Of course it had to rain on what was supposed to be my big day of exploring Manhattan with my friend, Nick. I managed to get myself to Penn station without getting too wet, and quickly bought a good for nothing, red umbrella. The day started off with pizza at Lombardi’s followed by delicious “designer” rice pudding. This stuff was so good, it was like eating warm, chunky ice cream…OK, maybe that description didn’t make it sound overly appetizing, but it was honestly one of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth *zing.* I had the Drugs, Sex, and Rocky Road flavour!
After lunch, I wobbled along behind Nick as he showed me the parts of Manhattan that I’ve never seen before, like the Brooklyn Bridge (where we encountered a surly cyclist and it reminded me of home), Ground Zero, the Statue of Liberty, and everywhere in between. Here’s his joke I was going to include in the New York Top 10 that would have gone up today, “Not using a condom with a hooker is like driving through New Jersey in a convertible.” HA!
It was kind of strange that on our six hour excursion, I kept seeing the date October 28th everywhere I looked. On tombstones, on buildings, on the side walk, everywhere. It was to the point that I finally stopped and asked if the date had some significance to the city. He said it didn’t, and wanted to know why I asked. I was curious about it because October 28 is the feast day of St. Jude. We both agreed that this was weird, in fact, getting a look at my medallion was one of the first things he wanted to see when we finally sat down at Lombardi’s.
After coffee we went our separate ways, I was supposed to meet up with Michelle again for dinner at 6:30PM. I had a few moments to spare so I thought I’d run up to my room and try to undo the damage that the rain had done to my hair – I failed miserably in that mission. Michelle texted me because she was running late, so I decided to check up on my “business” emails. When I signed in one of my biggest wishes was waiting in my inbox, which would turn out to be a possible LARGE sign warning against leaving the Phoenix Coyotes.
I had finally received notice that my dream job was pushing me forward in the recruitment process. Last season, as I was nearing the end of my university career, I had to finally sit down and have that internal monologue with myself about what I wanted to do with my life. The obvious ideas were writing and hockey, but I’ve worked in hockey, and the experience was nightmarish, and truthfully, I only like to write about hockey culture. The one thing that really depressed me about entering the work force was having to give up the lifestyle that I had become accustomed to in my hockey operations. Finally, the ideal career for my personality dawned on me and I became determined to get into that field no matter what. When I returned home from the 2009 IIHF World Championship in Zurich, I took the first step in what was promised to be at least a year long, extensive recruitment process. I cannot discuss the job in detail, in fact, I probably shouldn’t be talking about it at all, but let’s just say the last time I heard from them was at the end of July, and I was beginning to worry that I was being weeded out.
So, how does this affect the Coyotes? Like I said, this job is VERY important to me. It is the one thing that I would be willing to sacrifice anything for. If I had this career, I would be content to be single for the rest of my life if it came down to that. I could even see myself giving up hockey. But these people mean business, there is no negotiation. When they say come, you come. My notification was telling me that I was to report to the next stage of the process bright and early in a week and a half for a daylong event of God only knows. If I do not report, then I’m out of the candidacy, which will bar me from reapplying for another year. Wouldn’t you know that the date I have to report is while I am away in the potential new team’s city.
I got on the phone as soon as I got the news, and had to change my travel plans to ensure that I was back in Toronto on time. $200 later… The funny thing was that I knew when I saw the new team’s schedule that I wasn’t meant to deviate from the desert dogs. It was because of this fact that I noted that hitting this city after my Colorado game was a safe bet for me, and that really sold me on going in the first place. I’m not going to jump to any conclusions yet. The Coyotes have yet to redeem themselves to me, and it may end up that I take a break from road games for a little while with ANY team. Anyway, like I said Monday night, I’m not back with Phoenix, and I’m not discounting the possibility of joining the ranks with the potential new team’s fans either. I guess we’ll have to wait and see, but all I know is that this “sign,” if it is one, is trying to keep me out of the new team’s city. I guess we’ll see what happens November 5th – 8th.
I wish I had received word about this event a day sooner so I could have gone out and bought a new suit. I haven’t had to wear a suit for work since I worked for Maple Leaf Sports. Oh well! Anyway, after I sorted things out on Expedia, Michelle and I went out for some pasta and wine, and a solid six hours of hockey related girl talk. It was lots of fun! We were so engrossed in our hockey discussion that, after we were ushered out of the restaurant, we stood on the street at Times Square, IN THE RAIN, for over an hour to continue the gossip. We have the best stories!
When I finally got back to my room, it was really late, and I had to put off posting the Top 10 and the Day 3 entry because I wanted to actually get some sleep that night so I wouldn’t die on my way to St. Louis. Never the less, I was still exhausted the next morning, and felt a genuine sadness for having to leave New York.
Top Photo: Nick wanted a picture of my sweet ass Psycho Lady Hockey hoodie. Eat your heart out, Sean Avery! Don’t think I haven’t noticed that your logo looks suspiciously like mine!
