so, i woke up this morning and saw that the snow started sticking last night. i knew it must have been as some fucker did some donuts in the cul-de-sac last night. i put on some coffee and got ready to watch the World Cup final. when Argentina got up 2-0, i thought for sure they were going to win the game in regulation. silly me. France scored twice in the second half (90 seconds apart) to tie the game at 2. the game went to extra time. Messi scored his second for Argentina to put them in the lead. Kylian Mbappe scored his 3rd for France to eventually send the game to penalty kicks. Argentina won the penalty kicks 4-2. this was by far the most entertaining World Cup final i think i have ever watched. and honestly, it ends the debate of who is the greatest of all time. Messi winning the World Cup trumps everything.
Sunday, December 18, 2022
what a crazy few hours or so...
Saturday, December 17, 2022
actually saw some snow this morning...
it was kind of funny this morning. i opened the garage door to go down and get the paper and there was the UPS driver walking up the driveway. i think we were both surprised to see each other.
it snowed a little this morning. nothing stuck but it was nice to see some flurries at least 8 days before Christmas.
Smackdown and NXT Level Up were both really good last night.
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
just enough rain to make me miserable...
it was a fine mist/drizzle all fucking day today. just enough to make me miserable. add in the fact i woke up late... that meant i missed just about all of the France vs. Morocco World Cup game. but, i did get all the grocery shopping done. i had to make a special trip to Meijer today. we had a Christmas tree die on us last night. the lights completely fizzled. i can't really complain. we had the tree more than 10 years. so, i went to Meijer and found the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. i figure that is the perfect tree for this Christmas.
France defeated Morocco today at the World Cup, 2-0. that sets up a World Cup final of France vs. Argentina. Croatia will play Morocco in the 3rd place game.
Tuesday, December 13, 2022
it always happens around this time of year...
it always seems like the end of the year, especially for the last few years, becomes the year of death. i woke up this morning to the news of the death of Mike Leach. he was one of my favorite college football coaches and humans on this planet. a true original who never shied away from talking about absolutely anything. he will be sadly missed. rest in peace coach.
Saturday, December 10, 2022
like a ton of bricks...
so, when the news of Grant Wahl's death last night hit me, i was shocked. Grant was the best soccer writer in this country by a mile. he did an amazing job explaining the sport and growing the sport in this country. i still am trying to process his death covering the World Cup. part of me doesn't want to believe it is true. and part of me knows, having just celebrated his 48th birthday 8 days ago, it is the circle being completed. Grant was also an amazing writer about college basketball. i have been an avid reader of his for damn near 20 years. i think i cried for hours last night as i was trying to deal with my own grief. he was the writer i thought i wanted to be when i was a kid, thinking of writing for a team or a sport, long before the poetry bug latched on to me. rest in peace Grant. you were an amazing human. condolences to his wife and his family.
Friday, December 9, 2022
what a crazy start to the weekend...
so, i was up early this morning and got myself to the dealership about 10 minutes before my appointment. 90 fucking minutes later, the new tire was put on the Highlander. at least that bullshit is over with. after that, i went to Big Lots. mom wanted me to look for some slippers for her and i was looking for some baseball cards. i got 3 packs of 2022 Topps Series 2. didn't find any slippers for her. after that, i had to go to Kroger to pick up a prescription for my mother. thankfully, i got there before they took their lunch break. when i got back to the Highlander, i noticed that Croatia and Brazil was going to penalty kicks. i started to race home, hoping i would get to see a little bit of that. by the time i got in the garage, i saw the news.
Croatia stunned Brazil today at the World Cup, beating them 1-1 (4-2) on penalty kicks. i did get the chance to watch the second game. that was another holy shit affair. Argentina built a 2 goal lead only to watch the Netherlands score 2 late goals to send the game to extra time. the game went to penalty kicks and Argentina won, 2-2 (4-3). Croatia vs. Argentina in the World Cup semifinal should be an entertaining war.
Tuesday, December 6, 2022
well, one good thing from the Saints loss happened last night...
sadly, i think the New Orleans Saints are inventing new ways to lose now. more on that bullshit in a bit. but, it did piss me off enough that i actually wrote 4 poems last night. they are the first poems i have written since October 25th. our national nightmare is now over. i'm hoping to write a few more and get some submissions out this week.
so, the New Orleans Saints were up 16-3 last night at Tampa Bay. and then the offense decided to shit the bed and Tampa Bay came back to win the game in the final seconds, 17-16. i almost think sometimes the Saints have forgotten they don't have a first round draft pick in the next draft. so all these fucking losses are doing is giving the Eagles, arguably the best team in the NFL, a better first round pick. and they managed to piss me off so much that i couldn't really enjoy the victory of the night.
Monday, December 5, 2022
insomnia and writer's block, what a combination...
so, here was my day at Rite Aid today. i got a text saying my prescription was ready. i put air in the left front tire and went to Rite Aid. the line wasn't too bad and i got the prescription for no charge. i got back in the Highlander and realized, it wasn't the pills i was expecting. i was expecting the pills i ran out of yesterday. so, i went back into the store. the line was now twice as long, but both registers were being operated. i got back up to the counter and was told the pills i needed would be ready in about 10 minutes. not sure why i couldn't be told that 15 minutes earlier when i was in line the first time. oh well. i finally got the pills i ran out of yesterday and left the store. i pride myself at being as patient as i can be. and honestly, if i wasn't, i would be in jail for murder. i just don't have the time for incompetence. it drives me fucking insane.
at the World Cup Today, Croatia beat Japan on penalty kicks, 1-1 (3-1). Brazil put on a show and defeated South Korea, 4-1. Brazil vs. Croatia should be a fascinating game. tomorrow at the World Cup, Morocco plays Spain and Portugal takes on Switzerland.
Sunday, December 4, 2022
one of these days i'll find the time to write again...
as i was taking a shower last night at 3:30 AM after shaving, i was trying to come up with something resembling a poem. and the more i tried, the more i realized i had nothing. this might be my first case of writer's block in years. i guess one of these nights it will be time for a little jack daniels and a trip down memory lane to rattle the cages once again.
today has been a busy one for me. i might have got almost 3 hours of sleep last night. i woke up this morning and made some coffee. after checking my emails, i started on breakfast. i told mom i was doing biscuits and gravy as i know she can only have so much of it to fit into her sodium restrictions. and i remembered how she told me about the cold biscuits and gravy she got at the nursing home. she told me after her first bite how much better this was than there. she just got delivered her food for her recovery. it was supposed to come yesterday. i'm happy that it did arrive. even happier i was able to fit the shit in the freezer. now, after i get this done, i need to vacuum the house, make dinner (pork chops, glazed apples and mashed potatoes) and then help mom pay her bills, on time this time.
the New York Rangers played like shit last night and lost at home to Chicago, 5-2. i'm not sure why they fucking suck at home this season.
Saturday, December 3, 2022
what could have been
so, i got up this morning and got my ass in gear to watch the USA vs. Netherlands. i missed the first Netherlands goal as i was in the bathroom taking a shit. i was hoping it was a USA goal with all the commotion i was hearing, but sadly it was not. the second Netherlands goal came on the last kick of the first half. that was a punch to the dick. now, both goals were scored by former Manchester United players, so that stung doubly for me. the USA got one back to make it 2-1, but quickly had yet another defensive mistake and the Netherlands made it 3-1. that was the final score. i was not impressed with the original starting lineup nor the changes that the USA coach made. i honestly think if they want to get truly better and be a team with a chance to win the World Cup when they are co-hosting in 2026, they MUST hire a better coach. the Netherlands outplayed and outmanaged the USA by miles in this game. now, i will give the USMNT a little credit as they have at the very least, restored a little respect on the team. getting into the knockout stage of the tournament should be the bare minimum from now on. and for the love of Christ, find a fucking striker in the next 4 years.