HLOG Q&A Update with Rachel

We've decided to do an update Q&A with HLOG members to refresh our readers (and ourselves) on who we are and what we've been up to lately since most of us have been MIA the past year. We offered the ladies 10 questions and left it up to them if they wanted to answer all of them.  First up is Rachel. Her original Q&A is here and below is her updated Q&A. Enjoy!

1. What are you up to these days? Still blogging (provide your blog name and link)? Why or why not?
The answer to this question these days is pretty much always "working". Since work has kind of taken over my life here lately, I had to make the tough decision a few weeks ago to take a bigger step back when it came to blogging. Big, fat single tear. When I do find a chance to steal some precious, lovely, wonderful moments to REALLY pay attention to hockey, I write at What The Puck, which I started a few months after I joined the HLOG community. My plan is to get back to posting regularly once work settles down a bit. I just wish I knew what that time frame looks like exactly.

2. Have you changed team allegiances, or are you still in love with the team you represented on HLOG?
Absolutely, positively still 100% in love with the Nashville Predators. The good, the bad, the ugly, the exasperation, frustration, elation and most importantly, the resiliency of the pesky Preds will never be lost on me. I'm in for the long haul.

3. How do you feel about your team this year?
At the beginning of the season, it seemed as though Nashville was getting its act together. October was a good month but then November wasn't. However, December is treating the boys well so far. The guys have been plagued with a slew of injuries and that has thrown a wrench into any hope of consistency. My thoughts on the team this year are pretty much the same as any other year: they remain the underdogs of the NHL and will, as always, find a way to silence the critics. They will work hard, stay positive and make the most with what they have.

4. Who is your favorite player now?
Not to be all homer-ish but I really do love me some Colin Wilson. Though, to be fair, I followed him before the Predators ever drafted him. I was more than excited to see him play his first NHL game last season and have been really happy to watch him grow and mature as a player over the past season and a half. He always has a smile on his face and that smile is infectious. I love that he loves the game just as much now as he did when he was a little kid. That excitement is endearing. Also, I pretty much always want to pinch his cheeks.

5. Are we too old to use the term SQUEE?
Eh, you know what? I've never used that word anyway. But no matter how old we get, there will always be some equivalent of this word in our vocabulary.

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 can definitely sense a difference in the female community of fans in Nashville for sure. Within the last year or so, girls have become more vocal in the fan base and they are not being ignored. In a lot of ways, I attribute this to the welcoming community of hockey fans in Nashville. I think we as women have it a little better off here than other places. The hockey community here is very accommodating and embraces the diversity.

7. Hockey just isn’t the same without Paul Kariya. There, I said it. I miss him a lot.

8. Favorite HLOG memory?
Hmmm, this is kind of difficult. I don't really think HLOG itself created any specific memories for me but it has been great cultivating relationships with some of the girls over the years.

9. How do you feel the blog community has changed since our HLOG days?
One word: Twitter. And while blogs are still very much a part of the way information is disseminated, Twitter is so rapid-fire and instantaneous that it takes away from what blogs set out to do. Twitter is word-vomit 24/7. You can start a thought on Twitter and have full-on conversations with the world in real time, without the need to type out more than 140 characters. I find myself not saying things on my blog at times because sometimes I am just repeating whatever I've already said on Twitter.

(Ed Note...Rachel didn't provide her Twitter name, but you can follow her at whatthepuck)

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?)
I recently got a big promotion at work, hence the lack of time to do anything else. As far as milestones in the foreseeable future, not so much. :)