Gheorghasbord: Happy Fun Time Edition

As we lurch on towards November 8, each day seemingly more disgusting than the next, our relentless plumbing the colon of the body politic exposing our ugliest secrets, it's high time that we find a few reasons to be happy to be alive.

First and foremost, we're alive. That's pretty fucking great, even as we sometimes focus too narrowly on the things that aren't (present company really guilty). And according to the highest authority in the land, we're alive at the greatest moment in human history. In a guest essay for Wired, Barack Obama said, "...the truth is, if you had to choose any time in the course of human history to be alive, you’d choose this one. Right here in America, right now." (He also admitted to being a Trekkie, which we probably should've known - the ears, and all.)

The fundamental optimism of his essay stands in stark contrast to the elemental doom projected by the GOP Presidential nominee, which is just one more of a thousand reasons why I'm going to greatly miss President Obama. As, after a time, will nearly all of us.

Shlara had an inkling that I'd be writing this kind of post today, because she linked to a story about finding happiness in being present in the comments of the previous post. Penned by a former touring musician, it explores the notion of the relativity of joy and peace. When the author, stuck washing dishes in a bar owned by Michael Stipe, questions the R.E.M. frontman's complaints about having a bad day, he gets a lesson. According to Stipe, “Getting rich and famous only solves two problems. Not being famous and not having any money. And it hands you a whole new set of problems you never knew you could have.”

Here's to the problems we've got, and may they pale in comparison to the joy at hand all around us.

This is Lynden Gooch. He's an American.
You'll hear more about him.

While the election's certainly important, I'd much rather be focusing on November 11. On that date, the U.S. Men's National Team begins the final round of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. Jurgen Klinsmann's lads, fresh off a pair of middling tune-up performances, take on old rival Mexico in the first of ten qualifying matches. We host Mexico in Columbus, Ohio, where we've beaten El Tri four consecutive times by identical 2-0 scores. If you hear your soccer-minded friends saying 'dos a cero' a lot in the run up, you'll know why.

We're odds on favorites to advance to our eighth consecutive World Cup, needing only to finish in the top three of the six teams (besides us, it's Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, and Honduras), but there are no guarantees. After playing Mexico at home, we play at Costa Rica, and there's a non-zero chance that we start in a hole. Getting a result in at least one of those two matches would go a long way to easing the nerves of American soccer fans.

Finally, the thing that's probably got me the happiest at the moment is the fact that college basketball season is a mere month away. On the same night that the U.S. entertains Mexico in Columbus, a handful of really good games tips off the season. Indiana plays Kansas and Arizona takes on Michigan State in the Armed Forces Classic, getting the season off to a quick start.

Guys, I think this is the Tribe's year.