Good morning folks. Still overcast and muggy in the east.
We continue to work from home through the end of the week.
Trying to get into the World Cup to fill the summer sports gap. There is a great deal of drama to it, without any doubt. I was certain Egypt had put Argentina out, going up 2-0 with only about ten minutes to play. But after being shut out for nearly 80 minutes Argentina manages to score three times in around ten minutes.
The heartbreaking loss by Colombia gave me a flashback to 1994: I was working in Bogota, Colombia. These were the days of the out of control cocaine cartel murder sprees. I was single in those days and had met a woman working in the US Embassy and took her out for a drink.
She takes me to this very nice sports bar with a number of televisions, all tuned to the Colombia-US game taking place in the States. So, a little drunk, I start cheering for the "USA!" That was the infamous game where the Colombia player kicked an "own goal" and the heavly underdog Americans won. So, the bar is getting more and more rowdy with angry energy, and I'm getting louder in my cheering for the USA, when suddenly the woman grabs my arm, says, "leave some money for the check" and hustles me out of the place and rapidly out of range. Then she tells me that the bar was owned by one of the cartels, and she was overhearing guys loudly talking about "killing the gringo," -- all lost on me as I don't speak Spanish well at all.
I spent much of that year (1994) in Rwanda and Haiti, which were fairly dangerous, so I didn't take her too seriously. But, as you may recall, that Colombia player who kicked the "own goal" WAS assassinated immediately on return home. I don't think he even got very far from the airport. So, they do take their Futbol seriously...
You all have a good day.