I've Hardly Been

We're in another of our bizarre weather swings again. We've gone from a blizzard Sunday to temps in the 50s, and a cold front is supposed to sweep in on Saturday and chill things off. It's both wiggity and wack.

I'm going to see the UNH hockey team play BU tomorrow night, so that should be fun. UNH has been pretty inconsistent this year, so I'm just hoping they make it competitive.

In other news:

• So, have you heard any good Cheney jokes lately? The White House press corps has been having a blast with this story, but jeez, can you blame them? The poor schmuck that Cheney shot ended up having a heart attack after some of the bird shot was lodged in his heart, but the local police have cleared the veep of any criminal wrongdoing. Wonder if Dubya is secretly glad the heat's off him for once.
• I've been enjoying the first two days of Olympic hockey. The ice surface is larger than standard NHL rinks, and the boards are higher, making the players look smaller. Normally Todd Bertuzzi is a hulking brute, but I didn't recognize him at first because of the boards. Canada took on host Italy yesterday and early in the second period, the game was tied at 1 before the Canucks woke up and blew the Italians away. A big reason for Italy's early success was the play of goalie Jason Muzzatti, who was Calgary's first-round pick back in '88 and bounced around the NHL for much of the '90s before heading to Europe. He also holds the distinction of being drafted fourth overall in my fantasy hockey league several years back by a poor misguided soul; the fact that he was a backup for Hartford at the time didn't deter the guy who drafted him. Muzzatti ended up being pelted with 50 shots in a 7-2 loss. The US squad, meanwhile, battled to a 3-3 tie with a pesky Latvian team led by former NHL netminder Arturs "Like Wall" Irbe. A great skating team, the Americans seemed to have the game well in hand before they let down in the second and coughed up a couple of goals. No such problem today against weak Kazakhstan, whom they easily beat 4-1, while Canada beat down Germany. I've been TiVoing the hockey coverage during the day and watching at night, so I've had to avoid media (sports sites and radio) so I don't hear the scores before I watch the games. It's not easy to do in these days of on-demand information.
• Looks like Wayne Gretzky won't have to testify in the alleged gambling ring case that saw charges brought against his assistant coach Rick Tocchet. His wife will likely not have to appear in court, either. The media feeding frenzy surrounding Gretzky will hopefully die down. It's been hard to watch, especially all the rampant speculation about the guy.
• I've made up for missing my long run Sunday by logging some serious mileage this week. Eight Monday and Tuesday and 10 this morning; I have to do 14 on Sunday in Joisey. Suppose I should limit my beer intake Saturday night. Maybe.