Campeones! Campeones! Ole, Ole, Ole!

Last night saw the end of a 4-team round robin soccer tournament put on by the Philadelphia Falcons soccer club with my team, Soylent Green, coming out on top. I don't really care what anyone would have to say about the tournament as a whole. Sure, it was a predominantly friendly atmosphere to jazz up the normalcy of Wednesday night pick-up. This little 6-week outing ended up bringing the competitiveness out of every team in it. There were games that were absolute grinds, there were absolute blow-outs and there were a couple of downright thrillers to participate in.

We may not have gotten a trophy at the end of it all, but I think I achieved some growth as a player, especially in the defensive department. I feel that my ability to see the progression of an attack coming at me grew exponentially, especially in the final game against the yellow team. Unfortunately, the only 2 wrong steps I made ended up being goals. There were a couple of moments where I was able to get on the ball and try a few things, which I'm also happy about. I hope another little tournament like this happens again. It really was good fun to play in it. I'd say that even if my team hadn't won it.

Credit to all members of Soylent Green. We ROCKED!

On Going to Spain, Movie Watching and a Little Bit of Antonio Gaudi

For those who don't really know, I've been toying with the idea of moving to Spain over the past couple of years. For those back home whom haven't heard me mention this, yeah it's true. No, I've never been there and the best Spanish I can muster is from broken, faded memories of taking the class in high school. In fact, I can't really say I have a whole lot of reason behind the idea, if boil it down to brass tacks. Nor do I have any plan, were I to actually go through with it.


So, what's the deal with Spain? Why not move back closer to home or just another city? Truth be told, I feel the need for a complete revamp of the world around me. I've lived here for almost 6 years and, while it's given me a tremendous amount of good things (the absolute perfect wife, great friends which led to greater opportunities and plenty of life experience), I can't get around the idea of what a completely different frame of mind would show me about this world of ours.
Will it happen? I'm not sure. But I knew I wanted to move here in order to be with the woman I love and that couldn't have worked out better. So it's possible.




This past weekend, we sat down and watched Antonio Gaudi. A film by one of my favorite Japanese directors, Hiroshi Teshigahara. Now, I'm not going to say that anyone should run out and watch this film. It's not even really a film, but an unobtrusive tour through the work of who many call the greatest architect in history. This film is essentially 98% silent. There's a score, but there's no narration, explanation or verbal insight into the absolute beautiful work that is shown on screen. The only dialogue comes near the end when an old man (I believe a colleague of Gaudi) briefly goes into detail about the Sagrada Familia.

Now, I don't know thing one about architecture. I barely understand art in general. I think I can feign a certain amount of intellect in terms of music and movies, but I don't know much. Bearing all that in mind along with the hesitance I had as this film got rolling, this was actually an easier watch than one could expect. The absence of the most necessary details required in a documentary (see the prior paragraph) actually gives the audience a bit of freedom. We were able to comment on his style, notice little details, pause at our leisure or go back to a previous shot without feeling like we're interrupting something.


***A little side note: I detest doing all the things I just mentioned during a movie. I prefer to just take it all in as it comes. I'll go back only during foreign films in instances, though very rare, wher the subtitles are moving to fast. All that aside, with this film being the way it was, these things I can't stand just felt natural. Now, I'll return to what I was talking about.***


In this film you see all of Gaudi's major works including Casa Vicens, La Pedrera, Palau Guell, Casa Batllo and the Barcelona icon, the Sagrada Familia. Teshigahara's camera gives each work an admirable gaze from many angles and set-ups with the kind of attention to detail that immortalized this artist on film when it was made in the 80s. Gaudi's style operates on the principles of nature. His columns resemble trees more than support structures, the shapes of rooms resemble caves and he was unafraid to try anything new. Nothing of his looks typical or normal, but all of his work is visually alive and all the details pull the eye over the entire surface with out looking messy. If anything, this film sort of added to my desire to live in Spain so I can see what these look like with my own eyes.

What's most interesting to me as film nut, is how appropriate this film's maker and its subject seem perfect for earch other. Hiroshi Teshigahara made films of astounding quality, but in a manner that is as equally off-kilter as their essential premise. His visual style is brilliant, the screenwriting is poetic and the music is eerie and otherworldly. Of course, he's only one third of the trifecta that included Kobo Abe (screenwriter) and Toru Takemitsu (composer). The Criterion Collection put out a box set (The aptly titled Three Films by Hiroshi Teshigahara) that brings together the three films put together by these 3 individuals. Pitfall, the masterpiece Woman in the Dunes, and Face of Another with an additional disc of supplements paint a picture of the filmmaker almost as an Antonio Gaudi of cinema and all (except maybe the supplements) are completely worth the watch.

This is where I completely fail as a critic: I can talk about why I like something forever. I'm not all that great at selling it. I don't know why, but it's always something that's been lost on me. If anyone reads this, they probably won't want to go to their friends/family/significant other and say, "Hey! Let's watch a movie with no dialogue that showcases the work of an architect from Spain!" If it does happen, I'll shut my mouth.

Friday Thoughts on Politics (Unfinished)

It's Friday and I'm here to do a bit of writing. What purpose? Not sure. At the moment, for some odd reason, politics are weighing heavy in my head. No, this isn't going to be some manifesto or diatribe as to who's right or wrong. In fact, I'm at my absolute limit in terms of tolerance for any rhetorical bullshit from either side of our political system. Things in that arena have gotten so ridiculous that I'm starting to get convinced that my vote means absolutely dick.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to turn out and exercise my right in November. I'm actually going to vote for Barack Obama, if you're going to ask. That's my choice. Make your own and don't listen to whatever anyone wants to say about how wrong you are.

To be honest, I'm not sure Obama will be that good of a president and I'm not all too convinced that McCain will be that bad of one in terms of the choice laid before me. I actually think since our congress is democrat-controlled for the next 2 years, we have the best chance of getting anything done with a democrat heading up the executive branch. Does that mean loads of change and hope will rain from the heavens? Absolutely not. It could very well mean that the only thing that really changes is the salaries for senators and representatives for the next term. Still, I feel it right - however naive it may be - to put my faith in the system.

I do want to say that in terms of entertainment value, the republicans sure got their convention right. Like a trooper, Rudi Giuliani rode his 9/11 train into the sunset, Leiberman and Thompson really earned their respective Droopy the Dog and Foghorn Leghorn labels astutely given by The Daily Show and Sarah Palin placed herself high in the running for best stand-up performance in 2008 politics. I've never laughed so hard at what sounded like jilted sorority hobag rant in my life. The one republican I've come out of this respecting more than I thought I would is Mike Huckabee. Sure, the evangelism is...well, just that and, stemming from that, are a slew of ideals that border on fanatically hypocritical, but he had the balls to make Stephen Colbert his VP candidate if he got the nomination. That shows simultaneously a strength in character as well as a sense of humor and that he knew what the score was. Subsequently, every time I've seen him on TV doing an interview, he's shown his intelligence in terms of where everything else stands in this chaos that will decide who leads our country. Though I may not agree with him on creationism or his religion-imbued politics has become beside the point due to that.

Don't get me wrong, the democrats aren't exactly riding white horses to rescue our country from the problems we face. Their mudslinging is just as ridiculous, but nowhere near as funny. Barack Obama has the gravitas to keep people's attention and charisma to boot, but the democratic convention was like an awkward moment at a family reunion between sections that just don't like each other. Those with big families know where I'm coming from. Watching the Clinton's give their back-slapping, aren't humanity neat praises to Obama was just weird.

What's more is, and I could be very wrong on this next statement, there doesn't really seem to be an overt direction with this shouting from the mountains for hope and change. That's what scares me more than anything. The one thing I've always noticed about republicans is their sense of discipline towards their party. Now, becuase of the acrimony of Clinton supporters, democrats could once again spend from September to November tearing each other limb from limb while McCain just focuses on his core constituents and waltzes into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in January.

If I offended anyone in the previous writing, I do sincerely apologize. I never claimed to know anything about what's happening in our country, nor be an expert on the subject. Just wanted to write. Unfortunately, it'll remain unfinished because it's time for me to go home.

Peace y'all.