Manchester United Game

You'd think an oldster like me wouldn't get so attached to a sports team, especially one I didn't grow up with. But I went with my son last week to D.C. to see Manchester United play Barcelona. I had seen them play Barcelona in 2003 in Philadelphia, but can't remember the score. Then I saw them in Chicago against Bayern Munich, dressed in full regalia of team shorts and shirt- or in the team "kit" as they'd say in England.  ( I must have been a real sight!) Then there were games against the MLS all-stars, the MLS Philadelphia team and InterMilan. The game last Wednesday featured two of the best players in the world, Leo Messi and Neymar so that in itself made it worthwhile to make the trip. It ended up 1-0 Barcelona but there was an obvious gap in the quality of the two teams. It really could have been a lot worse. My dream is to go to Manchester to see a game at their legendary stadium, Old Trafford. I have a bunch of frequent flyer miles expiring next year so I should use them for airfare. I haven't been overseas in four years so it's time.

Swan Song for the Band (at least for now)

My guitarist retired a few ago. He and his wife have no kids so they decided the time was right to sell their house and move south to North Carolina by the beach. So our last gig will be on July 15th at a firemen's picnic. We haven't played out in quite awhile since last October at a winery. He told all of us right at the beginning of the year and to be honest the motivation to look for more jobs was very low. I doubt if we will find a replacement. For one thing, finding a guitarist with similar taste in music will be very tough. Most guys my age are into classic rock--stuff I have no interest in playing. Then the drummer lives about 50 miles from me. We practiced in the guitarist's basement which was about 45 minutes west of my place. The drummer lives 40 minutes northwest of the guitarist.  Not having a place to practice and the distance between us makes it highly unlikely that we will continue. That is too bad as I purchased the domain name and paid for the website on Squarespace. I also had a banner made with the band's logo and website on it. So maybe I might try to find other players close to me to make my financial investment worthwhile. The other issue is that the music we play is not very appealing to the crowds who go out to bars to hear music. Basically, it is the music of our youth-  or fifty year old stuff.  The Beatles stuff is well-known but once we dig into the minor hits of British and American bands, no one knows it. Still I find it very enjoyable to play and will miss doing it. I even bought some vintage sounding effects to get authenticity such as the tremolo on this sixty year old hit. It's fun to sing harmonies like this, though I suspect to a critical ear we wouldn't be that good.

 

Old 97's show

They are still one of my favorite bands. Their new album is just okay as they are now writing songs which are variations of ones they've already done. Still they are excellent in concert and never fail to entertain an audience. They did many of my old favorites including this one:

Headwinds and Tailwinds

I found this podcast very interesting. It's an interview with two social psychologists who have researched why people overvalue the obstacles they encounter in their life and undervalue the benefits they have received. They call them, respectively, "headwinds" and "tailwinds." They use the analogy of a runner who is  really aware if he is running into a strong wind which makes the run more difficult. As long as the wind is blowing in his face, he notices it. However, when the wind shifts to behind him, the run becomes easier. After a little while, he forgets the added benefit of the tailwind.  Thinking of my own life, I know I have experienced a lot of tailwinds and really don't think the headwinds I have faced have been that strong. I can think of many times when I was just lucky to be in the right place at the right time or derived some advantage by simply being a reasonably intelligent white guy.

Half Birthday Surprise

I am halfway to my next birthday, an occasion I have always noted. I had an interesting surprise this morning from the past, in the form of an email written to be delivered ten years in the future. I mused about what my life would be like on this date. Fortunately I did get some stuff right like hoping to have gotten an advanced degree and to still be playing music. I didn't think I'd be any better on guitar but I honestly think I am. I mentioned Bob, the guy who played bass in our band then. He unfortunately died three years ago of a heart attack, sitting in a chair watching TV.  That band had broken up but I still kept in touch with him. I was also correct that the company that employed me would no longer exist. Other things I won't mention I did get very wrong but that's to be expected. I am not on the verge of retirement as I thought. I am no longer doing crossword puzzles but still am a big Manchester United fan. I also make no mention of running which is my other passion now. I was running back then but hadn't done any organized races. It is also good to see that I am still the same weight as I was back then: 167 lbs.  The question is: do I write another one for 2027?


I never heard this song before last Wednesday but really like it, especially the reference to Manchester United.

Finally, the evidence.

Last week, the diploma arrived. I was very pleased to receive it. There was no mid-year ceremony so the question is whether I go to the May ceremony and walk with other grads. I didn't go to my undergrad so why start now. On the other hand, I wouldn't mind having a graduation party.

Now I have something to do when I retire. I am in no hurry but if things change for the worse at work, I might reconsider. Bonuses are nice to get every year. Now things are going very well. As much as I detest the buffoon in the White House, he has been good for retirement accounts.too.

Finished!

I passed the oral exam but I wouldn't say it was with flying colors. I hadn't realized that there were three grades I could receive- pass, pass with distinction and fail- until I spoke with a former classmate the night before the exam. I passed but not with distinction so when I was done, I was feeling a bit down on myself.  Not that I thought that I was that great during the exam. I did a bad job on the first question about the way in which liberalism changed from 1898 to 1945 which I think set the tone for the rest of the exam. I made a statement which caused the professor to raise her eyes in disagreement and then it was kind of downhill from there. I thought I did an okay job on the other questions but nothing that merited distinction. I almost felt like I was a beneficiary of "social promotion:" they couldn't very well fail me as I had gotten all A's in the courses I took in the program. As the exam has receded, I am feeling better about finishing. I might even have a graduation party in January.  Of course, if I hadn't talked to the classmate, I wouldn't have known about the the two levels of passing and would have been okay with the result. What I am pleased about is that I can now count myself among the 75% of persons with post-graduate degrees who disapprove of Trump. What a disaster the next four years will be!