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