Who do I still think I am??

This one's about after the fact.

30DBC PROMPT: "Provide your thoughts/opinions on a newspaper/magazine article or a radio/television news story from the past week."

Hey! Look at you! You're back again! I hope everyone's relaxed and rested from the festivities surrounding today's big event, "The Quills" . A fine time that was...I'd like to take a moment to offer a final congratulatory salute to all of the nominees and winners, and a sincere thank you to Andrew for putting on a great show. I'm honored to have been able to take even the smallest part in it.

As for the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" , I love that we're trying something new this month. Instead of the "Sunday Review", we're doing what's always been one of my favorite prompts: picking a story from the headlines and writing about that. I'm excited that "The Sunday News" is gonna be a regular part of our 30-day blogging regimen.

To know me is to know I love hockey, and you might remember on Friday that I shared with you my disappointment that my hometown Buffalo Sabres traded away goalie Ryan Miller as part of their rebuilding effort. The article I'm gonna link in today's entry won't come as a surprise if you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, because I thought enough of it to post it late that evening.

http://msn.foxsports.com/buzzer/story/buffalo-sabres-forced-to-use-video-scout-a...

Basically, it's a rule in the National Hockey League that each team dresses two goalies per game. Because the Miller trade happened so close to puck drop, there wasn't enough time to summon a proper backup goaltender from Rochester, where the Sabres' AHL affiliate is located. In a pinch, they dressed pretty much the warmest body they could find...a situation akin to the lead actor in a play coming down with an illness and the director combs the crowd before show time to offer an understudy role to someone who dabbled in the arts a little in the past.

It's a rare occurrence, to say the least, but it's not entirely without precedence. I'm shy on facts and I don't feel like doing a ton of research tonight, but I'm pretty positive this wasn't the first time a team has had to scramble at the last minute to dress a backup while hoping there's no need to call him into service. Still, it's a good story for your grandkids someday if you're that guy. Not many people can say they suited up for a professional sports team...he may not reel in any endorsement deals, but he probably won't have to pay for drinks anytime soon either. The two most popular sports figures in Buffalo are usually the backup goalie and the second-string quarterback...everybody loves them and thinks they can do a better job, until they're under game conditions and people are reminded why they've been on the bench.

BCF PROMPT: It's Sunday, so no "Blogging Circle of Friends "  prompt to contend with. However, I would like to thank the members that voted me "Blogger Of The Week" again (for the week of Feb. 16th-22nd). It's always special when your peers name you as one of their favorites...it never gets old. I'm very appreciative of the recognition, especially when considering the many talented bloggers there are on WDC...we make each other better, and it's hard to imagine what WDC would look like without this group.

MUSICAL BREAK!!

I feel like the kid who shows up at a birthday party and gets a present even though it's not my birthday! Many thanks to lizco252 for the sig above...I can't wait to see what our Soundtracker activities will be! It's exciting, being a part of a new group...especially when it's something so great and personal like music.

As we get into another month of the 30DBC and after a great Quills ceremony, it's easy to lose focus on overall goals or get lost in moments of glory. Maintaining what you love in the big picture can be difficult at times, especially when accolades pile up. I'll take a step back for a second to enjoy the awardicons and MB's I was fortunate enough to receive this weekend...and then it's back to work.

THE DAILY BOX SCORE:

Well, I promised I'd pull off my Quills presentation for Best Comedy without incident, and that nearly happened. As only my luck would have it, I lost my Wi-Fi connection in the middle of my spiel. Talk about embarrassing. And then I flubbed an author's title. Ouch. Of all the things that could've happened, how about picking the two worst, and then dealing with that? I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to be a presenter, and no offense to the prestigious Quills academy or to Sparky (who is very deserving of his Best Blog win), but if it's ok with y'all next year I'd prefer to be on the other side of the podium representing all the blogging greats of WDC by taking home a virtual trophy.

I have to thank Lyn's a sly fox for a merit badge I never could've imagined myself getting in all of my years on WDC...the "Crime Gangster" MB. Lyn's become a great friend in the last year and is a valued member of the BCOF leadership team. It's been a blast getting to know her and having her as a sidekick during February's Blog Mob...I'd like to encourage you all, if you haven't already, to drop by her blog (" Black and White Secrets " ) and say hey.

I think that about does it for me this evening...it's been an eventful weekend for sure, and now seems about as good a time as any to give myself a bit of a breather. We're barely into three days of March and I'm ready for a break! But as long as y'all keep readin' this, I'll keep writin' it. Peace, the sun has gone down and the moon has come up, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!