Hole in the river bottom, I crawl through

At the end of the first period the first intermission, which according to the countdown timer would run about as long as the first period did, started and they put on a show I hadn't expected. They called out teams of kids to play a ``Tots On Ice'' game, a couple of minutes of about 400 North Jersey kids drifting back and forth on the ice while Vince Guaraldi's ``Linus and Lucy'' theme played. The N J Devil mascot also drifted back and forth, which was probably wise as the action all ended up being around one goal, and the poor goalie on the other side just looked forelornly afar at all the action nowhere near him. N J was able to give him someone to play with, at least.

The kids were having a good time, though, even if they hadn't quite mastered the part of hockey where you hit the puck without falling over on your chest. (I probably haven't mastered that myself.) There was a bit of a mis-timing between the scheduled playing time and the length of the soundtrack: after ``Linus and Lucy'' came to its natural conclusion, they zipped back to replay about the last minute of the song. There's probably more natural edit points in the tune.

For the second intermission they didn't have any fresh amusements on the ice, although somewhere in existence there were cheerleaders, and their existence was relayed to the scoreboard. I took the chance to find something --- anything --- to eat and came back with Cracker Jacks, which my brother said was from the wrong sport. Well, that's his opinion. My father reflected on how he hadn't had Cracker Jacks in years, forgetting that we get some now and then from Shop-Rite. Granted it's not the same. A couple minutes before the end of the game the folks inside us got up to leave, following that strange rule by which the people sitting inside you will arrive very late and leave oddly early.

Trivia: Secretary of War edwin M Stanton hastily revised his proclamation of 20 April 1865, offering (among other things) $25,000 reward for the capture of John Wilkes Boothe's co-conspirator (and failed vice-presidential assassin) George Atzerodt, just before it went to press to allow for the fact Atzerodt had been captured that morning. John Surratt's name appeared on the proclamation instead. Source: Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase For Lincoln's Killer, James L Swanson.

Currently Reading: The 1990 Annual World's Best SF, Editors Donald A Wollheim, Arthur W Saha.