As I watch the Champion’s League final on Fox Deportes, I’m alternately crying and cheering. Crying because of the emotional overload of this tremendous event taking place in a tremendous venue – New Wembley – between two tremendous teams – ManYoo and Barcelona (not “Barca-lona, as their nickname suggests) – playing a tremendous game. I’m cheering because, in spite of my love for Chicharito, I want Barcelona to win. And at 64 minutes in, Barca is ahead 2-1. VIVA BARCELONA!
But the game ain’t over yet. The two teams are countering each other’s moves. The Red Devils haven’t been able to score in about 15 minutes so they are getting desperate. Angry Reds are a bad sign. After a pristine first half, they already have two yellow cards for dirty tackles. Poor Iniesta. He’s been tumbled like jumper in a dryer twice already. All because he had possession of the ball. Go fig…
MINUTE 69-ISH! DAVID VILLA SCORES! BARCELONA 3. UTD 1! HOLY F*&^!
If Manchester doesn’t score soon, someone may do something stupid and get sent off.
But I digress…
Went to Barnes & Noble in Edinburg, Texas. It’s like the Wal-Mart of bookstores. They had a large children’s section, a whole big section for YA books which resembled the library of a psychiatric hospital (most of the inventory was books about traumas and vampires. )
Antonio Valencia and Ryan Giggs reverting to form, i.e., when they are not winning, they turn into whinging brats who have to break what they cannot have.
Back…
They also had a nice DVD/CD shop. I wonder what’s better – lots of little mom and pop shops where you can find obscure books as well as popular titles or one big paperback-only mega-mart that specializes in the friggin’ obvious. Take that home, chew it. Talk amongst yourself. [sic].
INJURY TIME! STILL 3-1!!!
…
BARCELONA BARCELONA BARCELONA BARCELONA
BARCELONA BARCELONA
THEY DID IT AGAIN! THEY BEAT MAN UTD AGAIN! IN THE CHAMPIONS’ LEAGUE FINAL – AGAIN!
Scholes traded shirts with Iniesta. Cool. Chicha looks on the verge of tears. Everybody wants a piece of Messi. Man of the Match is MESSI. They won without their man mountain Carlos Puyol. Pep is HOT HOT HOT! And a little bow-legged. Cute!
Barca honor guard for ManLoser. I love all the ceremonies before and after a game. You never get those with American coverage. You only get them on Latin American coverage. So here’s a plug for Fox Deportes. Ustedes chavos son lo maximo! As per usual, American Fox is on commercial. All those multi-millionaires in suits pawing the players as they walk past would give up every Euro to be a Messi or Abidal or Villa right now!
30 SECONDS INSIDE PEP’S HEAD: “note to self: do NOT let Piquet carry the trophy on the parade bus.
Wales just beat Northern Ireland in a Euro-prep friendly. Too bad it all means nothing.
Okay, half an hour of on-pitch celebrations is winding down. I can’t get enough of that stuff. But back to the issues at hand. Those issues being:
- 442 #203 with the droolicious Andy Carroll on the cover and the cute but slightly dim Uruguayan weasel Luis Suarez. um…oh, and a couple of freeloaders in the back. (What! I can’t have an opinion!)
- CHAMPIONS #46 with (My Name Is) Luka Modric on the cover, looking very Kate Moss-y.
- POETS & WRITERS May/June. Theme: Writing Contests. JACKPOT!
- PARABOLA “Giving and Receiving”
- THE BELIEVER #80 Celebratory issue. My idol Nick Hornby’s column. He changed my reading life for the better!
- A FROZEN FIRE by Charlotte Lamb
- PORTRAIT OF BETHANY by Anne Weale
- And a book from my wish list – AN ILLUSTRATED LIFE.
BOOKS READ ~~~
- NAUTI DECEPTIONS
- NAUTI AND WILD (“Nauti Kisses”)
- A FROZEN FIRE
- A WRINKLE IN TIME
- AN ILLUSTRATED LIFE
AIL is wonderful! It’s a bit cofffee table-ish, but truly amazing in its scope. The variety of art that you see, the innumerable design and comp0sition concepts are inspiring. Some are even a little scary – like the artist that covers his pages in writing. OCD much? It breaks my heart that I am not an artist when I see how much more interesting their journals look than mine. 
ND and NK are Lora Leigh’s stories about “Rogue Walker” and her brother “John, Jr.” from Boston. Hmmm…
This is my fourth reading of ND and my second or third of NK. What has brought me back to ND is that it’s the most romantic book since HARMONY’S WAY. It still has a lot of sturm und drang, but it has those quiet moments where it’s just the two of them finding ways to connect without a lot of shouting. Rogue makes Zeke laugh. I think that’s what draws me to this story. And that thing where she would call him for rides was too adorable!
It has way way WAY too much swearing. That does get in the way sometimes. The brother’s book, too. John, for all his polished ways, swears like a stevedore. It sounds gratuitous more often than not. His story I do not like as much. He’s an asshole. “Sierra”, who is often described as “tiny” to the point that I think she’s actually a toddler, is bruised and sore and traumatized. What’s John’s answer? Arouse her and have sex with her. Oh yeah, that’s JUST what she needs when she’s sleep-deprived and in pain after a near-fatal assault. That is some messed-up logic right there. Why not make her do dishes and vacuum while you’re at it.
A FROZEN FIRE is a Harlequin Presents from 1980. I remember it being a particular favorite. It made me want to go to York in England. Gist: a nice woman and her husband’s boss fall in love. The husband, who’s a scum-on-scum, figures it out and makes trouble. You really believe the love in this story. The anger doesn’t smother everything.
A WRINKLE IN TIME should be read by everybody. It’s a masterpiece of communication and imagination. Plus, it’s a super sci-fi book, if you need a more earth-bound reason to justify it.
So far I have only read Nick Hornby’s column. It’s funny and self-deprecating in that charming way that Hornby is. I hope his missus thinks so, too. 
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 (Sample cover/this is not the one I bought) |
 this is a crop of the issue I bought. UEFA CL page |
The Festering Blurb:Bursting Open w/Pungent Prose 