a l'il ipod touch painting

This summer was only the second time since starting to play hockey that I took the months of July – August off. I didn’t really miss it much, but it only took one game for me to get totally immersed in it again. Maybe because I had (what I thought was) a stellar first game (one goal and one assist, no penalties) but the last two have been completely horrid. In our division 98% of it is getting to the puck first, and both times I had absolutely no energy. I think I never do well at early Sunday games, or on days when I ride 11km to work and back. When I don’t have the best game imaginable, I feel let down, and, well, there’s $60* down the drain.

I love hockey because for that hour that I’m on the ice there is absolutely nothing else on my mind. For that one blessed hour a week, there is no when can we learn a new song already and hey, if the guy I convince the company I’m working for to hire forgets to mention that he’s going to work at home one day its not really a bad reflection on me, is it , and dammit am I ever going to get another illustration job again and christ, do I really have to get up to get you something yet again, and you don’t really think that I lost all your lighters, do you? and all the other minutiae that you would not believe I spend so much time and energy thinking about. Its a relief people!

What happens, though, when you have a sucky game is, it sticks in your mind afterwards and you feel kind of pissy, especially when it will be 11 WHOLE DAYS before you can try and make it up and reassure/prove to yourself that you are not a complete waste of space out there, and that there has been some improvement. And it could sit and fester there if it weren’t for the best cure for that particular ailment, which is going upstairs with your team to hang out after the game.

* this is a slight exaggeration, but not really

I’m horribly addicted to my new iPod – not only is there the obvious convenience of having one small device to listen to music, read books and comics (just got the Thief of Always, which has some pretty great art) but I can also tune my guitar, record my ideas, jot down ideas for lyrics and paint – if you already have one you don’t need me to tell you how great it is. I am forever indebted to my big brother Pierre, who bought a new mac and gave me the free iPod that came with it.

My favorite apps of late are 4-track (although the Griffin smarttalk mic I bought one week ago is already broken, much to my extreme disappointment, so I’m going to have to look at a different brand) and Brushes. There was a time that I was making all my art digitally, but it just couldn’t compete with the tactile pleasure of traditional art (and my much – loved oil pastels) but this app might just have hooked me again. I guess I like painting with my fingers, and I like being able to just turn the screen around. My latest plan (I’m always full of plans) is making some comics (the canvas is a perfect panel size), in particular the one that I’ve had brewing for about a year now, about parenting.

Here’s some Brushes art:

So, hockey season starts next week – this has been my first break from hockey since starting to play the game 7 years ago, and suprisingly I didn’t miss it that much – in fact, at our practice last week when I heard that 4 players were going to miss our season opener , I had that familiar annoyed feeling. I know that there are work conflicts and injuries etc. but it was the thing that bothered me most last season, and in the ensuing spring season where we played with 8 players for the majority of it. But I started to feel a bit more excited about it after the practice, and then started feeling even more ready after the scrimmage I went to with Matt’s team, the Ultra Moroons. I love playing against men but only with these men (sometimes when someone invites a friend I feel a momentary nervousness because I don’t know how they’ll feel about women on the ice) and it’s the perfect wake up call for a new season. If I can defend against the men then I can do it against the women.

Vanessa told me afterwards that they started hating me on her team for being too rough and cheered when I got knocked down. I didn’t admit to her how much that hurt my feelings – they cheered? They think I’m too rough when they’re all a good foot taller than me? But a quick survey of some of her teammates (including Matt!) indicated that this was probably not the truth. Except maybe for Noah. Sorry for taking you out on the boards, Noah.

Here’s my kokeshi for the upcoming show at the Japanese American National Museum put on by the Los Angeles Toy, Doll & Amusement Museum. Like the last one I made, I found it pretty hard to part with her. Next time I’m making one for myself!

So we’re out of the playoffs, and to add insult to injury we lost to the team with the 55 points in 19 games gal (who scored 8 goals in 2 games against us), in spite of our best efforts to shut her down. I have to admit that almost team-wide we were off. I don’t know if it was nerves or missing our Kessler or just simply, an off night. The worst part is that I don’t take losing very well, and the madder I get the more intent I am in rubbing someone out in the boards, shoulder to shoulder. I always feel a bit ashamed afterwards, even though I always maintain that there has to be and always will be a physical element to the game, women or not. In fact they should allow it a tiny bit more and every woman should play one season just to recognize their own physical strength.

But the best part about it was that as bad as we all felt after losing (and we’d gone about 8 games without losing – I was beginning to think we were invincible – turns out we’re vincible), hanging around with my teammates and having a good laugh afterwards was the best thing imaginable, and made everything alright in the end. Seriously, I like my team so much I’m taking up golfing this summer just so I can see them.

There’s a team in my hockey division that have been rivals with us for years ( and I say they’ve been rivals, because most of the bad feelings have been on their side) and I’ve just come home from a playoff win against them. It’s been on again/off again (mostly on) for our near-6-year history, and seems to have returned with our last two regulation wins against them.

The new twist in this story is our goalie is involved with their goalie, so we get the privilege of hearing repeatedly how much they hate us. I really don’t want to hear about it, because if someone is going to criticize me and my teammates it’s going to get my back up. We’re obnoxious and lippy – probably true – but it isn’t because we mostly win. Maybe it’s a good thing for the playoffs because I’ll feel the rivalry more keenly. I don’t, however, like how it makes me argumentative with the person telling me about it. So in our next matchup we’re going to try and do a little damage control, as well as kick their asses.

I do talk a lot about hockey, don’t I ? I’m sorry……..but Go Canucks Go!