Rochester, NY
11:10 AM
It was a strange weekend. The weather in Rochester was beautiful with sunny skies and temperatures in the 60′s. Sunny skies only help your outlook on the day.
I’ve been very into the NHL hockey playoffs, in particular, with the Buffalo Sabres. They are 60 minutes from here and would qualify as the local team. They are the ones on the front page of the sports section. Friday night was a classic game. With the score 0-0 and 3 minutes to go, the NY Rangers scored to take the lead. My friends and I were not feeling too confident as the clock got to 16 seconds. There was some yelling about how a Buffalo team had blown it once again. But not this time. With 7.7 seconds, Chris Drury put in a rebound to send the game into overtime. A guy who was benched the previous game put in the OT winner, or in soccer terms, the sudden death golden goal. That energized us and I’m sure all of the fans in the area.
Saturday was Cinco de Mayo. I don’t know what it is, other than the 5th of May and a celebration. But we celebrated. I had a very rough and emotional start to the evening, but it helped to go to my sisters for a cookout with her, my bil and cousins. We sat down and watched the Kentucky Derby. Calvin Borel, the jockey that won, seems like a good guy. When a big thing happens and a lot of people are happy for you, that is a good sign. I know him from my college days, betting his horses at Oaklawn Park. My day was also helped that a friend from childhood and today asked me to be in his wedding. That is always a great feeling and an honor.
From C&B’s I decided to take my sporting weekend further and went to a friends house, donated some cash, and watched the De la Hoya – Mayweather fight. It was billed as a big deal, but did not live up to the hype. At least it didn’t end in 90 seconds or something, and it was tactical, but there were no big punches. It’s weird. You can be a peaceful, low key guy, but when there is a boxing match, you want to see toe to toe action. Defense is not pretty to the average fan, but it is what wins fights. And Mayweather showcased superior skills.
My Sunday was spent reading a book I hadn’t spent much time on before, the Bible, and then watching more hockey. The Sabres closed out the Rangers with a 5-4 win. Lots of action in that game. I’ve been doing quite a bit with books lately. On the recommendation of some new friends, I have the Tony Robbins book and a book by T. Harv Eker. I also just brought a couple back to the library, one on Muhammad and one on the 2030 bubble. The Bible is fascinating.
After the hockey I took a nature walk with my mom. This trail is less than a block from my house, but I had never been on it. It winds through the marsh areas of Lake Ontario. There were many different types of tress, plants, and wildlife. The sounds of the birds were great.
There is not much of a theme or point to this journal, other than a sunny weekend is always better than a rainy one and that reading can help you think about things.
Also, my friend from England, Charles, is back in the States. I don’t think he came over with the Queen, but I’ll be hosting him for a couple of days starting tomorrow.