Quick Hits: Annie Savoy, Blank Canvas, and Bendy Grahame

So, I'm not sleeping with them or reading Emily Dickinson to them, but the last couple of seasons, I've certainly had pet projects. Two seasons ago, it was the Cal for Calder campaign, which was tongue-in-cheek silliness and lots of fun for the bloggers and fans who got involved. And hey, we got national pub out of the deal!

This year, of course, I was hot to trot to "Free Brusty" and get him back in the AHL where he belonged. I guess you could chalk that up to equal parts frustration/success. He did finally get back, but was likely just about to get sent down again when the ol' foot became uncooperative again. But there was much happiness across the land (and, of course, by "happiness across the land" I mean "tingling in my goalie bits") when he was playing here.

But Brusty will move along and grace some other lucky fan base with his magic (and, of course, by "his magic" I mean "his ability to explode ovaries with his sexy glove saves"). So, my nest is feeling a bit empty and I'm opening my mind to a new, worthy crusade. It has to be organic though. I won't fabricate something. There has to be a genuine hockey reason... a real stirring in the hockey heart... it has to come to me.

But just as a heads up, right now I feel that stirring for Max Noreau, because my level of irritation at Minnesota not calling him up is rising with every day that I don't get a good explanation for why he's being snubbed. No offense to Sifers but Max should have gotten that last call. Don't argue with me on this point. It's just a fact.

But don't panic yet, Max. It's not carved in stone. Just percolating. Still a long summer ahead and surely plenty of changes afoot. (And speaking of feet, heal up quick, Barry! Not actual Brustyfoot ----> Just a stand-in.) Who even knows what the goalie sitch will be here, and you know I'll get 1000x more riled up about goalie stuff than skater stuff, so there's hope, Maxy. You may not be stuck with me yet, but I still think you've more than earned a fair shot at the show.

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Meanwhile, I've got a weekend project that combines my third love, which (after hockey and writing) is art. I haven't dabbled in my artistic side in a long time as it seems my writing obligations have swallowed me whole the last couple of years. And you guys thought I just did stick figures.... ;)

I used to paint, mosaic, make jewelry, and even lost a few brain cells making plant trellises out of copper pipe (copper solder has fumes that I'm pretty sure ate my short term memory, but fuck me if using a propane torch isn't just a helluva lot of fun. Right up there with socket wrenches and wang on my list of "guy things I love to play around with").

But I find myself with a strong urge to play in my basket of paint tubes again. All my paintings before have been abstract, pulled out of my head, and I've always just done them because I was too cheap to buy someone else's art, get it framed, etc. for my own walls. And I like how original art looks versus prints, so I learned to keep it simple and make stuff I really like, even 10 years later.

But now I'm venturing into humans. More specifically, hockey humans. Thanks to all the great photographers I've gotten to know, there's lots of material to work from.

I've never painted people before, but I can see the outcome in my head and I can think through the process of creating it, and usually that means I'll be happy with the result. I wish goaltending came so naturally to me! It also means I can hardly contain myself from starting right now and not stopping until I'm done. Alas, I have a work deadline on Friday. But as soon as that's done, it's me and my brushes and the canvas that's been sitting in our closet for 5 years waiting for inspiration.

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First though, Lake Erie plays here Friday night. Bendy John Grahame is still with the team, so I'll have my eagle eye on him. And since it's "just the Aeros" maybe they'll actually play the back-up. Rawr. Bringin' the binoculars, bitches!