a third goal to tie the game at three going into the final period.

During the first intermission, I ended up buying a few huck-a-pucks. During the second intermission, a car with a sunroof came out and thousands of $1.33 pucks flew at the car. Getting the puck into the car meant entering a drawing for $10,000. My first puck careened off the back left of the car; my second puck was short, and the third one maintained good aim but sailed too far. Oh well!

The third period saw the Thunderbirds lock down the game. They scored one more and held the Silvertips to a shutout, taking the game 4-3. The last 90 seconds of the third saw the Silvertips pull their goalie to get an additional offensive presence. Although all the action took place on Seattle’s side, the defense held fast for just long enough, and the Thunderbirds secured the victory.

The occasion for all of this was Scott’s 23rd birthday; afterwards we made our way to the Old Spaghetti Factory and enjoyed some food and conversation. A good time was had by all.

I just finished watching a thrilling straight-set match where Serbian Novak Djokovic took down world number one and reigning Austrailian Open champion Roger Federer. The Swiss started strong, but by the halfway mark of the first set, it was clear the Roger was not on top of his game. Novak won four straight games to come back from 3-5 to win the first set 7-5. The second set saw Roger looking flat-footed, at times even sick as Novak came moment away from winning the set 6-1. Roger bagan to fight back, but still fell 6-3 in the second set. Federer player much better in the third set, matching his early first set form, but it was too little too late; Djokovic was in a groove and never lost his serve, forcing the tie break. On the first opportunity, what often seems impossible became very much a reality: Roger Federer lost. Earlier in the other bracket, comeback kid Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France stunned world number two, the always exciting Rafael Nadal of Spain, beating him emphatically in straight sets. This all sets up a showdown between two exciting players at the top of their games, who have never met and never won a Major. For one, that will change on Sunday.

Meanwhile, in the women’s bracket world number 4 Ana Ivanovic from Serbia (where else) has put herself in position to win her first major. All that stands in her way is the world number 5, Russian Maria Sharapova, already a winner of several Major tournaments. No matter what happens in this one, we all win.

I rest my case.

I just returned from witnessing the Washington Huskies defeat the California Golden Bears here in Seattle at Husky Stadium. It is the first Husky football win I have ever been to in person — and may this joyous occasion be the first of many more to come!

Final Score: 37-23

The 5mg oxycodone tablets I have are labelled “for breakthrough pain” which I have taken to mean pain that breaks through the background level of 10mg extended release oxycodone pills I have. I have stopped taking the 10mg tablets, and I have found that in my current state, I have to take about one 5mg tablet each night to make it through — or at least to be able to sleep.

On the flip side, I started physical therapy yesterday — I’m going again today, and then on Tuesday, after which I will be seeing Dr. Wahl for a post-surgical evaluation. One of the exercises I was supposed to do for physical therapy was to lift the injured leg, keeping it straight. Well, lifting the leg turned out to be quite an issue since, just as I was told would happen (though I didn’t believe it at the time), my right quad “forgot” how to operate. Or perhaps more precisely, I forgot how to operate my right quad. I could try with all I was worth, but I could not cause it to lift my leg. It was a frustrating, disenchanting, almost out-of-body feeling, not being able to control a leg that was clearly mine. Then I was trying again today, and suddenly, I regained control of the leg and it lifted. I don’t know why the sudden change, but it was not fleeting — the ability to lift the leg stayed with me. It was exhilarating to have the control back — I wanted to dance, but didn’t, because that probably would have been bad.

Represent!

No asterisk.

Dan invited me to attend the Mariner’s game with him and his dad today. Felix Hernandez was pitching against a division rival, so it seemed like a good bet. Jay was kind enough to buy the ticket for me — a very generous offering, since the tickets were very well situated only twenty rows back along the first base line.

I decided to bike to the game to avoid parking — I took Roosevelt across the bridge then followed Eastlake and kind of winged it after that, heading generally south and west until I made it to Safeco Field. I arrived a few minutes late, but I didn’t miss anything — The M’s picked it up soon after I arrived, however, with a three run second inning. The game continued to go well, with the only scare coming from Hernandez and Brousard colliding on a choper down the first base line. It went fine, that is, until the top of the ninth when the normally solid J.J. Putz showed some cracks and gave up three runs to tie the game at 7 a piece.

The next few innings were gut-wrenching, not only because we all knew that the M’s really should have already won the game, but also because there were many Angel base runners in those innings, including several cases of loaded base-itis. In the end, however, the Mariners got the bases loaded themselves with just one out, forcing the Angel infielders to creep in, making Betancourt’s game-winning single in the bottom of the 12th all-the-more likely.

So, it was a great relief, and a greatly entertaining game. I rode back the same way I came, winging it until I got back to Fairview, which I followed to Eastlake then back acorss the bridge (which was up) before making it back to the U-district. Not a bad way to end the day.