Dynamite roll…

And when he said that,

Shmuel smiled and Bruno knew that he was forgiven,

and then Shmuel did something he had never done before…

He lifted the bottom of the fence like he did whenever Bruno brought him food,

but this time he reached his hand out and held it there,

waiting until Bruno did the same,

and then the two boys shook hands and smiled at each other…

It was the first time they had ever touched…

— in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Let’s be honest here,

what we all really love,

about hockey,

is all the GD hugging,

after triumph’s won…

We can talk shop,

about the stats,

the plays,

the fights,

and the give n’ go,

but if we boil.

all that stuff away,

what we’re left with,

is the essence,

of what’s most important,

in any relationship…

Last night,

Little Gem and I,

went out,

for a meeting,

pre-conference final…

First things first,

we lined up,

for the five o’clock opening,

of our favorite sushi spot…

I gave her the honours,

of ordering,

her preferences…

She started with miso soup,

and sunomono salad,

followed by agedashi tofu,

appetizer tempura,

roasted eggplant,

rounding everything out,

with a King California maki…

As for drinks,

we stayed dry,

so’s to be able to keep focus,

on the task at hand,

avoiding hang-over,

with green tea,

and 7-Up…

After that,

we headed,

downtown,

to do a little damage…

On our way,

past the court house,

which is under,

constant reconstruction,

Little Gem said,

about my station presets,

Mama,

your choice in music is pretty bad…

But it could be worse,

country is better than opera…

I asked her about her station of choice,

and said I was willing to switch over,

from bad to good,

for the rest of the ride…

She said,

You won’t like what I listen to at all…

I said,

Try me…

I’m super flexible…

And when we tuned in,

one of her favorite songs,

was playing…

As I danced along,

she pretended,

not to know me,

from her booster seat…

I persisted,

despite the backseat driving,

by putting,

all of my moves…

I wondered,

Do you think The Vancouver Canucks would prefer me to sprinkle,

scrub,

or raise the roof???

She cried,

in defense,

Ohmigod Mama,

No one wants to see you do any of it…

Especially not Lady Gaga…

I begged to differ,

and wondered further,

Do you think we’ll ever go clubbing together???

The answer was unequivocal,

No…

Because I don’t even know what clubbing is…

And it sounds awful…

Once we’d hunted,

and gathered,

a snappy outfit,

for Little Gem,

between the Gap,

and Z’ara,

we walked back to the car,

in a rain shower…

One of the triplets,

on the first line of offense,

was asked,

on Media Day,

if he feels like,

he’s been able to live,

a regular life,

since the buzz’s been in town…

And his response was,

something like,

When fans come up me,

I don’t mind talking to them…

But when I’m at the playground,

with my children,

I’ve found most people are respectful,

and leave me alone…

I really appreciate that…

Before we went to bed,

for a good nights’ sleep,

in preparation,

for Game One,

Little Gem walked past my closet,

and ran her hands down,

the sleeve,

of a hand made,

vintage green velveteen,

car coat,

lined with gold satin,

which I’ve inherited,

from the mother,

of my first best friend…

She stood silently,

with the fabric,

in her hand,

as if trying to hear,

into the distance,

and then said,

This is going to come in,

very handy…

I wondered if she knew,

for what,

and for when,

but she just said,

For all,

that are going to come…