Control Tower

chatting with katie....

Katie: i gotta root for africa now
me: i would like to be able to do that
cannot
which is why i think im not watching
Katie: plus, don't you want whoever beat us to beat everyone? so we can think we were almost good enough
3:35 PM me: yeah, ive heard that line of reasoning
Katie: they are the only hope of an entire, impoverished, corruption ruled continent
me: i mean, it makes sense
im just still upset
all of these things make sense
im just still upset
3:36 PM Katie: i'm upset, but i'm also proud of that us and i don't particularly feel like they deserved to go much further
3:39 PM me: i mean, i agree
but the disappointment is still too raw
im not actively rooting against ghana
i just..... i just cant handle it right now
Katie: haha okay fair enough
but they are a fun team
me: i mean, i liked them a lot in the group stages
3:40 PM Katie: and besides, we still have america as our country
me: ha, valid
but, i still feel like i was dumped by my girlfriend
Katie: haha
me: and its just going to take some time
3:41 PM Katie: i feel more like i was dating someone who looked good on paper, but the spark wasn't there, and we've broken up. i miss the idea of him, but not actually
that was this u.s. team for me- heart for sure, but passion and skill and grace, not so much
me: ha
see, i started dating them 2-3 years ago
ive stayed up late at night with them working on their problems
and while understood the limitations, didn't think they'd go crazy on me like this so quickly
i mean, we were never getting married/they were never winning the world cup
3:43 PM Katie: haha
me: but, i just thought it would end better
Katie: haha fair enough
3:44 PM fuck uruguay scored
3:45 PM me: ha
im not even happy about that!
Katie: good
3:46 PM me: bah
wish the germans and argentina were not playing each other so soon
i can root for both of those teams
the germans play like i wish we played
sum better than the parts
Katie: i cant root for the germans
i like the way they play, but don't root for them
and argentina has my future husband on the team
me: yeah, it is difficult to root for them, i agree
Katie: so it's no contest
me: ha
i just wish we were the germans
knew how to win
organized
thoughtful, purposeful passing
ability to finish
scrappy, everyone likes each other
Katie: yeah they play like such a team
3:48 PM me: they are the girl at the coffee shop i wish i was dating, but is out of my league
Katie: oh goodness
3:49 PM me: she's got some banker boyfriend, who does something fantastically interesting at night, like write short stories, or on the side graphic design
or, maybe build furniture
he's in shape, is funny
i've got nothing
except this damn girl who has a ton of problems, but i loved anyways
bah

Goodbye Harties

Now, just replace "Horses" with "Harties" and you're in business. Some final thoughts:

We will miss RSA, as scary and dodgy as it can be. We will miss Harties despite its electrical fence and echoes of apartheid and Anglo-Dutch repression. We will miss the moment in the supermarket when South Africa scored their second goal against France and everyone, black, white, American, Afrikaner, went ballistic with joy. Beyond all the guardhouses and running of red lights and poverty and fear, there is hope here. The people were wonderful and we were better for having met them.

Thanks to Noah, in a plagiarist but no less meaningful echoing previous posts. This would not have been possible without his planning and administrative voice. We can be disasters. So can Noah. On this trip, we remained confused and disoriented and he was well-versed, aware and prepared, all amidst the churn of thousands of words of journalistic copy everyday. Like the end of a public television broadcast, he gives full meaning to, "This was made possible by ...;" So we offer our thanks and continued admiration.

We will miss this US team. My teller at the bank today was from Ghana. He looked me in the eye and said, "It was joy to see Ghana win but it was sad to see USA go. They had real heart." Then he opened a credit card for me. I told him that Ghana's win was good for Africa but nonetheless crushing for us. He shook my hand and said, "We have so much here; we will be back." This statement was tough to read but reflected just how much "we" this US team engendered here. I don't know who he'll be rooting for in four years but, we will be back, hearts still full. See you in Brazil.

It's Over ... It's Never Over

Echoing Andrew's post from last evening, the World Cup is over for us, it continues for others and it is certainly alive in our hearts. This has been an amazing journey and one that perhaps has only further laid the foundation of Americans who travel, a wonderful group of friends, and forever loyalty to the Red, White and Blue.

The emotions are complex. Luckily, we were not England, blown off the world stage by a hated rival. But then again, these are the same arguments people use to reduce all First World suffering; "Remember, there are starving children in Africa ...," turned to, "Hey, you could be England, France, Italy, Ireland, etc." Well, last night was uniquely and especially miserable, but fear is also the heart of love.

There is no glory without pain and no cheer without misery. Hopefully US fans can remember these facts and this team. We were not disgraced; we just lost. We will be in Brazil in 2014. We will continue to love these team and all these people. This was a wonderful ride. Thank you South Africa, all our friends, all the strangers we met and shared time with and all the football fans the world over. To everyone here and those carried in our hearts, our thanks, our commitment and our promise to return. USAmerica.

Text Messages from Last Night

Well, not quite last night, but Saturday night:

Andrew (to Jeremy), 1:34AM: "You're the edson buddle to my steve churundelo"

This Can Only Mean Good Things

And....Ashley Earle has told me happy birthday. This one is now officially a winner, and clearly this can only have positive ramifications for the US national team.