Sigur Rós - Hoppípolla

I am publishing the lyrics to this song just because it is not often that you will read Icelandic and Hopelandic song lyrics on Blades of Blue. The song is entitled Hoppípolla and is by the Icelandic band Sigur Rós. I have a couple of their albums and the music this band makes is beautiful in my opinion.

On a side note, I am wrapping up my second week of travel in a row. This band just happens to be on my play list about 80% of the time I am navigating the Houston airport. There is something about the ambiance of the airport that mixes perfectly for me with their songs. It may actually be more that the act of leaving home/coming home, fits well with the music for me. Yes, I think that is it. Enjoy.

Lyrics to the song are below. Get your translation here.

Brosandi
Hendumst í hringi
Höldumst í hendur
Allur heimurinn óskýr
Nema þú stendur

Rennblautur
Allur rennvotur
Engin gúmmístígvél
Hlaupandi inn í okkur
Vill springa út úr skel

Vindurinn
Og útilykt af hárinu þínu
Eg lamdi eins fast og ég get
Með nefinu mínu

Hoppípolla
I engum stígvélum
Allur rennvotur (rennblautur)
I engum stígvélum

Og ég fæ blóðnasir
En ég stend alltaf upp

Og ég fæ blóðnasir
Og ég stend alltaf upp

Manchester United (5) vs. Newcastle (1)

If you missed the highlights of this blow-out this past weekend, they are worth watching. Why?

1. Watch Ronaldo pick up his head and pick out Rooney making the far post run on the first goal. As Carlee called it: "that looked like child's play" for him.

2. Ronaldo goes on to score goals 2 and 3 - this guy continues to amaze.

3. 1:26 into this video, Wayne Rooney hits a beauty - a curling shot to the far post with the corner clearly in his sights. What a shot. Not convinced from the limited view in the first video? Keep scrolling down and watch the second one I posted, where you get to see 3 angles of Rooney taking Newcastle to school. The last angle from the corner where the ball hits is fun to watch over and over.

Newcastle vs Manchester United Full Match Highlights
Uploaded by tanahseng1

Rooney's goal to make it 4-1:

Newcastle - Manchester 1-4 Rooney
Uploaded by DEXTER774

A Cracker

The announcers on the FSC during an EPL game would have called it a cracker. I just call it one of the top 10 shots in my soccer career. This past weekend, I hit a volley from about 25-30 yards out, upper 90, near post against one of our newest rivals. Unfortunately, I forgot to pull out a goal celebration worthy of the moment. In all honesty, it was a pretty amazing shot...and not something that I would ever claim to be able to repeat again, so I feel comfortable patting my back on this one as long as I admit the fact that it may not be repeatable. To top it off, I think it was the game winner but I am not 100% sure. I feel a little odd about bragging about the shot, but seriously, if you saw it, I think you would understand and forgive the hubris of this post.

In the end, the game ended up with a 9-3 score line as we piled it on towards the final whistle. It was a pretty satisfying win for multiple reasons that I won't go into here. Suffice it to say that I really wanted to beat this team badly and to put one in the back of the net like that and to have our team pile on 8 other goals felt great. I'm not so psyched we gave up 3 though. We need to work on that.

This makes the co-ed team 2-0, with 20 goals for and 3 goals against in 2 games. Not a bad start to the season.

Summa Cum Laude

Today was a big day for Jozy, as she graduated from Puppy Education at PetSmart! I have to say that this class was worth every penny. Jozy still has things to learn about certain behaviors, but she really has come a long way with so many things. Today, we focused on her success.

On top of it all, everyone in the class went out of their way to compliment how good she was. And well...they sort of had to because Jozy basically kicked ass and took names in the final test. She completed the loose leash walking and 5 trick test with almost no points against her. I would give her a 95. I am a competitive person, and a proud puppy dad, but make no mistake - Jozy was the star pupil today and everyone knew it. For her graduation present we are getting her spayed!

Oh wait...we already did that. This time we just settled on getting her a new toy. Here is a photo of the star graduate (summa cum laude), cap, certificate and proud parents.

The Killer

In a rare moment, an anonymous photographer captured an image of the killer on the hunt for its latest victim. While the features are not clear, it is evident that the beast is lethal, stands on 4 powerful legs and is canine in nature. Known victims that can be attributed to this serial killer can be found below.

• Casualty 1
• Casualty 2
• Casualty 3
• Casualty 4
• Casualties 5 & 6
• Casualty 7

Feist - My Moon My Man

Sorry for the silence. Classic excuse, I am traveling for work, still not 100% healthy and thus I don't have a ton of time. Here's a cool tune for you though which is on my current playlist. The video is neat as well and just might inspire me to throw this song on the iPod the next time I am in the airport on the moving walkway. Who knows what would happen next...

"Caution, the moving walkway is ending."

AFC Update

The co-ed soccer season opened this past Sunday and I was a little too overcome with the flu to be of much use. I wasn't necessarily needed though. We played one of the weaker teams in the league right now and walked away with a 11-0 win.

Next week we play a team that just beat the co-champs of the league 7-2 so I expect it to be a tough one. They also tried to steal our players in the off season so I want to exact vengeance upon them with significant fury.

(Co-champs is a controversial phrase to use. We technically beat the co-champs in the playoffs last year but we were told by the league that the game would not affect the standings.)

Graduation

Jozy graduates from puppy class next Sunday. She has to pass a small test first though. As I am traveling for work this week, I am not going to be able to help her prepare for the big day. I hope she passes...

Jon Stewart - Clemens On the Hill

Jon Stewart did a piece on Roger Clemens testifying about steroids the other day and it was absolutely hilarious. Clemens' quote 3:00 into this bit just blows my mind.

If I am guilty of anything it is of being too trusting of everyone, wanting to see the best in everyone, being too nice to everyone.

Holy cow. I can't believe that tripe was not edited out of his written statement. Clemens' poker tell and the reason why Republicans seem to defend him (6:20) take the cake. Check it out, trust me that this is worth 8 minutes of your time.

Bubba Keg Mascot

Back in 2006 we got to explore the wonders of the Bubba Keg phenomena and it seems only fitting for me to introduce the newest fan of the B-Keg to all of you via this site. She is a huge fan of the insulation it provides her ice cubes when she is out at the soccer field.

MLS & US Soccer References

Found this little trivia piece related to obscure soccer references and nicknames which I thought some of my readers might enjoy. Check out Climbing the Ladder's recent post titled MLS & US Soccer References. One of my favorites was this one:

OTC - Orange traffic cone. Refers to defender Danny Califf and his lack of speed, for example famously being beat by Dwayne De Rosario for the winning goal in MLS Cup 2001. After some uninspired performances in the summer of 2003, this thread was started on Bigsoccer and thus a new nickname was born.

I might pull out the term OTC one day in a practice...who knows.

Foreign Policy Blog

I've been pretty uninvolved with the hoopla that has been going on with the current events for the upcoming election and I think I am just coming out of a hibernation period that has kept me away from news in general. Something a while back just started to make me avoid any major media news outlet, be it internet, tv, or radio. That said, I stumbled on the blog by the editors of Foreign Policy this evening (not sure why I am up this late since I am sick) that looks really interesting. The post that brought me to the site was titled, 'Ten things that won't change (no matter who gets elected)'. Check it out and see what you think.

Charmed

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. I have been down and out with the flu. However, I went to a walk-in clinic last night and got a prescription for Tamiflu which seems to have put me back in business. I am definitely not 100% but it sure does help. In other news, I became addicted to re-runs of the show Charmed on TNT when I was laid up for two days, what a horrible show that is.

Aiden McGeady, Celtic vs. Aberdeen

This goal is scored by Scott McDonald but it is set up by a killer move by Aiden McGeady. I saw this on FSC this morning as I am laying on the couch, sick as a dog, taking the day off. I immediately had to find and share it. Sweet move. The video quality is not great, but 20 seconds in you will see it.

Portugal vs. Scotland, U-21, Goal by Pele

Watch this ball move left to right as it approaches the goal. Nice strike. The third replay is where you see it.

US MNT vs. Mexico, Houston Game Photos

Here are some of the photos I took at the US vs Mexico game this past Wednesday in Houston. The atmosphere and spectacle were simply awesome. The number of Mexican fans staggering. It was loud, passionate, and a great game of soccer. While the US team did not have its best game, both teams ended up putting on an exciting show for the crowd. To see more photos, click here.

1. US MNT during the National Anthem.


2. Dempsey and Altidore warm up together


3. The press wait for the US team to take the field after warm-ups


4. Howard waits for action in the US net


5. Dempsey takes a throw for the US


6. US celebrates goal number 1!


7. Donovan lines up a free kick


8. Mexican fans in the stadium


9. Waiting for the bus to pass


10. Slideshow of the complete game

US MNT vs. Mexico, Houston Game Photos

Game photos are coming soon! Here's the pitch. It was beautiful.

US vs. Mexico

Ok. So I need to see our third goal (called back) on tape. Was that a valid call?!?!? In the stadium it was total confusion. We have no idea what the call was. And man! Was that ref completely off his rocker or was it just me?!?! I wish I had taped that game. It was awesome to be there. Loud. 4 goals. US vs. Mexico. Worth all the hype.

US vs Mexico

US just left the pitch from warmups. Bradley gets all of his bad shots out early. Signing off to enjoy the game. Don't tred on me.

US vs Mexico

Sam's Army just entered the stadium to a chorus of boo's. Pretty cool.

US vs. Mexico

So it is amazing to see how many Mexican fans are here in comparison to the US fans. I expect it to round out as we get closer to game time...but still, the sea of green is growing fast.

US vs. Mexico

We're in Reliant Stadium at the US MNT game against Mexico! 90 minutes till kickoff. Go US!

Krewe of Bonaparte Mardi Gras Ball

Carlee and I had a blast last night at the Krewe of Bonaparte ball here in Lafayette. Our friends Mark and Karen invited us (Thanks!) and eventually got us into the Queen's area around the stage. When the night starts out with you not being on the list to get into the ball, and you end up sitting with the Queen...you know you're having a good turn of luck. What else is cool about the Queen's area? For one, less crowded. Food and drink on the house. Killer beads and sussies. And of course, our friends were there!

The theme of the ball was "Toonin' In" so all of the costumes of the royal court were cartoon characters of some sort. Here is a photo of Tweety and the Road Runner. At some point, the UL girls came out...not sure what that was about but I thought the photo was cool. If you want to see more photos, you can check out the slideshow on Flickr.

The Wireless Fence and the Bike

Jozy has had a few breakthroughs recently that I have been remiss in not reporting to the Jozy fans out there. You know who you are. So...Where to start?

The Wireless Fence

We have been training Jozy, slowly, on a wireless fence system in our backyard. Over time, it has been an up and down experience. Wireless fence system training works in the following way:

1. Place a unit in your house that broadcasts a signal in a specific radius from the central point.
2. If your pet leaves the defined radius (which occasionally fluctuates...not helping with consistent discipline), she starts to hear a beeping noise.
3. Your pet hears a beeping noise because the collar that you placed around her neck is starting to lose the signal from the base unit.
4. After a few seconds of losing the signal, the collar you have placed on your pet's neck delivers a "static correction." This is a euphemism for an electric shock that scares the shit out of your dog and sends her running for the back door. Soon, any beeping noise generates this reaction.
   
5. For 1-2 weeks, your dog will not leave the back porch without being offered food, even if she has to go to the bathroom.
6. Ask your wife to experience the "static correction" to make sure you are not being unnecessarily cruel. Ruling: It's not that bad. Apologize to your wife after finding this fact out.
   
7. Slowly rehabilitate your dog and start to associate the "static correction" with a perimeter of white flags around your yard. Wave the flags in her face every time she hears the beeping noise.
8. Slowly, your dog learns where she cannot go and stops urinating on the back porch.
9. Eventually...success. Evidence documented by playing 1 v 1 one with your dog in the back yard. Quickly, you find out she is better then you.
   

This past week, we are starting to let Jozy go out to the bathroom with no leash and we let her run around the back yard, fetching a frisbee and soccer ball, and she stays within the perimeter of white flags without incident. It is really a huge breakthrough for her. I am almost as excited about this as I am about the Giants winning the Super Bowl.

All that said, I am more excited about her most recent accomplishment then the Giants beating the Pats.

Check it out, Jozy is now going on bike rides with us. This picture is worth a thousand words.

Kings of Leon - Molly's Chambers

This is the first song I ever heard by Kings of Leon. They recently hopped back on my radar with a tune called Taper Jean Girl which has made an appearance in pop culture due to its association with Cloverfield. I figured that if I was going to post KOL, I needed to post the tune that introduced me to them - this song is great.

And since it is Friday, here is a live version of Taper Jean Girl.