Superbowl - a quick note

Any of you that know me, will be aware of my strange affiliation to an American Football team called the Pittsburgh Steelers. They are owned by an Irish family called the Rooneys and are one of the few non-GAA teams to have played in Croke Park.....though this won't be such a big deal soon. Anyways, the Steelers have defied the odds and have progressed to the Superbowl. I just wanted to highlight why this is particularly exciting.

The Steelers only qualified for the post-season on the last day of the regular season. They were seeded #6 out of 6 teams from the AFC (one half of the NFL). All of their post-season games have been played away: Cincinnati, Indianapolis & Denver against the #3, #2 & #1 teams respectively. Denver had not been beaten at home all season.

From a player point of view, the Steelers have a brilliant young QB called Ben Roethlisberger who will be the 2nd youngest QB to play in the Superbowl at the age of 23. On the other end of the scale, Jerome 'The Bus" Bettis will be playing his last game in a 13 year career in his home town - Detroit, home for Superbowl 40 - or Super XL if you prefer.

Last time the Steelers made the Superbowl was 1995, and I had both my arms in slings watching the game on Channel4. This year I shall be resplendant in my Steelers jersey and hoping that this will be their year.

"Here we go Steelers, here we go"

Halifax / Dalhousie

Many thanks to Queenie and friend for looking after me while I was in Halifax NS last week. This was my first proper transcontinental job, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Air Canada is NOT the most comfortable airline for long haul - particularly when your business-class arse doesn't fit in economy class seats. Air Canada call it 'Hospitality' class - hospital, yes - hospitable, no. Old school communal screens showing sanitised versions of 'Cinderella Man' & 'Thelma and Louise'...parteh!

As accentmonkey & Queenie will both tell you, Halifax is a gem of a place. Nice people (some with crraazzy accents eh?) mixed with a healthy, fresh atmosphere. There's an air of 'great things to come' and such. The weather was all over the shop: fog, rain, snow, wind, seasonally freezing conditions, unseasonally mild conditions - all in the space of 5 days, which made me feel right at home.

While there I also managed to indulge in some political debate, and almost got on local TV. While standing outside the university I was asked by a camera crew if I'd like to answer a few questions about the elections. 15 seconds of fame, here I come. "Fire away" sez I. Alas, it came to a grinding halt in the opening seconds when I was asked about my local 'ridings'. This turns out to be the Canadian word for constituency, news to me. Rather than make a total tool of myself I had to fess up to being a visitor. Damn you ridings!

Take note: Big shops don't open on a Sunday. The Mountaineering Co-op (www.mec.ca) has brilliant value in mountaineering gear. Try the smoked meat.