Birthday: It's my 51st birthday. Woo. Rugby: Last night, at 12:30 AM, I went to a French wine bar that opened up for an invite-only watching of the France v USA rugby world cup match in Japan. The USA was a world-class contender team ... for about 65 minutes. Then just fell apart. It was anyone's game up until then, and the USA just didn't have it in them to play at that level for all 80 minutes. Going to bed at 3:AM last night, and getting up at 6:AM this morning didn't work out so well for me. So I'm doing the least I can, from a local coffee shop, before I head home and get a nap... ... to prepare for tonight's birthday dinner with the family. It's gonna be low-key and chill, but I'll need a nap if I even want to be human for them! :-) Tennis Elbow: I also had my first physical therapy appointment for my "tennis elbow" yesterday, and I am enchanted with my therapist. She's very cool, and excited to help me get to my larger goals, as well as address the immediate problem. Makes me feel excited about continuing my health journey. Dog Health: My dog is getting better, slowly. But she has now figured out ALL of my tricks for getting her to take 5 pills a day. So every single one is fight. With a 70lb black lab/shepherd/husky, who is smart as shit, and 14 years old, so she's an old woman and isn't taking any shit from anyone anymore. Wrestling my beautiful dog, pinning her down, forcing her mouth open, and jamming pills down the back of her throat is the most heart-wrenching thing. Getting woke: Planning travel with the rugby team to away games and a trip to Ireland and Scotland in 2020 ... and having thoughts about the climate footprint of my travel plans. Yeah, 80% of the damage to the climate is done by about 100 companies, which are run by about a dozen people. If any one of them made the slightest change at all, it would completely overshadow my total environmental footprint if I lived 1,000 years. BUT... don't I have the responsibility to myself - to my fellow human beings? - to be responsible for my own impacts, however small in comparison to the big polluters? It's not the size that counts... except, in this case, it actually is. But that doesn't absolve me of ANY culpability or responsibility. But... is thinking this way, and having these thoughts, enough for one small person? I already drive an electric car and converted my home to electric heating, in a principally hydroelectric-powered state. What is enough? Who calculates it? What about my nieces - and KB's daughter - who will grow up into a world where "once in a thousand-year" storms, weather, and environmental changes happen multiple times in a single year? Oh. Did I mention I'm 51? And thinking about my place in the world? Yeah. That, too.
Agreed. But holding France to 12 points, and being within 3 points of them for 60+ minutes is a win, for a Tier 2 team playing a Tier 1. And the US never flagged. They left it all on the field. They earned respect from the Tier 1 teams, and that's a win for us in RWC 2019.
The annoying thing is I'm already hearing people just put it to one side with the excuse "It's France - they'll get rolled by a minnow one week then beat NZ in a final the next". On the one hand, that's true but it's coming from people who didn't watch the game. I want the States to do well, particularly after seeing Canada quite literally move backwards in their ability and structure over the years. It's a real shame. If the USA can improve hopefully Canada will follow suit.
Twas! Just my Mom, Dad, sister, wife, dog, and my sister's two cats. We sat around the house, talking, laughing, playing dice, and drinking champagne. My family are my most favorite people in the world. I know that is rare, and I cherish it every single day.