Bon Jovi

Daphne PsaledakisLeave a comment

It’s the first day back from break, and it is clear that everyone’s thoughts still center around their week off. So I thought maybe I’d share with you guys a small part of mine.

A while back, in the beginning of December, I was stressing out. My dad’s 50th Birthday was coming up and I wasn’t quite sure what to get him. I looked at paddle-boards and passes, but I couldn’t find anything within my budget. Eventually I visited the Pepsi Center website to see if maybe I could buy him tickets to a few Colorado Avalanche games.

Advertised across the top of the screen was a banner for a Bon Jovi concert occurring on April 16th, at the Pepsi Center. We had just been to a Bruce Springsteen concert, at which my dad had said that they’re are certain people if given the chance you have to see, even if you don’t like their music. To me, Bon Jovi was one of those people.

I’m not a particular fan of his music, but one of my little brothers favorite songs has always been Livin’ on a Prayer. This prompted me to buy the tickets, and on Tuesday April 16th we packed up the truck and drove down to Denver.

As we arrived at the Pepsi Center, we noticed the six tour buses (one for each member), as well as what must have been about a dozen semi’s. The parking lot was fuller than we had ever seen it, even for Av’s games.

The concert was by far one of the better one’s I’ve been too. Not because I like his music, because I don’t really, or because he’s popular. He put on a show. He threw everything he had into what he was doing on stage.

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We soon figured out what the absurd amount of semi’s were for as huge columns rose and fell from the ceiling, rising up and down from the floor to meet in the middle. Animated graphics were projected onto the columns, matching the song Bon Jovi was belting out. At first we thought they were just fabric or styrofoam, something cheap. That was until the famous rocker started walking across them.

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He sang his hit songs, as well as songs from his new album. He danced his heart out on stage, and changed his outfit twice. The lights were insane, pulsing to the beat of the music. The concert was over-the-top. It was loud. And it was awesome.

Why the Red Wings?-Let’s Discuss

backinphillyLeave a comment

So why do I think the Red Wings spell disaster for the Chicago Blackhawks (the Western Conference’s projected number 1 seed)?

The Detroit Red Wings are an incredibly storied franchise not only in the NHL but in all of sports. This season’s Red Wing team is equally as dangerous as in years past. This team is simply flawless. They are much younger than they have been in the past, being right in the middle of the league’s average roster age.

For those that are interested, the link for NHL ages is right here. Really just had to google it.

And for those interested, the NHL’s oldest roster is my New Jersey Devils. That might have something to do with the fact that our goalies are Martin Broduer (40) and Johan Hedberg (39).

Back to the Wings, though. Detroit has a few stars on their roster that while a little older, have superb conditioning. They are the most fundamentally sound team I’ve probably ever watched.

Let’s take roll call. We have the captain, Henrik Zetterberg, who has 8 goals but 27 assists. So whose scoring the goals?

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EQT Elevation

displacedlocalLeave a comment

A little retrospective on Kobe’s first pro sneaker
The adidas EQT Elevation are coming back and we got a chance to check them out. Now he is considered one of the best players of all time, but in 1997 Kobe Bryant was an untested rookie. adidas brought him in as a new signature player. 1997 all-star weekend. The dunk competition. Featuring stiff competition from players like Ray Allen and Chris Carr, Kobe Bryant would have to be great. Wearing the purple adidas Equipment Elevation, Kobe threw down his first two dunks to limited fanfare. His last dunk would have to be amazing. He dribbled up and made a high-flying between the legs dunk. The dunk was legendary. It was the turning point of his career.


When he made that dunk Kobe Bryant brought the EQT Elevation to the history books with him. The Zig Zag pattern on the midsole and the deep purple on the upper were representations of Kobe himself. Kobe was young, new, and had the potential to be a legend. He was part of a dynasty; The Lakers became titans with Kobe on the roster. A living legend, Kobe’s rookie year is remembered by that dunk, and on his feet, the EQT Elevation… set to release later on this year.

Bad Lip Reading: NFL

callmemaybe32Leave a comment

I had seen this video a while back, but I had forgotten about it for a while.

I was sent a video by a fellow football player, called, “Sound FX of the NFL,” or something to that affect.

It reminded me of the Bad Lip Reading of the NFL that I had watched a while back and I wanted to see it again.

I watched it and have been repeating it over and over, showing it to people, and I laugh every time I see it.

Jim Harbaugh desperately asking for cake, a ref explaining what he walked into when he went out with a girl last weekend, and Tom Brady recognizing what race he his.

Take a look at this video and let me know what you think about it.

I would love to see your comments.

Please enjoy. I know this isn’t exactly a new video, but it’s hilarious.

Life Outside School

smackyjackjackLeave a comment

I don’t know about any of you, but I get very anxious having to stay in one place all the time.

I know I can’t really complain though, because unlike a lot of you, I’m not a boarding student, but still. Especially recently, I’ve wanted to leave school for a while and travel to as many places as I can to just get away from the normal routine.

So what better timing could be possible than leaving the day after Prom to go to Guatemala with my friends for a bit longer than a week?

I’ve already been down there, having flown into Honduras first. Let me just say, that I’m very glad we aren’t flying back into San Pedro Sula this time. We felt like there was a weird vibe that time we were there. It could have been the graffiti that said “Gringos Asesinos” or just the generally weird looks we got walking down the street. But it was probably the statistic that that was the most dangerous city…on the planet.

But Guatemala is one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been. Traveling to different places is my favorite thing to do, the more different the better.

And what better of a place to stay than the amazing Tortugal river lodge? Honestly, even though I’ve only stayed there once, this place is one of my favorite places on the planet.

Who knows what awesome things we’ll see this time. All I know is that I’ll have something to blog about when I get back. Which is good because I’m running out of ideas.

MELBOURNE.

eternity10302 Comments

Lots of my friends have dream cities such as Paris, San Francisco and so on. As for me, one of my dream cities is Melbourne.

Melbourne is one of the most popular cities in Australia which is also often referred to the “Garden City” and “cultural capital of Australia.” It is also a major centre for contemporary and traditionalAustralian music. “Melbourne was ranked as the world’s most liveable city in ratings published by the Economist Group‘s Intelligence Unit in August 2011 and again in 2012.”

If I had a chance to go there, the very first thing would be to enjoy the art of the city.

“Melbourne is home to a thriving arts scene and boasts more than 100 galleries ranging from large public institutions to smaller commercial galleries and artist cooperatives.” The most famous one is The National Gallery of Victoria. The NGV’s Australian art collection encompasses Indigenous (Australian Aboriginal) art, Australian colonial painting, Australian Impressionist painting, 20th century, modern and contemporary Australian art.

To experience Melbourne emotion of cultures more profoundly, i would make sure not to miss the fabulous restaurants, cafes, bistros and bars. Whether you’re after modern, traditional, exotic or homespun flavours – Melbourne’s eclectic dining scene offers a startling array of the world’s great cuisines, from popular favourites to the truly.

At the end of the day, it’s time for some entertainments. Comedy shows, Live music and dance club are all available at night.

Recently, I found out that the reason for people to fall in love with a certain city mostly is either the memories left in that city or the dream that lurks in there.

If my world collapses, I will escape far away, somewhere like Melbourne.

Mermaids

Daphne PsaledakisLeave a comment

Recently there seems to be a fascination with becoming a mermaid – and not just among seven year-old girls.

Linden Wolbert quit her job in 2005 as a residence director of Emerson College, in order to become a full-time professional mermaid. She is equipped with a 35-pound, 6-foot long hydrodynamic tail.

Thanks to training as a free-diver, Wolbert is capable of holding her breath for five minutes, and swimming down to about 100-feet.

However, Linden Wolbert is not the only one who has made a lifestyle for them-self through an obsession with mermaids. Eric Ducharme, from Florida, was recently featured on TLC’s My Crazy Obsession, for his passionate love of menfolk.

As a child, Ducharme had been enraptured by stories of the elusive creatures. Now, Ducharme makes realistic looking mermaid tails out of various materials.

Personally, I don’t understand the obsession. But to each his own I guess, and I wish them the best of luck with their merbusiness.

Let’s Talk a Little Hockey

backinphillyLeave a comment

As many know, the NHL season was cut in half this season due to problems with a collective bargaining agreement, or CBA. It’s funny how in the past 2-3 years, labor issues have been a serious problem in professional sports across the board. The NBA and NHL lost games while the NFL lost certain preseason workouts. All three were greatly affected. However, this 48 game season of hockey (a full season has 82 games) has been nothing short of exciting yet confusing.

I’m a big New Jersey Devils fan. They lost in the Stanley Cup finals last year to the Los Angeles Kings, but I wasn’t torn up about it. I was excited to even get to the finals and win the Eastern Conference. That was way more than I was expecting last season, but it elevated my expectations for this season.

We aren’t the best team in hockey. But, we play very well. At least we can say we are better off than Columbus.

Regardless, the playoffs are fast approaching as there are about 10 games left for most teams in the regular season.

The NHL is ranked on a point system. A team is given 2 standing points for a win, 0 for a loss, and 1 for a loss in overtime or a shootout. In each conference, there are 3 divisions. This is the last year we will see this, as next year the league is realigning into four conferences. Anyway, there are three divisions in each conference, and the division leader in each makes the playoffs as the first, second or third seed. In order to finish off the playoff bracket, the next 5 teams in point standings are added to the bunch. 8 teams from each conference go to the playoffs, making a total of 16 teams.

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The Last Petal

callmemaybe32Leave a comment

She loves me.

She loves me not.

Pulling the petals of a flower,

looking for an answer.

As if killing something beautiful is going to find the solution to my problem.

She loves.

She loves me not.

I keep pulling petals out one after one, but still nothing.

She loves me.

She loves me not.

The flowers life remains in my hands,

shards of its life scattered around me

Only to be blown away by the next breeze.

She loves me.

She loves me not.

Only 4 petals left,

But still the pile grows around me,

With the next wind

My answer will come.

She loves me.

She loves me not.

Only the last two, but I see how the story is going to end.

Do I pull them and reassure what I already believe, or do I leave the last two?

Hoping that maybe it will generate new petals to change my outcome.

I drop the flower and walk away.

Still wondering about her through the day.

I return the next morning at dawn,

Only to find my flower gone.

I spend the day wandering the streets.

Alone and confused,

I still look for the answer.

In a nearby meadow I see a field of flowers.

I rush over and I am engulfed, but no amount of picking is going to change the out come.

She loves me.

She loves me____

What’s that I smell? Comeback.

callmemaybe32Leave a comment

The Kings started off this shortened season on sort of rocky seas so to speak.

The home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks was nothing short of depressing after riding out the high of winning the Stanley Cup.

In the end losing to the Blackhawks made sense seeing as they went on to set the all time record for most consecutive games from the start of a season not lost in regular time.

For a while it looked like the Kings were going to fall out of playoff contention, but just as they did last year they, to quote a song, “started from the bottom, and now the whole team’s [*******] here.”

Last year they went from being the #8 seed in the Western Conference to the #1 team in the NHL within a matter of weeks.

The Kings are currently holding in 4th place, but are tied with Vancouver at 48 points.

The Blackhawks remain #1 with 62 out of a possible 76 points, and have clinched a playoff spot, but it will be a battle with the Anaheim Ducks to see who takes the west.

Hopefully the Kings climb to the top, but their final position in the west is unknown.

Hopefully they can pull out a repeat of last year and come up from the bottom, surprising everyone in their path.