She paid her way to every game, flew coach (except one where she had to attend the NATO summit), sat with the fans. Until the final, obviously. I still have trouble with her party, but she is certainly trying to put a different face to it.

This, the big hugs from the Croatian leader, and the one rando guy in the lineup who had to hold his own damn umbrella were the high water marks of the award ceremony for me and my sons. Although glitter sticking to everybody and guys in suits getting in the way of the camera just as the trophy was being lifted came…

A few years ago I was in England with my sons’ soccer teams (two different trips), and besides playing they did the usual going to see games and touring stadiums. The home team change room in the Etihad (Man City) has these seats for each player, while Anfield (Liverpool) quite proudly still had plain old benches.

Paris, Texas is pretty steadily on my all-time top ten list.

Hence the name. And also why all sorts of sports facilities have banned them.

Would have been better if he’d started chewing on them and spitting the shells at the officer. That’s the dangerous shit.

Those aren’t chips. They’re Spitz, what was a Canadian brand of sunflower seeds but now owned by Pepsi and no longer being made in Canada. Thanks, Trump.

Maybe if he played for a team that had to work for their titles and did as well then, but right now being a big fish in a small pond does not make you 2nd-best player in the world.

Saudi Arabia was 2nd-lowest on FIFA’s (suspect) scale, at 67. Russia was 70. Egypt at 45. ELO putting Poland at 25 is better than FIFA’s 8, but both numbers prove Poland knew how to work the system.

The Saudis were better than that first game showed, and Egypt, while they had some quality and one world-beater, turned out to not have a plan. I really though the 2nd-place team would get out of that with 3 or 4 points.

Even though they were the host team, Russia were not favoured by many. They have way over-performed. And Argentina facing France in the second round is, on the face of it, unexpected (although I did pick it in one of my brackets).

“A tournament defined by fraudhood.” You and I are watching different tournaments, I think.

I get the feeling attendance there has been optional.

Yeah, as I commented elsewhere, everyone who decided to just stand and raise their arms, looking over to the assistant in the forlorn hope an offside call will come, should be gifted a chance to stay on the bench for the Iceland game. That was the least fucking professional “play” I’ve seen in years.

Everybody who doesn’t want to play the next game, raise your hand...

Well, I’d probably pick Gary Lineker or someone else more geographically appropriate, but your suggestion is solid.

Everybody is the original fucking racist. What the English have going for them is success over the centuries. Therefore they were able to practice it more successfully than many others.

we’re Stupid

The hotel is not there in the book, of course. But the location still plays a role.