Wednesday's Random Thoughts

Yeah, yeah. Two days late and all that (I actually started writing this Tuesday morning). But we all need our rest (and time with our kids).

OLE, OLE, OH NO: We soccer fans in the US were treated to the most euphoric 45 minutes of our lives. Up 2-0 on Brazil?!? And it wasn't a fluke? And no goals from the penalty spot? Wow.
But in the back of all our minds had to be the reality: It was Brazil, and they weren't going to go down without a fight. And sure enough, before we got comfortable for the second half, Brazil cut the lead in half. And by the time the full time was over, the 2-0 lead had turned into a 3-2 loss.
And as disappointing as the loss was, it was good to see the reaction of the team afterward. After a week of being questioned about their resolve and their competitive nature, there was genuine disappointment on the face of the players. No satisfaction at earning US Soccer's first silver medal at a FIFA competition.
Landon Donovan's comment afterward, about the team being beyond wanting respect, "we want to win," was perfect. This is a team that knows that if they're ever going to be respected around the world (and even at home), they're going to neeed to win, and win on the world stage.
You could see the team running out of gas. It was dump and regroup. Dump and regroup. And that's including the getting the break of the no goal call in the second half, with Tim Howard making the save on what replays showed was a goal.
But there were a couple of other things that jumped out at me afterward.
First, why wait so long for the first substitue? You see the guys gassed like that, maybe you get some fresh legs in a little sooner. I realize that the options for Bob Bradley were limited, especially with his son suspended for a red card, but a set of fresh legs couldn't have hurt.
Second, where was the extra defender on the back post. Even with every Brazilian marked, why isn't one more person back on that post? How many goals have been stopped with that extra body there?
All in all, a silver medal isn't anything to hang your head about, especially after the way the team played the first two games of the tournament. Now the key is to build on it. Hopefully with a strong showing in Mexico.

SHOW ME THE MONEY: The trip is rapidly approaching, and I think we're pretty much ready. Except for one small, tiny detail.
Passports.
For Luc and I, specifically.
We applied for them as soon as we decided to make the trip (and had the money in hand to pay for it). That was four weeks ago. And because of the new law, they say it's taking four-to-six weeks to process.
So, I've been actively checking online for status updates on our passports. You go and check, and the best update you can get is that it's "being processed." And what does that mean, exactly? No one seems to know.
It says on the site that if you're traveling within two weeks, call in and check further, because they will be able to "update you on the status of your application."
So I make the call. The answer I get: "It's being processed." Ohhhhhkaaayyy...
I start asking for more. The answer is the same. Until I get the pitch, "Well, you can apply for it to be expidited."
Sigh. I turn them down Friday, and call again Monday.
I actually get a competent person on the phone this time. We go through the same details. And the answer is the same. Finally, I break down and ask, what does "In Process" mean?
The woman on the other end is sympathetic enough to tell me the truth: "That's all they tell us. We don't know any more about it than it's in process."
Government beauracracy at its best.
At this point, we're less than 10 days (less by the time you read this) and I go ahead and pay to have it expidited. At another $60 per passport. Oh, and I turn down the extra $15 it would have cost for them to FedEx overnight it.
Mind you, this expidited service still doesn't guarantee that it'll arrive before next week's deadline for our trip. If it's not here, we have to go to the federal building in LA (or San Francisco, those are the two closest) to get it.
Meanwhile, Gina's new replacement passport (she's had one previously) was turned around in two weeks. So it's not like it takes six weeks to cut out the photo, laminating the photo in, print out the book and send it out.
My sympathetic operator said that they need to call different agencies and check on information. So, I give them a bit of a pass on trying to track down my stuff. I'm 39 years old and have never had a passport. Maybe it's taking a little longer to check on these things.
But my 2-year-old? What's taking them so long? Does he have a long criminal history? The woman on the other end cracked up. I think she understood the frustration and humor in the situation.
So, I sit and wait. Dreading the idea of having to go to LA with a 2-year-old. The day before we are supposed to get on a plane for Costa Rica. Oh, and I'll probably have to go to OC along the way and pick up NEW copies of our birth certificates (at $17 apiece), since the passport agency currently has ours.
So, word to the wise. If you don't have a passport, do it now. Scrape up the $100 ($75 for the passport, another $25 for the post office or other person processing it) and get it done long before you'll ever need it. Especially now that you need it to go back and forth into Mexico and Canada.

OK, I'm done bitching. Will try to get some more up the rest of the week.