England were knocked out of the European Championships last night by Italy on penalty kicks. If you are reading that and you felt like you've seen that somewhere before, you definitely have! England gets knocked out of every major tournament on bloody penalty kicks! I've gotten used to them breaking my heart over the years however so I wasn't too surprised at the result last night. One of the biggest heart breaks that team has ever given me was back in 2002 at the World Cup in Korea/Japan. I was 18 years old at the time and home from college for the summer. I remember the matches were on live at very strange times due to the time difference between New York and Tokyo. England had come out of a group of Sweden, Argentina, and Nigeria it was the closest thing to the "Group of Death" that this version of the world cup offered so I was pleased to see them come out of the group stages. I had high expectation for them, and in the first knockout round England destroyed Denmark 3-0, I was so excited I believed that I was going to see them go all the way this time.
The next match was against Brazil and England never beats Brazil but I had a feeling they would this time. I woke up at 2 am to watch the start of this match and my dad was up as well. We both sat in the living room watching it and cheering like it was the middle of the day. Brazil ultimately ended up winning the match 2-1 and went on to win the World Cup that year. I think i might have cried a little that night before going back to bed sometime after 4 am when the match was over. Part of me knew that I had somehow fallen in love with another team that were perpetual heart breakers just like my NY Mets.  ¶ 6:34 PM

  The European Championships started a week ago and it has been very interesting so far. There have been a few surprises but most of the teams that are expected to win their matches have done well. I am personally a fan of the English football team and they always disappoint me so I didn't get my hopes up for them this time. Being that I live in Ireland I was really hoping that the Irish team would do well but after their first two matches they are the first team out of the competition. One team that has astonished me for a decade now or more is the German football team. It seems every single tournament they are one of the favorites to win, and they never disappoint, they were the 3rd place team at the World Cup in 2010, they were the losing finalist at the Euro 2008 championships, the third place team at the 2006 world Cup, and I could go on. The way the team plays is one of the most consistent things in football I have ever seen. Football is a game where a second can change the outcome of a match and for them to be so good for so long is a testament to what a great group of players they have assembled. I expect to see them in the Quarterfinals and the Semi Finals of this tournament as well, as for winning it I'm not so sure.
Unlike the German team and there consistency my life is constantly changing and I can always expect the unexpected. After applying for new jobs for the better part of 3 months and not hearing anything back. I decided to look for jobs teaching English and my research led me to and even better job. I had been in contact with the Director of studies for a college here in Dublin and he informed me that they were looking for someone with a background in journalism for a PR role and when they had a look at my CV they thought I was the perfect candidate. So after months of nothing in a 48 hour window I went from emailing, to interview, to hired. I couldn't be happier as my new role is one that I couldn't have envisioned myself doing a few months ago because I felt like I was stuck where I was. My mentality had gone from one of thinking I was good enough to do any job to one where I thought my skills had diminished and I was only good enough for dead end jobs. Amazing how quickly things can change, and how the best things come from unexpected situations.  ¶ 1:48 PM