Serenity Now… 100,000 views of The SDC Blogs.

The ol’ blog punched in it’s 100,000th view today. Wowzers.

While this is surely a far smaller page view count than some big time bloggers, I am very proud of what my little corner of the internet has done so far.

Since starting this blog in 2009 simply as a means of getting thoughts out of my brain, the thing has been quite the launching pad for my writing career. I’ve written for three newspapers and appeared on two radio stations between Canada and Korea, had numerous writers pen guest posts, started mentoring aspiring young writers, appeared on one podcast and started my own, received piles of free stuff promotional material and did my best to promote the heck out of it all, interviewed NHL stars of past and present, local talent, a TV star, and even a political figure. I even got interviewed myself one time.

Amazingly, this blog has pulled in views from 160 countries. Which makes my head spin. Top of the heap? The true north, strong and free. Thanks, Canada. Honorable mention to the US, UK, India, Australia, South Korea, the Philippines, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany for rounding out the top ten in that order.

Where The SDC Blogs has been, according to WordPress. So far.

 

My top read article has been the one denouncing the Mayans’ so-called prediction of the end of the world in 2012. Also appearing in the top ten were my post on free online hockey game links, one of my Vancouver 2010 Olympics articles, a piece venting my frustrations with Air Canada, a tribute to my late friend Colin Burritt, and a mixed bag of some other solid pieces and some good old fashioned total non-sense.

All in all, the only thing I can do is give thanks. Thanks for reading, everyone. Special thanks to my wife for her support while attempting to transition into a new career, to my friend Justin Bourne for his inspiration and example, and everyone else who has supported me by reading, listening, or in other ways. You know who you are.

I suppose the next milestone would be 1,000,000 views, but at this rate that’s gonna take 36 more years, so one step at a time.

Thanks again, everyone!

XP PSP so1e07: Go Berzerk

Episode 7 of the eXPat Pro Sports Podcast is up and running. Nevermind how we got from episode 5 to 7 without a 6th show, that’s not your concern.

Panel: Dave Cunning, Harold Dale, Ryan Brown, Dan Nabben

In this episode, we discuss:

-Ilya Bryzgalov’s free agent woes, and getting cut – whether to stick with it or pack it in.

-Tim Thomas, taking a year off and expecting to pick up where he left off; who can actually do that.

-The guy in every sport on every team that’s a little off.

-Hertl’s goal, “The Code”, and what it means in different sports.

-The place of fighting in hockey and all sports.

-Whether the opinion of former players or analysts who didn’t play holds more weight than the other.

-Why the Chicago Cubs are allegedly superior to the Chicago White Sox.

Listen/Download on Podbean: http://xppsp.podbean.com/2013/10/18/xp-psp-s01e07-go-berzerk/

: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/xp-psp-s01e02/id643817929?i=159102968&mt=2

Thoughts on Gambling and a Hockey Slots Game Review

Hi folks! 

When I turned 19 and became legal to gamble, of course one of the first things I did was hit our local casino. Not one who enjoys losing money, my trip frequency soon dwindled to a much more affordable rate than at the onset of my legality. One lesson a good friend of mine learned and established early was to set a budget: come in with a set amount of cash to play with, and leave your wallet in the car(bring your ID too though). Whether your night at the tables lasts five minutes or five hours, look at it this way: you could spend $20-??? on dinner, drinks, a movie, or whatever other evening entertainment you’re into, or you could try your luck at making far more than you came in with. Either way, gambling is just entertainment. If you play responsibly, you can have a fun night, not lose more than the cash in your jeans, and get over how fast you lost it.  

If you’re into online gambling more than the real life version, our friends at Lucky Nugget Online Casino have a great hockey themed slot machine game called “Break Away” that they’d love for you to try out. Looks like a great time. Have a read of their review of it, and maybe sign up and (responsibly) play a few pulls!

-SDC 

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Review of Ice Hockey Slots Game Break Away

One of the most appealing aspects of slot machine games is that they are based on a wide range of themes. These themes can be quite varied and taken from pop culture, history, music and sports. For those who are sports lovers, it is of little surprise that they are drawn to sports slot machine. Fans of ice hockey can enjoy a slot machine known as Break Away. Some online slots such as Break Away stays true to the sport without tying in any league or team affiliations. Therefore, no matter who their favourite team is, ice hockey fans can find universal fun with this slot machine game.

One aspect of Break Away that immediately pops out to players is its massive amount of paylines which number 243. This gives players many opportunities to win big with Break Away. The symbols of this game are of course items from ice hockey such as rinks, players and refs. The game also provides realistic sounds that one would expect to hear while at an ice hockey match. Ice Hockey fans will find the design quite pleasing.

While Break Away does offer an additional progressive jackpot, with 243 paylines and an awesome free spin feature, it has a lot going for it already. When the free spin bonus is triggered, the largest amount of spins that can be won are 25. The exact amount is based on the number of scatter symbols that appear. Three of these symbols will results in 15 spins while four will award 20 spins. Of course, five symbols are needed to get all 25 spins. The free spin feature doesn’t stop there. When in this part of the game, any money that is won has a special multipliers added to it which makes winnings soar. The more wins translates to a great multiplier amount.