Time Marching On

Last night, the NZS's football team had their semi-final playoff game. Their opponent came into it undefeated and was ranked 2nd in the region. It was a close fought game that fit into a pretty easy narrative: The very athletic, but undisciplined squad against the team (them) that plays well together and executes well (the NZS team).

The NZS's team had a 7-point lead with about 5 seconds left in the first half. At this point, everyone's feeling pretty good. The other team throws a Hail Mary pass and the defensive back does exactly what he's supposed to: he knocked the ball down instead of trying to catch it. Well, he knocked it into another player, the ball popped-up and a guy on the other team ran it in for a touchdown. Very bad luck and a tie game.

The 2nd half opened with the NZS's team throwing an interception (their only turnover of the game). The other team converted and kept either a 7 or 14 point lead the rest of the game. Afterwards, the kids were dissapointed, but were able to realize that they had a great season. They have every reason to hold their heads up.

The second biggest reason to recognize today is that it is the anniversary of my dissertation defense. On this day I always call the chair of my committee to thank him, even though we still talk frequently. He gets a big kick out of that.

After last night's game, the wife and I watched The Savages. An interesting and well-acted movie that really hits home given my m-i-l's health. Philip Bosco is particularly good. He plays the father who has dementia setting in. There are several scenes he plays well where you're not quite sure whether he understands what is going on around him. When my dad was in the hospital after his heart attack, it would drive me batshit when people would talk about him like he wasn't even there when it was entirely possible that he was understanding everything.

Tamera Jenkins, the director, casts pretty much everyone and every place in harsh light. The bright and blurry postcard-like colors of Arizona are particularly damning.

The wife's family is coming over for dinner (I hope I can get in some football watching) in a bit, so I'll need to whip up something. Probably pizza and spaghetti.