LA 'TIL I DIE

 Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images

I'm a fan of the Los Angeles Galaxy, and I have gotten crap for it since the first time I told someone. I remember being at a party and someone saw David Beckham (in full LA Galaxy kit) on my cellphone and said: "MLS sucks, but if you're going support it you should back the Chivas." Being a new fan to MLS the only thing I could respond was "but Beckham's hot," which defends men's reasons of dismissing female fans. But that was so long ago.

I'm a real fan now. I've stood with the supporter's groups and I can recap a match with the right information. I can tell you all the things you didn't know--and didn't care to know. I can stick up for my club even though they played badly at the beginning of the season. Our club isn't carried by our 3 DPs, because all our players pull their own weight. Even the rookies like Jose Villarreal that scored the match tying goal against Toronto FC.

So, the haters are going to hate, and yeah, maybe this year they have more reason to. But when our club goes to your stadiums, the seats fill up to see OUR players. When David Beckham is taking his corner kicks YOUR fans take our their cameras. Our captain is Landon Donovan who is the all-time top goal scorer for the USMNT. So, you may hate us, but it's only because win or lose, we have one of the best clubs in the MLS.

I want to like the EPL

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I'm huge soccer fan; I only call it soccer and not football, because as an American calling it football will confuse a lot of people. Growing up I only knew of it as football--or fútbol. I liked it as a kid, but I didn't share the same passion I do now. I get chills listening to fans of other clubs sing their chants--even when I don't support that club. I also get teary-eyed watching my fellow fans of my clubs chants, and it's even worse rewatching my clubs score important goals. I can't watch Iniesta score the winning goal for the World Cup without having a tissue nearby.


I am an American and MLS is my favorite league. I go watch LA Galaxy play on many occasions, and the ultimate high I get from watching them win a match is indescribable. The disappointment I feel when they lose a match is also a new feeling. I feel like a parent knowing what my child is capable of.


So, I've turned choosing an EPL into a schoolwork. I've studied the players, fans, and history. The EPL turned sour to me with the accusations of racism. It goes beyond that when I learn the racism shown from the fans. Sadly the two clubs I had been deciding between are the ones that made headlines recently for their racist comments. I've been told not to take this to heart, because they are only accusations, but to me they matter. 


You will never EVER see MLS fans having racist chants or doing anything that suggests racism. I've been on social media websites where a fan of another club called Galaxy "GAYlaxy" and a SJ Earthquakes (LA Galaxy rival) fan called him out on it. This is what I love about this league. They don't just believe in tolerance but acceptance. It's really hard to look at a league like EPL and not cringe at them. EPL is the BEST league in the world they say, but I don't know if fans like those should be part of the best league in the world. How other fans let that happen?


I'll just keep watching EPL matches from a distance, because I fear waking up one day to be disappointed by the players in my club. Something I've never had to experience as a Galaxy fan.

Running

photo by aarmono

It's 8:30 on a Monday night, and if you told me to go to bed right now, I'd fall asleep. I didn't realize how exhausting my new lifestyle would be. I watch a lot of tv and movies, and characters will often wake up an hour before work to go for a jog and make it through work and other social engagements without seeming remotely tired. I, apparently, am not one of those people. Of course, it's only been 3 weeks, and I'm still fairly new to the soreness.

I was in runner in junior high. Track and field weren't a serious thing, but once a month P.E. has a mile run, which I actually found fun. There was also a 'run club' at our school where we'd run around the track after school. I don't really remember the purpose besides hanging out with my friends. I was overweight as a kid, but I did get that 'runner's high', and it kept me going.

So now, around 9 every night I'm trying to keep my eyes open to watch whatever television show is on that night. Last night was the series finale of House, and after 15 minutes or so I gave up and turned it off. I keep wondering if I'm overdoing my run, but I think the heat is truly the biggest factor. Yesterday, I was at a pool party, so I spent most of my day in the sun and being active so I was more exhausted than usual.

I've recently made a friend who is very into fitness, and some of his habits have rubbed off on me. He's more into bulking, while I am trying to cut. So running and yoga are good enough for me--plus, I have never stepped inside a gym in my life.

But here are a couple things I've noticed since I started running.

• I'm tired. I don't mean like physically exhausting, but I mean wanting to take a nap or go to sleep. Of course I sleep about 6 hours a night and don't drink coffee or energy drinks; so, maybe this is the part I need to change in my daily routine.
• I'm starving right after a run. Even if I eat or have a protein smoothie (with banana) before my run, I suddenly want a full English fry up after my run. Since I'm running to burn calories, this is a horrible result.

But I enjoy running. I'm starting on week 3 and I've been able to run faster and longer and I feel stronger. I've also lost a few pounds, which is a bonus. I think a change in diet would be a lot more help too.

Los Angeles native and a soccer fan

Danny Califf and Landon Donovan during the SuperClasico on 5/19/12 in Carson, CA. 

Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

I often wonder how people decide which teams to support when their choice has nothing to do with their hometown or current residence. Do they pick the team at the top of the standings and join the bandwagon? Maybe they choose the one with the best player. I don't know, but I find it odd how passionate someone from Los Angeles can be about a New England football team. You can't know real passion until your in the stands being part of the 80% attending in support for you team. But of course I'm bias.

I'm a soccer fan more than I am a fan of any other sport. It's hard to be in the US and be a soccer fan, because people just don't get the sport. It's also hard to be an MLS fan in the US, because everyone who considers themselves a 'true' fan of soccer think that the MLS is a joke. I really wish those snobs put their money where their mouth is and spent a match in the middle of a supporter group at their local stadium and realize how amazing the game is. That's how I spent my first Galaxy match. That's how I fell in love with the team.

I have always heard of Galaxy, because I've always been a fan of soccer. I remember playing FIFA Soccer on N64 as a kid and using Galaxy, because they had Cobi Jones, and he's a fantastic player. I was pretty young at the time, and my heart wasn't in the sport as it is now. But I knew Galaxy had a history in Los Angeles and that was good for me.

The first Galaxy match I witnessed at the Home Depot Center was 2 years ago, and it was actually the first match of the L.A. Derby/ Honda SuperClasico. Galaxy beat the Chivas at the Chivas own home game. I thought it was stupid that there two teams shared a stadium, and I didn't think of ChivasUSA as a Los Angeles team, but a Mexican team since they are owned by the same owner as Chivas Guadalajara. Every time I watch then play and realize they have more Caucasians than Latinos on their team, it makes me laugh.

So, sometimes I'm asked, why Galaxy and not Chivas? I usually do the whole well Galaxy was here first bit. I also sometimes equate Galaxy to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chivas to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. But at least the Chivas stadium is in Los Angeles county; the Angels, on the other hand, reside in Anaheim which is a part of Orange County not LA County.

But I slowly begin to learn more and more about the Chivas and I wonder if I chose the wrong team. The Chivas actually hosted an equality night at one of their home games where part of the proceeds when to the LAGLC, which is really awesome. There is so much homophobia (and racism) in soccer that this is a really great step. Of course, they took their tolerance a step further and some of their players posed for NO H8 the night of event.

And as I watched the first match of the 2012 L.A. Derby where the Chivas defeated my L.A. Galaxy 1-0, I saw something in the supporters group. I saw an El Salvador flag flying proud. My heart sank a little, because I am Salvadoran. In case you didn't know, I'm Salvadoran. So, I googled, and apparently there is a player on ChivasUSA from El Salvador. Also, he's not the first, but the only current player.

So, I started questioning whether I'm supporting the right LA team. They're LGBT allies that often have Salvadoran players. They've even done events at my local mall. Does Galaxy's history as an LA team really reign all? But I'm not a turncoat. Since I saw my first live LA Galaxy match, I knew I had made the right choice. They have an incredible team that may not be doing their best, but their boys are my boys. Win or Lose I will always be Galaxy. Donovan, Magee, Beckham, and Keane are my players and my loves. I wouldn't have it any other way. Galaxy until I die.

Awake: A Show Worth Staying Up For

© NBCUniversal, Inc. / Neil Jacobs

I'm a pretty nerdy girl if I do say so myself. I get a kick out of all media that makes you think or takes your imagination for a ride. I was a huge fan of Lost, and I'm an even bigger fan of Doctor Who. I think realism is fine in TV shows, but sometimes you need to let writers and actors create something that can never happen logically. I became a writer, because I like learning about people, and it's great to see how people would react in extraordinary situations that we don't experience everyday. When I first heard of Awake, I knew it was going to be a hard concept to swallow. It reminded me of Lost and how after the second season everyone felt it was "too complicated" to follow.

I guess a lot of people like watching fun shows that don't require much thought, but I enjoy both. I love Modern Family just as much as I love Doctor Who. Even though an extended L.A. family with a touch of diversity is more easily swallowed than a show about a guy who has a time machine that is actually an old police box. I know these more complicated shows have their plot holes here and there, but sometimes you just need to take things at face value and just enjoy the show.

Awake is a show about a Detective (Jason Isaacs) who gets into a car accident where his wife (Laura Allen) and son (Dylan Minnette) die and survive. Wait what? Detective Michael Britten now lives a double life where instead of going to sleep he wake up in another world. In one world his wife lived but son died, and in another world his son lived but wife died. He's obviously seeing a therapists (one in each world) that tell him he's hallucinating the other world, but we don't know which is which.

At first I cared. I was trying to figure out the small details that would point me in the direction of the worlds being just a dream. But there were things in both worlds that make it seem like each world is the dream. But this show really pulls you in. The cases are sometimes interested, but the way the writers work with Michael's condition just make it amazing. From the pilot episode, things already crossover. Sometimes he 'cheats' and uses details from one life (watching his wife do laundry) to help his other life (helping his son's clothes smell how he remembered). Then he sees a women who he knew when she was younger who in one life is successful and the other is a drug addict. These are the plot twists that make me keep coming back.

In last week's episode, he finds out that in the world with his son, his son got his girlfriend pregnant. It scared him, but it turns out that his girlfriend lost the child. I thought it was going to end at that and be a very uninteresting plot detail, until Michael being the detective that he is, thinks of something. He asks Rex when his girlfriend lost the kid and he says that it was around the time of his mom's funeral. An even that never transpired in his other life, obviously. So he runs out to find Rex's girlfriend in his other life, and we find out she still is pregnant with Rex's child.

If this show isn't something you think is worth watching, then you're loss. But if you think it sounds as awesome as I think it is, log on to abc.com/awake at watch their episodes, but more importantly tune in on Thursday nights at 10/9c on NBC!

The Party's Over: House, M.D. Has Reached Its End

Copyright 2011 Fox Broadcasting Company ©

Just minutes ago (from the time this post is being written) it was announces that FOX's hit medical drama House, M.D. has been canceled. I watched religiously for 2.5 seasons. How's that? Well, I discovered House by channel surfing in 2007. I caught it on it's regular night, but it was a repeat of "Kids." Well, I bought the season 1 and 2 DVDs, soon watched season 3 religiously. I was a fan for season 4, but I thought their new angle was a bit rubbish, and during season 5 and beyond I only watched the show when I was bored or someone told me it was a good episode. I've watched 2 episodes this entire season (season 8).

So, when I first began watching, I discovered fandom. I knew of fandom from Lost, but House fans and forums were a bit more welcoming. It was weird, and amazing, to not just watch a show, but talk and discuss with other fans and bring it to a completely new level. It wasn't just brain dead watching anymore; it was participating. I started on livejournal, but soon it was taken to several other social media sites, and I was making friends. If you don't understand internet fandom culture this may seem a little ridiculous. But really, I've made so many friends, because of House, M.D. Some friends that live in different states or countries, but some that I've actually gone to concerts and late night show tapings with. People, I make butter beer with and have Harry Potter marathons. It's amazing to realize that you end up having way more in common than just that one tv show.

I don't want to say House, M.D. changed/saved my life, because that's such a cliche hyperbole, but I know my life would lack so much without it. The reason I was able to write about entertainment, and meet many people I thought I'd never meet (hello Jesse Spencer) was because of House. I also know I'll be keeping in contact with said friends way past the end of House.

I can't say I am sad to see the show end, but I can say I'm happy that it was. Without it I would never know Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Jesse Spencer and many other talents. Thanks David Shore and FOX, and thanks to all the people that have shared these years with me.

David Villa Breaks His Leg: I Love Football

Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images Europe

I love football. Yes, I'm an American and I call it football, because I have no allegiance to the football Americans play. I am a strong supporter of the MLS and hope it one day reaches the levels of all the other leagues in the US. I'm not a giant sports fan, but there is nothing that makes me as passionate as this sport.

My family is latino, and not to be stereotypical but we love fútbol. I've watched it ever since I was a child, but it wasn't until two years ago that my heart and soul realized it was a true passion. In a house full of mostly women, sports was not a big deal (even though my aunt is a huge baseball and basketball fan), but anytime the World Cup comes around—or El Salvador plays Mexico—suddenly fútbol is the most important thing in the world. I've always remembered my Gran waking up at the crack of dawn to watch any/all the World Cup matches. I always caught the teams I care about, but she needs them all.

The 2010 World Cup really awoke my love for fútbol. I don't know if it's because my team won or because I was finally capable of realizing not all sports are rubbish. I even called in sick to work one day to watch the semi-finals. This is something I used to laugh at people for doing, but I finally just got it. I didn't want to miss that match, and radio or recording it just isn't the same. I was rooting for Spain, after Australia was soon kicked out at Group stage, and when my boys made it all the way, I shed a tear as Iniesta made the championship goal.

Out of all the amazing players on Spain, something about David Villa caught my eye. Yeah, he was cute, but he was good. He was brilliant. On Barça he is often overshadowed by Messi, but Villa is just so spot on and professional that I couldn't help but grow fond of him. I watched Barça religiously for a year, and I really loved the team. I know La Liga can be a bit or a bore sometimes because Barça is always winning, but isn't that what you want your team to do? Be the best they can? I don't mind good teams, but I do mind cocky players and fans, which is why I'm not as big of a fan of Barça as I used to be, but I am still a huge fan of David Villa, which is why this morning I heard such sad news.

I woke up to read FOX Soccer's Facebook announce that David Villa had broken his leg while playing Al Sadd. FSC continued to say to Villa will be out for six months. I'll be honest, it really really sucked. Not only is he my favorite player, but he rekindled my love for the sport. He's a great athlete and seemed like a genuinely nice (non-cocky) guy in interviews. Every time Pep doesn't start him I feel a little sad, but knowing his leg and broken and he won't be playing until June is upsetting. What am I going to do? I was counting on these matches to get me through the time of waiting for the MLS to return. I'll still watch Barça, when I can, but it just won't be the same.

Villa once said that he wants to play with Barcelona until he retires, but according to the aforementioned Fox Soccer article there are rumors of a transfer in January. I am usually against such things since he's my favorite player on one of my favorite teams, but when the article mentioned Liverpool I got a little happy. I've been trying to like a Barclay's Premier League club, but none of them have truly won my heart. Liverpool is close, but I keep forgetting to watch matches. I do know the players, because many friends and a few celebs of mine support them. I also use them on FIFA '12 when I play with the EPL. If Villa were to transfer to Liverpool, I think I'd be ecstatic, and he would make a good pair to Saurez. But if he were to transfer to Chelsea I can't say I'd be happy, but I'd start watching Chelsea matches. Most likely, the rumors are rumors and Villa will stay put at Barça. I hope he makes it through his injury and comes back strong in June but hopefully earlier than that.