Casino Night!

It's the event everyone is talking about: Alison Aiken's big fundraiser to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Here's the deal:

As many readers of this blog (and Alison's fans) already know, Alison has spent the last several months training like a mad-woman for an Olympic distance triathlon -- the Mooseman -- to be held in Bristol, NH in June. She is participating with Team in Training and has pledged to raise $2800 in support of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. While most mortals spent the winter huddled around heaters and woodstoves, Alison has been out getting herself in killer shape and at the same time raising money for cancer research, which, as we all know, continues to claim and affect lives every day. Thank goodness some people like Alison and her TnT teammates are out there doing something about it... thanks to her hard work and the generosity of many people who have already donated, she has raised $1800 so far. Wow.

As a final push to reach her fundraising goal, Alison has announced "Casino Night" at Casa Aiken on Friday, May 21 at 6pm. Tickets are $20. Tickets are good for entry, refreshments, and -- most importantly -- CHIPS! People will furiously participate in different card and dice games -- or, for those who don't like cards or dice -- ping pong! At the end of the evening, an accounting will take place. Those with the most chips at the end win crazy prizes from places like Evolution Physical Therapy and Yoga, PetraCliffs Climbing Center, On the Rise Bakery, Tuscano Cafe Bistro, Stowe Mountain Resort, Sonoma Station, Bolton Valley, Bridge Street Cafe, Al's French Fries, and many more to be announced.

I know what you are thinking. You are asking "How do I get a ticket!" Here's how:
1) Post a comment on this blog or email Alison regarding how many tickets you need.
2) Click here for Alison's TnT fundraising website to purchase your tickets -- $20 per ticket.
3) Tell all your friends!
4) Pick up your tickets, come to Casino Night, retrieve your chips, and start winning!

For now, join the rest of the world in wondering about the big questions: Will Alison pull out her Las Vegas showgirl outfit for the night? Will pit boss Mark rule the tables with an iron fist? Will Oscar the dog leave the refreshments alone? And, of course, the biggest question of all: who will be the big winner???

Contact Alison for questions about Casino Night!

Good News and Bad News

I read an article someplace yesterday with bad news. It was about trash bags.

The good news here is that Alison and I are great about separating -- and reducing -- our garbage. Minimizing what you throw away is cheaper, it's better for the world, and it's just the right thing to do. So, at the moment, we separate out all of our glass, cardboard, paper, plastic, and aluminum. We also compost all of our food wastes. The composting probably makes the biggest impact: every avocado pit, banana peel, and apple core that would go to the dump now decomposes in our compost bin with our grass clippings (don't worry, we make strides to shrink our lawn every year!), leaves, shredded paper, and ashes and helps turn our garden into a fertile place for stuff to grow.

Here's the bad news. The article was about reusable trash bags. As I read, I thought about the trash I do bring to the dump. A small trash bag full probably every other week, I throw it in the dumpster before I drop the much larger crate of recycling stuff in the recycling dumpster. But I know where this is going. Soon I'll be emptying out my reusable trash bag and I'll be left with disgusting trash guck and juice which I'll have to wash out when I get home. Yuck.

Doing the right thing can be messy. And a pain. But we still do it.

Changing Seasons

The seasons are changing. That's right: we have shifted from the season when I play hockey twice a week to the season when I only play once weekly. The next season, coming soon (and known in Vermont as "summer"), is a four-week period when I don't skate at all.

Meanwhile, the changing of the seasons don't always go smoothly, and that was the case this year with the twice-a-week to once-a-week passing. In the middle there were two tournaments during which I played much more than once or twice a week: the Hyde Cup and the Monty.

The Hyde Cup is Stowe's local hockey tourney, held at Stowe's own Jackson Arena. A grueling 8-team affair, the Hyde is about one thing and one thing only: beer. Yes, there was some hockey thrown in there, but teams have to know their strengths, and our team knew ours. And it had nothing to do with moving the puck.

Two weeks later, I found myself 2800 miles west, playing in the Monty -- Whitefish, Montana's version of the Hyde Cup. The Monty was just like the Hyde Cup, with one difference: the Monty is even more about the beer.

For those of you just tuning in, I think you may be starting to figure out what it is about hockey we love so much. Meanwhile, with the Monty and the Hyde behind us, we can welcome in a new season. Happy Spring, everyone!