Theme: Vacation - The VHL Player's Tribune

[der meister 3,187]

 

Vacation. While it sounds relaxing, it always serves as a reminder of an extended postseason run deep into the playoffs. Sometimes the vacation helps you forget, at least a little, about your on ice failures. Sometimes. 

 

With the London United tied for the third worst record in the VHL, vacation seems like it will come early this year. I feel like I'm underachieving, and hope that our recent acquisition of Kevin King helps us go in an unexpected run in the second half of the season. There's a lot of teams we need to leapfrog. We shall see.

 

To return to the topic at hand, though: vacation. I have been to a bunch of major cities now, thanks to the VHL travel schedule. I like some of them, but most of the cities are disagreeable to me. New York City smells like piss. Los Angeles is far too crowded and you can't breathe the air. Vancouver is probably the nicest VHL city in North America. I wouldn't mind visiting there recreationally. 

 

As for Europe, I don't like Moscow. There are frequently people following us when we're out in the sidewalks. Government agent types. Pretty sure all the hotels are bugged. It's creepy. You learn to monitor your every thought and action when you're there. 

 

Most of the western European cities are really nice though. Helsinki is beautiful. Malmo is, too. Prague has an interesting relationship with public nudity. London is the best of the European VHL cities, though, and that's not just because I play there. It's clean, there's a ton to do, and it's generally surprisingly friendly.

 

If I'm taking an actual vacation, though, I want to go somewhere that doesn't remind me of hockey, of an unchecked box on my to do list next to "win a championship". I also don't think I'm much of a city person, ultimately. I mean, I grew up on an island and spent most of my pre-hockey life in the mountains. I'm not a skier or a snowboarder - if I was, I'd probably pick the Swiss Alps. I also don't like it to be particularly hot, so no tropical islands for me, thanks.

 

So where does that leave me? What's the ideal vacation destination for The Terrible Trivium? While it's a bit too early to start making reservations, I'm thinking Japan. Spend a few days in Tokyo, buy some useless electronic crap in Akihabara, then take a train out into the country. Get a Nuru massage in the shadow of Mount Fuji. Antagonize a random mascot. Maybe take in a New Japan Pro Wrestling show, or a Joshi event. Japan feels like it's from a different world, a culture so unlike the ones that I play hockey in day in and day out.

 

After buying some fluffy pancakes from a street vendor, I can wander around and take in the sights and sounds. Visit a shrine and pay my respects. Walk in a bamboo forest. Go to Tokyo Tower. Watch people play Goh in a park and pretend like I understand. 

 

Even writing these words, I can feel the tension escaping my shoulders. My focus was not on my shot, or my conditioning, or my stick positioning in the defensive zone. My focus was on life, new experiences, and the freedom that being filthy fucking rich affords a guy.

 

- TTT

Edited February 9, 2021 by der meister