VENI VIDI VICI

Wow what a game last night! And what a party in this beautiful city of ours (see pictures). I pegged Italia as the winners from the beginning. People said I was a fool, Italy was not going to get far, and at times I wavered because really how much do I know about football. But I stuck by them to the end and they delivered. So happy for the friend- I wish I could have watched it with you hon! Stupid Grand Prix.
Instead I watched it in bar by myself, yes I actually walked into a bar at the end of my shift and sat down, ordered a beer and watched the game by myself. Big deal- some of you may say, but for someone who has been so used to having people around me all the time, it was. And I don't know, but there always seemed something sad about sitting at the bar by oneself.
But I ended up making friends with Solomon who was there to watch the game on his own as well. And in the end he ended up being a very interesting person. He's from Ethiopia originally, but lived in Italy for some time.
I read something in this great book R.C. lent me recently called Prep, the title character talks about the awkwardness of brief encounters others because in the future if you see them again its difficult to know how to behave- I mean you've shared a moment of your life with this person, but it's not like you have developed some lasting relationship. Perhaps that's been my fear in social situation, more then being shy, the idea that once I've spoken to someone about something as ridiculous as the weather I'm beholden to them to strike up converstaions if I ever see them again. But it dawned on me in the bar, as we were drinking our beers and sharing some wings that this does not have to be the case, that sometimes you can share a moment with another human being and never see them or speak to them or acknowledge them again, it's not like that moment will be taken away. And with that, I relaxed and chatted and truly enjoyed an amazing game and left the bar thinking 'I'm not going to forget this World Cup, not just because it was an amazing game, but because I was in good company.'