Holidays in the UK are almost identical to the holidays in the US, with some minor but maybe significant differences. The key difference that I notice is that federal holidays in the USA are generally days of respect and remembrance for a historical event. It's a way of paying tribute and keeping alive a person (or group of people), and the values they represent. Offhandedly, I can think of Martin Luther King, Junior day in January, Memorial Day in May, and Independence Day on the Fourth of July. Facebook posts pop up that this is not a day for barbecues, but rather a day of solemn remembrance to thank the soldiers for their sacrifice (speaking to Memorial Day.) I'm not sure if it's overkill or not to spend an entire day quietly reflecting on the dark moments in our nation's history (we know there are many), but it seems appropriate that at a minimum, some time be spent personally reflecting on the sacrifice of other's and recognizing how far our country has come, and furthermore, to appreciate the liberties and freedoms that we get to have today. Which brings us to, barbecues. From my vantage point, there are two loud camps [on my social media feed]: those in or connected to the military, and those who aren't. Of course there is a third, much quieter, camp, which is the people who see it as a day off but probably take a moment to quietly reflect, the way I think my parents taught me to be. Anyway, the celebration vs. reflection camps don't have to live separately - there is space in the middle ground. But this brings me back to the UK, where everything is simply called a Bank Holiday.
That's it! A bank holiday! Banks are closed, so no work. You are free to have fun and be merry, and you don't need to feel bad about it. Not everything is called a bank holiday, but the summer ones are. To me it is a slight, but noticeable difference.
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What am I doing this bank holiday weekend, you might ask? Watching a ton of frisbee. It's USAU's 2017 College Championships held in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ultiworld is doing a tremendous job recording and distributing footage of the games -- hard not to mention that the evolution of game footage has come so incredibly far in the last 10 years. Numerous factors lead to that - of course data streams come to mind first. Currently watching Tufts Ewo vs. Virginia Hydra, currently 8-7 Tufts up 1 goal on the #1 seed from Virginia. I recall that I played UVA once and didn't get bageled, if I remember correctly. PS, in 2010 we also beat Pitt? Those were the days. **Imagines how life would be different if I played in high school or ever had a coach.** Watching these vids definitely makes me think about changing my name and going to grad school to sneak onto a college natties team. It would never work -- a smarter person would think about training to get my body into shape for club nationals 2018, but just thinking about that makes me exhausted.
It is super gorgeous outside, maybe a good day for a walk if I'm not too busy sitting down and watching video nonstop. Matt and the New York Empire also have a game later today against #1 ranked DC Breeze. It comes at a bizarre time for the Empire as two coaches left the team. The Breeze are a phenomenal team with a ton of superstar firepower from Goose Helton, Brett Matzuka, Bob Liu, and burgeoning youtube star Rowan McDonnell, whose on-screen goofiness almost makes you forget his ridiculous defense. (Um, sorry for all the links, I just feel like a future me would want to know what the hell I am talking about.)
In other news, I want more graphs like this:
What are other thoughts are in my head? I'm currently playing the role of Monetization Specialist for a new app, probably previously named somewhere in this blog. My browser doesn't recognize monetization as a word, which sort of speaks to the nature of the job - it's a new thing. But also, it's not. Companies need money in order to keep being companies, and my job is to assist with finding and capitalizing on potential revenue streams. A friend of mine asked, "I don't understand. So I have a company that's not making money, and I hire you to come in and make it make money?" "Yeah, I guess!" I said. I'm totally fascinated by it and plotting out how to do a better job all the time. It won't be long before a bunch of "monetization" conferences or experts crop up, and hey! MAYBE I CAN BE ONE OF THEM! I want to say this is delusions of grandeur speaking, but it's actually probably within reach. New goal is to find anything with the M word in it, and explore if it is worth exploring or not. Gotta make some dough for the company, plain and simple.
I have all sorts of ideas for the remaining TWO days in this weekend. And here they are.
Sunset through the Durdle Door in Dorset
Mottisfont Abbey Gardens
In the world of ultimate, UVA came back to win 12-10, and Sin the fields folks are making their inaugural broadcast for Ultiworld! Friends doing things! Go you guys.
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