Passed the Ref class, and reviving an old English Soccer theme!

I've been rather swamped this week with this and that so I haven't had time to update my blog - even though a lot has been happening. Taking a short break from some of the more serious and pressing issues going on in my life and around the world, I thought I'd post something fun.

Since it's both Champions League and World Cup qualifying time again, I had to drum up a little something to keep myself entertained. Back during the 2006 World Cup, England had a great little theme that certainly ruffled the feathers of the host Nation - Germany. If you haven't heard it, listen here or watch it here; its by the Tone Def Allstars.

For those who missed it this week, Manchester United's trashing of Roma was about as thrilling as it gets - particularly for those of us who wanted to see Roma fans dejected for the brutal behavior displayed by Roma fans and Italian police. Watching United score three times in under 20 minutes put the icing on the cake, and avenged Man United fans. And adding to the weeks' good news - Chelsea snuck through with a one goal victory too. And with Liverpool FC advancing easily, it looks like the Champions League champion will be out of the EPL (where is belongs). This is just further evidence that the EPL is the greatest league in all of professional soccer.

I also passed my Grade 8 referee exam yesterday evening, so I can officially begin my referee career. My hope is to eventually post some of the more interesting referee experiences on my blog. I plan to tackle the question of why am I involved in the whole "referee thing" in the future. But for now, I'm going to bask in passing what was a relatively challenging exam - after two weeks of attending nightly classes to try and absorb the "Laws of the Game". If nothing else, I've come away with an even greater respect for the game, and for my fellow referees.