every vessel pitching hard to starboard

I am beginning to understand how people become addicted to soap operas. There is nothing new or smart or beautiful in this impeachment trial, and more often than not I just want to yell at everyone on the screen to show some common sense (or, if Miriam, just to shut up), but I can't tear my eyes away. I would like to say that it's just to see Enrile and Fariñas own everyone else and make side comments to each other in Ilokano, but it can't even be explained away by that. I want to see a conviction, and that's it.

I just have to say: watching the senators pitch in their votes of convict/acquit is kind of like watching a penalty shootout. A very slow penalty shootout. It's at 10-2 to convict now. Livestream is here, if anyone's looking. Speech of the day so far goes to- I can't believe I'm saying this- Lito Lapid.


ETA: 15-3 and it's Bong Revilla and it's 16 to convict.


ETA 2: !!!!!

Yesss.

every vessel pitching hard to starboard

I am beginning to understand how people become addicted to soap operas. There is nothing new or smart or inspiring in this impeachment trial, and more often than not I just want to yell at everyone on the screen to show some common sense (or, if Miriam, just to shut up), but I can't tear my eyes away. I would like to say that it's just to see Enrile and Fariñas own everyone else and make side comments to each other in Ilokano, but it can't even be explained away by that. I want to see a conviction, and that's it.

I just have to say: watching the senators pitch in their votes of convict/acquit is kind of like watching a penalty shootout. A very slow penalty shootout. It's at 10-2 to convict now. Livestream is here, if anyone's looking. Speech of the day so far goes to- I can't believe I'm saying this- Lito Lapid.


ETA: 15-3 and it's Bong Revilla and it's 16 to convict.


ETA 2: !!!!!

Yesss.

because Sid Lowe always makes me laugh no matter how irritated I am at football otherwise

It's the Sids 2012!

Best team

First, an honorary mention for Mirandés, the Second Division B side who reached the Copa del Rey semi-final and won promotion. But this season's best team, and the best story for years, were Levante. Every Monday, the club's groundsman Raimón climbs the stands and, in order of the league table, raises the flags up the poles that run along the back of the stands. For the first time ever, this season he hoisted Levante's into first place. They held on there until week nine, when they were knocked off and written off. But Levante resisted their inevitable slide down the table and kept on competing, right to the end. So what? Well, this is the club that has spent a total of less than €500,000 on players in the last four years combined, whose sporting director says "players run away when they hear what we have to offer", who have the oldest defence in the history of the league and a team packed with cast-offs, has-beens and never-really-weres, Spanish football's Expendables. As if that was not enough, their main striker had joined on loan from Sevilla – where he had scored one goal in five years – and had a clause in his contract saying that he automatically had to return if he scored 18 goals this season, which he was never going to do. So when he got to 17 he suddenly picked up a mysterious "injury" that meant he missed the final, decisive games of the season. And still they made it into Europe for the first time ever. So what's the secret? The secret, says the club's doctor, is simple: "Beer and pizza."

In a season of superlatives and insanity, Levante are kindasorta the story of the season. (This is not just because I am a culé.) When he was asked why fans gave him such a horrible reception at Dinamo Zagreb, Cristiano Ronaldo quipped that perhaps they were jealous of him because he was rich, handsome, and a great player. That weekend Levante put up banners admitting they were "poor, ugly, and bad at football". They beat Real Madrid 1-0. That's the kind of story they were.

because Sid Lowe always makes me laugh no matter how irritated I am at football otherwise

It's the Sids 2012!

Best team

First, an honorary mention for Mirandés, the Second Division B side who reached the Copa del Rey semi-final and won promotion. But this season's best team, and the best story for years, were Levante. Every Monday, the club's groundsman Raimón climbs the stands and, in order of the league table, raises the flags up the poles that run along the back of the stands. For the first time ever, this season he hoisted Levante's into first place. They held on there until week nine, when they were knocked off and written off. But Levante resisted their inevitable slide down the table and kept on competing, right to the end. So what? Well, this is the club that has spent a total of less than €500,000 on players in the last four years combined, whose sporting director says "players run away when they hear what we have to offer", who have the oldest defence in the history of the league and a team packed with cast-offs, has-beens and never-really-weres, Spanish football's Expendables. As if that was not enough, their main striker had joined on loan from Sevilla – where he had scored one goal in five years – and had a clause in his contract saying that he automatically had to return if he scored 18 goals this season, which he was never going to do. So when he got to 17 he suddenly picked up a mysterious "injury" that meant he missed the final, decisive games of the season. And still they made it into Europe for the first time ever. So what's the secret? The secret, says the club's doctor, is simple: "Beer and pizza."

In a season of superlatives and insanity, Levante are kindasorta the story of the season. (This is not just because I am a culé.) When he was asked why fans gave him such a horrible reception at Dinamo Zagreb, Cristiano Ronaldo quipped that perhaps they were jealous of him because he was rich, handsome, and a great player. That weekend Levante put up banners admitting they were "poor, ugly, and bad at football". They beat Real Madrid 1-0. That's the kind of story they were.