scroll down for the edited additions
Scheise!
Don’t you just hate it when you know what you are going to write about and then 2 minutes before you log in you totally forget? I’m sure I had an absolutely fantastic topic when I was walking to work, but then I got distracted by the two fellas who looked like winos as they debated what to do with an injured looking pigeon. Part of the problem being that neither wanted to touch the filthy vermin.
So anyway, instead of the usual well thought out[1] musing on life, the universe, and the price of bread you are going to have to deal with this piece of rambling stream of consciousness[2] And if you don’t like it, well, you can just stop reading can’t you.
Still here? Well, if you weren’t you would be reading this would you, so I’m not sure why I asked the question.
Anyways, random thought uimhir a haon: Congratulations to Mr. O’Gara who got married yesterday. And of course congrats to the bride too, Jessica Daly. I’d give you more information, like the fact that they met at college and have been together ten years, but that’s all bit boring unless you know them, isn’t it? I mean, what is the fascination with knowing all the details about famous people. Much better to make up your own version of what they are like, and never ever ever meet them.
Uimhir a dó: I totally impulse purchased yesterday and bought a new phone. Not sure why really, cause I liked my old one, but this is new, and shiny, and only really cost 19 quid seeing as you get 80 euro free credit. Plus you get free tv for two months, and blah blah boring specs[3] Of course it also means that I wasted loads of time figuring out how the bluetooth works so I could stick some music on it last night. Finally remembered how, and now I’ve The Fruity Oaty Bar mp3 as my ringtone. Yay for pointless technology purchases.
Uimhir a trí: I have a total block on the Irish for 13. Each time I try to think of it I come up with triocha a haon, which of course is 31. And then have to tell myself, no. It is actually trí déag[4]
I’m also totally bored[5] with American articles on how they don’t get soccer. I mean, I’ve no problem with people not liking sport. Or not liking a particular sport, I myself cannot stand basketball, golf, darts[6] boxing etc etc. But I don’t feel the need to write article after article explaining why I feel this way about something that keeps many more people entertained[7] unlike American sports journalists and football. The people who like football, well, they like football. the people that don’t, yes, you got it, they don’t. What is the big deal? And why does it make the front page of USA today? It isn’t even as though this is a new story. All through the world cup I’ve been inflicted with articles describing the attractions of the World Cup. National Geographic. Time. The Economist. blah blah blah[8] Who cares that a majority of US citizens don’t get football? And that a sizeable minority do? And that for the rest of the world[9] it is the Beautiful Game? And as for your stupid idea that maybe US soccer should evolve in its own way, without a goalkeeper. Well, I’m totally like, Dude! just say no, okay.
I think that is it, for now. Any later random observations today will be edited into this post. maybe. There are no certainties in this life you know.
Look, edited, here: So where was I? Yes, random though number cúig[10] I’m thinking of changing the banner at some stage over the weekend. The rugby lads have had long enough. Maybe. I might get busy doing something else. I really should upgrade to the latest WordPress release, but… hassle, you know.
Uimhira sé I picked up a book at work yesterday, called Keeping It Real: Irish Film and Television, and can I just say, academic authors waffle a load of auld shite, don’t they? Especially sociological ones. And english ones. When they witter on for pages about stuff that should only take a paragraph. I mean, they aren’t as bad law books[11] but honestly, have they never heard that clarity is a good thing?[12] In the end I only read[13] two of the essays, and I’d like to leave you with a quote[14] from one essay:
the fervour surrounding the national football team may be a symbolic compensation for the redundancy of cultural nationalist rhetoric in post-‘peace process’ 26-county Ireland. Further it may substitute for the historically inclusive social vision of cultural nationalism, however flawed, that the intellectually impoverished and socially diverse adoption of neo-libreal economics has replaced.
I think that says it all.
- shush now, no contradicting the blogger ↩
- please note, this blog has no connections with yer man, the stream of consciousness dude, Joyce, so no suing for improper use ↩
- It is a Sharp 550SH if you are interested ↩
- I told you this post was going to be random. I even gave you the option of not reading. No complaining, you hear. ↩
- This’d be uimhir a ceathair or number four, so it would ↩
- is it a sport? ↩
- although watching golf!? Whats that all about ↩
- yes yes, I could not read them. but I still see them mentioned when I check the new journals in ↩
- not just Brazil USA Today ↩
- can you guess what this means? ↩
- I glanced at one once. ↩
- possibly not in this blog, but here we just call any errors and mistakes a surreal interpretation of life ↩
- read? skimmed. No real difference is there ↩
- there are possibly better examples, but honestly I might fall asleep while retyping them. At least this makes some bit of sense. ↩
I haven't said it in a long time, Fence, but you brought this on yourself.
I love you.
Now please quote yourself:
"And as for your stupid idea that maybe US soccer should evolve in its own way, without a goalkeeper. Well, I’m totally like, Dude! just say no, okay."
Also. O'Gara?! Married?! Noooooo! and many other such antics as rolling around showing much distress and despair but a lot of dignity (oh yes) and a hope that he will not live to regret this.
Aw Anne, after such a compliment how could I not obey :)
Once you're dignified that is all that matters. One of the papers, maybe the Examiner, I can't remember which one, I was looking for the photo, had a quote from some auld one who said "if I was fifty years younger he wouldn't be marying her"
What's your excuse?
I am fifty years older…
(she would have got quoted too, i think)
Only if she had a blog Anne. Thems the rules.
Of course it's of interest that America seems immune to the otherwise universal attractions of soccer. It raises interesting questions about America's singularity.
Totally, totally agree with you about academese. The thing is, they think they are writing well. George Orwell said that good prose is like window pane. I suppose bad prose (the stuff academics write) is like a frosted window pane. The Sun newspaper is better-written than most academic theses, especially English literature ones.
I shared a flat with a (nutty) philosophy PhD and tutor for all of ten days. He was complaining about how his students were reluctant to master a philosophical vocabulary. I told him he should be trying to put his ideas into everyday language instead. That Bertrand Russell and Friedrich Nietzsche could express the most advanced and abstruse ideas in simple language. All of their obfuscation merely serves to hide that their ideas are not complicated at all. It's the same thing with (much) legalese being employed to intimidate laypeople.
No. No interesting questions are raised at all. I know, I must have skimmed 5 billion articles on the topic this month. It's just the same as the total GAA-heads who hate soccer. Or the football nuts who despise rugby. No real reason apart from the fact that it doesn't fit with the stereotypical notion of what an "american sport" is.
In point form, just for kicks (pun intended):
1) I'm not American.
2) I don't really get football.
3) I rather admire those who do, especially if they understand what the *!^*%*!&!@ 'offside' means.
4) I tried to jump on this bandwagon, but it threw me off because I looked like like a big poser and can't kick a football to save my life.
5) I won't be writing any articles about this, and contradictorily enough,
6) Allez les Bleus!!
Ah Nome, offside is easy. If you are a player, in the half where you score a goal and are ahead of the ball, when the ball is kicked. and the opposing team players, then you are offside.
Course then you have the whole active v passive thing which is a little annoying.
No kicking of balls is needed in order to get on the bandwagon. Just shout at the telly when the players do something wrong, which you could, of so easily do better ;) But if you don't get it, you don't get it. Nothing wrong with disliking football. Have I mentioned I dislike golf myself?
And yes, I'll be cheering for France too. Unless they play like they did against Portugal. And that is all the warning I'm giving them.
I love the new look Fence…a lot better than all those louts with funny-shaped balls.
I don't think Americans are so much hostile to soccer as oblivious to it. What's interesting is they don't feel the need to compete with other countries because they are so focused on their own. I think that's a good thing…I wish every country was more into its own sports than international ones. Globalisation is always bad.
I won't be cheering for France. I still haven't forgiven them for 1066. People don't realise that Harold had just played a home match against his brother Tostig and his troops were exhausted. And he still almost won.
Thanks Mal. I'm not sure how long it'll last. It looks a bit colourless in comparison to the previous header, but I'm sure once I get used to it it'll be grand.
Most Americans are, as you say, oblivious. But there is a vocal minority who always try to put it down. And while globalisation can be bad (though not always) isolationism is worse. imo.
Well you could argue that 1066 was the fault of the Vikings.