Wandering Mind

I have a couple of days off from the Market and my body needs it. As the calendar year comes to an end I find myself bothered by nagging injuries; torn rotator cuff muscle in my left shoulder; pain in my right thumb; minor nerve damage in the balls of both feet; and there’s something creaky about my neck, a stabbing pain if I turn my head at a certain angle. This neck pain really bothers me when I ride my bike. I walked 27 miles over my last two shifts at the Market. This afternoon I had a training session in my home gym, and then took a fast walk up the hill to Franceschi Park. The recent rainfall was a boon, and the ground beneath the trees is still damp. The view was magnificent, visibility to the Channel Islands, clear blue sky, and a slight breeze moving through the Eucalyptus trees. 

As I walk my mind skips from topic to topic: rising rents and the continuing gentrification of State Street in Santa Barbara; how many more years I might be able to work at the tempo I work at now; where my wife and I will ultimately live, it can’t be our hometown. We’re on the road to being priced out as so many have been in the real estate madness and cruelty that prevails, not just in SB, but all over the country; my son and daughter will both be home for Christmas, and I’m looking forward to seeing them; my grown children are hilarious individually and brutally so together; the way MBS of Saudi Arabia toys with the Biden Administration is a clear sign of waning US influence. The US is no longer able to call all the shots. Why is the US in this unbreakable marriage with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia? Oil is part of it. American military installations and arms sales are the other. It’s an unholy alliance that has gone on for far too long. Never let anyone tell you that the military industry doesn’t get what it wants, it always does. There’s no empire without it. Maybe in their lifetimes my kids will witness the dismantling of the American empire, the rolling up and shutting down of the massive worldwide network of bases and outposts and installations, which even a fraction of the annual cost could fund health care for all, housing and food security, clean water, education and climate mitigation.

And I think about the World Cup Quarter Finals. 

Eight teams left. Croatia, Brazil, Netherlands, Argentina, Morocco, Portugal, England and France.

Brazil is a ridiculously talented and deep squad, their football is creative, expressive, and athletic. Many Brazilians play in the Premier League and in Europe’s Top Five leagues. Loads of swagger, too. Croatia is scrappy, as we saw in 2018, led by 37-year-old maestro Luka Modric (I love watching Modric control the tempo and pass the ball, he’s brilliant), but they have talented players in nearly every position. Maybe a little weak up front, but sturdy in defense and their midfield is solid with Kovacic and Brozovic. Croatia will need a massive team performance to have any chance. However, I expect Brazil to prevail by a 2-nil margin. I’m sure the Netherlands will have a tactical plan for Argentina, and I expect this one to be tight. Low score, a 1-nil to Argentina in extra time? 

Every World Cup there’s a sleeper team that surprises everyone. In 2022 that team is Morocco, the only African team to earn a berth in the quarterfinals. I like Morocco very much and admire their unity and spirit; I won’t count them out. Portugal is a team with a chance to win it all, sneaking through the backdoor like they did in the Euros in 2016. A talented team, pretty stingy, and full of creative attacking talent, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix and the youngster who scored a hattrick and tallied an assist in the blowout of Switzerland. In my opinion, Portugal is a better team without Ronaldo in the starting eleven. It would be incredible if Morocco finds a way through, but I expect Portugal’s experience will make the difference. The match I am most looking forward to is England-France. In Kylian Mbappe France has the ultimate impact player, but England is solid, with attacking options of their own. For England to win, Kyle Walker must have an impactful game. This one is hard to call. I think goals will be scored, and the final score might be 3-2, either way. Curious to see how England approach the match tactically. 

Our luck is holding, everyone is healthy, we have a nice roof overhead, walls around us, a lovely bed to sleep in, running water and heat, food and drink, books on shelves. Nothing is ordinary, almost everything sacred when you get down to it. My wife is still in the process of grieving her sister who died almost a month ago. Today I spoke to my 88-year-old mother, who told me about how much fruit she eats every day, and the cherries she bought at Whole Foods. The women on my mother’s side of the family live long lives, deep into their 90’s, with all their faculties intact. Stubborn French-Canadian stock, immigrants, mill workers. My maternal grandfather never drove a car.