Diva bustin off the cobwebs for the big game!

I giggle at this pic because while I am learning how to shoot a wrist shot and knowing I shouldn't even attempt a SlapShot until I learn the wrist shot (thanks Chad Woollard for this advice!) I am stubborn and silly sometimes and need to feel important as a female wanna be hockey player.... so I did it anyway.  

Ashamed lol.  Because I can't seem to find enough time during the game to even PREP this shot before someone finds me and attempts to steal the puck! 

So, alas...... No "dramatic pause" for the Diva that she is accustomed to on stage.   But hey,  this looks cool!

I had not skated in 3 weeks having been out of town coaching and learning new roles for my career.   I knew I had to skate and get some drills in so as not to be completely useless!  Thanks Greg Davis for kicking my butt those days before the game!  And thanks Jason Blake for showing on Friday even though you weren't feelin well.  I love hockey peeps.

After skating on Thursday and Friday I felt confident I could be good to go.   So my pre game face was..... Well....  The "come and get me" kind..

After having my rear handed to me by some fantastic players on the Wildcards....although I DID hand my own rear to number 14 in a butt check that made him go airborne......  This was my post game face.   At least my make up performed admirably!!!!!  I needed some work hahhaha

 

This was the team PRE game.  We were nervous but exited and felt ready.

So what have I learned?  I look slim in black.... Pink skate laces do not bring luck.... And my rear can be put to excellent use on the ice.  And I still need to learn to play hockey!

TRADER Joes or TRAITOR Joes?????

This last weekend, our Average Joe's game got postponed.  I was SO bummed because I am headed out of town for a bit for auditions and gigs and such.  It was the LAST game this season I could have played in so I was left GAMELESS for the last weekend I could be here!  Well...enter the team where I did most of my growing.... LOS CHUPACABRAS!!!!!

Basically they had a week where not many of the regular team could make it so I, at GREG DAVIS' suggestion, wrote and begged to sub for them.  Apparently, the schedule had the Chupacabras VS the Above Average Joes!   So I guess Davis thought it would be funny to have me play against my OWN nation!  (Even though I am an  D4 AVERAGE JOE,  not a D3 Above Average Joe)  Still.... it's my JOES NATION and I was going to play against them!  For the first time this season I donned a bright orange Jersey with a different name on it! 

 

I WAS SO GRATEFUL TO BE PLAYING.... but a little part of me felt like a TRAITOR!!!  At the same time I was comforted by the fact that I got to join up with my GALS Susie Rain and Laurie Brewer again from Chups days!  Love those gals so much!

 

 

                                        Here is Susie and me, AND Susie's BEVERAGE!!!!

 

                 Here Patrick's beautiful daughter with the stunning eyes!  She is precious and such a love to everyone!!!

 

                              MY BROTHER IN LAW!!!  I just call him my BROTHER.   We started playing together several years ago on the MUD DUCKS....and we moved to the CHUPS together...Now were ARCH ENEMIES....  Just kidding.  Bro... you rock.

 

I was prepared with my OLD Chups jersey for the game... but ended up wearing the new ones they have.  They looked great!  But I'll always have this one for memories.  GREAT ones too.

 

 

 

THE ABSOLUTE MOST GIGANTOR JERSEY I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!!! I'm so glad I did not get stuck wearing this... but poor Logan did! I don't know how he played so well in it! And he did play well! If he had spread his arms... he could have flown off of a building and landed safely!  Thats Busby holding it up.  He's going to be out for months due to having a reconstruction on his knee..  MAN... you will be missed.  

 

 

I was also fortunate enough to have the beautiful Katie Beth braid my hair for the game!  I mean.... SALON SERVICE  right in the locker room!  Now THAT is DIVA style!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Here was DAVIS' response to me being in the opposing locker room.  The point of this pic is that the CHUPS Jersey put him right to sleep.  WHATEVER!!!!!! 

 

PS... He also should have been IN THE BOX for what he did to me during the game!  I think he was just looking for an opportunity to dog on me so he suggested I play for the opposite team!!! 

 

ABUSE AND PENALTIES on the DIVA by DAVIS

 

A supposed back check which really consisted of grabbing the back of my hockey pants and jerking me back and forth until I went down!  Even the REF saw it and laughed even though he KNEW he should have put him away for it!

 

A drive by water bottle explosion into my face shield thus disrupting the perfect humidity level in my mask.... creating continous fogging for the rest of the game.

 

Attempted tripping.  (of course this is on my word only lol)

 

 

In the end DAVIS did get the winning goal in Shoot out.... it was impressive I will say AND I was happy because the JOE's won, but I was a Chupacabra in that game and that just rubs me the wrong way!  HAHAHA

 

To quote one of my other favorite players on the Joes.... Brandon Gerst :

"Be thankful you're a JOE." 

 

I AM.  

 

 But I was ever so happy to skate with my old comrades and catch up a little.  Had a GREAT time and very grateful they made space for me to play that night!

 

Thanks CHUPACABRAS for a truly fun game!

 

 

 

PS.... Check out my PIMS on league lineup everyone! I'm a GOON! (And somehow I've never seen the inside of penalty box)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE "FRET" MINDER IS BACK!!!!

This is THE FRETMINDER's (BOBBY MICHAELIDES) first game back in net since a big rib injury in September!


I remember the first time I saw Bobby in net.  I was walking into the ice complex to get suited up for one of my games when my glance was uncontrollably drawn to a colossal mess of long black "rocker" hair flowing wildly out of the backside of a goalie mask.

I said to myself "Who is this dramatic looking character in net for the Paddles?"



I played against him a few times and never got one in on him.....he's good!!!     







I remember we connected on FB and I discovered that Bobby was actually a guitar player!  He's been playing since he was 15 years old.  He actually studied music at Berklee College of Music which is a prestgious school. He played the music scene in Philly for a while and was with "Spoiled Brat" signed with Arista Records!  YES folks, there are talented folks out on the ice with you!  He played with "Buff Daddy" which led him to the share stages with the likes of Brett Michaels, Ratt, Dokken, George Lynch and yes folks... Quiet Riot!  His firey string playing can be heard on all kinds of recordings all over the world! 




There HE is!  Thats the ROCKER BLOCKER!!  I love making nicknames for him!  It's so easy!



Finding out about Bobby's musical gifts and training was literally music to my ears.  I'm thinking I'm strange for being a professional opera singer and playing hockey.  And I'm thinking surely there aren't any other professional musicians on the ice at any given time.   Boy was I wrong!   And I am thrilled about it!  And there are others too!!

Bobby is one of those ever so cool characters that seems to make friends with everyone.   If there is such thing as an enemy of Bobby.... I question the character of the enemy.  That's how cool he is.  And his wife Lisa is the freeking BOMB!  She plays on the Blazing Paddles with Bobby.   Honestly, I don't have many female friends as I've mentioned in previous posts.... Just an occupational hazard and that I grew up with dudes as my friends..... But Lisa would be one of those gals I'd bond with.  She's that cool.  So together it's like Bobby says "I run a dojo of coolness."   They are ÜBER cool.  Ok, I think you get the point.  COOL.



Here they are!  TEAM COOL


Bobby didn't start playing hockey until he was 30. He started out playing roller hockey when his buddies would rent out a roller rink once a month and asked Bobby to be in net. After a year on the roller floor he got talked into playing on the frozen surface!  He never went back, winning a  Gold in the Can Am Tourney in Montreal and several Beer League Championships! 16 Years later here he is having the time of his life in Texas with his NYTEX family, working for General Motors and basically loving it.  

His injury came in Sept of 2012 when he fell into a repair pit at General Motors. He fell 8 feet down on his side directly onto a steel rail and broke 3 ribs in the process.  The pain was beyond intense and he could hardly breathe or sleep without emphasized agony.  He sat around in the healing process because thats about all you can do with injuries like this... packed on some weight from sitting around for 5 months and knew it was going to be a long and difficult journey to sports again.  Did I mention Bobby LOVES playing sports??????

He healed.... then he dropped 30 lbs and got back out there!  He took a lot of shots in this game and I was frankly impressed.  He told me he had ZERO pain! 

Bobby was lean and mean coming back after the injury!  I actually assumed he would be slower, having not been in net for that many months.  I have tried goalie gear before in an hour lesson.  It was ridiculously hard and extremely taxing.  Bobby came back like he had never left! In fact Better!

Aside from his seeming new handicap of being so much lighter that he had to adjust his thrusting power from side to side to not OVER do it, he was awesome!   I laugh at calling it a handicap because the next pic shows Bobby letting in a goal for that very reason!  He was so much lighter that he had not adjusted how much LESS thrusting power he would need to push his body from side to side and he overthrusted!  He moved like lightning but was way off net hahahaha!  He was smiling at me when he turned around to tell me about it through the glass.  I guess this is a GOOD problem to have!!!!  Bobby looked GREAT out there!   Here is that moment I just told you about!!!

Bobby told me that I needed to clean the lens on my camera because there is a black speck inside the net that did not look right.  :))))))




I ran into Bobby in the parking lot before the game and he was happy to mug for the camera.  Thank God because some just don't like doing this!  Bobby's a performer though... I had a feeling.




Here he is getting ready for the game!


This is a HAPPY DUDE folks.  I have not seen him much without this look on his face. 



He even let this adorable kid shoot on him after the game!  I mean... CLASS ACT!

Bobby, don't ever lose this kind of BLISS!  Others should take example from you!






SO I decided to try and up my own coolness by doing some "comparison shots" using pics that I have of myself next to Bobby's cool pics.  Here goes nothing:


Bobby Works the shades and hat, slight attitude lip pucker lolol

What do ya know???  So does the DIVA!!!! hahahaha

 

Here is Bobby's Band!

Here is the DIVA's Band!

 

 

HERE is a FRAYED, MISUNDERSTOOD, DARK and MYSTERIOUS MUSICIAN PIC of BOBBY

                                       HERE IS DIVA's VERSION OF THE SAME

 

 

 

HERE IS BOBBY ROCKIN OUT!

                              HERE IS DIVA ROCKIN OUT!!!!

  HERE IS THE AUTHENTIC ROCKER BLOCKER!

HERE IS THE HALF BAKED DIVA VERSION

 

 

 

This is all I had in response to that one.... It's my If I were a ROCKER CHICK look.

 

BOBBY plays with his band called BLACKOUT

Visit their website at WWW.BLACKOUTROCKS.COM


HE also plays with the BLAZING PADDLES Hockey Team at NYTEX SPORTS CENTRE

If you see this guy around,  don't be thrown off by the wild hair.....it translates into TOTAL AWESOMENESS as a person... as an artist... as a hockey player and I can confirm... AS A DEAR FRIEND.  

PLUS !  HE says my Opera performances are EPIC!  So I like him even more.... Opera is an aquired taste!   HEHEHEHEHEHEEH


WE HAVE PLANS TO PERFORM TOGETHER! YEP!  WERE GONNA DUET!!!
I WILL POST WHEN THAT COMES ABOUT!

 

 

So I hum and purr during games! What's the big deal???

Basically, the cold temperature of the ice rink is not the greatest for the voice. Granted, once I get skating hard the body warms very quickly and before I know it I am not cold in the very least. But I still have to protect my money maker by keeping it warm the same way a baseball pitcher throws a jacket over his pitching arm to keep it warm......it prevents injury.

So instead of yelling cheers for my team (sometimes it happens lolol) I choose to purrrrrr like Eartha Kitt did and hummm as I'm skating down and up ice. Once or twice I think a couple of my comrades looked over with a confused, but oddly appreciative expression hahahahah!

Next time you have to face my team the Average Joes...(NO not the Sloppy Joes, or the Above Average Joes, or even the Ordinary Joes) ....And you see my pink laces skate out onto the ice.... Just listen for anything out of place..... It's likely your friendly neighborhood Diva.

My strange sounds DO have a purpose.
This avatar of me is kinda creepy huh.

THE MYSTERIOUS LOCKER ROOM DIARIES

PENALTY KILL No. 6
Originally Posted 2011
PS...I'm part of the JOE's NATION now!  Very proudly!


She walks into Nytex Sports Center and signs her name on the Mud Ducks roster. She then grabs her pink taped hockey stick, a wooden one, and grabs her rolling bag with all of her gear and makes her way gracefully down the ramp (as though crossing to stage right to deliver her first aria). She bursts through the double doors with zeal and makes an immediate right into the infamous locker room 1. The men's locker room, much like the men's bathroom is a sacred and interesting place though women are allowed...well most times lol.

I won't lie, it was like walking into a place that I was forbidden to enter, as though some great secret was hiding within.... the secret.... of uncategorized aroma and chat that can sometimes make the hairs inside the ears stand up.

I call out "any one indecent?" to which I hear "its all good... this is your locker room too!" or "Yep were all in our birthday suits, come on in!"

So I enter. OH MY WORD.  My nose was under instant ambush.  It was a wall of unidentified flying spores and they were all giggling at me.... at my reaction.  I named one of the spores Bob.

I wanted to reenact the flower spreading scene below from Madame Butterfly in that seemingly eternal inferno of rancid smell. 



And I was praying to GOD to make it go away!



And it's not like it is any one's single fault. That is just how locker rooms smell! I go into the bathroom area and there is a whole new level of  oscillating odor....like feral cats had lived in there!

I have to change into my under clothes for my gear so I'm skillfully bouncing around on the sticky, and wet floor one foot at a time trying to minimize the time each foot hits the ground, while gagging and hold my breath, eventually shoving a shirt in my mouth and over my nose.   I looked like a female bandit...oh wait... I was one briefly.... we all make mistakes LOLOLOL!  (could not help myself, all in good fun)

Tears rolling down the eyes now as I am continually laughing.  I run back into the main locker room and release the gasp!  Even the guys noticed that there was a nice FEMALE smell in the room when they came in last night. (little did they know that I sprayed a lovely beaches and floral spray all over my bag because frankly, my GEAR.... its starting to TURN. All that sweat, inevitible.)  

<


I grab the best spot I can find and start hanging my stuff and begin preparing my ears for locker room talk. I politely giggle here and there especially when it gets, well, a little racy sometimes... though somehow a precious apology always makes its way over to me LOL. They probably have no clue how I grew up hanging out with boys as my buddies and playing in the mud lol.  So really nothing shocks me... but I think it's really sweet that I get apologies anyway.


The first few weeks I changed in the ladies bathroom, but then got over it and wanted to be closer to my team members and not miss any important line information and play strategy. So I joined them. I dig it. It's not like do a TOTAL change anyway.

Then comes time each game where I always ask Ulrich to braid my hair for the game. He ALWAYS refuses of course. But if I don't ask him, he believes it is bad luck. He probably doesn't wash his socks or other under parts of his gear either hahahahaha Sorry darlin!

It's nice to look over at the door and see my PINK taped hockey stick right in the middle of all of the other guys sticks.


Of course the shower situation is hilarious. Once the game is done, I can't go in that room because, well, when boys shower, they just shower out in the open. So, I politely go down to the ladies room and do a face wash and change lolol.

All in all, the best parts are hearing the guys banter back and forth about guy things and then its especially hilarious when they forget I'm there and actually talk about chicks! HHAHAHAAHAHAHA It's so revealing!

I love these guys crazy! I know without a doubt that we all have each other's back on and off the ice. Like one big family.


SOUNDTRACK IN MY HEAD when I enter the locker room: Flower Duet from Lakme, and Opera by Delibes. Yes, Flowers....to combat the STENCH!!!!

PENALTY KILL No. 5 "Stage direction: Diva to JUMP THE WALL at measure 33"

Penalty Kill No. 5
Originally Posted 2011



I've been directed to do all kinds of things on stage while singing and acting. I've been staged to sing and die lying on my back, once hanging upside down off of a bed (to simulate a dramatic death).  

I've run up and down stairs singing lightning fast coloratura (Thank you Rossini) I've danced the Waltz, I've even done the Csardas (a hungarian dance) while singing!



So if anyone ever tried to tell me that jumping the wall for a hockey shift the first time with all that padding on, with my stick, and hitting the ice directly into a play was no big deal........... yeah, they were lying.

I took a piece of the fiberglass wall covering with me when it hung on my pants in this jump LOL The Soundtrack in my head in this moment was: "Libera me" (DELIVER ME OH LORD FROM ETERNAL DEATH) from Verdi Requiem HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!