I may be Broken but I can be Fixed, countdown till the end of photo project

When it's starting to look like a project, then that's a good sign that things are going my way.
I've been working on a project way past it's deadline and hopefully it's going to be finish soon, in the meantime I'll be updating the progress (including the web site that I'm launching). It's been a blessing and a curse on this version of my infamous photo book projects. Those of you wondering what on earth am I talking about, well, one of these looks like this. I did that one 5 years ago, the beginning of being suckered into continuing a story within a story. Seeing how I evolve (or revolve) as a photographer and as a person.

The Sidney Crosby of all realisations

So now we finally reached the Stanley Cup final, knowing that by now there's green on the trees and the ground and basically everyone in Montreal has forgotten that there is hockey when the Canadiens are not playing. Well, for most of us if they recall once upon a time Michel Therrien (not the best looking coach) used to coach les bleu blanc et rouge and made a complete ass of himself in the series against Carolina. Thus putting him on the bubble till we fired his ass and got an even uglier coach in Claude Julien.
Either way, wasn't pretty, the coaching and the style of play the team used to be.
However, the NHL got lucky in this year's quality match in Pittsburgh and Detroit: both are the best in their own way. Pittsburgh are a bunch of young fast scorers ready to prove themselves against the big defensive experience in Detroit. Both have dynamic duos and goaltenders who have proven themselves time and time again after each shot. Pittsburgh is my favorite, been my fave since they last won the cup back in 1992 and it looks like Mario Lemieux may have saved the franchise yet again. He fought to keep the franchise in the Steel City when two years ago were sitting in 29th place out of 30 teams and was fortunate to win the Sidney Crosby lottery. Hoping to avoid history repeating twice, they decided to draft and trade to build around the kid, knowing that he can't just save the franchise when he was already destined to save the NHL.
That's a lot for a kid who still can't pass for legal in any bar in the States, even by Crosby's childlike looks and ill attempt at a beard I don't think he could pass for legal in Montreal.
I was thinking about what Sid the Kid has done in 3 seasons and already in his first final. Gretzky nor Lemieux never would dream to be in a situation like that when they were playing at 20 years old. Yes, Crosby is 20. I got to thinking that not that many 20 year olds are mature or goal oriented and to be able to have this much focus. Most 20 year olds are all over the place, scraping by a slew of minimum wage jobs and still trying to figure out what they want to do in life (then again, it's like that with most 25 year olds and worse when you hit 30+). Remembering two friends of mine when they hit 20, took off on journeys through Europe and working in Israel. They were somewhat focus, however at 20, I chose a journey with a lot of consequences and was trying to find focus by hitting the bottle.
I probably was the messiest when I was 20. I couldn't figure exactly what I wanted to do. I worked a cleaning lady job at a girls dorm then worked in a depaneur (corner store for the non Montrealer). Took a couple classes at University and got drunk every night until I suffered the consequences of a night where some guy got into my pants when I was passed out. My saving grace was when I applied into a photo program by chance and got in. To this day, photography has been my focus (no pun intended). And Crosby wanted to be a hockey player ever since his early days through the Timbits program in Cole Harbour.
Hearing a Crosby interview you see a young man leading a crop of young players and veterans who are aware of his age. You see focus, you see discipline, you see a kid with the league on his shoulders and is doing a good job. I said this about Carey Price, the same goes with Sid the Kid: this is not bad however he is 20 and the best is yet to come. The rarity to see this at 20 is no difference if you finally see this at 25, a miracle when you're 30+. I'm 28 right now, wishing for a little more focus, I got some this week when they cut my hours at my minimum wage job.
For about 3 months, I've been subbing for a sandwitch guy with a heart condition, long days, crack of dawn, a character I like to call "little miss cranky pants." Losing all focus, being more socially awkward, mean, tired. Hoping to gain my focus and voice out the way a 20 year old hockey phenom would.
At least I can pass for legal at any bar. My pick: Pittsburgh in 6.

post hockey, pre sobriety

So it had been a couple weeks since Bob Gainey summed up the season in a nutshell: that the Canadiens are almost there and are needing a large center in the near future. Hearing the unfamiliar name of a Swedish player who is the best NOT playing in the NHL either means 2 things: What the f**k or he's up to something. Carey Price is off on a Mexican vacation then returning home, a little bit wiser and knowing better as when training camp approaches he would know that he'll be the number one goaltender. The job is his, he needs to boost the confidence to reach the next level.
I seem to be using the analogy for confidence as goaltenders can go hot and cold. They are weird yet can hold the team when everything else breaks down. I see that outside the net, that yes, confidence does come and go in the thing we do best. In my case, my photography.
In the last few months I've been hot and cold: I became a photo editor at a University paper, I lost a theatre gig I normally get. I got two more gigs, got published. I work full time in the back of a coffee shop making sandwiches and salads, I have no time to take pictures. I have to update my web site by 5 years, I got Flickr. Ups and downs, during the downs I would drink.
Not a good thing.
In one sense I was glad that the team was ousted in the second round. There was a constant party in my liver and I think it was due for a siesta. Seriously, the long weekend approaches as becomes the beginning of the season of drinking on terrasses, picnics and the woods. I live in Montreal, it's what we're known for when the sun returns. The clothes come off, the drinks are open, look out. Thus explains why between the months of March through May there happens to be a slew of birthdays (therefore, more drinking).
I'm pushing for more use of contraceptives during the summer months. I can't celebrate another 20 birthdays, no more.
Yes, it's been nice to be outside again, on my bike instead of on a bar stool at the Ye Olde on the Main, my office during playoffs. I pop in now and then to see how bad Sidney Crosby's moustache has gotten. He looks like 1983 even if he didn't exist until 1987. I had to throw in that joke in every entry, take a damn look at it. That kid has a lot of confidence in guiding a bunch of kids into manhood we call playoffs. Even confident enough to know that he can't even grow a real beard. Then again, Carey Price is the same age and yet, full on beard.
Then again, he's a weird goalie.
Confidence can bring the weird out of people. Maybe that's why some drink to that, to mask away actual shyness, needing some clutch to get the real out of them. Or to mask away something that is them that they're afraid of. Been toying with that idea these days as I ask myself if I think I can try to crack the photography field to the next level, why am I still hiding in the back of a coffee shop making sandwiches?
Weird.

Welcome to my Playoff Blog: Summing up an awesome season, last playoff blog.

Summing up an awesome season, last playoff blog.

I guess the tie had a 3 win warranty.
Game 6 at the Ye Olde on the Main was sad and exciting all into one. Hoping that the magic of The Canadiens and every known playoff cliche would translate into a win, followed by another win and so forth...nope.
It was bad officiating and a hot goaltender that was our undoing. Price lost his confidence as he never played this much hardcore pressure cooking hockey before. Worn out mentally and psychically got to the kid. The reminder that he is only a kid, along with a 1/3 of the squad who had had their 1st taste of what is considered "real" hockey.
There is a however to all of this.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, now my new pick to win it all, last year half the team experience their first trip to the post season. Half the squad couldn't even drink legally, still is the case. Ousted in the 1st round, the following year they are now in the conference final in a battle against Philly. Montreal is in that same boat and can improve from what just happened...
or go backwards the way Ottawa did from finalist to disaster (knocking on wood here, not going to happen).
This is part of a master plan Bob Gainey has been working on since he became General Manager nearly 5 years ago. He's putting together pieces of a puzzle, driving fans crazy during trade deadlines and draft days wondering why he made that decision. Trust me, he's up to something. We can almost be there, a few tweaks here and there and we might have something awesome.
And we just had a taste of it.
This was a team touted to be in 13th and miss the playoffs, instead we finished 1st in the division and 3rd overall. Gainey definitely is up to something here.
Would be cool to see Crosby win it all, the Kid and his squad have a great system: scoring goals. Now if he can grow more than a bad high school moustache.
To sum up game 6, there was something in the air where everyone was a fan for the night. Outsiders peering into the bar window in glimpse of the TV, I'm screaming when we hit the cross bar or when Price is shaky as he stops the puck or lets an easy one in. We're all staring at the clock: we hold the lead we want time to run out or when we lose the lead we hopes there's enough time to come back. It was that kind of night where stats and luck battle it out. In the end, luck was on Philly's side, in the form of our scoring chances hitting the post every time. In last few seconds we knew it was all over.
Kind of sucks, however...
the season we had, seeing young kids play above the level, the comebacks and great saves, yes, they do deserve the recognition for playing exciting hockey. It has been a long time since I actually enjoy watching a Canadiens game. Not since I was 13 have I enjoyed watching the Habs, a very long time. I felt bad that Price cried and felt the weight of winning on his shoulders, not a cool thing to do to a kid. Rookies are not meant to carry franchises unless they are ready, we'll slowing doing that, slowly. The bar and at the Bell Centre, we all applauded, glad that these guys did and they repaid the gratitude by raising their sticks. As for the fans, time to put away your flag off the car, to go back to a normal life. Kind of glad as I don't think my liver would have survived the conference final, ow. I'm going to miss going to Ye Olde on the Main and seeing everyone excited over the home team. Applauding in thanks is what the real fans do, not burn cop cars and smash windows. Next season is the 100th year, the way things are going I think it's going to be a special memorable year.
But just in case, let's hope Mrs. Carboneau buys another ugly tie.

Welcome to my Playoff Blog: So it comes down to a bad sports cliche

So it comes down to a bad sports cliche

I was afraid it would come down to this.
The Canadiens, the Eastern Conference champs, not even meant to have made the playoffs, the better on paper in comparison to Philly, down 3-1. There's a hint of cliche in the air, waiting for the Forum Ghosts to fulfill the prophecy based on the numbers, the time it has taken for any Canadian team to win the cup and of course, the centennial of the franchise itself.
Here it comes...
to come from behind, the team doing great however Biron is the problem. It is nearly impossible to stop a hot goalie unless one breaks his confidence. It has happened to Price, it was bound to happen. He is JUST a kid. There were never any expectations for Biron to do anything in the playoffs, he had been a journeyman stuck inbetween two hot goaltenders back in Buffalo (referring to Hasek and now Miller). The Flyers are tough and will do anything to clutter up the net and be very pesky about it.
Speaking of pesky, karma caught up on Sean Avery. Lacerated spleen, gone for the season. No more Mr Jackass.
Could someone tell Crosby to save his diving techniques for the pool and score. As for the beard, not getting any better.
I was a little disappointed in the Colorado/Detroit series (or lack of it). Glad Ryan Smyth played with a busted foot (it's what he does) however it was a lack of series. Theo choked, everyone got hurt, Wings swept. It might have been the last for Joe Sakic. I think Colorado's attempt of reliving 2001 wasn't a good idea, it's Forsberg out again (only longer).
Just give it up and go back to Sweden. Ok, back to the cliche.
Game 4 was me at the Ye Olde at the Main, by then I've reconized the regulars who catches the game there. I had my usual burger and beer however wasn't feeling it. Halak was good in nets, we still can't get the first goal. I was getting tired and left in the 3rd when things happen. Crap.
I forgot what it's like watching hockey this late in the season, already May and we're still playing. Viewer's fatigue is what I have, I think I may have used my enthusiasm back in the 1st round. The lines keep changing, still no Ryder.
He's a lot useful than Lapierre, you know. Wouldn't hurt to try.
Now back to the cliche: Koivu will say something in that dressing room tonight and bring the spirits up to the young shaved headed guys. There will be a translation in French and Russian after (a good core of the team). Carbo, always the optimist, puts Price back in. He knows how the Montreal system works, how fan and media can affect the confidence of any player, he had gone through the ringer many times. He, in theory, wants Price to one day finish his career in a Montreal Canadiens sweater.
Kovalev leads by example as the young Kostein bros and the others follow the flowing locks of his hair and his amazing stick work.
The Bell centre, all 21,022 fans will cheer with hearts on their sleeves and $9 beer in their bellies. Kids with painted faces and their homemade signs gazing at their heroes along with the real heroes who brought them here to take in the experience. Tonight is different than any other night, this is where the magic happens. It's a home game, anything can happen, new heroes, nothing determined, every minute counts, do or die. Doesn't matter if you've been a fan for 15 years or 15 minutes, every ounce of confidence counts in helping the home team...
and just in case, we hope Carbo wears the ugly tie tonight.
Go Habs.