Two Door Cinema Club | captured on September 18, 2011
For whatever reason, I just couldn't write yesterday. In fact, we barely did anything all day, just puttering about. To be honest, we did do groceries and we did take a trek down to Roncesvalles for the Polish Festival, but it was all in slow motion. For one, I was in a bit of a funk (this unemployment stuff really does drag you down) and two, we had one heck of a busy Saturday. We weren't hungover, just tired. But it was all worth it.
The worst part of Saturday was getting up to the alarm at 7:00 a.m.; there's just something wrong with that. Still, we were up and out by 8:00, making our way up north to Aurora for our last soccer tournament of the season. With highways shut down for construction, we were told to leave early to ensure we had enough travel time. Alas, we made it with plenty of time to spare which was probably a good thing because there wasn't much parking near the fields. Sadly, the boys lost all three of their games but they still managed to play very well. In fact, Matthew called the last game of the day "epic" for what transpired.
Dribbling | captured on September 18, 2011
Our last opponents were the league leaders and a pretty physical bunch. At least four of our boys were knocked down more than once and our coach had to run on field no less than three times; once to tend to our keeper who'd received a split lip. The young lad responsible was given a stern warning from the referee but 10 minutes later, this forward challenged the keeper with his "studs up" which is dangerous and a definite no-no. While he hadn't hurt our keeper, he still received a red card—the first such instance I've ever witnessed at a kids' game. A few minutes later, the ref stopped the game again and walked over to the other parents side of the field to tell them to calm down and to keep their comments to themselves or else they'd all be sent away from the sidelines. When one lady couldn't keep her mouth shut, he told her to leave. She yelled some more (I couldn't make out what she was on about) but eventually, she left. There was another fellow involved but after a final warning from the referee, he kept his comments to himself.
It's sad really; these are 10-year-old boys who don't need to see this kind of behaviour. And it's not like they weren't going to win the game. Anyway, our boys played with a renewed vigour but still couldn't come up with a goal. Still, they all agreed it was the best game they'd ever been a part of.
We got home with a couple of hours to ourselves so we could unwind before Shawna arrived to babysit. Jennifer and I then dolled ourselves up and met René and Danielle at the subway station for a trip to Terroni's on Adelaide Street. The place was packed and we had to wait at the bar for a bit before we were seated for dinner but it was worth it. This was one of those night's out that you just need to have every so often; appetizers, a bottle of wine, a main course, coffee and even dessert. I can't even think of the last time we did this but it certainly felt like it was due.
After a leisurely two-hour dinner, we then made our way toward the Lake to the KoolHaus to catch a concert from a band from Northern Ireland called the Two Door Cinema Club. Of course, it was too loud, too hot and the bottles of water I bought cost $4.00 each but hey, what do you expect? The band was fantastic, the light show outstanding and the music perfect.
Sounds like a jam-packed time you had this weekend!.....Glad that all turned out well and that an enjoyable time was had by all.
Great action shot of Matthew...
jxx
Have a good week
Posted by: Joy | September 19, 2011 at 11:14 AM
It is very sad to see any type of sports game with these kind of bullies, not just the players but the parents on the sideline, you're right, it sets a good example for the kids. Glad you were all able to relax and unwind, a full weekend indeed.
Posted by: grandpapa | September 19, 2011 at 03:18 PM
It's obvious Matthew truly enjoys his soccer - great photo. Good to hear you and Jennifer had some time out with friends and you could enjoy the evening. Everyone needs a change from the routines of daily living.
Posted by: Mum | September 20, 2011 at 06:03 AM
Make sure you do little things like going out with Jen and friends for dinner, etc. That's what refills your resilience when life is stressful. You need these things and I'm glad you're doing them. Don't worry about the job...it will come. :)
Posted by: Chris Lancaster | September 21, 2011 at 10:30 PM