Just so we're clear, the Olympics are the best thing about sports. This shouldn't be debated, and yet I've heard more than a few people complaining about the Olympic games. Here's why the Olympics are better than our regular (Americanized) sports:
1) Playing for your country is ultimately the best thing you could do. Sports in America rightly get knocked around for being greedy capitalists. While the gold medal hanging from your neck may not equate to a contract worth in excess of $100 million, there's something to be said about representing your country on the world's largest scale. We are no longer the only market for baseball, basketball, and hockey. Golf and tennis as professional entities are global sports. Other than American Football, we are finding ourselves getting closer (albeit very gradually; I don't see a disproportionate number of non-Americans DOMINATING the NBA yet) to a level playing field internationally. How does this tie into the Olympics? We are squaring off against the best from every other country in the world, and dominance in THAT means we're truly the best in the world.
Look, as much as I love baseball, I know that when the Yankees win the World Series, it doesn't necessarily represent every organization in the world. The Olympics get down to good ol' nationalism at its finest.
2) No trades- Here's the thing: in professional sports, it ultimately comes down to dollars and cents. Granted, most teams make an effort to put together a winning combination of players to put on the field/court/rink/pitch, but I doubt that owners are REALLY upset about not winning a trophy as long as their pockets are still lined with dodo skin (or whatever it is that they line their pockets with). When you start running a team like a business, at least a TINY bit of the game gets out of focus. In the Olympics, there's no question where a participant's loyalty lies. Seeing athletes wrapped up in the flag of their home country, singing their national anthem gives me shivers.
3) Watching sports I normally wouldn't watch- We're exposed to things like figure skating and curling, both team and individual sports, which are not usually shown on many screens around the country. I get that Americans like to rally around pixies on 1/8" blades, and really, that's a good thing. Having pride in the people representing our country SHOULDN'T be reserved for every 2 or 4 years, or sports, really. Luckily, our government has made Olympic athletes bigger stories by being such asshats. I devote a ton of time to watching the downhill, slalom, cross-country, ski-jumping, curling, the biathlon...and aside from learning new sports, getting exposure to world-class athletes competing at the highest level.
4) Medal counts- Takes the arbitrary number-crunching out of the equation. Winning is the only thing that matters. No MVPs, no Cy Youngs, no 6th man awards...you win, you win.
5) Two weeks off from American Idol talk- because really, we don't need to obsess over fabricated acts crammed down our throats. It's THE best dose of reality television in the world. Go U-S-A!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
February 9, 2010 (a)- Leaving Antofagasta
By the time I had made the decision to leave Antofagasta, Chile, for good, a lot had taken place to turn life upside-down. Uncle Tom- a hero of mine- passing away put things into perspective: being away from home involves big steps and while those steps were a daring step to something new, having taken that step away from home had its consequences. I grew up in a very close-knit family, and so having not been there immediately when he passed away (and definitely being in another continent) made the terrible experience even more saddening. THEN, having to go back...I dunno, something changed and my attitude was different. I love the kids, I love my co-workers...it's just an incredibly tough thing to do. If nothing else, I needed some downtime. I understand the need on the part of the school to get a commitment, I just couldn't wrap my head around the possibility of being down there for two more years.
In the end, I decided to come home for good. At the time, I also thought I had a teaching opportunity back home (which has since been yanked off the table, news which I received the day after I got back from the funeral). Heading back, the last ten days of classes became a celebration and an opportunity to have fun with my kids more often and discipline them heading out the window. We played wiffle-ball, took breaks to admire the ocean view, had futbol practice, made a music video, and taught each other languages.
The students, the parents, the staff, the city...I will miss it all. Every day I consider the idea of heading back and what I'll be missing (a lot). I just felt at the time that my heart was at home...and I needed to get back there. What I will miss about Chile is that it was truly a time to learn something about fear (being a stranger in a strange land with a language barrier) and courage (trying to communicate anyway). I learned many a valuable lesson and life skill while in Antofagasta, and will carry that with me for as long as I live. I gave teaching my all, and am content with my attempts to do things that I would not otherwise do, regardless of opportunity.
Tough place to leave. Thank you so much, Antofa, for the memories...
As a result, I feel much more comfortable in my own skin and in my ability to communicate and accomplish things that are set on my plate. Chile transformed me and gave me confidence. I was told that it would take everything I knew about myself and knock it to pieces, forcing me to re-build from the ground up. It's true, perhaps. As it is, I'm at a point where I am still trying to re-align what it is that I want to do, where it is that I want to be...needless to say, Chile has stirred the pot; what will be interesting to see is how things settle, or if they settle.
Talk to each other.
In the end, I decided to come home for good. At the time, I also thought I had a teaching opportunity back home (which has since been yanked off the table, news which I received the day after I got back from the funeral). Heading back, the last ten days of classes became a celebration and an opportunity to have fun with my kids more often and discipline them heading out the window. We played wiffle-ball, took breaks to admire the ocean view, had futbol practice, made a music video, and taught each other languages.
The students, the parents, the staff, the city...I will miss it all. Every day I consider the idea of heading back and what I'll be missing (a lot). I just felt at the time that my heart was at home...and I needed to get back there. What I will miss about Chile is that it was truly a time to learn something about fear (being a stranger in a strange land with a language barrier) and courage (trying to communicate anyway). I learned many a valuable lesson and life skill while in Antofagasta, and will carry that with me for as long as I live. I gave teaching my all, and am content with my attempts to do things that I would not otherwise do, regardless of opportunity.
Tough place to leave. Thank you so much, Antofa, for the memories...As a result, I feel much more comfortable in my own skin and in my ability to communicate and accomplish things that are set on my plate. Chile transformed me and gave me confidence. I was told that it would take everything I knew about myself and knock it to pieces, forcing me to re-build from the ground up. It's true, perhaps. As it is, I'm at a point where I am still trying to re-align what it is that I want to do, where it is that I want to be...needless to say, Chile has stirred the pot; what will be interesting to see is how things settle, or if they settle.
Talk to each other.
February 9, 2010- End of 2009
As promised, thoughts on the year that was...
I started 2009 fresh out of school and in search of a job. What I found instead was a sense of restlessness to see and to do something important. While I didn't get a full-time job, I took advantage of what I was doing to heighten my sense of adventure and maybe, just maybe, get to see a bit of the world. What transpired was the most interesting year of my life.
January- added a family member (Liam Patrick Doyle), watched President Obama get sworn in, went to first NBA game.
February- Visited Miami, first Heat game, first trip to an art museum, made first visit to west coast in LA and San Diego.
March- Marched in St. Patrick's Day parade in NYC, listened to 31 new albums.
April- First game at the new Yankee Stadium, visited Chicago, first game at Wrigley Field, first game at Fenway Park, visited Boston.
May- Visited Charlotte, NC, saw Charlie finish law school, saw Erik finish school at Dutchess.
June- Went to a horse track, saw the Daily Show live, kissed Cherry good-bye, toured New York Harbor, went to NY beer garden.
July- Watched fireworks over the Hudson, saw Coldplay in concert, saw Blink-182 and Weezer in concert, was Assistant Director of DAC.
August- Bought a new car, moved Erik into school, visited the Outerbanks, NC, visited CitiField.
September- Visited Colorado, saw Broncos game, saw Rockies game, saw Kings of Leon in concert, saw U2 in concert twice (and Muse), celebrated one year anniversary of trivia hosting, tried rocky mountain oysters, bombed my first job interview.
October- Got replacement job...in Chile, visited new continent, saw Harlem Globetrotters, swam in Pacific Ocean, tried Pisco.
November- Missed first Thanksgiving, introduced Chileans to NY.
December- Lost Uncle Tom, said good-bye to Chile, spent NYE in NYC.
It's a lot to take in and to absorb and consider, but my thoughts on all of this are as follows:
I took in a lot. I saw a lot more than I would have thought possible over the course of one year. At this point in my life, getting all of that in makes the experience of a lack of full-time employment well worthwhile. I loved almost everything about this year. It's driven me to make long-term goals. What people don't necessarily understand is that all of the above came relatively unexpectedly. Oh, I knew I'd go to Yankee Stadium. The rest of it? No idea. I had no idea what was in store for me, and if I hadn't had the predisposition to be open-minded about life in general, this would not have been possible. Thank goodness for open minds!
There's a lot to see out there, and this blog turned into just as much an opportunity to chronicle those things that I've seen/done as it was being true to the original plan of the blog itself. As you all know, I've been bit by the travel bug. However, the degree to which I got bit has only intensified over the course of the last year. I decided to say "fuck it" to a lot of restrictions, and take the steps to get out and experience as much as I can before I settle down and :gulp: get a job. What will come this year will be hopefully a lot of the same.
A goal I have for each month this year is to visit somewhere new each month. January, I went to Niagara Falls (and, by association, Canada). February, I've been to Northern Ireland already. As for giving something up, I think while I've been lax on that, it will pick back up, so that I can hopefully get back on track with documenting those struggles/opportunities. I learned a lot and have been very busy. There's more to come, I assure you, and I hope that you stick around for what's in store.
That's all for now. Talk to each other...
I started 2009 fresh out of school and in search of a job. What I found instead was a sense of restlessness to see and to do something important. While I didn't get a full-time job, I took advantage of what I was doing to heighten my sense of adventure and maybe, just maybe, get to see a bit of the world. What transpired was the most interesting year of my life.
January- added a family member (Liam Patrick Doyle), watched President Obama get sworn in, went to first NBA game.
February- Visited Miami, first Heat game, first trip to an art museum, made first visit to west coast in LA and San Diego.
March- Marched in St. Patrick's Day parade in NYC, listened to 31 new albums.
April- First game at the new Yankee Stadium, visited Chicago, first game at Wrigley Field, first game at Fenway Park, visited Boston.
May- Visited Charlotte, NC, saw Charlie finish law school, saw Erik finish school at Dutchess.
June- Went to a horse track, saw the Daily Show live, kissed Cherry good-bye, toured New York Harbor, went to NY beer garden.
July- Watched fireworks over the Hudson, saw Coldplay in concert, saw Blink-182 and Weezer in concert, was Assistant Director of DAC.
August- Bought a new car, moved Erik into school, visited the Outerbanks, NC, visited CitiField.
September- Visited Colorado, saw Broncos game, saw Rockies game, saw Kings of Leon in concert, saw U2 in concert twice (and Muse), celebrated one year anniversary of trivia hosting, tried rocky mountain oysters, bombed my first job interview.
October- Got replacement job...in Chile, visited new continent, saw Harlem Globetrotters, swam in Pacific Ocean, tried Pisco.
November- Missed first Thanksgiving, introduced Chileans to NY.
December- Lost Uncle Tom, said good-bye to Chile, spent NYE in NYC.
It's a lot to take in and to absorb and consider, but my thoughts on all of this are as follows:
I took in a lot. I saw a lot more than I would have thought possible over the course of one year. At this point in my life, getting all of that in makes the experience of a lack of full-time employment well worthwhile. I loved almost everything about this year. It's driven me to make long-term goals. What people don't necessarily understand is that all of the above came relatively unexpectedly. Oh, I knew I'd go to Yankee Stadium. The rest of it? No idea. I had no idea what was in store for me, and if I hadn't had the predisposition to be open-minded about life in general, this would not have been possible. Thank goodness for open minds!
There's a lot to see out there, and this blog turned into just as much an opportunity to chronicle those things that I've seen/done as it was being true to the original plan of the blog itself. As you all know, I've been bit by the travel bug. However, the degree to which I got bit has only intensified over the course of the last year. I decided to say "fuck it" to a lot of restrictions, and take the steps to get out and experience as much as I can before I settle down and :gulp: get a job. What will come this year will be hopefully a lot of the same.
A goal I have for each month this year is to visit somewhere new each month. January, I went to Niagara Falls (and, by association, Canada). February, I've been to Northern Ireland already. As for giving something up, I think while I've been lax on that, it will pick back up, so that I can hopefully get back on track with documenting those struggles/opportunities. I learned a lot and have been very busy. There's more to come, I assure you, and I hope that you stick around for what's in store.
That's all for now. Talk to each other...
Sunday, February 7, 2010
February 7, 2010- Remembering Pop
Four years ago today, my grandfather passed away. In the time since, I've been trying to wrap my head around what it is that that I'm on this planet to do. Heavy, yes. For all that Bill Whalen did for those around him- family, friends, business associates, and those he didn't even know through his many ventures and associations- I've found that the rewards that come with hard work and personal involvement are immeasurable. It is because of this that I intend to better myself through working at finding where it is that I should be in the world.
Now, while I've been finding SOMETHING in the world, it's time to start addressing what needs to be done with what I've seen, what I've found, who I've met, etc. Let's go.
Now, while I've been finding SOMETHING in the world, it's time to start addressing what needs to be done with what I've seen, what I've found, who I've met, etc. Let's go.
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