Stanley Cup Finals Game 1
Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals didn't end the way I'd want, but it did end the way I expected. I think the Senators will win it in 6 and whatever happens, I hope they manage to win it somehow. They definitely showed the ability to do it today. That first Ducks goal is really what killed them, I think, in spite of how the game went afterwards.

At least the game was fun and exciting, which is always good in the finals. Wednesday's game should be a lot of fun - hopefully it'll have a better outcome.

GO SENATORS!!

My migraine was definitely not helped by the noise in the arena. I finally broke down and took something for it tonight. Hopefully, that'll help. Now that they've changed the lights out at work (which I think made the migraines worse), I'd like to start out the week without a migraine and see if I can stay there.

Labels: hockey, migraines, NHL, sports

Posted by Kat @ 9:13 PM | 1 meows

NHL Playoff Fun
The Red Wings/Ducks game last night was unreal. I hadn't ever cheered for the Red Wings before, but did a lot of that at the Honda Center last night. It was definitely strange, but a lot of fun. As a Kings fan, the playoffs haven't had a lot of overly bright spots. Last night's game at the Honda Center was definitely a huge bright spot. The worst Ducks' loss in their playoff history. Sure, they haven't been around that long, but to be there for the loss was the best a Kings fan could hope for in a season where the Kings were clearly out of the playoffs from early on in the season.

The fact that the Ducks were down the entire game made the crowd a lot more quiet. Since the organist never really does much to get the crowd going and they have to start most of their own cheers, it was a lot more quiet than most arenas of losing teams. The traffic going home was a lot lighter, since so many fans left early. There was definitely a much higher red to orange ratio at the end of the game than at the beginning.

I'm glad that the Sabres managed to win tonight. I'm sure all of their fans were worried that they'd manage to lose as they have when they've had leads before, but it's good that they held on. Hopefully, they'll be able to win one at home for their fans. I'm sure Ottawa will win the series, but at least it'll look like the Sabres fought for the win a bit.

Enjoy the NHL playoffs (and the NBA playoffs for those of you who watch them. I've never really cared about basketball unless it's college and Penn State is still involved, so that's not too often)!

Labels: hockey, NHL, playoffs, sports

Posted by Kat @ 10:56 PM | 0 meows

The Light in the Piazza
I got to see The Light in the Piazza again at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.  I definitely recommend seeing it if you can manage to catch it before the tour ends.  The Light in the Piazza tour site has information on the remaining citites.  I'm sure it'll tour again in a few years, if you miss this one, though, but then you'll probably miss David Burnham as Fabrizio and you want to catch him if you can, he's amazing.  The rest of the cast is wonderful, but he really stood out.

Before the show, the lady next to me explained that her friends had told her not to bother seeing The Light in the Piazza.  I told her I'd seen it a week and a half ago and had come back to see it (with a slightly better seat than my normal seat - I got lucky ), since I enjoyed it so much.  The music is beautiful and it's romantic.  I explained that perhaps her friends, like my husband, were put off by the Italian.  After the first act, she said that she thought there was too much Italian, but the music was beautiful.  By the end of the show, she told me she understood why I had come back to see the show again.   She also asked, since I'd mentioned David Burnham's CD earlier, if she should really get his CD, and I said definitely.  She was surprised that she hadn't seen him in anything before, but I mentioned that I'm sure we'll see him a lot in the future.  It's clear that with his voice, personality, and look he can accomplish almost anything he wants to in music and theatre.

It was great to see the show again.  I fully enjoyed seeing it again.

My migraine isn't in full swing yet, and I'm happy about that, but I am flushed and worried that it might be coming.  Here's hoping I get lucky today.  Perhaps if I manage to cool myself down early enough with ice packs I can keep it at bay...

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there...

Labels: David Burnham, holiday, migraines, shows

Posted by Kat @ 7:14 PM | 0 meows

What a Week...
What a Week...
Glad that it's the weekend... Just one of those weeks at work. I had been so excited last week when the migraine from hell went away and when it came back yesterday afternoon along with the tingling in my hands they said I might get the first couple weeks and again this afternoon, it really bummed me out. Hopefully, it'll go away again by tomorrow morning and not come back. David is painting the theatre room wall, but I'm going out to run some errands and to see The Light in the Piazza again if I can get a decent seat when I head over there tomorrow, since I'll be in the area. If not, I'll find some other way to stay out of the house, but I'm hopeful that I'll find at least a semi-decent seat. For some reason, it's not selling well - I just don't get it. The show is great.

Tonight, the Ducks lost to the Red Wings. Strange to be cheering for the Red Wings, but great to see the Ducks lose the first game. I'd like to see them come back to Anaheim down 2-0. That'd be a great way to start off the Western Conference Finals!

I hope everyone has a great weekend - especially the mothers out there!

Labels: hockey, holiday, life, migraines, musicals, NHL, playoffs

Posted by Kat @ 10:08 PM | 0 meows

Life is Good!
First of all, congratulations to the University of California, Irvine Volleyball team - NCAA Champions! They're also the MPSF Champions, which was a harder road - they had to face the number one ranked team going into the playoffs (Pepperdine) to win that one. This is UCI's first Volleyball NCAA or MPSF Championship ever and first NCAA Championship since 1988 (the other two were in water polo).

In other good sports news, the Rangers are out of the playoffs (it's about time - sorry, Kenny) and so are the Devils! We enjoyed the AVP (pro beach volleyball) today in Huntington Beach with Chris and Amy - beautiful day to be at the beach and just windy enough to keep us from being too hot in the stands. Gorgeous day to be at the beach. Parking took forever, but it was worth it.

We saw The Light in the Piazza Wednesday night and I loved it. Check out my review on my Kat Views site. I bought David Burnham's CD and The Light in the Piazza right away and can't wait to get them. Now, on to the really big news for me....

Those of you who know me well know two things about me:
1. I love the musical Rent
2. I had a transformed migraine which started on October 3, 2006

Here's the great news....
1. Anthony Rapp & Adam Pascal are going back to Broadway for 6 weeks only to reprise their roles (Mark & Roger) and I'm heading back there to see them. I missed the OBC. Of course, I own the DVD, but seeing them live in the roles they created on Broadway will mean so much to me. We already had our annual trip planned and we arrive the day after their last scheduled performance, but you all know how much I love New York, so having an excuse to go there one more time, see my friends, and see some extra shows is never a problem for me. I'm very excited. If (as Murphy's Law would dictate) Anthony & Adam extend their run, I'll get tickets for when I'm there in September and David will get to experience them in Rent live, too. It's a win-win situation, really.

2. This is the big one... I woke up Friday morning without a migraine. After 7 months and one day, my migraine was gone. I'm a big fan of Topamax. I was afraid to think it could last all day, but it did. The really great news was when we saw Spider-Man 3: The IMAX Experience on Saturday and by the end of the movie I still had no migraine. I have a mild migraine now, but I went 2 1/2 days without a migraine and after 7 months with one, that's HUGE! I have a lot more energy and today's migraine was brought on by being out in the sun and perhaps a bit of dehydration. We drank water and gatorade, but perhaps not enough. At least I have hope that I might wake up tomorrow without a migraine, which is something that was hard to have last week.

Spider-Man 3 was my favorite Spider-Man movie yet. Great special effects, well-done story line, and Venom - what more could one want? I definitely recommend seeing it in IMAX if you can.

Labels: beach volleyball, hockey, life, migraines, movies, musicals, NHL, playoffs, volleyball

Posted by Kat @ 10:15 PM | 0 meows

Round 2 Begins
Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs has begun! As I expected, the Rangers got killed by the Sabres. It was wonderful to see that Jagr and Avery were both kept from getting any points, too. Wonderful day for all of us who can't stand the jerks on the Rangers. I do really like some of the guys on the team, but those who are jerks are so loud about it that they make it hard to remember that there are nice guys on the Rangers.

The Ducks game was exciting, even for a Kings fan. I thought the Canucks would put up much more of a fight - especially when the Ducks came out super-sluggish. It seemed that the Ducks didn't realize the game started at 7 this time around (as many of the fans didn't). Perhaps the Canucks were just tired, but I thought tonight's game was the Canucks' best chance at playing well against the Ducks. Hopefully, they'll win a game at home to make it respectful and bring the playoffs back here for a game 5, but I can't imagine this round going beyond that point - especially the way tonight's game went. I guess a lot will be seen by how they come out in the next game, though. Perhaps they were just tired from all their overtime games against the Stars. Luongo had played more minutes of hockey than anyone else out there with all the overtime and going to 7 games in the first series.

I hope the rest of you hockey fans are enjoying the playoffs!

Labels: hockey, NHL, playoffs, sports

Posted by Kat @ 8:20 PM | 0 meows