I'm a downer, I know

Sometimes I think I need to pay more attention to the world around me. But when I do, I just get mad at what I see and then I go back to living in my head. Take this, something that I think I knew about, but made myself forget (likely because I knew how I would react): this "tradition" that Redwings fans have of throwing octopi on the ice. It's supposed to be symbolic, or something. Does this strike anyone else a rather high-concept metaphor for a sport synonymous with "concussion?" Why not just stick with classic, established symbols of luck? Why be so obscure?

I'm far too exhausted today to write a proper rant about this. I know the world was a different place in the 1950s, when a two brothers could think of no better way to dispose of their excess octopus than throwing it at hockey players. Since then, however, we've kind of run out of marine life and I don't think chucking it onto ice rinks is really putting what's left of our aquatic resources to good use. Do you? I mean, I get annoyed when people use marine life for sustenance, imagine how frustrated this makes me.

Granted, I don't know the population status of any octopi, but I'd prefer fans throw something we know we have plenty of, like.....spiders. Spiders have 8 legs and are probably less smelly to carry around. Or, hey, what about something with, I don't know, red wings? Redwinged blackbirds seem pretty ubiquitous, throw them around for a change.

So, you know what team I'll be rooting for in the alternate universe where I'm interested in hockey. It'll be whichever team doesn't throw marine life onto the ice. Should a case arise where competing teams throw terrestrial animals, I'd probably cheer for the team throwing the least cute animal.