h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hey, just wanted to say howdy. Our paths were crossing on the Seti list, so I thought I'd stop by. I'm thrilled to see another female who likes comics and hockey. Though I must admit I'm more of an animation/cartoon person.

Did you say you're from Finland? Is that where Peter Forsberg's from? The Colorado Avalanche are my favorite team. One of their games a few years ago was the first time I ever saw a hockey game on any level. Hockey doesn't have a long history in Texas (gee, go figure. slushy ice is a problem?), though the Dallas Stars are doing well. Austin has a minor league team but it's basically what we call a "beer" league.

Well, enough nattering from me.

Thanks for stopping by. I've been off-line for almost 3 weeks (Took the ferry over to Finland for the holidays), and this public library computer is killing me...

Actually, Forsberg is Swedish... He's currently Sweden's biggest hockey-hero; when he sneezes, it's all over the local newspapers in Stockholm

I'm not really that much into hockey. It's just that the Sweden-Finland games tend to be rather, um, entertaining. Mostly because here in Finland, we still haven't gotten over that we were under the Swedish rule for almost 700 years, Swedish was the only official language and so forth. The Finns still have this "we have to show them we're better" -attitude. When it comes to sports, nothing is taken so seriously as competition against Swedes. Don't ask why they fight back, I have no idea. But the hockey is very entertaining. After I moved to Sweden, I've been watching the games sitting in our kitchen (we have a TV in there) amongst 11 Swedes, dressed in my Finnish Lion-T-shirt and trying to yell louder than them. Fun

Forgot to mention...
Last time Sweden won the World Championship and the players were met and greeted on Stockholm's main square, I was there, in the middle of 70,000 crazy Swedes, all singing and dancing. And I was the only one from "our kitchen" who went there... I actually have a picture of Peter Forsberg standing on the roof of their bus and dancing. I was only 3 meters away (can't say I was standing, my feet did'nt touch the ground in the crowd, I was pressed against hundreds of people, could hardly breath but my camera-hand was above my head )

Wow. Sounds like great fun. That's my favorite thing about sports--the camaraderie and excitement. The year the Avs won the Stanley Cup I was at a playoff game against Detroit (boo, hiss) and you could pretty much get only single tickets. So there I was, surrounded by strangers, just going nuts. Everybody talking and hugging, chanting together. Gave me chills. It's amazing what rivalries are like. Can't imagine one where the basis of the rivalry is political.

I'm trying to think what we could compete with England in. Americans don't play cricket, we're lousy at soccer (football), England doesn't have much in the way of football (american), basketball or baseball. Don't guess there's anything similar.