New #28: Watch the World Cup

This was one new I shared with the rest of America: watching (and caring about) a pro soccer game. Yes, I jumped on the bandwagon rolling along with the black and white ball during this year's World Cup.

Without a TV, I'd mostly followed games in the news, hearing about them after they'd been played. It wasn't until it came down to last one that I knew I had to watch it live. Not only because it was the finale, but because the Dutch, my people, my motherland, had made it to the finals. So maybe they didn't win, but I had a great time cheering them on and getting a taste of the sport the rest of the world just can't seem to get enough of.

Ben and I went to watch the game at a local sports bar, where even on the Sunday afternoon it was filled with people in orange and blue, the Netherlands and Spain's colors. Coming in at half time (or whatever they call it in soccer), we were lucky to find a seat. I ordered a Heineken, adjusted my ears to the ringing vuvuzela and began to watch the game.

Just in case you're not sure what a TV or a soccer game look like,
I took this picture.

It didn't take me long to fall in love with the over-the-top theatrics of the game. These guys are drama! Every few seconds one of the players would flamboyantly fall to the ground as if someone had just taken a bat to their leg. In reality, they were just trying to flag that yellowcard for a penalty shot (if I'm getting my soccer lingo correct). It was so obvious it was all an act, one case in point being when a Spaniard fell to the ground grasping his shin, only to spring up like a young gazel seconds later to run after and shove the guy who allegedly kicked him. Too classic. Ben thought they were all wussy cry babies, but I appreciated their efforts in acting hurt. It was all very European.

I also thoroughly enjoyed slow motion clips. The best were the ones that came after the guys tried to head butt the ball. It's hard to even describe the faces they'd make, but more times than not they resembled a baby seal being born. That was my interpretation, at least. See for yourself with this slo mo montage.

Even without either team scoring until the last few minutes, the game moved along so fast, with the ball continuously bouncing up and down the field. And the players kept giving it their all for 90 minutes straight - even all 123 minutes, in this case. In the end, the one and only goal was made by Spain. But I'm still proud of the Dutch for getting so far and playing such an great game. And no matter which team wins, I'm always a sucker for how happy the victors get, especially with the misty eyes.

All in all, any sport that mixes this much athletics with acting - not to mention marvelous slow motion clips - is a great sport to me ... although I'm sure I'll forget that until the next World Cup. Hey it's a start, America.

Cheers to soccer!

New #27: Brew Some "Shampoo" and Use It

Recently I've discovered Stumble Upon, which, simply put, is the best internet invention ever. All you have to do is let it know what you like (art, alternative music, anarchy, whatever), hit "stumble" and it will pull up a random website you'd be interested in. So. Addicting. Anyway, one of the first sites I came across was a potion of sorts, explaining how to make your own shampoo. Really, the "shampoo" was just baking soda and water. One tablespoon baking soda for every cup of water, to be exact. This article also talked about the evils of traditional 'poos, how they're basically a detergent that strips your hair of natural oils and leaves your scalp dependent on more chemicals and products and what not. You can read all about for yourself here. I bookmarked the page thinking it was somewhat interesting. Then I ran out of my own shampoo. With a new needed on the horizon, I decided to give homemade haircare a try.

The formula was ridiculously easy to make. All you need is one tablespoon of baking soda mixed with one cup of water. I just funneled these into my empty evil shampoo bottle, gave it a shake and was good to go.


In the shower, I got my hair wet and poured a tiny bit of the potion on top. Unlike other shampoos that bubble and foam all over your head, this just felt like I was pouring on cold water (which is kind of all I was doing). The directions said to add little bits of the baking soda/water mix and massage it into your scalp. Without bubbles it was hard to tell if I was getting it all over my head, so I just kept splashing on more and more. In the end, I'd gone through about half of the bottle. It actually left a funny soapy/waxy feeling on my hands, but seemed to wash out of my hair well enough. Or so I thought.

After the shower, I was thrilled I was able to comb through my hair without it falling out (it is a little scary using baking soda - which kills all sorts of things around the house - on your head). All was well ... until my hair dried. Then that soapy/waxy feeling surfaced in my hair. Reading back on the original directions, it said to use just a small amount of the shampoo each wash. I guess "apply liberally" does not apply to baking soda shampoo.

My hair felt like straw all day, and was a nightmare to get a brush through. But I have to say, it was indeed clean, which is the basic purpose of shampoo, I guess. I may use it one or two more times to see if using less leaves less of a yucky feeling in my hair. But realistically, I'll probably be buying another bottle of the devil's shampoo next time I go to the store. Sorry, hair. I'd rather you feel nice and soft, even if it means you're a detergent-rinsed chemical junky.