Of All The Times I Needed A Half-Day ...

Getting yesterday/Tuesday afternoon off turned out to be a godsend.  I woke up from my evening nap Monday night at around 11:45 p.m., so I didn't get a wink of sleep through the overnight.  With my body dragging, me spending the morning cutting open packages and dealing with a particularly nasty leaked bag of piss, and seeing my city still being besieged by our own federal "government," I was so looking forward to not working in the same afternoon we were all supposed to walk out.  I was even assigned to data entry, but I didn't do it; instead, I worked on figuring out this new software we are supposed to know in a couple weeks.

And I didn't make much headway into that, either.  No, I was into doing ... nothing.  Well, I take that back; I had a lot of chores I felt I had to do.  I had to:

• use my haircut coupon before it expired;
• get my photo taken for passport purposes;
• buy groceries to hunker down for this cold, cold weekend we're about to have;
• finally drag some stuff out of my storage unit
• and do something for Mother at the bank

Now, come to think of it, I was really busy, and productive.  I didn't finish all of these things before 2 p.m., which was the scheduled time we were all supposed to "walk out," but around 2:30 I shut the door with no intention of opening it unit this/Wednesday morning.  I took a shower and then, while fully naked, settled into my bed because my body was finally tired.

And I woke up around 8:30.  Wow!  Five hours of hard sleep to reset my body.  Felt really, really good, even if this continues to throw my body clock out of whack.  And my "slangriness" has completely left me.  The anxiety over these people abducting me, however and unfortunately, remains.

A Gig Or Democracy (Or Neither)?

I anticipated working a Wild Game this week.  I signed up for it and everything.  But I have yet to hear back from them confirming I would be working for them.  At some point, if I don't hear anything from them (and I swear I looked everywhere -- e-mails, texts, and especially the junk boxes for both just in case their messages went there), I have to figure they're not going to hire me.

I decided that yesterday/Monday afternoon was the deadline.  I checked everywhere one more time, but no one said, "Hey, can you work the Wild Game this week?"  I knew this was a Game for which they could use a runner, so a few months ago I blocked off two days this week at work.  Well, I'm not going to work the Game even if I get a late-night, desperation text right now asking me if I could work it.  Too late, you know?

That means I now can work this week ... however, you may have heard that there is not one but two walkouts planned for this week, one today/Tuesday and one on Friday.  I want to support democracy and protest our fascist regime in my own passive-aggressive way ... by taking those days off.  And I might as well give up the ghost to illustrate the absurd irony of this situation: The two days I had to block off to work the Wild Game are tomorrow/Wednesday and Thursday.  So I am going from taking tomorrow/Wednesday and Thursday off to taking today/Tuesday and Friday off ... well, seeing as last-minute as this change is, taking this/Tuesday afternoon off, which would coincide with a planned nationwide walkout this/Tuesday afternoon.

And, well, wanting to take today/Tuesday and Friday off.  This is very last-minute, but I tried reaching out to my new boss about flipping my days off this week.  I haven't heard back from her yet.  I hope I can still do it, and I hope this change doesn't affect all the plans she and my co-workers may have had when it comes to where they're working.  But, well, if I can't work a hockey Game, I may as well protest our freedoms being taken from us, right?

The Main Reason I Think I Hate MLS' "Flip"

Back in mid-November, Major League Soccer announced that they are going to change the schedule of the league.  Ever since its inception in 1996, they started play some time in the spring (in '96 it was April; now it begins late February or early March) and ends some time in early December.  But this Year, the 30th Year of MLS, will be the last under this calendar year format.  After playing a four-month "spring season" in the spring of 2027, MLS will align its year with pretty much every soccer league in every country on Earth, where they start late summer and end around Memorial Weekend.

Not too long ago, I heard the Commissioner for MLS say that he didn't think that would be a good idea, and I think his main reason was that so many northern cities (such as Minnesota United) would be affected by figuring out how to deal with a part of the summer-to-spring season that makes outdoor Matches well nigh impossible to stage in the winter.  Guess he changed his mind, and I guess that not sticking out like an outlier, especially when it comes to trying to bring in players through Transfer Windows that are, right now, a bit awkward, was enough of a reason to do this wholesale change.

At first blush, I hate this as a season-ticket holder.  The idea that players didn't want to join a club in MLS during the middle of our season or the middle of the season of the league they're coming from is still too abstract for me to care about.  But another plus the Commissioner claimed would make the new calendar better is that Major League Soccer would get away from having its postseason run right into the National Football League and college football.  True -- and I still don't think it's a good enough reason to do, as some people are calling it, "The Flip."  Yes, football (mostly professional but college matters too) is the most popular sport in the country.  But it's their regular season; MLS has conducted its postseason late in the fall.  I will go to lengths to see a postseason Loons Match in person (I have skipped out on Game-watching events in the past) because they are the most important Matches on the schedule, and I think diehard fans of other MLS squads have done and would do the same.

Conversely, the commish also says that putting MLS' playoffs in May is a lot less crowded.  No, it isn't.  The NBA Playoffs and The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are also played in May.  Basketball and hockey are not the behemoth that American football is.  But you cannot convince me that soccer has a chance to stick out and rise above the din at a time those two leagues also have their postseasons.  When the Games matter most, MLS will take a backseat to both the NBA and NHL, every Year.  (And hell, to be honest with you, the NHL takes a backseat to the NBA every May, too.)  Major League Soccer is not running from a crowded part of the year; it's running to a crowded part of the year.  And I don't think it's going to work.  So on second blush, I still hate this.

Another point I considered: I thought that there would be Matches played through the winter, and we would thus have to have a few or even several of them played during the holidays.  Then MLS announced that there will be an annual two-Month Winter Break from mid-December to mid-February, and then on top of that there will be special considerations to limit the number of Games played here in December and February to one or two.

But I decided to think further.  What about this Winter Break?  It's good for the safety of players and fans, no doubt.  But what sports league do you know builds in a two-Month break in its season?  Wouldn't that feel like two separate seasons?  And what happens if, for example, MNUFC just sucks for the first part of the Year?  Would anyone want to come back and see the final part of the season if the Loons blow?  (Major League Soccer anticipates that 2/3 of the season is completed before Winter Break and the final third is completed once play resumes and into the end of April, which is supposed to be when the regular season will end.)  This has the potential to be a momentum killer.

Another point of concern comes in the fall.  I am very busy during American football season.  I work Vikings and Golden Gophers Games, and I organize Game-watching parties for my alma mater.  These conflicts have been in place since Minnesota United started MLS play in 2017, so it's nothing new.  Still, it's a pain in the ass to, for example, wait for when my alma mater announces the time of their Game in two Weeks and figure out whether I could travel from downtown Minneapolis to Midway to see my Loons, or if it's worth it to catch only the Second Half of the MNUFC Match, or if I need to sell my ticket.  Usually, one to three of my season tickets are casualties to these circumstances each year.

The announcement didn't say, but I wonder, assuming there will be at least as many Matches in a regular season as there currently are now, if there will be more Matches played in the fall.  So I have looked at the upcoming season, looked through my Franklin Quests for the past few years, and jotted down how many autumn Matches there have been from 2022 to this season, which would be ones subject to either work or play conflicts due to American football.

2026 home Games in the fall I have to worry about skipping: 5

2025: 3

2024: 3

2023: 4

2022: 1

There are tons of caveats here.  Major League Soccer has frequently shifted their seasons, and put in breaks during the middle of them, if there have been other worldwide soccer conflicts, such as the World Cup and continental tournaments, so there will be years more Matches had to be piled into the autumn.  Also, I wanted to go back all the way to 2017, but I realized that 2021 and 2020 were severely impacted by the pandemic -- I couldn't go at all in 2020, and I think I started going to Games late in the summer of 2021 -- and so it didn't make sense to go back even further.  Finally, we don't have the 2027-8 schedule out yet, of course, so we don't know if there will be a concentration of Matches in the fall.  Still, while I have no evidence this will get worse under the new calendar, I will go with my gut and believe it will be.

But I realized something further. It may not be the fall that impacts my season-ticket status the most, but the summer.  Major League Soccer says it'll conduct its postseason in May, and the league will begin its new season in mid-July.  Assuming MNUFC won't host Games for the playoffs or even make the playoffs (and I would contend that the league is rapidly creating a Haves/Have-nots hierarchy not unlike The English Premier League, and undoubtedly my Loons ain't gonna be a Have), there won't be Matches for me to go to between May and mid-July.

How many Matches have taken place in that time period?  I went back through my FQs and checked:

2026 home Games between May (the scheduled month for postseason, which the Loons obviously are not guaranteed to play, let alone play any home Matches) and mid-July (the approximate start of the new season format): 3

2025: 6

2024: 6

2023: 6

2022: 5

More caveats here.  The three Matches this season is because MLS needs to take a break for the World Cup.  Also, Minnesota United FC salespeople have been trying to emphasize they are going to fill this hole with pre-season Matches and Friendlies against clubs from other countries, which should be easier once MLS' preseason aligns with so many other leagues' preseasons.  But you can tell that it's not the same.  I actually love going to Loons Games during the late spring and early summer.  There's not much to do, the weather is heating up, and I have enjoyed many Matches with other Loons fans this time of Year.

And then I realized that this is the part of the season that I will miss, and that this is the reason why this new calendar sucks.  And there is little to no chance that there will be any attempt that will be adequate to fill this hole.  So now what?  Well, first of all, because I care about the integrity of the season, I would like to suggest a split-season not unlike what Mexico's Liga MX does.  Every Year they have, basically, two Years: An "Apertura" (opening) season that goes from July to just before the holidays, and a "Clausura" (closing) season that goes from early January to Memorial Weekend.  OK, so you have two champions a Year.  Big deal; that means there is no yawning two-Month gap in a season you're determined to say lasts ten Months.  For this to happen, Major League Soccer would have to have only a one-Month break, and Minnesota United would probably have to play a few Matches in January and February.  Would I watch them in person?  Maybe, maybe not.  But at least the season would make a whole lot more sense.

Beyond that, I don't know what to think.  Well, I said a long time ago that unless I die, move, lose my job, or determine the organization has done something that so offends my moral code, I won't be dropping my season ticket.  I didn't add some sort of force majeure clause when I declared that, but I sure as hell didn't think they'd do The Flip, either.  So I think I'll give it a year, to see how many more Matches I might have to miss in the fall, and how many times from May to mid-July I'll be bored out of my skull because there's no important MNUFC Game to go to.  If it doesn't make sense to spend money on a season ticket -- and that price keeps going up every Year -- maybe I'll be forced to downgrade my season ticket package ... or say goodbye.

Hadn't gotten eight hours of sleep in some time.  But I did that this morning.

Hadn't stayed up till almost 6 in the morning in a long time.  But I did that today.

Don't think I've woken up past 2 in the afternoon in decades.  But I did that this afternoon.

There are some great things to living alone.  This is certainly one of them.

Now I have to worry about the snow that fell.  More fell than I thought it would.

Expenses Without Receipts

Starting from Saturday, January 17:

• We go back to Wednesday, January 14, when I summoned up the courage and went down to My Favorite Stripclub (Cover Division) to see my ATF, whom I hadn't seen in a while because my parents were in town.  Cover, tips, drinks for her and for me and 19 table dances that I rounded up to 20 to make the money exchange easier and I spent: $233.
• On Saturday the 10th I took my friend, who was in town for work, to my favorite speakeasy.  I feel like I need to impress people when I take them there, but I hope they like it.  I think my friend did.  There was a jazz band there and I wanted to tip them even though I mainly wanted to speak with my friend.  I tipped the band: $5.
• Tuesday, January 6 ... after I took my parents to the airport, I went over to ****e's place and fucked her.  She didn't go after my cock a second time in the living room like she did the time before.  But she seemed really enthusiastic when I finally got inside her.  Well, first I really ate her meat curtains, which looked really, really full.  Then, while I was plunging into her, she sounded really, really enthusiastic, like she really needed to be nailed.  I tried arcing her back (she was on the bed and I was doing her missionary style) and lifting her up and into me.  It probably wasn't smooth, but she acted like she loved it, and therefore I loved it.  Cost: $120.
• So now we go back to 2025, specifically Tuesday, December 23, when my parents paid me back for grabbing both Kentucky Fried Chicken and lottery tickets.  Mother gave me ten bucks when I came home that night with KFC, and either Mother or Father left a pair of $20's for me when I came back from shopping.  All told, this was an Infusion of: $50.
• Oh, and before I shopped I went downtown to make sure our watering hole was cool with us watching our Game down there.  With tip, I spent for a little snack and drink there: $10.
• To Sunday the 21st ... Father paid me back for more Powerball tickets I got for him.  And Infusion of: $11.
• And early that afternoon I went to my downtown watering hole (the same place I'd be going to on Tuesday) because I wanted to finally put in for new glasses with my new prescription, and I wanted to see the Vikings Game at a place besides my bedroom, and Warby Parker was just around the corner.  I was going to go to Warby Parker first, but I thought they would open at 11, and they opened at noon, which is when the Vikings Game kicked off, so I went to watch and eat first before ordering my new eyeglasses.  Anyway, with tip I spent at the bar: $38.
• To Friday, December 19 -- went to order in-person at Caribou a small ho ho mint mocha.  With tip it came out to an expensive: $7.38.
• Tuesday the 16th I had off because that's when I brought my car in for service.  Once it got a clean bill of health and routine maintenance was the only thing(s) it needed, I went to get it washed for all the snow, salt and gunk that had accumulated.  Charged the wash so the cash is for the tip only: $5.
• With my car being as brand new as it could be, I had the confidence (as well as the time; if there was something major that needed to be replaced, I would have had to spend my day at the shop) to call up *****y and say if I and my penis could make a house call.  She had moved to her new place close to the border, but my car could make it the morning after getting new oil and its tires rotated.  The apartment she shares with her son feels more like a cottage.  No matter; unlike the townhome she used to live in, where we had to hide in her bedroom, she wanked me on the couch in the living room, right where the front door is.  If the blinds weren't closed, someone would have been able to see *****y pull up her sweater to show her big tits inside her bra, me getting hard from seeing that, me slipping out of my jeans and her jacking me off.  I don't know if I would drive all the way to see her again, but maybe!  Total: $150.
• Later, when I came back home for dinner with Kentucky Fried Chicken in tow, Father paid me back for the chicken and for Powerball tickets.  An Infusion of: $31.

This list was getting long in the tooth, but I did this EWR faster than the past couple ones.  Good through January 17.

My Needy Psychotherapist

Going to call my shrink in a bit.  I am doing so because he fucking called me just now.  I should have ignored him, but I am still nervous over what is going on in my city right now, and I can't lie that I'm not going anywhere for the time being.

There's something wrong with him.  Why is he calling me on the weekend?  He's supposed to be my psychotherapist, not a friend (and I know that sounds cold, but I can't consider him a friend ... that's really weird!)  I know he wants to help, but the strange and indecipherable texts keep coming.  And a week ago he sent me a graphic that says, "I love you."  Huh?

If he wants to hear my anxiety over what's going on right now, I'll talk for a few minutes.  But I do want to leave eventually.  Plus, I don't want to talk too much or else he'll be fucking calling me every goddamn weekend.  Don't want that.

The TV Just Upped And Helped Me

So the television set in my bedroom, the one that I got for free from my friend's friends, the one that My Father put in my bedroom when My Fucking Parents decided to redo my whole goddamn room ... well, it's been a challenge.  My Father replaced my TV set (and put the one I had, the one I bought, in the den that he would use once in a blue moon) probably because this one I got was bigger than the one I bought.  It has become clear since I started using it, however, that the I bought, even though it's much smaller, is more technologically advanced.  Beyond its old age, there are very small, first-world issues that make me not like this TV as much as the one I got for myself.  It takes more than ten seconds for it to come on, for example.  Also, sometimes the remote control doesn't work and I have to tap it on the back a few times; these guys really took this television through its paces over the years.  Finally, it doesn't have a "recall" or "back" button in the traditional sense.

What it does have instead is a feature whereby you can see up to the last six channels you were on (or fewer; it stores in memory the channels you were watching since you turned on the television).  You hit this TV's version of a "recall" or "back" button and six squares pop up on the bottom of the television screen.  They're all blank, and for a while there it pissed me off that I couldn't toggle between two channels.  But then I hit the remote's down arrow and voila, that's where up to the last six channels appeared in those boxes.  (You hit the down arrow again and the, I guess, "third" row are all the channels you have programmed onto the TV, and you can use the left and right arrows to scroll through them.)  So I finally understood how I could flip back and forth through channels; it's certainly not as fast as just hitting one button, but if I wanted to go through three or more, I can't really think of a faster way to do that.  So, it's a compromise.

Another thing so bothersome about this TV's interface comes from those six squares.  They always appear on the bottom.  If I'm watching a game on TV, the scorebug (the graphic that shows all the pertinent information on the game you're watching, such as score, which quarter/half/period is it, how much time is left, etc.) usually is on the bottom third of the screen.  So when a channel pops up and I want to just quickly see were in the game that game is before I go back to the other game, I can't see the score; instead, I see those stupid six boxes.  Yes, I guess I could wait the five-to-ten seconds to check the scorebug, but like I said, doing that is not in my nature.

Another graphic that popped up at the bottom of the television screen is the channel graphic.  You know, whenever you flip to a channel, you will see graphics that state what it is, like "41-2," or something.  So, if I want to use the "recall" or "back" button to toggle between channels, what happens is you select that channel from one of the on-screen boxes, the channel comes on with these six blank boxes obscuring your screen for four seconds or so, then the channel graphic obscures your screen for another four seconds or so.  Highly annoying, and not very user-friendly.

But then, maybe a few weeks ago, the damndest thing happened.  The channel box, the graphic that first appears when you get onto a channel, jumped from the bottom of the TV screen to the top.  Now, the graphics don't block my view of the score for as long as it did.  I have no idea how it happened.  I played with the settings, but I'm sure I didn't select anything unless I knew I wanted it.  It looks as though this TV, even though I'm sure it predates artificial intelligence, understood intuitively how upset I was that this graphic was blocking the scorebug, so it knew to place it on the top of the screen.  Now, why it couldn't do the same thing with the three rows of six squares, I don't know.

Still, I'll take it.  I'm glad the TV "got" me.  But is it good that it has a mind of its own, like HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey?  Honestly, with the way the country is right now, being spat out into space to die because AI was afraid it was going to be killed isn't the worst way to go.

Living Like This

I just heard that there is an application that can pinpoint where people of color live in a given neighborhood.  All the information we have given through the Internet and our cellphones has finally been weaponized against us under this installed government.  Finally comes the surveillance state.  Meanwhile, the "small government" militias should be taking up arms now, but they're awfully quiet.  Turns out some of us knew all along: They're only small government when the people they don't like are in charge.  When people they do like are in charge, they're totally cool with that.  Shit, they might just take arms and become the hatchet men of the government.  Fucking posers.

---

I gave myself a nightmare whereby I have just shut the door on my way to my car in the morning and two of these pricks, standing against my house, jump me and try to hustle me into their SUV.  But I resist, punching and kicking and biting all the way.  Finally, I reach for some guy's gun and blast the two fuckers who were holding me down ... only to get shot by reinforcements standing a few feet away.

That might be how I go.

---

They got really close today.  These monsters were hanging out at the hospital, trying to get in.  Luckily, if I heard correctly, they weren't allowed in.  But they keep coming at us like this.

And now I hear they're vulturing around the elementary school.  What they're doing is kidnapping.  It's not lawful no matter what anyone says, it's kidnapping.  And kidnapping kids?  I don't care who they are, and I don't care what happens to them if, Lord willing, we the people finally stop them.  Disgusting.

---

I was invited to a party this weekend.  Want to, mostly because one of my ATFs is going, but I won't attend.  For one thing, it's at an area that feels as though it'll be visited.  For another, there's football, and I want to watch both Games.  But I have to tell you, the stripper organizing the house party has turned into a fucking MAGAt.  I had no idea she was so racist, but ever since he was installed a second time last year, she hasn't been shy about sharing memes on her Facebook that make my stomach turn.  And I'm very surprised it's coming from her because she's mixed.  Who does she think she is, White?

I have dropped on occasional comment on her Facebook implying what she's posting is wrong and/or Republican, but she hasn't said anything back to me on that front.  But when I told her I couldn't go to her party, she gave me a sad emoticon.  Does she understand how racist she is, and I'm not really digging that shit?  But why am I being so strident?  If this fascism dies down, I'll probably go to one of her parties again.

---

It seems as though there wasn't a whole lot of activity yesterday/Thursday, attempted invasion of the hospital aside.  I could be imagining things.  Maybe this is a lull before another surge.  Or, they might be hesitating because it turned cold yesterday/Thursday.  It'll get even colder today/Friday, and it'll be that way for the next week or so.  By God, if this gives these assholes a second thought, we just might get out of this.

The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

I've gotta be honest: I don't really feel like doing a survey this Week because the government is trying to burn the city down.  I spent the past hour looking at lawyers in case I get snatched up.  It's no fun feeling besieged like this, so if you don't mind, I will do this WMNSS in a slapdash manner:

#-1: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -1).  It would have been much, much better for the female icers to have swept all four Games this season from Minnesota State-Mankato.  In fact, coming into last weekend, it was the Mavericks poised for the season sweep.  But it's obvious these Gophs remembered the shocking Losses they took in November and vowed, "Never again."  And boy howdy, they absolutely beat the shit out of the Mavs -- 11-3 Friday in Mankato, 6-3 Saturday at Ridder.  They were scoring so many Goals, they were hoping some of those Goals could be counted in the Losses earlier in the season.  Now that's the type of petty vengeance I want to see, in both sports and, well, now.

At Bemidji St. for a pair this weekend.  The Gophers can get the four-tilt season sweep against the Beavers.

#-2: Gopher wrestling (Re-Entry!).  OK, this is impressive: The seventh-ranked Gophers went into Champaign and tripled eleventh-ranked Illinois Saturday, 27-9, to begin conference play.  It's their seventh-straight Win over the Illini, their biggest margin of victory against Illinois since 1968, and it kept Head Coach Brandon Eggum perfect against them (7-0).  Defeating a good, ranked team on the road isn't something I can say much about the program these days.  Home to Nebraska Friday.

#-3: Timberwolves (Last Week: -2).  Split a home-and-home with Cleveland, stormed back from a Fourth Quarter deficit to defeat San Antonio at home on Sunday by a score of 104-103, then, without Anthony Edwards (nursing a hamstring, I think) and Rudy Gobert (suspension for getting too many Technicals), they walloped a tired Bucks outfit in Milwaukee Tuesday, 139-106.  I was at my game-watch bar when that Game started; the Timberwolves were making shots like they were throwing dimes into the ocean.

They might be gelling; they are now fourth in the West, and just one Game from second-place Denver.  But this Week they are finishing a four-Game roadtrip vs. Houston, the Spurs (these contests are back-to-back), and Utah.

#-4: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -4).  Despite being 3-3 in the B1G, it looks like the Gophers are making a credible-enough case to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Dawn Plitzuweit.  In a Week where they played all three of their Matches at Williams, they routed Northwestern by 32 Thursday, outlasted my alma mater Sunday afternoon (they couldn't rebound worth shit, goddammit, and seeing that in person really pissed me off ... oh, I should add that that triumph snapped a losing streak of 36 Games against ranked teams), but couldn't withstand third-ranked UCLA last/Wednesday night, falling 76-58.  Still, Charlie Creme says the U. would make it in, and safely, as an 8-Seed.  Now, can they survive a West Coast swing this screening Week and play the other two Pac-12 refugees, Washington and Oregon, on the road?

#-5: Wild (Last Week: -3).  Not good; they're stumbling a bit, losing four of their last five and five of their last seven.  This screening Week they blew a two-Goal lead at Seattle before winning in Overtime, then came home to the Gica and lost to The New York Islanders in OT and get blown out by The Bastard Colorado Rockies.  They're in no danger to fall into the Wild Card spots, but the Quinn Hughes honeymoon effect is over.

This Week is a busy one: They finish a three-Game homestand tonight/Thursday night hosting The Bastard Atlanta Thrashers, then go on a three-Game roadtrip versus Buffalo, Toronto and Montreal (the last two back-to-back).

#-6: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: 0).  Yes, they lost both Games this Week.  But you get the feeling that Niko Medved has this team prepared and confident in a way that, unfortunately, Ben Johnson rarely demonstrated when he was Head Coach.  They came back from a double-digit Second Half deficit before falling to my alma mater by a Point in Overtime Friday night.  On Tuesday, the Gophers coughed up a double-digit lead early in the Second Half to Wisconsin, then battled back from a deficit that got as high as nine, before a Cade Tyson Three-Pointer to tie the Game with five Seconds left was answered by a John Blackwell deep Three at the buzzer to give the Badgers a thrilling 78-75 Win.  You're not supposed to accept moral victories, but you can't help but think things are moving in the right direction for this club, you know?

On the road this Week -- Illinois Saturday, Ohio St. Tuesday.

#-7: Gopher men's hockey (Re-Entry!).  This young, possibly NIL-less squad just doesn't have it this season.  Getting swept at Penn St. over the weekend by three-Goal margins (3-0 Friday, 5-2 Saturday) is a testament to that.  And they'll have the top-ranked team in the nation, Michigan, coming into town this weekend.  Good luck taking away lessons!

Hottest Babe In The Hooters Calendar: December 2025

Pretty good.  Maybe even great, now that I think about it.  Out of the dozen waitresses for this month, I will single out five of them for notable beauty, and I'm not reaching or being charitable about that number.

In fifth place is Natalia, hailing from Doral, Fla.  Straight black hair, wearing a very light pink two-piece.  She is posing with her right side to the camera and is sticking her ass up against ... something.  It's the ass that qualifies her for this list: Even though we could only see it from the side, from the little top of the bikini bottom I can see, I can confidently conclude that she is wearing a bikini bottom that exposes a lot of her (what I presume to be) nice ass.  Can I see it?  No.  But I think she's wearing something risque, so I am putting her here in fifth.  For a Hooters woman really showing ass, read all the way to the bottom.

In fourth place is The Main Girl, Sara, out of Daytona Beach, Fla.  Blonde hair parted in the middle, falling just below her breasts.  She is leaning up against ... uh, wood of some kind, and she throws her left arm above her head.  At three-quarters angle she sports a nice body.  Her smile and face are also nice.  What I like best is her two-piece bikini, a lively and very detailed one, with chains and jewelry festooning both its top and bottom.  Haven't seen a bikini quite like that in the calendar ever.

In third place is Selena, from Pembroke Pines, Fla.  Not a fan of her holding her left arm in front of her because it obscures her stomach.  Otherwise, there are a couple unique things I really like about this babe.  For one, you don't see Hooters girls with curly hair, like you see from this brunette.  For two, while the top of her white (or is it very faint pink?) two-piece is a banded one so you don't see cleavage or a whole lot of her tits, both the top and bottoms are decorated with balls attached by short pieces of string.  This is another bikini the likes of which I haven't seen before in this calendar.  And oh yeah -- her smile beams!

In second place is Mckenzie, hailing from Weston, Fla.  Dark brown hair that lands on her shoulders, she is wearing a hot pink two-piece bikini where the top looks like a vest.  It is pressed so tightly against her boobs that it's created cleavage deeper than the Little Colorado River Gorge.  Add that she's looking like she's pulling down on the almost-completely-open zipper holding the vest top together, this is a winning look.  And oh yeah -- her smile is also radiant!

Finally, in first place is Orlando's Alyssa.  Deep brown hair that gets down to the middle of her back, she is sporting a solid red two-piece.  She seems to be posed like she's manning the wheel of a speedboat.  Not a fan of her posing with her right side towards us.  In fact, if you want to get technical, she is posing a bit away from the camera.  However, that pose gives us a good peek at her bikini bottom, and you can clearly see that bottom is cut to show off 75-80% her soft ass.

So, congratulations to Alyssa and all the other fine honeys for December 2025.  This was a really good end to the calendar.  And oh yeah -- I jerked off to these lovely ladies tonight just before I did this!

Should I See Her?

With my parents now gone, I feel free to see my All-Time Favorite at My Favorite Stripclub (Cover Division).  I tell her on Sunday I want to see her this week.

Big mistake now that these fuckers are trying to push us around.  I started to see videos on websites, applications, social media and the news about people getting kidnapped by faceless thugs, who then push and teargas onlookers, protestors and patriots trying to film their illegal kidnappings.  And I have heard that these motherfuckers have been on my street the past couple days.

So yeah, I'm freaking out.  I don't know if I should be out and about these days.  And I told my ATF so, apologizing for possibly changing my mind.  But I thought about this too: If I am afraid these assholes are going door to door ... do I feel safe at home?  If so, should I be home?  Could I, in fact, be safer somewhere besides my house?  (I realized when I was working yesterday/Monday that I, to my astonishment, felt safer there than I have felt the past several days.)  If that's the case, would it be better for me to go to the strip club?  I know it's bad odds, but maybe I will be out on a night where these assholes are invading our street.

I've been looking up a website that tracks this vermin wherever they go and whatever they do, whether it's detaining some poor guy who got caught up at the wrong place at the wrong time or if they're just eating shit at some gas station.  No doubt they're here, and they have been extremely close in the area.  So I am looking at how frequently they are where I need to be and would like to go (work, strip club, parks, where I exercise) and see, over the next couple days, if it's safe or not.  (One observation I have made: These pricks are avoiding both downtowns, at least for now.)  And still I know it's a crapshoot that wherever I go and whatever I do, I still might get attacked.

When I told her I am having second thoughts, she said, "Do what you think is best for you."  I am sad that she sounds disappointed.  I hope she understands what I'm going through.  But when I told her why I was hesitating, she asked, "Do you think you look like what they're looking for?"  And I am disappointed that she doesn't appear to think that what is happening to other people of color could happen to me.  That "First They Came" poem?  I hope she read it.

Shit, I might just give her the poem when I see her this week.

Apparently, They're Here

None of these reports are verified, but I have seen on websites and heard from friends of mine that they are in the neighborhood now.  One said they're going door to door.  I saw a video taken at the trailer park nearby that shows two guys wearing winter masks, those fuckers.

I've downloaded transcription and recording applications, just in case.  I kind of wish I have a dashcam now, but, well, it may be too late for that.

I am trying to balance my fear of getting round up in all of this with my need to stand up to bullies -- for my neighbors, for my community, for my state, for the good people governing it, and for myself.  Frankly, though, I don't know if I can do it.  I have thought about texting my brother, at least letting him know that these assholes are in the area.  You know, just in case.

So afraid going out the past few days.  Am glad I was still able to see my friend without getting hassled.  But with this fascist vice tightening, there's no telling if, for example, I'll get stopped on the way to work.

Goddamn this world.

Hate Zynga Poker (Right Now)

The last two times I've played Zynga Poker I busted.  And both times I played in order to avoid relegation back down to Stage III.  That's probably an inevitability now.  And to think I used some coins to get up to the $2 billion minimum to play Omaha, which is the way I play now because of the easier format and the potential billions you can "make" in a short period of time.  I lost it all in a short period of time, that's what I did.  Hate this.

Too Much To Do This Week, And I'm Not Doing That Much Because Of ... Well

I totally am happy with seeing my friend who's in town.  She would be, absolutely and every time, my main priority if I have other things I want to do.  And dammit, there are a couple other things I could do this weekend, and I am blog posting about how much I fucking hate that all three goddamn things are here at the same time.

My friend travels for her job.  She was back here in the early fall, but for some family obligations.  That's when she told me she would be in town to work the first full week of January.  That's when I was already formulating in my mind what we could and do when she was back and maybe had more time to do things.

I do not know if it was made before or after my friend told me she would be back in town now, but around this time (I guess) I realized that my alma mater's basketball teams would be playing the U. here this weekend.  First of all, I don't understand how both of my teams are playing here at the same weekend; that's a weird scheduling quirk that I can't believe just lined up that way.  Second, with that, "uh," opportunity, does that mean that both teams travelled here and will travel back on the same plane so they can save money?  But I've gone off on a tangent.  I have to see my alma mater's teams when they play in town ... unless my friend wants to do something else.  But luckily for me, we both went to the same college, so maybe she would want to go to these Games, too?  She said she had time for the men's Game, which was last/Friday night, but not the women's Game, which is tomorrow/Sunday afternoon.  I will presume she can't make it tomorrow because she is busy with work.

Again, I wish these things happened on separate weeks, but I am managing to both go to the Games I want to go to and see my friend.  But there is another thing that I realized is also happening this week, and this I think was scheduled for a year: The Twin Cities Auto Show.  This show was in March for as long as I can remember, with the exception of the COVID years, where I think I didn't go one year and the other year I went when it was held at the State Fairgrounds late spring or early summer.  I always go, but by the time I realized it was happening the same week as my alma mater's b-ball teams and my friend being here for work, I quickly concluded that I can't go.  I'm just too busy and tired.  And (and this could be rationalizing) the auto show has changed since the manufacturers stopped printing out brochures for us to take.  Not saying that I no longer have any fun there, but my stays at the show have shortened because I can't pamphlet-hunt.  I'm not upset that I am passing this up.

Now, all this ICE bullshit is complicating everything.  I haven't yet heard they are in downtown Minneapolis, but I am spooked enough that, if I had the time to go, I would hesitate.  Meanwhile, I invited my friend to this speakeasy tonight.  She might be busy hanging out with another friend.  But I have to be honest and say I am nervous because this place is much closer to the site of that murder by that ICE incel on Wednesday.  Finally, even though I went to the U. last/Friday night and will tomorrow/Sunday afternoon, I am scared of going there too because, who knows, I could be stopped, or worse.

So maybe I shouldn't kvetch over three things all happening at the same time because of fascism.  To be candid, I didn't think my blog post would veer this way.  Oh well.

I'm scared now.  Heard that yesterday/Friday, two school systems shut down for the day because of fucking ICE.  They seem to be in the neighborhood; I heard a rumor that they were staging at the parking lot of the Target.  How scary, and how disgraceful.

I went to a sporting event last/Friday night.  On my way back from the Game (which my alma mater won), I looked at my Bluesky.  Apparently, police and/or ICE are pulling cars off the exit ramps around the Twin Cities.  That's when all this bullshit hits home with me.  These ICE-holes are flagging and possibly detaining anyone, and not because they're enforcing a law; they're doing that because Dear Leader told them to, and you don't want to displease Dear Leader, do you?

So, instead of going to Taco Bell, I hightailed it into my house, where I am safe ... for now.

Hottest Babe In The Hooters Calendar: November 2025

Gosh, I am so, so late to do this one.  I just wanted to wait till my parents were out of the house, but maybe I should've done this in December anyway.

Maybe I could've used more time looking at this month on my wall, but of the dozen servers for this month, I will single out only three of them in what is a below-average month.

In third place is The Main Girl, Chicago's Alyssa.  Dark brown hair that ends at the bottom of her breasts, I like best her light pink two-piece bikini, which looks as though it's been knitted.  Her Mona Lisa smile and figure (she's just standing and completely facing the camera) are pretty good, too.

In second place is Riley, from Sarasota, Fla.  She also has dark brown hair, though it ends just a tad above the bottom of her boobs.  She is posing at an angle, but she's also tugging up the bottoms of her hot pink two-piece, which I like, as if, if I get to look real close, I can see her pussy.  I really like her slight grin as well.

Finally, in first place is Gracie, out of Brandon, Fla.  Also dark brown hair, but hers stops below the shoulders.  Standing straight at the camera, she fits her left thumb through the ring that connects the bottoms to the tops of what becomes a black one-piece bikini.  The top is more like an athletic top, not like what you expect from a traditional bikini top, so don't get to see too much titty or cleavage.  But the open hole of her bikini exposes her slim tummy, and that's nice.  Also, she shifts her body weight to her right leg, so that "S" bend gives her figure a sexy shape.  Finally, she gives a devastating Mona Lisa smile.

So, congratulations to Gracie and to the others whom I've talked about.  If I am still a free man and get home tonight/Friday night, I might have time to touch myself to all of you!

The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

A reminder that because we have flipped into a new year, I am changing the day of the week The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey is published.  These will, or at least should, come out on Thursdays, the day of the week January 8, 2026 falls on:

#0: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -4).  I can't remember the last time the Gopher male b-ballers had as good of a week.  Following up a six-Point victory over Northwestern in Evanston, the club traveled home to face an imposing 19th-ranked Iowa squad.  But the Gophs were able to hold onto their big Fourth Quarter lead and make Free Throws late to keep the Hawkeyes far enough away to notch a 70-67 Win.  I know it's his first Year at the helm, but Niko Medved is instilling an element of toughness to this group of players that his predecessor, Ben Johnson, simply wasn't able to do.

This screening Week they finish their three-Game homestand playing my alma mater and Wisconsin.

#-1: Gopher women's hockey (Re-Entry!).  This team is back in action as they went to Fairfield, Conn., over the weekend and annihilated Sacred Heart by scores of 4-0 and, egad, 14-2.  Impressive to beat up on squads that can't defend themselves, but hey, they also got swept by Minnesota State-Mankato earlier in the Year ... and would you look at that!  The Goofers have another home-and-home series with the Mavericks this weekend??  I've never seen a college hockey program play a pair of home-and-homes against the same club in the same season.

#-2: Timberwolves (Last Week: -5).  A Week that began with a 24-Point drubbing in Atlanta New Year's Eve continued in to '26 with the Timberwolves sandwiching a sweep over Miami in a home-and-home around a 26- (talk about ironic) Point ass-kicking in Washington.  Maybe the Defense is finally tightening up.  People have noticed how Rudy Gobert is showing a little more fight and range in his shooting this Year.  Finally, don't look now, but the T-Wolves have the best record in The National Basketball Association since November 29.

Busy Week ahead -- they do a home-and-home with Cleveland, host Victor Wembanyama and The San Antonio Spurs Sunday, then visit Milwaukee Tuesday.

#-3: Wild (Last Week: -1).  Hit a speed bump in the screening Week that bridges 2025 and 2026.  Lost in a Shootout at San Jose New Year's Eve, bounced back by trouncing the Ducks in Anaheim Friday, 5-2, then getting swept in two contests in Los Angeles, 5-4 and 4-2.  That doesn't hurt too much because they remain third in the Central, a mere two Points behind The Bastard North Stars.  But they haven't been in great form as of late.

Like with the Timberwolves, the Wild have a busy schedule.  They finish off their seven-Game roadtrip (necessitated with Minnesota hosting the World Juniors) in Seattle tonight/Thursday night.  They then have a three-Game homestand vs. The New York Islanders, The Bastard Colorado Rockies, and The Bastard Atlanta Thrashers.

#-4: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -2).  Michigan is considered to be one of, like, five or six teams that have separated themselves from the rest of us and will contend for the national title.  So it stands to reason that, even though the Gophers led by nine after one Quarter and by one at Halftime, the Wolverines put their feet down and outscored the U. 42-31 in the Second Half to win by ten.  Just stay on the good side of the bubble, please.

Very busy Week for this team: They play Northwestern, my alma mater, and UCLA.  The great benefit is that all three Games this Week will be played at Williams Arena.

#-Infinity: Vikings (Last Week: -3).  It's funny, but even though the Vikings aren't making the playoffs, I feel kind of ... good about the team overall ... maybe?  For those complaining that these guys are incompetent for not tanking (and maybe I blog posted about this already), winning five in a row (albeit against teams set on tanking or throttling it down because they've already made the postseason and don't want to get any of their players hurt before then) shows, in my opinion, a lot of competence.

It may or may not be a good thing that the Vikes had the best stretch of the season once they were eliminated.  Throughout a lot of the year but especially the past several weeks, I thought the Defense played well, and at times really well, especially against the run.  (Harrison Smith, who, along with C. J. Ham, was feted during Sunday's Win at home versus Green Bay as if he is going to retire, was named NFC Defensive Player Of The Week for his heroics over Detroit the Week before.  Does that sound like someone who should retire?)  On Offense, despite a patchwork line, they were able to run a little more than they did last year.  (Jordan Mason almost ran for 100 Yards against the Packers, and he was a great and underrated pickup before the season.)

Unfortunately, the main question coming into this season -- is J. J. McCarthy the future Quarterback of the Vikings -- is still unanswered.  His hand hurt again, and even though I didn't see it this way, McCarthy actually pulled himself out of the Game early in The Third Quarter.  We have to worry about McCarthy being an injury liability, but now, if this departure was McCarthy's idea, we now have to wonder if he has the drive to be the QB1 for this franchise.  I am encouraged by some parts of his game and discouraged by others, but we didn't get too much evidence to think he should either stay or go.  So this big unknown, which hovered over and ultimately doomed the Vikings' season, is lurking again for 2026.

(Another person to be iffy about, potentially: Left Tackle Christian Darrisaw.  He has played superbly for stretches in his career, but there was a nagging injury that pulled him out of Games and important times in Games, and he, possibly like McCarthy, said he needed a breather.  Is the front office OK with dealing with what sounds like a headache of a player to deal with?  Remember that the Vikings are well over the salary cap.  I'm not saying they would cut Darrisaw in order to get under the cap, but I'm not not saying that.)

But the biggest possible change is at Defensive Coordinator, where Brian Flores, who still has that racial discrimination lawsuit against The National Football League pending in court, might move on.  His players allowed the occasional big play, but overall, he has been really, really good.  And so it'll be sad to see if and when he gets a Head Coaching job (at, say, Las Vegas), necessitating Kevin O'Connell, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, et al., to find a suitable replacement.

Hey, at least they get to relish in a third-place-in-the-Division finish.

Goddammit, the first day they're gone and there's a fucking leak in the house.  I know this would fucking happen.  I'm mad at them for not fixing this properly, and I'm mad at the world for such cruel timing.

I tightened up the screw and it may have slowed the leak.  I am hoping that the drip-drip-drip is slow and low enough that I can go an entire workday and still empty the pail that is now underneath the leak, and that was before I tightened up the screw.  But shit, I can't go on like this.  I want them gone for at least eight months, and now I need to do something that only my parents can fucking do?  Fuck me ...

Addendum To: On Money -- When I Spend It And When I Complain About Spending It

OK, so this is what I did on Sunday.

I was still feeling the pull of the Megamall.  Moreover, I was feeling the pull of Grand Casino Arena, which was staging both Semifinals of the World Juniors.  I stay pretty late after Vikings Games to make sure the traffic thins out, but I could move it up and still leave without getting stuck.  So I formulated a plan to go down to the Mall Of America, buy some stuff at the pop-up store, eat at Popeye's (I had this digital coupon of three tenders for a buck), then drive to downtown St. Paul.  If I could find parking close enough to the arena (parking meters aren't enforced in St. Paul on Sundays, so yay for me), I would park, buy a ticket, then see the second Semi at 7:30.

That last bit was buoyed in part by the prices I saw at scalper sites.  I checked after Friday night's Quarterfinals, which included the United States losing to Finland in Overtime.  I thought the prices would crater because the host U. S. was no longer in it, but prices were too high for me to entertain.  In fact, I think StubHub told me there were no tickets to sell.  But I checked again Saturday, and not only were there many tickets, prices were falling like a stone.  SeatGeek's cheapest ticket Friday night was $93; it became about $50 Saturday, and while at work, I checked again and it fell to $39.  That's it, man; even though I was tired as hell and I would be driving all around the Twin Cities, I decided to do all this.

Well, first of all, me eating so much after the Game that I had to shit really bad threw the Popeye's deal out the window.  I felt this push out of my asshole while I was driving down to MOA, and if you know that feeling, it feels like you're about to fucking shit your pants so bad everyone will see and point at you and laugh.  Scariest feeling in the world, am I right?

But I made it to the public men's room next to the doors at MOA, aka the last place I would want to evacuate my bowels, but of course, I had no choice.  This diarrhea attack made me second-guess if I should even try and go to the Game.  Good thing, then, that I didn't plan on buying a ticket unless I found a space to park in St. Paul.

Systems back to normal, I went to the pop-up.  That orange quarter-zip that probably was going to be the thing I buy?  Well, it went from one or two of those to six or seven.  Unfortunately, the only sizes available were small and extra-large.  This was something I saw with several popular items while I was browsing for World Juniors clothing.  I couldn't buy that, and nothing else there interested me.  So I didn't buy anything there, like I thought I would.  Yeah, it was kind of a waste driving down there.  But I had to know.

Didn't feel the urge to crap after that excretory meltdown when I cashed in the winning Powerball tickets I bought (oh yeah, I did that, too) on my way out to the car, so I felt good going to the arena.  And maybe I shouldn't be surprised considering the half-empty crowds at Mariucci Arena for group and Quarterfinal Games, but I found a spot easy-peasy.  And so I turned off the car, leaned my seat back, and looked at SeatGeek and StubHub for a ticket to that 7:30 Game.  And I was surprised, and disappointed, that somehow prices for that Game went back up.  It can't be demand; these scalper sites are running fucking algorithms to maximize prices.  Makes me so goddamn frustrated.  But hey, I got there, and I wanted to go, so I bought a ticket for Canada-Czechia for, hrmph, $50.

By the way, great Game.  Back and forth, but the Czechs got the upset (even though this is the third straight year the country eliminated the Canadians), 6-4.  (That Semifinal, by the way, was delayed from its scheduled start because the first Semi went past Overtime into a Shootout, where Sweden slipped past Finland, 4-3.)  I'm glad I went, and this is the World Juniors, so maybe I shouldn't bitch so much over the price of the ticket.  Anyway, I had plenty of time to check out the merchandise tables at the "Gicka."  You remember my obsession/fear about "exclusivity," buying items that I could only find at Mariucci or the pop-up store at the Mall Of America?  Well, that OCD blew up in my face.  That hoodie with the huge 2026 IIHF World Juniors logo right on the front that I bought at Mariucci?  Saw it there.  And I also saw the Paul Bunyan & Babe t-shirts I also bought at Mariucci, as well as the first pair of t-shirts I bought, the ones that had the flags on the hockey blades on the front I bought at the pop-up.  Oh, and the pin, too.

So, when it comes to buying things that appeared to be at only one place, I got the scarf that I bought down at MOA and the winter hat with the logo on a plate stitched on it at Mariucci.  All the other stuff I bought I could've bought at any of the three places.  And the scarf and hat, for all I know, were being sold at the other two places before they sold out.  I'll rest in the peace of my ignorance.  But I think I could've been more judicious about what I would've bought if I could've went to Grand Casino Arena for that Sunday group stage Game if not for the snowstorm that blew in that day.  I think I would've gone up to the merch tables, realize that most if not all the items were the same as that at Mariucci, realize that some of the things I saw down at the Megamall I didn't see there (and vice versa), and purchased accordingly.  But now I have a lot of things that, right now, I'm not cool with (see Title of blog post).

But hey, it was the World Juniors!

Oh, Just Leave Me And My Shit Alone

You know, giving me tea is OK, especially if it's sweet as the lemon-flavored one Father's given me a couple times over the past couple weeks.  But he gave the tea to me because he thought I was coughing too much.  The first time yes, the second time no.

And yes, I have thought from time to time that I could use a light cord in my closet so I could actually look through my clothing.  I didn't ask My Fucking Father for one.  Now I know that he went through my closet.  Why the fuck would he be going through my closet?  He would not know at all that I can't light the light in my closet without opening it and going through my shit.  So that scares the fucking daylights out of me.  I can't shove my cum towel in there anymore because one day, he'll see fit to look through my closet just because he has fuck all to do and see my cum towel.

All these two motherfuckers have done is break every boundary I have and done things within my circle of privacy that is up to me alone.  This goes beyond meaning well.  This is them thinking they can do whatever they want with me and my stuff because they have no respect for me.  I guess I could punch them, but they'll be leaving soon, so maybe I'll just say good riddance to their meddling asses.

(And yes, I take back all the good things I said about them in this blog post.  For now.)

Stranger's Shit

When I went to Mariucci Friday afternoon I needed to pee.  Like the arena, but they still have fucking troughs, and I'll be goddamned if I ever have to use one.  Luckily there weren't too many people there, so I just went into one of the open stalls and FUCKING GODDAMMIT, there was floating piece of feces in the toilet.  And it was yellow and brown and everything.  Some motherfucker just didn't care to flush, Jesus fucking Christ.

I'll be honest: It kind of ruined the rest of my day.  I was watching the hockey Games, and I got obsessed with what I wanted to buy there.  But FUCKING GODDAMMIT, I flashed back to that piece of shit in the toilet.  The last time I saw something like that was at Lafayette Coney Island in Detroit when I was there the last weekend Tiger Stadium was open, and my pure OCD makes me flash back to that piece of shit I saw from time to time (even though the water was clear, for some fucking reason).  Goddammit, people are just fucking gross and rude!!!

Fuck it.  Fuck it all.  If we can invade a country and kidnap a President just because, there really are no rules anymore.  (Well, there haven't really been rules since 2000, but you know what I mean.)  So let's stop playing by rules that don't exist anymore.  If they can do it, we can do it.  Why not?  Only they're doing it for oil and money and power, and when we do it -- and we better be doing it when we get a chance to do it -- it's because we're ridding the world of evil.  That's the difference between us.  And right now, that's all that fucking matters.

On Money -- When I Spend It And When I Complain About Spending It

So work yesterday/Friday ended at 2.  Missed the regulation Game (Germany doubled up Denmark and thus will stay up in the Top Division), but saw Switzerland come from behind in The Second Period and defeat Czechia in the 3:30 Game I was able to buy a ticket and make it to, then (with a ticket I already bought, not at work less than two hours before puck drop like the Czechs-Swiss Game) witnessed Canada crush Slovakia in the 7:30 Game, 7-1.

I got a ticket for the 3:30 matchup on a scalper site for $18 or so.  I was curious, so Thursday I checked prices for the 7:30 Game.  I bought one just before the tournament started for ... um, just under $70, I think.  I assumed that that Game would feature Canada, and that Canadians would swoop in from up north to see this Quarterfinal matchup.  I bought it before the tournament because the prices were starting to rise after falling a bit, and I was afraid that Canada fans would finally snatch them up thinking that they would be seeing their team.  What I forgot to factor in was Trump wanting to annex the entire nation.  That idiotic talk convinced many Canadians to not vacation in the U.S.  I remember hearing so many resorts and convention bureaus say that the number of Canadians vacationing in their cities and towns have plummeted.  I remember this now, but I didn't remember it when I bought that ticket.  (That's probably due to all the bullshit coming from that asshole's mouth; you forgot the crap he said because he constantly says new crap.  Apparently, it's a strength of his.)  So I checked Thursday and I could get in for about $39.  Dammit.  Well, I chalked this mistake up to our dumbass President and the fact that this is the World Juniors we're talking about; I don't mind paying a premium for an event I probably will never attend again even though it turns out I overspent by about $31.

---

So I blog posted on here before about buying World Juniors merchandise, and about whether I wanted to buy at Mariucci Arena, the pop-up store at the Mall Of America, or both.  There were a lot of things I tried to consider about whether and what to buy, all of it leading me to a web of confusion.  Foremost among them was price, of course, but another thing was scarcity, in particular whether an item is only in one place.  And I think my OCD kicked in, because I got really, really obsessed over that when I went to Mariucci yesterday/Friday to watch the Games.

When I went down to the Megamall last Saturday, I hemmed and hawed about several items I saw down there.  Eventually I decided not to buy the big tickets items, such as jerseys and hooded sweatshirts.  They were oversized and they had designs that I wasn't too keen about.  Oh, and the price, of course.

I bought two medium size t-shirts of the same design.  It was important to me to at least buy anything World Juniors-related that had the official 2026 IIHF World Juniors logo and the flags of the ten countries competing.  I also bought two because of my OCD: The plan is to wear one and to keep one for storage for ... I don't know what.  Anyway, I bought a pair.  I also bought a scarf which, sad to say, I forgot to wear Friday to Mariucci when I planned on doing so.

But back to the t-shirts.  I don't necessarily regret buying them, but I recognized the style of that t-shirt when I was going through the merch store at Mariucci.  I was afraid that they would have sold out at the arena, and that's why I bought it down in Bloomington, but it isn't "special" because I saw it at MOA and Mariucci.  On the other hand, there were many, and I mean many, items at the pop-up that I didn't remember seeing at the arena.

I went into the merch store before the Czechia-Switzerland Game to buy my stuff before the Canadians did.  I wouldn't say it was cleaned out, but compared to what I saw on Boxing Day, they went through a lot of stuff.  However, and damn my fuzzy memory, even though there were several items there that I didn't see down in Bloomington, I think I'm right in thinking there is more "unique" stuff down at the Mall Of America than at the store in Mariucci.

And yet ... the things I saw in Mariucci that I don't recall seeing at MOA I pretty much bought.  At first I got a winter hat with the logo stitched on it (I know I didn't see that at the Megamall) and a logo pin (don't recall seeing it at MOA, but it's a small pin, so I could've missed it).  But during the first two periods of the Czechia-Switzerland Game I was debating about whether to buy more stuff.  Well, I save a lot of money because my parents buy all the food we eat, so I indulged myself.  At the Second Intermission, I went back into the merch store and bought a light blue hoodie with just the big logo in front (I don't think they have that one at the Megamall ... do they?) and two more t-shirts.  This one design has the logo in the front and the flags of the ten countries in the back along with Paul Bunyan as a hockey player and Babe The Blue Ox as a Goaltender.  I liked the Minnesota tie-in.  And I know I did not see this particular t-shirt at MOA.

I have dropped about $200 in World Juniors-branded clothing.  I don't think I have spent so much money in memorabilia for a single sporting event.  There have been other big sporting events I've attended ... well, actually I worked a Super Bowl and a Final Four.  I don't know how ethical it would've been to buy stuff, especially I was, you know, supposed to be working.  But for the World Juniors I'm a fan, and like I said, I have money, so I am getting all this.

And dammit ... my OCD wants me to go back to the Mall Of America a third time to go into that pop-up store to look one more time at the "exclusive" stuff it turns out I could only buy there.  In particular there was this orange quarter-zip that had the logo blown up and in contrast in the back.  Now I feel bad that I didn't buy it then.  But that pop-up store closes either tomorrow/Sunday or Monday, and now I feel compelled to buy that -- or, if that's gone, maybe something else I can only get there.  I had plans to just go home immediately after the Vikings Game, but this is the World Juniors, so I've decided I can alter my plans, cut out early from U. S. Bank Stadium, drive down there before the mall closes, and take out my credit card to buy stuff marking this once-in-a-lifetime event ...

... unless there's nothing there for me to buy and/or it's too expensive and/or all the stuff there I saw at Mariucci, in which case it would be a waste of time but whatever, I need to see for myself.  And this is where I catch myself not being frugal.  I'll spend (or fritter away) money if it's for a big sporting event and if I think the stuff I can buy is "special."  And I will beat myself up after the fact when I begin to doubt whether it is "special."  My goodness, I can't buy anything without a tinge of regret.

Quick Day Tomorrow? Three Games Tomorrow?

So I'm working today/Friday.  It's the day after New Year's.  We get worked based on urine tests collected yesterday, and obviously, since yesterday was New Year's Day, I really, really don't think there's going to be much work.  There might not be any work.  Combine that with the fact that on New Year's Eve we had a fairly meager workload that came in, and I gotta say that I don't think we're pulling a full day today because we didn't have much Wednesday.  In fact, I kind of think, or maybe I'm just hoping, that we will have a real quick day.

How quick?  I ask because while I have tickets to the last of three World Juniors Games at Mariucci Arena at 7:30, the second one drops at 3:30.  I have to think that if today isn't a full day, I could get in time to catch that Game.  The really intriguing one for me is the first Game between Germany and Denmark.  The International Ice Hockey Federation has promotion/relegation, and this is the relegation Game.  I really want to go for the stakes alone, but the puck drops on that one 11:30.  That might be a pipe dream ... but if there is no work today, and I can't see there being much, why can't I make it at 11:30?

We'll see.  And I'll cross my fingers.

And after lunch today My Father told me to clear the driveway of snow.  I don't know if we even got half an inch.  But I cleared it anyway, even though I really, really wanted to not even step foot outside to begin the New Year.

Fuck what I said before.  I can't wait for them to leave.