Sunday morning homily XXVIII

Spring break is one of my favorite times of the year. Especially when it's Colin's. And though I didn't request the week off, letting another Newsroom Dad enjoy a week off, it's still going to be a fun-filled week. In a way, it'll be a working stay-cation.

Beginning this afternoon (the morning trip was postponed due to thunderstorms) with a trip to Tampa with Momma to hound and watch the Ottawa Senators (I'll be at work), we'll spend the rest of the week knee-deep in other adventures down here in increasingly warm and muggy Florida.

Our only regret? The Lightning are on a road trip, rather than a homestand.

No worries, though. Also on the itinerary:

~ a road trip to look for trains, something we haven't done much since leaving New England;
~ go see Monsters vs. Aliens, our latest 3-D movie; and
~ look for Danica Patrick at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Chances are, too, we'll get in a little fishing and skating. Bottom line, though, it'll be about hanging out. Between work and school schedules, our time together is usually somewhat limited. That changes this week.

It's one of the perks of being a parent. And that, my friends, is my favorite job.

The other March Madness

It was a wonderful afternoon yesterday -- house all to myself -- kicking back for a few hours and watching some college hockey. Even better, the game was University of New Hampshire's overtime upset of University of North Dakota in the first round of the NCAA men's championships.

It's nothing against the Fighting Sioux; they're one of Hound Central 4.0's favorites. Our primary loyalties, however, are with UNH.

Having lived in nearby Portsmouth, N.H., we attended games in the early 1990s at the old Snively Arena. They were a fun and feisty team, players like Dominic Amodeo, Savo Mitrovic and Jeff Levy. Only Kevin Dean, a defenseman, made it to the NHL.

Here's hoping the Wildcats make it into the Frozen Four. If not, I'm saving a Flyers puck for left winger James vanRiemsdyk, Philadelphia's second overall pick in 2007 who's expected to turn pro soon.

5 Big Sigs

It'll be a one-and-done kind of trip this week, with only the Ottawa Senators coming to Hockey Bay. In fact, they're in town now. Here's what we're hoping to add:

~ Right winger Daniel Alfredsson on a 2004 NHL All Star Game puck;
~ Center Jason Spezza on the Team Canada jersey, a 2007 NHL All Star Game puck and a Senators mini pennant;
~ Left winger Dany Heatley on the Team Canada jersey, a Team Canada puck and a 2006-07 Bee Hive jumbo card;
~ Forward Ryan Shannon on the Portland Pirates practice jersey and a few cards; and
~ Tampa Bay defenseman Richard Petiot on an 8x10 of Colin and the blueliner.