Hockey and Religion
First, hockey. Because hockey, erm, Hockey, is more important to me. As you hopefully know, I am in Sweden. You might not know about the big game last night. Tre Kronor, the Swedish national hockey team, played Team Canada in the semi-finals of the world championship last night. Riga, Latvia is not so far from here, but I didn't manage to get over there for the games. Instead I got a bit boozed, grabbed some Québécois, French, English and American supporters and headed to the table I had reserved at a local pub.
Drinking strategy: Hot dogs and several beers at pre-party, bike ride to pub (speeds absorption). One damn expensive pint of Norrlands Guld each (cheapest beer there, piss on tap, CAD$7.20, USD$6.40, 5€!), save glasses. These glasses stayed magically full for hours on end thanks to a backpack of more affordable half-litre cans of Norrlands Guld (piss in a can, CAD$1.70, USD$1.50, 1.18€). A few pulls off Jean-Lionel's pounder o' Polish vodka between periods helped us along as well.
It was a good game, in my opinion, exciting and fast-paced, and the hosers made a commendable comeback, but we lost 4 - 5. That is a shame, as hockey has not treated me well this year. I needed that victory.
Un-highlights: Early in the first period defenceman Brad Stuart more or less passed the puck to Swedish forward Jorgen Jonsson, who slapped in a clean goal from the slot. Halfway through the period Stuart recorded another great play: Swedish forward Tony Martensson flicked one at goalie Marc Denis, who deflected it away, only to have Stuart's skate knock it right back in for the goal. That didn't feel so good. Moving on.
Here is a tidbit from Martin O'Malley's latest column that I found entertaining :
Duck! Here comes The Da Vinci Code
Author Dan Brown's novel − and it is a novel, a work of fiction − has sold more than 40 million copies and has been translated into 44 languages. The movie, directed by Ron Howard, may turn out to be the most popular movie in the history of movies.I found the book to be an entertaining read, a page-turner almost as good as Brown's previous novel, Angels and Demons. I was discussing this the other night with a friend who happens to be a devout, even pious, Roman Catholic.
"You really think it's a good book?" he asked.
"Yes, I do," I replied.
He said the The Da Vinci Code is anti-Catholic, anti-Christian, full of lies, deceptions, misrepresentations and, no, he hadn't read it himself, but that didn't deter him.
"How can you believe such rubbish?" he wanted to know.
I did not bite my tongue. I asked: "Are you saying I should instead believe that 2,000 years ago a woman gave birth to a son and remained a virgin, and that the son grew up to walk on water and, abracadabra, change water into wine?"
[...]
I think that it's funny. Really. I don't understand how the devoutly religious can be so easily rattled. Religion, an institution based on a faith in the unprovable, is bound to be constantly questioned. Why a work of fiction claiming a history different than that accepted by 'the Church' bothers anyone at all is beyond me. Stay tuned for World War Three: Christians vs. Muslims vs. People Who Liked The Da Vinci Code.*
*Side-note Swedish lesson: The Da Vinci Code = Da Vinci Koden
