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Recruiting Event Recap

The other night, I went to the annual recruiting class recap/Q&A at the Bancroft Hotel.  It was the third or fourth time I've attended this event, and there was one very significant change: no Tedford.  In my experience, Tedford is more relaxed and candid during this evening than any other public interaction, and provides us fans with detailed and nuanced information that goes far beyond his usual coach-speak.  It was disappointing, then, to learn that he was not attending and I was paying $25 for, apparently, chicken skewers, cantaloupe, and grainy video of teenagers running and grabbing each other.  In this Tedfordless void, another man had to step up.  That man was Cal linebacker's coach and genuine Texan Kenwick Thompson.  When Thompson was asked about his returning linebackers, he called the prophet Mohamed "my bell cow." 

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please photoshop cowboy hat

via grfx.cstv.com

Star-divide

If you actually wanted to read about the recruiting event, sorry, that's all you get.  I wrote that opening paragraph about 6 months ago - "The other night" was February 12th.  I meant to finish the post the following weekend, but I went to the Cal-Stanford men's basketball game instead and ended up writing 1,500 words wishing Jorge was my Valentine.

After writing basically nothing for this site since that essay, I am back, having left when basketball season ended and returning a day before our first football game.  Convenient!  I am deeply, deeply saddened that I missed the meme invitational this summer, but somehow I must find the strength to carry on.

What have I been doing in the meantime?  Mostly attending town hall meetings with my semi-automatic - no death panel is coming after MY grandma, you socialist fascist Nazis.  Actually, my time has been consumed by two things.  The first was the NHL playoffs, in my opinion the most intense sporting event in the country.  I lost 5 pounds just by watching the games.  My team, the Penguins, played two of their biggest rivals (Philly and Washington) before beating the Red Wings (to whom they lost last year) in 7 games to win the Stanley Cup.  They were the first NHL team to win game seven of the Stanley Cup finals on the road in almost 40 years, and the first team in any major sport to do so since the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates.  The Red Wings were 11-1 at home in the playoffs before game seven (the only loss coming in triple overtime) and had beaten then Penguins in Detroit 5-0 in game 5.  I could go on for a long, long time.

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via bleepbleepbleep.files.wordpress.com

My other time sink was a hike.  Back in February (not coincidentally, the same time I stopped writing), I decided to go hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail.  I took seven weeks this summer (after 4+ months of planning) to hike about 650 miles from Castle Crags State Park, southwest of Mt. Shasta, to the Columbia River at the Oregon-Washington border.  In hindsight, the biggest accomplishment was hiking across all of Oregon without getting punched in the face.

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A Clif Bar a day keeps your appetite away!

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Crater Lake

So that's the truth, or most of it.  No dying, no layoffs, and sadly no sexy dungeons.  Just a hike, a lot of planning, and the NHL playoffs in the middle of it.  If you want to read/see more of hike, send me an email - the address is at the bottom of the page - and I'll send you a link to my trail journal.  Go Penguins, and most of all, GO BEARS!

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Finally!

via i435.photobucket.com


Poll
Who is your favorite Penguins center?
Sidney Crosby - playmaker, consistent, leader
13 votes
Evgeni Malkin - dominates play, great shot, playoff MVP
7 votes
Jordan Staal - penalty killer, huge goals in the finals
3 votes

23 votes | Poll has closed

Comment 10 comments  |  0 recs  | 

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I want HydroTech to cover recruiting events from now on.

Whose domicile? OUR DOMICILE!

by Berkelium97 on Sep 4, 2009 3:17 PM PDT reply actions  

6,000 words about last year's event,

150 about this years. No middle ground, that’s what I say!

www.californiagoldenblogs.com

by CBKWit on Sep 4, 2009 5:36 PM PDT up reply actions  

What’s that name again? CBKwit?

Nope, never heard of him.

by LeonPowe on Sep 4, 2009 4:55 PM PDT via mobile reply actions  

your words burn like fire

just like Jorge’s eyes.

www.californiagoldenblogs.com

by CBKWit on Sep 4, 2009 5:37 PM PDT up reply actions  

Holy ***! I want your job!!!

I hope you enjoyed your trip. It’s too bad you didn’t get the chance to see the Washington portion of the PCT as it’s really nice. I’ve never had the opportunity to go on the trail myself, but I’ve seen a few portions of it near Canada and then again at both major passes. I’m sure the Cali and Or portion was nice enough but……wow just jealous that’s all I have to say…..very very jealous.

by finster112 on Sep 4, 2009 5:14 PM PDT reply actions  

you don't want my job

TwistNHook is a dictator.

Seriously though, my job is pretty awesome for letting me take two months off (one unpaid) to do this. And there were many outstanding parts, especially Castle Crags, Crater Lake, Sisters, and Eagle Creek. The best part of my entire stretch is apparently Jefferson Park, but it was cold, rainy, and incredibly foggy for the 2 days we were there – we had no visibility and only saw the mountain from 20 miles away south and north. I’m going back there when the weather is better.

www.californiagoldenblogs.com

by CBKWit on Sep 4, 2009 5:44 PM PDT up reply actions  

OMFG No Weigh.

"We lose to Stanford in many sports, but if you want to make a Cal team quit, bring a weapon."
--Coach Clark

by carp on Sep 4, 2009 5:31 PM PDT reply actions  

Worst DBD Evair.

"We lose to Stanford in many sports, but if you want to make a Cal team quit, bring a weapon."
--Coach Clark

by carp on Sep 4, 2009 5:31 PM PDT reply actions  

I swear, I thought I heard CBKWit had been eaten by a bear… It was mid-July and he was somewhere in central Oregon. Well anyway, it’s good to know CBKWit is alive.

by paleodan on Sep 5, 2009 12:44 AM PDT reply actions  

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