Getting a hockey life

"Are you playing hockey tonight?" Amy asked on her way out the door this morning.

"No. Tomorrow night," I said. "The new league is starting up in Kettering."

"That means your going to be home late on Friday nights..." she said.

"Very late."

"You need to get a life."

"I already have," I said. "I decided to be a hockey player in my new life."

Summer hasn't been kind to my hockey conditioning. Getting enough ice time to maintain the shape I had achieved only after about a year-and-a-half of skating four to five times-a-week just wasn't possible. On Tuesday morning, a small group of us were doing hockey drills at the rink in Springfield and I found I was admitting to myself that I was having trouble keeping up. I wasn't just having trouble keeping up, I was admitting it. That is significant. What happened to my positive attitude?

Am I having a late-life crisis? Not really. This is about searching for my identity in the context of my new life. You see, every time you get a new life, you have to get a new identity to go with it. I have experimented with being the old guy who kicks ass. And I thought that was really working, until Tuesday morning, that is. After which I came to the realization that I'm not kicking ass at all and should be seeking out a role commensurate with my abilities. I have actually been losing sleep over this.

So, what are my abilities? I have pretty good hockey sense. For instance, I know that if I don't keep my eyes on the action at all times, the puck will surely come in my direction. If I don't have my stick on the ice, someone will pass me the puck and I won't get it down in time. I know that if I pass the puck to a zone, rather than a player, no one will be there. And, if I pass the puck to someone who is open, it will be a guy who is actually worse than I am, and he will commit one of the above listed miscues. Just kidding, of course.

Hopefully, with age comes wisdom. I know enough to cover the point in my defensive zone. I know to go to the boards if we get the puck and be alert for an outlet pass. I know to skate up ice and stay onside, all the while keeping my stick on the ice. I know to rush the net, screen the goalie and move around to get in position for a tip in or a rebound. I know to forecheck if we lose the puck, and get back down to cover the point. Knowing how to play my position as a winger counts for a lot. Now, if I only had the conditioning to do it effectively...

Yours,

Harry

Cherry Red Mustang

Daydreaming

Existentialist Dreaming Podcast

Walking in the Rain

Nothing brings joy
to a young dog
like rolling in wet grass.

"Cut that out!" I say.

She smiles,
rolls some more,
gets up and shakes off
water from my neighbor's lawn.

Now it's time
for spontaneous affection,
jumping on clean jeans
with muddy paws,
ready to lick my face
if I stoop to her level.

"Where's your dignity?" I ask.

Her ears perk up.
She tilts her head
and stares at me
with curious dark eyes.

"Woof," she says.

And I understand.

Flashback

"I thought I saw you once
in Chinatown
before I knew you,"
she said.
"You were parked
on Mulberry Street
and when I looked at you
you gave me a horrible face."

"It couldn't have been me,"
he said,
"because I would never make
a horrible face
at a beautiful woman."

She smiled.
"You dog."

"And besides,
I never could find
parking on Mulberry,"
he said.

More photos from Mardi Gras at Village Artisans

Photos by Susan Gartner

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More photos from the Short Film Fest

Nicholas Rollins (“The Crazy Mind”) and Jeremy Johnson (prologue to “The State”)

Alex Mangen (“Ballet Dropout”)

Susan Gartner (“Anatomy of a Sculpture”)

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More Season's Joy photos

Pictured from top: Emcee Walter Rhodes; Luke and Sally Dennis; A Yellow Springs Blog editor Virgil Hervey and his wife, Amy Lee (far left), enjoy the evening's entertainment.

Thanks to all the volunteers and performers, especially coordinator Mary Kay Clark and emcee Walter Rhodes, for their contributions to a very fun event!

Photos by Susan Gartner

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More photos from Friday night's Fling

It's a Wonderful Life

Liz Zaff

Travis Tarbox Hotaling

November’s Third Weekend Fling in the Springs featured artist receptions and holiday events on Friday night.

Carolers sang in front of Eco-Mental, celebrating its 3rd Anniversary; free carriage rides were offered in front of Little Art Theatre; Urban Handmade Holiday Celebration included a free outdoor screening of “It’s A Wonderful Life”; Yellow Springs artist Liz Zaff greeted guests at her opening reception for “The Polaroid Project,” paintings on cardboard at “Would You, Could You” In A Frame; belly dancers Cami Knick (left) and Erin Wolf helped local painter Travis Tarbox Hotaling get in the spirit of the event during his opening reception at YS Arts Council Gallery. The exhibit, “Portrait of a Woman,” features the work of Hotaling and Jade Nikita McConnell.

Photos by Susan Gartner

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