Anyone who knows me, knows three things I am obsessed with everything England, I love to travel, and I love sports especially soccer or the rest of the world calls football. So today when the USA played in the World Cup finals one would assume I was watching the game, but that was not the case. I was at the airport where I overheard people cheering and doing their oos and aas which is definitely an interesting way to follow a game. It's also funny when the game is over and you see men running to their gate to make sure they make it on time.
One thing for sure was this Women's World Cup final was more eventful than the Men's World Cup final. Both went into overtime and both had number 1 ranked countries in the final. Although for the Men's, Spain was the world number 1 and won, while in Women's, USA was the world number 1 and lost to Japan. Also for Men's World Cup it was one of the most boring drawn out games ever. While with the Women's there were many close shots and it went into penalties unlike the Men's where Iniesta scored the goal in the second overtime.
Overall, one thing about this game gets me excited. People are starting to get more involved with soccer and caring about it. Last year when it was the World Cup more of my friends watched the games than in 2006. More of my friends are coming to me for advice or want to understand the game of soccer. This gets me excited because then when I talk about it with someone they will have some knowledge on the game and players.
So now on to the game. I really wanted to US to win and thought they would pull it through. Earlier this morning there was an article in the New York Times sports section on Abby Wambach and how she has been wanting to win a World Cup. Abby has won a gold medal and has never made it to a World Cup final because the US have lost in the semi-finals the past two times. So I really wanted to US to win for Abby who has done an incredible job with contacting the ball mostly with her head. Besides Abby another stand out star that has come from the team is Hope Solo. Yes, she has had many references to Han but her quick timing got the US to the finals by saving the goals against the Brazil team. Yet this time around it was not for us to win.
If you don't know, the game was tied 1-1 in normal time went into 2-2 in extra time which was two 15 minute halfs. Then we went into penalties where just to put it nicely Abby Wambach was the only one who scored. To be honest it is sad that we lost but when you think of the type of year Japan has had I feel not as terrible that we lost. It's like when the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl after Katrina. It brings a sense of hope and a little warm heart feeling however there was some disappointment felt as well.
Overall, the Women's World Cup was watched by many. Yes, the outcome was not to my liking but I can live with Japan winning considering the year they have had. But the one thing that brings me more hope is the fact that more people are going to be interested in the sport and it will grow in America. Cheers-- USA!!! USA!!! You still did us proud
Harry Potter and the Dealthy Hallows Part 2 has come to an end and it feels like a huge part of my childhood has ended. So in honor of the movie I made butterbeer cupcakes last week for the 2nd time but these looked 10 times better than last time. Here is the recipe for Butterbeer cupcakes but I highly suggest making the ganache 1st so it can cool and when the cupcakes come out you can put the ganache in right away. Just forewarning it does take time to make and the ganache is not very thick unless you put it in a freezer for a long time which I have not done. It is well worth it and the icing definitely is what makes the cupcake. I brought them to work and this is all that was left. They are delicious and although I have yet been to Harry Potter World I can imagine what real butterbeer tastes like.
Anyways I hope you all saw the final Harry Potter movie. I went to the midnight showing in Chicago where rumor had it Matthew Lewis who plays Neville Longbottom was in town but he was only suppose to be at Navy Pier. Well that was not true, he showed up at our theater but my friends and I missed him. There was a point when I went to the bathroom where there was a lot of commotion in the hall that I really should have checked it out because I think I could have seen him. Mr. Lewis has definitely cleaned up real nice and has become very attractive. I did not know that during the movies he had to wear a fat suit and had to wear fake teeth but it added to his character.
Overall, I thought the movie was brilliant. The theatre laughed, cried, cheered and clapped in unison throughout the movie. But, there were some parts I liked better in the book than in the movies. It is definitely one of the best movies and I am glad they broke the movie into two parts considering it was the last movie.
Well now that the movies and books are over, all that is left is the impact Harry Potter has had on my life and to share it with others. It is amazing how I have grown up with Harry Potter. I was about 12 years old, the same as Harry when the books came out. My brother and I use to wait in the midnight lines at Barnes and Nobles waiting to get our copy when the first couple books came out. However as we got older we would pre-order them and pick them up the next morning. We only ever got one copy except for book 7 which, is funny that the two of us shared the books. We would have different bookmarks in each book and trade off which is crazy because most siblings have their own copy and don't like to share.
Harry Potter got my brother and I into reading like so many other children. We use to run away from 300 page books but were now concurring 800 page books with no problem. However, it baffles me how many of my peers have not read Harry Potter and have avoided something that has now been integrated into our culture. Even if you have not read the books, people know that Muggles are non-magical folk, Voldermort is He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and people know that Harry Potter's best friends are Ron and Hermione. Yes, some people might just know these things by just going to the movies and not reading the books but, when the movies come out Harry Potter is what everyone is talking about. Case in point, my friend and I were at a bar having some drinks discussing the movie when someone excused us and told us not to talk about the movie because they had not seen it yet. So we had to stop talking about it but a majority of people have already seen it. The midnight and 2:30 a.m. showings alone ranked in over 4 million dollars. CRAZY!
Anyways, I have to say one of the best things I did this year was re-read all the books and coincided the movies when I finished the books. My mother thought re-reading the books was crazy and now my brother is doing the same thing. Although she thinks this is ridiculous, she does not fully understand the amazing world and work J.K. Rowling put out there. It will be a book I will re-read again and make sure my children read. I want to clarify one thing though, I am not as dedicated as some. Although I made cupcakes and have gone to midnight showings, I am not the best at quoting the book or knowing all the ins and outs of Harry Potter. Yes, I am signed up for Pottermore, but who isn't, and I am aware of the websites out there. I am aware of Mugglenet, theleakycaldron, and know the convention for everything Potter is called Leaky Con. I also know there are bands out there like Harry and the Potters and the Remus Lupins although I don't know any of their particular work.
The only thing I know that might go into that category is Starkids Production of A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel. I have only gotten 2 of my hard-core Harry Potter friends to see it but it is one of my favorite things out there. The songs and plots are on point with the books and it is overall entertaining and brilliant.
No matter what Harry Potter has impacted my life and the lives of so many others. It is sad that there are no more books and movies. The things we have to look forward to are people like Starkid and those who attend Leaky Con who have embraced Harry and expanded his world in new avenues. Oh, and we cannot forget what Pottermore will have installed for us too.
It’s been a week since Wimbledon ended but I wanted to share one of the things I look forward to when Wimbledon starts.... Waffles and Wimbledon!!! The last few years we have started this tradition where we have waffles and strawberries with whip cream since its an English thing and Wimbledon is at the All England Club. This year before the match started my mother laid down a tablecloth and vase, which she believed matched a tennis ball (I couldn’t see if but went with it). I also dressed in a white dress since it is club rules you have to wear white.
So we started the match late (the power of DVR) and it was between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. I have always be a Rafael Nadal fan even in Roger/Rafa matches I will root for Rafa while my mother and brother will root a little more for Roger. It would have been great to see a Roger/Rafa match but the Roger and Tsonga match, which was a brilliantly, beautiful match. Tsonga truly outshone Roger and was a complete upset for Wimbledon disappointing people's dream match between Roger and Rafa.
Anyways it was obvious from watching the match that my mom and I wanted Rafa to win because we would scream at the same time Rafa would miss the ball. However, it was clear from the beginning that Djokovic or as my mom like to pronounce Yokavic (He's a yolk!!!) was going to win. He came out really strong even though the 1st set felt like the whole match would go into tiebreakers.
Although Rafa was ranked number 1 Novak was going to be crowded the number 1 at the end of Wimbledon because he has won more matched this year. Novak only lost one match which made his record 46-1 which is insane to think someone could have that type of record so because he has won more matches that Rafa he was crowned number 1 and ended up winning the Wimbledon final 6-4 6-1 1-6 6-3.
Overall, great tennis to watch and it was an incredible match even if Nadal didn't win. Did anyone else besides me think that Nadal's shirt was a little distracting? Blue circles under the armpits? It is just asking you to look there and see if there are pits stains. However one of the best things I do appreciate about Nadal is that the matches up to the final if he won he would take off his shirt and you would hear the crowd go woooo and he'd give a cheeky smile. Till next Wimbledon or US Open where who knows we might start a new tradition for that final.
