Harry Potter, and Football
I woke up pretty late today and sort of wondered what I was going to do on a Sunday. I decided to look for a movie to see -- preferably one I'd seen before, and so would understand what was going on, but definitely in French. I ended up finding a UGC theater pretty near my house and seeing Harry Potter et le Prince du Sang-Mêlée. There were only a few peculiarities where the voices of the actors were crazily different -- Dumbledore and McGonagall, mostly. I enjoyed it. The theater was built in an old part of town so it went up five stories instead of out, like American theaters do. The theater itself was very compact -- the seats were really comfortable, but there wasn't a lot of leg room between the rows.
I decided to sort of wander back in the direction of my apartment and see what there was to see. I passed an Irish pub not far from the cathedral, and on the wall they had a picture of one of the guys on the Bordeaux team and a sign about when the next game was. I checked my phone for the date, to find that the next game was in about half an hour. So I ran home for a bite to eat and came back to watch the game.
The pub was so crowded no one could move, let alone get to the bar, without a struggle. And that's when I learned that, if you want to have a drink AND watch the game, you had best show up well before kick off.
Anyway, it was really hot inside with that many people and no air conditioning, but the game was entertaining. There were a lot of yellow cards -- maybe 8? -- a lot of fouls, a lot of fake injuries. The crowd was really into the game, so that was nice. Lots of cheering for Les Girondins and lots of booing of Marseille's Olympique. Soccer is a beautiful game, but a slow one -- the end result after 90 minutes was a tie at 0. Bordeaux scored in the last twenty seconds but there must have been a foul of some kind, because the goal wasn't counted. After 4 minutes of injury time (I didn't know what it was at the time, but Yann informed me) the game ended, still at 0.
One of the fun things about watching the game was that everyone was excited about everything -- especially when people ALMOST scored, or when somebody on the other team got hurt. It wasn't a very sportsmanlike crowd, but that seems to be the way soccer is run. It seems like every time someone lost the ball he tried to fake a fall, or look indignant and shout at the ref about something the other guy may or may not have done. When players very clearly foul someone on the other team, they seem to always put their hands up, or behind their backs, and dance away trying to look innocent. It is definitely entertaining.
Still, a scoreless game is something I'll have to get used to. If OU went the a whole game without scoring, I think Bob Stoops would have to commit seppuku.
When I came home, I had a message from my parents saying my debit card had been suspended for "unusual activity", even though I took pains to make sure the bank knew I was going to be in France this year. We video chatted while my mom and I were on different bank phone numbers, trying to sort things out, while it was after hours in both locations. Eventually, everything worked out -- or so they say. Hopefully I'll have money tomorrow.
I decided to sort of wander back in the direction of my apartment and see what there was to see. I passed an Irish pub not far from the cathedral, and on the wall they had a picture of one of the guys on the Bordeaux team and a sign about when the next game was. I checked my phone for the date, to find that the next game was in about half an hour. So I ran home for a bite to eat and came back to watch the game.
The pub was so crowded no one could move, let alone get to the bar, without a struggle. And that's when I learned that, if you want to have a drink AND watch the game, you had best show up well before kick off.
Anyway, it was really hot inside with that many people and no air conditioning, but the game was entertaining. There were a lot of yellow cards -- maybe 8? -- a lot of fouls, a lot of fake injuries. The crowd was really into the game, so that was nice. Lots of cheering for Les Girondins and lots of booing of Marseille's Olympique. Soccer is a beautiful game, but a slow one -- the end result after 90 minutes was a tie at 0. Bordeaux scored in the last twenty seconds but there must have been a foul of some kind, because the goal wasn't counted. After 4 minutes of injury time (I didn't know what it was at the time, but Yann informed me) the game ended, still at 0.
One of the fun things about watching the game was that everyone was excited about everything -- especially when people ALMOST scored, or when somebody on the other team got hurt. It wasn't a very sportsmanlike crowd, but that seems to be the way soccer is run. It seems like every time someone lost the ball he tried to fake a fall, or look indignant and shout at the ref about something the other guy may or may not have done. When players very clearly foul someone on the other team, they seem to always put their hands up, or behind their backs, and dance away trying to look innocent. It is definitely entertaining.
Still, a scoreless game is something I'll have to get used to. If OU went the a whole game without scoring, I think Bob Stoops would have to commit seppuku.
When I came home, I had a message from my parents saying my debit card had been suspended for "unusual activity", even though I took pains to make sure the bank knew I was going to be in France this year. We video chatted while my mom and I were on different bank phone numbers, trying to sort things out, while it was after hours in both locations. Eventually, everything worked out -- or so they say. Hopefully I'll have money tomorrow.
So...it has been quite an adventure so far. You are finally there and almost completely settled into life. I am glad you have found a "team". Good night, darlin. I love you.
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