Hockey Night In ... England??

When I moved back to the UK in 2000, I wanted to re-embrace my heritage and discard all that was North American. How foolish. Britain in the naughties is more American that probably even Canada now.

Having shed that idea, I decided not to turn my back on several decades of Canadian upbringing and actually relish the things that I held dear to myself over the years. This went from music - like Platinum Blonde, Pursuit of Happiness, Chalk Circle, etc. to Tim Horton's coffee and even hockey. I used to be a mad hockey fan, watching Hockey Night in Canada every Saturday on a small 10" black and white telly in the family room.

It was a colliding of lives when the NHL announced that for the first time ever, two of their teams would play regular season games outside of North America. Where oh where would they go? To a hockey loving, NHL feeding country like Sweden or Germany or even Russia? No. They're playing in England, the country where the word hockey evokes images of girls in skirts and curly sticks. To be more precise, they're playing at what used to be called the Millennium Dome.

The two teams involved are both West Coasters - the LA Kings and the Anaheim Ducks (nee Mighty Ducks). The Ducks just won the Stanley Cup in June, so we get to arguably see the best hockey team in North America.

I'm pretty psyched, a lot more so than I would have been in 2000.

Goes to show time doesn't just heal all wounds, it also makes you grow up.
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Now playing: The Pursuit Of Happiness - I'm An Adult Now
via FoxyTunes

Back in the great white north

so it's been just over 24 hours since we're arrived in the Great White North and I've already drunk more beer and bought more DVDs than the last month combined.

Off to Sarnia tomorrow to visit old haunts and old mates and eat and drink more the ensure that NONE of my clothes fit anymore. Never fun!

I get pings when I come back of what I gave up when I moved back to the UK, but there's just something underlining existence here that just rings wrong, like everyone's living in a Theme Park or something. There's something that's just too fake. Maybe it's the ludicrous size of the houses or the wide roads or the Canadian accent that I do find grating sometimes.

I dunno.

I love this country and the start it gave me in life, but I do wonder if I could ever move back. Sure there's space and things are cheap, but some of the stuff I'd be giving up is actually quite entwined in my person now.

Too heavy for this time of night. I need to sleep to shake off this jetlag.

Almost time for holidays!

I've been at the new job now for almost three weeks, so naturally it's time for a holiday!

Fly out on Saturday with Sue and cousin Ben and friend Tina for our two-week (one fortnight) Canadian adventure.

Looking forward to it. It can be quite stressful starting a new job and the propect of taking some time off just as I start has been the light at the end of the stress tunnel.

Fun times ahead as we relax, sleep in, drink beers and frolic in a completely different time zone.