The Envelope, Please . . .

As I say every year once the playoffs are done, "Screw the NHL Hockey Awards, mine are the only ones that matter!" So without further ado, may I once more present --

DEBRA SHE WHO SEEKS'

2025 HOCKEY AWARDS

1. Best Sports Photojournalist of the Year 

Toward the end of the regular season, The Rare One was gifted fabulous tix to an Edmonton Oilers home game -- ice level, front row seats, right beside the Oilers bench, can you imagine? She took this great shot of Connor McDavid and the other Oilers on her camera phone. She really captured his intensity!

2. Most Whimsical Rendition of a National Anthem

The clear winner in this category is The Harmonica Class from K-Town Senior & Community Center in Los Angeles, who performed the American National Anthem at the LA Kings home games in Round 1 of the playoffs. These ladies gave it everything they had and the crowd loved it!

3. Worst Pre-Game Opening Sequences 

No one does eye-rollingly bad, over-the-top, goofy home game theatrics like the Vegas Golden Knights. Their gawdawful, Game of Thrones-ish parody of battling knights deserves the hardware in this category. What keeps this nonsense from being unwatchable? Simple --

It's cheesy.

They know it's cheesy.

They REVEL in its cheesiness.

4. Best Hockey-Related TV Ad

Hands down, no contest, the winner is the Penalty Box Commercial by Haribo Canada. I never tire of watching it. Giggle on, boys!

5. Hockey's Best Proud Ally Award

As always, this award goes to Gritty, mascot of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Did You Suspect, Too?

Happy Summer Solstice!

Since Stonehenge is so closely associated with

the Summer Solstice, here's a collection of LOLs

about one of my favourite places on earth!

Friday Face OFF -- Coffee, Dessert, and Love?

For this week's Friday Face OFF link party

of art featuring faces, hosted by Nicole of

DVArtist, Art, Food, Gardening blog . . .

Another quick direct-to-paper ink sketch

with a bit of watercolour wash

of people on coffee dates.

It's the same coffeehouse as in my other

previously-posted sketch on this topic.

[Art and photo of art © Debra She Who Seeks, 2025]

The Stupidity of Hate

No Cup For Us *SOB*

Well, the Florida Panthers have now won their second, back-to-back Stanley Cup, defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the Playoffs. And oh, how the rubber rats rained down on the ice!

So congrats to the Panthers.

This is how the Oilers will be spending their summer now until the next hockey season starts . . . 

. . . and this is how we Oilers fans will be spending ours, alas. 

But next year, we'll get that Cup! NEXT YEAR! *shakes fist*

Die Walküre (The Valkyrie)

Last year I revealed my one-item bucket list -- to see Wagner's four-opera epic Der Ring des Nibelungen (usually referred to as "the Ring Cycle") performed live. And as if on command (LOL), Edmonton Opera miraculously decided to stage its own Ring Cycle of one component opera per season over the next four years. So in 2024 I went to the first opera, Das Rheingold (The Rhinegold), which I wrote about here. And now I've just attended the second opera, Die Walküre (The Valkyrie).

The Plot:

Wotan, Ruler of the Gods, fathered many children outside marriage, including a twin brother-and-sister duo named Siegmund and Sieglinde, as well as nine warrior goddesses called Valkyries. Wotan's favourite Valkyrie daughter is his beloved Brünnhilde. Siegmund and Sieglinde, who were separated as children, meet again as adults and fall in love. Their incestuous union angers the Gods. The warrior Siegmund is supposed to win an upcoming battle to the death, but Wotan turns against him and orders Brünnhilde not to assist Siegmund in the fight.

When Brünnhilde learns that Sieglinde is pregnant, she decides to disobey Wotan and protect both lovers. An enraged Wotan appears on the battlefield and shatters Siegmund's sword, ensuring his death. Brünnhilde rescues Sieglinde and takes her to a place of safety so her pregnancy can continue.

Wotan tells Brünnhilde he will punish her for disobeying him by removing Brünnhilde's divinity, putting her into a deep sleep on a mountainside, and letting the first man who finds her "claim her as his wife." Brünnhilde negotiates to mitigate this rape so that only a worthy hero will be able to reach her. Wotan concedes and encircles the mountainside with a protective wall of flames as he leaves Brünnhilde to her fate. 

The Staging:

I was much happier with this opera's staging compared to last year's uneven efforts. The set was minimalistic and dominated by a huge round suspended screen which was used for special effects videos and subtitles. The scaled-down Edmonton Symphony Orchestra was tucked discreetly behind the set. Costumes were more traditional looking than last year's modern clothing.

The Music and Singing:

Both were excellent! The singers who performed as Siegmund and Sieglinde were especially compelling with their arias and duets. And the famous orchestral piece "The Ride of the Valkyries" was suitably thrilling to hear. Die Walküre is my favourite opera of the Ring Cycle and I enjoyed this performance of it tremendously! What a treat!

Of course, because this is Edmonton and we're in the midst of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the stage during intermission sported a different video projection --

Yes, GO OILERS, Mighty Warriors of Valhalla!

The Ring Cycle's third opera a year from now will be Siegfried.

True Royalty