As promised...

I told the tv last night that I would get some Swiss chocolate if Brunner won the game for us, consider the promise fulfilled. Holding out of the more exotic chocolates for a hat trick.

Keep up the good work, kid.

An Open Letter to Damien Brunner

Dear Mr. Brunner,
 You don't know me yet, so allow me to introduce myself. I'm Sara, or Neuie if you prefer, and I take pictures of hockey. I like to call out people who aren't performing with awkward pictures and reward those I like with tribute posts. If you ruin my pictures, ::cough, Ville Leino, cough:: I'll call you out on that too and let the world know what a picture hog you are. It doesn't take much to make me happy as a hockey fan, just show up and play hard. Prove to me you're working hard and I'll support you 100%. There is something else you should know, I'm half Swiss and have been hoping (since how many Irish hockey players make it to the NHL?) for a Swiss player to join the Wings and enter the upper echelons of Red Wing hockey for a long time.
 So here's the deal- you prove that you belong on the top line and I'll make Swiss food in your honor. Röschti, fondue, raclette, zöpf, spaetzli, brötli, linzertorte... you have your pick. Will the food ever make it to you? No, I'm thinking not. But I will happily consume it in your place. I'll also try to get some awesome pictures (of you, not the food) and post those here. And if you ever get a hat trick, I'll hunt down some Frey schokolade and dedicate the eating of it to you as well. Sound like a plan? Please try to comply, I'd hate to give up röschti und eier for Sunday breakfast.

Sincerely,
 SaraNeuie

A return to normalcy

Although the lockout has probably left a sour taste in your mouth, I for one am glad to have the NHL back. At least the Red Wing portion of it. To celebrate that, I finally have some pictures to share again. This first one is a throwback for Natalie.

Now on to some pictures from more recent times...

I discovered I am sorely lacking in Zetterpics from last year and plan on changing that this year. Any other requests of what you'd like to see?

I'm bored, enjoy a photo...

Jimmy Takes a Bow

And with that, here's Brad Stuart apparently playing air guitar.

Laikon

This is not a hockey post, not really, but it relates to hockey in a way. You'll see how eventually...

My favorite bookstore ever, the Island Bookstore on Mackinaw Island as well as in Mackinaw City, has a bookmark they sell telling you to “Love your local.” I take that advice to heart whenever I find a quaint little bookshop and always buy something regardless of price, knowing that's very well the only thing keeping it afloat. Sure, I'll shop at Barnes and Noble (and would still shop at Borders if they hadn't shut down) and, even more telling perhaps, I work for Target, but there's something special about a little, local shop.

Taking it a step further, the Germans have a phrase, lokal, meaning a pub or eatery, but it really means your “local.” It's one of those words that carries more than a basic definition. If you're at all familiar with the Dearborn area, I'll put it this way for you- Bailey's is a bar, Miller's and Biergarten are lokals. The same thing goes for restaurants. Yeah, you can hang out at the Horn for hours drinking coffee, the one guy in your group will get hit on by the waitress three times his age and call everyone hun, but that's a local chain restaurant, not a lokal. That hole in the wall, greasy spoon, looks like you might catch something if you went in there but wow was the food good even though the waiter made fun of your vintage Ted Lindsay jersey? That's a lokal. If you don't have one, I feel sorry for you. It's that special place that doesn't care if you're telling wildly inappropriate stories as you drink your 7^th cup of coffee, the waitstaff knows where they work and what they're getting into and they just go along with it. Sometimes they even share a story or two with you. It's there to celebrate after your team wins and to drown your sorrows in hot cheese after a loss. For me, and several of my friends, that place was Laikon. Not really local for us, but it was our lokal. We found out recently to our great dismay that Laikon is closed and I didn't even get to say goodbye in proper form. Sure, there are plenty of other restaurants in Greektown and if I'm really desperate I can go to a coney island, but it's not the same. Yes, I'm celebrating the win last night, but I'm mourning the loss of my Greektown home away from home. Though it pains my inner barista to do so, I'm encouraging anyone who knew and loved Laikon to raise a slightly stale cup of coffee in its honor. You'll be missed.

yes, I still exist

In honor of Joey Mac's birthday, here's a motivator I posted last season. Happy Birthday, Joey.