Cupan Stanley/ Cupan Annette

For all the good feelings, excitement, fervour and civic pride over our current major sporting endeavour — attainment of the Cupan Stanley — I was startled and perhaps should not have been to see a higher level of aggression out of the street today. In one incident, for no explicable reason whatsoever, a cyclist took extreme umbrage at a car turning right. The car arrived at the light before the cyclist and so there was no way the stationary car tipped the cyclist or cut him off. He launched into an extraordinary and threatening tirade at the driver, coming close to her window, blocking her path and shouting cunt, cunt at her.  His issue seemed to be the fact she was turning right. He was going straight ahead. I did not understand it.

Shortly afterwards another altercation with another man, same language, different tongue, different target. He was refused service in the liquor shop, as he’d been abusive earlier to staff. Two security guards were present, not aggressive, just present. Strangely after an outburst that was high voltage, the angry man resorted to asking the security guard to come outside with him because he would show him something PLEASE. This please had a bit of reverb to it. The something likely being a box in the ear.

Perhaps it was co-inincidental these outbursts, but there were a slew of them. People seemed either deliriously happy or tense, tense, tense like they were going to blow if a sparrow flew near them. The audio of the match follows us almost everywhere while it’s on and I’ve noted a resurgence it older tellies being wheeled out in public places, which I find kinda moving. Groups of people gathering in a community centre, to look at a twenty year old TV, has a refreshing Spring like feel to it. Aside from the aforementioned aggression, I am enjoying the public and animated nature of the hockey. Reminds me a bit of the quarter-final, World Cup match with Italy, in, was in 1994?

My in-house males are, to use the local vernacular, stoked on it. Also, I am having fun with work colleagues in Boston over the pairing.

Sports-wise I am currently more interested in aerial hoop and swimming (the incredible Annette Kellerman has captured my gaze) and plan to watch a genre of film I knew nothing about from the 1940’s with women diving and swimming in them, when I have a bit of time.