Week Nine… Ken’s dad visits and Mira Mar vs. Maritimo

Semana nove

Day Fifty Seven (quinquagesimo setimo dia)

Friday (Sexta-feira)

 

Romeo got excused from our run this morning on account of having eaten the chicken carcass from last night’s Thanksgiving feast. John had helped me empty the chicken bones into a plastic bag after he carved it. I had thrown the tied-up bag onto our back porch with the rest of our trash. Romeo had dug his scavenger snout into that bag and eaten every last bone before anyone notices. He seemed fine, but I wanted to let his tummy rest just in case there was any residual effect.

I only did two miles anyway, a little bit of sprinting, in preparation for long-run-Saturday. When I got back from my short run, John was still in bed complaining of a headache from the alcohol. In bed is where he remained until after 5:00pm. #canthang

Without rain, I was finally able to begin my postcard mission. By the time I got to the touristy shop in the square, it was lunchtime which means every store and shop that doesn’t serve lunch is closed. I walked around aimlessly until they opened again at 1:45pm. I sat at Pic-Nic for a while and wrote some out.

John was still out cold when I got home. Lucky for him, they didn’t have to train the juniors. At this point, I wasn’t sure he would even make if for his own practice, but he did. I went to the gym (workout below) and came back to check on him before I went back to teach my class. He was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed after his much-needed rest day. I went back to ALKE to teach my smallest class yet: 7 women. Lina wasn’t feeling well so she sat out, but the ladies who showed up kicked ass. One woman who comes religiously brought her daughter, who is probably a few years younger than me. She reminds me of one of our athletes from home. She also had giant cuts and bruises on her knees, just like I did a few weeks ago. Her mother told me “she falls”. I can sympathize.

 

Day Fifty Eight (quinquagesimo oitavo dia)

Saturday (Sabado)

I went out for 2 hours of lomba running. John went to the gym to make up for his missing Friday. After my 2:00:11, I stopped home to grab my water bottle, two Peanut Butter balls, and my gym towel. I went to ALKE to foam roll and do my burpees. #30burpees30 days Day 12: 30 Single Leg burpees (15E).

Ken’s dad is in town from Geneva, so I said I would watch whatever important game was on at Pic-Nic with John. We had burgers for lunch, but I got a salad instead of fries. It’s not the fries that are so bad (not that they’re so good, either) but I have gotten into the Portuguese habit of covering them in ketchup and mayonnaise. So good but so, so bad. Ken and his dad showed up, too. His dad is Iranian, went to UNC Charlotte where he met his Japanese wife, moved to NYC where Ken and his brother were born, and has lived in Geneva for about 15 years. He is incredibly sweet and very interesting. His name is Amir.

John went off to see Lina and Ernes’ son’s futsol game. I promised to meet him there after I started my meatballs. However, I forgot that futsol games are short and I missed it. By the time I finally started walking towards the gymnasium, John was walking back. Oops.

My meatballs were incredible. The markets don’t have breadcrumbs (or maybe they do), so I broke up half a papos secos, drizzled EVOO (azeite) over the tidbits and broiled them. I made sauce to go along with them (tomato paste, that red pepper stuff, raspberry jam, two tomatoes, an onion, garlic, salt, pepper), and after I baked the balls (ground beef, eggs, onion, breadcrumbs, oregano, salt, pepper) I dropped them in the sauce for a few hours. #bomb

I had finished My Booky Wook the day before so I started in on my next project: Orange is the New Black. I had heard author Piper Kerman’s TED talk a few weeks ago and had heard about the show based on her book. I won’t tell you how good it is, I’ll just say I finished 50% on day 1.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU7a8qp7h7Y

Day Fifty Nine (quinquagesimo novo dia)

Sunday (Domingo)

Mira Mar vs. Maritimo

Romeo hates me. I know this because while we were at Pic-Nic (after I had given him freshly cooked chicken skin as a little treat) HE ATE MY INHALER. I’ve never used said inhaler, so maybe he was teaching me a lesson about hypochondriacism and minimalism. He also ate a container of dental floss and chewed up a pill case with some Ibuprofen in it (but not the Ibuprofen).

I had my second attempt at chicken soup today which I learned on Monday when we finally ate it that it was an epic fail. On the upside, I saw Pedro driving around the vila picking up all the juniors for their game and he said he would give me a ride. It had started to rain, so I was especially grateful. It would rain for the next 72 hours. straight.

John’s junior team played at 12:30pm and they came from behind again and again. They were down 1-0 and they tied it up. Then 2-1 and they tied it up. Down 3-2 and they tied it up with a free kick and then they took the lead in stoppage time for their first win 4-3 over Maritimo. I get a headache and a sore throat from these games, I cheer so loud.

This sweet little boy got a yellow card for taking his shirt off after scoring the winning goal.

It was worth it.

After the game ended, they took their shirts off in celebration without fear of penalty.

During the junior’s game it poured like crazy but got sunny before the end. After a short 30 minute break, the senior team took the field.

John wasn’t as lucky with the weather. It basically poured the entire first half and the puddles were so massive and deep that if the ball landed in one it would all but stop.

Modelling and playing soccer. #multitasking

Ken’s dad took a video on his iPhone of Mira Mar’s signature “crazy lady”: The soccer mom who had a son on the junior team (the boy I referred to in an earlier post as the “punk junior who got a red card”). In the video you hear her yelling non-stop which is what she did today for not 90 minutes, but 180 minutes. In addition to her, you can hear me screaming “Woooo! Woooo!” over and over again. That is what I do when Mira Mar scores.

John didn’t score here, but he almost did another time.

They finished the first half down 1-0 to Maritimo. Mira Mar was clearly out-playing them, but just didn’t have many opportunities to score. They made up for it by scoring four times in the second half (Majid, Berto x 3) and Maritimo managed to sneak one more in for a 4-2 Mira Mar win. Hallelujah.

After Majid scored the team’s first goal. 

We went to Pic-Nic after for celebratory beers and lupini beans. Ken’s dad was leaving the next day and invited us to have dinner with them at Restaurante Jardim. I had roasted chicken, John had pork (with egg), Ken had “ribs” and his dad had a steak. Everything comes with fries, rice, and salad.

We were saved from eating my chicken soup. Thank you, Amir.

I hadn’t done my burpees yet, so I had to do them after dinner. Ouch.