Is there anything in the world more liberating than quitting your job? I've done it twice now and while it is scary, I have been fortunate in that both changes have been definitively for the better.
My most recent self-termination took place in January. I had worked for that employer for almost nine years. Things are going very well with the new job and I've just returned from my first business trip, which is why I was unable to write a post last week.
But I didn't forget about the Bluebirds, even while I was away on business...
I think negotiations for this new job could have been cut short if they had just said, "We're going to send you on two-week jaunts to France as opposed to your current employere who sends you to Alabama."
The above picture was taken during the whirlwind twenty hours I spent in Paris. That's just enough time to sleep, to tour the Eiffel Tower, to watch Wales crush France in Six Nations, and to eat some escargot...
They're really not that bad. Escargot have the texture of octopus or perhaps really chewy mussels. Anyways, they taste like butter and garlic so you can just tell yourself you're not eating snails.
I spent the majority of my trip in Grenoble, which is in the southeast of France. It's a really beautiful city at the base of the Alps and it stretches along the Isere River.
Alas, I missed the Bluebirds/Villans match because, like in America, France apparently only airs Chelsea matches. That and I had an internet connection that would have been sluggish in 1995.
I say I "missed" the match, but that would imply something actually happened...
Cardiff City 0 - Aston Villa 0
- ZZZZZZZ
I suppose the above score summary is a bit snarky, but no matter how much I like the Bluebirds I can't stomach a game that ends in a 0-0 draw. I'm not sure how @jodylaforge was able to sit through it...
Thanks for the pic, Jody!
From the match reports, it seems like both teams had their opportunities but neither was clearly dominant. I hope somebody bought David Marshall a beer after the match, because he is the only reason this snoozefest didn't end in tears. Check out the video of his stoppage time miracle save at the following link, safe for work.
During my stay in Grenoble, I asked my new teammates a ton of questions about sporting culture in France. Perhaps obvious, but in this region everyone seems to ski (downhill and cross-country). In the warmer months they cycle and play handball.
When it comes to soccer the local team, Grenoble Foot 38, isn't that popular because they're awful. I don't know if the tiers of French soccer are comparable to those of English soccer, but fourth tier is fourth tier no matter what sport we're talking about.
While I didn't see anyone wearing Premier League gear, they do have bars that air the matches. Come to think of it, the only sporting attire I saw people wearing in my entire time in France was New York Yankees hats. Blech.
I'm told that professional rugby is far more popular in Grenoble than soccer. That's another sport I really know nothing about, but from what little I've seen it seems close enough to American Football that I might enjoy it.
I flew home on Saturday, so mercifully I was spared the nightmare that was the Bluebirds/Tigers match...
Cardiff City 0 - Hull City 4
- Huddlestone (HUL) 18'
- Jelavic (HUL) 38'
- Jalavic (HUL) 57'
- Livermore (HUL) 67'
You don't really need to hear the play-by-play for this match, the picture below sums up the debacle well enough...
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| (Image Credit: WalesOnline) |
Honestly, when you get crushed this bad by a team you could have beat, all you can do is shake it off and move on.
With this draw and this loss, the Bluebirds are in 19th place with 5 wins, 7 draws, and 15 losses. The table below captures the full Premier League standings as of 02/25/14. The table columns are: Current Position (POS), Last Position (LP), Club Name (CLUB), Matches Played (P), Wins (W), Draws (D), Losses (L), Goals Fielded (GF), Goals Allowed (GA), Goal Differential (GD), and Rankings Points (PTS).
Last year, my wife and I read Sheryl Sandberg's business memoir "Lean In". It's definitely geared towards a female audience, but one thing I took away from the book was "Don't leave before you leave". Sandberg was referring to women not aspiring to high-ranking positions, because at some point they may want to stay home to raise a family. I took it as a reminder to myself to continue to do the best I could at my current job until I found another that would hopefully make me more happy.
I bring this up because the Bluebirds have not yet been relegated. They still have 11 matches left to make of this season what they will. There is no team they cannot beat and I sincerely hope that they haven't left before they've left.
OK, enough moping around. Let's commence with this week's "Meet a US Bluebird"!
Meet Luke Angevine (@lukeangevine, 02/17/14)
Where do you live and where are you from originally?: I live in San Diego, California, but grew up in Covington Washington, a suburb of Seattle.
How long have you been following the Bluebirds and how did you become a fan?: I’ve been a Bluebirds fan for around 3 years now. I started supporting Cardiff by first doing a little research on English football, and was intrigued by the Welsh squad. I have never been to Europe let alone the United Kingdom, so I made ties with Cardiff. Been rooting for them ever since.
What is your most favorite Cardiff City memory and why?: Promotion last season. I thoroughly enjoyed our match against Man City at home, getting the W, and Campbell scoring his two header goals.
Who is your most favorite current Cardiff City player?: I’ve really been impressed with Craig Noone. David Marshall has had such an outstanding season for the Bluebirds.
What makes Cardiff City important to you?: They have become my Saturday morning ritual (most games starting at 7 am Pacific Coast Time). Waking up, putting my scarf on, and watching the game. I’ve been planning a trip to Wales next year so I can show my support in person!
What is your favorite US sport and team? Do you follow any MLS clubs?: Growing up near Seattle, I’ve been a huge Seahawks fan my whole life. Since the inception of the Seattle Sounders, I try to follow them as much as I can, but it isn’t English Football.
Do you think Premier League is growing in popularity in the US? What can NBC or the League itself do to grow its popularity in the US?: I think it’s growing. Young kids what to play more soccer. The exposure of the sport has grown with the help of NBC. They just need to continue airing the matches. I’d also like to see more Sky Bet Championship games. The best part of football are the promotion battles for the lesser divisions. People would enjoy watching the likes of Derby County, QPR, Burnley, etc.
Thank you for the interview, Luke. Cardiff City has also become my Saturday morning ritual. I think there is a great opportunity for Americans to add this sport to their weekend sports agendas.
Back to my trip for one more moment. At dinner one night in Grenoble, I was telling a French coworker that my favorite French Premier League player was probably Arsenal's Olivier Giroud (sorry Kevin Theophile-Catherine). The conversation went something like this...
- Me: "Olivier Giroud is pretty good."
- Coworker: "Pretty good at staying out late and sleeping with women."
I'll try not to hold Giroud's (alleged) promiscuity against him. He's actually the driving force behind a pretty tremendous performance by the Cardiff'rent Strokes this week. We have jumped a whopping 153k spots!
- Rank (Last Week): 1,299,164
- Rank (This Week): 1,146,326
- Total Players: 3,185,651
Can I successfully manage my squad into the top 1,000,000 Fantasy teams? I think so, but you'll have to keep reading to find out
Well that's it for this week, readers. Cardiff City's next Premier League match is on March 2nd away against Tottenham Hotspur.
Thank you as always for reading. You can follow me on Twitter @dragon_bluebird. And feel free to leave some comments on my posts via Blogger or Twitter. Would love to hear your thoughts on the season so far and I'm always open to suggestions for features or topics you'd like to see on this blog.
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