Nostalgia

A few things over the last week have brought back some great memories and since it's my blog, I'm writing about them.

The World Cup

I thought I was going to make it through the World Cup without getting sucked in. I missed the thrilling U.S./England match because I was out in the middle of nowhere. And then I was busy and didn't even turn on the TV or look up the game schedule.

But then on Friday, my co-workers switched our TVs from Bloomberg and CNBC to ESPN for U.S./Slovenia game. I continued to work, but did find my eyes wandering to the game pretty frequently.

And before I knew it, I was back to the soccer field and criticizing the players for not covering the "back door" on the goal and making some pretty horrible shots on goal.

I played for about 10 years, and it was one of those things I really loved. (I also like to believe that I started playing before it became this crazy suburban trend.) Anyway, I walked on that field and my confidence increased, I turned into an aggressive and loud soccer player. I loved that nothing else mattered but the game when you're on the field, and every time I failed, I knew I also had an opportunity to make up for it.

But almost as much as the game itself, I loved after the game when my dad and I would replay it and analyze it and plan how the next game would be different and better. My dad spent years coaching me, and we traveled all over the Southeast every spring. I'm still not sure how my parents managed it all, but I'm very grateful they did. 

Along the way I also had some surreal non-playing soccer moments, including watching the U.S. women's team win the gold medal in the '96 Olympics and a couple of years later having them come trick-or-treating at my house. (Note: If the Olympics are ever within two hours of where you live, buy tickets and go see something, anything. It's totally worth it.)

I stopped playing soccer after my sophomore year in high school for a number of reasons, but I think I reached the point where it was no longer fun and not my passion, which meant I got to pursue journalism and find out what else I was enjoyed.

But yes, I'll probably watch some more World Cup games to relive my soccer memories. (Here's hoping to a slow morning at work, so distractions are allowed!)

Sex and the City

I finally went to see the second movie this weekend. I can't watch any of the Sex and the City episodes or movies without flashing back to my junior year of college.

I lived with four girls in one room in the sorority house. Some of my fondest memories of college are from that room and that semester. Those girls helped me relax and stop obsessing about school and really have fun. They were also the friends that showed me a good time on my 21st birthday, put me to bed and then went out again.

And somehow over the course of the semester we made it through all six seasons of Sex and the City on DVD. We had a rule that we couldn't skip ahead and watch without the others, and we spent a lot of time on an old couch watching it together.

It makes me wish we could all meet back together and watch these movies together, but we have literally spread out across the country. But I love that just coming across an episode on TV or going to the movies reminds me of those girls and that semester we lived together.