Blogger vs. the World, Chapter 2--The Hamburglar

     It seems like all of the current events are just about doom and gloom.  I feel like if I just watched Fox or CNN news all day, I would be convinced that the world is going to end in a matter of days.  So, for a change, the author of this blog is going to write about the ultimate feel-good story of the NHL this season.  This is the story of Andrew Hammond.

     Andrew Hammond is the newest goaltender of the Ottawa Senators, and as a rookie at twenty-seven years old, can hardly be considered a fresh face.  Hammond has had to overcome adversity virtually his entire hockey career.  He has had to bear playing minor-junior hockey in Canada in front of virtually zero fans, play at the well-below-average University of Bowling Green, and face being cut from his respective NHL club three times.  That did not deter the resilient Canadian.  When given his chance to finally perform in the NHL, he seized the opportunity and skated with it for as long as he could.  

It all started on February 18 of this year.  The Ottawa Senator's backup goalie, Robin Lehner had just been injured, and the third-string Hammond had to replace him.  Hammond stepped in and stopped 42 shots to earn his first NHL win.  This was the beginning of something great for Hammond and the Senators.  Since then the team has put up an unbelievable record of 14-1-1 with Hammond in the net.  In fact, Hammond has been so stellar for the Senators that fans have taken to calling him the Ham-Burglar on account that he has the infamous McDonald's character painted on his mask.  Fans have even gone so far as to throw hamburgers on the ice, which other players have even picked up and eaten. Along with that, the fast-food restaurant McDonald's has given him free hamburgers for life on account of all of the free advertising that he has given them.

     The surgence of Andrew Hammond into the NHL has proven to be essential to the success of his hockey club.  Before he joined the team, the Senators were a struggling team that would surely miss the playoffs, but after he arrived, they are back in the playoff race.  This goes to show that anything can happen in hockey and that Andrew's story is certainly one to feel good about.

Until next time, this is Kevin Freestone signing off.

Blogger vs. the World

               
Blogger vs. the World: Chapter 1--a candid discussion

                   The great Jackie Moon once said, “Everybody love everybody.”  This quote describes my personality perfectly.  I want people to just love each other the way a sub-five hundred semi-professional basketball team would.  I want this because there’s enough hate for everyone in the world.  In fact, I recon the world has had so much hate that it must be darn near sick of it.

                 Another quality that defines me is my fear of spiders.  I know that this is a common phobia among human males, but I cannot deny the fact that spiders are the scariest living creatures on the face of the planet. With their eight legs and their many eyes, I feel like they are constantly plotting some sinister plan to destroy me. I suppose that my fear of arachnids came about when I went kayaking one day in fifth grade.  While I was cruising on the water, I discovered a secret waterway that led under a bridge.  I followed the passageway and it led to a thin river with many trees hanging over the water.  I paddled my way down the river for about an hour when it started to become very narrow.  It seemed as if the trees were closing in around me and about to swallow me up.  On the branches that were reaching into my soul were massive spider webs with huge, terrifying spiders staring directly at me.  At this point I wanted to turn around but the river was too narrow and the current was carrying me closer and closer to the killer arachnids.   When the boat made contact with the first web, the fear of God was struck directly into the darkest region of my soul.  It seemed like slow motion when a single, massive, plump, juicy, spider fell on to the hull of my kayak and began to crawl towards me.  I could almost see its fangs, itching to tear out a chunk of my flesh.  I was so petrified by fear that I dropped my paddle in the murky water.  It was only by reflex that I snatched it from the water before it sunk too far below the surface.  Since there was not enough room to turn around, I had to continue my perilous journey down the river until it widened enough for me to make a 180.  As soon as I turned around, I paddled as fast and as hard as I could until I was back in open waters.
             
         Since that day I have harbored a dark secret.  I have to admit that the boat wasn’t the only thing that came to shore with me that day. A terrible phobia of spiders came along. Every day a sinking fear follows me.  I think to myself, "today might be the day that the spiders finally unleash their wrath upon me."  Some days I fall into a false sense of security; thinking that the spiders have forgotten about me, but then I see one out of the corner of my eye and I realize that they are simply biding their time until they encounter the ideal moment to scare me. I must say that it is a strange feeling always having to look over my shoulder to make sure that the spiders aren't following me. Maybe one day I’ll get over it but I don’t see that happening that any time soon.

                Along with a fear of spiders, I have other qualities that define me, but those are not important.  I am Kevin Freestone, Spider-Fearer, and I am proud of it.

Until next time, this is Kevin Freestone, Spider-Fearer, signing off.