HLOG Q&A Update with Kirsten

Today's Q&A update is with Kirsten.  You can relive the past couple seasons of the Minnesota Wild on her blog Land of Lakes and Hockey. Kirsten's original Q&A is here.  You can also follow Kirsten on Twitter

1. What are you up to these days? Still blogging? Why or why not?
I am not still blogging, college in Oregon and nerve damage in my hands overwhelmed me...I just haven't been able to snap back into it. I do try to keep up with the blogosphere thanks to Google reader and Twitter, which I find very useful in keeping my fantasy hockey team up to date.

Now I'm working on a few credits I need for consideration as a grad student (B.A. does not equal a M.S.), and will probably get a job at some point depending on school. I've changed career trajectories, so I'm kind of at a crossroad in my life.

2. Have you changed team allegiances, or are you still in love with the team you represented on HLOG?
I have not changed team alliances, I'm still a Wild fan. What can I say? I'm Minnesotan, we're practically genetically programmed to cheer loyally for the home team, even when they stink.

3. How do you feel about your team this year?
As a season ticket holder I am very unhappy with the Wild. They continue to botch things and it's driving me nuts. The team is underperforming, not enough to get draft picks, and they're waaaay out of the reach of the playoffs at the moment. It was an unpleasant shock when I returned to MN. I find that I've really become more of a Gophers fan as time goes on and I get angrier with the Wild. Having a great personal disdain for the owner doesn't really help. I'm just hoping they can pull something together and stop being a typical Minnesota team... I can't quite put my finger on what's broken, but they don't seem to play together as a cohesive unit, and there seems to be a disconnect somewhere. I think the Wild are so used to having bunches of fans that they forgot what it's like to try hard. I just miss the good old days of yore where every game was magic. Maybe I'm just getting old? I've been told that's what marriage is like.

4. Who is your favorite player now?
Hmmm, that's tough. Toews, Gagner, Thornton, Brodziak and Koivu all hold special places in my heart.

5. Are we too old to use the term SQUEE?
I'm 22, so probably not, though maybe now that I'm out of undergrad.

6. Do you feel that the role of the female fan in keeping the game alive or picking heroes in the community has changed any since you were on HLOG?
I think it has changed in that teams market to women more than they did before, but I think fundamentally their role remains the same. We cheer for players for different reasons than men, and since it has a lot to do with psychological factors, that's unlikely to change. Hockey moms are just as important if not more so now, because in this time of recession, studies have shown that the role of women has become very important in the household, even more so than before.

7. Hockey just isn’t the same without Joe Sakic! It was a terrible day when he retired.

8. Favorite HLOG memory?
It's hard to choose, but definitely getting to meet several of you were highlights.

9. How do you feel the blog community has changed since our HLOG days?
It has expanded certainly, and it has gotten more attention and access than ever. Some bloggers who are very high profile get almost as much information as the mainstream media it seems. I'm not sure how I feel about that, to be honest. It's starting to remind me of the political blog scene. It's no longer just someone with a computer, the blogs have advanced greatly in fanciness and time commitment.

10.  Have you reached any milestones in the last few years, personally, that you’re willing to share with us all? Do you have any upcoming milestones in the foreseeable future? (ahem, wedding? baby? book deal?
etc?)
No baby, husband, or book deal in sight, but I did graduate from college. Does that count?