Exciting News!
Last night, Pepper and I put down our first payment towards our 2009 Real Salt Lake season tickets! It’s so fun to hand over hundreds of dollars and have nothing to show for it! Even so, I am very excited. We are up one row from where we are now, but the seats at the new stadium are closer to the field. So all in all, it’s a better seat...for half again as much...
Anyway, on to the rest of the league…
Colorado Rapids @ Columbus Crew
Colorado are right in their traditional form of not winning games. Columbus are still trying to hold their place among the East. I don’t know how long it has been since Colorado won. Too long. Columbus, however, managed to tie LA last weekend. Right now, that is an impressive feat. I give this game to Columbus. They are home and Colorado are stinky.
Toronto FC @ New England Revolution
This is the only game of the weekend that involves two teams from the same conference. Toronto were home last weekend with Kansas City visiting. I thought it would be an easy victory for them. New England were visiting RSL. I thought we would be lucky to hold them to a tie. I was so wrong, on both counts. Toronto is nearly unbeatable at home, but New England are good wherever they play. I think New England wins this match. Especially because most of their starters that were out last weekend, should be back this one.
Real Salt Lake @ Kansas City Wizards
KC were impressive to hold Toronto to a tie at home and leave BMO with one point. Real Salt Lake were even more impressive to win league-leading New England at home. I want so badly for Real to win, it could mean first place in the west for them if they do. But I’m afraid that in their usual form they will screw up and I will be furious and we’ll go right back to #13 in the power rankings.
San Jose Earthquakes @ Chicago Fire
San Jose’s first home game of the season, they played host to Chicago. At that point, they were looking measly at best, and yet managed to keep Chicago from scoring more than once. Chicago lost to both Chivas and Dallas last week. I would not have thought that possible earlier in the season. Even so, I think Chicago will take this game.
New York Red Bulls @ Chivas USA
New York and Chivas both managed a good week last week. New York tied the Revs in midweek and then won at Dallas on Saturday. Chivas won at home against Chicago. Chivas is still a team to be reckoned with, despite their poor start to the season and their mile-long injury list. I think it will be a good game, but I think Chivas will win it.
Los Angeles Galaxy @ DC United
Sunday’s lone game should be very interesting. DC are not the top team in the East in points, but they are making major strides. LA are sitting at top, but I hope they lose. They only managed a tie last weekend, while DC beat San Jose (which in mind is like a tie). This game is incredibly difficult to call, so I default to the home side.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
GOOOOOAAAALLLLLLL!
Kansas City Wizards at Toronto FC
Poor Kansas City. They are winless in their last six games and they have to travel to Toronto this weekend. No one is going to have a good time playing at BMO this year. Kansas will extend their winless streak to seven games. Toronto will extend their winning streak to two.
FC Dallas at New York Red Bulls
I would not have picked Dallas over Chicago last weekend. They haven’t been playing very poorly, but since losing their coach, they haven’t been overly impressive. Now they have a new coach and he certainly has something to prove. New York gave up a late goal to New England Wednesday night. It’s better than I thought they would do. The Red Bulls have only had two days to rest, but at least they are at home. I think they will win.
Houston Dynamo at Colorado Rapids
Houston lost yet again the New England last Thursday while Colorado lost to Toronto. Despite their poor form, Colorado are only two points behind Houston. Both teams will be eager for three points. It’s just a matter of who wants it more. I would say that Houston does.
New England Revolution at Real Salt Lake
Last weekend, I predicted RSL would lose at Chivas. They won. On Wednesday, I was sure they would win at home against San Jose. They tied. I’m thinking that we don’t have a chance against New England—even with Twellman and Joseph missing. I hate to say it. They will be lucky to get a tie, but I expect a loss.
Columbus Crew at Los Angeles Galaxy
The Galaxy are proving over and over again that they are a new team. In their last five games, the only team they have lost to is Toronto. The Crew are coming off a victory over Kansas. I expect a lot of goals from this game, but the Galaxy will have more.
San Jose Earthquakes at DC United
San Jose have a knack for pulling strange victories out of a hat. Unfortunately, DC is climbing toward the top of the East. I don’t expect that this will be one of those games that shock everyone. It will probably end with DC victory.
Poor Kansas City. They are winless in their last six games and they have to travel to Toronto this weekend. No one is going to have a good time playing at BMO this year. Kansas will extend their winless streak to seven games. Toronto will extend their winning streak to two.
FC Dallas at New York Red Bulls
I would not have picked Dallas over Chicago last weekend. They haven’t been playing very poorly, but since losing their coach, they haven’t been overly impressive. Now they have a new coach and he certainly has something to prove. New York gave up a late goal to New England Wednesday night. It’s better than I thought they would do. The Red Bulls have only had two days to rest, but at least they are at home. I think they will win.
Houston Dynamo at Colorado Rapids
Houston lost yet again the New England last Thursday while Colorado lost to Toronto. Despite their poor form, Colorado are only two points behind Houston. Both teams will be eager for three points. It’s just a matter of who wants it more. I would say that Houston does.
New England Revolution at Real Salt Lake
Last weekend, I predicted RSL would lose at Chivas. They won. On Wednesday, I was sure they would win at home against San Jose. They tied. I’m thinking that we don’t have a chance against New England—even with Twellman and Joseph missing. I hate to say it. They will be lucky to get a tie, but I expect a loss.
Columbus Crew at Los Angeles Galaxy
The Galaxy are proving over and over again that they are a new team. In their last five games, the only team they have lost to is Toronto. The Crew are coming off a victory over Kansas. I expect a lot of goals from this game, but the Galaxy will have more.
San Jose Earthquakes at DC United
San Jose have a knack for pulling strange victories out of a hat. Unfortunately, DC is climbing toward the top of the East. I don’t expect that this will be one of those games that shock everyone. It will probably end with DC victory.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Fore!
I have been remiss in my blogging duties. My only excuse is that I haven’t really felt like doing it. I know it’s lame, but there it is.
There is actually quite a lot of stuff going on right now. Summer has finally come and slapped us all in the face. It’s so hot! And yet, I love it. It certainly makes running a little more uncomfortable, but that’s about it. The roads are clear. People go on vacation so traffic is rarely as bad as it has been the last 8 months. I can go outside without a jacket. The world, and my skin, has color again. It’s all good!
Anyway, today’s blog is going to be about golf. I personally don’t love golf. I do not think it counts as a sport. Come on, they don’t even carry their own clubs! The only physical activity involved is wandering around and trying to find your ball and then swinging a club at said tiny little ball. Please.
This isn’t to say that golf is not a game of skill. I acknowledge that it’s difficult and pretty much miraculous. I am not denying that fact. I cannot understand how anyone can get a hole in one. I have only been golfing once in my life, but that was all the experience I needed to measure its difficulty.
Today was the Sorenson’s Champions Challenge at Thanksgiving Point. My company is a sponsor for this event. We have free tickets and some of us even get VIP passes. This is the first year I was able to go to this event. I was excited. I rarely get to spend more than a few minutes during the daylight hours outside on weekdays. I was able to see some big golfing names and I got sunburned. Fun for me!
And I must say that watching golf live is slightly less boring than watching it on TV.
Even so, I think I will stick with mini golf. A round takes about an hour, rather than 4 or 5. Getting less than 6 strokes is possible for someone like me. You don’t have to worry about whether the course has a dress code or not. It’s all around better.
But kudos to those of you who love to watch and play golf. I’ll stick with soccer. You can cheer while the actual playing of the game is going on.
There is actually quite a lot of stuff going on right now. Summer has finally come and slapped us all in the face. It’s so hot! And yet, I love it. It certainly makes running a little more uncomfortable, but that’s about it. The roads are clear. People go on vacation so traffic is rarely as bad as it has been the last 8 months. I can go outside without a jacket. The world, and my skin, has color again. It’s all good!
Anyway, today’s blog is going to be about golf. I personally don’t love golf. I do not think it counts as a sport. Come on, they don’t even carry their own clubs! The only physical activity involved is wandering around and trying to find your ball and then swinging a club at said tiny little ball. Please.
This isn’t to say that golf is not a game of skill. I acknowledge that it’s difficult and pretty much miraculous. I am not denying that fact. I cannot understand how anyone can get a hole in one. I have only been golfing once in my life, but that was all the experience I needed to measure its difficulty.
Today was the Sorenson’s Champions Challenge at Thanksgiving Point. My company is a sponsor for this event. We have free tickets and some of us even get VIP passes. This is the first year I was able to go to this event. I was excited. I rarely get to spend more than a few minutes during the daylight hours outside on weekdays. I was able to see some big golfing names and I got sunburned. Fun for me!
And I must say that watching golf live is slightly less boring than watching it on TV.
Even so, I think I will stick with mini golf. A round takes about an hour, rather than 4 or 5. Getting less than 6 strokes is possible for someone like me. You don’t have to worry about whether the course has a dress code or not. It’s all around better.
But kudos to those of you who love to watch and play golf. I’ll stick with soccer. You can cheer while the actual playing of the game is going on.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
I'm going to Disneyland!
Well, we had a successful trip to Disneyland. I wish that I could write about everything that happened. I think that would be boring for everyone. We have safely established a few things, though…
I can break rides by willpower. I have twice broken Indiana Jones by saying out loud that I hope it would break down--once while we were on it. I have also broken down Space Mountain, but not in time for us to stop on the ride and have to walk off. Too bad.
Disneyland is hardest on my feet. I get blisters and more blisters. I can’t put on any shoes by flip-flops. By the end of the day, all I want to do is sit or lie down.
There is too much food in Disneyland. We ate a lot, but it felt like we hardly ate anything. We only got one trip to Bur-r-rbank, one churro, one ice cream sandwich, one frozen banana, one everything. And as the slogan goes, once is never enough.
Disneyland is one of the best places to “people watch”. There are so many freaky people who show up and are dressed to the nines, or who are not dressed enough. There are crazy people who can’t walk around the park, and it’s obvious it’s just because of their size. There are people who cannot keep track of their one child, so they put them on a leash. How can TWO adults not keep track of ONE child? You can sit on a bench for just five minutes and see a fair number of people worth mocking go by.
Driving in California is safer than driving in Utah.
I don’t think you should ever wait in a line that has a posted wait time of longer than 30 minutes. Fast pass the ride or come back another time. The only time we spent longer than 25 minutes in a line was waiting for the Nemo Submarines. And since we had chimichangas to eat and interesting people around us to talk or listen to, it was alright.
Californians have no concept of what Utah is like, unless they have actually visited.
You can eat for cheap in California Adventure. Just take the Mission Tortilla Factory tour and the Boudin Bakery tour. Free tortillas and sourdough bread for all!
The front of Screamin’ is worth the wait. The wind whips at your face and you can see the track the entire time. If you can’t ride in the front, or don’t want to wait for the front, try riding with your eyes closed. The coaster is a different experience when you don’t know what’s coming next.
I can wear a baseball cap on almost any ride and it will not come off.
So, useful tips and fun facts. Anyone want to take a trip? I’m ready for another vacation.
I can break rides by willpower. I have twice broken Indiana Jones by saying out loud that I hope it would break down--once while we were on it. I have also broken down Space Mountain, but not in time for us to stop on the ride and have to walk off. Too bad.
Disneyland is hardest on my feet. I get blisters and more blisters. I can’t put on any shoes by flip-flops. By the end of the day, all I want to do is sit or lie down.
There is too much food in Disneyland. We ate a lot, but it felt like we hardly ate anything. We only got one trip to Bur-r-rbank, one churro, one ice cream sandwich, one frozen banana, one everything. And as the slogan goes, once is never enough.
Disneyland is one of the best places to “people watch”. There are so many freaky people who show up and are dressed to the nines, or who are not dressed enough. There are crazy people who can’t walk around the park, and it’s obvious it’s just because of their size. There are people who cannot keep track of their one child, so they put them on a leash. How can TWO adults not keep track of ONE child? You can sit on a bench for just five minutes and see a fair number of people worth mocking go by.
Driving in California is safer than driving in Utah.
I don’t think you should ever wait in a line that has a posted wait time of longer than 30 minutes. Fast pass the ride or come back another time. The only time we spent longer than 25 minutes in a line was waiting for the Nemo Submarines. And since we had chimichangas to eat and interesting people around us to talk or listen to, it was alright.
Californians have no concept of what Utah is like, unless they have actually visited.
You can eat for cheap in California Adventure. Just take the Mission Tortilla Factory tour and the Boudin Bakery tour. Free tortillas and sourdough bread for all!
The front of Screamin’ is worth the wait. The wind whips at your face and you can see the track the entire time. If you can’t ride in the front, or don’t want to wait for the front, try riding with your eyes closed. The coaster is a different experience when you don’t know what’s coming next.
I can wear a baseball cap on almost any ride and it will not come off.
So, useful tips and fun facts. Anyone want to take a trip? I’m ready for another vacation.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Ole Ole Ole Ole
I have no idea what is going on in this league. I just have to say that it's a good thing the season is so long. Otherwise no one would ever really show what they were capable of. Let's hope this weekend Real does just that.
LA Galaxy @ Toronto FC
Both these teams have completely proved me wrong. I said, repeatedly, that there was no chance for either of them. They both keep winning games. However, I think Toronto, with their home crowd behind them, will win this match.
NY Red Bulls @ Houston Dynamo
The Dynamo were impressive for about two games and then lost to San Jose last weekend. New York has not been consistently anything this season. I honestly don’t know what to expect from this match, so let’s call it a tie.
San Jose Earthquakes @ Real Salt Lake
The Earthquakes have already visited RSL once this season. It was an LHUSOC game, but it was still a victory for Real. They also have a long list of players on their injury list and two more who are away on national duty. I think that RSL takes this one.
Columbus Crew @ Chivas USA
Columbus has been the team to beat so far this year. Chivas has not been up to snuff. Even so, I think that Chivas will take the three points from this match.
FC Dallas @ Colorado RapidsThe Rapids, much to my delight, have returned to their ridiculous ways. They can’t seem to do anything right. I’m going to stick with the Hoops to win this match.
LA Galaxy @ Toronto FC
Both these teams have completely proved me wrong. I said, repeatedly, that there was no chance for either of them. They both keep winning games. However, I think Toronto, with their home crowd behind them, will win this match.
NY Red Bulls @ Houston Dynamo
The Dynamo were impressive for about two games and then lost to San Jose last weekend. New York has not been consistently anything this season. I honestly don’t know what to expect from this match, so let’s call it a tie.
San Jose Earthquakes @ Real Salt Lake
The Earthquakes have already visited RSL once this season. It was an LHUSOC game, but it was still a victory for Real. They also have a long list of players on their injury list and two more who are away on national duty. I think that RSL takes this one.
Columbus Crew @ Chivas USA
Columbus has been the team to beat so far this year. Chivas has not been up to snuff. Even so, I think that Chivas will take the three points from this match.
FC Dallas @ Colorado RapidsThe Rapids, much to my delight, have returned to their ridiculous ways. They can’t seem to do anything right. I’m going to stick with the Hoops to win this match.
Friday, May 23, 2008
MLS Week 9
No predictions last week. I probably would have gotten everything wrong, anyway. I never would have picked Houston to beat Chicago. Not with the way they are playing. I also would not have guessed that LA would beat Dallas by four goals. What was that? Here are this weeks guesses:
New England Revolution @ Columbus Crew
New England is back with a vengeance. Columbus is, I believe, still #1 in the league, but I think New England is going to put a stop to that this weekend. I would say that they are ready for a victory-and a meaningful one. Let’s go with The Revs.
Toronto FC @ DC United
DC has been so pathetic of late. In their last six games, they have lost five times. That’s not good. Toronto are no longer the team you feel bad for and so you secretly cheer them on. They are now the team you hate because they keep winning and are a bunch of tools. Even so, I bet they get three points this weekend.
Real Salt Lake @ FC Dallas
Dallas fired their coach and I cannot figure out why. Someone must have had a serious grudge against him. Their assistant coach has stepped in, for the time being. Real beat Dallas two weeks ago and really need to win an away game. However, I don’t think that this will be the game they win, much to my chagrin.
CD Chivas USA @ Colorado Rapids
Chivas are making me sad. They were able to beat DC last weekend, but that’s not saying much. Colorado are still in their form of winning a couple, losing a couple. I believe tomorrow’s game is the second of a couple wins. Let’s give them the three points.
Kansas City Wizards @ Los Angeles Galaxy
LA keeps pulling out these crazy victories that no one can explain. 5-1, 5-2; but then they have equally pathetic losses. Kansas City was doing great earlier, but have since fallen a little. I still think KC is the better team and hope they come out with the three points.
Chicago Fire @ New York Red Bulls
Chicago lost last week. At home. To Houston. It made me laugh for a long time. New York will be at home and hungry for three more points. Angel is back to full fitness and Altidore is looking good. However, NY does not have their coach this weekend or Dave van den Bergh. I really want NY to take the three points. I’m hoping that by saying they will, it will make it so.
New England Revolution @ Columbus Crew
New England is back with a vengeance. Columbus is, I believe, still #1 in the league, but I think New England is going to put a stop to that this weekend. I would say that they are ready for a victory-and a meaningful one. Let’s go with The Revs.
Toronto FC @ DC United
DC has been so pathetic of late. In their last six games, they have lost five times. That’s not good. Toronto are no longer the team you feel bad for and so you secretly cheer them on. They are now the team you hate because they keep winning and are a bunch of tools. Even so, I bet they get three points this weekend.
Real Salt Lake @ FC Dallas
Dallas fired their coach and I cannot figure out why. Someone must have had a serious grudge against him. Their assistant coach has stepped in, for the time being. Real beat Dallas two weeks ago and really need to win an away game. However, I don’t think that this will be the game they win, much to my chagrin.
CD Chivas USA @ Colorado Rapids
Chivas are making me sad. They were able to beat DC last weekend, but that’s not saying much. Colorado are still in their form of winning a couple, losing a couple. I believe tomorrow’s game is the second of a couple wins. Let’s give them the three points.
Kansas City Wizards @ Los Angeles Galaxy
LA keeps pulling out these crazy victories that no one can explain. 5-1, 5-2; but then they have equally pathetic losses. Kansas City was doing great earlier, but have since fallen a little. I still think KC is the better team and hope they come out with the three points.
Chicago Fire @ New York Red Bulls
Chicago lost last week. At home. To Houston. It made me laugh for a long time. New York will be at home and hungry for three more points. Angel is back to full fitness and Altidore is looking good. However, NY does not have their coach this weekend or Dave van den Bergh. I really want NY to take the three points. I’m hoping that by saying they will, it will make it so.
There's no one here but me
I have a sort of routine. Whenever I buy a new CD, I put it in my car and listen to it as I drive. It usually takes me about two drives home from work before I’ve been through the whole thing. Then I listen to it again and maybe even a third time. Usually by the third listen I have determined what my favorite song is on the CD.
Once I have that figured out, I listen to that song on repeat until I get all the words down. Then I feel guilty that I haven’t given enough attention to all the other songs on the CD, so I go back to listening to the entire CD. Except sometimes, I still repeat my favorite song a second or third time.
I’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember. I realized it again when I bought the new Augustana CD Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt. For anyone who is wondering, this CD is awesome. I would totally recommend you run out to your local music store or jump on your computer and purchase it. It’s beautiful.
When I bought the CD, I only knew one song: “Sweet and Low”. I had heard it on the radio and bought it from iTunes back in early March, so I already had it memorized. I put the CD in and listened until I caught track 4. It is called “Twenty”. I have listened to it about 60 times. I love it a lot. I’m already back to listening to the whole CD. It’s been in my car CD player for about two weeks. But almost every time I pass track 4, I skip back to it again.
Just another one of those quirky things I do. One day I think I will make a CD of about twenty such songs. It will be easy to determine them. They all have about 30 more listens on iTunes than the rest of the songs.
Once I have that figured out, I listen to that song on repeat until I get all the words down. Then I feel guilty that I haven’t given enough attention to all the other songs on the CD, so I go back to listening to the entire CD. Except sometimes, I still repeat my favorite song a second or third time.
I’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember. I realized it again when I bought the new Augustana CD Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt. For anyone who is wondering, this CD is awesome. I would totally recommend you run out to your local music store or jump on your computer and purchase it. It’s beautiful.
When I bought the CD, I only knew one song: “Sweet and Low”. I had heard it on the radio and bought it from iTunes back in early March, so I already had it memorized. I put the CD in and listened until I caught track 4. It is called “Twenty”. I have listened to it about 60 times. I love it a lot. I’m already back to listening to the whole CD. It’s been in my car CD player for about two weeks. But almost every time I pass track 4, I skip back to it again.
Just another one of those quirky things I do. One day I think I will make a CD of about twenty such songs. It will be easy to determine them. They all have about 30 more listens on iTunes than the rest of the songs.
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