You Better Not

So just over a week or so now, I've been fighting a bit of a cold/flu thing and it just started to kick me in the behind. Yesterday I needed a mid afternoon nap when I got home from work and today I woke up feeling horrible. Fingers crossed it won't ruin the weekend. 

Childhood Redux

I absolutely love Calvin and Hobbes and R2D2, so when I found this, I had to share...

Whats Wrong with British Football?

Today, Napoli beat Chelsea in the Champions League 3-1 in Naples, and one has to wonder: What is going on with English football in European competitions, most notably the Champions League. Both Manchester clubs were knocked out in the group stage, and the teams that did make it through (Chelsea and Arsenal) are down big from their first leg match-ups. Arsenal got destroyed by AC Milan at the San Siro, losing 4-0, while of course Chelsea losing today.

So what's the deal? Usually British clubs do extremely well in this competition. I have a few ideas:

1.) The Premier League is too competitive. With no less than 7 teams fighting it out for the top four spots in the league, the league has become extremely entertaining for the observer, but really taxing, for the clubs involved in the scuffle. One might argue that in previous seasons of the EPL, Manchester United might be able to glide through 2 or 3 games where they knew they were clear favorites and had no hope of losing. The club's second team was better than many clubs' starting 11, so they could focus on the big boys from across Europe. 

That is no longer the case. With Manchester City, Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and even surprise Newcastle clawing for those top four spots, none of those top clubs can let off for one match. Drop points against lower level opposition (ie the Wolves or Wigans of the league) and that just might be the end of your champions league hopes. But it's not just the threat of losing points, the average mid-table finishers in the EPL are head and shoulders above their cohorts in other foreign leagues. Who would you take in a match: Everton or Parma? 

So with such a difficult league, by the time the English Champions League clubs get to mid week and their Champions League opponent, they are mentally still worried about the last weekend and of course the weekend to come. Many other leagues, such as the Bundesliga (in Germany) or La Liga (in Spain) have clubs like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid who don't have to worry each and every week. They can focus on Champions League football because they know their weekend opponents have little shot at dethroning the kings.

Being the Premier League is starting to have some disadvantages. 

2.)  Having a target on your face is NEVER easy: As stated in point 1, England has been quite successful in the Champions League for a long time, and extremely successful in the last 10 years or so. Many foreign teams use this to their advantage. Coaches can get their players fired up by saying things like, "NOBODY thinks you can win against the big boys. Prove them wrong." And they are. teams like Basel (from Switzerland) were able to play David vs Goliath and prey on just those emotions to claim Premiership scalps. 

With such a worldwide following like Manchester United or Chelsea, smaller clubs can potentially get better motivated for a European match than a club worried about their big match on the weekend. 

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To me those are the major two reasons why this year English teams have been playing quite poorly. I have a sneaking suspicion that this is only the beginning of this trend. If the Premier League continues to grow and become more popular, English clubs may continue to have this issues.

But, then again, they could win the Champions League next year, you never really know. But hey, that's football.

Quite Some Undertaking

So, it was a pretty quiet weekend, we got plenty done, cleaned. However, Priyam and I found a great TV on the BBC, a modern take on Sherlock Holmes cases called Sherlock. Although each season only has 3 episodes, it is excellent. If you can, definitely check it out.

Also this weekend Priyam and I completed the paperwork for her ROC, which took some doing, but we're pretty close to finishing it off. There are a few more things involved, but I have a good feeling everything will work out.

In other news, I REALLY CAN'T STAND people that try to force their way into involving themselves in one's business. Seriously, its super annoying. Usually it's because their life is boring and worthless, but its really getting on my nerves at the moment.

30 BOOKS!!!

Well, I've taken the plunge and on goodreads.com have taken a 2012 reading challenge of 25 books.

Over the weekend I finished my first book of my challenge (World War Z by Max Brooks) which was good, definitely a bit different than the normal thriller mystery type novel I normally read. After that I said, well, let me start a reading challenge of 35 books over 2012. The problem which I realized today was that 35 books for me (who with internet, TV, and XBOX is a mighty task indeed) so I have decided to cut it down to 30 to make it more achievable. 30 books in a year for me is quite some achievement (which is probably something I shouldn't be so quick to mention).

Anyway, my next book is Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.

No Email Address?

It is the year 2012, and at work I'm still amazed that there are some people that do not have access to an email address... It is truly mind boggling. Now, I'm not some technogeek that says, "Woah, dude, I'm amazed there are people without a Tumblr account or an IPhone" but I mean, an email account is pretty normal these days isn't it. My grandmother has one, even though she doesn't really know how to use it. Credits for trying. 

Last night, Priyam and I went to see The Woman in Black starring Mr.Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe. It was pretty good. I had seen the show in London when on a field trip while at ZIS, but I can't remember too much about the play other than it filled you full of dread. The movie was pretty similar in that sense, but I would need to read the book or see the play again to actively compare those to the movie. Overall, pretty decent.

Anyway, very happy its Friday and looking forward to the weekend. It is turning out to be quite a busy weekend with work to do and things to accomplish. We shall see. 

So Sad, but So True