Year 1, Day 4

I have said it once and I will say it again:  This World Cup has been the most entertaining sporting event I have ever seen.  Yes, I said it:  "...the most entertaining sporting event I have ever seen."  After an exciting and drama-filled group stage, the opening round of the knockout stage has more than matched the intensity and passion of the group stage.  Since the start of the Round of 16, fans have witnessed extra time matches, penalty shootouts, a come from behind victory, near come from behind victories, the continued rise of a soccer superstar and the continued Cinderella run of a true underdog.  Of course, this only gets better come tomorrow when the USMNT faces Belgium in its Round of 16 fixture.

In my opinion, soccer is the most entertaining sport in the world and the World Cup is its greatest spectacle, but if all of the great matches cannot make you feel the same way; then there is no saving you.

In an unrelated note and in case you might be wondering:

No, I do write about more issues and topics than merely reactionary sports-related posts. I simply choose to write about this particular subject because (1) I want to and (2) for the time being; it is what consumes my passion at the moment.

Yes, I could write about more serious issues, but I feel as though doing so would take away all that is fun and interesting about updating this journal.

Year 1, Day 3

Yesterday was a much needed day of relaxation.  After a couple of days of frenetic activities, a day of simply relaxing and watching soccer was necessary.  In the first match of the day, Brasil narrowly escaped elimination thanks to an immense performance by goalkeeper Julio Cesar during the penalty shootout.  Say what you will about penalty shootouts, but there is no denying that it creates intense drama.  The second match of yesterday called by appropriately dubbed: "The James (pronounced HA-mes) Rodriguez Show" as the Monaco playmaker netted a brace to carry Colombia into its first World Cup quarterfinal.  And as much as I dislike FIFA, I am certain that the powers that be had huge smiles across their faces knowing that Uruguay are eliminated and that it was because of Rodriguez and Colombia's entertaining style of play and not the suspension of Luis Suarez that was the cause.

Seriously, if you can find footage from James's first goal against Uruguay, simply watch and be amazed:

As for today, I'm looking forward to opening match of the day between Mexico and the Netherlands and while I normally find myself rooting for the Oranje and against El Tri; I may put personal feelings aside and root for the CONCACAF side. In other words, I won't be disappointed with the result of this match regardless of which way it goes.

Year 1, Day 2

Yesterday was fun. It had been some time since my last visit to Six Flags Over Georgia and aside from the inevitable aches and pains that come from traversing an amusement park on foot, I had an incredible time with my coworkers.  The weather was hot, but not unbearable, the lines were short by amusement park standards (our average wait time was about 25 minutes), and the company was good though one refused to ride any of the rides, which was fine because he held our things while he waited.  My only gripe and it is not really a gripe was that there were not that many attractive women at the park. Of course, at my age, women in my age range were most likely at work on a Friday.

I would love to make this an annual event with the guys assuming that we all remain at the library for the foreseeable future, but it does not seem likely given the fact that only three of four of us were willing to ride the rides.

On another unrelated note, BBC America released a teaser trailer for the upcoming series of Doctor Who and we now have a date and time for the premiere:  Saturday, 23 August at 8 PM/ET. It seems as though my fellow Whovians and I have been waiting the longest time for the full-time series debut of the Twelfth Doctor and now we have a date and can commence with the countdown!

Year 1, Day 1

By the time this post is published, I will, hopefully, be in the middle of screaming like a small child as I plummet rapidly towards the ground, but more likely, I will be standing in line and wondering why I thought it was a good idea to go to Six Flags during the summer.

And I quote:

AMERICA, FUCK YEAH!

By qualifying for the knockout stage of the World Cup for a second consecutive tournament, the United States has achieved a level of success never before seen in World Cup play and they have more than proven themselves worth of our belief.

So, I say:  BRING ON BELGIUM!

Year 1, Day 0?

Hello!

This is John Past 30.

(NOTE:  This post was originally scheduled to be published at 12:30 PM EDT, but apparently, I screwed up.  Hooray for poorly coordinated launches!)