I went to play some pickup hockey last night with some buddies who had heard there was a good pick up in Culver City. "Good" pickup usually means there aren't a lot of guys there, so you get a lot of ice time for your money. The downside - the pickup ran from 10:30p-12:30a. Since I'm working the night shift tonight, I thought it couldn't hurt. A couple of guys from my team had gone last week and said there were only 7 guys total, which isn't nearly enough to play full ice pick up, so a bunch of us from my team headed out. The pickup is run by a guy named Bernie who is, I kid you not, at least 80 years old. Bernie has been running this same pickup every Sunday night like this for the past 30 years. Bernie is old enough that he can barely walk - it really looks like it takes him a lot of effort just to get around on foot. This doesn't stop him from lacing on a pair of skates and throwing on a 30 year old hockey sweater to hit the ice with the rest of us. You could tell the guys who skate regularly know him and respect him - every time he got the puck, everyone backed off a bit and let him skate. It is, after all, Bernie's pickup, and without him none of us would have been out there skating. I have to wonder if Bernie was ever any good, if he once skated across the rink quickly and smoothly before age stooped his back and slowed his limbs. I do know, without even asking, that he loves this game, and I hope that when I'm his age I still have it in me to lace up those skates and get out there.

The song of the day is "Tomorrow" by Silverchair off their 1994 debut album Frogstomp. The Australian band originally won a radio competition to record this song, which eventually led to a contract with Sony music and worldwide distribution. They are the first Australian band since INXS to hit the U.S. Top 10. The first time I heard this song, the band was playing at the open of the MTV Music Awards and I'd never heard of them. I couldn't get over how young and cool they were and went out to buy this record. I think they were 17 when this album was released. They're all grown up today with a new hit song which I also love. I've always wondered if they got their name from the C.S. Lewis book of the same name. Check out the video if you don't remember the song.