Tim Howard will keep us safe.

wow this week went by so fast.

I have been anxiously awaiting today. I know that alot of Americans are going to be glued to this game and I of course am no different. Soccer is my sport. These boys are the thing for me.

I've loved Landon Donovan for so long. I'll never forget walking into our hotel in Birmingham for yet another soccer tournament and the US men's team standing there. That was so long ago... but Thaps got Donovan to sign her shoe and ketchup bottle. It was awesome, but that was way before our men's team was even close to awesome.

That was before Tim Howard and Altidore and Dempsey. That was before the Confederations Cup. Spain. and World Cup Qualifiers.

Today. is. huge.

I recognize that this is embarrassing, but I have already cried today. I was watching the special on Tim Howard and how he was born with Turrets. and then the interview with his wife. Espn asked his wife if she was nervous about a potential shoot out for today. She said "No. Normally that's a scary thing for a keeper (keeper's wife) but I know how good my husband is."

And I started crying in the AT& T store. For most of the people that are into the world cup right now, they don't really know how good Howard is. The fact that we have arguably one of the top 3 keepers in the world holding down the net is our greatest strength and greatest means of success. Howard saves our ass so much and for those of you who haven't been watching very much soccer previous to group play, I'll fill you in: He's solid. His form is impeccable. And he reacts quicker than anyone else. You can tell by the way he moves how intuitive his defenses are. they are organic and it's awesome.

I hope we outright win today, but I am not scared if we blow through the 2 fifteen minute extra halves and Howard posts up in goal for Pk's.

Go USA.

Ok, everyone. I gotta go get some beer for the match. ole.

you can't deny, you're looking for the sunset.

yesterday was one of those fresh days that started out really sleepy. i met with my writing studio group from 9-11 and then came back home and fell asleep. dont ask me why i was so tired, i dont know. i also think im immune to coffee and panera bagels are delightful.

so i took a really long nap and jake came over after his first class and convinced me to stay and hang out instead of going to my 2 o'clock art class. im a little sad i missed yesterday's lecture because it was on jackson pollock and i love jackson pollock. who doesnt? slasheveryone should according to clement greenberg.

later, after jake left for his afternoon class, (during which he told me i would have punched his english teacher in the jaw: apparently she's an idiot and doesnt know anything about literature or "jesus" for that matter. and made a dumbcomment about lordoftherings), i went to sonic, got measured for a bridesmaid dress, and to anthropologie to pick up some plates. taylor's bridal shower is at our house next weekend and we needed more dessert plates..... AND im really excited about it! i love taylor so much and im really glad that my mom and i can do this for her. she and her family have had some of the worst last few years, and i know she cant wait to be married!

I wish i had more time to be home and decorate for it, but my mom is really good at taking instruction, and hopefully i will be able to be in LR by thursday night to set up.

also, my aunt is having surgery again next week. i wont share the gross details but her recovery from her brain surgery was complicated/notgoingasplanned and they need to go back in and fix it. :(

yesterday, I talked on the phone with Caroline Guatley, a TFA kindergarten teacher in Nashville. She's ESL too and i kinda feel like we are going to be really good friends in the end. honestly, she made me soooo excited about teaching ESL. I was already thrilled about having elementary students, but i was a little concerned about the language issue. She said its not a problem and she absolutely loves it. Another thing i was kind of concerned about was parentinteraction. (this is the part im dreading. I do not like making phone calls, or answering them for that matter) TFAphilosophy is basically stopping at nothing to push these children towards excellence, which oftentimes means housevisits and lots and lots of parentteacher conversations. Caroline explained though how great her kids' parents have been so far. They are all here, trying to achieve some idea of the American dream and by extension, really want their kids to excel. i was so worried about having to persuade both parent and student past indifference, but she said that they are so willing to do anything and everything to help.

i clicked accept yesterday evening and have been thinking eversince about decorating my classroom, projects for my kids (and thinking about my favorite white boys, who i miss all the time), getting to be with the kids all day everyday, and im beside myself with excitement. which is new :)

there is a sad part to this: i have institute for TFA in Atlanta for 5 weeks this summer. and I am going to miss all of the 2010 World Cup.

i know... its awful. i told jake and nate the other day and we mourned the loss.

ok, i should be getting in the shower, i know i didnt finish telling you about my day and its freshness, but it mostly had to do with not doing schoolwork, cleaning my entire apartment (it wasnt dirty as much as it was messy with clothes, I am really bad about piling clean clothes that Ive decided not to wear or just dont feel like hanging up, in all of my chairs around my bed, and it took me FOREVER to hang them all up), watching 500 days of Summer, really liking the song "she got you high," and starting to read Blood Meridian.

i also bought a new bathmat. which i think prompted the cleaning cycle. well that, and jake thinking its funny to tell me my apartment/and self are a mess: "you're a mess. you're messy. this place is a mess," a bunch of times in a row. thinking its really funny how sad it made me.

the bathmat was kind of a gift to jake too. he HATED my other one: which, disclaimer, was turquoise with a bird on it that i got on sale from anthropologie a while back. I honestly dont know why he hated it so much, but he commented on it alot. he'sdumb--when i told him, he was actually really happy... if that tells you anything: the iso bella bathmat.