It’s just.. I’ve been a bit busy writing for other places! Like The Footy Blog, talking about Benfica
Also, I’ve been studying very very hard in school. So hard in fact, I got a 97% on my American Lit exam. I think I got a 70ish in American Lit last semester on my first exam. Funny, how that goes.
But, dear blog, after studying anywhere from 25-50 hours a week, I tend to forget enough words to go here. But I promise, I’ll do better.
After fall break and I lock myself in the library for a week. And next week, I’ll be heading to Austin.
But somehow, in there, we’ll write some more, together.
And honestly, the only thing that comes to mind? poetry. Which is, in all fairness, fairly geeky to me. And since it’s been a while since I posted a freeverse… I’m just riffing on a bunch of things I’ve been told over the years, stereotype or otherwise. And it probably doesn’t make a lot of sense. But hey… sometimes that’s me too.
~
Say What?
You laugh and say I live in a world
of fantasy and I ask you what is more
realistic – a land of elves and fairies
or a land where people say one thing
and do another. Which is more honest?
Me, pretending to be an armless fairy
in a game or you, telling your girlfriend
you love her via phone while you roll your
eyes? Yes, I wear big glasses. Yes, I’m
clumsy. I’m not a barbie doll – think more
50s era girl with a different mentality
about many, many things. Like it’s -really-
awesome for girls to play video games.
(I’m fairly sure the game companies have this
figured out – I don’t see too many guys
running around with pink 360 controllers and
rose coloured DSes. Okay, I fit that stereotype.
Sue me. I love pink.) Yes, dear, I DID play
Counterstrike on PC. Dirty rotten camper?
(de_dust and cs_office were my faves)
Oh, I can’t possibly care what’s under the hood?
Did you know my dream car is a 67 Shelby?
Did you know I HAVE a dream car? A girl can’t watch auto
racing? and like sports? Pardon me, I need to laugh.
After all, no girl could sit through game
after game after game week in and out
and care beyond “omg, they look good in their
uniforms.” (That’s just an added bonus!)
Please note my sarcasm on the topic. Would
you care to comment on the state of the financial
situation of the club? or perhaps on the
fluidity of the defense in the latest match?
Switching topics – yes, I know all the words
to the songs I’m hearing. yes, I may have
sold merch before. Once or dozens of times.
Did you just seriously ask if I fuck them?
Honey, i work with the bands, not on them.
Not everyone is a stereotype. Many of us ignored
“you can’t” and went straight to “watch me do this”
because of people like you ….
Maybe one day, they’ll make the molds
out of us instead of trying to fit us
into them. Who knows? In the meantime,
care to play a game?
~
Please note.. this is just me sitting here, rambling about things I swear I’ve heard in the past 5 or so years off and on. Not PC, it just is what it is. If you’re offended by it, I don’t mean to offend anyone. But I hope that it makes people realize that it doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or a guy, you can be interested and love and, in fact, geek out, over virtually anything.
And it’s okay. In my world, at least, it’s encouraged. I encourage anyone who read this, even if you think the poem was awful, to be yourself. It’s always best to be yourself. It’s never any good to be anyone else.
Nuno Miguel Soares Pereira Ribeiro, born July 5, 1976. The fans know and love him as the one and only Nuno Gomes.
He played for Portugal in U16, 17, 20, and 21s, as well as for the national team starting in 1996. Professionally, he started in 1994 in Boavista at age 18. Ironically, his first ever trophy came in 1997 as Boavista beat his future team, Sport Lisboa e Benfica. He then transferred in 1997 to Benfica, where he played for 3 years. Because of Euro 2000 (and the way Portugal football is) he made the transfer to ACF Fiorentina. In 2002, due to money issues in Italy, he found himself back home, in Lisbon, at the Estádio da Luz.
He’s been plagued by injuries throughout his career, but he’s still been a key player for Benfica. He was made team captain over Rui Costa in the 2006-2007 season, and every time he took the pitch, he had the armband. He was the Seleccao captain for 2007-2008, eventually succeeded by Cristiano Ronaldo.
When Benfica started signing strikers left and right, he eventually lost a starting position and was put back on reserves for the last 2010-11 season. It’s been evident for many fans that the writing was on the wall for him, but I was hoping just one more year. Unfortunately that has not come to pass.
The man played 52 minutes in 5 games this year and scored FOUR goals.
Today, in a statement made to the press via his official website (Portuguese link here | translation here)
“Today, I was informed definitively that Benfica have decided not to renew my contract. It’s a technical option that I respect, and I will always respect, whether or not I agree with it. From this moment onwards I am free to analyse proposals and to choose my future.
“I say goodbye to Benfica, wishing them all the luck in the world and in the certainty that I gave everything for this shirt on and off the pitch. I would have liked to say goodbye to the fans on the field to thank them for everything they have given me but I will find another way of doing so. Thank you for everything. A strong embrace. Nuno Gomes.”
“Benfica also made a point of publicly thanking the striker, who scored 166 goals in 401 games for the Lisbon club, releasing a statement that read:
“Benfica thanks Nuno Gomes for his career, his work and his dedication at the club. Benfica wishes him the best of sporting success, and makes it clear that the doors of this house are always open for when he decides to end his playing career.” “
~
We won’t even get into how sad I am that Benfica has decided to move this way. They are obviously out of touch with their fans this transfer season – from my standpoint…. There is someone in higher than pitch level that does not want to see Nuno end his playing career at Benfica.
Nuno wants to play another year so he can attempt to qualify for the Selecção in Euro 2012 – WHICH HE SHOULD BE, ARE YOU LISTENING PAULO BENTO????? He is 10th all time for appearances with the National Team, and 4th on the all time goal list (Cristiano is 5th, and Helder Postiga is 10th. No one else is currently active)
The only solace I have is knowing whatever club picks him up, he should get more playtime than he had last year. And whatever team picks him up, I’ll be watching.
FPF Vice President had some nice things to say about him in this article.
He is now being linked with EVERYONE: MLS (Toronto, San Jose, Revolution)…. Italy… Germany… but my bet’s on him staying in Portugal. Braga is sniffing heavily. He’s stated he does not want to play for anyone but Boavista and Benfica in Portugal, but since Benfica is out … who knows? If he wants to make Euro 2012 he needs to be put on the pitch, often, and allowed his chance to shine yet again. And I hope that will happen. And I’ll be watching.
~
The man is perfection in a uniform. He is without a doubt the one footballer I want to meet and thank for being such an inspiration to so many people. If you ask my favorite footballers, next to Eusébio, it’s probably Nuno Gomes.
Some quick stats from Record (and you don’t need to know Portuguese to understand them):
Troféus:
2 Ligas portuguesas (2004/05 e 2009/2010 – Benfica)
2 Taças de Portugal (1996/97 Boavista e 2003/04 Benfica)
1 Taça de Itália (2000/01 Fiorentina)
1 Supertaça de Portugal (2005/06 Benfica)
3 Taças da Liga (2008/09, 2009/10 e 2010/11 Benfica)
Jogos oficiais – 637
Golos em jogos oficiais – 246
~
Video time:
From 2009, at the Luz:
Some highlights of the year:
After coming back from knee surgery that effectively took him out of any Europa League play (and, arguably, had a definite impact on Benfica as well in the tournament), to see him put on the armband and take the field for his (as it’s come to pass) final Benfica match, I was quite literally crying when I watched this.
Some amazing video of the man and the legend, forever in my heart, forever my Captain, your faves could, would and will never: Nuno Gomes.
~
And come on, who else would have a video dedicated to him by Nani himself?
Also, Nuno’s a huge goofball:
There’s a 45 minute video floating around the internet of a television show he did. It’s hysterical, awesome, and the outtakes will make you cry with laughter. I’ll find it.
If all goes to plan, this will go to post as I am waiting in the airport waiting to go to Chicago.
I get to see my friend Jen, who I don’t think I’ve seen in at least 9 years. I get to meet my friend Sarah who I have known for several. I HOPEFULLY will get to meet my friend Drew, his wife, and newborn daughter after… years and years, we’ve known each other via Dave Matthews and Warehouse.
Wednesday night I get to go embarrass myself while playing Rock Band at Jen’s work.
I get to go to Gameworks for my birthday night. (any friends reading this in or near Chicago, drop me a line! You’re invited!) Yes, I turn 31 on May 19. Send me birthday wishes? =D Yes, I’m odd about it. I’m weird. I approach birthdays with both dread and happiness. One year closer to the unknown, but one year more I have lived.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are Anime Central/Acen. Friday Jen and I are cosplaying Femme!Ten for her and “Tooth and Claw” Rose for me. Saturday I am playing Miwako from Paradise Kiss and she is cosplaying Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle. I also am on the Final Fantasy MMORPG panel from 7-9 in Salon 1. Come. I’ll pelt gum at you. I will also most definitely be attending the Yoshiki Q&A, I am not a fan of every crazy Japanese band out there, but I really admire and respect Yoshiki and in a bit of a fangirl moment, yay he follows me on Twitter too! Sunday I am cosplaying Luna Lovegood and Jen is portraying her Gryffindor side.
Monday and Tuesday will be spent roaming around the Museum of Science and Industry, which I am unbeLIEVABLY incredibly insanely psyched about, and if all goes well, Tuesday night I will finally be seeing the Cubs and fulfilling a promise I made as a 9 year old to a man who made me learn all about, and love, the Cubs for life. If we do get to go, Elmore, you’re right there with us, and I promise I will try to catch a ball if it comes my way, just like I said I would!
Then I come home Wednesday, unpack, and start cleaning my room that’s been a disaster after school, moving things around, and starting to list things on eBay and look for a job, not to mention working on my taking over the world plan with Annette the Awesome (this is her official title now, even though she doesn’t know it), and hopefully getting my plans for LA taken care of. Not to mention writing my article for Massively about my Gods and Heroes trip, as well as writing more stories for Aerys Sports Soccer
It’s a good thing I love writing, because I have an awful lot of it to do.
In other things, I’ve managed to pare my girly type items (makeup, nail polish) down to over half gone of what I had a year ago, and I have a lot to sell. I need to sell quite a bit (or trade for things that I will use), it’s the same with bath and body stuff… after going on a no buy on January 1, aside from things I have been 100% out of, I have not bought anything new, and found that my drawer and shelf space is increasing at a fairly good clip! It makes me happy. It makes me sad when I need to buy something!
I have lots of blog posts to make… still some NAB reviews…. still all about my trip to Austin.. so many other things. But right now, I keep on keeping on. School went well. I didn’t flunk anything. I improved most of my classes. In July I get my packet to get my work study, so I will have at least one job throughout next semester. I have no idea what comes in 6 months, and while it’s somewhat terrifying, right now, my brain just says “enjoy what you have now. The rest will come”.
So I am… and I’m leaving on a jet plane. Be back in a week!
I quite optimistically think that I will survive the next couple weeks. I have roughly 13 assignments due by the 12th (7 of which are papers). On the 11th, I leave for Austin. This means all my schoolwork needs to actually be done by the 10th, so I have a few hours to pack.
I leave the 11th, back the 13th. Then I get to write my article (making myself write it then so it’s still fresh on my mind), and on top of it, get all my stuff ready for Anime Central and my Chicago trip. Then I go to Chicago the 18-25th, come home, and hopefully head to California very shortly after that.
At least I can say my life isn’t boring….
On top of all that, I need to list things on eBay as I now have no income. (woo hoo, unemployment finally ran out. Note my sarcasm. Heavy, heavy, sarcasm.)
Sigh. Writing this out right now helps me think things through. Sometimes it takes me a bit to process them other than having a panic attack.
Now for the optimism part: On a good note in there, my birthday is on the 19th! (I’m not the type to beg for presents, but if you’re really wondering what I like, I have several amazon lists, but they’re all tied into my main one Here! So hey, if you’re so inclined, the option’s there.
Speaking of writing articles, I recently found a new writing gig. I’m writing for Aerys Sports Soccer as their Portuguese soccer writer. It’s really a great site and I can’t wait to see where we go with it. My first piece went up over the weekend, discussing how Portugal (and Iberian) is slowly coming into its well deserved glory (again, as it were). You can read the piece here. And yes, I know there’s a couple grammatical errors in it. I was very nervous writing it and they slipped past me. Very uncharacteristic of me!
Oh well.
I suppose I should dive into rewriting this essay and tackling my list from the first due date on.
I’ve never considered myself a lucky person. (For example, my lucky day is Friday the 13th).
If you recall, last year, I won a flyaway contest to Las Vegas by entering a random contest. I’ve won a few things day to day but that’s a pretty big one.
I also got a prize in the @Denisao44 and Fábio Coentrão contest – it’s not here yet… I’m so excited, I cannot wait to get it. :3
Recently, I’ve been (trying) to play a game called Gods and Heroes, Rome Rising. Trying because I really don’t have as much time as I’d like to play, but when I do get to, I rather enjoy it.
I entered in the haiku contest to win an unlimited beta key first off. I won that, which I was horribly pleased about. I love knowing my writing is good enough to be able to compete.
This contest, however is slightly more of a bigger deal. The winner gets to fly TO Austin… spend time IN the studios, talk to everyone, and write for MOG.
And… I won that too. Which I’m blown away by. I know a few people that entered who are rather amazing writers, and for me to be picked over them is a massive boost to my self esteem.
So, May 11-13 (quite literally the week of my finals, so I can push them forward and have them due sooner), I will be in Austin, TX visiting Heatwave and meeting the G&H staff and getting a behind the scenes tour.
You can read the official press release and my interview here: Contest Winner!
Then the 18-25th I will be in Chicago for a planned Anime Central, Museum of Science and Industry, Cubs game, and celebrating my (31st) birthday. With some of the best girls on Earth!.
Then (hopefully) at the beginning of June, I’ll be LA bound on my plot to take over the world and learn how to have fun again. (And just maybe get a slinky red dress.)
I love travelling, this is just so awesome right now. NAB was an absolute blast, which I cannot wait to finish writing about, but I had to get this out first!
I wrote two posts for the3six5, and could only submit one. This is the one that wasn’t submitted.
~
I’ve always found waking up in someone else’s bed is a unique experience. Of course, that’s one of many things I don’t actually own. The bed is my parents’, one of the spare ones in my room-spare room-turned my room again. I also don’t own a TV.
It’s odd thinking of the things I actually do own. More makeup and bath things than a girl needs. Five cats, though I still maintain they own me more than I own them. Enough books – no, never enough books – but enough books to start a mini library. Approximately 10000 hours of live recordings, most that have never been listened to, and many the only copy of.
On the flip side, some of my greatest passions aren’t represented by things. Despite my great love for the game of futebol/soccer, I own but two jerseys. I own possibly 3 or 4 books with Portuguese words and phrases, despite me spending the last few months trying to add words to my everyday vocabulary. I don’t own a lot of actual poetry books when it comes down to it (excluding the 8 copies of one certain book).
I live in Kansas. We have no basement, just a crawlspace we stock with Girl Scout Cookies, extra cat food, water, and enough cage space to throw the fuzzies in if the sirens blow. All of this could be blown away in the blink of an eye. My storm bag is packed with as many of my poetry notebooks that I can fit, my favorite copy of Leaves of Grass, and room enough for hard drives and laptops. Most of these things are just that – things that can be replaced. Maybe. Some of them can’t.
But every morning, I wake up, roll over and check the weather on my Kaylee. (Yes, I named my phone). Will this just be a normal spring day in Tornado Alley, watching the clouds and radar intermittently, and going about our day? Or will it be a day that changes my life in some unforeseen way?
Only time and Mother Nature can tell; we always have to be vigilant, lest she smack us when we least expect it.
From continent to continent, across the deep blue seas
sports ’round the world are played at every hour -
But which one, known by many names, is one that anyone can devour?
Young and old, meek and bold, gather together and agree
down a dusty lane in a crowded town, it can be played for free
it can be broadcast to millions in a crowded stadium at maximum power
known by many names in languages across the miles, blooming like a wildflower
Americans know it as soccer, but everyone else calls it football, see?
As often as possible, fans gather in the Luz
to cheer their team on – vitória gloriosa!
(Over 14 million benfiquistas have a very loud bond)
Today, this bright day, there is wonderful news
for all who like to support Sport Lisboa e Benfica
Here is wishing for 107 years more – and beyond!
My few Portugal World Cup items I own currently, and my only kit piece - Fábio Coentrão's WC Jersey!
~
You might be asking why I wrote a sonnet that’s not in Iambic Pentameter. Honest answer: I’m not Shakespeare, and I am -terrible- at Iambic Pentameter. Also, I unfortunately don’t know enough Portuguese yet to be able to write a sonnet in the language… but one of these days I will. I did, however write a Petrarchan/Italian sonnet (which is not the “traditional” that many people are used to) to expand my writing. Unfortunately, I have no idea how well it will translate. But looking through history, many famous Portuguese poets have found success with the sonnet, so ultimately that is why I chose it.
Real reason! There is a contest going on on Twitter and Facebook to win a Fábio Coentrão signed jersey. For those who don’t know, that is one of my favorite futebol players currently playing. He plays for a team I have been following for.. at least 5 years, called Sport Lisboa e Benfica – also known as Benfica, SLB, or “oh no it’s them, we should just pack it up and go home now”. They are celebrating (on 28 February) the 107th anniversary of the founding of the club. (They do more than just futebol!) To coincide with the anniversary, an up and coming futebol player (@Denisao44 on Twitter – if you don’t follow him, start. He’s absolutely awesome!) is running the contest.
Therefore: this is my entry for the contest. =] Boa sorte to all the other entrants, and muito obrigado Denis for running the contest and for Fábio for signing the jersey and to you both for judging!
I keep saying I’m going to write more, and I have been – just not here. I have a journal I got a couple of years ago from Someone Very Special to me, and the less I sleep lately, the more I write. (My overarching novel has been in process for over 6 years now, in bits and pieces, but mostly out of the dream world. Maybe some day I’ll share the basis for it, but it’s definitely not time to do that yet).
I read that WordPress is doing a Post A Week in 2011, and I think that’s more my style. I’d love to do Post A Day, but I don’t think I’m quite there yet. At least, via Post A Week, it’ll be better than no promise at all.
So, my promise is that at least once every week (Sunday-Saturday) I will have new posts.
Why is this important? Many reasons.
1. I’m participating in the 3six5 this year. I am absolutely thrilled and honored to be a part of it. It’s SUCH a great concept. (My day is March 29!)
2. I have some great blog ideas that I’d like to talk about – reviewing my new phone Kaylee (Samsung Continuum on Verizon, why I chose it over the Fascinate, my 6 month ordeal doing that); reviewing my absolute love for soccer/futbol; more music posts than you can shake a stick at; the ordeals of going back to college for the first time in 5 years; reviews for my upcoming trips… etc. This at least gives me a better goal.
3. That whole taking trips thing. Provided I can find work for it, @NABShow in April in Las Vegas (year 2! year 1 was awesome! I love it. I really do. I love going to trade shows. I learn so much, network more.. etc. Figured out my total costs for the show are under $800… which sure isn’t bad!) My trip to Chicago in May! I am seeing a friend who I haven’t seen in.. omg, almost 10 years (really Jen? 2002?) I’m finally seeing a Cubs game after being a fan since I was like 8 (there’s a great story here too)… visiting the Museum of Science and Industry for two days, which I am beyond excited about after being an entrant in Month at the Museum last year.
4. Going back to school. Nuff said. The more productive and creative I am there, the more it will manifest itself everywhere else.
So.. here’s my hopes for my year. And I hope I get more readers. And more feedback. The more I have feedback, the more I have to talk about.
.. if you know me, that may or may not be a good thing.
