Six Nations Championship

As I have mentioned before, I like, no I love rugby! My love for the sport actually originated from an unlikely source. Several years ago, while researching my genealogy, I discovered my Welsh origins. At the same time I had discovered Aussie Rules Football on the local MHz station. I took the two data points, along with my years of disappointment in the Bengals performance in the NFL, and decided to look into rugby with the aim of cheering for my Celtic homeland of Wales.

So in 2005, I followed my first Six Nations Championship, listening to matches via online radio stations. Choosing to cheer for Wales was no disappointment, as they not only won the championship, they won a Grand Slam, meaning that they beat every single opponent.

I remember that I was particularly taken back by the singing of hymns before the matches. I soon became a fan of the William Williams hymn Cwm Rhondda, or as we here in the States know it, Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer. Cwm Rhondda is, of course, the battle hymn of Wales Rugby.

I have ever since been a huge fan of Wales Rugby and of the Six Nations Championship. I can't wait until 6 Feb 2010 to watch the Welsh take on the English in their Six Nations opener. The tune As Long As We Beat the English is going through my head as I type. Go Wales! Beat the English, and bring home another Grand Slam!

Another Thing I Don't Like

Going home from work I discover that the check engine light is on. Realizing that I had just filled up with gas, I figure that I must have not twisted the gas cap on well. However, I feel prompted to flip up the hood and give the engine a look over. I figured I could check the oil, because that is about my level of car knowledge. Popped the hood and discovered a pile of leaves behind the engine block. I thought it was odd, and almost thought it looked like a purposefully made nest or something. Surely not....After the removal of the leaves I was astonished to see missing and pieces of tubes and wiring. Could they have gotten sucked up to some spinning part of the engine? I called my wife and told her i was going to attempt to take the car to our trusted mechanic, who thankfully was close by. The car now began to lurch at every stop, just begging to shut itself down. Luckily, I made it to the mechanic, who upon hearing my story was quick to say that it sounded like mice. He looked and exclaimed that something much bigger than a mouse did that. At first I had images of a big-old-nasty rat, but after some research, we believe it to have been the work of one of the many squirrels in our neighborhood. Not so cute anymore!