29 June 2012

RIP Isis

One bit of sad news I must report. Last Thursday, we had to put my oldest cat, Isis, to sleep. She was 15. The vet said she had a brain tumor, after I took her in because her pupils weren't the same size.

I miss Her Royal Brattiness, but she hadn't really been her bratty self for a while. She hadn't even tried to run out the door for weeks, and she'd had problems getting onto her favorite sleeping spots.

It was a really hard decision, especially because of the suddenness, but it was the best thing to do for her.


ConTemporal

For the last year and a half or so, I've been working with a bunch of great people to make a con happen. It was last weekend, June 22-24.

This was my first time staffing a convention. I've volunteered during cons before, mostly running a video room at Animazement with the UNC anime club, which is a rather smaller time commitment, and it only takes a bit of time at the con.

I was (and hope to remain) the director of the literature track. I came up with panels and some of the guests, and during the con, I made sure everything went off properly. I also organized an order of 8 pizzas to con ops Saturday evening, because con staff needed food, and food that arrives at your door is better than food you have to go out and get.

The con was a success. The guests I talked to said they had a good time. Several of them said nice things in their blogs: JoSelle Vanderhooft and Phil Foglio. (There may be more, but these are the ones I've heard of so far.)

We're planning to have another con next year around this same time. Once it's official, I'll let you all know. You should come out and join us.

11 June 2012

Book review: Tor!

Tor! The Story of German Football by Ulrich Hesse-Lichtenberger, revised 2002 edition

As I may have mentioned, I'm a fan of German football (soccer), so this book is right up my alley. It came recommended by many people, and what I've read of Hesse's writing (for places like ESPN Soccernet) I've enjoyed.

The books opens in Bern, on July 4, 1954, with a man named Fritz Walter. It is a fateful day for German football, the Miracle of Bern. The Germans have somehow made it to the finals of the World Cup and are facing a much stronger team.

He takes the reader from the birth of football in Germany (a slow process, stymied by the Prussian ideals of fitness and a preference for gymnastics) through both World Wars and their aftermaths, to the founding of the Bundesliga in 1963 (100 years after the English football association was founded, and a good 75 years after the first regional leagues were founded in Germany). He takes a brief side trip to the strange world of football in the GDR.

The book closes in Korea, in June 2002. Fritz Walter passed away four days prior. The Germans have somehow made it to the finals of the World Cup, where they will face Brazil (and lose 0:2, the only goals conceded by Olli Kahn in the tournament.) Miroslav Klose expresses his sadness at his friend and mentor's death and returns to training for the next match.

Hesse's writing is never dry, and occasionally self-deprecating. The chapters set during and after the Wars are poignant and highlight the pointlessness of the Great War. He doesn't gloss over the NSDAP years, where some clubs acted admirably; others less so.

If you're a fan of German football, this book belongs on your shelf. If you aren't, you may find it less interesting.