I’ve had a pretty good weekend this far, a lot of it having to do with the Canucks win in Boston. I know it was only a mid-season game but Boston have been playing like they’re in their own (higher) division, and its a pretty nice affirmation how good the Canucks are. Unfortunately my husband works Saturday mornings so I had to lean on my neighbours for moral support. There was an awful lot of hand slapping/high-fiving going on.

I love hockey. Part of it has to do with getting new jerseys for the team I play with, after a year and a half of Petcetera teal jerseys. It’s amazing how a new kit can make you feel more like a part of something.

It was a toss up between these two, and I was leaning a bit towards the Parks Canada logo until they told me that in spite of Stephen Harper’s love of hockey the government of Canada could not be seen to be sponsoring any hockey team, and that they sincerely hoped that my team and I could visit a national park very soon. Technically, their website says any images from their website can be used “just because you like them!” so I could have said nothing at all, or at least claimed “But I just like it!”, so that’s what you get for being honest. In the end though, I am in love with the Minnesota Green jersey. I want to wear it all the time, and in fact, wore it through the Canucks game, and at drop in hockey this morning. Either jersey would have fitting, since an inordinate amount of men on our team do some kind of work with trees.

So the day after hockey, and shortly after the Canucks game, I sat in a hot tub. I love hot tubs. I have been wrestling with wrist/shoulder problems since the end of July, 6 months now. I was seeing a physiotherapist and a massage therapist and then switched to a fancy hand specialist who’s best advice was to apply heat. I think after all the money I have spent the hot tub was the thing that helped me to get better. It’s still an on-going battle – applying heat and stretching and taking lots of breaks – and it’s affecting the things I love most – hockey, drawing, music. I can no longer shoot the puck. I swear, my Beaver team-mates, there was a time when I could, and if you wonder why I couldn’t before either, well, I can only say I was settling in to this new world of men’s hockey and rarely got the chance to. On my days off I have to struggle with not overdoing it, with not spending all day drawing or working on songs which kills me in a way you can not even imagine.

The last new love, Hiss Golden Messenger. Just ordered their new lp, can’t wait for it to arrive. Men in ball caps with beautiful voices, they get me every single time.

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

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.

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!