Done.

As some of you have no doubt noticed from my commentbox, I've been fussing with sacamano and mudcrutch79--even though I really don't feel like it.

And I got a teensy bit rankled at various comments in blogland about this Open Letter to Edmonton, even though I really have no reason to get rankled.

Why? I don't know. Fightin's just what I do...

...but that's changing.

I've said all I'm going to say about the real-or-imagined-take-your-pick culture war between Oilers Nation and the Caniac Nation (est. 1997). I've spoken my piece, and I'm just going to drop it as of the moment I hit the "publish post" button, because there's really just no damn point.

And really, my fussing with the Oilers fans is half-hearted at best, because I don't feel any kind of hate for them or their team. Oh, I'm sure that the fans all mostly partly might possibly decide to hate me because of where I live, because I gave the Oilers up some years ago, or because of some sense of automatic "superiority" because they're Canadian and therefore immediate hockey experts--but I don't hate them. I just can't get angry at them or hate them, because...well, I just can't. Oh, I'm sure I'll have some choice words for My Golden Bitch by the time this is all over, but I just don't feel the hate for all y'all in Oilers Nation.

(Perhaps this would be different if I were a Canucks fan--but what do I know, I'm not an angry Ruthenian accountant from Burnaby).

At any rate--Oilers fans, you're welcome to visit and talk hockey, and hopefully you find at least some of my posts entertaining (if a little crack nicotine-addled). If you're coming to Raleigh, I hope you enjoy your stay and have a good time regardless of what the result on the scoreboard may turn out to be. But I officially give up caring what all y'all think of me, my fellow fans, or my town, because in the grand scheme of things it really isn't worth the self-induced rise in my blood pressure.

Good night, and good luck.

Go Canes.

(written while listening to "Leid und Elend" by KMFDM)