First Blizzard of the Season

Where to start? It's only been a week since I've last posted and it seems like everything has changed in a such a short time.

Last night Jason and I had tickets to a live recording of the Vinyl Cafe. If you've never listened I strongly urge you too. Stewart McLean is a great story teller and I love his tales of Dave & Morley. If you download his podcast you get to hear all of the musical acts that he has touring with him too.

So where was I? Right, we had tickets to a taping and were really looking forward to it. What we weren't prepared for was a blizzard to hit Calgary on Friday morning, and then last throughout the day. It wasn't our first snow of the year, by any means, but that doesn't mean that we were ready for it.

Even though the concert was being held at the Jubilee Auditorium (which is pretty close to our house), we actually debated not going. I checked the Vinyl Cafe website and they said that the show was still on! So we bundled up and off we went.

I would say that the majority of the audience made it. They delayed the show to allow for latecomers and while we were waiting Stewart McLean (the host) stayed onstage and did Q&A with the audience.

The show was great. There were 3 Dave & Morley stories in total as well as 3 musical acts. One of them completely blew my socks away! Matt Anderson was amazing. I think that we will be looking for his new album on iTunes soon.

The snow didn't stop while we were in the auditorium though. In fact I think it was snowing and blowing all night. Here's what our yard looked like in the morning:

Snow on the planters

Buddha is almost completely covered.

A shot of the table to give you an idea of the accumulation.

Grey Cup 2009 - Montreal vs. Sask.

The 97th Grey Cup was really special for Jason and me. Firstly, it was hosted in Calgary which means that we were able to get our season tickets seats to see it. More importantly - the Riders were playing in it!!

All week there was a series of Grey Cup events in Calgary. On Saturday we attended the Grey Cup parade (a Calgary tradition). We also went to see the CFL experience. But, as fun as they were, it was nothing compared to the anticipation of the Grey Cup game itself.

Looking good as usual in our team colours!

It was almost like a home game for the Riders. We're used to seeing a lot of green in the stands at McMahon stadium when the Riders are in town, but that was nothing compared to yesterday. It was almost like being at Taylor Field in Regina. It was a great atmosphere (if you are a Rider fan anyway). The weather was amazing for November 29th too.

Even Eric & Monica got into the spirit of the Grey Cup!

It was a fun game and we cheered really loud for our team. Unfortunately a loud stadium is not the place to be if you have a headache - even so I still had a blast!

The Snowbirds do a fly by before the game.

The Riders take to the field.

Blue Rodeo performs @ the Halftime show.

Although we had an amazing time - the outcome is one that we would like to forget. The Alouettes were down by 2 points. There was about 10 seconds left on the clock and they were well within field goal range. They kicked the field goal - and missed! Oh the crowd went wild. The 2 guys in front of us were screaming and hugging each other, we were all so happy - then Jason pointed it out. The 2 orange flags on the field. We knew it was over for the Riders then.

The Riders incurred an Illegal Substitution penalty for too many men on the field. The Alouettes got to kick again. This time they did not miss. The Riders, who lead the entire game, lost by 1 point.

On the walk home I kept thinking of the poem - Casey at the bat - and the final line "mighty Casey had struck out".

So today I will pack up our green Rider gear for another season.

Countdown to Grey Cup 2009

It's Grey Cup time in Calgary. We're taking in some of the festivities. Here are a few photos from today to help get you into the Grey Cup party mood:

The Grey Cup Parade:

Jason & his folks staking out our spot for the parade:

Mini- Gainer the Gopher:

I'll add more on Monday once the big game is over. I guess it's no secret who we're cheering for.

Upon review of some of my old posts I came across this one from 2 years ago: T'was the Night Before Grey Cup. It's cute, but needs a little updating.

The Muppets - Still Got It!

Do you remember the Muppets? Of course you do! As we get older we may not be watching Sesame Street or the Muppet Show anymore, but we can still appreciate their art.

Check out this video. It's the Muppets' version of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.

All your favourites are here. I love Beaker's role and the appearance by the Swedish Chef.

Rock on Muppets!

Western Final - Cgy vs. Sask

The Calgary Stampeders are in Regina today to face the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL Western Final. The winner of today's game will return to Calgary next Sunday to face the Montreal Alouettes in the 97th Grey Cup.

I think it's obvious who we're cheering for.