Musings on Football

Football is the most fantastic sport. If you want to watch it in the background while you do your work, it doesn’t require second to second attention; if you want to pay direct attention to it, the ebb and flow of the match keep you more entertained than a baby with a banjo; and if you want a little of both, that works too.

Naturally, I’m doing a little of both right now. Tonight’s match is of no major importance, so I decided to do some work while I watched. Once in a while I can look up, check where the ball is on the pitch, and resume working with the full comprehension of what’s going on. As far as I can think of, there aren’t really any other sports like that. Not hockey, basketball or American football that’s for sure. Maybe baseball, but you could lose your place in the game pretty easily if you miss an inning or two.

So in my unofficial poll of sports I just thought about in my brain, football is the most versatile. Pretty cool, right?

(Just don’t mention this to any Englishmen, or any Europeans for that matter, because they would be very, very angry I said this. To them, this is a lifestyle and a passion that must be follow down to the second, even if the match does feature your shadow squad with some first-timers in a league round robin stage you’ve already completed. Still, they’re obsessed.)

E-Readers

Now considering myself a decent traveler, I have begun to question a few potential purchases once I return to the States. First off, I plan to get a new cell phone. I am, however, stuck within the AT&T silo, leaving me with precious few upgrades. My choices basically boil down to an iPhone, Jack by Samsung, or a Blackberry.

It isn’t that I’m against these options, but something else comes into play when making my decision: The e-reader.

To be fair, I am not sold on the concept of a Kindle or Nook or whatever company will call theirs Cranny. But I am also not totally against the idea. I, you see, am a nerd, ready to read whatever I can, whenever I can, about a variety of interests. So the idea of getting my magazines, newspapers and books (maybe even some I have to read for classes) onto one object appeals to me greatly.

Here’s where this affects my phone debate: The Nook has wi-fi and works on Android, which means it could potentially have the hardware to run Android apps. If I get an e-reader with decent wi-fi and applications, do I really need a cell phone like the iPhone? (Of course, Android is fairly new so we don’t know how much it’ll work out, or how much Nook will work to allow for using it for its apps.)

Also, what if I got an iPod Touch and just used two devices, one phone, one application device? That totally eliminates the previous e-reader conversation for now, but it is still a potential option.

The downside I see to a wi-fi device not connected to a network is a loss of using a device anywhere. With an iPhone, Jack or Blackberry, I could be on the web no matter where. With the iPod Touch or Nook, I would be limited to certain locations where I pick up the wi-fi.

I know there are a decent amount of you tech nerds like me our there, so help me out! Got an idea for me? This is quite a tech nerds dilemma.

VIP Day!

If you were wondering, Brits celebrate Christmas too! Shocking, I know. Today is VIP Day on Oxford Street around the corner from my flat. The entire road is shut down so that the VIPs (Very Important Pedestrians) of the UK can shop their pretty little hearts out 19 days from Christmas. Last year’s event had an estimated 1.5 million people take part, so it’s safe to say that the thing is a little bit popular.

Am I going? Heck no. I live next door to these shops and pass them nearly every day. As much fun as I’m sure the street performers are, I’d rather go at times that I have established as less busy and therefore more efficient for the shopper. (These, apparently, are the things I take time to think about here).

It a plan that reminds me of the new traffic free efforts in Times Square, which people seemed to love. If it proves to be a boon for business then I say kudos to London. But at the same time, it is only for about nine hours once a year, so it’s not like it changes much. Shut it down for a week of shopping, and let’s see how many VIPs show up then.

Christmas Comes Early

It is now December, which means people can officially admit the holidays are coming. Here in London, that was extremely noticeable in the extra amount of lights on across the city on the night of December first. Harrod’s, which already had tons of lights, now has moving ones. A massive star appeared above the road near Hyde Park Corner. Trees, real and fake (but mostly fake), have popped up like prairie dogs. It is an incredible transformation.

Personally, I cannot decide whether or not to buy Christmas presents for friends and family here or in the States. Saying the present is “from London” would be nice, but everything is so darn expensive. I guess there will be more to come on that when I make a decision.

It is odd to think that my time is winding down here. Just yesterday I was searching for a flat with people I barely knew, wondering where the hell we were and why there were so many bloody people in costumes (we got stuck in the middle of a carnival). But now we are discussing ways to return to the airport, getting back our security deposit and how to best clean the place we’ve called home since the last weekend in August.

I am excited to go back, don’t get me wrong. Home is where the heart is, and my heart will always be in Pennsylvania (sounds pretty anti-poetic, doesn’t it?). But London will always hold a place near and dear as well. That I am sure of.