Futbol-The only sport I've ever loved

Running down the sidelines, stomping down as a plastic shielded shin slides towards me in hopes to stealing my prized possession. Run some more. The feel of Kelme leather claiming possession of the object everyone wants, but no one will take from me...

Those days have been long gone for three years now.

I still vaguely remember my first soccer team-the Badgers-when I was six years old. We would stumble around the grass in a park near my house as we learned what it meant to kick a ball that would become my pride and joy for the next 11 years. Somehow, that summer a passion was ignited in me that would survive through elementary, middle school, and most of senior high. I played year round for most of those eras of my life, and I've lately been reminiscing about my old passion for the sport. The only sport that's ever been dear to me. Whether that be getting unbelievably close to fist fights on the field or scoring against foreign teams, it's a sport that I never tired of.

I watched the EuroCup 2008 final yesterday afternoon between Germany and Spain (Spain won!!) and I really wish there was someway to get back into the game I used to dream of going pro in. As I listened to the cheers of German and Spainish soccer fanatics in the stands, I wished that the sport had the level of respect it deserves in the United States as it does in ever other country on earth. Maybe living in Europe next semester will give me another taste of the flavor the sport has to offer, but America isn't ready to try.

Viva la Futbol!!!!

Wall-E

I saw the new Disney Pixar movie, Wall-E, last night and it was definitely more than I had expected. I had pictured it to be the standard animated comedy in the realms of "Finding Nemo," "Cars," and "Toy Story." It was, in fact similar in the type of humor and taste, but this also had several societal and environmental messages as well.

Warning...a few semi-spoilers lay ahead (but nothing too harmful):

The movie starts out with Wall-E, a robot who is designed to collect and condense trash, living all by himself on Earth. All the humans have gone away because of the massive amounts of garbage they created but could not clear up on their own had become overwhelming, so they left it to robots, which failed. The entire planet is a desolate wasteland where the only living creature left is a cockroach, which happens to be Wall-E's pet.

Later on, in outer space, it becomes embarrasingly sad to see what has become of the human race. They all live on a space station in another galaxy. It's not that they live in another galaxy that's the problem, but they they have become so incredibly lazy and dependent on technology for everything that they are so fat they they live in hovercraft-like chairs. A hologram television is placed a foot from their face, which acts as their eyes to the rest of the world (or, to be more exact, the space station).

The movie wasn't at all necessarily sad in itself, but rather hilarious. However, as I watched it, in these themes I've pointed out I couldn't help but notice the truth to what they say about society today, especially in America. We are seen as a lazy country that makes messes but doesn't clean them up and view the entire would through what television tells us rather than experiences it for ourselves.

The other day I was at the Royals came and as we left the stadium, all over the place was garbage. Beer cans and beer cases and food wrappers. How hard would it be for people to place them in their cars and to bring home to recycle? To me, it's just sad seeing what our generation has become. Now, I'm only generalizing and I know there are plenty of Earth-loving people alive, but why can't we all be like that?

I loved the movie for it's humor (I just love most disney movies alltogether) and it was a joy to watch. It's a great movie. I'd definitely recommend you see it. These themes really aren't a big part of it at all, it's just stuff I happened to notice.It made me happy to see a fun movie that also had messages to tell it's audience as well. Towards the end, the captain of the ship says to a little plant, which is the only plant that survived on earth over the 700 years they abandoned it: "You just needed someone to look after you, that's all." It's our planet, so let's look after it.

Adventures in downtown Kansas City

For the first time in my life, I hitchhiked.


It's something I have always wanted to do and it worked out finally yesterday in downtown Kansas City. My friend Ryan and I went there early because he had a meeting before we met up with the rest of our group for the Royals vs. Cardinals game that night, and so I figured it'd be a perfect chance to tour a little bit of the city before I had to meet up to go to the stadium. I got dropped off at Crown Center, which is where his meeting was at, and started walking north to try and find Westport or the Plaze, which were the places that my Kansas Citian friends recommended that I check out. After about 5 blocks or so, however, I still had no clue where I was to go. So, I asked two people if they could give me directions as to where to go. They informed me that I needed to get to 43rd street...and I was only on 19th (so in summary, that is no where near close enough for walking distance they said.) After chatting for a little while, they offered to give me a ride to where I was going, and I graciously accepted their offer.
As we walked to their car, it was interested talking with them! I mean, it wasn't any out of the ordinary conversation, but I really enjoy meeting strangers and hearing about their lives and just chatting with people. It seems like in today's society it is taboo to talk with people you don't know. It was good to have a chance to break that norm yesterday. When we got to their car, I got a ride safely to where I was heading: Jerusalem Cafe, but didn't have time to eat so I moved onto my next stop Tea Drops, before meeting up again and checkin' out the only WWI memorial in the country.

Oh yeah...keep in mind I was walking all over with a Chicago Cubs shirt on (luckily I wasn't in St. Louis instead...)

At the game, I surprisingly got more complements than insults for my Cubs shirt. I only got a couple of curse words thrown at me and one dude tried to "accidently" roundhouse kick me after the game. As I was walking up the stairs in the bleachers, this main caught my attention and showed me his chicago cubs tattoo on his leg! That was quite interesting.

After the game we were trying to get out of the parking lot while it was downpouring and hailing some and we saw two police officers arm-in-arm dancing in the rain while directing traffic! It was quite the funny site! As we drove back, there was an awesome lightning storm the whole way home.

Summer Reading

I'm going to be quite ambitious this summer and attempt to read a book a week with one of my roommates and some other people and then some more (hopefully!) And as I already mentioned, true, it's very ambitious, but all of these are books I've been really wanting to read for quite a while or have been recommended by someone or another. Here is the list thusfar. If you are in CoMo this summer and are interested in joining our book a week club, read only a few of them, or just want to come to the weekly discussions, let me or Patrick know!

I'll try remembering to keep updating this with which ones I've read and hope to write my thoughts and reviews on as many of these as I can.

Personal List:
One the Road, by Jack Kerouac
Chronicles: Volume One, by Bob Dylan
Finding Common Ground, by Tim Downs
PostWar: A history of Europe since 1945, by Tony Judt
The Fuel and the Flame, by Steve Shadrach
War of Words, by Paul David Tripp
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Subterraneans, by Jack Kerouac
The Dharma Bums, by Jack Kerouac
The New New Journalism, by Robert S. Boynton
Best American Travel Writing 2003
The Irresistable Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical, by Shane Claiborne

Book A Week (other books yet to be determined):
UnChristian, by David Kinnaman
The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Book discussions with Summer Veritas (other books yet to be determined):
Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals, by Shane Claiborne

Polaroid a day

So I stumbled across this Web site the other day and decided I'd share this idea with you. This man took a polaroid photo every day for 18 years of his life. I thought it was a very interested concept, literally creating a "snapshot" of his life for the world to peer into for a moment. And, he doesn't only take photos of happy things, but also of some of the tragedy he suffered through the 18 years as well.



http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/15131



I've been thinking alot lately about how life might look like through a pair of eyes that are not my own. It is exhilerating to think of how much activity allows this world to buzz with life at every waking or sleeping moment. I have found great joy in listening to others tell about their thoughts, lives, and past so far this summer as I work to listen more than speak.