A splendid English hockey game

Sunday night at six o’clock, I got my first taste of English hockey.  

Paired up with my English friend Holly, we booked our tickets early in the week and anxiously anticipated our first viewing of an English hockey game (or “match” as they say here!).  After  a little car/directions trouble Holly had in getting to my house (bloody useless navigation systems!), we jumped on the train and set out for Coventry.

We first ate dinner a few doors down from the stadium at “Old Orleans,” a very American restaurant where we even ended up chatting to some fellow Americans, from Texas.  After our tasty meal, we walked the couple minutes to the Skydome arena.

The Edinburgh Capitals fans!

Coventry fans!

Inside the Skydome, we were greeted by welcoming ticket holders, blinking colored overhead lights and an ice rink marking time until its use.  After finding our seats, we absorbed all the sights and sounds of a peppy arena and its spunky Coventry Blaze and Edinburgh Capitals fans.

God Save the Queen...ok, now, time to puck drop!

Soon the Blaze boys appeared on the ice and also, their opponents, the Edinburgh Capitals, all the way from Bonnie Scotland.  What started, as we thought, as an unquestionable victory for the Blaze (they scored twice in the first two minutes), turned out an unpredictable game.  The Capitals fans (all eight of them!) energetically cheered for their team and were unwaveringly set on their Capitals stealing the game back from the Blaze.  Scottish pride!

The Blaze thought they had the Capitals bagged up...not!

The first and second periods saw the Capitals getting more puck control and better passing.  They gained confidence from goals scored and the score at the end of the second period was Blaze 4 and Capitals 3 .  The Capitals paraded their comeback, proving they didn’t make the journey from Scotland for nothing; they came to play, and win.

One of my favorite parts, silly and fun!

"Penalty box" on the butt: too good!

During the break, they offered rink entertainment in the form of kids who did figure skating and the Coventry Blaze mascot played games where participating kids could win prizes.  When I went to look at Blaze merchandise I was surprised to see there wasn't a bunch of stuff, just a small table of items.  Although different than the NHL (we usually have tons of merchandise), the items available still allows Blaze fans the chance to buy items which will help them show their Blaze team spirit.  Also, I now understand that “jersey” in England is the same thing as “shirt.”  I asked if they had a “shirt” (and was very excited when the response was, “yes”), and learned it’s not a cotton shirt with the team’s logo here as it might be stateside.  Gosh, was I surprised!

Nearing the end of the third and it's getting scrappy!

Each team battled on (many penalties were called!) and at the end of the the third, the score was an even 5-5.  Holly and I looked at each other and wondered out loud, “do they do overtime in regular season games in non-NHL leagues in England??”  Not long did our question go unanswered: they do!  1:50 minutes into overtime, Luke Fulghum charged to the blue line shooting the winning goal over the glove-hand of Capitals goalie, Cody Rudkowsky.  It was “too bad so sad” for the Capitals that night, but we know with the support of their animated fans, they’ll be back.

Game over-we out!

We cheered and clapped (I'm not a beer drinker and even I considered buying one, everyone had them and they looked good-but quickly I remembered I'd actually hate it, despite its alluring, game-beverage feel), giggled at both teams’ fans songs and “goblaze” cheers (somewhat unenthusiastically shouted repeatedly from the man behind us-all night!) and we discovered: we’re Blaze girls now.

Blaze girls, and we like it that way- "goBlaze!"

"Who Says" Mayer has changed?

I'm only slightly obsessed.

A mostly Mayer-filled bedroom door.  Just the way I liked it.

I know I'm just a little late (like a few months or so) to post a review of John Mayer's Battle Studies, but I've been busy!  Now, as you can see in these pictures...I might like Mayer, a little bit.  So, this post is going to be slightly (just a a tad) biased.  I know he's been in the news recently and I don't agree with everything he's been saying, but in the end, he's a kick ass musician-end of.

Yes, yes I had a car banner which said, "honk if you <3 John Mayer."  And I'm damn proud.

From Room For Squares to Battle Studies, John Mayer fans travelled with John through various stages of his musical career.  Battle Studies, released this November, sees Mayer heading back, in my opinion, where he started: just a regular guy singing his songs.  John may have changed and progressed as an artist along the way but this album gives his fans exactly what they want; the John they fell in love with.

Ten years since he started with his independent Inside Wants Out album and Room For Squares (his first studio album), Mayer released Battle Studies; an 11 song album which shows us an older, more mature artist.  Yet the artist we see now reveals emotions and song writing which match the John we saw in those earlier albums.  The themes of Battle Studies are those of heartache, love and the change and lessons learned from life.  Battle Studies lyrics mimic those of Room For Squares.  Songs like “War of My Life” (Battle Studies) resemble “Why Georgia” (Room For Squares), with their talk of life as it is now and how John views living it.  Just as “Why Georgia” questions a “verdictless life,” “War of My Life” struggles with the battle of life and carrying on in it despite its chaos.  “All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye”(Battle Studies) and “Back to You” (Room For Squares) also parallel each other, reflecting on the miscommunications and hurt caused by love but the desire to return to love over and over.  

“Half Of My Heart” (featuring Taylor Swift on vocals) is a light and pop styled song like the John of old both in its lyrics and form (presence of drums, bass and acoustic guitar).  Also included in Battle Studies is John’s version of Robert Johnson’s bluesy “Crossroads.”  With the use of different forms of music like blues styles in his albums, John demonstrates how he adds his own slant to that style of music.  It also gives the audience a taste of styles which may influence John’s work.

Many Mayer fans may have noted the changes in band members over the years; John now has Pino Palladino on bass and Steve Jordan on drums and percussion.  Despite the changes in musicians, the basic instruments and sound have remained close to John’s beginnings.  The styling of this album is more enhanced and grown up than Room For Squares but some change is to be expected as an artist moves through his/her career.  Any style changes in the work do not mean that Battle Studies assumes a grandiose position or one which overpowers where John began-listeners will rejoice at the simple yet introspective Mayer they know and love.  His style of writing and creating music has always offered his fans the feeling that he is learning and struggling in life in the same way his listeners’ do, which I believe is what created Mayer’s success.

What’s next for Mayer post Battle Studies?

According to what has been released already, I think fans can only expect more good things from Mayer.  As he gets older, his lyrics and style will continue to reflect what he feels about life, love and his relationships-we just have to sit back and enjoy the journey with him.