Worldly

Spain won! Yay! (1 - 0 over Portugal, no mean feat, given Portugal's great defense) So, we're in the quarterfinals, now. I'm rooting for...

1. Spain
2. Ghana
3. Germany

In that order of precedence. Holland plays Brazil Friday -- I'm loosely rooting for Holland in that match, although I don't like their style of play. Uruguay plays Ghana Friday. Obviously, I'm rooting for Ghana in that one. Then, on Saturday, it's Argentina v. Germany and Paraguay v. Spain.

With Germany, I'm supporting their dynamic, attacking style of play. They're a young team, but have played with remarkable tactical finesse that is impressive to watch. Their match against Argentina should be fucking cool, as Argentina is very much of an attacking team. I think Spain should be able to stomp Paraguay, judging from how Paraguay has played (very, very defensive -- Portugal, the #3 ranked team tried that against #2 ranked Spain, and lost -- I think Spain should beat'em).

Ghana is another young team, and they are the little engine that could -- bold, dynamic play. Not nearly as tactically ironclad as the other teams I've seen play; they tend to rely on a strong offense, versus positional play like, say, the Dutch (or, surprisingly, Brazil). They should be able to smoke Uruguay -- which is a little bittersweet, because if the US had managed to advance past Ghana, we could've been up against Uruguay, who would've been arguably easier than anybody else we had to face.

The Brazil v. Holland match could be cool if Brazil kicks it up another notch, or it could be excruciating, if they just mutually grind against each other in this positional, tactical kind of play that depends on the other side making a grievous error for your side to win. We'll see. Or I'll see, anyway.

We're nearing the last week of the World Cup, which is, after the Olympics, my favorite sporting event. I just love the international spirit of it, seeing those teams go at it (and it's only every four years, so you only have to see me nattering on about it once every four years -- hahah!)

The final match is July 11, which'll have me in North Carolina with the boys, visiting my family at my older stepsister's summer place. I already told my folks we totally have to watch that final match, which'll surely be more soccer than my family can handle, but I'm sooo not missing it.

This and that

I'm about to watch Spain v. Portugal. I sure hope Spain beats'em!

I love how my left foot is nearly better from the hairline split last month, and then I fuck up that toenail on my right foot! D'oh!

I got to work on some fiction last night, which always makes me feel good. I love writing. I'm going to write every damned story I have in my head, just get'em all down on paper, and see what I can do with them. My peril is always that I love the art of writing, but not the business of it -- I try to write good fiction, but I'm not so good at self-promotion and marketing. Gruh. I need to tackle that and get aggressive about it.

B2 is going to be a skilled musician. I can see it already. He's naturally dextrous and is a born performer (for example, he's playing on the toy piano, a "song" he made, and then when he's done, he says "Okay, CLAP!" I usually applaud, anyway, but if it's not forthcoming, he exhorts the applause). And when he sees any new instrument, he wants to know how to do it, asks me how to play it, and I show him, and he picks up on it immediately. He and I were playing a vuvuzela duet this morning (not full-on playing it, more like using it as a megaphone, since if you actually play it properly, you only get that B flat) -- I'd play a melody, and B2 would match the melody I played. He loved going back and forth with that. Love it. I can see him doing that, can see him acting, can see him being a chef, and something athletic. He's a natural with that stuff -- that blend of dexterity and charisma -- and he's naturally assertive (and is a total diva). I see it so clearly.

B1 is more complicated -- very smart, very sensitive, he keeps so much of of himself in reserve on some level. He's open and accessible and is, in his own sweet way, very willful. But what he honestly likes to do is a little less clear than it is with his baby brother. I can see B1 being a doctor, engineer, architect -- something like that. He's interested in systems and a sense of order, and has a warm and open personality -- and yet, he also keeps a lot of it close to the vest. In that way, he's a lot like his mom. My task is to encourage him to explore and really find what he enjoys and is good at. He was playing on the toy piano the other day, and was curious about the scales -- I walked him through some of the ones I knew, just so he could hear them. I think the internal order of them intrigued him.

B1 mastered the proper vuvuzela sound immediately, which was cute to see and hear. I'm always going to encourage my boys to explore and really stretch themselves.

Off to watch Spain v. Portugal!

Sonshine

B1 was looking out the window, banana popsicle in hand, and the light was just very cool, so I snapped it!