Even More World Cup Talk

 

   So, I'm back again to talk about the only thing I've been talking about for the past few posts - the World Cup. Let's see where things stand.
     Groups A and B finished up their games yesterday. In Group A, Brazil classified in first and Mexico in second (to be honest, I wasn't surprised). Group B had an unusual outcome. Spain, the champion of 2010, is already out, and Holland came in first in their group, with Chile tagging along in second. Which means that Brazil faces Chile on Saturday, while Holland plays Mexico. Predicted outcome: Brazil and Holland move on to the quarterfinals.
     Groups C and D finish today. So far, Columbia is in first, followed by Ivory Coast, Japan, and lastly Greece. In Group D, Costa Rica has already guaranteed their spot in the next stage. Who knew, right? Seriously, though, they beat Uruguay and Italy , and today they face England, who have lost two games in a row. Predictions: in Group C, Columbia, in first, and Ivory Coast, second, proceed to the next stage; in Group D, Costa Rica comes out on top, with Italy barely managing second place.
     Groups E predictions: France in first, Switzerland in second.
     Group F predictions: Argentina in first. As far as the other teams are concerned, I have no clue.
     But now, let's move to the group that concerns me the most: Group G. We already mentioned Germany's win over Portugal and the USA's win over Ghana. So, it would have made sense if Germany had beat Ghana and USA had defeated Portugal. But, of course, that didn't happen. Both games ended with a 2x2 tie.
     In the USA vs. Portugal game, it started with Portugal drawing first blood.

     Later in the game, a bullet sent by Jones left the score even.

     And Dempsey managed to stomach (he he he) another goal, his second this World Cup.

     With not much time remaining, the USMNT had the game in the bag. Americans all over the world were celebrating.

     And during the last minute, well...

     Oh, humanity!
     So, Thursday is the deciding day. Portugal and Ghana play to try to nab second place, while Germany and the USA decide who will be in first. The other could wind up in second...or leave the Cup...
     And, to finish, we have Group H, where Belgium is currently in first and Algeria in second. My prediction is that it will stay that way.
     Oh, I haven't predicted the winners of Group G? Well, that's hard to say, because I can't look at it as unbiased as I could the others. But, here it is: Germany in first, and...I'm pretty hopeful here, so USA in second. For that to happen, either one of the Group G games on Thursday need to end in a tie. Or both of them. I'm not particular. And, if the USA advances (in second, unless they can beat Germany), they will probably play Belgium, according to my predictions.
     So, that's my take on the World Cup so far. I'm counting on you, team USA! We can make it to the finals after (probably) facing Belgium, then Argentina (probably), then Holland (most likely), then whoever it is at the finals. Um... let's just take it one game at a time, then. It looks better than looking at the long run.

More World Cup Talk

     So, we're almost a week into the World Cup, and a lot has already happened. So let's get busy:
     Brazil started the Cup with a 3 to 1 victory over Croatia. Then on Friday Mexico scored one goal against Cameroon and gained the victory. Later that day Holland showed everyone how to play the game with a whopping 5 to 1 win over Spain. Nice. And the last game on Friday gave Chile a victory against Australia, 3 to 1.
     Saturday had four games:
                  Columbia 3 vs 0 Greece
                  Ivory Coast 2 vs 1 Japan
                  Uruguay 1 vs 3 Costa Rica
                  England 1 vs 2 Italy
     And on Sunday:
                  Switzerland 2 vs 1 Ecuador
                  France 3 vs 0 Honduras
                  Argentina 2 vs 1 Bosnia
     But Monday was the important day for me, because it had two games in Group G (and a tie in the Iran-Bosnia game, but, you know). First, Germany played a great game, leaving Cristiano Ronaldo and the rest of Portugal in the dust with a 4 to 0 triumph. But the game I was waiting for came after: the long-awaited USA-Ghana match. And it started off with a goal 25 seconds into the game. A goal for the USMNT, fortunately.

     But then Ghana had to make a goal 82 minutes later. So, what does the US team do?

     But, even with our victory, the USMNT is not ready to face Cris and Co. on Sunday. The game on Monday showcased an extremely poor offense, especially during the second half, where Ghana established themselves to be superior. It was only the American defense and a few unwise decisions on Ghana's side that prevented it from being a massacre. So, can the US take on Portugal and come out victorious? Well, if we can improve our offense, we could have a chance. Portugal is coming from a huge defeat, not to mention a couple of injuries. But of course, every team winds up with some of those.

      So, we'll see how the team plans to hold the Portuguese man-of-war on Saturday, and hope their offense can actually control the ball. But I'm being optimistic. I think we can win. That's just my personality, I guess.
     Go USA!

World Cup Talk

With the World Cup kicking off tomorrow, I got to thinking about...stuff. Obviously it's in Brazil this year, and I live here, so who is more qualified to talk about it than me?
So, here it is...the World Cup Blog Post!

So, let's talk Brazil, since they're hosting the Cup. They've got a good chance of winning this year, but lots of Brazilians don't really want their team to win, due to the incredible amount of money wasted on getting ready for the Cup. Politics, politics. But some fans are ready to cheer their team on.

Actually, these are my co-workers. One of them is actually from Holland. Can you guess who?
(Interestingly, Holland was the team who kicked Brazil out last World Cup.)
As far as the USA goes, is there really a chance? At a first glance, it doesn't seem likely.

 

The USA is in a pretty tough group. They face Ghana, Portugal, and Germany. Bob says there's no way, but after the victory against Nigeria, it seems...to still be pretty tough. Best thing is to root for your team, and if they go, hope they go down fighting. But, hey, they might take the Cup this year. Stranger things have happened. As someone once told me, "Lemonade can be good for the liver." Couldn't have said it better myself.

So who is the winning team this year? Honestly , I don't know. But I'm sticking with the US of A. They might surprise us. Honestly, though, if they win the World Cup, it will prove that God does indeed have a sense of humor.

As if I'm not proof enough.

Changes

Just to let you know, things look a little different on my blog. Something with my Google account. I just went ahead and joined everything together for whatever Google "+" does. By the way, "The Guy" refers to yours truly (but you already knew that).

Graduation

Well, yours truly has recently graduated from high school, leaving much older and less smarter (less smart? no smarter?) than when he started. I was interviewed by Bob, my (imaginary) friend, and it went kinda like this:
Bob: Hey, how are you?
Y.T. (yours truly): OK.
Bob: So, how does it feel to be finished with high school?
Y.T.: Uh, fine, I guess.
Bob: Tell me, what do you plan on doing with your life?
Y.T.: Uh... things, I guess...

And that's about it. What comes next...college? And then...a job, hopefully. Wait, I already have one of those. I guess I don't need college then...?
If I get things sorted out, I'll let everyone know. Meanwhile, I know everyone is planning on getting me graduation presents. Just hang on to them until I get back to the States (hint: I'm gonna need a laptop and a car).
That's all, folks.

He's Back!

Hey, everyone!
Your favoritest blogger is back to doing whatever you do on a blog... whatever it's called. Do people even use blogs anymore? I don't know...
Well, anyhow, I hope to be posting some stuff on here soon, so I guess I'm back in business...for now...

Important Note

As everyone has already noticed by now, I haven't really kept up with my blog, so.....
I have decided to retire (at least for now), but I'll leave my blog up, just in case anyone likes to go over older posts (like my sister).
So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, goodbye..............

Hey everyone!
OK, by now I've hit the list of the top ten lousiest bloggers. I know, I'm sorry. I'm just not very used to blogging that much.
I do want to wish everyone a merry Christmas, and hopefully a very different Christmas than what the neighbors had (loud music, drinking, etc.). Thankfully we have a reason to celebrate. Christmas is not only a day to take off. There is a reason for the season. I hope everyone has a Christ-centered Christmas and a happy New Year in Him.

We're Back!

Hey, it's me........at least I hope so........unless someone hacked in to my computer, then of course it wouldn't be me. It would be...someone else.
Anyway, I think it's me, so we're good to go.
Well, we're finally back from Cuiabá. As a matter of fact, we've been back for a good while now. It's just that I haven't had time for my blog, because.......are you ready?......because, I have a job. Whoopee.....
It's really not all that bad. I'm working at an English school, but I'm not giving you the name. And no, I'm not teaching. I'm in the lab (It would take to long to explain what that is). And before you wonder why I'm paid to do not much anything, consider this: this is a demonstrative pronoun, one of four of them, the other three being that, these, and those.
Anyway, that's pretty much it, so I'll be seeing ya.

Food

One of the greatest blessings to mankind is FOOD (one of Benjamin's top ten words). On our trip we have eaten in many places, sometimes with friends.....

sometimes with family...

 someplace well known...

 someplace not as well known (but just as delicious).

Some places have normal food...

some places the food isn't as normal...

 (like piranha broth)

But everyone is happy, especially with a nice dessert to top it off.

If your not hungry now, it's because you just ate (or else the idea of piranha broth kinda freaked you out). But no matter where the location or what the circumstance (besides an upset stomach), good food is ALWAYS appreciated. Three cheers for food!

Chapada

Today we went to Chapada. Instead of trying to make some funny comment (which never turns out funny anyway), I'll let God's handiwork speak for itself.

Note: This is the geographical center of South America.

Cousins

Since we have been here, we have had time to spend with cousins which we haven't seen in a long time... And no, I had nothing to do with Kevin's arm. The one to Kevin's right is Stanley, and the two on the outside are...well...my brothers (don't tell anyone we're related, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese).

Joshua is actually a first cousin once removed or something similar. My cousin, seated behind, did not want a picture taken, hence the strategically placed child. The cousin, whose identity will not be revealed, does NOT have a name that starts with a J and DEFINITELY does NOT end with ESSICA, and her last name is NOT a city which might be the capital of Peru.....

Now I'm in trouble. Anyway, she won't find out.......... I hope...

Somewhere in Mato Grosso

For those who don't know, our family is in Mato Grosso.....lost in the thick, humid jungle, searching for a way out... OK, not really, but it was worth a try.....
We're actually re-visiting family, doing some sightseeing, and........doing some sightseeing. We recently went to the Pantanal. It had been forever since our last visit, and we had fun seeing the animals, tearing up our car on the road (make note of the commas, otherwise what I just said means something completely different), things like that.......
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. If so, then I've got... let's see... 15000 words in one post... plus whatever else I wrote... It's enough for now.

Water Buffalo

This bird is a tuiuiú (or something like that).

Piranha

A Macaw and a Pastor

Capibara

Some huge lily pads

And a sunset.....

Fourth of July Pictures

Here are the 4th of July pictures (from our 4th of July celebration, of course). The only thing we didn't have were fireworks (sigh).