Posts Tagged ‘USMNT’
Self Soothing
There are days when Cyndie and I put our energy toward helping our dog, Asher, learn to calm down on his own. Yesterday felt like a day I needed to practice a good dose of my own self-soothing. Between the US Supreme Court rulings and news of current early-season hurricanes, I put myself through unnecessary trauma by watching the US Men’s National Soccer Team’s futility in their crucial elimination loss to Uruguay in the COPA America tournament.
These are not the kind of warm and fuzzy inspirations that one prefers to be basking in while on a vacation at the lake.
If I wasn’t trying to eat healthy as a general rule, I’d binge on a too-large serving of our favorite ice cream from West’s Dairy in town to assuage my angst.
Has there been any encouraging news related to the SCOTUS in the recent past? From ethics disasters to blatantly political rulings that defy legal logic, it’s as if they are in a contest to see how much faith in the institution from average citizens they can destroy.
I’m not sure how much more news from the nine Supreme Court Justices I can take and still maintain my happy lookout on life.
I’d like to meditate on the beauty of a golden sunset but then I start thinking about Hurricane Beryl being the earliest category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record and my happy place gets blown away.
Breathe, John. You don’t need any ice cream.
The wind screaming across our lake yesterday didn’t help much in providing a calm and soothing atmosphere. Still, Cyndie and I got out for a walk around the properties in our association which soothed my nerves some after having watched Portugal eke out a victory over Slovenia on penalties after finishing extra time tied 0-0 in Euro 2024.
My exercises in self-soothing will get a fresh workout this morning after I watch the 4th Stage of the Tour de France which is already climbing mountains in the Alps. Oh boy.
Oooooommmmm.
For the record, I much prefer the stress of spectator sports over that of politics or climate catastrophes.
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Score Goals
Here’s a thought… If your national soccer team is in a big tournament, their success would be greatly aided if they would score goals at some point during the 90 minutes of regulation time. Color me frustrated with the U.S. Men’s Team performance last night.
Meanwhile, the surroundings here have been especially tranquil the last two days. The air quality has been downright tolerable. The temperature and humidity have been eminently comfortable. Yesterday’s rain was gentle and brief.
I am well aware of the contrast in places like southern California where a landslide destroyed homes and now that part of the country is bracing for a ‘historic’ heat wave. In Vermont, flooding rains have resulted in dramatic damage.
Counting my blessings while things are all quiet here. Cyndie and Asher are due to return home today so it probably won’t stay as quiet as my last few days.
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More Spectating
Different sport, similar passion. USMNT (U.S. men’s national soccer team) was up against Canada last night in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Tournament quarterfinals (The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football).
I watched the whole spectacle on television. The quality of the U.S. team’s play in the first half was rather embarrassing. The score was 0-0 at the break. Things picked up a bit in the second half and then got wild in the final minutes. 1-1 at the end of regulation.
2-2 at the end of overtime.
In the deciding penalty shootout, the U.S. goalkeeper, Matt Turner made two saves.
The final shot by Canada hit the crossbar and bounced out.
The U.S. won on penalties, 3-2.
Canada deserved better but I’ll take the win so I can watch the U.S. team play again in a couple of days.
Today, I get a break from watching sports. The Tour de France is on the first of two rest days so there is no racing. I will be driving home with Cyndie’s mom this morning and Cyndie and Asher will stay at the lake with friends for a few more days.
I suspect there are some compost piles that need to be turned and a few areas that could use some mowing after a week and a half away. I’m feeling ready to be back home, despite the time at the lake being nothing short of ideal.
Home is where I wanna be.
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Relative Something 