(The following blog was written while I was away, and I would have uploaded it had my laptop not failed me. So just pretend I am not back yet. Oh, and pretend you don't know who won the Euro2008 Cup!)
- Spinner
Of all the times to go on vacation in Spain, this was probably one of the better ones. With Spain preparing to meet Germany in the Euro 2008 finals, it is safe to say the overall mood down here is rather "excited". The bit that makes the biggest impression, with me anyway, is to see the large families going out to see the games in a pub or at the local 'taverna'. Great grandmothers, grandfathers,parents, childen and infants, no-one is spared the celebration, the excitement and the emotional outbursts.
Football is truly is a magnificent game, with paramount effects on the population. The same can probably be said about many sports, i's just that right now, Spain will play their first finals in more than 20 years. They have always had a great team, but somehow, they have failed early on in Championships.
Being a Norwegian can be a bit frustrating at times, when it comes to international football anyway. We failed to qualify for the Euro 2008, mostly due to 3 major blunders by our goalie in a couple of deciding games. But that's just another side of the game, there are both winners and loosers. I do hope though, to see the Norwegian team in the European Championship some time over the next 12 years though. That said, this week, I am half-spanish.
The shirt has been bought, something that sounds like the right cheering has been memorized, and I am eagerly awaiting the finals, down at the taverna, of course.
So far, I've had a great vacation, with almost no interference from work (We did see our DNS-server hosted by someone else go down, but that sorted itself out) and tempratures between 30 and 34 degrees! (Ok, I wouldn't mind a few clouds now and then, or a temprature below 30, but I know I am not supposed to complain about that..) Eating and drinking well, swimming and with the mandatory sunburn (my entire back, of course), everything has gone according to plan so far. I've also managed to decide upon some simulator upgrades that I want in later this summer. It is always nice to get some distance from work, to allow for new ideas and new creativity, not just the day-to-day work.
I would also like to say a special thanks to the entire ML-Team for taking on support, hunting down cheaters, moderating the forums, translating and so on. Without them, it is doubtful we could keep ManagerLeague running at all while I am away, or at all! You all know who you are, and thank you very much for allowing me to take these two weeks off.
I'll be back at work Wednesday July 2nd, and sure enough I'll try to dig into my email (probably about a thoudsand emails waiting) and my ingame message (probably a few hundred of those as well), then the next season-change is just around the corner, and then finally, I can start with some simulator upgrades and extensive testing on the development server.
I wish everyone a great summer.
Spinner
PS: By now, everyone knows that I was lucky enough to be in Spain just as they became Champions, and I can promise you it was quite a celebration! More on that later!
And if you wonder how my sunburn looked, well, take a look for yourself: Warning:: ITS GROSS! (It's my lower back)
