shyza!

Well the thrill ride is over for Germany. Yes I was proudly rooting for Germany to go all the way. Sigh. Now I confess I haven’t technically been watching any of the games but I feel I’ve been very involved nonetheless. See I live on Yonge St. and after every game there would be a ruckus outside and Jeremy and I would just lean over and see what flags were being waved and we’d know who won. He was actually watching some games though; in fact he had a dreadful fever and was (apparently) near death until he realized that by taking the day off work he could watch the game. He was cured. Well in spirit anyway. But I digress. While walking home yesterday I had just passed College and was nearly knocked on my ass by a deafening roar. I’m pretty sure it was mainly from Hoop’s but it could have just as easily been Little Italy itself. So I knew, by the time I got home to see Jeremy’s moue I already knew the bitter taste of defeat. I was waiting for the kick in the teeth this morning to come from my boss, a Brit who I ruthlessly harassed when England went out. I sent her the following email:

Heard England was out. Sorry Poodle. Auf Wiedersehen ;P hee hee.

Heh. Well I never claimed to be classy. Anyhoo I expected retal, maybe a Suck a crumpet or something. Nothing yet but I’m sure she’s cooking something up. So I checked out the Official FIFA site this morn, in preparation for this post, and found a heartening article regarding Germany’s loss. The stein is half full -

“President Horst Koehler told the newspaper that Germans must try to sustain the new-found patriotism they discovered during the tournament, when for the first time since the war waving German flags and singing the national anthem were accepted as natural gestures of healthy national pride.”

Huh. Never thought about it like that. But you know I haven’t seen a single German flag being waved in the city. Sure there isn’t really a ‘German town’ here, but still. Moving on -

"People abroad were stunned by the Germans, who turned a perfectly organized tournament into a gigantic celebration. We are the world champions in partying. This World Cup month has done us good."

True! I was walking home with Margaret and remarked on the lack on flags and cheering that takes place on a Germany win and she said that that was because the Germans don’t drink or party as much as the English in their pubs. I looked at her aghast and asked her if she’d ever heard of Oktoberfest. C’mon now. Honestly.