Dead alternator

As is the fashion these days, I got up at 5:30 AM to get Julian to his 7:15 AM game - this one was way the heck over in Nesconset. Actually, I got up at 4:00 AM and couldn't get back to sleep, so I was feeling pretty fresh. I rounded up the usual suspect, hopped in the car, and took off.

Halfway there, the radio clicked off. That's never a good sign. Then the headlights started to dim. I turned off everything I didn't need - the fan, the radio, the purple neon strip around the bumpers. We managed to glide into the Sports Plus lot, but I figured I might have to call for help on the way back.

The game was nice and relaxing. Julian was a +5 in an 11-6 win, despite touching the puck once. Like most other rinks, Sports Plus was far superior to Dix Hills. By the end of the game, the sun was up and the car had warmed up just a bit. We got in, crossed our fingers, and it started okay. It was trying to go home to die. Which it did, as soon as I pulled it into our driveway. AAA was soon by to retrieve it and send it on its way.

The Rebels had a second game at Nassau Coliseum in the afternoon, versus a team from New Jersey. About a month ago, their Webmaster, Tara, dropped me a line. It turns out that she's a distant cousin who found this site while searching for news about her father. It was another good game - Julian's team won 6-0, although he got dumped on his butt by a kid who was about twice his size.

But wait! There's more hockey! We went home, then headed back to the Coliseum again for Islanders-Penguins. It wasn't close. Pittsburgh might be the worst NHL team I've ever seen, and I'm an Islanders fan. They couldn't handle the puck, they couldn't keep the Isles from rushing the zone, and they started a lot of fights and lost them all, then got additional penalties. The final was 7-2 Islanders, and it wasn't even that close. Mario Lemieux isn't going to make it past Christmas.

And of course, the best news of all - the Yankees lost!