football or husband?
Jul. 8th, 2006 10:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lobelia321Tonight is Portugal/Germany! I had forgotten how much I actually enjoy play-offs for third place. They are like the best part of the group stage all over again. No stress, nobody really cares, everyone's equal, everyone's relaxed. (Or so I hope!)
T'12-year-old is away with a friend in the Lake District. And now t'8 has been invited for a sleep-over. So we have an entire night to ourselves!
T'h: Fantastic! How nice! Let's go out to dinner!
Me: Um. But it would have to be a very early dinner. Like at six. Because there's the game.
T'h: Can't you tape it?
Me: What if there's penalties??! The tape's not long enough! And I need also to tape the run-up to the game from 7.30! (*not that there will be penalties; goodness, not in a friendly like third-place, surely not*)
T'h: Why is it so important? It's only third place! Who's playing again?
Me: I can't possibly go out. Even if I tape it [which I'm going to do, anyway], I will sit there the whole time, thinking 'I wonder what's happening'.
T'h: Quite clearly, a husband counts for nothing. So who would you go out with and miss the game?
Me: I have actually been pondering this one! And I have come to the conclusion that there isn't anybody!
T'h: What if you were going out with Cristiano Ronaldo? *looks shrewd*
Me: But if I were going out with Cristiano Ronaldo, the game wouldn't be happening. Because he's playing.
T'h: *exasperated* What if you were going out with Zinedine Zidane?
Me: But he is a footballer, and any footballer would want to watch the game with me.
T'h: What if you were going out with xxxx? (*names beautiful Bengali boy I had torrid affair with 15 years ago*)
Me: (*has in fact already thought this through*) No, not even him.
T'h: I married the wrong woman. When can I have my wife back?
Me: Just two more days!
I made the mistake of watching the Germany/Italy game with Italian friends of ours. This was not a good idea. I had to restrain my yelling at the screen out of politeness, and I felt really annoyed by their screaming and jumping up and down for joy at the end. This will be a lesson: watch only with those of your own mind, or with neutrals.
Also, I have discovered, that there are three things that link me to my mother tongue:
a) babies and small children (I always automatically want to speak German to this demographic subset)
b) pets (I can't possibly address a guinea pig in English)
c) and, it seems, football (when I really want to yell at the screen, I need to do this in German; that gut passion, it has to be: Nun macht schon, Bubis, was ist denn das für'n Rumgerangele? Los, lauft, Jungs! Ach, so'n Quatsch! (T'sons, btw, cack themselves whenever I say what to them sounds like 'boobies'.)
It will be interesting to see what happens after the 9th of July. In the past, I have tended to succumb into normality and indifference to club football and have completely forgotten 95 per cent of players' names. But this time, for whatever reason, the football and the slash have hit me with the all-consuming force of the proverbial freight train. And, unlike lotr rps, where I actually, deep down, have little respect for the fifth-rate acting abilities of those I drooled over (how can I respect the career of Karl Urban???), in football, I actually love the skills of these people. I have loved the skills for years, before ever thinking of slashing them. (I mean, last time round, the extent of slash were txts between Demelza and me about Gary/Alan in the plane!!)
So, in a way, Karl and Dom and Orli have all 'gone away' now that the lotr movies are over. But football is not going to go away. Football is never going to go away! And there will always be new ephebes to take the place of retirees! And the retirees will themselves not go away (Maradona waving his shirt! Pele pulling out the balls that announced the groups! Roger Milla at the big ceremony in Berlin in December, was it? Ex-kickers appearing as pundits on my TV screen!).
So I just have no idea what will happen on 10 July. I am already pondering seeing the fictional real characters for 'real'. The alibi of 'taking the sons to a football match' is rather attractive!!
Also, and maybe this precipitated the slash-football convergence this year, this Cup has been a real family event. In the past, I've had to fight the children for the TV. But this year, t'8 especially has totally glommed onto the whole thing and become a fan himself. Communal watching has been such a lot of fun! And Australia was in it so even t'h roused himself to passions!
T'12-year-old is away with a friend in the Lake District. And now t'8 has been invited for a sleep-over. So we have an entire night to ourselves!
T'h: Fantastic! How nice! Let's go out to dinner!
Me: Um. But it would have to be a very early dinner. Like at six. Because there's the game.
T'h: Can't you tape it?
Me: What if there's penalties??! The tape's not long enough! And I need also to tape the run-up to the game from 7.30! (*not that there will be penalties; goodness, not in a friendly like third-place, surely not*)
T'h: Why is it so important? It's only third place! Who's playing again?
Me: I can't possibly go out. Even if I tape it [which I'm going to do, anyway], I will sit there the whole time, thinking 'I wonder what's happening'.
T'h: Quite clearly, a husband counts for nothing. So who would you go out with and miss the game?
Me: I have actually been pondering this one! And I have come to the conclusion that there isn't anybody!
T'h: What if you were going out with Cristiano Ronaldo? *looks shrewd*
Me: But if I were going out with Cristiano Ronaldo, the game wouldn't be happening. Because he's playing.
T'h: *exasperated* What if you were going out with Zinedine Zidane?
Me: But he is a footballer, and any footballer would want to watch the game with me.
T'h: What if you were going out with xxxx? (*names beautiful Bengali boy I had torrid affair with 15 years ago*)
Me: (*has in fact already thought this through*) No, not even him.
T'h: I married the wrong woman. When can I have my wife back?
Me: Just two more days!
I made the mistake of watching the Germany/Italy game with Italian friends of ours. This was not a good idea. I had to restrain my yelling at the screen out of politeness, and I felt really annoyed by their screaming and jumping up and down for joy at the end. This will be a lesson: watch only with those of your own mind, or with neutrals.
Also, I have discovered, that there are three things that link me to my mother tongue:
a) babies and small children (I always automatically want to speak German to this demographic subset)
b) pets (I can't possibly address a guinea pig in English)
c) and, it seems, football (when I really want to yell at the screen, I need to do this in German; that gut passion, it has to be: Nun macht schon, Bubis, was ist denn das für'n Rumgerangele? Los, lauft, Jungs! Ach, so'n Quatsch! (T'sons, btw, cack themselves whenever I say what to them sounds like 'boobies'.)
It will be interesting to see what happens after the 9th of July. In the past, I have tended to succumb into normality and indifference to club football and have completely forgotten 95 per cent of players' names. But this time, for whatever reason, the football and the slash have hit me with the all-consuming force of the proverbial freight train. And, unlike lotr rps, where I actually, deep down, have little respect for the fifth-rate acting abilities of those I drooled over (how can I respect the career of Karl Urban???), in football, I actually love the skills of these people. I have loved the skills for years, before ever thinking of slashing them. (I mean, last time round, the extent of slash were txts between Demelza and me about Gary/Alan in the plane!!)
So, in a way, Karl and Dom and Orli have all 'gone away' now that the lotr movies are over. But football is not going to go away. Football is never going to go away! And there will always be new ephebes to take the place of retirees! And the retirees will themselves not go away (Maradona waving his shirt! Pele pulling out the balls that announced the groups! Roger Milla at the big ceremony in Berlin in December, was it? Ex-kickers appearing as pundits on my TV screen!).
So I just have no idea what will happen on 10 July. I am already pondering seeing the fictional real characters for 'real'. The alibi of 'taking the sons to a football match' is rather attractive!!
Also, and maybe this precipitated the slash-football convergence this year, this Cup has been a real family event. In the past, I've had to fight the children for the TV. But this year, t'8 especially has totally glommed onto the whole thing and become a fan himself. Communal watching has been such a lot of fun! And Australia was in it so even t'h roused himself to passions!
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-08 10:50 am (UTC)hmm. That's interesting about how you're linked to your mother tongue for those three. I speak a weird mix of english, tamil and telegu at home because I substitute words. I don't htink I've ever called the laundry basket that in english at home. Ever. But aside from my grandparents (who can't understand english), I automatically speak english everywhere. Probably because I just deceided to stop speaking my mother tongue when I started to get proficient in English. I regret it now and I wish I talked it more fluently but I don't. That said, whenever we come back from an India trip - I always speak it better because i've just spent the last 3-4 weeks trying to convey to my grandparents exactly what I mean. Which is amusing for everyone except those concerned.
Also, you're the first person I've ever met who also says 'mother tongue'! WOOHOO! It's not just me!
Pele pulling out the balls
that just reminded me of the erectile dysfunction ad. LOL
In the past, I have tended to succumb into normality and indifference to club football and have completely forgotten 95 per cent of players' names.
ARGH yeah. And then I feel guilty because they don't really show much Euro football here which is the only football I'd consider watching. And then I feel guilty - like a wet-weather friend to football. =(
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-08 10:51 am (UTC)Also, that comment was much longer than I thought. O_o
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-08 02:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-08 12:12 pm (UTC)Funny that you shout in German at the screen. I'm shouting in English sitting in my flat in Germany. I blame it on livejournal. My mind is all tuned to English and what comes out is 'What the fuck are you doing?!' Though I guess, I mix it with German. And hecitc gesturing. :)
I made the same experience while watching the Brasil vs. France match with a friend at a café. Almost everyone was cheering for France who admittedly made the better game but still... So, I'm going to watch the game tonight all by my lonesome because a) I know no other Portugal fans and b) the city will be completely in the hands of (drunken) German fans.
*Is ridiculously envious...* :)
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-08 01:16 pm (UTC)I also empathise about other slash-fandoms having to fade *sigh* Maybe after tomorrow, the Uruk-hai will stand a chance around here!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-08 01:44 pm (UTC)Por - Ger, I do hope for a bit of stress though. Germany is so going to want the Bronze...plus I want Cristiano to make a goal, so we get that outburst of joy he does so well.
Anyway, we win, don't we? If Portugal wins, we get ecstatic Cris, if Portugal loses, we get weeping Baby.
I do follow football all year through, it's Ajax and (Freddie's)Arsenal for me, yay! I'd love to go to a match but crowds freak me out.
So tonight, the Dutch people at the bar will all be rooting for Germany, which is the oddest thing ever, but since Portugal beat Holland at EC2004 and WC2006, Portugal has become Holland's new Nemesis.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-08 02:30 pm (UTC)and i'm with you on the no interest in football outside the world cup ... !!!
boobies
WHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH!!! *obviously have humour of 8 to 12-year-olds*
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-08 02:54 pm (UTC)Did you tell your friends who you were rooting for? I say it at the beginning, so they're not surprised when I jump up and scream "GOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!" But yeah, watching it with the fans of the other team can sometimes be a pain.
So I just have no idea what will happen on 10 July. I am already pondering seeing the fictional real characters for 'real'. The alibi of 'taking the sons to a football match' is rather attractive!!
I think that I'm going to go into some withdrawl or something. I'm dreading it. Really. It's a scary thought that this is it for me until...2010 (unless I move to Europe or Latin America where they actually appreciate the sport)
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-08 04:11 pm (UTC)I made the mistake of watching the Germany/Italy game with Italian friends of ours. This was not a good idea. I had to restrain my yelling at the screen out of politeness, and I felt really annoyed by their screaming and jumping up and down for joy at the end.
I love the fact that everyone in my family is going for Italy, while I'm holding a grudge against them and going for whoever playing against them because of it.
It will be interesting to see what happens after the 9th of July.
It's the same with me. In the past, I usually watch the odd footy game here and there. But it's really hard with the time difference (and not to mention, football's not too popular in Australia), so I usually can't be bothered until the next world cup. But I think i'll be following some players this time. Of course, CRonaldo. And I have a thing for Lucas Neill now =P
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-08 06:23 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-08 10:07 pm (UTC)i read it twice because it was that funny!