It looks like the Cologne Sharks won’t even make it to the pre-playoffs (10th in the standing). Theoretically there still is a chance, but it’s highly unlikely. Right now I don’t even care that much, which is strange. I guess I’m just so frustrated about how the season went so far. Frustrated and annoyed by the lack of fight and motivation and skill and a lot of other things in this team. I’m just… very very frustrated. They lost in Mannheim on Friday and against Krefeld at home today. In today’s game they once again gave away a 2:0 lead and once again lost in OT and got nothing more than one point out of this weekend’s two games.
They don’t have that many games at home until the season ends at the beginning of March. So I guess my last hockey game in Cologne will already be on the 16th January, because I’ve got to work on both the last game in January and the last game on home ice at the end of February. But I’m honestly not upset about that, I’m almost glad this awful and disappointing season will be over soon.
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More fun than watching or listenting to the Cologne games on TV/Radio is to watch the clips of World Jr hockey at the moment. I know we couldn’t afford Jaruslav Janus as a goalie, but maybe he could teach our goalie Frank Doyle a few tricks? Janus had some great saves in this quarter-final against the USA, which Slovakia won, by the way. Here is a 2min summary clip.
This morning I watched parts of the CAN – RUS semifinal and was even more impressed. Those kids – all of them, no matter what nation – are so talented and skilled and just play great hockey. Not to mention their spirit to fight and give everything to win this game. Canada’s short-handed goal was awesome and so was their fight to tie the game to go to overtime, when Russia took the lead with only 2 minutes left to play. Canada pulled the goalie with 90 seconds left to play and Eberle scored the goal for Canada at 59.55. There were only four and a half seconds left to play. I guess Canadian hockey fans aged rapidly watching this game. Less than 5 seconds… Canada won in the shootout and I was really happy for those guys. But also felt sorry for the Russians, because they were so sad and looked so defeated and after all they all are still just kids, none older than 19 years old.
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Yesterday I spent the rest of my christmas bonus paycheck within 2,5 hours. I wanted to buy a new wintercoat and I needed to buy new boots as well. I planned to do that anyway some time soon, but while wearing them I realized that there was a tear above the sole of one of them. They were old boots so I decided against having them repaired and bought new ones instead. I still got another pair but I can’t endure this season with only one pair. So there were the boots (brown) and the coat (brown) and just felt like I needed a new scarf, headband or hat and gloves matching this brown coat. And bought those as well. Plus another scarf which I liked as well. And dressed like this, I’m ready for the snow and more importantly freezing cold, weather which we should expect over the next few days…
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I didn’t spend as much time as I hoped I would be working on my term papers. I’ve got an outline for all parts of the first one, but just for one part of the second one. Plus I still have a lot of reading to do for the second on as well. I really should read a bit of that today. I’m planning to be more organized and work harder for this Master programme in 2009, I want do get that degree some day after all. But I already know what other things will keep me busy during the next few months (at work and in local politics, because we’ve got elections coming up in June). I just hope that I can finish these term papers respectably and after June I will take some more classes again. At least that’s the plan :-)
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As a last-day-of-vacation-treat I will watch some more of “The West Wing”. Again. I’ve got three episodes left in the first season and I don’t know when I will find the time to start with season 2, especially when my current series are back on TV as well.
I shortly thought about posting my favourite West Wing quotes on a regular basis, but now I’ve decided against it. There are so many great lines (from Bartlet himself, and from Sam and Toby and actually everyone), that I’d spent too much time deciding which one to post. Or to post a lot of them which takes even more time. So just let me tell you: This show has some of the best and smartest and wittiest dialogue written in recent TV history. And I’m really looking forward to watch it. But not after I spent at least 45 minutes studying as well. And that’s what I’m going to do now…