sdh1313-blog

[sdh1313-blog]

Oh How My Leafs Have Changed...

When I was a kid;

I can literally remember this feeling I had when I was young. The toughest, most often heartbreaking feeling that every Leafs fan bares with them each and every hockey season; That feeling of hope… Ya ya ya, I know that probably comes off all sad and what not, but it’s true! I remember when I was a kid (mind you, I am only 24 now!!) watching the Toronto Maple Leafs every night they were on. You see, they were our family households’ official team; No IFS, No ENDS, no BUTS! except of course, my brother Kyle, he chose to be a “bandwagoner” as soon as his beloved Curtis Joseph got traded from the Leafs to the Detroit Red Wings. I guess you can’t blame him, he was the middle child. Once having a team with so much hope with the star goalie, Curtis Joseph locking down the net, being a Leafs fan in this era was truly something to be proud about. Not to mention it was a time where hockey was different than it is today, some would say it was quite a bit rougher. Toronto having a perfect mixture of talent, work ethic and grit made them a pleasure to watch. Unfortunately, not everything was that nice. Each season you were given so much hope, and every time your dreams of seeing your lifelong favourite franchise finally end the drought since 1967 and hoist Lord’s Stanley Cup would never happen. Always playing so well with so much emotion, led by 2 of the NHL’s most fierce competitors at the time, Tie Domi and Darcy Tucker, the fire power of Mats Sundin, Olen Nolan and Bryan McCabe just couldn’t push the boys past the 2 round…

Now ladies and gentlemen, I don’t want to get any other Leafs fans hopes up in a false manor, but this year may just be the year. I have that same feeling I’d get watching the Leafs when I was a kid. The feeling of hope and promise. The feeling that this year might actually be our year. After an incredible regular season, and a monster deadline pick up, in the likes of John Tavares, it seems that is one of the last pieces of the puzzle we as fans have been waiting for. With the team changing drastically since back when I watched them as a kid, they now hold a roster that has so much firepower, you can tell they as a franchise never want to be stuck in that position of not being able to put pucks in the net when you need it most. Austin Mathews, Mitch Marner and John Tavares all have produced incredibly this season, all achieving record setting personal best seasons in point production are exactly the type of foundation you want a team built around. This will ensure that they never run into the problem I use to see as a child each year. Now with the playoffs around the corner I’ve finally been replenished with hope. Being proud to be a Leafs fan this season will pay off, THIS IS OUR YEAR!

[sdh1313-blog]

Finders Keepers

Found Objects;

I was a master, I could find anything. My metal detector and I went hand-in-hand when it came to searching the sandy terrains of the shores of my town. I have been a master metal detector my whole life. Serving in the army, my duty was to locate the landmines to give way for our fleet of vehicles and military operatives to safely push forward into enemy territory. With 30 years of military expertise in the locating, detection and disarming of explosives, I still use that knowledge to continue pursing my passion of metal detecting. Always searching for the unknown is what drives me to relentlessly discover new belongings hidden in our earth’s dirt. What you find is all based on location. 95% of the time I find personal belongings anywhere from beautiful and expensive wedding rings to old school coins which can actually be worth a pretty penny. My favourite hot spots to search are the beach lands where families and kids’ hangout during the summer days. After of course everyone has left, and the sun begins to cool will I start out on my shift. Armed with my detector in hand and my iPod my grandchildren bought me as a gift, you’ll find me scavenging for hours into darkness of the night.

Although you do find items relatively frequent, real treasures are few and far between. Being a retired 65-year-old military veteran, my mobility only gets worse each year that goes by which is why I do this any chance I get. Besides the fact of it being my passion, it keeps me active and gives my life the excitement I enjoy. That is, until 2 weeks ago when my life changed forever. A day like any other, I was out on a new area where there had been known war battles in the past. Out in the forest, far from what you’d consider the actual “war zone” I was treading slowly and cautiously when I heard a very distinct noise, a noise someone in my line of work does not ever forget; The ping of a pressurized land mine being triggered. Instantly my heart sank to the floor. Never before being in a life and death situation of this type even with all of my experience in the field, I had no choice but to accept reality. I was going to either have to figure out a way to diffuse this without removing the pressure or have my leg blown clean off. With my good friend cautiously keeping his distance, I instruct him to find a heavy, yet flat stone. With all my knowledge and experience going to full use, we were able to uncover the mine and successfully replace my foot with the weight of the stone. Not completely out of the woods yet, the stone was not well balanced making it impossible to just walk away. After hours of figuring out the inner-workings of the mine, we finally disarmed the bomb. Drenched in sweat, I stood up with my trophy in hand and most importantly, my life. That was the day I officially retired from my job.

[sdh1313-blog]

No Place Like Home

Home Sweet Home;

As I packed up my belongings, I began to reminisce on everything I missed about living up north. I thought about how much I missed my family and enjoyed home cooked meals. I thought about how I missed spending time outside in the brisk winter air playing fetch with my dog. Certain things about being a northerner you don’t quite realize how much you miss until a few years down the road. Not being home for 2 years since moving to California to pursue a job in the tech industry, I finally saved up enough money to surprise my family for Christmas. Neither of my parents, nor my 2 older brothers know that I’m leaving on a flight up to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories where we all grew up and they still reside. Although we’ve spoken many times, I’ve been able to keep it a secret without cracking under the pressure of wanting me home. They almost seemed so adamant that I return home this year that it was almost too difficult to keep the surprise hidden. They knew my internship with google had been proceeding beautifully with rewarding bonus’ being thrown my way for the work and IT I’ve been able to do for the company. They had their strong hopes that this would be the year I finally came home for which I had to take the opportunity to surprise them.

Squashed inside a 1 bedroom, 500 square foot apartment for 2,300$ a month was what life was for me. Eating out of cardboard boxes since I have no time for cooking was my life while all I could think about was a delicious home-cooked Ribeye steak my parents would always make us for Christmas dinner. With no time off for the past 2 years, there was nothing more I wanted than to be at home with the company of my family and old friends. As I packed my last belongings and prepared for the airport, I could feel the excitement grow as I anticipated that first step off the plane. “Flight 243 with service to Yellowknife will now begin boarding” came up on the airport communications. The butterflies grew in my tummy and before I knew it, we were making our final descents for landing. As I looked out the window 1 last time, the ground was covered in a majestic pearl white coating of fresh Arctic snow that was almost mesmerizing. Stuck in a day dream until I was violently shook by the turbulence as we made our final approach, my anxiousness grew tremendously. Finally touching down with the always intimidating latency on the breaks from the ice on the runway made me grip my arm rest for the last time. With that, I was finally within minutes of the joyous reunion with my family. I grabbed my bag and shuffled a few rows ahead to selfishly be first off the plane. As the stewardess opened steel door of the Boeing 737, a gust of crisp northern air blew across the tundra and straight into the jet. Finally stepping out, I leaned my head back and took in my first deep breath of that pure air I missed so desperately and all I could think to myself was… “Home Sweet Home”