Final post of photos from the game against Highland on December 5.

Sam and Robert on defense

Marco and Andrew making a play

Connor passing the puck

Marco backhands a pass

Max playing without a stick...

...But Sam takes over

SOCIOPATHIC PERSONALITY. That is what they will label ANDREW CONLEY, 17, who strangled and brutalized his younger 10-yr-old brother begging for his life. This monster even contemplated killing his father. Why? He idolized the TV show DEXTER however DEXTER has a code and CONNER CONLEY, the brother, did not fit into that code so the murderer is someone DEXTER would love to kill.

How Ironic is that?

—-Bonju Patten

Whilst trying a bit of street photography in Birmingham I came across this man. He asked me if I was a photographer and was asking me about what tpe of work I did.
He was in town collecting for disabled children. So I asked him If I gave him some money would he let me take his photo and he was very happy to!
Something tells me that’s he’s done this before! I just think he’s got a really peaceful feeling about him!

http://connarokeeffe.co.nr

You all can thank Comcast that these next several posts are so late.

Please skip the following section if you don’t want to read my rant against Comcast. I’ve expurgated it so that no phrases or language appropriate to their “service” model appear. Photos of hockey action resume below, after the rant.

* * * * *
Like many of you, I use Comcast for high speed Internet. Usually it works OK. It slows down when the network is overloaded, but that seems to happen less and less, lately. The only thing worse than slow transmission speeds is no transmission at all. And that happens to me about once every three or four months. Then I have to check my modem and my router and my…but of course, the problem is rarely anything that a user can trouble shoot. I have to call Comcast, wade my way through their annoying IVR (that’s the phone menus). Finally, the automated voice offers to remotely “reboot my modem.” That sometimes works to bring Internet access back.

But sometimes it doesn’t. In those cases, I have to wait on the phone until a live person comes on. (They’re usually nice enough.) More trouble shooting ensues. Ultimately, the problem is always solved, but without satisfactory explanation and certainly no admission of culpability. Meanwhile, I’ve spent somewhere between 15 and 90 minutes trying to get the system working again. But usually a couple of days have gone by because I don’t have time to spend fixing it each time I want to read the news or get the weather, whatever. So I lose at least 24-48 hours of usage for a service that I pay for, every month. Arrgh.

To make things more irritating, there’s the rats’ next of Comcast cable wiring at the top of the utility pole in the alley behind my house. Every other group that attaches lines to that pole, including the phone company and the electric utility, do a workman-like job of keeping it neat and clean. But not Comcast. They leave the rat tails of cable offcuts and other fittings to rust at the base of the pole. That junk lands right next to the garbage cans, so you’d think their worker could pick them up.

Comcast is ripe for an overhaul, I don’t care if they did buy NBC this week. OK. Rant off.
* * * * *

The B2 black team shut out the Irondale team 7-0 on Wednesday, December 2, at the Super Rink in Blaine. The score pretty much tells the entire story. Our defense did a great job, but our offense were the stars of the evening.

Pre-game stretching

Beginning face-off

Robert keeps his eyes on his opponent

Ross in front of the goal

Connor on his way to the action

I was standing next to another parent, who informed me, “Max is going to score right here!”  So I started firing…

Max backhands the puck - into the net

…Sure enough.

With the exception of the Star Wars prequels and the possibility of Ghostbusters 3 I am not sure there has been a sequel I have looked forward to more than Boondock Saints 2.  Like most people I discovered the original film thanks to a recommendation from a friend.  I was in college, taking film related studies, and was heavily digging independent cinema.  There was just something about the freshness of the style that spoke to me.  So needless to say when I saw the first one I was blown away by it.  It was this little unique action film that didn’t need loud expensive explosions to be exciting, didn’t need big name stars to be appealing and frankly never got the acclaim in the mainstream that it should have.

From what I recall it barely got a release in theaters and there seemed to be an endless legal battle over money claims that the film did make.  So the idea of a sequel seems absolutely ludicrous.  Back around the turn of the millennium there wasn’t the home video market there is today. DVD was new and expensive and VHS was a dinosaur unaware of its imminent extinction.  You were dependent entirely on your box office success.  So to think that a film that barely gets a release in theatres now has a sequel seems like laughable fiction.

But then the film landscape started to evolve. With the emergence of DVD as the dominant home video format, it took a step further and over took the box office as the primary money-making asset, not just for film but for television as well.  TV shows that had ended prematurely were given a second life on DVD and in some instances were returned to television or even better, the silver screen (Family Guy, Futurama, Firefly/Serenity).  This is what made the difference for Boondock Saints.  The little movie that no one had ever heard of before was now being passed around and winning over a pretty steady cult following.  Eventually it proved so popular, that the film, often mislabeled a direct to DVD, was also given a second chance.  In October 2009 the long-awaited sequel was released to theatres.  The Saints were back.

The movie starts off with the McManus Brother living in Ireland with their father, their past buried, their exploits urban legend.  But their restless souls are soon called back to Boston as a priest from their old neighbourhood is murdered in cold-blood.  The crime scene looks suspiciously familiar.  The Father, shot in the back of the head by two handguns, is laid to rest with two distinct pennies covering his eyes.  But the scene is poorly assembled and both the Police and the Saints know its more than a bad frame-up…it’s a message to the boys.  They decide to return to their old stomping grounds to flush out the killer and send home their own message: The Saints will not be fucked with.

Along the way they are joined by familiar friends and fresh faces.  Their cop accomplices in the murder of Papa Joe Yakavetta, Officers Greenly, Duffy and Dolly head off the investigation when FBI Special Agent Eunice Bloom steps in to take over.  She’s a tough as nails broad who isn’t afraid to take charge and seems to take a perverse pleasure in torturing the men around her, both with her feminine wiles and her intellect. On top of that she is the deciple of their former ally, Paul Smecker, but how much she knows about what happened is still in question.  Is she an ally to the three cops, or will she discover their involvement and bring their careers and civilian lives to an end.

As the boys set off for Boston they discover a new ally, a feisty ass-kicking Mexican named Romeo who quickly deciphers they are really the Saints and begs to let him join them. Once they arrive and set up shop they are greeted by old friends who, despite the MacManus Bros’ vigilante status, help them find a place to live and arm themselves.  Now its down to business: finding the Yakevetta family and making them pay dearly for murdering an innocent priest.  From here it gets more complicated and interesting and frankly I don’t want to spoil it so I demand you go out to see it.

It’s a terrific film and frankly its just about everything I could ask for in a sequel.  It brings you back to a familiar place, introduces new ideas and stories, and takes old conventions and turns them on their ears.  Its pays loving tribute to what came before but isn’t held back by its past, being allowed to explore and grow.

It’s not perfect though.  There are a few times that the movie loses itself in its own absurdity as one job goes awry on the Saints, but in their mind plays out like a 70s cop flick.  It’s a moment so groan worthy my forehead hurt from all the face-palming.  And then there is Romeo.  He brings a little something new to the party, but it’s painfully evident that he’s meant to be the new Rocco.  Problem is that Rocco is the only Rocco and worked so well because the character was genuinely Rocco.  It’s difficult to explain but it felt like Romeo was trying to hard to be Rocco when thats not who he is.  It just felt wrong.  He is established as a dangerous little opponent, but spends much of the movie being the but of the jokes and trying not to cry. It would have been nice to see the character be himself.  I don’t mind if he’s comedic on occasion but it felt like overkill at the expense of what was established by his introduction. And to top it off he is completely outdone by a dream sequence featuring Rocco, in what is probably my favorite scene in the movie.  I won’t tell you what happens or what is said, but between the dialogue, the setting (Toronto anyone??) and the music (the return of the iconic opening theme from the first film) its a rousing moment that really gets you into the mood for the emotionally heavy and explosive ending.  I actually wanted to cheer.  Hell I am tempted to go see the movie again for that scene alone.

But despite a few beefs the movie was well done, and digs deeper not only into the brothers and their world, but their mysterious father and the ghosts of his past.

And on a cliff hanger ending that will make any Boondock Saints fan wanting more and we begin the countdown to Boondock Saints 3.

Can’t wait.

There was lots of great action throughout the game, even up to its final moments.

A tired Willy skates with the puck

Marco and Ross race an opponent into the zone

Connor on defense

Another save for Johnny

Sam catches a pass

Luke chases a loose puck

The second place team in the B2 Minneapolis Cup

After a terrific showing in the first two games of the Minneapolis Cup, the Storm B2 Black team won the right to play Edina Green for the championship on November 29 at the Parade Ice Gardens.  It was a tough game in which both of the B2 Black’s goalies had to prove their worth again and again as the Edina Green team bombarded them with shot after shot.

The game started calmly enough, and the early penalties that both teams drew did not set the tone for what was a clean, hard-fought contest.

Preparing for the opening face off

Henri in the penalty box

An opposing player, sent to the penalty box

Simon skates with the puck

Connor getting into position

Wyatt, having checked an Edina player, keeps his eye on the puck

Willy traps an opponent against the boards

Eine kleine Zusammenfassung, was mich in letzter Zeit so beschäftigt hat…

Connor hat wieder zugeschlagen
Als ich am Dienstag von der Arbeit nach Hause kam, müsste ich mit Entsetzen feststellen, dass mein Eimer mit Leonardo-Trockenfutter (welches ich als Leckerli verwende) geknackt wurde. Stark verdächtig: Connor
Natürlich wurde am diesem Tag sehr schlecht gegessen und am nächsten Tag hatte alle vier Katzen sehr weichen Stuhlgang. Selber Schuld! Das ganze hatte sich aber schnell beruhigt und der Stuhlgang ist wieder absolut normal.

Katzenausstellung in Hilpoltstein
Morgen fahre ich auf die Katzenausstellung nach Hilpoltstein (bei Roth an der A9). Nachdem ich in Süden von Nürnberg wohne, ist das von mir nicht wirklich weit weg. Die Züchter meiner Katzen stellen dort aus. Ich freue mich vor allem Cyrus den Bruder von Connor zu sehen . Ich nehme auf jeden Fall meinen Foto mit…Und wenn ich Glück habe bringt mir die Züchterin auch die Babyfotos von Connor und Charly in besserer Auflösung mit .

Robusta-Kratzbäume stellt auch aus… Ich bin stark am überlegen mir eine Wandliege zu kaufen. Nachdem die etwas teuer ist, möchte ich mir sie vorher mal anschauen – und schauen, ob es nicht Messepreise gibt. Wenn nicht, werde ich mir die Liege bei Petfun bestellen (und dann auch noch die Catwalk-Bretter)

Neues von Lenny
Seit Mitte Oktober habe ich beschlossen, Lenny nicht mehr zu reiten. Es hatte einfach keinen Sinn mehr. Seitdem reite ich entweder ein Schulpferd oder Pferde von Freundinnen und bin wesentlich glücklicher.
Noch ist es nicht offiziell, aber wie es ausschaut, habe ich ab Dezember jemanden, der ihn in Vollpension nimmt. Meinen Geldbeutel wird es freuen . Aber auch für Lenny ist es die beste Lösung – für die Koppel ist er mit 13 Jahren eindeutig zu jung.

Neues von der Blogfront
Diesen Blog hatte ich im Oktober eigentlich mehr zum Testen angefangen. Er macht mir aber eine Menge Spass – deshalb wird der Blog unter einen anderen Namen in den nächsten Wochen auf unseren eigenen Server umziehen.

Ich plane in Zukunft ein eigenes Theme zu haben – deshalb habe ich mir gestern einen lokale Installation von WordPress auf meinen Rechner hochgezogen. Bücher über PHP habe ich mir aus der Bibliothek besorgt – mal schaun’ wann ich dazu komme, mir das ganze ein bisschen näher anzuschauen – und wie lange ich mir noch die Bücher ausleihen kann.
Anfangs werde ich sicherlich noch das iNove-Theme haben.

That’s it! I’ve had it!!

I don’t care what all the other shoppers think of me… I’m buy a leash for Connor!

He did it again tonight!

I went to the shops after picking the boys up from  my moms house.  He was as good as gold as I went around the shop because he was in the trolley eating grapes.  The minute we  got into the queue, he started performing and climbed out of the trolley!

After promising me that he would stand at the side of the trolley, I let him go.

As I was paying… he was still around but watching me.  As I put my card back in my wallet and took my eyes off him for a second, he ran.

By the time I managed to get out the door, he had run all the way to the other side of the centre. It’s a small centre, but it’s got a covered walkway area and the walkway and shops surround the car park.

And of course, Bradley’s not sure what will get him into more trouble with me… shouting and telling me that he’s gone or running after him to try and get him back.

To cut a long story short… thankfully the trolley collector was helping me… he put the shopping into the car, while I wrestled with Connor and manhandled him kicking and screaming into the car, and then locked the door to stop him escaping.

So there… that’s it… I’m shopping for a leash now! I’ve HAD IT!

Then… as we get onto our road… Connor decides in his wisdom to remove his seatbelt and stand on the back seat! Oh the joys!

I was in a foul mood until he went to sleep!

When Connor was dropped off on Friday night, he was in desperate need of a haircut! He has hair just like his Daddy’s that grows like a weed, so it constantly needs to be trimmed. I took him to a hair place across the street from where we live and sat down with him to pick out his new haircut.

Connor wanted something spikey and cool like his cousin Jack, so we trimmed down the front and sides a lot. The hairdresser had a hard time getting his hair to stand up and look spikey so she combed it to the side. She was very impressed with his 3- yes 3!- cowlicks. He has one big one in the back of his head and two right by his temples. Poor guy.

I spent quite a bit of time on his hair the morning of our pictures trying to get it just right. I used all of Ryan’s products and a ton of my hairspray to get it to stick, but by the time it was picture time, it had fallen. Luckily we brought some product out there with us to fix it again. I have to say that Connor is incredibly patient when I do his hair. Like myself, he wants it just right before he leaves the house. I’m beginning to think he’s truely my child.

I like it much better when his hair is out of his face so you can see his pretty eyes. What do you think? I think I  may need a little girl… I’d probably have her in hair foils at 3. Is that wrong? 

Before

After a Haircut

After my Styling

More photos from the game on November 22, 2009, at the Parade Ice Gardens.

Luke ready for the puck

Connor on defense

An off-balance attempt at a shot from Jacob

Max next to Gavin, a familiar face from last year

Andrew skating down the rink

This past Sunday, we celebrated Thanksgiving early with Ryan’s side of the family. Since his sisters will be spending Thanksgiving with their in-laws family and Connor is in town, we decided to get everyone together for an early Thanksgiving meal. Jenny and Melissa decided to do Thai food instead of Thanksgiving food, so we all wouldn’t be sick of turkey come turkey day, hence the title Thai-giving.

Before our Thai feast, we all met at Herman Park to take an annual Dupnick Family Portrait. I’ve always loved seeing the family portrait up at Ryan’s sister’s and Mom’s house and was really excited to be able to be a part of this years portrait- even though I’m not OFFICIALLY family:) Even better – I think the photographer got some great pictures of the 3.5 of us: Ryan, me, Connor and Izzie. I can’t wait to see the final images and will be sure to post them as soon as we get the disc!

Below are some pictures I took on our digital camera while we were waiting as well as some pics of of our Thai-giving.

Courtesy of Ryan.

Emma and Connor

Thai-giving spread at Aunt Jenny's

Saturday we took Connor out to Navasota to play with my nephews. The boys had a great time playing outside with all of their toys and were so happy to see each other after so long!

It was SUPER cold and rainy outside, but we managed to get bundled up and take an afternoon hike across the property hunting for bears. The boys love looking for bear tracks – aka Axel tracks- ssssshhhhhh! and I even rewarded them with quarters I found inside my Mom’s coat pocket for every track they found. Ryan was very confused when he found a bunch of change in Connor’s pockets when we got home.

Connor’s favorite part was that we bought him a pair of camo rain boots, so his feet wouldn’t get wet. He loved that he could splash in the pond and jump in puddles without getting soaked. He also loved hearing my Dad rev the engine of the motorcycle. He was pretty adament about writing a letter to Santa about getting him a motorcycle for Christmas. Ryan told him it depended on whether or not he had been a good boy. When we asked if he has been being a good boy, Connor took a long pause and said, “I can start now…” We laughed pretty hard at that one.

When we got home that night, Connor told us that Wyatt and Mason were his best friends:) I got some great pictures of all the boys below, even the Hud-Bug.

New rain boots! I tried to talk him into blue, like I always do, but he loved the camo ones!

Dana and Hudson

Wyatt, Connor and Mason

Hudson trying to make an escape for the 4-wheeler

Hunting for bears!

My favorite part of the property with Cedar posts