Check the Signs

I know it's been awhile since I last wrote something, but to be honest, that was kind of by design since I knew that I would be pretty busy for a few weeks and figured that I might as well just wait and get all of it out of the way, at once, when I finally had some time. If you've shit yourself waiting anxiously in your computer chair for me, I apologize whole heartedly.

Last Monday, I took this picture of a speed limit sign that was posted at 70 mph, and noticed that in some ways it personifies a little about me. One, it shows that something ridiculous but subtle can still entertain the hell out of me, and perfectly taking the snapshot while going (admittedly) over 70 miles per hour shows my ability to act properly and accurately. I used to think that I was good at noticing the signs, like this one, and in many ways I still think I can pick up subtle things with people and read what actions may be taken (for example, would I have been informed about Mike's party had my sister not been there?). Something happened last week, before me and Jay went camping, that made me re-evaluate though, but I think my problem can sometimes be that I see the signs but hold out if not for sheer faith in people I know. I guess one of my characteristics that I feel makes me strong, loyalty, can sometimes backfire and make me weak. The point of what I'm saying is that I'm done ignoring the signs. . . I can read them quite clear now. . . I won't be holding out anymore. I don't feel the need to name names, sorry to leave everyone else guessing.

Now that I have the bullshit out of the way, let's get down to business, although I'm not too sure to begin. I suppose I'll tie the loose ends and just come out and say it: the USA failed, Big Time. For some people, the USA bowing out (more like flunking out) of the World Cup means you can go back to watching baseball and not caring, but I'm still going to tune in. Honestly, I've been able to watch most of the games since they started June 9th, and for the most part, they've been incredibly entertaining. Hell, even today, I saw Italy move on to the quarterfinals after Totti nailed a last minute penalty kick against Australia when the game was tied 0-0, and then a shootout that saw the Ukraine pass by the tough Swedish defense. There's been lots of great soccer being played, with a more than a few beautiful goals. Referee's aside, it's terribly enjoyable.

What may have galvanized me to the negative reaction across the nation is the fact I didn't have to labor through our countries final game because I was on top of a mountain close to a campfire. After finals finished up, Jay and I got our camping trip underway early last week, and I think it was exactly what we both needed after having our brains fried by academia.

We drove a couple of hours down to Virginia and met up with Jay's dad (the camping guru as far as I'm concerned) at Shenandoah national park. Almost immediately after we pulled up to the campsite, the guru's comment that rain might be unleashed was made a reality, and just as quickly, Jay and I both started having flashbacks of the weak of rainy hurricane-induced hell we went through two years ago on the same trip to the same mountain. This time, however, the rain only lasted a half hour, and we never felt a drop for the rest of the trip. The weather shined every day we were there, and we took full advantage, hiking each day on a different trail. Getting out in the wild isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I always like to get away from the concrete jungle once in awhile and soak in nature's beauty. Damn that sounded gay, but oh well, it's the truth. We hiked the trails, took pictures of waterfalls, breaked for some fly fishing, hung around the campfire, saw the most incredible star-filled sky and cooked up manly food every day and it was fucking awesome. With me, I may always have things on the backburner of my mind, but getting away from it all like I can when camping helps me relax.

Checking out shit like this, how could you not? We got back a few days ago, and while I didn't think I'd be doing much of anything, it turns out that wouldn't be the case. Back home in Jerseyland, Mike's parents, for some unexplainable reason, left Mike in charge of the house while they went to visit family. Mike, his house, by himself, on a weekend. . . . . . I'm sure you can already see the possibilities. Well, Ray and everyone made sure that shit went down, and Saturday I got a call saying I should swing by. It was a good time, especially since I hadn't seen those guys in a couple of weeks. The usual suspects were all there, Joe and Dana in tow, and even Darin and Jenny made an appearance (which is nuts cuz I've seen them maybe twice in the last two years). I even had the honor of being the one that buzzed Jackson's hair into a perfectly cut mohawk. And who says that sober people can't have any fun?

That time of year

I love it and I can't wait for it. For some reason, with the Miami Heat making to the NBA finals, with the Stanley Cup about to start, with the last of my classes to finish this week, and with a vacation and down time on the horizon . . . all I can think about is soccer. That funny little sport that everyone in the world loves but us still has some pull on my heartstrings.

The explanation for this is two-fold. The most obvious to anyone is that the legendary world cup is about to start. The biggest sports tournament the planet has ever seen kicks off (no pun intended) on the ninth of June, and runs for a month over in Germany and pits the top soccer playing countries against each other. Every four years, the hearts of countrymen swell with pride as the cheer on their team on the greatest field of competition the world has ever seen. What is sad to me is that most people here in America are pretty indifferent to the tournament and really couldn't give a shit.
The summer before my senior year of high school I got into watching the tournament, and rooted for our boys to do somewhat well. For a good portion of the last 100 years, USA has been the joke team to play, an easy win on a teams path, but that year was the year it all changed. Not only did the US make it out of its bracket, our team made an incredible showing and was only stopped at the end by the German team of juggernauts. This year we are actually fifth the FIFA standings going into the tournament, with a lot of depth at every position and one of the strongest goalies in the entire cup. Personally, I can't fucking wait.

The other reason that soccer has been weighing heavily on my mind is because the Audubon traveling season will be starting soon. Obviously I don't play anymore, but my brothers do, and as you may or may not remember I was assistant coach last year. It was my first experience coaching at any level, and my first time back to the game of soccer since the end of my senior season in '03. Essentially, I was in charge of re-vamping the team structure, giving us a solid strategy to win, and preparing the kids with different skill drills and instruction of the game. I'd like to think that I was somewhat responsible for our 1 loss season, and our final four appearance in the Thanksgiving tournament. For as long as I could remember, I had always tried to teach my brothers the ins and outs of the game and give them as big an advantage as possible, but last year was my first time passing the knowledge to other kids.

So as you can probably tell, even just catching the faintest scent of a new season is making my mouth water. Registration for the team is already over, and while it currently looks like our team may have a smaller roster, some of the . . . how should I put this . . . "dead weight" that we had on the team didn't bother to sign up. Personally, I'd rather have a solid and well balanced team with only two or three subs over a team with 4-5 mediocre subs. I think the kids finished out the year much stronger than they started it, and us coaches got a good feel for what we need to do to give us the best chance to win and learn about the game. I'm actually much more excited about south Jersey kid soccer than I am about the World Cup. For a few weeks now my brain has been working overtime on pre-season practices, team strategy and direction, roster strength, etc (I think a 3-4-2-1 may find it's way into the works).

Viva el futbol puntas!