I recently went onto ESPN and the FIFA site to see who all the qualifiers for the World Cup were. I was impressed by some of them and surprised by others. One doesn't hear much about some of the African and South American countries who qualified, and it'll be REALLY interesting to see what happens if North and South Korea face off later in the tournament. Anyway, I thought I'd make some predictions as to who would make it out of the group stage. Please note that I'm still not the most diehard soccer aficionado, and so you might think some of these may be weird. This is just going by what little I know of the teams.
Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, and France.
My predictions: France, with South Africa as the runner up. While Latin America has some formidable squads, home field advantages can often come into play and I doubt South Africa will be a big exception. However, France is the defending runner-up and will not be easily beaten.
Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, and Greece.
My predictions: South Korea, with Nigeria as the runner up. I'd heard that Argentina hasn't been as good as they were several years ago, and I've heard nothing about Greece. South Korea, from what little I've seen, has had good teams, and Nigeria has beaten the U.S. in recent years. However, this is one of those brackets that I know the least about, and having Nigeria in the second round may be mere wishful thinking due to how many Nigerian friends I have at school. Don't take this one at face value.
Group C: England, United States, Algeria, and Slovenia.
My predictions: England, with the U.S. as the runner up. Our allies from across the pond have had some of the best squads in the world consistently, and I doubt they'll fail to please. The U.S. invests a lot in its sports, and while we don't have as much emphasis on soccer/football as every other nation on the planet does, we've got an incredible drive to at least try to be #1 (though perhaps not as much skill to consistently win as England).
Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, and Ghana.
My predictions: Germany, with Ghana as the runner up. I watched Germany play through the Euro Cup and barely fall to Spain in the final. They have a very straightforward, usually effective playing style that I think will do them well in the group stage. I had heard that Ghana did well in recent years, so based on that I know little about this and the other two teams, I'll go with them. However, I'm kinda hoping Serbia makes it to the next round since I have friends of that ethnic group. *winks at Lee volleyball team*
Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, and Cameroon.
My predictions: Netherlands, with Japan as the runner up. I don't hear much at all about Denmark or Cameroon, though I've heard the latter isn't too shabby. The Dutch have usually had a very good team from what I've heard from friends. Japan had some success in recent years, so I'll go w/ them.
Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, and Slovakia.
My predictions: Italy, with Slovakia as the runner up. Italy is the defending champion and will fight hard to keep it. I've heard that Slovakia did OK in prior tournaments, giving superior teams a run for their money over the years. Haven't heard much about the other two, but that's just my inexperience. Again, don't take it at face value.
Group G: Brazil, North Korea, Côte d'Ivoire, and Portugal.
My predictions: Brazil, with Portugal as runner up. I mean, come on. It's Brazil. 'Nuff said. Portugal has also been formidable over the years. While I would love to see South Korea stomp the Commies, I doubt that North Korea would have the talent to overcome the West. As for Ivory Coast... they might be able to pull off the second round and make it in with Nigeria, but they still have Brazil and Portugal to tangle with...
Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, and Chile.
My predictions: Spain, with Chile as the runner up. Spain was the Euro Cup champ and, I think, in the semifinals of World Cup '06 (correct me if I'm wrong). Plus their playing style is beautiful and effective. Honestly, I know nothing of the other three teams, so I'll put my wishful thinking to good use and pray that Chile wins. Since I'll be in Chile during the entire group stage, I really would not like being accosted by disgruntled fans if they don't make it through (and especially if the U.S. does in their group).
Closing comments:
You might be asking yourself why I even put this together when it's obvious I don't know what I'm talking about w/ a lot of these teams. Honestly, I really just felt like it and thought it would be fun. Hopefully it invoked some interesting thoughts, laughs, or reactions of WTF and the like. Besides, if I get some of these right, I'll get a whole lot of satisfaction out of having done this!
So, let's sit back as the month of June approaches and let the games play out!
As that stupid commercial says about certain Monday nights: ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
...And the Floodgates of the Heavens Were Opened
So last night I got off work in Louisville at about 8:30 only to find out from my mom, who works in the same building, that there were tornado warnings in Shelby County. After a while of waiting, we figured it was ok for me to go on and head home while she finished some paperwork. I walked outside into the worst thunderstorm in which I've been caught in a few years (and yes, Lee readers, this includes college years). After tucking my newly acquired paycheck under my shirt, I sprinted to my car and fumbled with my keys to unlock the door. After a 30 second jaunt in the wet, it was as if I had just taken my morning shower in my clothes.
I turned on my A/C, but had to turn to a more lukewarm temperature on the defrost when my window started fogging up. After that dissipated, I was able to pull out of the parking lot and onto Highway 60. The rain then got so thick that I could barely see 20 feet past the front of my car, and I came close to going out of my lane about three times and almost hydroplaned once by the time I left Middletown. The lightning was insane as well, with several flashes a minute. However, this was a blessing in disguise, as it lit up the road ahead and let me make sure I was in my lane still for that fraction of a second of light that I had.
The entire trip I barely cleared 35 mph. About halfway to Simpsonville some bozo in a truck came up behind me and stayed about ten feet off my bumper until we were a mile away from the town. Oh, one more thing: he had his brights on the entire time. Imagine a brightness shining into your eyes from every mirror in your car, almost completely blinding you. I had to scrunch down in the seat and lean forward just to avoid it. Finally the guy got tired of my driving safely in the rain, pulled around me, and kicked it up to about 50 mph. I hope for his sake he had faster wipers, cuz I could barely see at my speed.
The rest of the trip was pretty much normal after Simpsonville. The main worry I had at that point was keeping from falling asleep. I hadn't slept as much as needed the previous night, and constant staring into the deluge was very draining. Eventually, though, I made it home right as the rain started easing up (hooray for good timing... not, lol) and hit the sack around 10:30 p.m. After all, I had a shift at six this morning...
Kentucky weather gets crazy sometimes.
I turned on my A/C, but had to turn to a more lukewarm temperature on the defrost when my window started fogging up. After that dissipated, I was able to pull out of the parking lot and onto Highway 60. The rain then got so thick that I could barely see 20 feet past the front of my car, and I came close to going out of my lane about three times and almost hydroplaned once by the time I left Middletown. The lightning was insane as well, with several flashes a minute. However, this was a blessing in disguise, as it lit up the road ahead and let me make sure I was in my lane still for that fraction of a second of light that I had.
The entire trip I barely cleared 35 mph. About halfway to Simpsonville some bozo in a truck came up behind me and stayed about ten feet off my bumper until we were a mile away from the town. Oh, one more thing: he had his brights on the entire time. Imagine a brightness shining into your eyes from every mirror in your car, almost completely blinding you. I had to scrunch down in the seat and lean forward just to avoid it. Finally the guy got tired of my driving safely in the rain, pulled around me, and kicked it up to about 50 mph. I hope for his sake he had faster wipers, cuz I could barely see at my speed.
The rest of the trip was pretty much normal after Simpsonville. The main worry I had at that point was keeping from falling asleep. I hadn't slept as much as needed the previous night, and constant staring into the deluge was very draining. Eventually, though, I made it home right as the rain started easing up (hooray for good timing... not, lol) and hit the sack around 10:30 p.m. After all, I had a shift at six this morning...
Kentucky weather gets crazy sometimes.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Catching up
OK, so the last three weeks of school were insane. Here's a summary of where I've been since last time:
I can sum up my final three weeks as a junior in three words: PAPERS, PRESENTATIONS, and EXAMS. I had a presentation each in ethnomusicology and in Inner Asia; exams in ethnomusicology, culture and personality, Japanese, and international relations; and ungodly huge papers in culture and personality and in international relations (10-12 pages, anybody?!). One or two end-of-year social things occurred as well, but the main thing was the crazy schoolwork. As you can see, though, I survived and made it out of spring '10 with six A's and a B+. My last night in Cleveland, my future roomie Caleb and I went with our future suitemate J.D. to Tako Yaki, a Japanese restaurant in town, and met some of J.D.'s family. I'd met his bro before, but not his mom or grandma yet. Very nice people. And the food was awesome! I told the guy at the front desk "Thank you very much! The food was delicious!" in my newly learned Japanese (どうぼありがとうござ います. おいしいでした. in hiragana), to which he replied with a bow.
After my folks picked me up and I went home, I chilled for the most part until the end of the week, when I resumed work at Oaklawn in Middletown (for those who don't know, it's a rehab/extended care place where I work in the kitchen). So far I've worked six days a week with mostly shorter part time shifts, though the number of 8-hour shifts is increasing. Granted, I'm glad for the money, but I'd rather work fewer days full time than more days part time, lol. It's fun though. Lots of new people now.
I've started replaying Fallout 3 now, putting a little more emphasis on stealth this time around. Sneak Attack Criticals can be oh so helpful, ya know. Hopefully I'll have it beaten again by the time school resumes in the fall.
I now have a paltry two weeks and five days until I leave for my cross-cultural trip to Chile! Just need to get my liability and power of attorney forms faxed in. This'll be my first time traveling out of the country, and I'm really looking forward to it. ¡Y aprenderé mas español!
I was going to get a Star Wars RPG going this summer with some church pals of mine, but thanks to college I didn't have time to develop the campaign as much as I wanted. Won't be able to do it this summer, but perhaps it'll be a Lee campaign in the fall. I'll be working on it bit by bit over this break and hopefully have something together by then.
And last, but certainly not least... HUGHES HALL WAS DEMOLISHED THIS WEEKEND!
So that's pretty much what I've been up to. More stuff in a different topic in the next post!
I can sum up my final three weeks as a junior in three words: PAPERS, PRESENTATIONS, and EXAMS. I had a presentation each in ethnomusicology and in Inner Asia; exams in ethnomusicology, culture and personality, Japanese, and international relations; and ungodly huge papers in culture and personality and in international relations (10-12 pages, anybody?!). One or two end-of-year social things occurred as well, but the main thing was the crazy schoolwork. As you can see, though, I survived and made it out of spring '10 with six A's and a B+. My last night in Cleveland, my future roomie Caleb and I went with our future suitemate J.D. to Tako Yaki, a Japanese restaurant in town, and met some of J.D.'s family. I'd met his bro before, but not his mom or grandma yet. Very nice people. And the food was awesome! I told the guy at the front desk "Thank you very much! The food was delicious!" in my newly learned Japanese (どうぼありがとうござ います. おいしいでした. in hiragana), to which he replied with a bow.
After my folks picked me up and I went home, I chilled for the most part until the end of the week, when I resumed work at Oaklawn in Middletown (for those who don't know, it's a rehab/extended care place where I work in the kitchen). So far I've worked six days a week with mostly shorter part time shifts, though the number of 8-hour shifts is increasing. Granted, I'm glad for the money, but I'd rather work fewer days full time than more days part time, lol. It's fun though. Lots of new people now.
I've started replaying Fallout 3 now, putting a little more emphasis on stealth this time around. Sneak Attack Criticals can be oh so helpful, ya know. Hopefully I'll have it beaten again by the time school resumes in the fall.
I now have a paltry two weeks and five days until I leave for my cross-cultural trip to Chile! Just need to get my liability and power of attorney forms faxed in. This'll be my first time traveling out of the country, and I'm really looking forward to it. ¡Y aprenderé mas español!
I was going to get a Star Wars RPG going this summer with some church pals of mine, but thanks to college I didn't have time to develop the campaign as much as I wanted. Won't be able to do it this summer, but perhaps it'll be a Lee campaign in the fall. I'll be working on it bit by bit over this break and hopefully have something together by then.
And last, but certainly not least... HUGHES HALL WAS DEMOLISHED THIS WEEKEND!
So that's pretty much what I've been up to. More stuff in a different topic in the next post!
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