What I have been listening to lately #34

One of my top five favorite versions of this song.

What I have been listening to lately #33

I believe the song is actually called "Robot," not "Robots."

Match report: Milan 1 - Livorno 1

Above: Cristiano Lucarelli scores to tie the game. Despite the many arms raised in the air by the Milan players, Lucarelli was not offside.

• Goals scored: Ambrosini 44', Lucarelli 53'
• What happened: Ambrosini scored; Ambrosini almost scored again; Ronaldinho hit the post; Huntelaar shot high (several times). Favalli failed to clear the ball in the box, and Lucarelli scored.
• The only upside of the match: Livorno are my second-favorite Serie A team. Their goal was scored by a communist, their fans sing revolutionary songs, and their coach is the coolest looking coach in the entire world (see photo below).
• What this match teaches us: Milan better get their act together, because they play Manchester United in the Champions League in February.

Below: Livorno coach Serse Cosmi (right) talks to Livorno president Aldo Spinelli before today's match. Earlier in the week, Cosmi attempted to resign but was lured back by Spinelli.

Highlights are below:

HAPPY DAYS!

Several months ago, they came and took away the soda machine from the staff lounge at work. This week, they came back with a new one, and then later they actually filled it with soda. In response to these events, the school office sent out the following email--

HAPPY DAYS!

POP MACHINE IN NOW FILLED WITH THE FOLLOWING DRINKS:

Reg. Coke ALL POP IS .75 CENTS
Diet Coke
Coke Zero
Fanta Orange
Sprite
Root Beer
20 oz. bottled water is $1.00

Unfortunately, this email is incorrect. It should read--

HAPPY DAYS!

POP MACHINE IN NOW FILLED WITH THE FOLLOWING DRINKS:

Reg. Coke ALL POP IS .75 CENTS
Reg. Coke
Coke Zero
Diet Coke
Diet Coke
Sprite
20 oz. bottled water is $1.00

Many people do not know that Fanta Orange is the favorite drink of the current Pope, Benedict XVI (pictured below). If His Holiness ever makes a surprise visit to our school, we will be unable to provide him with the beverage of his choice.

None of this actually matters very much to me, however, because in the eight-plus years I have worked at my school, I have probably only had two sodas from the vending machine.

What I have been reading lately #44

Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans - A.J. Baime

In the early 1960s, the Ford Motor Company decided they wanted to get into racing and spent a lot of money to start winning quickly. Ford especially wanted to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a race which Ferrari had dominated for years. This book is about the 1966 race and the events leading up to it.

This book is one of the saddest books I have read in years. Not only does the wrong team win, but the wrong driver as well. Plus, a lot of people keep dying. I cannot say more than that without spoiling the ending.

Below: Henry Ford II with soon-to-be Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara

Below: Enzo Ferrari

Cars parked in my neighborhood #6

This Land Rover has been parked in the exact same spot in front of my house for at least six weeks.

Cars parked in my neighborhood #5

Nothing says class and sophistication like a BMW 2002 with a ski rack. I especially liked the BMW's wooden steering wheel.

Note: Wooden steering wheel not visible in photographs.

Parking a car in a garage

The students in my class are evil

This is what appeared on the whiteboard in my room the morning after Milan's 2-0 loss to Inter.

They wrote this despite the fact that I told them that I would give them a night off from homework if Milan won. In addition, several of them taunted me to my face. Needless to say, there will be an extra long, extra difficult homework assignment coming very soon.

Cars parked in my neighborhood #4

Plymouth Valiant

Cars parked in my neighborhood #3

A turquoise Ford Falcon with an Obama bumper sticker.

Cars parked in my neighborhood #2

When I went started taking pictures of this Chevrolet Monza, I noticed that there was a woman working in the yard by the side of the house. I asked her if she was the owner of the car and if it was alright if I took a few pictures (I made up some story about my family having once owned a Monza so that she wouldn't think I was crazy). It turned out that she was not the owner, but that her mother was. The mother has been sick for the last six months or so, and the car hasn't been used in all that time. I asked the woman if the car still runs. She said that it does and then offered up the additional piece of information that the car does not have power steering.

I asked if the mother was the original owner (yes) and whether the woman knew what year the Monza was from (no). The woman then started to get excited about the idea that I was some sort of collector and that this car might be valuable. I told her that I wasn't a collector and that I didn't think the car was worth all that much. Obviously, she seemed a little disappointed after that.

For more information about Chevy Monzas, click here.

For information about the Autodromo Nazionale Monza (after which the Monza is named) click here.

What I have been listening to lately #32

Match report: Inter 2 - Milan 0

• Goals scored: Milito 10', Pandev 65'
• What happened: Milan were up a man most of the match (Sneijder having been sent off in the first half on a straight red card for sarcastically clapping at the referee) but still never really had a chance. Seedorf and Borriello came close on headers in the second half, and Ronaldinho had a penalty kick stopped in stoppage time. Nesta did not play, but his substitute, Favalli, did not do half badly.
• What this match teaches us: Inter are still the better team.

If you must watch the highlights, they are below.

Cars parked in my neighborhood #1

This Chrysler New Yorker was parked less than two blocks from my house this morning. I do not recall ever having seen it before. I am not completely sure which model year this would be from, but clearly it is some time in the mid- to late-1980s. I especially like the vinyl roof-- this particular roof is officially known as the Landau style.

Best of all, however, it's a turbo.

What I have been reading lately #43

Journey to Topaz - Yoshiko Uchida

Journey to Topaz is a novel about a Japanese-American girl named Yuki who is interned along with her family during World War II. I read this book out loud to my class of fifth graders.

Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle

This was Arthur Conan Doyle's first collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. Notice that the title does not have the word "the" in it.

I'm Not Scared - Niccolo Ammaniti

This novel is about a boy and his friends growing up in a remote part of Italy during the late 1970s. It is a thriller, and, despite the title, I found it to be very scary.

Shenzhen: A Travelogue From China - Guy Delisle

From the author of Pyongyang and Burma Chronicles, this book is about when Guy Delisle spent some time in China working for an animation studio. It is the last of Delisle's books like this.

The Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle

This is probably my favorite of the Sherlock Holmes novels (as opposed to the story collections). Notice that it only has one "the" in the title.

Picture of the day - Inuit children playing football

This post might have also been entitled, "Inuit children playing soccer" or "Eskimo children playing football" or "Eskimo children playing soccer." To learn more about the terms Inuit and Eskimo, click here or here. To learn more about the terms football and soccer, click here.

World football update: random news

• Real Madrid news: Real Madrid's friendly this week against an Albanian team called Gramozi was delayed for over an hour due to a power failure in the Albanian capital of Tirana. The Albanian Socialist Party announced that "Albania has been made a laughing stock." Real Madrid won the match 2-1.
• Ridiculous rumor of the week: Reports have speculated that Real Madrid's Kaka may be leaving the team due to his poor performance so far this year. According to rumors, one likely destination is his former club, AC Milan.
• Derby della Madonnina update: This Sunday, Inter will host Milan in the Derby della Madonnina. This game is especially important this year because Milan have fought their way back into the race for the Scudetto after a terrible start to the season. Milan, however, are worried about injuries to many of their most important players, including Nesta, Seedorf, Pato, and Flamini.

AC Milan injury report

From ACMilan.com-

OFFICIAL NOTE: THE MEDICAL SITUATION - 1 -

1/19/2010

MILANELLO - Mathieu Flamini: during Milan-Siena he suffered a contusive trauma to his right shoulder and today he did differentiated training. His conditions will be evaluated in the next few days.
Alessandro Nesta: he was subjected to an ecography which evidenced an oedema to a muscle in his right thigh. The footballer will be subjected to further controls on Thursday morning.
Massimo Oddo: he had a resonance control which evidenced the progress of his healing. In the next few days he will be able to intensify his workloads.

OFFICIAL NOTE: THE MEDICAL SITUATION - 2 -

1/19/2010

MILANELLO - Pato: he was subjected to an ultrasound monitoring which confirmed a lesion to his right adductor. The footballer will be subjected to physiotherapy and further controls in the next weeks.
Clarence Seedorf: he will be subjected to a resonance control and if the outcome is positive the player will become available again.
Gianluca Zambrotta: this morning he was subjected to a resonance control which evidenced a healing to his right calf. The footballer will continue in his differentiated work programme.
Oguchi Onyewu: the rehabilitation continues in the United States, where he will be joined by a physiotherapist of the club, who will evaluate the times of his return to work at Milanello.

What I have been listening to lately #31

Match report: Milan 4 - Siena 0

Above: Borriello scores

• Goals scored: Ronaldinho (penalty) 12', Borriello 28', Ronaldinho 72', Ronaldinho 89'
• What happened: Milan are in second place in Serie A; Siena are in last. Siena lost their goalkeeper to a red card in the first ten minutes. I spent most of the game worrying that Milan players would get hurt.
• Milan players who scored a hat trick today: Ronaldinho
• Milan players whose goals are always spectacular-looking: Borriello-- today he took a pass from Pirlo and volleyed it in even though he was turned away from goal.
• Milan players who appeared to be possibly injured today: Nesta, Pirlo, Gattuso, Flamini and Antonini
• Milan players who were taken off either because they actually were injured or as a precaution: Nesta and Flamini
• Order of excellence of Milan's regular starting defenders this year: Thiago Silva, Nesta, Antonini, Abate
• How David Beckham has done so far: Nothing special
• Most interesting rumor reported by the announcer: Last week the Milan players were watching Inter play Siena on television. Inter was losing late but came back to win in injury time. When the game was over, one of the Milan players was so angry that they destroyed the television set.
• Who Milan play next: Inter
• What this match teaches us: Next Sunday's match against Inter is very, very important.

Above: Milan coach Leonardo stands on the sidelines

Below: David Beckham looks at the ball

Highlights are below:

Cartoon History of My Job: Lunch Time

Click on the picture for a closer view.

What I have been listening to lately #30

"All I Ever Need is You" performed by Myrna Lorrie and Thom Bresh

Match report: Juventus 0 - Milan 3

Above-- Nesta celebrating his goal

Below-- Gattuso in action

• Goals scored: Nesta 29', Ronaldinho 72', Ronaldinho 88'
• What happened: Second place Milan beat third place Juventus in Torino. Despite the excellent result, the match was sort of boring.
• How the goals were scored: All three goals were from corner kicks, which apparently Juventus do not know how to defend anymore. Actually, to be fair, I am not sure how well Juventus defended on the last goal, because the pitch was completely obscured, either by fog or else smoke from the fire set by angry fans. (See photos below)
• What this match teaches us: Milan are the only team left who can catch Inter.

Highlights are below:

Happy birthday to Rino Gattuso

What I have been reading lately #42

A Dog In a Hat: An American Bike Racer's Story of Mud, Drugs, Blood, Betrayal, and Beauty in Belgium by Joe Parkin

Joe Parkin raced bicycles in Europe (mostly Belgium) in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This book talks about his experience. There are actually fewer stories about performance-enhancing drugs than I had expected and more stories about outright cheating. For example, I did not know that in small kermis races it is (or, at least, was) common for riders in the final stages of the race to makes deals with and offer money to other riders to be allowed to win. Also, it is (or, at least, was) common for riders to be helped and pushed along by team officials riding in nearby cars when no one was around to see.

Burma Chronicles by Guy Delisle

Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea by Guy Delisle

Guy Delisle is a French-Canadian animator. He spent a few months working in North Korea for a French animation studio and then wrote a comic book about it. Later on, he went with his wife and child to Burma while his wife was working for Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders). He wrote a book about that as well.

Abandoned Books and/or Movies #7

The Fourteenth of July and the Storming of the Bastille by Christopher Prendergast

The Exploits and Adventures of Brigadier Gerard by Arthur Conan Doyle

Oddly, both books are about France during the revolution and Napoleonic era. More oddly, I was enjoying both books but decided to stop reading them anyway.

A new look has come to our mountain village

Below is an important announcement from Ape Canyon News Service.

In order to accommodate videos that are shown in widescreen formats (such as the one below), Ape Canyon News Service has redesigned its website.

Everyone at Ape Canyon News Service hopes you enjoy these changes.

Togo football team's bus attacked

According to news reports, the team bus of Togo's national football team was attacked on Friday as it drove into Angola for the African Cup of Nations. The bus driver is reported to have died, and at least nine others have been hurt. Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor was not hurt in the attack, which is believed to have been carried out by separatist rebels. To hear his description of the event, click here.

Update (January 9, 2010): Togo have withdrawn from the tournament.

Cartoon History of My Job: Extra Recess

Cartoon History of My Job: The Joy of Reading

Click on the picture for a closer view.

Match report: Milan 5 - Genoa 2

• Goals scored: Sculli 25', Ronaldinho (penalty) 32', Thiago Silva 38', Borriello 48', Borriello 60', Huntelaar (penalty) 74', Suazo 79'
• What happened: Genoa scored first and last but still lost badly. Milan had three penalties-- Ronaldinho missed the first one, made the second, and Huntelaar made the last.
• Milan players who made their first appearances in a long time: Gattuso, Jankulovski, Beckham
• Milan players who were hit in the face: Nesta, Antonini, Ronaldinho
• Number of Milan penalties that were not deserved: Zero
• Why Huntelaar took the last penalty: Beckham and Ronaldinho were insisting that each other take it-- Ambrosini stepped in and gave the ball to Huntelaar. (At least that's how it looked to me). It is widely rumored that Huntelaar will be leaving Milan this month.
• Player of the game: Ambrosini-- he repeatedly charged the defenders in the box with the ball. He won the first two of Milan's penalty kicks.
• Nicest goal: Borriello's second-- a twisting bicycle kick that just snuck in at the post. (Replays showed that he was barely offside; however, the linesman missed the call.)
• My favorite goal: Thiago Silva's-- chaos in the box followed by a goal by a defender
• Who Milan play next: Juventus
• Milan players the announcer said were unable to play due to injury: Pato and Seedorf
• What this match teaches us: Take the ball and head toward the goal.

Above: Huntelaar takes his penalty kick.

Click here for highlights.

Cartoon History of My Job: Can I go to the nurse's office?