Sunday, July 09, 2006

I'm moving.

There you go. This won't stop the agonizing, of course; I still can't decide whether to make the safe pick, accepting the Americorps program that's epicly low-paying but offers health insurance, residency and money at the end for school, or roll the dice and just move and hope to land something a little healthier in the wage department. Anyway, it's not too much more of a money investment than staying here, so all things being equal (and with stock money and savings bonds to back up my poverty and the promise of a boost from mom and pop if necessary), I'm going to leave.

Other tidbits from an interesting Sunday:

1. Lawrence, the fellow who hooks up your cable television, showed up in the store right after we opened today. I do and don't get the celebrity thing. I went downstairs to work on stuff while he was here because frankly, my dear, he doesn't "git r done" for me comedically. But, I admit I was interested to hear later what he did, which was buy a perfectly awful Nebraska Hawaiian shirt like any normal guy, and then when walking out of the store, wheel around, point two finger-pistols at the register bay and deliver his trademark line. I respect that. The best part was telling a dad later that day that Larry the Cable Guy had purchased the same thing this morning, and was likely right then at his house, tearing the sleeves off it.

2. They played "Purple Rain" on the XM station. Phenomenal.

3. They also played "Don't Worry, Be Happy." I've never understood Bobby McFerrin's line of logic in this peculiar diddy. He offers all sorts of life situations sure to end in consternation -- not making rent, not having a girlfriend, lack of style -- but never any rationale as to why you ought not bother yourself over these things. I mean, sleeping on the street and not having a lady isn't any fun at all, so I'd think you'd want to offer people strongs reasons to shrug their shoulders and smile like a dope. Rhetorically, McFerrin falls flat on his face, as if he thinks his sugary creation should itself melt away all our cares.

4. Did you see Zenidine Zidane's headbutt?? Awesome. You can't let guidos push you around; they'll think they own you. I hope contrarian commentators like Kornheiser declare this to be as awesome as it was. It's bad enough to listen to Around the Horn-types talk about soccer; lacking any real knowledge of the game, it boils down to slamming the sport because of diving or decrying what a travesty it is that something so significant be decided by an arbitrary activity like penalty kick shootouts. Point taken, but move on. Now, I'm going to have to hear people toe the line of social justice, parroting what a "classless move for such a classly player" it was, and shaking their heads in Puritannical judgment. Shut up. Sometimes a monsieur just has to headbutt a dego-guap into his place. And Zidane has an epic melon to do so. Unlike the stuck-in-a-rut announcers, I'm glad my last memory of him will be as a warrior. That thing was even cooler than winning.

5 comments:

A.G. said...

The Azurri just don't have any charismatic standouts. They're like the old faceless, unbreakable Soviet hockey teams, except with enough grease in their hair to lubricate a Lamborguini.

I don't hate Italy as much as I do Portugal, but I don't have a reason to root for them, so it was France by default. Really, it was over for my when the Germans, despite a valiant effort, fell short of the final.

melanie.feyerherm said...

congrats on the decision-making! when do you head out there?

A.G. said...

August. It starts Aug. 16th, but she wants me to meet with a team leader the week prior.

A.G. said...

I had read that. I've been reading a lot of it, because I'm really interested in the sociology and psychology of sports fans, and this is a really intersting example.

I'm not really with Dr. Z, though he's coming at it from an American football fan point of view: i.e., soccer is a dumb sport because of the diving, shown at its worst in the Italian side, but at least Zidane stuck up for himself, like an AMERICAN would. A lot of people have gotten on Zidane for letting his team down, but whether or not I believe he cost them the game (I don't), I don't look at it in that way.

I was thinking about this again today, and I think I just have a way of looking at World Cup that most people can't access. I met or was friends with people from most of the Euro countries represented, and I delight in the underdog stories of the small countries or the beauty of the South Americans' play. My favorite teams (Sweden, possibly the U.S., on some days) don't really have a shot at winning, and I only actively dislike a couple of teams (Portugal, Italy). So I really can appreciate just the game itself, in a way that I can't with American sports I have had an attachment to since an earlier, more impressionable stage in life. Not being a huge France fan, I had no realy stake in whether they win or lost, and I don't project their stuggles onto my own life, as American sports fans and commentators seem to do. So I appreciate the game for the game, good and bad, and the act for the act -- savage but honest; dumb but truer than most actions.

Chaviva Gordon-Bennett said...

This means I can come visit you. And you, me. I'm stoked you're getting away. And jealous. I still have no idea where I'm ending up. Rawr.