What a racket!

We are enjoying the World Cup coverage, it's great to have so much quality football/soccer available on US TV for a change. What we are not loving is the bloody racket those Vuvuzela horns make without a break for the whole game!

Sure we could mute the sound, but then we also lose the commentary and with foreign unfamiliar teams it's kind of essential. Sadly I think the World Cup will lose viewers over the din they're making. It was enough to make us give up and turn it off today, during a match with no personal interest we would otherwise have watched.

But as FIFA are selling them online, I doubt the wish of the majority for Vuvuzela's to be banned will be granted!

Split loyalties already?

So tomorrow the USA plays England in the World Cup (ABC 1:30pm EST) and it's being dubbed here as the most important day in US Soccer history. It is after all the Soccer Rookies vs Soccer Nation, we invented the game and it is our sporting passion.

I will be parked in front of the TV for most of the next month, watching all the big games whichever nations are involved, I have my highlighted schedule at the ready. As I type this I am supporting France against Uruguay and it's very rare for me to support France let me tell ya! But I'm a little torn, as Evra of Manchester United (my team) is the French captain.

I feel sorry for Americans, because this is the world's largest sporting event but they just don't get it, and miss out on a worldwide party of massive proportions. There is hope though, Soccer is the fastest growing sport in the USA, thanks to youth soccer teams. Maybe twenty years from now, I'll have some locals showing some interest in the 'beautiful game' with me.

So where will my loyalties be, well let'sjust say the flag of St George was raised on our flag pole this morning as the World Cup started and it will stay up for a month, until England wins the World Cup!

I always feel most homesick during the big soccer events. If you've never been in England during a big match, you can't even comprehend the national fervour and passion for our team. The streets are literally deserted when England has a crucial game and it's the one time we all fly our flags.

It just ain't the same living here, if I run down the street with my flag chanting Eng-er-land, Eng-er-land, Eng-er-land - I'll get some very strange looks! So I guess the Hubster will just have to put up with me running a few laps of the backyard tomorrow when we win.

Au revoir et merci beaucoup Canada

We have thoroughly enjoyed the Winter Olympics, in fact it's been pretty much all we've watched for the past fortnight (Brit word = 2 wks). They started with a terrible tragedy and a moving opening ceremony, and went onto to be one of the best ever.

I think the added skill and daring involved in performing a sport on snow or ice, makes the Winter Olympics exceptional viewing. I can watch the Summer Olympics and dream that with alot more effort I might have been a swimmer or runner. But there's no way I could ever have made it as a figure skater, bobsledder or downhill skier. Now Curling on the other hand the Hubster and I both think might be right up our alley!

Canada has been a magnificent host to the Olympics and now the baton passes to London and it has some big boots to fill. Apart from a lack of snow at first, these games seem to have gone without a hitch organisationally, despite terrible tragedy and emotional highs and lows. They have also made me long to visit Canada someday having seen the amazing scenery.

Highlights included Shaun White winning gold, with a truly amazing display of snowboarding and attaining heights above the Halfpipe that were hard to believe! Apolo Anton Ohno becoming the USA's most decorated winter olympian, despite the fact that his sport is crazily unpredictable. Seeing Amy Williams of Great Britain win the gold in women's Skeleton, our first gold since Robin Cousins in 1980. Watching Bode Miller come through finally and win olympic medals he missed out on 4 years ago. Enjoying the US mens bobsled team finally win gold after beating the seemingly invincible Germans.

The drama of Evan Lysacek's stunning skating free program deservedly winning gold, and the ensuing national 'pout' by Plushenko and Russia. The most moving moments came with Canadian Joannie Rochette overcoming tragedy after her mother Therese's sudden death. The courage and dedication she showed were inspirational, and it was impossible to watch her hold it together through her short program without shedding a tear with her at the end.

We were in awe of the Mogul skiers and the numerous knee surgeries they all seem to have, but still they keep going! We decided that cross country skiers are probably the fittest athletes in the world, and we wondered what makes anyone want to travel at over 90mph on ice on a sled! We found ourselves fascinated again by Curling, the accuracy involved and teflon shoes.

For us the funniest moment was listening in on the conversation between Shaun White and his coach, when they realised he'd won gold on his first run and the pressure was gone.

His coach about his 2nd run "What do ya wanna do?"
Shaun laughingly said "I dunno man, just ride down the middle?"
His coach "Nah  you wanna get out there, double McD and stomp the shit!"
NBC "We apologise for the language but this is live and emotions are high"

Too funny and a down to earth moment from a great athlete and thoroughly likeable star.

It's been a great Olympics, a credit to Canada and a fitting tribute to the memory of Georgian Luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili.

Did you watch too and have some fave moments?

Chicago Thursday

Thursday morning was one of the Hubsters highlights of our holiday, as he got to tour Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. For those of you not in the know, the Cubbies are like a less successful version of Man Utd back home. They have a similar history to the club and a legion of lifelong fans, but they have not won their championship for 100 years.

I don't pretend to know the first thing about Baseball and to be perfectly honest, I find it pretty boring. But even I enjoyed this tour and found it interesting. The Hubster is one of their loyal fans and so he was enthralled. One of the things the Cubs are best known for, is the often celebrity led sing-a-long of 'take me out to the ballpark' during the 7th innings stretch.

When we first knew they were going to be out of town the week we were there, he was not sure about doing the tour. But I convinced him it would be very worthwhile, having done a similar tour of Old Trafford and been thrilled myself. It was however hotter than haides the morning we did it, with crazy humidity and the first part was almost like a torture as we sat in the bleachers for a talk!

The humidity under the stadium was unbearable, as they had spent the morning hosing the walkways down! So it was a major relief to get up into the Press Box (despite the climb!) and finally find some kind of breeze. The view from here was great and I advised the Hubster that if we ever come to a game, we need to be either in there or a cheap seat in the shade!

He got to visit the team locker room, where alot of their personal stuff is on display in their lockers. Even I was impressed by how much was shared on the tour and the personal aspects.

Here he is in the home team dugout, waiting to be called into bat!

The last remaining manually operated scoreboard in the league. Apparently on game day, they will have 16 staff inside it making sure everything runs smoothly. The only air-conditioning is the open vents on either end!!

Our tour ended with a few piccies outside, including this one next to the statue of the famous Cubs commentator Harry Carey, he of those glasses!

After the Hubster squeezed in a quick geocache find back at the Museum Campus, we headed to the Chicago Art Institute.

We had a quick look around the new 'Modern' wing, but to be honest we're neither of us big fans of modern art.

So we headed off into the more traditional galleries to see some of the wonders of the art world. Here is Van Gogh's self portrait, it seemed like his eyes followed you wherever you moved!

A fabulous piece of Sevres pottery, of which I have always been a big fan and this vase was huge and so vibrant.

And then we had a gallery of Monet paintings, I could have put in a dozen pictures here, but 'Water Lillies' is my personal favourite. But seeing them close-up we were enthralled by the tiny brushstrokes and luminosity of his colours - just stunning.

This magnificant Indian Chief headress was from the Cheyenne tribe and originated from our neck of the woods.

And finally a beautifully designed English silver art deco rose bowl caught my eye.

We only managed a short visit to the Art Institute after our very energy sapping visit to Wrigley Field. We headed back to our room to finish the pizza pie and have an early night in preparation for our final day.

Do you Wii?

When the Nintendo Wii game system came out the Hubster and I were very dubious. We were not at all convinced we'd get home from work after a long day, and then want to prance around the living room playing tennis, golf, baseball etc...

Well how wrong we were ladies & gentlemen, meet our Mii's!!

Last Friday some good friends invited us around to play on their Wii with them, we arrived at 6pm and left after midnight - enough said I think! Not only was it alot of fun, but it's quite a workout too. The next day we were both a little sore from our efforts!

It took us a few minutes to get used to it, resulting in some laughs for all. When the Hubster and I started boxing each other, I turned around and started trying to actually hit him!! Our host had to grab my shoulders and turn me to the TV before I laid him out. Who knew I had so much aggression stored up in me towards the lovely Hubster!! Enough that I beat him by 2 rounds to 1, although he claimed I was crowding him out. I told him to put his big boy pants on and quit whining ;-)

So inevitably we ended up buying our own system on Sunday, and since then we have been finding muscles we had long since forgotten in front of our TV (no sniggering here!). We are especially loving the golf this week, but have been playing all the sports and it's just FUN, with a capitalised F!

Do you have one, have you tried one and which games do you love?

My education starts here!

With the start of September comes my renewed campaign to understand and take seriously the sport of American Football.

You see I now work for the school with the Class C State Champions for 5 years running, so I have to learn to love this sport! This weekend I invested in an 'Indians' supporters magnetic badge for my Mazda and right now I am watching College football on ESPN. I'm really trying people!

Let me explain why it's so hard for a Brit' to love this sport in one word - RUGBY! You see our rugby players don't need all that padding and all those breaks during the game. It's just full on all out war for 40 minutes, with rare stoppages and constant brutal action. We Brit's just like our sport a bit more bloody!

But enough - I am beginning to see all hope is not lost. There are some definite similarities in the games, enough that I am beginning to get an idea of what the devils going on. I am trying to look past all the padding and see the athletes underneath, I am appreciating the catching skills a little more and the finesse of the plays. Ladies I have also noted how cute their buts look with a little padding! ;-)

As they say - I have the team, the shirt, the bumper sticker and now all I need is the knowledge and finally the passion.

So help me out if you're a football fan and share the important/interesting things I need to know to love this sport?

I have 25 days and counting to our first home game.