I Came, I Saw, I Played, I Ate a Lot Of Schnitzel
Traveling is an exhilarating experience. Many I know have never ventured out of the continental US, let alone outside their home state. At an early age I had the fortune of traveling the world and thank my family and friends for every opportunity that I’ve encountered abroad. I have not been to such popular locations such as Hawaii, Mexico, South America and then some, but I have had the pleasure of visiting western Europe on several occasions and Southeast Asia.
I left the country for the first time when I was the ripe old age of nine. My older brother Tung was studying abroad in Oxford for a year and my parent’s sponsor who brought them to the States decided it would be a fun time to go. Highlights from that trip are seeing Stonehenge, visiting the British museum, visiting a castle that has a painting that still creeps me out to this day, and walking into a tree en route to dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. But those stories are for another time.
My next adventure across the pond came five years later in the summer of 1998. Two years previous, we had celebrated my parents silver anniversary and the big present we had decided on was to send them to the Paris. On both sides of the family we have relatives that found home in Western Europe after everybody had fled Laos back in the 70s. Well when we phoned said relatives to let them know the parents were coming, they threw a hitch in our plans and notified us that all of them were actually their own trip stateside. So my parents delayed the trip a year and decided to make a family trip which was amazing. That would put us in France during the time of the World Cup. That was the year that the French National team took it all. It was my first exposure to the passion and culture that is European football. It was surreal. Family, food, and soccer. I couldn’t have asked for more.
A year later the family hit the road again as we embarked on a journey to Southeast Asia. We would be returning to the village where my parents met and grew up. We would also have a chance to visit the clinic where my brothers were born. It was a venture that served as a culture shock to me and has shaped my perception of the world that I hold today. I remember my other brother Tri making the comment, “man this is crazy. Think about it…we could be waking up in a rice paddy…Van you probably wouldn’t even be here!” True and true.
Three years later my love of soccer would take me back to Western Europe. For three weeks, a group of folks from my hometown of Missoula, and other folks from Idaho, Washington, and Utah made a team to tour around playing the beautiful game. Our travels took us to Spain, Paris, Hamburg and finally Denmark. Along the way, we got spanked by one of the best teams in our age division, in the WORLD, did a week-long home stay in Germany where we ate a lot of bratwurst, took pictures with cute Danish girls and befriended an interesting group of Danes that brought us post game snacks of chips and Coke that had stickers asking us to follow Christ on the cans.
Alas all these flashbacks are not the point of my post today. Let’s jump ahead 9 years or so to this summer.
As many of you may or may not have known, back in October I was approached by the planning committee of the Tacoma Concert Band to see if I would be willing to join them and play Saxophone for a trip through Central Europe. I would have to pay my own way like everybody else, but the band was looking for folks to fill out empty spots of those who could not make the trip. I had to think about it for a while. The cost would be a little tight, but in the back of my head I kept telling myself this was an opportunity of a lifetime that I shouldn’t pass up. So I said I’M IN!
As I started to make payments I just built up anticipation for a trip that was one I won’t forget. Having never been to Central Europe, I was in store for some fun. Our trip would take us to Prague, Salzburg, Vienna and Budapest. Some of the most beautiful cities in that part of the world. The trip would last 11 days and during that time we were scheduled to have 6 performances in various locations. I couldn’t wait.
Through all my travels I have never taken a journal. All I have are the pictures and memories that I still have and I’m sure that some of those have been lost. So many times I’ve heard that it’s a good idea to take a journal and write down thoughts and experiences at the end of each day. I think in the past, it never occurred to me to do such a thing and to preserve the adventures I had travelling abroad. Well this time I was prepared. I didn’t really write each day, but every night before bed, I managed to take a few moments to jot down bullet points about thoughts and things we did. Over the next few weeks I hope to be able to put more prose to my notes and tell the story of the whirlwind jaunt that I had across Central Europe.
I had some really fun and entertaining experiences, and I hope that you all enjoy them. Below are some pictorial highlights:
It’s time to RE-IN….
vigorate, vent,vest.
Those are the words I’m telling myself. It’s time to RE- invigorate (my passions), invent (myself), and invest (in my life).
Tis been a long time since my last post and I’ve spent the better part of those months going through a lot of changes in my life. At the time of my last post, I was unsure of my direction in life both personally and professionally. Since then, I’ve experienced living on my own for the first time ever in my life, found a new job at a wonderful company in an industry I’ve always been curious about, and learned more about myself that I probably have in the last few years.
All that was not a walk in the park. Though some of those things sound wonderful and dandy, it hasn’t come without it’s set backs. With out having to going into detail, I was presented with several issues that I hadn’t dealt with before. I was forced to deal with some interesting health issues. I had to deal with a new unconventional work place that also inherently showed me the brunt end of the stick to the notion that I’m not as smart as I think it am. And I had take a step back and take a look at my life from a different perspective that I have never thought about before. In a sense the paradigm that I had of my life got it’s world rocked a little.
I don’t know where I heard it first, but I’ve taken a lot of thought to Einstein’s quote:
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Melodramatically speaking, I feel like I was slowly driving myself insane. I’m a powerful creature of habit sometimes, and I think that I have been so set in some of my ways for so long. Unfortunately, we evolve, grow older and the world around us changes, and I think I never always adapted to the world around me. So here I am, doing the same thing I’ve been doing for the few years I’ve been in Seattle and I think it all caught up to me. The appraisal of my life and what I was doing, where I was going, how I was doing lead me just to think that I was simply in a sense in a “holding pattern” without much direction. And at times this realization made me miserable. Not always literally, but in so many metaphoric ways. So if I did indeed intend to drive my self insane as I had been doing, I needed to just keep allowing myself to keep my stubborn habits.
So time for some change. Hence the words at the beginning of this post. The self-evaluation I gave of myself led me to understand myself better and to have a better grasp of what I need to get out of this funk and to start being a happier person. Which lead me to those three words.
Re-invigorate: My passions in life and rediscover the loves of my life. I’ve always told friends struggling with life or issues to find the place or do what makes them happiest. Find your comfort zone. I myself, was for a while, not even doing that.
Music has always been an outlet to me, and sometimes I forget that I AM a musician and have a deeper knowledge both academically and emotionally that most people do. From Beethoven’s 9th Symphony to the Warbler’s rendition of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” music inspires me more than anything else on this world. For a long time, I think I forgot that.
Ironically to me, the most comfortable place for me right now is when I’m on the soccer field. There were a number of years where I turned my back against the beautiful game I had grown up around for most of my life. In high school I had been handed a hypothetical slap to the face from a figure I had once looked up to for most of my young playing days. So I turned away from the game of soccer personally, only to come back after a few years later after my wounds had healed. Now that I’m playing again, at a level I’m content with for now, and have the local Sounders to root for, my love for the world’s game has been renewed and I’m pretty sure this time it is here to stay.
Re-invent: Everybody has that laundry/bucket/wish list of things to do accomplish. Ultimately most of us never achieve those things citing some sort of excuse or reason. I’ll be the first to admit that one of the worst personality flaws I have is the lack of follow through. I say I want to do something but never follow through, this blog is case in point. I think sometimes we have everything in one giant list and never compartmentalize said “to do” items into rational, attainable desires. We lose sight of some of the smaller victories, because we spend too much time dreaming about the bigger, loftier dreams that we may never check off our list.
I’ve pledged to make 2011 a year of change and to reinvent myself to accomplish those things I know I can achieve. In doing so I’ve put my personal laundry list of things to accomplish into an organized list of what I call Y-M-H.
Yep – things that I should be able to attain at some point in my life: become fluent in French and Vietnamese, get in shape, become a better, more stereotypical “millenial”, or embed myself more into the Seattle Arts scene.
Maybe - things that I can probably accomplish but need to invest a little effort in: receive a black belt in some form of martial art, record and release some sort of musical album, visit some of the most famous soccer stadiums in the world.
Haha – these things are those lofty goals I talk about that would be awesome to achieve, but might be a little out of my reach: Become legitimate friends with a famous professional athlete, become a millionaire, marry one of the following (not in any particular order of preference), Ingrid Michaelson, Olivia Munn, Katy Perry (apparently she and Russell are having marital probs 
), or Lea Michele.
Re-invest: by focusing on achieving some the previously mentioned and the other things on the lists, I’m re-investing in myself as a person, which in turn will better myself and those around me. A long-time friend once told me that I needed to lighten up in life a little and quit riding my cynical broomstick. He took a piece of paper and wrote three words on it and handed it to me. He said, don’t scoff at this, keep this and look at it several times a day, just do it.
The three words were: Happy, Healthy, Confident.
Well at the time, scoff is exactly what I did. But now, several months later, I may have thrown that piece of paper away, but those words have resonated with me and I try to think about them as much as I can.
It’s time for me to RE-IN myself and I’m excited to see where it takes me. If you’ve made it this far, you’re part of this journey and I thank you. I promise to keep this blog up date with more light-hearted, less philosophical posts and will make this little part of the Internet what I’ve always envisioned it to be.
Re-invigorate, re-invent, re-invest. Happy, Healthy, Confident.
GO!
Staying put…
Well it’s been a long arduous and soul-searching process, but I’ve made a decision to give me a little more direction in my life. I had to endure some tough situations, most of which were probably self-imposed, but I think the journey was needed for me to come to my conclusion. Most of you know the decision I speak of, but it was always my hope to post about it so I could express myself and share my thought process.
I’ve made the decision to stay in Seattle and continue to find work here rather than explore options outside of the Pacific Northwest.
From some, it doesn’t always seem like the biggest deal, but for me, it was a big decision to make. Around April, I wasn’t in the most positive mindset and was convinced that I had exhausted my job searching options in Seattle and was starting to explore the markets elsewhere. As much as I enjoyed the glitz that was sometimes the smoke in the mirrors of working contract at Amazon.com, it was obvious that I was probably going to have to find work elsewhere.
Over the next couple of months I would take interviews from recruiters and explore options in Seattle, San Francisco and Sacramento. I was contacted by a recruiter about a job with a small ad agency in Sacramento, which started the conversation. It would have been a great career move for me to take the job to further my experience and work in the advertising industry, and that’s what I kept telling myself. I was flown down, interviewed, had a great time. I then made my way to San Francisco to interview with a few agencies down there and to see family. With all these options, it looked more and more like I was going to make a move to the Bay Area. It is something I’ve felt like I’ve always wanted, but there was this nagging feeling in me that wanted to hold on to Seattle. I just didn’t make sense to me.
In the end, it was what transpired over the course of the week after my return that pushed me over the edge. I came back to Seattle with little rest so I could prepare to work as a Gate Supervisor for the Folklife Festival for the Memorial Day weekend. Over the course of the weekend, I worked and interacted with a group of people who had a passion and fervor for promoting and experiencing the arts like I did. I was refreshing, I felt comfortable and in my element interacting with people and walking the festival grounds. I had a great crew of team members that reminded why I do work with festivals in Seattle twice a year. It’s not about seeing the shows and performances; it’s about appreciating the arts and music, and helping promote them in a well established forum to those less connected to the industry.
After a great weekend, I returned to Corporate America to a less personal and emotional setting where business and work is driven by numbers and statistics and less about performances and experiences. The first person to speak to me early that morning didn’t acknowledge that I had been gone for a week or even stop to ask how my trip went, they simply asked me to start preparing a report for them. I was needless to say, a little miffed. The stark contrast from the cordial personable atmosphere of working a festival with a lot of like minded people against the numbers driven, impersonal corporate setting had never been so clear to me. It also just made me a little sad that so many people’s lives are driven by their notion to have to be all work all the time. I mean I hadn’t even checked my email yet! I understand and know that there is a need to work hard and sometimes long hours, but c’mon, If someone I worked with was gone for an entire week, I’d be curious about what they did and wouldn’t have the first thing I said to them be a request for a report. Maybe I’m just too warm and fuzzy of a person, but that’s how I do.
Either way, I knew that I was going to have to make a decision on my future soon, because there was a good chance I was going to get a job offer from Sacramento. With that situation imminent I started freaking out. Should I move for a career job in a career I don’t feel completely comfortable with, or do I stay put to stay in a city where I feel quite established in? My first job out of College was in the Advertising industry, and it’s what I know best, so when looking for work this past year and a half, I kept looking for work in the ad biz, like I couldn’t do anything else. I kept saying that taking a job in advertising in a different city would be a good career move. I’m single, young, no kids, no mortgage, not a lot of material assets to my name. It was an ideal time to make a career move.
On the flip side, I’ve always been conscious of trying to have a balance between work and play, and I’ve worked pretty hard in the last 3 years in Seattle to create a nice balance for myself. Aside from a stable job, I’ve felt that I’m decently established in my life in terms of most things outside of work. I’m making music a couple times a week, playing soccer a couple times a week, getting out to awesome places to eat, experiencing and volunteering with the arts and maintaining a decent circle of friends. Really aside from work, I felt pretty comfortable with my life in Seattle. Unfortunately, work is a big part of someone’s livelihood.
Well, I was offered the job in Sacramento, so then came crunch time. Eventually it was three things that boiled down to me making my decision.
First was working the Folklife Festival. Realizing that I took the direction of majoring in and volunteering in the arts during college for a reason: I loved it and it became a passion for me. Expression through the arts is a very emotional experience that lends well to the type of person I am. I’ve shown myself that I can exist in a corporate setting having worked for the ad agency and at Amazon.com, but I found myself happiest not when I was crunching numbers, but out and about going to a concert or seeing a really cool play.
Second was a conversation I had with a friend in the middle of the week, where I had a revelation that I’m surprised that I hadn’t had before. I came to the realization during this chat, that all the reasons I was using to justify moving away from Seattle for a job in the ad biz were reasons I could and ultimately should be using to take life by the horns and go find work that I really wanted to do in industries that I really wanted to work in. Being single, young, no kids, no mortgage, not a lot of material assets to my name are good reasons to make a career move, but they are also good reasons to quit playing safe and (as cliché as it sounds) go for your dreams. I wanted to work in the arts, entertainment and/or video games industries, and I shouldn’t let anything stop me at this point in my life. Consequences of any missteps would be minimal. So why was I hiding behind the comfort of trying to find jobs in comfortable fields of work that I knew I could survive in, but didn’t particularly have a passion for?
Lastly, I had a lot of conversations with a lot of people very close to me in dealing with this situation, but it was a conversation with my brother that I think pushed me over the edge. My brother has done pretty well for himself in life and has a decent life in San Francisco aside from the fact that he’s had like a gazillion different jobs during his time down there. Ok, not a gazillion, but a handful. Each time he’s landed on his feet, being able to keep his salary or even make more than he previously did. To me, it was a decent model for me to try to emulate. Financial stability has always been a bit of a priority for me, but less for myself and more for my future life when I start a family. So when my brother asked me if I felt “obliged” to take job offers I got because of the various factors, I responded “yes.” He then went on to tell me what he’s been telling me all along this process. Just do what you want, make a decision about what you want to do and don’t feel pressured or obliged to take any offers that come your way.
He expressed in his own words how he admits he’s been quite lucky with this work life in that he’s been very fortunate to have opportunities and always land on his feet. I took that to heart and realized that yes, I should go find some work that I want. Now is the time to do it. Corporate America isn’t going anywhere fast. It’ll be around if I decide to come back.
Ultimately, and obviously, I turned down the job in Sacramento. The company was great, and I wish them the best in the future, but I needed to stay in Seattle. What a better time in life than now, for me to try and find work in either the Arts, Entertainment, or Video Game industries? For me to do so, I’m much better connected to do so in the Northwest. I’ve got a lot of friends and acquaintances in a lot of random places. So that is that. For me it was a load off of my shoulders. Yes I still needed to find a new job, but I could keep working contract if I need be. Yes, I’m still unsure of my future. But I made a commitment to Seattle and that’s a lot for me to say in this process.
Well the follow up to this is that my decision and patience has seemed to pay off. More on that next week…
Sounders 2009 Top 10: 1 – Where else but the start
First Inaugural game vs. New Red Bulls – 32,500+ crazy fans, most of them clad in rave green, the world’s beautiful game, a clear and fresh early spring Seattle night with the air of history. Nothing beats that. In probably one of the most exciting moments in a very troubled year of sports for the city of Seattle. Watching the Sounders take the field in the inaugural game, in their inaugural MLS season, was nothing short of brilliant and spectacular. Being there in the moment was breathtaking, no joke. To take the loudest stadium in the NFL and pack it with passionate soccer fans to cheer on their team to an amazing 3-0 victory in their first game, is nothing short of extraordinary.
I know and have come to terms with the fact that it might take a lot more years for the game of soccer to be recognized and appreciated as widely as is in the rest of the world. But that night, which set the tone for the rest of the amazing season to come, put a big smile on my face. Sort of like when I saw hundreds of supporters lining the sidelines of my high school soccer field as my team marched their way to our second appearance in the State tournament in as many years. It was at that point where I knew people were in full support of us and had left their time and allegiance from out fledgling football team to cheer us on.
Seeing the Sounders in action for the first time was electric. Growing up and playing club soccer, I knew that the state of Washington had a strong support and affinity for the sport. But I never would have thought that the city of Seattle would embrace and be the home of some of the most passionate and smart fans that I’ve ever seen.
The game also marked a dream I’ve had in being able to watch one of my favorite players in US soccer history take the field on his home turf. I had hoped but never believed that I would be able actually see Kasey Keller in action in my lifetime. Being one of the first Americans to make a name for themselves in the European soccer scene, I have always had a huge respect for the Sounders team Captain. I mean c’mon, the dude lived in his own 1,000 yr old CASTLE while playing in Germany!
That night set the tone for a record-breaking season that would be one hell of a roller-coaster ride that Wes (who if you didn’t know, I bought season tickets with) would enjoy every minute of. Thanks Sounders for filling the void our lost Sonics.
Sounders 2009 Top 10: 2 – Hardware Boo Yah!
US Open Cup win – I watched this game from the comfy confines of a small table at Fado pub in downtown Seattle. Accompanied by my partner in crime Wes, and surrounded by green-clad Sounders fans, I was unsure of how the game would turn out. The Sounders recent games had not been pretty and I was a little hesitant that we might be able to pull things off. In the end, the boys stepped up and delivered a noteworthy performance against a DC United team has a long and storied tradition of excellence in MLS play.
Celebration clips from the locker room brought a smile to my face when there was a moment when everybody banded together to chant “Sigi Sigi Sigi, Oi Oi Oi!” to entice their fearless coach into the room to receive his champagne bath. To me it showed the respect and admiration the players had for our coach and for the community and fans that have embraced their team. The chant, a personal favorite of mine for some reason, is a chant that is belted by fans every time our Coach Sigi Schmid is introduced at home, and it was great to hear the players take it into their locker room.
Really, Kasey Keller said it best in a post game interview saying, “it’s always great to get hardware in your first year.” ‘Nuff said.
Keller and crew saluting the Sounders faithful who made the cross-country trip to see the game
Sounders 2009 Top 10: 3 – International Stars on Home Turf
Chelsea & Barca – Drogba, Terry, Ballack, Messi, Henry, Cech. These are all high profile international soccer icons that one in the states would dream to see play on their home turf. In the short span of two months, Seattle fans were treated to that dream in seeing one of the best clubs from England, and the current European champions play their hometown Sounders.
Upon the announcement of each game I was dumbfounded. In my 6 years in the Pacific Northwest, I’ve tried to make every opportunity to see international soccer in Seattle. I jumped at the bit for tickets to see Real Madrid play DC United in 2006, and didn’t waste time in getting tickets for Brazil vs. China in 2008. But to have the opportunity to see two of the greatest clubs of 2008 play at Qwest field was an amazing experience.
I think, normally in friendly games like this in the States, there is an overwhelming support for the visiting international clubs, but in the case of these two games, Sounders fans didn’t disappoint in showing these star clubs that Seattle is the real deal. The noise that embodied the sellout crowds of 66,000 plus fans was deafening. Now I’ve only been to one Seahawks game, but I bet you the amount of cheers, chants, and overall noise during those games rivaled that of the noise created when the Seahawks made their run to the Super bowl in 2005.
Again, to see a city like Seattle support and create an atmosphere similar to that of international stadiums around the world was something amazing to see. Games like these created a buzz about the world of the soccer scene that brews (heh) in Seattle.
Sounders 2009 Top 10: 4 – A Tribute to the “Nines”
US Men's National team forward Charlie Davies
Yeah I totally went there, pun intended, as you read on you’ll start to understand why upon reading the title of this post, you should have immediately performed what many call a Palm-Face in disgusted response to my awesome cheesiness.
Charlie Davies is a rising star of the US Men’s National Soccer team. A day before the US National team was set to take on Costa Rica in their last World Cup qualifying match, Davies was involved in a horrific car crash in Washington DC. One passenger was killed, and Davies was left with several severe injuries, including fractured right tibia, femur and elbow, lacerated bladder, and many facial injuries. These injuries have put the US striker on a 6-12 months recovery track that will most likely result in Davies missing this summer’s upcoming World Cup in South Africa.
The crash is probably one of the more tragic events to the US soccer community in recent memory. To honor Davies and his speedy recovery, members of the Emerald City Supporters (ECS) approached the ownership of the Sounders to see if they could initiate a movement that had already been done in a few select places across the nation. They wanted to insert a “9” card into every program for the last regular season game against FC Dallas. The number 9 is the number that Davies wears with the US National Team. The idea was to have fans hold up their “9” during the 9th minute of the game. A little but moving gesture.
Sounders fans show their support for the fallen Charlie Davies
From all points of view it was a fantastic spectacle to be a part of. It showed the strong community that is the Sounders FC. The ECS, a strong supporters group, went to head management simply to ask if they could put the cards in programs. They were prepared to pay for all the printing and everything, they just wanted the right to the programs. Adrian Hanauer and the rest of the Sounders front office said, “No, this is a great idea, the organization will pay for everything.” It’s a great testament to how the owners group has created a wonderful conversation with the fans and is open to the democratic process in running their organization.
For the fact of the previously mentioned and the effect of seeing over 30,000 fans holding up their 9’s across the stadium was breathtaking and a moving moment of support for our fallen comrade.
Sounders 2009 Top 10: 5 – The Band
The band – Being a music person, it’s obvious that I had to take some sort of enjoyment and interest in Soundwave, the official band of the Sounders FC. Though I was a little miffed that they were going to be a brass only band and that I wouldn’t even have a chance to audition, it was still fun to have them around.
Overall I thought the band offered yet another dynamic and fun aspect to what made the overall Sounders experience. No they didn’t put on spectacular field shows, no did didn’t wear ridiculous outfit made of very irritating wool/polyester, no they weren’t the laughing stock of the “cooler” hipper kids thinking they were all that.
They were an excited, energetic, passionate group of musicians just doing what they love, making music and performing it to their fans. You can’t ask for much more than that and what they did and put into their efforts deserves a great deal of respect. They led the arsenal of dedicated Sounders fans every home game in the “March to the Match” (#9) from Pioneer Square to Qwest field each and every home game. Each step of the way was an experience you can fully describe with words.
I can’t talk about the band without talking about mentioning to the two things that always kept me coming back to admire the band when I had a moment. My game day partner in crime Wes Magee always likes to make fun of me for these two things, but I can’t help myself sometimes.
First would have to be Sabrina *sigh* a cute dark haired, tan, trumpet player chick that first caught my eye during the lead up to the game vs. Chelsea. (My reason for knowing her name will be explained) I was walking to Qwest to watch the club train, so I could get an up close view on some of the best players in the world during their training session. As I walked in, Soundwave was in full force providing entertainment. As I passed I had to do a covert double take to see this cute trumpet girl out of the corner of my eye.
She was attractive and played a musical instrument, that’s pretty hot to me. Later on, I’d point her out to Wes at the next game and he concurred with me. From then on she’d always catch my eye during pregame and we always had to take a moment to stop and watch the band before getting to our seats.
Those who know me and my type will know exactly who I'm talking about...le sigh
Now I’m not trying to be creepy or stalkerish or anything. It’s more like that crush from afar that you had back in your high school or middle school days. We just always happened to be in the same place at the same time and I always took notice. Now at one point Wes decided that I should go talk to her. We all know that my mojo with the women is not as Rico Suave as I’d like the think and that people would rather not imagine, so even walking within a few feet of an attractive stranger like Sabrina made me nervous as a nerd on his first date, if that’s not an oxymoron . Towards the end of the season Wes kept trying to push me to talk to her, there was even a moment when the band had finished playing was moving up to their area and she was there alone talking to one of her friends. “This is your best shot” Wes said to me. I knew it was, but just couldn’t do it.
Finally, I believe it was the last home game of the year against Dallas FC. The same sort of situation came where I could approach her while she was packing up her stuff. In my head I said, “just go. It won’t hurt you and you have nothing to lose.” Wes had started walking off having grown used to the idea that I was going to talk to her. So I took a deep breath, walked over and simply said, “Hi, I just wanted to say that I think you’re really cute. I’ve seen you from afar a lot and wanted to actually say something. I’m Van” She seemed quite flattered and surprised and introduced her self and another band mate she was with. Needless to say my attempt at arranging a small casual coffee outing was not as successful as she claimed that she “wasn’t available.” But that’s really ok, I broke the ice and put myself out there which is more than I probably would have done a few years back.
The second aspect of the band that always kept me coming back doesn’t need nearly as long of an explanation but simply two words:
Dancing Tubas
Soundwave had a piece that featured the tubas of the band where they would shake what their momma gave them and get down with their bad selves. Tubas are the largest instrument you can have in a marching band next to any items of the drumline. For a musician, to see a group of grown-ups move the way they did with tubas was a sight to see. Not only because it was amusing and really just plain ridiculous, but there’s a level of respect that you hold for people who put themselves out there like that. I know I couldn’t do the same with my Saxophone.
I'm serious, dancing tubas, 'nuff said
Sounders 2009 Top 10: 6 – Schadenfruede
The word schadenfreude if you don’t know translates basically to, “happiness at the misfortune of others.” Well at least that’s what the musical Avenue Q tells me. So the next two moments of the season make up #6 on my best experiences of the season list, and they both focus on the misfortunes of particular players whose misfortune, brought me great joy.
Yes I know that it’s not always the nicest thing to find pleasure at the misfortune of another person, but we’re all human, and we need to be able to laugh at each other once and a while. I don’t vehemently dislike the individuals I will discuss, in fact I do respect them for being generally very talented football players and appreciate that they are the face for my local MLS team and the United States Men’s National team. I simply more times than none, have a bit of a beef with them when it comes to soccer. I’m sure and hope that they are stand up individuals off the pitch, but when it comes to soccer, my support relationship with these players is quite tumultuous.
Instead of go into detail and talk at length about my negative feelings about these players, I’ll just leave that at the door and talk strictly about the moments themselves. If you’re curious about my views about these individuals I’ll gladly write you a small novel on my thoughts. Any who, anybody who knows me well and knows my views on soccer know that I have 1) a fervent dislike for US National Team/MLS “Star” forward Landon Donovan of the LA Galaxy and 2) a very tenuous love/hate relationship with the Sounders striker Freddy Montero. I’ll talk about these topics in chronological order rather than order of satisfaction .
Sounders striker Fredy Montero
Aside from the fact that I got to see one of the best clubs in the world take on my own Seattle Sounders, the exhibition game against FC Barcelona also provided me with one of the most amusing moments of the season.
I believe it was sometime during the second half when Barcelona had brought in a number of subs and Seattle had yet to take some of the starting players off. The ball was being brought up the field by the Sounders and eventually it made it to the penalty box. Then it trickled out to the top of the box where some Sounder, I don’t remember who, cracked a beauty of a shot that probably would have had a good chance on goal. But instead it found the face of Sounders star striker Fredy Montero.
Yes it shouldn’t be a laughing matter, but man was it satisfying to see and yes I laughed up a storm of happiness at the event. I think the old couple sitting in front of me found it more amusing watching me than the actual event itself. I mean c’mon a ball to the face? That’s funny regardless. Watch this video and tell me that’s not funny.
The second part of this experience, involves Landon Donavan, the supposed face of the US Men’s National team. It was the final of the MLS cup being playing in Seattle against the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake. It was a hard fought game that boiled down to penalty kicks.
Of course, the captain and leader of the LA Galaxy Donovan would be slated to take a kick. Now mind you taking a penalty kick seems like a decently easy task, take a ball walk 12 yards away from the goal and then try to make the ball in the 8 yd x 8 ft goal. Well take into effect that the fate of a game and an entire season lies on you making said kick, it’s a lot more stressful that it should be.
I personally have missed one crucial penalty kick in my life back in high school and to be completely honest it haunts me to this day.
So I sympathized with Donovan as he stepped up to take the kick, but the moment stepped up to the ball, planted his foot and sent it over the top of the goal, I was giggling like a little girl. I don’t think Wes even needed to ask when he turned to my reaction to the moment.
Sounders 2009 Top 10: 7 – Falling Timbers
Rivalries are always fun and are what fuel any tenuous relationship between two sports teams. Proximity is usually always a factor in rivalries and such is the case with the past, present, and pending rivalry between the Seattle Sounders and the Portland Timbers.
I say past, present and pending because the rivalry of the two teams has three different iterations that all mean and hold different bearing. The rivalry first started several years ago when both team existed as members of the United Soccer League (USL) which s the league that is one step below that of Major League Soccer. Consider it “semi-pro.” Up until 2009 the two teams had battled each other for the rights to say claim they were the power of US soccer in the Pacific Northwest. When the Seattle Sounders FC formed as an MLS team, the rivalry changed because Seattle was now Top Dog in the region, and Portland was resigned to being the lesser of the two team. That is all set to change in 2011 when Portland gets their own MLS team and is promoted to the big league.
I had the pleasure of traveling down to Portland to see the last summer to see the Sounders FC take on the Portland Timbers in a heated rivalry match in the US Open Cup tournament. Having been my only Sounders game outside of Qwest field, the game was fun and an experience to remember for the season.
A view of the stadium from the perspective of the hometown supporter.
Even though I’m supposed to loathe them for being fans of rivals, I’ll give it to hand it to the fans of the Timbers, they were quite the group. A little crazy, but they were fun to see, from afar. Seriously. From the moment I stepped foot in the vicinity of PGE Park in Portland, it was made very clear that I was an enemy to devoted Timber followers. Donning ONLY my SSFC hat, I walked to the box office to pick up my tickets and was immediately heckled by an energetic man who approached me as to start a small pumping up high five session but quickly rescinded his outstretched hand once we got closer to each other and he realized that I was a NOT the Timbers fan he thought I might have been. He then turned to say, “Sounders fan? BOO!” This event transpired right outside an obvious Timbers supporters drinking hole which then prompted others yell at me to get out of Dodge.
During the game the Timbers fans were out in full force, but in my own bias opinion, they had nothing compared to the wit and fervor of the 3000 800+ Sounders fans who had made the trip down like myself. It was a great atmosphere of sport and allegiance. For the first time in my life I was in the section devoted to visiting rivals and it was awesome.
Timber Joey, before he broke out his little noisy friend...
There was an occurrence that bugged me a little and forced to tilt my head and ask, “really?” Being the Timbers, it only makes sense that there was a Portland fan that would walk around the stands dressed as a lumberjack who is apparently called “Timber Joey.” That’s all fine and done, but what caught me off guard was the moment TJ decided to fire up his chain saw and rev it up several times over the span of a few minutes. No Joke. Dude just revved that chain saw like it was nobody’s business. I’m guessing that said chain didn’t actually have a chain attached for hopefully obvious safety concerns, but one never knows. Now I’m for trash talking and banter, but the loud revving of an actually chain saw just rubbed me the wrong way. Oh well.
Aside from that instance, the evening was filled with chants and moments that simply just make me smile still thinking about them today.
Having gotten tickets in the visitors section, I got to experience first-hand, what was a microcosm of the ECS, maybe the ECS show on the road rather. There were two chants I heard during the game that made me laugh out loud. First being when the entire section taunted the Timbers fans by breaking out into a chant of “You had the MLS because of US” to “If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.” This obviously was a poke to the Portland citizens of how Seattle got their MLS team before they did.
An ECS staffer prouding showing off their whitty t-shirts
The second chant that I like to use to this day is when 39 year old, team captain, Kasey Keller makes a save. After making a great save I few guys in front of me proceeded to yell, “He’s Big! He’s Tall! He’s a motherf**king wall! He’s Kasey Keller!” having been a devoted fan of Kasey for many years, it’s nice to see him getting the respect and adoration he deserves from the Seattle faithful.
Being a road trip that probably took a lot of coordination to make happen, what would an organizing staff do without designating t-shirts?! I dawned my eyes on the commemorative t-shirts the ECS had made for those staffing the migration of Sounders fans to and from Portland, and had to take a picture.
Finally it was great for to share the evening with a close and wonderful friend. Jordie and I have known each other since Kindergarden and have remained friends through the years to present day. She did her undergrad in Portland and lives there current, so it’s only natural that on a trip down I had to see her. I was thrilled when she agreed to see to attend the game with me. I was even more thrilled when she asked for me to bring some extra Sounders gear for her. Knowing that she was going to be with a raucous group of visiting fans, she found it in her best interest to be a Sounders fan for an evening. Nothing like converting another to the other side.
Converterted Sounders fan! (Only if for one night)
After a rousing 2-1 victory for the Sounders, my experience with night with the Portland Timbers was appropriately capped with more heckling. Man those guys were relentless! I mean I do some small casual trash talking to friends, but I’ve never openly heckled a complete stranger because of their allegiance to another team, nor have I ever seen it done back on home turf in Seattle. As I waited for Jordie during a stop to the restroom out our way out of the game, I just simply heard a loud, “Hey you in the bright stupid green!” Looking around, I realized that I was the only Sounders clan fan within a 10 foot radius and turned to my antagonist. I simply made eye contact and he then proceeded to look back then say, “Yeah you, you’re kind isn’t wanted around here, GET OUT!” It was an amusing moment in passionate fandom and I simply smiled and just asked the perp what the end score was again. He then scoffed and sort of smiled at the short banter and went on his way. It was the final moment in a fun night of futbol, drinking, banter, rivalry and venturing into the land of the enemy.
