I had my day all planned.

After my walk, I had planned to take a leisurely shower and lollygag around a bit alternating between reading (books and blogs) and writing a blog I had thought a bit about during my morning strut. I then planned on moseying out to pick up the supplies necessary to open the Post Bar in a couple weeks – all at a measured pace. After that, I had visions of Mr. Recliner, a bit of reading and maybe even an hour or so of channel surfing. It was to be a mellow day.

Then Ken, my friend and bodyguard, called.

“I got tickets to a hockey game to see the Devils tonight. You wanna go?”

I recalled that he and I had gone to a Devils game a while back, and I enjoyed the spectacle of it all, even if I don’t know much about hockey and most definitely do not qualify as a “fan.”

After about ten seconds of thought, I replied, “Sure, I’ll go. Thanks.”

From that moment on, it was a scramble to get everything that needed doing done, which included a trip to the Mondo Liquor Store, Costco and, Home Depot. For me, Costco and Home Depot are somewhere around the seventh and eighth rings in Dante’s Inferno. (Note that I did not include the Mondo Liquor Store, which is one of my favorite places.) The errands also involved a considerable amount of loading, unloading and lugging. I’m whipped.

I now have a couple hours to decompress before heading off to the game and its attendant insanity. The people who go to Devils games are seriously intense.

I think I’ll put my feet up and read something printed on paper, and I’ll be sure to let you know how the Devils made out.

Update: It was the first of a few pre-season games (Devils vs. NY Islanders). The arena was less than half full (or half empty, whatever), but the die-hards wearing their Devils jerseys, were there in force. Devils shirts were shot into the stands with giant slingshots operated by three people.Beer is still $6.25 a pop, and the place is glitzier than ever. We left after the second period when the score was tied at 1-1. The Devils ended up winning 3-2 following a shoot-out (apparently one of the new rules).