Tag: Tottenham

  • ODDS and ENDS: The Cold That Won’t Die, Writing in a Blazer, and Tottenham Woes

    (Cryin’ never did nobody no good…)

    So, I’ve had this cold for almost a week now, but it’s not a normal cold. Stuffy nose, post-nasal drip, coughing, but I don’t feel run down like I normally do when I have a cold. Also, this cold only seems to come alive for the first two hours of my day, and then all night when I try to sleep. Other than that, I feel rather normal. But the damn thing won’t go away. It won’t get worse, and it won’t get better. It just exists in a perpetual state of being… Neither gaining nor losing energy.

    I am sitting and writing in a blazer today. No real reason to be this formal, other than I want to sit on the couch, my computer on my lap, trying to think up three jokes to write about, with a blazer on. It’s not cold in the house, and I have no one to impress, just felt like something I should do. Like, how I should put jazz on, get a glass of wine, and catch up on some reading. Hell, here’s a picture to prove that this is really happening.

    So, Thomas Frank got sacked as manager for Tottenham Hotspur this week. I think it was a mistake, yet I also freely admit that things can and will get worse for this team. They just can’t get out of their own way, and with the injuries piling up, there seems like little chance of hope. Relegation is a very real possibility. I won’t blame Frank for this, as it seems like he just has had the worst luck for a first-year manager. I put the blame for this situation on Daniel Levy and Peter Charrington. Levy created an untenable situation where the expectation is that managers are interchangeable. Honestly, the team hasn’t been the same since Mauricio Pochettino was at the helm, and he was fired for a stupid reason like not being successful enough. Sure, do wish we could go back to those days when we were in the Champions League Final and at the top of the table in the Premier League. Honestly, I don’t put it past West Ham to get enough of their act together and make a run to get out of the bottom three, and kick either Nottingham Forest or Spurs down the ladder. I don’t want to see Tottenham in the Championship, but if that’s what it will take for the owners to get their heads out of their respective asses, then so be it.

  • ODDS and ENDS: In the car with the Dog, Talking The Beatles, and Tottenham Update

    (Must be the clouds in my eyes…)

    Not a bad Autumn morning. Took this while doing the Alt Side Parking dance.

    I brought the dog with me. Everyone loves dog pictures, right?

    Had fun talking and playing Beatle songs with the kid last night. Right now, she’s have fun with “I Am the Walrus” and the lyrics “Coo Coo Ca Choo,” as she’s heard them referenced in other songs, TV shows, and movies. I think for her, it’s like decoding a mystery from the long ago past. She also finds the “Paul is Dead” stuff really weird and funny as well. She wanted me to play my favorite songs, and tell her why I liked them so much. When I got to “Your Mother Should Know” I was struck with how melancholy it made me. Part of it was thinking about my mother, and the music that was popular before she was born, and then thinking how The Beatles are now music that was around before my kid’s mother was born. I felt like I was grasping for a moment that had already passed me.

    How do I feel about the state of Tottenham’s season so far? That’s a good question, that I’m still not sure how to answer. They are doing better than last season. BUT… they are having trouble winning at home. And the Champions League matches haven’t been awful, but it does feel like they can’t get out of their own way. Like, they are playing better, but not smarter. I do believe that if Maddison was out there, then it would be a different story, and they would be top of the table. Yes, I might be delusional.

  • ODDS and ENDS: China Bots, Soccer, Cubs, and Cool Down Damn It!

    ODDS and ENDS: China Bots, Soccer, Cubs, and Cool Down Damn It!

    (If you know, you know and that’s all right…)

    China bots have invaded my blog! At first I thought that I was getting really popular. But then I looked up where all these views were coming from, and it turns out they were coming from one city in China. I guess it’s possible that I’m really popular in China. Then I did a little digging on the internets and found out that this is a common situation. Any case, I would just like to say hello to all you bots out there. Hope you find what you’re looking for. I suggest checking out my latest published piece at Split Lip Magazine. It’s rather insightful, if I must say so myself.

    The kid’s soccer season starts on Saturday. Not much to say other than that this year, I will buy folding chairs so I can sit and watch the matches. Oh, and Tottenham is playing rather well; Only one loss and two draws, with five wins. Lot’s of soccer in my life right now.

    And the Cubs made the playoffs, so I get to see they gang play in October. That’s making my Fall feel better.

    So, to say that I impatient for Autumn is an understatement. I have my huge thick cardigan sweat sitting out in the living room, as I am ready for a chilly evening to put it on, but the air conditioner is on. It’s 83 degrees in the City, and humid as Houston. I know, I know, I know I sound like the oldest of old mean yelling at the clouds, but you need to understand that I am built and geared for the Fall and Winter. Prolonged exposure to Summer and warm weather causes my brain to melt and generally creates a state of high annoyance in me. I need clouds and gray, rain, and leaves changing, and coffee all day. Honestly, if Autumn doesn’t show up soon, I might just melt away…

  • ODDS and ENDS: Make It Stop, Three Weeks, and Relax

    ODDS and ENDS: Make It Stop, Three Weeks, and Relax

    (Mama, I know we broke the rules…)

    I know the urban legend is that celebrities die in threes, but man, this week is really pushing the barrier on that old adage. It started with Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and then this week went wild; Ozzy, Hulk Hogan, Chuck Mangione, Connie Francis, and I will also throw in the tragic news that Anne Burrell’s death was caused by suicide. And there is part of me that feels like I am leaving a person or two off this list, but this is just who is popping into my head as I write this. Just kind’a a sad week, as it seems like God is making it pour…

    Hey! Premier League starts up in three weeks! And I am ready because Tottenham had just about the worst season a club could have without being relegated and still winning a tournament. But outside of that, 2024/25 was a trash-ass dumpster fire of a season, and we can only go up from here! The first bit of good news was the hiring of Thomas Frank as the teams new manager. They nicked Frank off of Brentford, which was another club that I like and followed slightly. Frank did an impressive job getting Brentford promoted from the Championship League to the Premier, and then keeping the club competitive ever since. I have high hopes for Frank’s tenure as Spurs manager. And I’m looking forward to the Fall and winter mornings, donning my Tottenham scarf, sitting in bed with my iPad, watching a match, and falling asleep by halftime.

    I need to work on relaxing. I’m not good at it. If I’m not doing something then I think I am falling behind and failing. Gotta work on that. But first I need to go and paint one of the alcoves in the living room…

  • ODDS and ENDS: Stupid Victorious Tottenham, Paint Swatches, and Fuzzy Brain

    ODDS and ENDS: Stupid Victorious Tottenham, Paint Swatches, and Fuzzy Brain

    (Don’t know where I’m going cuz I don’t know where I been…)

    Well, stupid Tottenham Hotspur went and won the Europa League. I am very happy about this development. Happy that this team won a trophy. Happy that Son hoisted that trophy in the air. Happy that Tottenham has qualified for the Champions League next season by winning the Europa League. What I am annoyed about is that I, and the collective Spurs fan base, had to got through this whole shit season in the Premier League. 17th place?!?! It’s the worst that you can do without being relegated. And yet, somehow, Spurs won a trophy and gets to play in the Champions League. So, I really shouldn’t complain because it is true that the team accomplished its two goals; win a trophy and qualify for the Champions League. But, I’m still going to complain. #COYS

    You know what I’m doing this Memorial Day Weekend?!? Me and the wife are going to Home Depot to look at paint swatches and try to figure out what color to paint the living room. And this color needs to define who we are for the next ten years. See, the last time we painted the living room was right before the kid was born. At that time, we thought a blue-ish gray was the color that played to our strengths. This time around, not so sure. I believe that we are going to paint all of our trim white, while most of our furniture will also be white, or a natural wood color. Maybe a blue? A green? Odds are that I will go with what color the wife picks out. She’s much better at this stuff than me.

    And to end with, I want to say that this morning… I have had the fuzziest brain fog. Not so fuzzy that I couldn’t function, but more like walking through sand. Everything felt slow, or better yet, I felt slow. I got an okay amount of sleep, so I don’t think this is because I’m tired. I would hate to think that this is what getting older will feel like. OR, maybe all of this is due to gray skies? Maybe it’s mood. The lighting has affected me. The gray muted tones are making me want to go back to bed, or at least curl up on the couch. Or maybe it’s Friday, and I don’t feel like doing a damn thing.

    Oh, and seriously, WTF is up with the AI suggested image this week…