Namibia is on Drudge

Angelina Jolie has had her baby in this "impoverished country known
for its wild remoteness" according to the article I read on Drudge.
Now at least everyone knows the name of the country I live in even if
you still can't find me on a map. This weekend was sweet and sour. I
was very pleased with my performance on the soccer field, I scored a
goal in the first game but the second game was my best. I'm getting
used to the sand and actually made a couple decent plays instead of
relying on other peoples' mistakes. However I mostly wait for mistakes
to happen and pounce on them, these guys are good but they rarely trap
the ball to their feet and if you're in position the goalkeepers have
been known to bobble the ball. The really interesting shift is that
when I was on the field the goals were 4-0, when I was off the field
we were a dismal 1-5. My analysis is that its not so much that I am a
better player than any substitute but that my prescence on the field
alters our alignment into a more favorable set. We also are definitely
a first half team which I fear might be attributed to nutrition. I
didn't play the last game because my achillies and calves were and
remain extraordinarily tight and the team got smashed 3-1 when a win
in that match would have won the whole weekend tournament. The only
upside to the loss is that it got me off the hook for making the team
food, although as soon as we find a way to win I've promised the team
I would cook for them.

Sunday evening I got the library helpers together after dinner to
clean the library and then to enjoy some cookies and Coke while we
watched The Rock and played computer games. They seemed to enjoy and
appreciate the gesture and I took great pleasure in being able to give
them something nice. One difficulty I face is that there are so many
kids at the school that I cannot afford to give them food or anything
special. Not that I don't want to or I'm being stingy, I simply don't
have the funds to treat such a large group. Now after five months at
the school I'm starting to carve out smaller groups that I can do nice
things for. My finances allow me to treat the 6 library helpers or 11
guys on the soccer team. Walking home Sunday I had a lightness in my
step as I realized some options were starting to be available where I
could open up more with a select group of kids without inviting
disaster.

I have to say I'm impressed that Dallas kept the Suns under 90 points,
but I'm pretty much indifferent in that series. The real story is that
the dominance of the Western Conference is a thing of the past (at the
top level at least). Detroit or Miami will beat Phoenix or Dallas in 5
games. Any matchup goes to the East. I would like to see an Amare
Stoudamire led Suns team in the Finals though. High powered offense
against the shut down defense of the Pistons, or see if Shaq can get
past halfcourt as the Suns run up 130 points. This evening I'm marking
some grade 10 homework in preperation for a test on Wednesday and then
I'm hoping for some sleep. Last night was filled with alternating
insomnia and vivid dreams induced by the mefloquine.