On The Superbowl

I suppose I should post my annual Super Bowl recap here.

The Raiders did not win.

I knew from about the end of the second half of their first game of the season that they were doomed this year, and, thus took the season off. For the first year in a long time I watched only that one game. Not the playoffs. Not the Superbowl. Nothing. I did not even know who was in the Super Bowl until last week.

Did I miss the NFL? Not really. The NFL has just not been that interesting for the past few years, and I am not saying that simply because the Raiders have been in the toilet for about that same amount of time (remember I get as much joy in watching the Niners lose as I do in watching the Raiders win, so it really should have been a fun last few years, except that the Niners did not lose in any interesting games. My favorite thing to watch in football is to see the Niners QB get sacked, preferably in the end zone).

Maybe next year, although I am doubtful. The NFL needs a massive shakeup to make it interesting again.

Now, I realize that I may have missed something this year. Certainly the playoffs were reputed to have been good games. Perhaps. I still don't think I missed much.

The Silver Lining has a Silver Lining!

Not only are the loathed Niners going to go away, but the collapse of the whole new stadium proposal means that San Francisco is withdrawing its bid for the Summer Olympics. As regular readers know, my dislike of the Olympics has grown to, well, Olympian heights. So, if the silly games came to the Bay Area, we would be forced to put up with many hours and hours of delays, traffic snarls, business closures, etc., etc., just to have bragging rights over an event that should have been put out of its misery twenty years ago.

Los Angeles wants it, and I say, let it have a permanent home in Los Angeles. A perfect fit, if ever I saw one.

Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool!

Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool!

Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool!

Deutschland...

Well, the Germans played well, and the Portuguese continued to have difficulty playing as a team, especially when the ball neared the goal. If it were anyone else that Portugal lost to in the Third Place game, I would be sad, but you gotta love a team that played like the Germans (and are German, to boot).

Now, it is all about Italy!

Go Azzuri!

Will someone please teach the lusophones how to play as a team?

Bah. Humbug.

Da Da....Da DAA Da Da DAA DAA DAA Da De Da DAAA Da Da

That is, for those who, like Melanie, wonder "what is that?" is the Triumphal March from Aida. I had to listen to it three times after one of the most exciting games I have ever watched.

I have to admit that I was a little bit torn. I was not expecting to be, as I tend to generally go with an All Italia (not Alitalia, who lost my bag of art supplies and sketchbooks, though) agenda. However, when they played "Deutschland Uber Alles" and I saw all those fellows who look like my relatives standing at attention, well, for just a moment I thought "I could live with Germany winning." But that passed in about three minutes, and I was firmly on the side of the Azure Storm.

Tomorrow there is no possible ambiguity. Viva Portugal! And, if they win, I will root for Germany for third place. There is something particularly satisfying about watching the Germans beat the French. They can at least avenge our lusophonic brothers in Brasil who threw away the victory by putting a bunch of showboaters on the field who refused to work as a team. Gits.

If it comes down to Portugal and Italy, we will really be a torn household. This is the menu for that day (hopefully):

Grilled linguicas and bifanas
Pasta al pesto
Portuguese sweet bread
Favas
Italian wine

For music we will have to have a balance between Italian and Portuguese.

I actually would not be upset with a Portuguese victory, simply to honor Our Lady of Fatima, the Portuguese bullfighting tradition, and the memories of Antonio Salazar and Amalia Rodrigues. I guess I really am one of those Three F types.

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is, of course, the big game between Germany and Italy. I should be conflicted and torn, being German and Italian, but there really is no contest here: Viva Italia!

I would say that I am going to eat Italian food tomorrow, but that is what we eat just about every day anyway, so instead we are going to eat Portuguese grilled steaks, getting into the mood for Wednesday. And by the time I get our food together the Italy game will be over anyway.

We are a little disappointed that Brasil got knocked out, as it would be cool to have 1st, 2nd and 3rd go to real Latin countries (France does not count, as they are really degenerate Germanicized Celts anyway), but Alas! I can still live with France, eldest daughter of the church and all, someday she will rise again.

When Italy wins I will create a dish in honor of her team.

Viva Italia!

I am back (well, sort of, at least to Sacramento) from lovely Lake Tahoe, where we camped with bears, thunderstorms, and mosquitos as well as some lovely weather, great views, good food (we made pizza from scratch using a semi-improvised brick oven), great friends, movies under the stars, and an army of happy children.

While we were gone, Italy has marched on, making me hum that march over and over and over again.

Tomorrow we are off to Santa Cruz, and Portugal should be sending the Englisch back to their crummy little island, with their tails between their legs.

As for the Spanish, I would love to have mourned their loss, but until they give their current government the boot and reign in the Catalonians, HA HA. If you want to be the French, it is entirely acceptable to lose to them.

See you in two days.

What is that racket?

Oh, nothing, just Erik walking around all day singing the Triumphal March from Aida. 2-0!

Viva Italia!

Viva Portugal!

While I always have a soft spot for Mexico, I have been pulling for Portugal, and am quite happy with the results of today's game.

Of course I am an Italia Uber Alles sort, but I could live with Portugal as Cup winners.