Just Like Home

It felt like home a little tonight. A bunch of friends, some Guinness, pizza and sports. Except I wasn't watching the games I am used to, I finally got a chance to watch a football match (I am attempting to retrain myself into calling soccer football so I can help out my friends with that difference).

So as I started watching, I listened to the people around me talk about the teams and the facts like I do when I am at home. It was a great feeling but I had to attempt to relearn the game. My friend in high school, Xaiver, played soccer and loved watching it. He would attempt to teach me and I went to watch a few of his games so I understood the main point of it. The entire time I was sitting in the pub tonight I could only think of him and all the talks and lessons we used to have. If I remember correctly he tried to teach me once and I just stared at the ball... my hand-eye coordination is not good enough to do anything like that.

Anyways, I started to get into these games more and soon found myself falling into a familiar pattern.
Drink some beer. Check the other tv. Look back to the first game. Drink some more beer. Grab some pizza. Watch the first game. Hear something happening in the other game so check that tv. Look at the people around me quickly. Drink some more beer. Check my phone for updates.

That last step got me. When I checked my phone I fell back into the pattern I have at home. I get all updates for NHL and NFL to my phone so subconsciously I was waiting for the alert. I did get some alerts... Sadly I saw the notification from the NHL. Ovechkin signed with Moscow. Then I looked at the NFL app only to see the Giants play tomorrow (Friday 130AM Irish Time). Another game I will have to stay updated through SportsCenter notifications.

Even though I am still really upset about the NHL and the fact I can't watch the Giants play, I think after tonight I am ready to throw myself into football (soccer). It is interesting to watch and the environment I am in makes it easier to get sucked in. Granted I still have my moments I don't understand it. For instance after Chelsea and Juventus started shaking hands at the end of a 2-2 game I now know not to turn to the guys and go "Is is done?" Call it the competitive person in me but I like to see a winner and loser so the tie doesn't work for me. And now I also know that the football players get a lot of ankle injuries... a lot. It makes it my multiple sprained ankles look like nothing.

I know this isn't a huge culture difference, we have soccer at home. However I forget about it all the time. I told them my university did not have soccer... then after a minute I realized we do, not many people go to see the games though. I grew up in a football town then moved to a huge hockey area. I suppose living in a football (soccer) area is the next step in the my sporting life.