My little sister was 8 when the 5th Harry Potter book came out. She read the first four in a week (fast reader + she literally walked everywhere with the book in front of her nose), but it took her more than a week to read the 5th one. I kept wondering why she was being so slow when my mom confided that she kept putting it down because some parts were too scary for her. Umbridge was way scarier to her than Voldemort.
My boyfriend LOVED Samurai Sushi (and so did I, but he was especially impressed by the magic of The Toast). Thanks for the suggestion! It was definitely my favorite meal we ate :)
Thank you! Those were my top ideas - good to know they're fun even if they're touristy!
We are staying at a hotel that's literally IN the airport (our Airbnb fell through - the dude realized he could probably make a lot more money off of American soccer fans this weekend, boo! But it seems there is good transportation from the airport). We like to walk (so parks/hikes/ interesting parts of town are good) and eat (my boyfriend says he wants to both see and eat a lot of fish). We're an active bunch - my dad is planning on finding a city beach to go swimming because that's his jam.
The weather is supposed to be amazing this weekend, so things outdoors would be great, but I could stand a museum/shop or two if you have any strong recommendations!
I am going to VANCOUVER for the first time this weekend to go watch some soccer! Canadian friends - what should I do/see/eat tomorrow?
Ahhhh, I totally feel you! And I also wanted to wallow this week and no one would let me. Is it really that bad to just wallow for a bit? I just needed to get it all out and people were like "well, at least you'll have this experience for your resume," which is not the point - the point is I'm having an existential crisis, please hold my hand quietly until I have the strength to look at more job applications.
I'm sending you all the cheese you need to get through it! Good luck!
My fellow Toastie San Franciscans!
My sister is visiting me this weekend and we were planning on biking around town for a TREAT YO'SELF themed day. As fun as SF Pride is, my sister is also recovering from a concussion that makes her sensitive to overstimulation in crowded areas (even grocery store aisles have too much going on in them for her poor confused eyeballs and brains).
SO- is there any way to get around town on Pride that sort of avoids the crowded areas, or should we just stay inside and treat ourselves to cookies and sports all weekend? We've got bikes as our main transportation, which is normally how I get around, but maybe the streets will even be too busy for bikes to fit through?
I think that's a fair point, but I just feel that there's a difference between winning and... I don't know, being a sore winner? (I'm not saying that's what the German team did by winning 10-0, just in general) It's not poor sportsmanship to maintain your lead in a race, but I think it would be poor sportsmanship to take a victory lap while your opponent is still struggling to finish. I definitely don't blame a team for padding their lead — helps their standings, individuals have a better chance of getting the Golden Boot — but it's not like their victory was ever in doubt. I've always played in leagues where it's frowned upon to dunk on your opponent too much, but you're right, it is difficult to say where that line is.
I think this is tricky because of the timing of the game - if it was their last group stage game, or a knockout game, then by five or seven goals up they already know they have locked in the win and yes, it's poor sportsmanship to keep scoring and celebrating goals. But it was their first game and that goal differential could really help them later, so it's hard to really say that it was poor sportsmanship. But these are professional athletes, so I totally understand their drive to win however they can.
Back in high school (obviously not the same level of soccer, but still) we had moved down a league and were regularly winning 10-0, 9-0, etc. Our coach allowed us to score 4-5 before putting in rules (ie we try to set up these 3 people to score, you can only score with your head). We still managed to score too many goals, but everyone agrees there's a certain point where it's just mean-spirited to keep hammering them.
I have tickets to the final and I am SO STOKED but also VERY WORRIED that I will get there and my detailed USA facepainting plans will not come to fruition. At least if France plays the US in the semis, I'll have one of my home nations to root for...
But you're right - the craziness is the fun! Buuuut you can also have crazy (Germany beats Brazil 7-1) and then totally expected (Germany wins the 2014 Cup). So maybe we can have both and still have a USA victory?
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