Sunday, January 20, 2008

Best Weekend of the Year (so far)

Yesterday was a long day. I got up at 5:30 for a 7:00 a.m. soccer game for Number One. They lost, 2-0, but she was happy to be back on the field and didn't really care about the score.

Then we had a tournament for Number Two. Four games, best record wins. It was very exciting. All of the games were good, but there was one team that really topped all the rest. They won their first two games 6-0 and 6-1. We won ours 5-0 and 8-3 (They actually only scored 2 goals on us, but the scoreboard was broken and displayed scores like 22-57 so the ref must have screwed up the counting). Then we played each other and tied, 3-3. We won our last game 9-0 and they won theirs 7-1. The winners are determined by a sequence of things:

  • Best record (we both had the same record, 3-0-1)
  • Head to head (we tied)
  • Goals Differential (maximum of six goals)


It's the last one that killed us. Without the maximum, even with the scoring error, we played better and should have won. But because it maxed at 6, they got the first place trophies. Not that it mattered, really. The trophies were all the same size. :)

I know, I'm terribly competitive. And really, all of the above isn't important. What's important is that our team played amazingly well for a group that hasn't played together since early November. Some of them have had player development together, but not all. They passed well, supported each other, played keeper without complaining (one of our regular keepers couldn't do the tournament), and overall showed vast improvement as a team. They were complimented by other coaches and had a great time.

After the tournament we went out to dinner with family, and then my SIL and I went to see 27 Dresses. It was full of clichés, some of which drove me insane (like the put-upon sister versus the selfish, indulged, thoughtless sister, and the character out to do something self-serving that will hurt the other character and they fall for them and don't want to do it anymore but it happens anyway and the other character hates the first one). Overall, though, it was very enjoyable. There were subtleties, partly in the writing, partly in Heigl's subtle performance, that saved her from being unsympathetic and annoying. Ed Burns was pretty wooden, but his character surprised me at the end, and...well, I have to be honest. No matter how clear the outcome of a plot like this is from the first minute, I dig every minute of the resolution.

And Cyclops is a helluva kisser.

I also watched two episodes of Numb3rs and three of Private Practice last night. Which meant, yes, that I went to bed at 2:00 a.m. and slept (kind of) until 10:30.

It's kind of crazy, really. Not the sleeping part, the TV part. I'm tired of crime and medical dramas. Really, really tired of them. You couldn't pay me enough money to sit through CSI or Grey's Anatomy nowadays. But these two are two of my favorite shows. Yeah, Colby's arms have a lot to do with it, but Numb3rs is so well written and acted, with such emotional undertones. And Private Practice is similar. It's not perfect, of course. I'm getting annoyed with Violet's obsession with Alan, and Addison is a bit too abrasive and harsh for me, but otherwise the chemistry is great. I really believe everyone (besides Addison) has been friends for a long time. Dell is my favorite, I think, but I love them all.

Unfortunately, Numb3rs is over and I only have three episodes of Private Practice left to watch. I'm glad there are signs that the writer's strike could be over soon.

Then, today, the Patriots beat the Chargers. They weren't flawless by any means, but they tightened the screws when they had to and outscored San Diego, and that's all that matters. Now, on to the SuperBowl!

Before the game, CBS's opening had an orchestra called E.S. Posthumus playing a song called "Unstoppable." It reminded me of TSO, orchestral rock, and it was perfect football music. Not only did I find (and buy) that song on iTunes, I found (and bought!) the NFL on CBS theme song, also by E.S. Posthumus! I almost bought an entire album (it will be awesome writing music!) but I'm saving my gift card balance for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I'm keeping it in mind, however!

The nicest thing about the game was that we all watched together. Or, well, "watched." J was on the computer and watching over our shoulders. Number One was bribed to watch the first quarter with us, then decided she was more comfortable downstairs than in her desk chair doing essentially the same things (listening to music and playing Sudoku on her phone). But we were all in the same room, interacting, and that's always nice.

So it was a great family weekend, one full of excitement and happiness. How was yours?

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