Three Nil to the Arsenal!

Yeah, there are two things I LOVE about this time of Year: FOOTBALL! (Both the American and European Versions). What Americans have come to call "Soccer" is one of my favorite - if not THE Favorite - sport for me to watch and play. The EPL (English Premier League) kicked off about two weeks ago - today being start of Week 3. My team, Arsenal (Arsenal Gunners) are ranked Top 3 virtually every year despite fielding one of the youngest - but most talented - teams around. Anyways, they lost one and won one out of their first 2 games, showing extremely poor form. Just weren't clicking together. This past midweek matchup against FC Twente (Dutch team I believe) in the Champions League saw them mesh together with a 4 - 0 win. Today, they were supposed to be tested by Newcastle United, who had done well last week to draw 1 - 1 with Manchester United (whom I despise, and is also a consistantly top-3 Team in the EPL, Chelsea FC rounding out the trio). Fortuneately, the Gunners decided to play vintage Arsenal Football, which is 2nd-to-none in Europe with their passing game. The result? A Three-Nil (3 - 0) win over Newcastle, with a brace of goals from RVP (Robin van Persie) and a late tap in by Dennilson (19 yrd old Brazilian). Could have been a lot higher, if not for some good goalkeeping and unlucky finishes. Hopefully this form continues.

American Football kicks off this upcoming Thursday. I'll state it hear and now that I am a J - E - T - S JETS JETS JETS Fan! This Offseason was truly intriguing, with the addition of Brett Favre stirring things up. On a side note, something odd about Arsnenal and the Jets....the QB for each team (in Soccer, is a Midfielder typically called the General of the team) both share the same number - FOUR! (4). Brett Favre = #4, Cesc Fabregas = #4. Opposites ends of the age spectrum...Fave = 39, Fabregas = 21. Anyways, back to the Jets....an improvement over last season is more then expected, just a matter whether or not they'll make the playoffs this year. Looking forward to the matchup against the Patriots. Favre doesn't answer the long term QB situation, but will be a good teacher for the younger QB's on the team.

So I got sidetracked there, not to mention the NFL realyl hasn't kicked off yet, so not much more to share about them. In other news, I think I've found a new favorite band. Thanks to Pandora.com, listening to Flogging Molly station, I kept hearing songs by the Dropkick Murphys. So on a whim, I bought their 'The Warriors Code' Album and LOVE IT! (Also got the latest/newest Flogging Molly CD - 'Float') The Dropkick Murphys are GREAT! I guess i might as well ignore the fact I hate Boston (since it is the land of the America-Irish) and the BoSox World Series is mentioned in the song called 'Tessie'. Great stuff though, fits in well with my Flogging Molly and even my Korpiklaani stuff (A Band from Finland) not to mention the Scottish Pirates I love so much (Alestorm).

I find it amusing that half these bands I love and songs I listen to are all about drinking ("A wench by my side and a jug of mead, these are the things that i most need." - Alestorm) cus I mean, what Irish song ISN'T about drinking? Still, I don't drink and have no reasonable explanation for it beyond the fact that I don't drink ANYTHING unless I am thirsty (no binge drinking of any sort for me) nor do I like the taste of Beer or Wine or most other alcoholic beverages. So, 'nuff said. Drop it already.

So distracted again, this time by facebook. Got an unexpected email from an old friend whom I have not seen in...hmm....5 years or so? Haven't talked to her in about that long too, so just spent the last half hour writing her an epicly long response (despite trying to keep it short) basically filling her in on whats been going on and why the hell I am in the 6th Ring of Hell. Oh, in laymans terms, thats ORLANDO.