Sports
First off, my congratulations to the Philadephia Eagles for winning their first-ever Super Bowl. They not only defeated a significantly favoured opponent, but they did it using an entertaining and heroic philosophy. Gambling on fourth-downs, trick plays, and two-point conversions, the Eagles demonstrated guts, confidence, and commitment to the fans. Backup quarterback Nick Foles also managed to get into the history books for a number of different reasons. He's one of only three guys to win the Superbowl despite starting three or fewer regular season games. Of those three, he's one of two to get the game MVP award. And he became the first man in NFL history to both catch and throw for a touchdown in the final game. Combined, both teams contributed to the greatest total number of yards ever gained in a Super Bowl game. A delight of a game, even for a neutral. Which I am not.On the negative side, the officiating crew responsible for the debacle at Anfield earlier in the day managed to swaddle themselves in shame and controversy. If Liverpool FC's last game in the FA Cup showed how video review can make a game intolerably slow-paced, this game demonstrated how badly oversight is required to defeat rampant incompetence, corruption, or both. It is rare for a team to receive a yellow card for "simulation" (diving) and then consequently receive two consecutive penalty awards for players collapsing to the ground in similar fashion. Tottenham managed to wrestle a draw from a game in the dying minutes with some extraordinarily generous decisions from the referee and his assistants and it should be safe to say that the finances of those concerned will fall under some scrutiny.
Weather
Back in the day, Calgary was the home of the winter Chinook wind, a warm and moist breeze that gave week-long reprieves from otherwise relentlessly frozen, snowy, arctic conditions. By the same token, Edmonton was just cold. Desiccating, debilitating, depressing, and dehumanizing cold. Childhood memories of walking backwards through the snow because the howling icy winds would freeze your eyelids shut were punctuated by thoughts that just 350 kilometres south, people in Calgary could walk to school in short sleeves because of that amazing and supernatural Chinook.The world is a different place now, and Calgary's seasonal get-out-of-jail-free wind has become a thing of the past. Whether that is because of massive tectonic activity shifting the Earth's axis of rotation, or because of sunspot activity, or anthropogenic climate change, or some sort of combination of factors, the past is gone, and it has been replaced with a fresh kind of hell for all concerned.
Shower Songlist
Considering the inches of fresh snow and bone-chilling conditions outside the window of my room, the conclusion that my iPod has a sense of humour is entirely viable.- The Boys of Summer, performed by Bree Sharp
- Cruel, Cruel Summer, performed by Ace of Base
- Girlfriend, by Matthew Sweet
- In the Night Time, by George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers
- Strange Disease, by Prozzäk
- Communication, by The Cardigans
- Devil's Been Busy, by The Travelling Wilburys
- Waterfall, by The Electric Light Orchestra
- Achilles' Last Stand, by Led Zeppelin
Basically, the first two tracks seem to be the anomalies here, since they are both seasonally related and cover versions of songs written and originally performed by other artists. Beyond that, there don't seem to be any readily observable commonalities between the songs.
And now, with an aching stomach and numb, tingling arm, I must bid adieu for the nonce. I got a fair bit of physio exercise in today, but that also means that the exhaustion is decidedly more palpable.
Until next time, good night England and the Colonies.
—mARKUS
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