This is hard. I've not really spoken too much about leaving.
I haven't sat to write anything about leaving Milwaukee yet for fear that I'll sit and write all night. Also it's hard to find a place to start, and think of a way to end. It's sad. How will I say good-bye to the people, places, and things that have made these past few years all that they were? The good, the bad, the ugly... it was all here.
I haven't had to say good-bye to anyone or anything too major yet. Still a few days left of work at the Pettit, trying to plan a final get-together based on when I roll out of town, and packing and prepping for the move.
This was where my dream to move to a big city, and fresh start by myself came true. Where I had some of my highest highs, and lowest lows. As the clock ticks down on my time here it's hard to not look nostalgically at everything. It's more difficult than when I left Vermont, because I don't know when I'll ever be back to visit. It seems more final.
Basically what it equates to is that I can't think Vermont, and the future, too much more until I get over the hurdle of actually leaving Wisconsin. Aside from moving details, and prep I can't get caught up in the return, until I leave.
I don't want to say too much more right now. It's too soon. I just want to make it clear that I feel moving back to Vermont is the best thing for me right now for a few reasons, but it doesn't make leaving here any easier.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
March Madness of 2010, a look back
When I look back at this March I'll always remember it for two things. 1) All the travel to support the Catamounts, and 2) It easily paved the way back to Vermont for me. I've referred to this month already in this way; "I've done more this month than lot of my friends will do in their lifetime." (Meant from a travel perspective purely and not to diminish any overall accomplishments of anyone's life)
Let's look at this in a fun way. First here it is by the numbers:
-Over 5,000 miles traveled
- 6 different airports
- 3 different Catamount teams supported
- 6 different places stayed overnight
- 3 car trips
- 9 days worked
First let me add the fact that if you told me before March 2010 that I'd see 2 NCAA Tournament games in March featuring Vermont I would have said I believed you. However, if you would have said that despite the Men's hoop team being in the tourney and the NCAA Tourney having first and second round games in Milwaukee, that neither would be them... I'd have called you a liar, but nonetheless it was true.
- It was the 8th time I've seen at least a part of the America East Men's Basketball Championship Tourney since '02. It was the first time I'd ever seen the Women's AE Tourney.
- I attended the Men's AE Championship game for the 6th time (4th as a worker) and have seen every one in Vermont history.
- Saw the Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament for the 1st time ever (2nd Round Vs. Notre Dame)
- Saw the Men's Hockey NCAA Tournament for the 3rd time ('96 in Albany, '97 Worcester, '10 St. Paul)
- Visited 3 new arenas (Chase Family Arena in Hartford, Joyce Center at Notre Dame, and Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul)
- Visited Texas for the first time due to traveling issues that brought me to NYC where I switched airports and then spent the night in Dallas before flying back to Milwaukee in the morning.
And now at long last the Fun Facts, and observations from March 2010. Here's what I learned:
*They say to show up at the airport 2 hours ahead of time, but no matter how much time I slice off that I'm always waiting at my leaving gate over an hour.
*Alicia Frost-Kolva has so much going on inside of her head that she gets in her own way sometimes.
*Ed Companion still likes to repeat things we've already said like he wasn't sitting right there when we said it earlier.
*March 2010 marked the final month Gene Gagne III was a minor.
*No better way to make yourself known to all the people you know in an arena than... winning $1,000 for the Burlington Boys and Girls Club! Now I know what it's like to shoot "free" throws under pressure. Thanks Newman's Own!
*Mohegan Sun must have called Potawotami Casino in Milwaukee to continue keeping me at about 50/50.
*Falling asleep in the backseat with a box of Krispy Kremes will lead to picture taking.
*Hartford area stores still stock and sell the crap out of Hartford Whalers gear, and I applaud it!
*Women's basketball can be hard to watch at times, but I think I already knew that before March.
*Stony Brook fans are "fairweather" ones but since their men's team was the #1 seed they made their 1st America East Tourney appearance.
* Stony Brook fans don't care for people who point that out.
* Green Mountains are in fact greater than White Mountains
* I knew in his freshman year that Marqus Blakely would be in the college dunk competition in 2010. In March of 2010 Marqus made sure of his invite (and eventual win in April)
* The rematch of Vermont Vs. Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA Tourney really only proved one thing: We need a rubber match to break the tie... standby
* Being involuntarily bumped off a flight gives you some nice perks, but is really only sweet if they actually come through with getting you home in a timely manner afterwards.
* When your flight itinerary for the beginning of the day says Burlington-Cleveland Cleveland-Cincinnati Cincinnati-Milwaukee and you spend the day in New York City airports before spending the night in Dallas, Texas... something's wrong.
* Between daylight savings time and the one-hour time difference... my internal clock was messed up for over a week after my return.
* Driving Zamboni after about 3 weeks off not takes a little readjusting time.
* During the Vermont-Syracuse game I paced, swore at the lousy internet connection freezing up, and began packing for my eventual move home.
* Lady Cats > Lady Badgers
* Notre Dame has perhaps the greatest sports complex I've ever seen. Even softball has their own mini-stadium, football's practice field is nicer than any field in the entire Vermont state, and their soccer field actually made me want to... get this, see a game there.
* It's nice being a short drive to big events and big cities.
* Dress in full uniform when your team only has a handful of fans and there's a good chance the coach will spot you and wave hello.
* The Vermont women's assistant coaches wife, who sat next to me for the game, has lots of passion for the game, and was a hoot to sit near.
* Notre Dame's women's team is good, and this may have been the best Vermont women's team I've seen in quite awhile. Don't tell Sherri Turnbull, or Sharon Bay I said that though.
* There are a lot of tolls between Milwaukee and South Bend, Indiana
* If you're listening to the radio, your iPod, or a CD while driving through Chicago know this: If a song by Chicago comes on you must listen to it in full. "You're the meaning in my life..."
* People in Chicago care about as much about the speed limit as people in New England care about San Diego Padre Baseball.
* The Wisconsin Dells is like Lake George on CRACK, crack I tell you crack. In fact I shouldn't really even compare it to Lake George because it's insulting to the Dells. They do entertainment and fun right and I just drove through.
*La Crosse Wisconsin welcomes you to town with a huge statue of Indians playing... you guessed it, lacrosse.
* The drive along the eastern border of Minnesota is beautiful. Mountains on one side, Mississippi river on the other. Also some historic towns on the route... Wabasha - Known for being the town featured in "Grumpy Old Men" films Lake City - Which is the birthplace of waterskiing and I defy you to drive through it without picking up that fact. Red Wing - Home of Red Wing Shoes and the entire town uses their logo on EVERYTHING.
* The Xcel Energy Arena is one of the finest indoor arenas I've ever visited for hockey... or anything else for that matter.
* The only non-UVM employee that I knew at the game in St. Paul was the man seated next to me. Fellow Colchester High School '97 graduate, Kyle Kadish. An ironic twist if there ever was one that we would represent the super fans in St. Paul.
* Dan Lawson, whose parents sat in the row in front of us, is the king of replay goals. Also his only two goals of the season were the only two goals the Catamounts scored in the 3-2 loss to the Badgers.
* Badger hockey fans are some of the rudest fans in all of college hockey that I've seen. They put Cornell's fans to shame. They actually booed Vermont's college commercial video when played on the scoreboard. Then they chanted "Hobey Baker" after their player, a candidate for the award, had injured one of our players while he was still down on the ice. That player received a penalty for the hit.
* Butler University is in Indianapolis and they are very good at basketball.
* Andrew Bogut should work on his dismounts
* R-E-S-P-E-C-T find out what it means to Eagles... taking offers for Donovan McNabb?
* I made the decision to move back to Vermont with a lot of help from the University of Vermont and their great people there.
* I realized that March Madness was merely the prequel for "Spring Packing - April Countdown," and "Moveback May."
So as you can read it was an exciting month with moments, memories, and people that will last forever. More big stuff to come as the road to Moveback May continues!
Let's look at this in a fun way. First here it is by the numbers:
-Over 5,000 miles traveled
- 6 different airports
- 3 different Catamount teams supported
- 6 different places stayed overnight
- 3 car trips
- 9 days worked
First let me add the fact that if you told me before March 2010 that I'd see 2 NCAA Tournament games in March featuring Vermont I would have said I believed you. However, if you would have said that despite the Men's hoop team being in the tourney and the NCAA Tourney having first and second round games in Milwaukee, that neither would be them... I'd have called you a liar, but nonetheless it was true.
- It was the 8th time I've seen at least a part of the America East Men's Basketball Championship Tourney since '02. It was the first time I'd ever seen the Women's AE Tourney.
- I attended the Men's AE Championship game for the 6th time (4th as a worker) and have seen every one in Vermont history.
- Saw the Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament for the 1st time ever (2nd Round Vs. Notre Dame)
- Saw the Men's Hockey NCAA Tournament for the 3rd time ('96 in Albany, '97 Worcester, '10 St. Paul)
- Visited 3 new arenas (Chase Family Arena in Hartford, Joyce Center at Notre Dame, and Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul)
- Visited Texas for the first time due to traveling issues that brought me to NYC where I switched airports and then spent the night in Dallas before flying back to Milwaukee in the morning.
And now at long last the Fun Facts, and observations from March 2010. Here's what I learned:
*They say to show up at the airport 2 hours ahead of time, but no matter how much time I slice off that I'm always waiting at my leaving gate over an hour.
*Alicia Frost-Kolva has so much going on inside of her head that she gets in her own way sometimes.
*Ed Companion still likes to repeat things we've already said like he wasn't sitting right there when we said it earlier.
*March 2010 marked the final month Gene Gagne III was a minor.
*No better way to make yourself known to all the people you know in an arena than... winning $1,000 for the Burlington Boys and Girls Club! Now I know what it's like to shoot "free" throws under pressure. Thanks Newman's Own!
*Mohegan Sun must have called Potawotami Casino in Milwaukee to continue keeping me at about 50/50.
*Falling asleep in the backseat with a box of Krispy Kremes will lead to picture taking.
*Hartford area stores still stock and sell the crap out of Hartford Whalers gear, and I applaud it!
*Women's basketball can be hard to watch at times, but I think I already knew that before March.
*Stony Brook fans are "fairweather" ones but since their men's team was the #1 seed they made their 1st America East Tourney appearance.
* Stony Brook fans don't care for people who point that out.
* Green Mountains are in fact greater than White Mountains
* I knew in his freshman year that Marqus Blakely would be in the college dunk competition in 2010. In March of 2010 Marqus made sure of his invite (and eventual win in April)
* The rematch of Vermont Vs. Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA Tourney really only proved one thing: We need a rubber match to break the tie... standby
* Being involuntarily bumped off a flight gives you some nice perks, but is really only sweet if they actually come through with getting you home in a timely manner afterwards.
* When your flight itinerary for the beginning of the day says Burlington-Cleveland Cleveland-Cincinnati Cincinnati-Milwaukee and you spend the day in New York City airports before spending the night in Dallas, Texas... something's wrong.
* Between daylight savings time and the one-hour time difference... my internal clock was messed up for over a week after my return.
* Driving Zamboni after about 3 weeks off not takes a little readjusting time.
* During the Vermont-Syracuse game I paced, swore at the lousy internet connection freezing up, and began packing for my eventual move home.
* Lady Cats > Lady Badgers
* Notre Dame has perhaps the greatest sports complex I've ever seen. Even softball has their own mini-stadium, football's practice field is nicer than any field in the entire Vermont state, and their soccer field actually made me want to... get this, see a game there.
* It's nice being a short drive to big events and big cities.
* Dress in full uniform when your team only has a handful of fans and there's a good chance the coach will spot you and wave hello.
* The Vermont women's assistant coaches wife, who sat next to me for the game, has lots of passion for the game, and was a hoot to sit near.
* Notre Dame's women's team is good, and this may have been the best Vermont women's team I've seen in quite awhile. Don't tell Sherri Turnbull, or Sharon Bay I said that though.
* There are a lot of tolls between Milwaukee and South Bend, Indiana
* If you're listening to the radio, your iPod, or a CD while driving through Chicago know this: If a song by Chicago comes on you must listen to it in full. "You're the meaning in my life..."
* People in Chicago care about as much about the speed limit as people in New England care about San Diego Padre Baseball.
* The Wisconsin Dells is like Lake George on CRACK, crack I tell you crack. In fact I shouldn't really even compare it to Lake George because it's insulting to the Dells. They do entertainment and fun right and I just drove through.
*La Crosse Wisconsin welcomes you to town with a huge statue of Indians playing... you guessed it, lacrosse.
* The drive along the eastern border of Minnesota is beautiful. Mountains on one side, Mississippi river on the other. Also some historic towns on the route... Wabasha - Known for being the town featured in "Grumpy Old Men" films Lake City - Which is the birthplace of waterskiing and I defy you to drive through it without picking up that fact. Red Wing - Home of Red Wing Shoes and the entire town uses their logo on EVERYTHING.
* The Xcel Energy Arena is one of the finest indoor arenas I've ever visited for hockey... or anything else for that matter.
* The only non-UVM employee that I knew at the game in St. Paul was the man seated next to me. Fellow Colchester High School '97 graduate, Kyle Kadish. An ironic twist if there ever was one that we would represent the super fans in St. Paul.
* Dan Lawson, whose parents sat in the row in front of us, is the king of replay goals. Also his only two goals of the season were the only two goals the Catamounts scored in the 3-2 loss to the Badgers.
* Badger hockey fans are some of the rudest fans in all of college hockey that I've seen. They put Cornell's fans to shame. They actually booed Vermont's college commercial video when played on the scoreboard. Then they chanted "Hobey Baker" after their player, a candidate for the award, had injured one of our players while he was still down on the ice. That player received a penalty for the hit.
* Butler University is in Indianapolis and they are very good at basketball.
* Andrew Bogut should work on his dismounts
* R-E-S-P-E-C-T find out what it means to Eagles... taking offers for Donovan McNabb?
* I made the decision to move back to Vermont with a lot of help from the University of Vermont and their great people there.
* I realized that March Madness was merely the prequel for "Spring Packing - April Countdown," and "Moveback May."
So as you can read it was an exciting month with moments, memories, and people that will last forever. More big stuff to come as the road to Moveback May continues!
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