[dc]T[/dc]here was one thing at the top of my Christmas list this year. But, since robot butlers are still too pricey, Stephanie was able to get me the second item on my list: tickets to the NHL Winter Classic, today in Ann Arbor. For those who don’t know (basically every non-hockey fan), the Winter Classic is an outdoor hockey game, played in an outdoor arena (football or baseball). This year’s game features the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. the Detroit Red Wings.
Photo of my Winter Classic ticket on Christmas morning.
When I said tickets for the Winter Classic was all I wanted, I was pretty much joking, because I knew there was no way Stephanie could get one—let alone two. Well, via her sorority alumnae Facebook group, wheeling and dealing, and using her wiles on Santa, Stephanie made the tickets happen.
We’ll be living on instant soup for a while but hey, I get to go to an outdoor NHL game at the Big House at the University of Michigan with over 100 thousand other hockey fans.
Now, Stephanie is not going with me to the game. It went a little something like this:
Stephanie: “You have two tickets and you can give the second one to whoever you want, and I would be happy to go with you if you wish. But, I won’t be hurt if my not going means I can stay home in my pajamas and watch MSU play in the Rose Bowl.”
Long story short, Dad is joining me today in the snow and sub-20 degree weather in Ann Arbor. I might need a Tauntaun for the trek—or at least a Tauntaun sleeping bag to keep me warm.
He’ll see you in his dreams. Image via ThinkGeek.
Yes, this is an incredibly generous gift from my wife. But, there is another motive here: she doesn’t have to listen to me make fun of the Rose Bowl. I didn’t attend Michigan State University, so my interest in the Rose Bowl, or any college football, is zero. I get to go to a hockey game, and Stephanie gets to enjoy the Rose Bowl, snark free, with friends.
It reminds me of something in The Art of War about ‘controlling the battlefield.’ Stephanie must be reading up on her ancient military strategy. Or she just loves me and pays attention to what I say.
The added hilarity: the Spartans going to the Rose Bowl is why my Winter Classic tickets were up for sale in the first place. The original owner decided she wanted to go to the Rose Bowl instead. So: the sport I don’t care about allowed me to get tickets to the sport I do care about. Wrap your brain around that one.
And pray I don’t freeze at the game today.
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