Christmas time catch up!

This is the reason we meet every year.
For probably everyone else in the world, this is probably a pretty lame excuse to meet.  To play a video game for the privilege of getting your name on a plate to glue to the side of a trophy and then brag for the next year.  And we are 1 year behind because the King of Re-gifting got the chicken pox that one year.

We don't see each other enough!
We'll have everyone come over one time just to have all the wives and kids together.
Tresa always puts on a great spread.
She loves her home and her kitchen.
I'm glad cuz it was a lot of effort.
It certainly wasn't rushed.
It's well thought out and every inch of space is used.
It's cozy, and it's home.

And we have a pretty sweet set up in the basement.
PS4 + Big Screen + cooler with beers.  Can't ask for much more.  But we do get a lot more.

It's always fun getting together.  And it's fun getting rid of stuff we don't want any more and giving it a new home.  I'm sure the conversations at our house is a bit different than any other location.

I look forward to these games
every year.  Seems like we just played it a few months ago, but it's already a year later.  A year closer to mid-century.
Pretty scary.  But 50 is the new 30.
I'm just looking forward to get past the next few years of Kieran's schooling.
But hey, a good education, and environment is important to success in life.  But so is lying on a beach somewhere with nannies looking after your kids. And your spouse is on some conference call in the late evenings while you were getting your beauty sleep and snoring up a storm, worthy of a CPAP machine.

That's the real dream.  One day it will become reality.  Just not in my immediate future.  I just hope it's in my future.
Any future is possible, you just have to make it happen.

Just like eating these expired cookies.
Butter lasts forever, don't it?
Guess who brought it.

I've never seen refugee/immigrant family sized Toblerone bars before.   Must be something new in our country and their open door/welcome mat policy.  These bars are humongous, and come with free dental and insulin.

My gift bag was looking pretty good.
Beer from some other place outside of N.Amer.
Some kids snacks.
I'll have to check the best before date.
Some great music CD.
Unused soap from a Super 8 in India.

The Air Canada earbuds were nice.
I can always use those.  If they work.


The bento box will be handy for sure.
Since I work from home.
I can pack a lunch and pretend to go the office and reheat my lunch, just like regular commuters.

This next one is a bit odd.
Maybe it's a hint or something.
Guess who gave it.
I'm not the only one who got it.
so did everyone else.
His name sounds like Baloney.

Actually he said it's a tooth brush.
I just hope it's not used.

Thanks Tresa for doing everything today.  Everyone loves your hospitality.
Especially Moi.

But it was time to get down to business.  Plus it was getting late and Derrick needed to get up bright and early at the crack of 10am to get to work.

It was tense.  Glad I had a lot of tall boys in the cooler.  It helped me loosen up.
For Derrick it loosened up his bladder.
Every intermission was a bladder exercise.

Game 1 wasn't even close.  8-4 for R&T.
You know it's coming, and you can see it, but those ol' Sega moves still work!

Game 2 was tight.  Even throughout 2 periods.
22 shots apiece!  But that's where the similarities ended.
R&T almost doubled the time on the attack.  And the 3rd period collapse resulted in a 5-3 win.

Game 3 D&H came out swinging.  Bowling over our goalie every chance they got, running into the net minder, playing the garbage style game that only they do best.  Down 3-0 late in the 3rd frame, R&T scored to make a game of it, putting some pressure on them, but unable to get another, losing 1-3.

Game 4 was an all out scoring fest.  R&T scored first, putting D&H back on the defensive.  Playing catch up is a difficult way to win a game.  But they wouldn't go away.  Keeping the game within reach.  It was close.  It almost could've gone either way late in the 3rd period.  The momentum was on their side, but they kept peppering the goalie, while R&T managed to use their passing and Sega moves to put some insurance goals and win 9-6.

You could sense defeat was imminent, but being down 3 games to 1.  D&H have come back before.  It was do or die time, but before we battled agin, it was time for a bladder intermission.  Again.

Game 5.  R&T knew what to expect.  We expected D&H to run interference on our goalie.  But a quick goal put them back on their heels.  It also got them talking to themselves again.  Putting doubt in their heads.  Could they come back?  Or would they crack under the immense pressure of playing from behind, AGAIN!  They were definitely putting the pressure on, the shots were there, but they weren't going in.

D&H just couldn't stop from being steam rolled by the scoring efficiency of the R&T train that was arriving at the station.
They were done like a mangled ureter.  This was back to back wins. TWO THERE IT IS!
Could this be a dynasty in the making, like in years past (before the CUP)?
It could be.


A new layer to the Cup.
A new plate.

2016 CUP Champions
Tony and Garces!

That's why we look so happy.
Cuz it sucks to lose.