... In need of a massage and a nap

We arrived early this morning [UK time] after taking the red- eye from Chicago. Although the Queen mum was not available to have tea with us, we had a fantastic English lunch consisting of our favorite weekly meal, Indian Food.


Of course, we missed our gym work out today, so we decided to go for a walk, through one of the many wonderful parks in the South Kessington region. Acting like the typical tourist, in the city that boasts the River Thames; we took photos and walked dangerously into traffic several times. Just remember to look right first, before crossing any intersection.









Finally, Tanja decided to call it a day/night.
I am sitting here typing around 9pm GMT... Tanja has showered and melted into the bed. I am going to join her in the fine idea as she has begun to breathe softly with her eyes closed.

I would like to remind folks, that the only reason why we came to Europe was to battle jet leg for South Africa. I must leave this disclaimer, that this is not a travel blog about where go to while in London, but rather more of a non forced adjustment for our bodies and mind in relationship to time.





The London eye is wide open, but our eyes are half shut, due to us fighting off our jet leg. Until tomorrow friends and family!








Cheers.

The bags are packed.

After 2 years and almost 5 months of planning, the time has finally arrived to go to South Africa. Looking back, I have noticed that I may be a bit off the scale in terms of "normal" when you hear the story of how much time, I actually put into winning this lottery just, to purchase the initial seats.

I set my alarm for 2am. on Feb 20th, 2009. This is where the determination goes beyond most individuals. I spent the next 5 hours straight pounding refresh, on my home computer screen and on a separate laptop.
Pining to see the Fifa Championship, with feelings of discouragment set in around the 3 hour mark. Sigh, I made a cup of tea... Then closer to 5am cst, knowing that the whole world was still trying, I began to lose doubt. Surely I thought; by now the 88,460 seats for the Soccer City in the Joburg venue must be sold out. I wanted to throw in the towel. I personally believe that most "rational" individuals would have given up at that point, but thanks to my "stalker like" firmness, I sought out my former lover; the most popular game of the world.







Long story short, at appoximately 7am[cst] I got in on the laptop link...Next>>> total jubilation as I screamed, jumped up and pinched myself. All of this activity scaring my Tanja, who usually has very subtle morning rituals of greeting the sun with her yoga practice and then having a fruit smoothie... Meanwhile I was dancing like the 14 yr. old at their first concert.[** my childhood flash back to 1984 Michael Jackson and the Victory Tour, a shout out the good ole' days.]



I repeated the same computer scenario set up later in that week. I was fortunate to be able to purchase with only 10 mins of invested time two other games. I felt that it would be a shame to visit South Africa and only visit one city. Our final schedule of events will weave us from the "Mother City" of Capetown through the wine country, climbing table mountain, touching the cape point penguins and finishing up on the garden route in Port Elizabeth. Aside from soccer, we will attend Africa's largest art festival and visit a Big 5 game reserve. A trip and dream of a lifetime for my lovely wife and I.

Please stay tuned and feel free to comment.
Next stop, London.

Fifa Replay - Watch Party

On Thursday evening at 7 p.m. Tanja and I will host a replay match dinner featuring Argentina Vs. South Korea. This is open to anyone and every- "able" body that is reading this preamble to our trip.

**Please, if you decide to attend, do not watch the game during the early morning hours and more importantly if you chose to do so >>>>> Please do not spoil the purist by, blabbing out the score :}

On the menu is Argentinian steak; served along side, Korean grilled veggies... Please note, the MVP of the evening is a smooth 2004 Malbec.

It will start flowing around 6:30pm. See you all later.

June 11th has arrived.

This is what we all have been waiting for. This day started out on a sad note. We learned over night, after the opening concert featuring the likes of: Angelique Kidjo, John Legend, Alicia Keys and Shakira; while in transit home; Madibas' {Nelson Mandela} great granddaughter, Zenani Mandela; just 2 days past her 13th birthday, was a victim by way of being a passenger of a drunk driver. The family driver, who is now being charged by the authorities, admitted to consuming alcohol at the party and then getting behind the wheel. SIGH!!! The Mandela Foundation asked for prayers for the family and excused the 90 + yr old, as they are all in shock and mourning their loss.

The kick off between Mexico and the host nation South Africa was a wonderful way to begin the day here in a very warm and humid day in Chicago... With temps reaching in the upper 80's, Tanja and I watched the celebration, until I was called into work at the 15 minute mark. Sigh!!!

"Oh well, it is being taped" I spewed, as I dashed out... To my surprise we finished earlier than I had anticipated so, the 2nd game of France vs Uruguay was viewed during our lunch time hours.
Armed with Brie Cheese and a Baguette, ***[Go France]*** my Tanja watched from her bedroom, due to a ill feelings onset. I hope it is just a 24 hour bug! I took up residence in the "Price Fan Park", until the mosquito's scored several times. 10 min's into the match, I decided to join the the dog,who enjoys the climate control environment of our living room.

Here is a look into our homemade viewing area, which is setup like a mini fan park with the various soccer nations hanging above our heads, as we sit comfortably eating and drinking. For anyone interested in watching the matches know that we will be having an open house daily, until we depart for Capetown. Join us this Saturday June 12, 2010 at 12:30 CST. On the menu will be chicken curry and english ale as the USA takes on England. Oh yeah , I have apple pie and beef hot dogs for the USA fans as well... of course Budweiser could not be forgotten. Cheers for now!

With two weeks to go, the vacation of a life time awaits...

Television news stories, videos and blogs have been running rampant about everything from the players parents too the security in South Africa. I am mostly interested in the fans and how they like to celebrate with FIFA every 4 years; for a month long pause, from daily life. Recently, I have been working really long hours (mostly middle of the night stuff) and reading the South African times, by day. [It seems to be the only two accomplishments that I am able to report. I can not focus yet on the fun, until literally getting on the plane on the 21st of June.]

Finally for us here, in the home of the brave, the US press has started to catch up to the rest of the world with the World Cup fever. I am able to boast that the City of Chicago has even done one better, by becoming a host world city... Fans new and old are welcome to gather at Daley Plaza starting Friday morning at 08:30 am -5:00pm... ***(9:00am)South Africa will open the tournament as they play Mexico and then at 13:30 pm ***Uruguay and France will battle it out, on the first day of an amazing 30 days of excitement.

If you can not make it downtown, just know that I will be having a small gathering every day, until we leave. Tanja and I will be gleefully honoring every game played in the "motherland.

" Bring your families and enjoy the true soccer spirit. Some games maybe on tape delay due to our work commitments. We will start the games around 4 pm nightly M-F... As well as at their scheduled time on Sa/Sun's. Wear your favorite country jersey or ask for a specific face paint from our many choices.

About a month away

I am doing everything that I can do, to maintain my composer, as we have about 32 days and 3 min.'s before we take off on our biggest trip of our lifetime.

The last few days have been filled with me calling and emailing South African hotels and car rental dealerships to make sure, that our reservations are still solid; since we booked and paid for everything over a year in advance...

The Big Five Safari is on my mind right now, we have been blessed to secure a 3 day excursion to the Addo National Park , chosen for the wonderful location near, Port Elizabeth. We also found it to be one of the few "malaria free" game parks.

Thank Goodness, no shots are necessary for us on this trip.

**

[Side note] The German center forward Michael Ballack (aka.the best player on the team) had a ankle injury occur on Saturday afternoon. Sigh!!! It feels like being punched in the stomach when you see your prize fighter slip on a banana peel the night before the championship.

It has been a while ...

I have been treading water for the last month or so... The current state of the economy gets the blame for the "ills" for our existence these days. I have been over run with my everyday chores. Enough of the excuses. I am anxiously preparing for the WC 2010 in South Africa.


In preparation, we have purchased a new waterproof camera, Olympus -Stylus 6000. Aside from the catchy name, it is really practical. This 10 megapixel german lens is water & drop proof (up to 5ft.). It also takes videos and shoots in pana-vision, which we can not wait until we get the Table Top mountain. This slim profile size was also a big factor in selecting this documenting tool.



Tanja and I are planning to cover and blog daily about our trip in the "Motherland". Everything from our ground transportation to the little quirky tid bits that we discover off the beaten path.

39 days and counting...



Stay tuned!