Bye Bye 40

Everyone is probably wondering what the heck i'm up to right ? Or maybe i'm just being delusional LOL ... i'm not as important as i think i am , really i don't think i'm that important but i do think a lot of people i met this past year are and i figured for my bday today i would celebrate the people that made my 40th year on this planet a memorable one .... the whole thing with turning 40 was not very easy on the mind . I mean i am not about to start playing 40+ hockey as i love competing but the main problem is the realization that i need to get into shape to compete with kids half my age ! This past year a lot of things have changed in my life with the main one being that i joined a gym , and i actually go 3 times a day when i have days off ... yes i am being dead serious !


The biggest thing that happened this year unfortunately wasn't good ... when the one i love the most was smoked by a cyclist in London , England .... things changed , i had to skip a trip to take care of her and when i decided to take off when she was feeling better a few of my so called friends disapproved and unfriended me . I lost money ,work and friends but mostly Kathleen was not well and that was far worse then any of the bullshit that others were costing me .... for those wondering , she needs another surgery :( coming in the next year unfortunately and the cyclist took off .Kathleen is by far the most important person in my life , without her there is no Travelling Goalie . How many of your wives would let you take off for weeks at a time like she does . Sorry for the picture sweetie :P

The year wasn't filled with tragedy , it just seemed to be a British type of year though since i went over there 4 times during my 40th year ... every time i went i got to watch the Villa with great friends like Richard Pilkington who i met in Toronto and will forever be a Toronto Lion even though he moved to Benalmadena,Spain which we had the pleasure of visiting after Kathleen began feeling well enough to travel . That trip was great as we went on a little road trip to visit Gibraltar which was a good experience for the both of us and i got to skate at the Kings Bastion Leisure Center which hopefully someday will have ice hockey on their curriculum . ? It's a small rink but would be suitable for 3 on 3 hockey ... only problem is all the glass around it .... i hope to someday strap my pads on there but until then i will have to wait and see just like the rest of ya ! 

I'm always trying to make connections and this year i took a shot at turning my travels into a television show :) we filmed an episode out in Montreal but unfortunately things didn't work out according to the people i shot this with :( no big deal though , the experience was great and i am happy to say i made something with some great friends that we were all proud of . Who knows someday it might end up being released but for now it will stay as a fond memory of great things that happened during my 40th year . Skating in that cave is probably one of the highlights of my life ... i hope to do it again during my 41st :) Along the way i had to make some new contacts for possible episodes and i was happiest to meet up with the head coach of the Indian National Ice Hockey Team , Adam Sherlip ! This guy goes beyond to make things happen ... i met him at Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto while he was volunteering for this charity called 5 Hole for Food , great hockey related cause . I am glad to say that i met a guy so dedicated to something he believes in and he does a great job through his Hockey Foundation charity . Unfortunately he does not like onions and i'm the dumbass who invited him over for dinner and forgot that fact DOH ! 

Of course that episode we shot was highlighting my Moroccan friends . I couldn't have a year in my life without seeing Adil El Farj ... damn i hate the Habs so much but i still like a couple of their fans ! How many times did we meet this year buddy ? i think i came there to shoot my episode , then with Kathleen for Just for Laughs and you came to Toronto to drop off your Moroccan National Team game worn jersey at the Hockey Hall of Fame :) yeah that was pretty cool ... too bad that Moroccan restaurant we went to here sucked ... what was it called ? Sultan's Tent or some shit LOL ! Adil was one of the friends i mentioned earlier that i was supposed to meet in Europe for IIHF World Championships except he didn't rip me off or charge me for tickets i didn't use LOL ! I'm happy to say we are still buddies and i am hoping to help them start their first adult rec tournament in Morocco this coming year :) 

As i said i went to England quite a bit this past year ... to watch the Villa . My favorite past time and only the best way to get drunk ... with all my crazy Villa family ! This past year i went to go watch Villa last December (Crystal Palace away , Leicester home ) then in May (Burnley home, FA CUP FINAL ) again in August (Bournemouth away ,Man U home) and last but not least in September (West Brom home,Birmingham City home ) .... 8 games is not too shabby ? So many people to thank but mainly i have to thank Paul Harris who is the chairman of the Kidderminster Lions for getting me most of these tickets and giving me safe passage on your bus even though i'm sure some things happened to me on the bus back from Bournemouth which no one is telling me about LOL ! I have to also thank Simon Leach from Chicago for setting me up with Matthew Haywood , he sold me the ticket to the FA CUP FINAL at face value when others were selling them for 100 times the value , i still owe you a few beers Matthew ( meet me in Lions Lounge in December when i'm back ) . I also have to thank Ben Mitchell for allowing me to experience Casa Mitchell and its surroundings like the Hollybush :) and of course i can't forget Karl McNelly who is a new Villa fan and is always there to pick me up from Ben's to take me to the Vine in Baggies land while i'm wearing Villa tops LOL ! what a mess i left there last time hehehehe..... 

Yeah this year i finally cut my hair off too ... hopefully it covers someone else's bald spot in the future :) it should hopefully make someone feel more comfortable then i did ... and no i don't miss the long hair , i hated combing and brushing and my bath tub seems much happier too since its not clogging it up anymore ... yeah gross ! 

A trip to England usually means a stop by to see one of my good friends ... Dazza ! Yeah thanks to him i have had a few good nights in Sheffield ... on and off the ice :) there was that time i almost played out as a skater , wow i am so glad the rink mucked that ice time up LOL . Thanks to Dazza i had the honour to finally go up to Scotland and skate there (as a goalie ! ) he hooked me up with Robin Elliot who along with his family made me eat haggis ?!?!?! ok they didn't make me eat it but they prepared and put it on a table in front of me and i ate ... yes it tastes yummy (yuck) its always great visiting people that live in foreign countries and going over for dinner . That meal definitely sticks out in my memory as probably the most memorable meal i had as a 40 year old :) Robin also hooked me up with enough hockey to kill a human and along the line drove me back and forth and honestly he was one of the best hosts i have ever encountered ... if you want me to come visit and play in your country , contact Robin and take notes ! Thanks for everything .... also have to thank the clubs there especially the North Ayrshire Wild who let me skate with them , good luck to you and all the other clubs . Scotland was one of the most beautiful countries i have ever visited and i would love to go back . Just don't throw me back in prison ....

so for my birthday these are most of the people i would like to thank for making 40 a good memory ... i know there are way more to thank but that would be a book not a blog post :)