Month: December 2022

  • World Cup Dispatch (UPDATE): Argentina v Croatia

    Here we are. Messi is just one win away from making it to the Final of the World Cup. Not that I’m getting ahead of ourselves here, as there is a very good Croatian team standing in his way. And I already have given Argentina the kiss of death by picking them, so sorry about that. If it goes to penalties, then my money is on Croatia.

    I will say this about Messi, there isn’t much push back about him winning the Cup. Maybe from the Dutch, but outside of them, Messi seems to carry good favor from around the world. That’s pretty impressive in this day and age. Seems like there is always a group of haters for any public figure, no matter who they are. But not Messi. I could be wrong, but I’m not seeing it. Good for him.

    I will find myself again on the sofa watching this match. I don’t have anything riding on it, as now I’m just watching the Cup to it’s conclusion. I came this far , I might as well see it to the end.

    You know.

    UPDATE: Hey! I do know something! Argentina is going to the final. And did you see that assist Messi had for their third goal? That was impressive. And that team earned it, as that was a solid performance from start to finish. Not the most exciting match of the tournament, but if you want to win the World Cup, that’s how you have to play.

    (I think I’m going to stop asking people to like my blog. I noticed that my likes have dropped off a cliff since I started doing this. So, I’m just going to respect your space.)

  • World Cup Dispatch: The Past Weekend

    Out of my four predictions I made on Friday, I only got one right; Argentina. I honestly didn’t think Brazil would lose. And as for Morocco, I didn’t even watch the match, except for the final five minutes when I looked at the score. (Shame on me for that one.) I said I liked it when the underdogs won, and Morocco is out there proving everyone wrong. And poor England, just couldn’t get it together when it counted.

    I wanted drama and I got it. Penalty kicks for the win, strong defenses, missed opportunities, and dreams dashed. I don’t know why Brazil didn’t let Neymar take the first kick. I hope Argentina’s goalie becomes a national hero. Morocco is proving that a great defense is still the best offense. And you have to capitalize on your opportunities when they prevent themselves. Sure, Kane should have made that penalty kick, but England had at least three good chances to score, and just couldn’t find the back of the net.

    The semifinal is set, and wouldn’t it be so odd if the final was a rematch between Croatia and France? I think the sentimental favorite is for Argentina to go to the final, so Messi can earn the swan song he so desperately wants. But, don’t count Morocco out just yet. France is a very good team, but Morocco has beat better teams this Cup. And France looked venerable against England.

    But, I will make my wildly incorrect prediction for the Final; Argentina v France.

    Alright world, go prove me wrong.

    (If you like my blog, I’ll like yours!)

  • ODDS and ENDS: Adjunct Professor Strike, Christmas Trees, and What’s the Deal?

    (I say what I say…)

    There is a brewing movement underway being led by adjunct faculty and students. Hell Gate ran this story yesterday about students at the New School, here in New York City, joining the faculty strike, which has been going on for 23 days. If you didn’t know, University of California academic workers, have also been on strike. For far too long, adjunct professors, basically part-time teaching staff, and academic workers, who are teaching assistants, tutors, graduate student researchers and postdoctoral scholars, have been doing more and more of the actually teaching at universities. Across the country, full-time and tenured positions at universities have been shrinking, while at the same time administrative positions have been growing. I don’t think anyone will find it surprising that administrator salaries have been growing, while faculty pay has remained flat for years. A reckoning is coming. For the past forty years, American universities have become little corporations – making money and growing endowments comes first, and education is second. And to accomplish that, administrators have to keep their labor costs low. It has gone on for too long, and now faculties are pushing back. I see strikes like these growing and continuing in the coming years.

    Tomorrow, our Christmas Tree arrives. We ordered one, it’s fake, which was designed to fit specifically in small apartments. The base diameter is like 23” and it’s 6’ tall, so it’s a think pole of a tree. I can admit that that since we put up decorates after Thanksgiving, it really hasn’t felt like Christmas in the apartment, and that’s not really surprising. The Tree does tie the whole thing together.

    So, what’s the deal with all the views on my post: Short Story Review: “The Face in the Mirror” by Mohsin Hamid? When I originally posted it, I received 11 views which, for my humble little blog, was rather respectable. In the last two weeks, the same post has received 42 views, which is an outlier for me. So, what’s going on? If people are enjoying what I wrote, then that’s cool, but being that this blog is, well, little, then I find it odd when people notice it. Or is this just a bunch of bots screwing with me?

    (INSERT JOKE ABOUT LIKING THIS BLOG.)

  • Wold Cup Dispatch(UPDATE): The Quarterfinals, Day 1

    After a couple of days off, we are back with the first round of the Quarterfinals! It’s a pretty exciting group of teams. You got six former champions, one finalist at the last Cup, and a Cinderella. You have players at the twilight of their careers with one last chance for Cup glory, cementing their status in the Pantheon of legends. You have long standing rivalries, historical conflicts, and one team representing an entire continent and region.

    Drama! Drama! Drama!

    And I do really despise that I’m enjoying this Cup, which is being presented by a corrupt organization, in an authoritarian nation. I feel the evil Caesars of history are asking me, “Are you not entertained?!?”

    Yes, but love is love, and women’s rights are human rights. And I do hope the 2026 Cup puts Rainbow flags on every thing!

    As for the matches, I don’t think Croatia can stop Brazil, who is dancing their way to the semifinals. Netherland v Argentina is a pretty even match up, but I’m going with team Messi on this one. Morocco v Portugal is going to be the heartbreaker match. I love the underdog, but with the way Portugal played last match, I don’t see them losing. And that gets to the match I am really looking forward to: England v France. This one is like a heavyweight fight; two teams slugging it out! Both have superstar goal scorers and deep benches. What I would hate to see is it go to penalties, because France will win. Ung…. C’mon England!

    Alright, let’s have some fun today!

    UPDATE: so… I got that whole “dancing their way to the semifinals” thing with Brazil totally wrong.

    (And, if I may ask; have you enjoyed my nonprofessional perspective and slightly humorous post? If the answer is yes, or an ironic “meh” then feel free to give the blog a like. So, you know, whatever…)

  • Stupid Cold

    I used to not mind being sick, such as having a cold. When I was in school, and starting my professional career, a cold gave me a forced opportunity to take time off to relax and recover. I never felt guilty for taking a sick day, and tried not to make the people who worked for me feel bad for making their health a priority. I’m sure a have a few ex-employees that would disagree agree, but there are always outliers.

    Yet the cold I have been dealing with for the past two weeks has really pissed me off. It won’t go away. It acts like it’s gone, I start thinking life is back to normal, and then it comes back, worse each time.

    And I’m not the only one sick in our home. We all got it; first the kid, then wife, and now me. We have gone through all the stages of this illness, and we have now landed on the cranky bitchy stage. We’re trying to be cool with each other, but the edginess pops out.

    What I want is for us to be healthy for the Holidays. The good news is that it’s not Covid or the flu; just a stupid cold. There is still so much we have to do for Christmas, and I feel like I’m falling further and farther behind.

    Damn, I hate being sick.