Who Do I Think I Am??

This one's about the cursed.

30DBC PROMPT: "Do you think the weird weather we have been experiencing is an indication of global warming or something else?"

What's up everybody? I don't know about you and your weather enough to want to call it weird, but I can sure as hell tell you that our weather in NY has sucked a lot lately. It's 57 degrees out, which is the warmest it's been all year. Cold and creepy and just a downright downer. Spring's been a huge disappointment thus far...and apparently these next few days are a tease, because it's going to get colder again.

But I hate being that guy who talks about the weather. Chances are, you're probably not concerned with how crappy it is 'round here. But I am curious about this "global warming" idea. I'm not afraid to think there's some truth to the ideas, although I'm not willing to commit fully to the reasons behind it. An ozone layer with holes? Aerosol cans spray-painting fumes that melt ice caps? All of the hot air coming from the government? I don't know. I'm no scientist. Two winters ago I would've been all over the global warming bandwagon like it was storming the nation undefeated...Buffalo got hardly any snow that winter and it remained unseasonably warm throughout the November, December, January and February. This past year, not so much. It was a lot like winters I remember as a kid...blustery, bone-chilling and slippery.

There was an article over the weekend I came across in USA Today that touched a little on climate change and its implications... http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/27/climate-change-seas/2024759... Basically, scientists are saying that global warming is happening sooner than later. I wish it'd be happening this spring a little sooner also! (And don't tell me it's cold because I'm not wearing pants...I haven't worn pants all winter and I refuse to start now.)

BCF PROMPT: "The most disappointed I've ever been..."

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm from Buffalo, a drinking town with a sports problem. All I know is disappointment. One only has to watch the first minute of this video to understand where I'm comin' from:

Trust me when I say that watching and reliving that five minutes of my life that I'll never get back was harder than walking 15 minutes into a stiff, minus-5 degree wind just to find out that the convenience store is out of beer, newspapers and happiness.

I'll only talk about two events, because that's about all my heart can handle.

The 1999 Buffalo Sabres made one hell of a run...all the way to the Stanley Cup finals. My crew at work made one hell of a run following the Sabres at the Keystone Grill. When we played Boston, we didn't drink Sam Adams. When we played Canadian teams, we weren't allowed Canadian beer or whiskey (which was nearly insane because all I drank were Crown & Cokes and Labbatt's Blue at the time).

Buffalo had the greatest goaltender in the world, Dominik Hasek. The team was a bunch of grinders...built more for balance than star power. The Dallas Stars were pretty good too, led by Brett Hull, only the son of the greatest hockey player ever until Wayne Gretzky came along.

No goal.

Those words will bring the toughest Buffalonian down to Lake Erie-like depths. Hull, with his skate clearly in the crease, nabs his own rebound, scoots around a sprawled Hasek, and scores the game winner in overtime of game six. Before the refs can even review the play, the Stars storm the ice and are handed the cup. The NHL later admitted their mistake, but it was too late. Not even a trip to Mighty Taco on the way home and a visit from the girl who at the time I was convinced was my "dream girl" could ease the pain, and if you ask me, Buffalo hockey has never quite been the same.

The second event was the one that firmly baptized me into the disappointment that is the Buffalo sports culture, as I'm sure it was for many others of my generation. I believe the year was 1990. The Buffalo Bills were ripping up the league. I was a huge football fan. I couldn't wait to see the K-Gun offense led by my idol, Jim Kelly, hanging points all over the scoreboard. I'll never forget the excitement of watching them blow out the Raiders 52-3 for their first-ever AFC Championship.

On to Super Bowl XXV...the biggest game of the year. We knew the Giants were going to be a tough team to beat. Buffalo had the ball on the final drive, down 20-19. With seconds to go, Buffalo was in field goal range. Out came Scott Norwood, once a beloved and reliable kicker, for the attempt. As the team held hands on the sidelines, we all gathered closer to the tv and held hands in the living room of the party we were attending. A 48-yard kick- not an easy kick by any means- was up, and it sailed wide right.

Wide right.

The words no fan ever wants to hear. My 14-year-old body, on its knees in front of the tv, let go of the hands I was holding and fell face-first into the rug. My hands were over my face. I didn't want to let the adults see me cry. But I was a wreck. It didn't matter that we'd get blown out in the next three Super Bowls (just going to four straight was unprecedented itself)...that was the one we were supposed to win. And I think, had we won that game, we might've been able to pull out at least one more championship during that impressive Bills stretch.

Now, before you say anything, listen...I know there's worse things in the world that can happen that a team losing a game. But in Buffalo, we live or die by our teams. We invest with our wallets and our hearts, year in and year out. Even when we know it's gonna be a down year, there's eternal optimism at the beginning of the season anyway. Mondays after a Bills win, everyone's got a little extra somethin' goin' for 'em...and after a loss, the day seems just a little colder, a little drearier. Everyone talks proud when the Sabres win, and nobody says a word when they lose. That's how it goes. And I may not live in Buffalo anymore, but these teams will always be a part of me. I bleed their colors, and I know one day I'll see a championship before I die.

MUSICAL BREAK!!

I'm not foolish enough to think they'll make the playoffs this year after a rough start, even though they're climbing the standings...there's just not enough time with five games left...but there's always next season. GO SABRES!!

VITAL STATS:

Finally remembered to make the call regarding physical therapy for my ankle...and they can't start me up 'til the 25th. So I'll keep limpin' along. It's not fun...still limited range of motion, and I can feel the lower screws under my skin. I don't like waking up in pain in the middle of the night because I twitched the wrong way.

I procrastinated, but managed to get my taxes done and filed today. I didn't want to e-file, which I should've and have in years past. I did them the old-fashioned way. My sick math skills were trumped by my ability to not read things all the way through while doing my state taxes, to the point that I got so frustrated I nearly considered filing for an extension even though my federal taxes were done. And I do this every year...why, after finishing my federal forms, do I submit them before I do my state form, when I know I'll need that information anyway? What type of idiot do I have to be? (And save it with the "why didn't you do it online" crap...I didn't, ok? And it's too late to do anything about it. ) My deciding to go over my form one last time before asking for help shaved about $250 off my state return, but at least the IRS won't be trying to take more of my pennies away.

I didn't mean to stay away for this long, folks. It's just been a little uninspiring for me, and I've been chillin' behind the scenes. But don't worry. You'll thank me soon enough.

And that's all for today, y'all. Gonna get me a sandwich and relax. Peace, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!

(And I used up my two-video maximum. This needs to be fixed, WDC, ya hear? )