the referee's call

today I think that all the fifa world cup games are actually about who the ref is. It doesn't matter how you play just what your whistled for and then how that psychologically affects your team's perspective...

example one...germany versus serbia...with names like swiensteigler (pig crawler) who wouldn't be afraid of messing with the germans...but add a strict ref from spain (I think secretly he was just sad his team lost their first no brainer against switzerland and is now trying to bring down all the arrogant power-house teams), about 6 yellow cards to the german side, and germany playing a man down for 3/4 of the match and you have a Serbian victory of historic proportions...I mean it's the first world cup game they have won as Serbia...the ref whistled absolutely every possible call he could and effectively put the german team on eggshells for 60 minutes of his dictatorship. The newspapers will hail this as a serbian winning upset of the tourney so far, but I say the refs domination ultimately played the feild to perfection.

example two...slovenia versus the united states...amazingly the US is a favorite to win this match...do american's even know how to play soccer is the first question one should be asking...add a ref who lets things get messy and makes the american's work through their innability to grasp that yes, soccer can sometimes be a contact sport, and yes, someone might get in your way as you try and make a go for the net...a little pushing, a little shoving, lots of getting your feet stuck in between someone elses-this is soccer. But the american's did rally to make thier game a 2-2 draw, they actually got the ball into the oppositions net 3 times but the ref blew the whistle on a (you guessed it) foul...just before the shot was made. You can't seem to get past the ref, when he doesn't call it, your upset...and just when he calls a foul...you score a goal and are equally upset when it doesn't count. So, while I think the American's did an admirable job of getting back into a game that had gone awry...once again, it was the ref who actually decided what the final score was.

once again, it's not who played the game, but how the ref called it that counts...isn't that a bumper sticker somewhere?

ps I think my coworkers are amazed at my ability to get completely addicted to just about anything...I mean, I have always liked soccer, but this world cup is making me a crazy person, I got myself out of bed at 7am to watch germany play...who does that...I have to work until 11 tonight...I am officially diagnosing myself with world cup fever...

When dreams are just dreams...

North Korea played today. North Korea is the lowest ranked team to make it into the world cup of soccer. They played one of the winning est teams of all time, Brazil, for their first game on the pitch. North Korea came out and really stuck it to the Brazilians-keeping it scoreless for the first half. I was so proud of them. They played such tight defence that basically Maicon had to curve the ball around the goal post to get one past the North Korean defense. It was beautiful in the most heinous way possible. i cried alittle for the North Koreans-they were out working the Brazilians for most of the game. And then Brazil scored again...poop. But all of a sudden North Korea threw caution to the wind and started pushing at the Brazilian goalie...Julio Caesar...pretty much his mum was dreaming big when she named him...
anyway,
then North Korea scored. I screamed and screamed. They were so excited about their goal too. They, the democratic peoples republic of Korea scored a goal on one of the tournament favorites.
They still lost 2-1.
And their dreams of keeping the Brazilians scoreless didn't happen.
They were still the weaker team, and the final score showed it.
but before the game ended, they scored, and their joy and recovering alittle of the footing that had started to slip away from them was tangible. I mean if you've ever seen communists get excited...it's pretty impressive. The coach pumped his fist and (AND) cracked a smile...yup, impressive.
So yesterday North Korea dreamed of beating Brazil, and today that thought just stayed hovering in the atmosphere, then disappearing completely like a breath of frosty air. But dreams are still good even if they do vanish into thin air, and all you have left to show for your experience is the sound of your own exhale. Just keep breathing.
PS North korea's goalie has got mad skills, he can drop kick a ball from one side of the pitch to the other...he can practically score a goal in the opposing net...plus, he's pretty hot...go North Korea:)

Goodbye Roberto Baggio, Hello Paraguay!

It's the World Cup of goodness this month. That means, on every break and free day i will be watching soccer ( or football). The love of this game has taken over most of my co-workers by storm. Just to name a couple examples, Micha is from Paraguay, Liz has Mexican roots, and I decided to cheer for all the Asian teams (until they play Paraguay)... Japan totally won the other day and that made me happy. I can't just have one team otherwise it wouldn't justify watching as many games as I will, I don't know why this makes sense to me, but it does make me happy. Anyway, yesterday, we were all cheering on Paraguay while they played my favorite team of all time-Italy. italy has held a soft spot with me since I cheered for Roberto Baggio and would wake up at 4am to have mums home made tomatoe soup during the final game. But yesterday it was all Paraguay, who was the underdog by the commentators standards-but what do commentators know-I believe in Paraguay and yesterday they tied Italy, who is a favorite to win the Cup, also Paraguay's goalie is super hot...so go Paraguay...

A tyPicaL CmU suMmEr stAff meEttIng

"Your racist!" Micha to Ben.



"I really don't think you can buy an I-phone in Paraguay, and plus their technology is way behind what we're capable of here in Canada." Ben to Micha.

"Did anyone see the finale of House?" Alec.

"I mean just look at the new I-phone 4.0 coming out in the fall. I want it so bad. It has video calling with wifi." Ben again.

"Mennonites who come from Paraguay to Canada always make fun of the ones they left behind, they think we don't know how to read or write or something. They say we are so dumb." Micha.

"Well, you don't have I-phones." Ben again.

"No, but did you see the finale of Grey's?" Kathleen.

"We have I-phones in Paraguay. And their cheaper than here in Canada too." Micha.

"Kathleen, your 2 minutes and 44 seconds late." Alec.

"It was so intense, a mass murderer just started shooting people in the hospital, everyone was dying." Kathleen.

"45...46...You better sit down. 47...48..." Alec to Kathleen.

"How early did you get here Raquelle?" I ask.

"7:20 am ( fourty minutes before shift starts)." Raquelle.

"Raquelle!?! I only woke up at 7:20 am!" I say. (thinking about how I hit snooze twice too)

"49...50...51...Kathleen you better sit down." Alec.

"Does anyone want to buy my I-phone so I can get the new 4.0 when it comes out?" Ben.

"I just knew it was going to rain so I wanted to get here without getting rained on." Raquelle in defense.

"I'm too cheap to spend 4 dollars to upgrade to a 3.0. So why would I buy yours?" Scott to Ben.

"I used to watch Grey's but I lost interest after everyone got together and was happy." I say to Kathleen.

"It really bugs me how you 'first'-worlder's judges us developing countries. You think you know everything. You don't." Micha to Ben.

"Look at the apps for the 4.0, I need it so much! Should i get it in black or white?" Ben.

"52...53...54..." Alec.

"I think you should get it in white-with a purple case-." I say to Ben both looking at eachother and at the exact same time going..."ahhhhhhhhhh"

"To match my bedroom!" Ben shouts in joy at the pure genius of my input.

"Is there coffee in the kitchen?" Kathleen

"55...56...57..." Alec

"Yes." Me and Micha together.

Micha gets up and walks away.

"Hey, deveoping country, where are you going?" I ask. (as soon as i say it I start feeling guilty about calling her third world.)

"I have to get to work." Micha gives me 'the look' as she leaves...

"58...59..." Alec

"Regualer cleaning is Katherine Freisen hallways and stairwells and Concord linen and utility rooms." Raquelle lists the to-do's...

Kathleen sits down. We commence dividing the tasks of the day up between ourselves.

Summer Lovin...

the puzzles....

the cooking...

the not so cooking...cooking...

true story, i blogged about my coworkers...you might have read it, so have they now...so that means pressure...pressure to come up with equally pithy and inspirational little posts about my time with them...and since every moment with them is blogworthy, scintillating, or just down right entertaining I am quite frankly, blocked. As in writers block. In other words I am speechless. This is bad, very bad.

On the other hand...

No make-up may is done...I am wearing mascara and loving it. I have eyelashes again. Hurray!

So yes, while I sit here not being able to think of how to describe Ben-so he is leaping off the page at you like his shoes so often fly out of his hands at my head during evening lock up...I am calmed by the fact that I have eyelashes, this is good. Yes, mascara is my friend...

blog of death...

ok so much for cleaning being a politically neutral job...the politics have officially erupted...what was was a calming part of my day, a ritual of wiping...has burst into flaming rage and frustration at the fact that apparantly everytime I get off evenings there has to be a major meeting about what has/hasn't been done...seriously it's like the titanic sunk or something to have a major meeting about how to make a bed even...gruawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
that was a noise of prehistoric times coming from the pit of my frustration at the fact that once again...a simple existence has been completely ruined with politics...
and because I am me...i always take my side...so here I am taking my side and freaking out worrying if I have to go in for a meeting with the hosting boss because apparently there was dust in a room I cleaned...dust. dust, people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
but I am a cleaner so dust is essentially like kryptonite to my life right now...
wait there is some dust on my laptop oh no...
I'm dying,
I'm dead...

Supreeeeze!

Kathleen, "Maria, are you really 28? We are scrubbing the kitchen floor and talking about how old we are and someone said you are 28. Your not 28 right? Are you really 28? How old are you? Are you really 28?"

I reply, "Kathleen, how old do you think I am? Guess, and then I'll tell you how old I am."

Kathleen throws out, "22, I'd guess your 22, you can't be more than 23. Are you really 28?"

I reply, "Actually, I am 28."

Kathleen runs back to the kitchen floor where the rest of the cleaners are still discussing my age. Apparently this was their reaction.

Mika, " Bull shit!."

Glen, " I'd like to see her drivers license and birth certificate please."

Raquel, "I told you so, Maria told me last week she was 28, and i believed her."

Oblivious to this whole scenario, I finish my cleaning job and convince Ben to crank the music so we can dance into the kitchen and entertain the rest of the cleaning crew...we enter with Lady Gaga blaring that she can't answer her telephone...we are dancing...or trying to anyway...

they all look up as we enter...

Raquel, "None of them believed me when i said you were 28. I believed you the first time you told me."

Kathleen, "I can't believe your 28?! What did you do with your 20's?"

Alec, "If you were buying liquer from me. I would card you for sure."

I reply, "Thanks, Alec."

And to Kathleen I laugh..."Yes, I am 28. And as to my 20's, time flies when your having fun."