Wow! Spain did it! They beat Germany 1 - 0. And not even by out-powering the young German powerhouse, but simply by outplaying them -- they denied Germany the ball, used possession and masterful midfield passing play to pull Germany's fangs.
Spain is heading to the World Cup final against Holland! Yay! The young German team will play for third place Saturday against Uruguay, and will surely be a threat in the next World Cup. They're amazingly good.
But Spain is advancing! I'm so happy for them!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Heat Wave
I can't understand why the tenants at the condo building next door don't use the pool they have. There's this nice pool that's cordoned off from the rest of the world (I can only see it because our building overlooks it across the way), and almost nobody ever swims in the pool. Plenty of sunbathers, but almost nobody swimming in it. Especially on these super-hot summer days! If I lived in that condo, was paying all the assessments for everything, I'd be in that pool every day it was open, just to get my money's worth. You got it, use it.
So, the doctors still aren't sure what's the deal with Exene -- several symptoms she thought were tied to the antibiotic she was on were ruled out by the ENT, who said nobody had ever shown those symptoms (in this case, a rash and/or extreme sun-sensitivity -- looks like a pox! Also, swollen joints. She's also had thrush the past week or so -- that could be tied to the antibiotic). Anyway, the doctor said Exene's "a puzzle" -- she wasn't sure what was going on, and recommended that Exene see another specialist, so she's got another appointment on Thursday, this time with a rheumatologist. I'm still thinking it's some kind of auto-immune disorder like lupus, or else, I dunno, cutaneous lymphoma? We'll see what the latest specialist says. But it definitely bugged Exene for the doctor to characterize her ailment as a "puzzle" -- she really wanted some kind of definitive say about what's wrong, and that wasn't forthcoming.
I stayed home sick today, still rebounding from the stomach flu. I'm way better now than I was this morning (or yesterday or the day before). Kinda glad to have gotten it out of the way before the big trip this weekend, when I take the boys to North Carolina to visit my family. Although B2 hasn't seemed to catch it, yet (and I hope he doesn't), at least I know B1 and I already had it. I'll bring stuff for the trip, just in case!
Uruguay put up a tough fight in the semifinal with Holland (2 - 3). I was surprised how fiercely they'd competed. It was a good match, although it should pale before the match tomorrow, between Germany and Spain. That should rock -- two competing styles: Germany's calculated saber cuts versus Spain's rapier-like perfection. We'll see how it goes.
The one weakness I see for Spain is an excessive reliance on David Villa, their superstar striker (and he is amazingly good). They tend to pivot their offense on him, which is a lot to demand of one man against that German team (who manage a multi-pronged assault that is dazzlingly dynamic). Hopefully Spain will kick it into high gear and stop the German machine, but they have their work cut out for them, because this German team KILLS! It should be a fantastic match, and I'm looking forward to it.
So, the doctors still aren't sure what's the deal with Exene -- several symptoms she thought were tied to the antibiotic she was on were ruled out by the ENT, who said nobody had ever shown those symptoms (in this case, a rash and/or extreme sun-sensitivity -- looks like a pox! Also, swollen joints. She's also had thrush the past week or so -- that could be tied to the antibiotic). Anyway, the doctor said Exene's "a puzzle" -- she wasn't sure what was going on, and recommended that Exene see another specialist, so she's got another appointment on Thursday, this time with a rheumatologist. I'm still thinking it's some kind of auto-immune disorder like lupus, or else, I dunno, cutaneous lymphoma? We'll see what the latest specialist says. But it definitely bugged Exene for the doctor to characterize her ailment as a "puzzle" -- she really wanted some kind of definitive say about what's wrong, and that wasn't forthcoming.
I stayed home sick today, still rebounding from the stomach flu. I'm way better now than I was this morning (or yesterday or the day before). Kinda glad to have gotten it out of the way before the big trip this weekend, when I take the boys to North Carolina to visit my family. Although B2 hasn't seemed to catch it, yet (and I hope he doesn't), at least I know B1 and I already had it. I'll bring stuff for the trip, just in case!
Uruguay put up a tough fight in the semifinal with Holland (2 - 3). I was surprised how fiercely they'd competed. It was a good match, although it should pale before the match tomorrow, between Germany and Spain. That should rock -- two competing styles: Germany's calculated saber cuts versus Spain's rapier-like perfection. We'll see how it goes.
The one weakness I see for Spain is an excessive reliance on David Villa, their superstar striker (and he is amazingly good). They tend to pivot their offense on him, which is a lot to demand of one man against that German team (who manage a multi-pronged assault that is dazzlingly dynamic). Hopefully Spain will kick it into high gear and stop the German machine, but they have their work cut out for them, because this German team KILLS! It should be a fantastic match, and I'm looking forward to it.
This-and-that
Still somewhat sick from the stomach flu; B1 soldiered right through it straightaway; I'm getting there. Lost two pounds in about 12 hours. Hah!
Today is the Uruguay v. Holland World Cup match. Holland should smoke Uruguay. We'll see. I'm thinking tomorrow's Spain v. Germany will be the real highlight of the World Cup, although whoever wins that playing Holland should be great, too.
In today's NYT... Need a Job? Ask the NY Philharmonic.
I have the misfortune of working in a profession where people don't realize the value of the work that I do -- as I've said in the past (maybe not here), but editors, if they do their work well, are largely invisible. Only bad editing really stands out; if an editor does their job well, you don't even realize they're there. That's making the job search rather challenging, and even if/when I find something, the odds of it paying incredibly well will be remote. Not like it's my main objective, mind you, but it's still something I have to consider. It's why I'm looking into Technical Writing as a way of moving into something that uses my editing experience in a way that's actually valued.
Today is the Uruguay v. Holland World Cup match. Holland should smoke Uruguay. We'll see. I'm thinking tomorrow's Spain v. Germany will be the real highlight of the World Cup, although whoever wins that playing Holland should be great, too.
In today's NYT... Need a Job? Ask the NY Philharmonic.
Next season the New York Philharmonic will have a rare 12 openings, or roughly 12 percent of its instrumental work force, thanks to a confluence of retirements, departures for better jobs and long-unfilled positions. The Boston Symphony Orchestra has 10 vacancies, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra 9, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic 7.
Elsewhere the Cleveland Orchestra has four full-time job openings and one part-time. The Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, San Francisco Symphony and Dallas Symphony each have three openings.
“We haven’t had this many for quite a while, not for 20 years,” said Carl R. Schiebler, the New York Philharmonic’s personnel director and its maestro of musician management. “A lot is six or seven.”
I have the misfortune of working in a profession where people don't realize the value of the work that I do -- as I've said in the past (maybe not here), but editors, if they do their work well, are largely invisible. Only bad editing really stands out; if an editor does their job well, you don't even realize they're there. That's making the job search rather challenging, and even if/when I find something, the odds of it paying incredibly well will be remote. Not like it's my main objective, mind you, but it's still something I have to consider. It's why I'm looking into Technical Writing as a way of moving into something that uses my editing experience in a way that's actually valued.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Muddied
Notice anything amiss on this "Zombieland" DVD case?
I'll tell you: there's mud on Love Interest's(tm) chainsaw. Mud? Not blood?? WTF? You're in a supposed zombie apocalypse, your chainsaw should be bloody, not muddy. One of many complaints I have about that movie -- like its faux edge and romantic comedy core. Weak. Lame. MUD.
I'll tell you: there's mud on Love Interest's(tm) chainsaw. Mud? Not blood?? WTF? You're in a supposed zombie apocalypse, your chainsaw should be bloody, not muddy. One of many complaints I have about that movie -- like its faux edge and romantic comedy core. Weak. Lame. MUD.
Pop(sicle) Culture
Da Bomb
I had the boys most of yesterday (well, nearly all of yesterday). Took'em to the playground, then to the Zoo, where there Nature Boardwalk has finally been opened. It looks great (I snapped lots of pix, no worries; will post'em when I've got a moment), although the greenery needs to grow in fully -- it'll be zeroscaped, like native flora to fill up the area. But it looks wonderful already, and the boys loved it.
Took the boys to the fireworks last night, which they enjoyed, although they really enjoyed just being out at night and running around on the beach, wearing glow necklaces. Very cute! I started to feel ill while out there, and, sure enough, got stomach flu, which kept me up most of the night. B1 got it this morning, the poor guy.
I'm sipping on a 7-Up right now. Had to! I've held out for hours and hours and hours.
Took the boys to the fireworks last night, which they enjoyed, although they really enjoyed just being out at night and running around on the beach, wearing glow necklaces. Very cute! I started to feel ill while out there, and, sure enough, got stomach flu, which kept me up most of the night. B1 got it this morning, the poor guy.
I'm sipping on a 7-Up right now. Had to! I've held out for hours and hours and hours.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Happy Independence Day
Happy Independence Day, everybody! Hope it's a happy, sparkly day for you, wherever you are.
I'm sleepy; I did a lot of bike-riding today. Gonna take the boys out later to watch the fireworks, which they're launching today, for whatever reason.
I'd take a nap, but it'd spoil my bedtime, right? *yawn*
I'm sleepy; I did a lot of bike-riding today. Gonna take the boys out later to watch the fireworks, which they're launching today, for whatever reason.
I'd take a nap, but it'd spoil my bedtime, right? *yawn*
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Whew
So, Spain squeaked a 1 - 0 from Paraguay, and Germany trounced Argentina 4 - 0. Now to the semifinals next week:
Uruguay v. Holland
Germany v. Spain
We'll see how it goes. The Dutch are very formidable, and the German are amazing. Spain is the #2 ranked team in the world, but I don't know if they can beat Germany or not. Hope so.
B1 was doing karate today, a new thing for him. He was pretty reluctant to do it, but Exene took him with one of his friendettes. I'll see how it went for him later, when he comes back.
Uruguay v. Holland
Germany v. Spain
We'll see how it goes. The Dutch are very formidable, and the German are amazing. Spain is the #2 ranked team in the world, but I don't know if they can beat Germany or not. Hope so.
B1 was doing karate today, a new thing for him. He was pretty reluctant to do it, but Exene took him with one of his friendettes. I'll see how it went for him later, when he comes back.
World Cup!
Okay, so Germany v. Argentina this morning, then Spain v. Paraguay later today! C'mon, Spain! I'm wearing my Spain jersey (also known as a "kit") today! Awooooo! B2 calls his vuvuzela his "googoozela" -- that cutes me out.
Exene is now 119 lbs.!
Exene is now 119 lbs.!
Limoncello?!
I saw this face on an anti-child prostitution PSA ad on the bus the other day, and almost did a spit-take in shock! It's like the SEINFELD where Elaine sees the mannequin that looks like her! I just took a hasty picture of it, as the bus was crowded, but still, it was uncanny! I'll try to snap a better picture of it if I run into it again.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Parasitic
I always read a lot about parasites. Having lived with one for 20 years, I'm something of an expert on the topic. Bahah! But really, I am fascinated by their adroit gaming of evolution. The Sacculina barnacle mentioned in the above article was the inspiration for my short story, "Rotgut."
Going, Going, Ghana...
Poor Ghana. They fought so hard, lost on a shootout to Uruguay. AAUGH! I swear, every team I liked (excepting Spain and Germany) has gone down. Cameroon, up in flames. Ivory Coast, toast. Mexico, a mess. Slovakia exits fast! Now Ghana, gone-a.
It was a mostly clean match, and hard-fought, going into extra time (two 15-minute OT periods), although Ghana was hosed in the very last minute of the second OT when, in a scramble in the box, Ghana shot a goal in that was batted out by a Uruguayan player who handballed it out of the goal. Well and good, it yielded a penalty kick. And then the Ghanian player fired his penalty kick at the goal, hitting the UPPER BAR, sending it hurtling skyward. No goal. Ghana fucked. Then they move to a shootout, which brings Uruguay from certain doom to back to life, and Uruguay outshoots Ghana in the penalty kicks, 4 kicks to 2, winning the match. Poor Ghana. Terrible way to go! It was sad to see all the Africans down in the mouth for the last African team standing -- they had 90,000 people there, most of them pulling for Ghana. Ghana's failure to score more goals earlier cost them. They seemed to dominate about two-thirds of the match, only to run out of steam at key moments
Uruguay, then, gets the dubious pleasure of going up against Holland, who ought to be able to cream them, given their strong performance against Brazil.
Tomorrow morning, it's Germany v. Argentina (go, Germany!) and later, Spain v. Paraguay (go, Spain!) If, for some reason, those two teams go down, then I'll root for Holland, who should be able to prevail over Uruguay. Of course, if Germany wins and Spain wins, then my two favorite remaining teams will be competing against each other (Spain v. Germany has me rooting for Spain, naturally, although Germany plays very, very well, is fun to watch, and I don't know how Spain would fare against them).
Sigh. Sorry, Ghana. You were a really good team, and deserved a better finish than you got.
It was a mostly clean match, and hard-fought, going into extra time (two 15-minute OT periods), although Ghana was hosed in the very last minute of the second OT when, in a scramble in the box, Ghana shot a goal in that was batted out by a Uruguayan player who handballed it out of the goal. Well and good, it yielded a penalty kick. And then the Ghanian player fired his penalty kick at the goal, hitting the UPPER BAR, sending it hurtling skyward. No goal. Ghana fucked. Then they move to a shootout, which brings Uruguay from certain doom to back to life, and Uruguay outshoots Ghana in the penalty kicks, 4 kicks to 2, winning the match. Poor Ghana. Terrible way to go! It was sad to see all the Africans down in the mouth for the last African team standing -- they had 90,000 people there, most of them pulling for Ghana. Ghana's failure to score more goals earlier cost them. They seemed to dominate about two-thirds of the match, only to run out of steam at key moments
Uruguay, then, gets the dubious pleasure of going up against Holland, who ought to be able to cream them, given their strong performance against Brazil.
Tomorrow morning, it's Germany v. Argentina (go, Germany!) and later, Spain v. Paraguay (go, Spain!) If, for some reason, those two teams go down, then I'll root for Holland, who should be able to prevail over Uruguay. Of course, if Germany wins and Spain wins, then my two favorite remaining teams will be competing against each other (Spain v. Germany has me rooting for Spain, naturally, although Germany plays very, very well, is fun to watch, and I don't know how Spain would fare against them).
Sigh. Sorry, Ghana. You were a really good team, and deserved a better finish than you got.
Flying Dutchmen Beat Brazil
I'm amazed! Holland beat Brazil 2 - 1 in a flop-n-foul-tastic match that had plenty of thrills, particularly in the second half, when Brazil went to pieces, unable to check their emotions when up against the Netherlands!
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