Eynhallow

No....I have cancelled mine for the last two years. But that does delay when I can get Canada Pension...It's a nefarious cost saving measure introduced by the Feds and ford bought into it for the price of 23 extra shots of covid vaccine.

I take out my own trash.

Nah, Bek....it just sucks!!

I changed my mind @animal74

Ya come for Jan and ya come for us all. Beware Deathwalker @animal74. You have had you one and only warning !!!

Offseason Blues Isau and his team mates headed into an interminable off season with quite a sour taste from Season 77. As mentioned in an article earlier this week by @tcookie, Riga’s season was just too inconsistent for any degree of success. As well. Only two of our players improved upon their stats from last year despite playing on a better team and having stronger attributes. However, we, as a team, continue to move forward. Recently GM @hedgehog337, signed all his Season 75 draftees with the intent of being more than competitive in Season 78. To add to the frustration, like rubbing salt into a wound, there were several occasions where Isau, who played second line minutes and participated on the power play and penalty kill, was actually on the ice less than a fourth line team mate. The whole season reminded me of a story from Greek mythology. That of Sysyphus. Sysyphus was the cruel and deceitful King of Corinth. Upon his death he was committed to Hades where Zeus punished him by forcing him to roll a boulder up a hill for eternity. Every time Sysyphus would near the top of the hill the boulder would roll back down and he would have to start all over again. So what can we learn from Sysyphus ? The Riga Reign certainly were not being punished for any wrongdoing or misadventure. GM @hedgehog337maintained team solidarity and added a few pieces in order to make us more competitive. Despite the fact that this plan did not work. He made all the right moves. Sysyphus exemplifies persistence and the desire to fulfill one's potential no matter how frustrating it seems. This is the Riga Reign. No one gave up on the team and left for free agency. The management committed to the core players by extending them all. Sysyphus was being punished, whereas we are not. That is what will bring about a difference in outcomes when we give our blood and sweat in our tasks. Embrace the rock. Be persistent. Work hard. Never give up.

Isau’s Music First I would like to give credit where credit is due. Thanks to @Bobo and @GrittyIsKing09for the inspiration and motivation to review some of the music I like. My effort will be somewhat different than what my friends have done, in that I will not review an album, but rather give you an overview of what I like (today). I say today because my music landscape changes pretty often as does the weather. Music in one form or another has been around since the time of Neanderthal Man. We have evidence of bone flutes dating back some 40 000 years. Now music in its various genres has become part of the warp and weft of our society. Music is also evocative. Meaning that we each interpret music differently. What I like may or may not be what you like. Also, music triggers human emotion, so it is used extensively in advertising. As some of you might know, I am a bit older than many on these forums so I kind of like a lot of retro stuff, but overall my tastes are pretty eclectic.. The tunes that I will review will reflect that I like ballads that have meaning, or remind me of a person or time in my life. I also like the drive and energy of metal and punk. So, for your entertainment, I encourage you to take a listen to some of the following. Listed in no particular order: Drunken Lullabies This punk song is about the violence Ireland and Northern Ireland dealt with in the 1960’s. I think it is about how ridiculous it is for the Catholic and Protestants to continue to use violence against one another. The drunken lullabies are the songs each side sings to itself to justify perpetuating the violence against each other, but they are each singing the same drunken lullaby. A similar message can be found in Brothers In Arms, a Dire Straits tune that says “Why should we make war on our Brothers in Arms?” Girl From The North Country My rock roots show in this selection. The Lions cover of this Bob Dylan tune is a departure from the folk song original. This song is one of my favourites because it reminds me of the love of my life, Nikki (Starr). Yes, for those of you who have read Moose Tracks, she is the real deal mentioned there. She is also from the North as am I. We both still live up here and have no regrets of having spent our lives here thus far. Sultans of Swing (Cover by Leo Moracchioli and Mary Spender) I neglected to mention in my intro that I very much enjoy iconic guitar solos. Mark Knopfler’s solo in the original version is one of these. However, I found the solos performed by Leo and Mary equally entertaining as they incorporate an element of Heavy Metal. Also, watch the dynamic between Leo and Mary in the video…...pretty funny. From Red Deer to Margaree I first heard this tune performed by the Grievous Angels. I am not sure as to whether I like their version or the one I have linked done by the Skydiggers. Both are kind of folky and easy listening. The lyrics remind me of a time in one of the iterations of my life when I was travelling from place to place taking courses, giving presentations and doing contract work for the Ontario Government. I didn’t think the incessant travelling would ever end. Nikki was travelling with me and when I heard theses words: As sunlight rises on a distant sky and says good morning to our tired eyes. You look to me and I know that its alright. I was right back behind the wheel of my old pickup bangin’ on down the highway. Like I said if you like the Skydiggers version it would be worth listening to the original that can be found HERE. Take a Walk With Me A few years ago Nikki and I took a trip to Munising, a small town on the south shore of Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We noticed that their mill had become derelict and the town was struggling to develop new commercial enterprises to keep alive. This was the same thing that was happening in Northern Ontario, small towns falling into disrepair and services being “consolidated”. Meaning that they no longer existed locally. Scott McClatchy’s folk tune talks of exactly this in how a local firehouse was being closed. Do we have to walk backwards in order to get ahead ??? Lullaby For a Soldier Hey, I am no different than anyone else. We have all lost people we love. I get kind of melancholy when I think about them. Maggie Siff helps me get through some of these times. Country Roads Yup, that ditty originally by John Denver. Hermes House Band, though, has a different take on this old hack. It is the same song alright, but with a really high production video.The vid actually tells a story that is quite unconnected to the song, jilted lover, barroom brawl and even a gunfight. Still rockin’. You, Me, and The Bourgeoisie The Submarines recorded this enchanting ballad a few years ago. I think this song talks about the excesses of the first world. Mostly that’s us. And how we should try to transcend that. Plastic bottles, imported water Cars we drive wherever we want to Clothes we buy, it's sweatshop labor Drugs from corporate enablers We're not living the good life Unless we're fighting the good fight You and me just trying to get it right Ironically, Apple used this tune to advertise one of their varieties of IPhones. I mean, how could Apple use a song that criticizes commercialism when they are one of the planet’s biggest commercial enterprises. Good tune anyway. Peggy Sue Before you ask, “No, I don’t remember Buddy Holly”. Buddy Holly was a pioneer of rock and roll. He died tragically in a plane crash at the age of 22, only two short years after recording his second major hit Peggy Sue. I like this modernized version of the iconic tune played by Cobra Starship. The introduction of a female vocal is a refreshing twist. Anyways, thanks for reading (if ya got this far) and possibly listening to some of my poor taste in music In retrospect this was an energizing change from my usual stories about Isau or my mini rants about the foibles of the STHS. So much so that there may be a Part 2 to this at some point. Word Count: 1105

1. Welp, that's it for our season. We're off to the lottery tournament. Thoughts? Well, we didn't do all that well in the lottery tournament as well. Hopefully with a reimagined line-up, next season will go as we hope. 2. Who do you think was our MVP this season? I like Aloe Dear. This player is second to Andrew Su in the regular season scoring race by 8 points BUT has a +34 as compared to Su's +6 3. Are we gonna see any massive upsets this playoffs? That has already happened. Maybe there is another team that is cursing the sim engine!!! 4. If you could merge two animals to create an awesome new hybrid, which two animals would you pick? Oh, likely a Koala and a Panda. Cuddly black and white teddy bears.... 5. Who is your favourite superhero? I like Elektra. Elektra is committed to serve as the executioner for the villainous Kingpin while, her former boyfriend, the heroic Daredevil is pledged to stop her. Elektra is mortally wounded by the assassin Bullseye, a rival within the Kingpin’s organization. She crawls to Daredevil's (Murdock) home and dies in his arms. How cathartic. 6. What is the best tasting vegetable? Uncooked fresh peas, straight from the pod. Of course, I do a pretty good version of Mexican Street Corn as well.

No matter how well you have scouted players. No matter the care that a GM has taken to assemble his team. Ultimately we can all get screwed over my that evil STHL engine.

Moose Droppings Yup, another season is just about over. Riga is currently languishing in seventh place in the European Conference, 5 points out of a wild card spot with 4 games left on the schedule. Although mathematically possible, it is extremely unlikely that Riga will be invited to the post-season dance. As mentioned in previous posts (mini-rants), Riga entered the season with more than enough talent to challenge for a playoff berth. However, the sim gods disagreed and Riga suffered a very inconsistent and disappointing season. Isau has seen his production go up lately when he was moved back from left wing to his natural position of center. He still will not match his last season totals even though his skill level has increased by 30%. On a positive note, Isau DaMoose is a +6 on a team that is collectively -43. I guess he was doing something right. The looming off-season will be challenging on a number of fronts. Hedge and Ledge are confronted with salary cap issues and having to try and sign “the S75 gang”. This is the fruition of GM Hedge’s S75 rebuild. What is the Reign going to look like in S78? The Board of Governors has also hinted at a big change in order to have more opportunities for the large influx of players. What is that going to look like ? How will it be implemented ? What does that mean for Isau and the Reign ? I shall continue to develop Isau. Tiny steps forward, but progress nonetheless. .

1. There are only 12 games left in the regular season. We're 5 points out of Davos' playoff spot. We'll need some serious luck, do you think we can pull it off? I don't believe in miracles !! We are just too inconsistent to overtake Davos. I mean we can beat a top place team, then lose to a team that is much weaker than we are. And that's how the whole season has gone. 2. The Legion are on a 8 game winning streak and have taken over the East. Are they the new cup favourite? Since this presser was released, the Legion has cooled off a bit. In the East there are 4 teams within 2 points of first place. I think this will be a race to the finish. I also think that Warsaw is the Cup favourite. 3. Is there anyone you have your eye on for the upcoming S78 draft? No one player has really stood out from the pack. I would have to see what is availbale to us when we pick and go from there. I tend to like active players or recreates as they tend to stick around. 4. Which comedian has made you laugh the hardest? For me, it's a tie between Trevor Noah and Chris Rock. Gotta be Jeff Foxworthy and his series of "You know you're a redneck if......." One-liners. 5. What is your favourite all-time movie? Probably Bird On A Wire. I find Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn hilarious in this oldie. 6. What is the most binge-able show you've ever watched? There are several: New Tricks, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, and Sons of Anarchy all come to mind.

The Mexico Margaritas ?????

Ya, could be some underlying viewing bias. If you Google Mayan Headdress, it looks pretty much like the current logo....

Hahaha....Paint Lick is about 50 km south of Lexington. It does give one pause when considering the origins of its name

Ya, they say, out there, that you can see your dog running away for a week.

@Domg5 I liked what you did here. 2 criticisms for lack of graphics, so I'll throw one in here to help you out....although you really don't need any help whatsoever.

Tuff job. Difficult to look at all the graphics for evaluation. So here's one in case you haven't seen it. (below)

Very clean cut and an excellent logo swap. The colours worked out just great for you. I also like the dynamic of the player ion action. The text is a little funky and originally I as not too thilled with it, but the longer I spent with the graphic the better I liked it. Nice work. 8.0/10

It's unfortunate that you chose to host this image off-site. I liked your choice of colour and really liked the logo in the background..Good use of text objects. However, I think you design does not draw attention to the player, but rather the text. Was this be design ??? 6.5/10

OK, this is not a theme week "what if". This is current and on going. As you might have noticed from previous mini-rants, Isau DaMoose isn't having what one might call a "Banner Year." Needless to say I was concerned, but when I noticed this: Player Name G A P +/- PIM S H SB GA TA FO MP PP MP PK MP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Addison McLaren 2 0 2 2 0 4 3 0 0 0 1/4 21:15 2:59 2:58 Andy Nexber 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0/0 14:23 0:00 0:00 Artair McCloud 0 0 0 -2 0 8 0 0 0 0 2/4 19:48 4:57 0:00 Cabe McJake 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 0 0 0 13/19 18:41 4:57 4:34 General Zod 0 0 0 -1 2 0 0 3 0 0 0/0 29:46 4:57 5:13 Isau DaMoose 0 1 1 1 0 4 1 0 0 0 3/7 13:22 2:59 0:00 Jared Carter 0 0 0 -2 7 0 1 1 0 0 0/0 7:19 0:00 0:56 Joseph Sharkton 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 7/12 14:23 0:00 0:00 Justin Lose 0 0 0 -1 0 6 0 0 0 0 3/5 27:04 2:59 4:28 I was pissed off to the extreme. How is it fucking possible to have two guys who are playing fourth line minutes having more minutes played that a guy who is logging second line minutes. None of the players had a penalty, so we are comparing apples to apples (more than less). Before you go off on my GM @hedgehog337 for not having adjusted the TOI %, I checked that and it says that the second line =30% of ice time and the fourth line would log 15 %. How is this possible ???? No wonder why Isau DaMoose is having a sub-standard season. After 54 games, Isau has 15 goals and 18 Assists for a total of 33 points. At this rate he won't match his offensive output from the previous season. How is this possible ????? Isau is playing up in the line-up, with better line mates on a better team. As well, he has 229 more TPE than he had at the beginning of last season. On a positive note, however, Isau is leading his team with the best +/-. In any event, I don't know what I did to piss off the STHS gods, but I hope they forgive me soon. It is very disheartening and unmotivating to work so hard to improve a player and not get rewarded for it in any tangible way. If anyone from the retention group reads this, you can easily see why some players become inactive, because activity does not produce the expected (or even close) rewards.