It all ends here

Well, it's all over. The great saga has ended. Can you believe we've been watching them on screen for 10 years? TEN! No wonder it felt like seeing old friends. We had a great crowd too, and you could feel the excitement in the theater--the applause when Molly Weasley gave Bellatrix her due, the (albeit quiet) cheers when Neville took down the final horcrux, the laughter when Maggie Smith delivered one of many of her perfect lines. I thought they did a great job with lots of difficult scenes that had high expectations, especially since we were on a time crunch. Snape's death and memories, the Gringott's break-in (really, how fantastic is Helena Bonham Carter?), mourning the dead after the final battle (yeah, I cried)--really the whole battle in general (especially after the horrendous ending of HP6), and although the makeup was kinda corny in the epilogue, they didn't screw it up too bad. It was a little sad leaving the theater and knowing it's over. And it's hilarious to look back at the first films and see how far we've come. We've truly grown up with these characters and actors. Thanks for a great run, guys!

OOSA! OOSA! OOSA!

What a wild roller coaster of emotion! I'm pretty sure I'm going to get evicted for noise disturbance after today's game. Ups and downs from Brazil's own goal to the red card to the first save to the re-kick to overtime and the offside goal and all the way down to Abby's brilliant goal and the shoot-out. I went from jumping out of my chair to holding my head in my hands, often within seconds of each other. I can't remember ever seeing such poor officiating. Nor, thankfully, can I remember EVER seeing a team rise to the occasion like the US. Down a player for more than 55 minutes, fighting not only 11 of the most (individually) talented players in the world, but the ref, fatigue, and the prospect of the earliest World Cup exit in the team's history, and never giving up. And then calmly putting away 5 perfect balls and letting Hope do what Hope does best. Is it weird to feel so proud of something I can take no credit for? Cause I am proud. This is awesome soccer. Amazing athletes, extraordinary competitors, unmatched talent and heart. And we get to watch it again tonight on replay. Huzzah!

God bless...

The 4th of July came and went without much recognition from me, being that I was at the hospital seeing the carnage wrought by stupid fireworks celebrations. A fellow resident and I commiserated that it's not really my favorite holiday, except as an excuse to grill out, which I'll take any day. I think the cause gets a bit lost in the festivities. But last night at the Sporting KC game, I was reminded of what an important day it is.

The start of the National Anthem was lost amidst a host of pre-game announcements and crowds of people trying to grab dinner and find their seats. But as the notes of the song began to rise above the din, people began to turn to the flag, stop what they were doing, remove their caps, place their hands over their hearts. Concessions lines froze, screaming kids quieted, and for a precious few seconds, it didn't matter your political bent or how much you think this country is going to pot or how many bumper stickers you have on your car--it was enough to pause and be thankful that we are free enough to have these opinions. To be grateful for the men and women who have given so much so that the flag could fly. So, a belated Happy Independence Day to all those who recognize that it's worth celebrating (even if you're like me and could do without the fireworks).