Sarah and I were privileged to go to a small focus group-esque meeting for the new professional soccer team at the National Sports Center. It was a good time and I am impressed with how much they are reaching out to fans in order to make this team the best it can be. This meeting had to do with possible names and color combinations, and sadly my suggestions of “pink and black” did not make the final cut.
…
Sarah directed me to this article about the New York City Public School system and their “Rubber Room”, which is officially known as the Temporary Reassignment Center. Basically, it is where teachers go to do, well, nothing. Turns out there are quite a few teachers in the school system that are facing disciplinary actions, or contract arbitration issues and they still have to report to work everyday, but are not allowed to be in a classroom with students. Some of these teachers get stuck in this room for 2-5 years and should be fired immediately, but there is a little caveat in their contract…arbitration!
Wow. What a horrible example of bureaucracy!
…
Is there anything worse than waking up in the morning to get ready for a bicycle ride and see that it is only 5degrees out?
I went to the 2nd Bike Nights at the National Sports Center tonight. About 30 people showed up and Jim from the mighty fine Modern Cafe threw down two $50 gift certificates! How awesome is that?
It is always nice seeing local businesses supporting things you love to do. The racing was fairly entertaining and for the second time I had some fun hanging out with other bike dorks rather than sitting alone on my trainer.
…
The new soccer team at the NSC recently ended their naming contest. We should know the official choice shortly. I voted for Northstar SC. I usually vote for winners, so take that for what it is worth (zero).
…
Justine Henin vs. Serena Williams in about 20minutes.
I want Henin to win. When was the last time an “unseeded” player won a tennis major? Then again, it isn’t everyday that the former world number 1 retires and comes back two years later to play. Sucks, for the women.
Sarah has been watching a ton of Lost over the past few weeks in order to get caught up for the series premiere next week. I bet she hopes it doesn’t turn out being a dream! How terrible would that be?
…
I wrote an article for Inside Minnesota Soccer the other day regarding the whereabouts of players from the 2009 Minnesota Thunder roster. A few of the top players have already been signed away and the new team run by the National Sports Center has yet to make any signings, but we still have quite a few members of the squad still in the Twin Cities. I hope a few of them get the call.
My team had another great game last night. We tied the best team in the league 2-2 and I was extremely stoked with how well I played. I made a couple of good saves and my brother was able to save me a couple of times and the team came through with a couple of nice goals.
Not to shabby!
…
This song made me a fan of independent hip-hop in the summer of 1998:
It is always cool when some of your favorite things come together in unlikely places. This recently happened to me with a favorite television show of mine: Burn Notice and my love for historic preservation. Who would have thought those two would ever come together?!
One of my favorite shows on television is “Burn Notice” on the USA Network. I started watching a few years back during its first season and I have been a huge fan ever since. Admittedly, it is cheesy and a little far-fetched, but it is a ton of fun. Even my favorite massage therapist Tom Hagerty is a fan. He describes it as, “Rockford Files, Miami Vice and CSI all in one.” He is pretty spot on with that assessment. I think everyone should watch it, and the best part? Bruce Campbell’s chin is a co-star!
The most recent episode includes a brief appearance of Miami Marine Stadium. This facility was listed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation on their 11 Most Endangered Places in America list in 2009. As a member of the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota I believe it is important to protect historic landmarks, and hopefully many viewers of the recent Burn Notice episode will become intrigued with the Marine Stadium that played a role in the plot.
The significance of the building according to the Trust:
Completed in 1963, Miami Marine Stadium, on Virginia Key, is both a South Florida landmark and an icon of modern design. Built entirely of poured concrete and featuring a dramatically cantilevered folded-plate roof, the stadium, which has been closed for 17 years, is a sentimental favorite of many Miami residents who experienced their first concerts under the stars over Biscayne Bay. With its 6,000-by-1,400-foot water basin in the shape of a Circus Maximus, the stadium, named for Coconut Grove pioneer and boating enthusiast Ralph Munroe, has all the trappings of an acquatic mid-century hippodrome. The 6,566-seat arena was designed by Hilario Candela, a Cuban-born architect, who at age 27 conceived a stadium that would, decades later, be viewed as a masterwork of civic architecture and modern construction.
Here are some pictures of the coolness:
Minnesota has one of the best preservation societies in the country. Sarah and I are proud members. You should check out all that they do to help keep Minnesota…Minnesota.
Sarah and I have been trying to eat healthy for the past year or so. Lately, this has included oatmeal for breakfast, or some yogurt. We only have eaten Quaker Instant during this time, but Sarah made the wise choice to bust out some fabulous Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats the other day and I was sold. It is awesome.
Topping it all off is the fact that Bob’s Red Mill is a big sponsor of cyclocross racing across the country. They are at every USGP event in the country and I even got to sample their goods in Madison (this made the choice between Bob’s and other brands that much easier). I always like supporting the sponsors of cycling, even if they are a tad overpriced (Colavita Olive Oil anyone?), but when the product is amazing, like Bob’s Red Mill I couldn’t be happier with my choice.
When I look at the old man, who I can only assume is Bob, I think of the Little Guy in about 40 years.
Last time I saw the US play against Honduras in soccer I was at the game with the Courteous Fellow and our better halves. While going to the Sweetwater inside the Kelly Inn is no where close to the excitement, cleanliness and atmosphere of being at the game it is a decent substitute. We will be there for the 8pm kickoff and hope that others will come and say hello. Maybe we can talk about the brand new soccer team starting up at the National Sports Center.
If you want to know about anything related to watching the US Mens National Team games in the Twin Cities head on over to two of the best soccer websites in the entire country, both of which are run by residents of the Twin Cities, Inside Minnesota Soccer (Brian Quarstad) and DuNord Futbol (Bruce McGuire). These sites are some of the most visited in cyberspace by those wanting to know everything about soccer in this country.
From Inside Minnesota Soccer:
The event will be held at the Sweetwater Bar and Grille in the Kelly Inn in St. Paul. As always, free parking and 2 for 1 tap beers.
The Sweetwater is now an official U.S. Soccer Bar and is now the place to watch USMNT games.
So come early, get a seat, order some dinner and get ready to enjoy another US National Team win with like-minded US Soccer supporters.
Come join the party and see you at the Sweetwater!
Kelly Inn
161 Saint Anthony Ave
Saint Paul, MN 55103
(651) 227-8711
…
For those not heading to South Africa for the World Cup I hope that you make the Sweetwater your place to watch the games. The best part? You won’t have to deal with all of the poser fans that will be cheering on England when the US play them in the first round. After all, didn’t we already beat England twice in 1783 (Revolutionary War) and 1815 (War of 1812)?
I was just watching the FA Cup Preview on Fox Soccer Channel. I found it highly amusing when they showed a kid about 16 years old crying his heart out after Liverpool’s 2-1 loss to Reading. It was amusing because as long as Benitez is their coach he is going to have a miserable life!
What a miserable life it must be to be a Liverpool fan with Rafa as your coach.
…
In much better news the NSC had a meeting with a bunch of soccer folks from around the state and showed off their plans for the new professional team. It was extremely pro and I can’t wait to bring you all to the games next season. How awesome was the meeting? Even Bob Williams from the Velodrome showed up to lend his support.
All you cycling fans that make fun of soccer are now making fun of Bob and that is not ok.
I normally hate the winter, but I find a nice reprieve in watching the Australian Open every year from Melbourne. Maybe it is because it is always ridiculously hot, or that most of the matches are on when I am staying up late at night, but it makes me forget about the crappy Minnesota winters. Attending the Australian Open sometime in my life is definitely on my list of must do’s along with (no particular order):
I think I downloaded a virus on my computer. It was a good piece of equipment for the last 5 years, but it might be time to go out and get a new one. I wish this happened at a different time, but the advances in cloud computing have me awfully excited if I can get some of my old files into cyberspace and transfer them over to Google Documents.
At about 11pm last night you may have felt a strange disturbance in the force. Most will think it was related to the election results in Massachusetts, but those in the know, understand that the goosebumps were caused by a stellar 1-0 victory by VfB Real United City FC 2009 against the hapless Scorpions at the National Sports Center.
I would like to point out that this was my first shutout as a goalie since the Como Park JV destroyed Central in 1997. That game was equally exciting as I stopped a penalty shot and, like last night, didn’t allow any goals through my legs. I am a sucker for being bow-legged. We call those goals “Hayes-ers” as they are purely the result of some horrible genetic malformation in our stance.
Many of you may be confused by the team name, but like almost every new soccer team here in America we decided to go for broke and take all of the possible “soccer sounding” names and add them together, so:
All of these great team names helped form the Megatron that is the 3rd place squad in the NSC Recreational Mens League. We are going to ride this wave of awesomeness for the next week (next game).
As you can tell I am awfully excited. I am thrilled with a glorious return to some soccer form that I haven’t witnessed in over 12 years. I like to think it was all me, but my teammates did all of the dirty work I just stood in the back and yelled (something I learned in cycling).
Topping off the excitement was that I got to come home to some amazing Yummus Hummus (it isn’t bland) that Sarah whipped up for me.
Did you know that Iron Maiden and President Obama have something in common? Yep, they are both West Ham United fans. Who knew?
When I was in college I wish I knew about Iron Maiden. My radio show at WUPX would have been amazing. Seriously, is there anything better than a little Wu-Tang Clan followed by Maiden? I don’t think so. Oh, if you haven’t seen the amazing Maiden documentary called Iron Maiden: Flight 666 I highly recommend it.
I just finished reading, “An Arsonist’s Guide to New England Writers’ Homes in New England” by Brock Clarke. I didn’t enjoy it and wouldn’t really recommend it to anyone. It won all sorts of acclaim from those in the industry so it must be really high brow. I didn’t get it. Oh, well.
…
Now that I am done with the boring reading material I have decided to move on to the old standbye of E. L. Doctorow with his book “The March”. This book is about General Sherman’s destructive march across the south during the Civil War. I have already blazed (pun intended) through the first third of the book in just one day.
…
I just saw an advertisement that said, “Huckleberry.”
