Here entertain my girlfriend. I'll even throw in her sister!

Buff,
I rented a room from a little old lady right up from the University. She would always tell me she didn't mind social drinking but would not stand for drunks in her house. I don't think there was a night the entire month and a half I didn't haul myself up slowly up the banister to the fourth floor.
My friends used to call me 'the mayor of Montreal' (not bad for a NYC dude) because the jazz club owners and bartenders all knew me by name. We usually didn't have to wait on line, either. Even the ushers at the Forum on top of Red where I'd SRO knew me. Is the Bar B Barn still there?
I got tell you this story:
Now I've been a Habs fan since I was seven. Ken Dryden's first year. I used to get the radio feed in NY on cloudy nights but only in French. This was way before the dish. Flash forward to adulthood when I can travel and I'm there all the time, over 100 games at the Forum. Got into the locker room once, had Grapes flippin me off another, Sundin and Sakic turned the corner one morning as I checked my friend into the Boulangerie wall and were patting me on the back for a good hit, some great times, too many to list.
Anyway, in the beginning of the '92-'93 season, a buddy of mine who didn't even like hockey came along on a trip( We usually left NY fri night around 4 am, were checked in at the Maritime by ten, breakfast, bar, barbbarn, game,bar, crash and leave. this was automatic, at least once a month if not more). So this guy comes along, has a great time, starts following hockey THAT year. He ends up coming up with friends to meet me at game 5 of the finals. After the season, when the NHL tape comes out, he's featured cheering when they win as the announcer says "and the montreal faithful...' I was nowhere in sight, probably hugging so many people or on the ground or something.
Some dude from Staten Island is forever the face of the 'Montreal Faithful'

Well I am not a habs fan but am far away from my team the Isle's I live in upstate CT and have no dish, no money for one, and live in an apartment were I couldn't have one anyway, but I know what it is like to be far from your team.

As far as the girl sitiuation goes, I wouldn't know just don't give her your model money, aw shucks send her on a mission to a far away hobby shop and tell her it takes an hour or so to get there. He he.

Shoping is always good... Or you try the most direct and honest way (it works for me)... "Honey... I am going to work on my models for a while... Is there anything that I can do for you when I get done?" That buys me at least three to four hours at a pop...

Congrats Ex18B!
Which Island?

For you hockey fans........go Wings!

Ausf,
The Bar B Barn is indeed still there. I ate the one in the West Island just last weekend. For game 5 of that final, I was in a place called Derek's with most of my rugby club. It was on Crescent Street right across from Sir Winston's . What a great night. I also met my wife the same night!
We are about the same age, because I started following the Habs the next year, though I was only 5. I went to my first game during the 72-73 season . The Habs beat the Pens 6-3. Dryden was in nets. My father used to get tickets from work, so for the following twenty years I was lucky enough to see three or four games a year. Been to the Molson Center/Bell Center 7 or 8 times. It just isn't the same. Until the ghosts make the move, it will never be the same.

You mean Le Phantoms? I think they left with Racicot.
When I was a kid, I bugged my old man to go to Madison Square Garden everytime the Habs were in town. The one year it worked out, Dryden was a healthy scratch and Bunny was in net!
I used to skate around my neighborhood in a plastic mask painted with Ken's red and blue circles. My wife, who was just a friend then was also in the crowd at game 5. she wasn't quick enough to get reds so she was above in white, but still there. We'll get up there next season probably...two young boys in the mix now. i took my four year old to a Devils -Habs but that arena is a real horrorshow.

Ausf,
That sounds exactly like me! I lived on a dead-end street and we used to have massive ball hockey games every Saturday afternoon. I only ever played goal. Played goal in ice hockey till I was 17. I had a real quick look at low level junior hockey before I realised that I had reached my ceiling.
My son just turned 4 in February, so he's a little young. He's also not too keen on really loud noises. I took in to an Expos game at that concrete toilet bowl of a stadium at the Olympic park, and even though there were only 10k fans, he didn't enjoy the noise. I saw my first game just after my sixth birthday, so that's what we'll aim for . Go Habs Go!

QUOTE: Originally posted by buff I sent my wife and son to Newcastle-upon-Tyne for a two week visit with her mother, AND her mother paid for the trip. I have spent a ton of time this past week in my workshop.

WOW thats a long way to send your wife just to get some models done
Canada to the North East of England, i was up there last year to see family and see the football

Really? Who did you see play? In december 2000 I saw Newcastle play Leeds at St-James'. It was a real experience. I generally won't watch footy on televison, but being there live was something else. Completely different from anything I'd seen before. Next day I got to see Jonny Wilkinson and the Falcons against Bristol. Great couple of days.

Ausf,

Ohahu, IF you've ever been here we live right up behind Trippler Army Hospital... The view is awesome! You can see all of Pearl Harbor and Hickam AFB from our back yard.. Very nice... BTW anyone who wants/needs pictures of The Arizona or anything else related to Dec.7 1941 let me know and I will see what I can do... My wife is stationed with JPAC... The folks who go and recover our missing and dead from WW II, Korea, and Vietnam... Her unit used to be called Joint POW/MIA Accountability Command. In Oct. 2003 it was all folded into one big command... I wish I had her chain of command ... A Capt., A Lt. General, The Sec Def, and the President... makes getting things done real fast and easy...

Ex18B;
I'm pretty jealous, I used to live on the Big Island as a divemaster a long time ago when I had no responsibilities. Seems like a different lifetime. Never really saw much of Oahu, it was mostly a stepping stone. That's our retirement plan, buying a Bed and Breakfast on Maui. You got it good my friend, but I'm sure you know that.
We just had our third straight day of snow in NY and it's FLIPPIN SPRING SUNDAY!!!!

for the hockey fans among us...............
GO WILD!!!!!!!
I play goalie in rec hockey. a bunch of guys get together every monday during the winter and unforunately I'm the only goalie, it is nice though, not having someone to compare yourself against.

Noise??? take in a twins game at the metrodome!!!! I went to one where there was only 15K fans and in the 9th inning you couldn't hear yourself screaming. I can't imagine a playoff game with 55K+ fans. I think the metrodome still holds the decibel record from the 87 or 91 world series.

QUOTE: Originally posted by ausf Ex18B; I'm pretty jealous, I used to live on the Big Island as a divemaster a long time ago when I had no responsibilities. Seems like a different lifetime. Never really saw much of Oahu, it was mostly a stepping stone. That's our retirement plan, buying a Bed and Breakfast on Maui. You got it good my friend, but I'm sure you know that. We just had our third straight day of snow in NY and it's FLIPPIN SPRING SUNDAY!!!!

Snow oh my gawd we are coming over next weekend for a week and you tell me its SNOWING I thought we had all the weather in the UK its 15 degrees and the suns shining Thats it Kathy back in the thermal underwear! Still I suppose we can go skating in Central Park
Nick

Just do as I did, get the girlfriend (or wife) hooked on modelling, now we both work on our models at the same time and at the same table.

Genius, isn't it ?