Father needed my help with something in his stock account, then once we were done he told me to take a shower and then go to bed.  I thought nah, then I thought I should because, if I shower today/Thursday and I don't trim my nails in time, I'll be cutting them tomorrow/Friday, and that would be bad luck.  But then I kept scrolling in social media and then I got real tired, so nah, I'll shower tomorrow.  I hope I haven't disappointed/pissed off Father.

The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

#-1: United FC (Last Week: -2).  It looked as though they were going to lose at St. Louis City SC, one of the worst teams in The Western Conference, of not the whole of Major League Soccer.  Like their home Loss to LAFC, they gave up a Penalty Kick Goal in the First Half, and they were having a devil of a time equalizing.

But equalize they did ... and then some.  They came back to win, 2-1, with both of their Goals coming from the spot.  Three PK Goals in the same Match?  Never heard of that before.  The Game-tying tally came when St. Louis' Chris Durkin was called for his second Yellow Card of the Match spinning a Loon down (sorta; there probably was some acting there) in the box.  Kelvin Yeboah converted, and although the second Penalty came from a handball, I think St. Louis being down a man contributed to that, too.  Yeboah scored that one as well, and MNUFC remains a Point behind Vancouver for second in the West and two Points behind San Diego for first as they now pause league play to participate in The Leagues Cup.

The format is different this Year; teams in one league play three Games only against teams from the other league.  And Minnesota United seems to have gotten the good luck of the draw -- they host two of the least-heralded teams in Liga MX, Queretaro tonight/Wednesday night and San Luis next Wednesday.  They travel to the southern United States to play one of the biggest clubs in Mexico, and "host," Club America Saturday night.  Unfortunately, the format of the tournament is stacked against them; of the 18 MLS clubs participating, only the top four advance to the Knockout Round, which means they could conceivably run the table and still lose via Tie-Breakers.  And of course, if they lose one Game in regulation, it's probably curtains for the Loons.  Eesh.

#-2: Lynx (Last Week: -1).  Crushed The Bastard Utah Starzz Friday but lost a close one to Atlanta Sunday.  Both Games were at home.  You know what?  Even though they have the best record in the WNBA by four Games (over New York, who've righted their ship), I don't know if they're going to win the championship.  They're an old team, in my opinion.  Moreover, it feels as though this team goes as not Napheesa Collier but Courtney Williams goes.  If Court is making her shots, the Lynx are unstoppable.  If she doesn't, the Lynx are very beatable.  And by the way, Kayla McBride isn't having a good season.  She serves as the Robin to Phee's Batman.  If she doesn't get right, I'm afraid the Lynx are toast.

Minnesota finishes a five-Game homestand hosting said Liberty tonight/Wednesday night.  The club then heads west to play at Las Vegas Saturday afternoon and at Seattle Tuesday.

#-3: Twins (Last Week: -3).  A 2-4 Week which began with Griffin Jax blowing a lead and the Game at The Bastard Brooklyn Dodgers last Wednesday, continued with losing a series at home to the last-place Bastard Montreal Expos, and, currently, a split with Boston, also at Target Field.  That, along with Cleveland and Kansas City both playing better enough to move past Minnesota up the Division, means that the Twinks are sellers, and even though there are several more players that could (and probably should) go, the only one to be dealt before tomorrow's/Thursday's Trade Deadline as of now is Pitcher Chris Paddack, who went to AL Central-leading Detroit.  Jhoan Duran was seen hugging people in the Bullpen during last/Tuesday night's 8-5 Loss to the Red Sox, but I have yet to hear that the Closer has been moved.  It's sad that the team will probably be in the middle of a fire sale.  It's also the logical thing to do.  How ironic.

After finishing up their series with the BoSox this/Wednesday afternoon, they travel to Cleveland for a weekend series against the Guardians, then travel to Detroit to play a trio against the Tigers starting Monday.

My Schedule Couldn't Be Any Worse This Week

For the second time in two weeks, I am seeing a Wednesday night MNUFC Match on a day where I have to report early to work.  Because I now am expected to go into the lab an hour earlier than before, I have to get to work at 6:30, much earlier than I would than if I were in The Third or Fourth Department.  Furthermore, my days where I have to go into the lab is tied to my position as keyer, meaning there is virtually no chance I would stay beyond a shift in that position, which is around 3.  If I were in The Third or Fourth Department, not only would I be able to come into work at 8 (meaning I can get 90 more minutes of rest), I am virtually assured that the work that gets piled onto my desk would be enough to stay so that by the time I am done, it would be time to get to the Match.  (Actually, there's a greater chance that there would be so much work that I would have to leave some till the next day if I wanted to get to the Loons Match on time.)

But for the second time in three Wednesdays, I am facing a gap of 4 1/2 hours between the end of my workday and the Match for which I am a season ticket holder.  That's a hell of a long time to kill.  What could I do?  Sleep would be best, but in the middle of a broiling summer I doubt I will be able to take a good, long nap in my car.  Do I eat when I plan on eating and drinking at the Game?  I can go to the library and get on the Internet, I guess, but for 4 1/2 hours?  That would make me tired enough to go to my car and sleep.

See, two Wednesdays ago, this wasn't a problem.  The Women's EUROS was still going on, and the Copa America Feminina just started.  Once I realized I could watch women's continental soccer, I actually punched out early so that I could drive all the way down to the Black Hart, catch the Second Half of Italy-Norway, see Brazil immolate Bolivia, then still have 90 minutes to kill, so I went back to my car, changed out of my shirt to put on my MNUFC jersey, then try to nap for half an hour before concluding it was useless and just going to the stadium.  If I was tired, I don't remember.

I will not have soccer to watch Wednesday afternoon/evening.  And I do not want to have a drink at a bar for 4 1/2 hours.  This has gotten to be such a pain in the ass that I have decided I can ... no, need to get a massage in that time period.  In situations like this where I am desperate to fill time with something productive, I want to kill two birds with one stone.  I have needed a massage for a long time, and it looks as though this yawning gap Wednesday is the perfect time to do it.  I even am OK going to the one I have been to a couple times in downtown Minneapolis even though I would have to zip across the Twin Cities to do so, then cross back to get to the Match.  But apparently they have no time slots open then.  I just looked at a Reddit thread of best massage places and I saw a couple on the St. Paul side.  The first one I honed in on also appears to not have space this Wednesday (although they have time slots around that time of the day today/Tuesday and Thursday -- what's the deal with Wednesday?)

The other possibility is a massage school, one I have never heard of.  Like I said, I am so desperate to fill up my time that I think I'm going to do it ... even though there's a good chance that some dude who may not know what he's doing is going to rub me down.  Not a fan.  But hey, I need to kill off 4 1/2 hours ... massage away!

So I spent most of Saturday afternoon enjoying life -- having lunch downtown with someone I've been meaning to have lunch with since this summer, then going to see a music festival at a bar, wherein my friend, who I just had lunch with, decided to also come to the music fest, and brought her friend in tow.

It was hot.  Like, ridiculously hot.  Wasn't pleasant to listen to music outside, so even though they just got there, they were ready to leave when I said I planned to leave, too.

I say all of this to bury my main point of this blog post, which is to say that I saw a lot of hot women showing off their skin because it was hot on this day.  My body is breaking down, but I am glad my libido still works!

Where To See The Women's EUROS Final Today/Sunday

I have it down to two places: Brit's in downtown Minneapolis or A Bar Of Their Own in the Seward neighborhood.  I continue to go back and forth on this.

For the last Women's EUROS Final in 2022, I went to Brit's.  ABOTO wasn't around then.  I don't know my thinking, but it's my usual soccer go-to, plus it is a British pub and England was in the Match against Germany (and England won).

I was going to go there, but ... I wanted to see a Group State Game there on a weekend, but they wouldn't open until noon and the Match started at 11 a.m.  I decided not to go out at all.  Conversely, I made it to two concurrent Group State Matches at A Bar Of Their Own.  Not only was the set-up perfect but they had sound.  ABOTO is committed to showing women's sports, and that commitment was in full force.

This past week, when I took time off from work, I went to both places to watch one of the tournament's Semifinals.  I went to Brit's on Tuesday.  Love the set-up and I love the food (although the fries with tikka masala was deceptively huge and heavy).  I kind of wish they would've turned up the volume a tad, but maybe management was worried that most of the people eating there weren't there to see the Match.  I'm certain that won't be the case today/Sunday.

I then went to A Bar Of Their Own on Wednesday.  It may have been that this took place on a weekday afternoon or there was torrential rain pouring outside, but the place was sparse; only several people were there to watch the Match.  But we had the run of the place and we could see and hear it just fine.

The Final starts at 11 a.m.  I am OCD enough that, when one of these places advertised that they would be open at 11 for a Women's EUROS Game that also starts at 11, I wouldn't go.  I want to see the Match from the beginning, and frankly, rushing in at the top of the hour to find a seat and hope the TV is turned on and tuned to the right channel isn't good enough for me.  And I certainly won't accept it for the championship.  That, at least according to both places, won't be a problem; Brit's says they'll open at 10:30.  Meanwhile, before I left, the server said that even though they usually open at 11, they'll open 15 minutes prior so everyone can get situated before Kickoff.

Then, an attractive woman who sat two seats down from me about halfway through the First Half of the Match said, "See you Sunday."  Honestly, that's the deciding factor.  I'm going to Seward.

I have only a few quibbles.  ABOTO is farther away from me than Brit's.  Parking might be tighter there than in downtown Minneapolis.  The atmosphere might be better at Brit's because I think there should be a sizable contingent of Lionesses supporters who want to watch at a British pub.  Finally, I am going to wear my Tampa Bay Mutiny jersey because I make a point of wearing it and my San Jose Earthquakes jersey at least once a year.  I wore my Earthquakes one to Brit's on Tuesday, and besides Minnesota United FC Matches (and I usually wear my Loons sweaters there), I won't have another occasion to don my Mutiny one, so today/Sunday it is.  I might, just might, get some guff for wearing a Major League Soccer -- read: male -- sweater to a women's sports-only bar.  More likely, though, people will ask me, "What's a Mutiny?"

I hope this is the right decision.

I am seeing a friend for lunch this/Saturday afternoon.  Feels good to finally be able to meet.  We have spent years saying, "Hey, we should meet for something!" and then we have had weeks where we tried to line up our schedules but couldn't, until now.  It might be a stretch to call it an accomplishment, but I'm just glad to finally keep a promise to enjoy a day out with her.

Sore On Belly

For the record, I have a sore on my belly.  I may have gotten it ... Tuesday, when I ate too much and I felt that I distended my stomach.  I feel fat to this very second.  (I don't really remember if it was Tuesday; I feel as though I have had this sore for a while.)

It is scary that this sore popped up after I ate too much, meaning that this sore may have developed because I ate so much.  I am imagining that my stomach grew to make room for all the food I ate, and ... um, then I developed a sore on my skin.  That happened because that happened, you know?  And I wonder if the only way this sore goes away is if I eat much less -- which won't happen.

And another thing about the car and the damn oil level ... I sat there for 40 minutes while they took care of the car.  I noticed how much oil dripped out of the car ... and goddammit, it looked like less than a quart spilled out of it.  Again, I kind of think that the engine was fine with the amount of oil it had.  But I believe what I saw with my own eyes, and despite putting in half a quart about six weeks ago ... shit, maybe they were right in saying that the car was starving for oil.

Fuckin' A, man.  I now have to check the oil pretty much weekly, starting now.  I need to understand how much oil my car is going through so I can fill it up as soon as it (apparently) begins getting starved for oil.  And that's assuming I can read what's on the dipstick.  And that is also assuming I can trust what's on the goddamn dipstick.  Because frankly, I sure fucking don't trust it!

The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

#-1: Lynx (Last Week: -2).  Alright, I'm still pissed that they lost The Commissioners' Cup Final, but I can't deny that they are the best team in the WNBA.  They have bridged their All-Star Break (congratulations to Napheesa Collier for winning ASG MVP, and congratulations also to Courtney Williams and Natisha Heideman for making their Studbudz business the talk of All-Star festivities) with victories over Phoenix (at home for their annual camp Game) last Wednesday and over Chicago (also at Target Center).  They clearly have the best record in the league, and they are perfect at home in league play.  Of course, they haven't won a damn thing yet.  And they didn't get the supersub they were angling for; Emma Meesseman will sign with second-place New York, and her low block presence would've made her a strong backup to Collier.  But things, for now, are pretty good.

They finish their five-Game homestand this Week vs. Las Vegas (Friday), Atlanta (Sunday) and the Liberty in their first matchup this season (Wednesday).

#-2: United FC (Last Week: -1).  Their splendid run of form stumbled this screening Week.  On Wednesday at Allianz Field, LAFC put up a low block the Loons couldn't break through, they got a Penalty Kick, and they held on to defeat MNUFC, 1-0.  Then on Saturday, despite Anthony Markanich scoring once again, they gave up a late equalizer to finish with a 1-all Draw at Portland.

Thankfully they remain in third in the West -- and better yet, only one Point behind Vancouver for second and two Points behind San Diego for first.  They visit faltering St. Louis Saturday before business turns to the Leagues Cup.

#-3: Twins (Last Week: -3).  Like the WNBA, MLB had their All-Star Game last Week, and congratulations go out to Byron Buxton and Joe Ryan for participating.  The Twins came back with as pillow-soft a return as one can have: A three-Game set at The Colorado Rockies, who are making a run for The Worst Team In Modern Baseball History.  But they lost two-of-three, which is pretty damn embarrassing.  And then they lost at the Dodgers Monday before winning at Chavez Ravine for only the third time this Millennium last/Tuesday night, 10-7.  But that series Loss to Colorado stands out; that might, and maybe even should, be the signal for the front office to begin selling off players on this team.

They finish up in Los Angeles this/Wednesday afternoon.  They then come home to play The Bastard Montreal Expos over the weekend, then host Boston for a trio beginning Monday.

Got my car serviced.  Nothing bigger than an oil change and a tire rotation.  But they say that there's a lot of oil gone from the car.  They save half was gone.  I don't think so.  I told them I put in some oil about a month ago.  Also, I have brought my car in at six-month intervals for the past year and a half, and the previous two times only half a quart was gone.  And now they're saying, what 1 1/2 quarts?

I can't tell what the hell to do.  I was told that I need to check my oil level so my engine doesn't starve.  But on the other hand I don't want to overfill it either because that also damages the engine.  And on top of all that, I still can't tell how much oil is in my car when I check my dipstick because my fucking dipstick fucking sucks.

I hate everything.  I'm glad I brought my car in, I guess, but I can't fucking tell what's true anymore.