Season 2, Episode 4: Super Bowl Watch Party

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to another episode of As the Dinosons Turn. What do we want to talk about this time?

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Okay, so I've gotten this question from a couple of people. Yes, we did stay up and watch the Super Bowl.

SPEAKER_01 0:12

We did. Whether we should have or not is another story, but just say it was bad.

SPEAKER_00 0:18

It was a bad decision. So we were very excited about it. Um we could have gone to Braga to a bar to watch the game, but given that it didn't start until 11:30 p.m. our time, yeah, that wasn't gonna happen. So we got on the couch and we streamed, um, we actually streamed the Super Bowl. And we watched the whole thing. I didn't think we were gonna make it. My plan was not to, but we were in it. I mean, it was really good. Then the kids were like very excited about it. So um they really were desperate to watch it, and I think that's really interesting because they had zero interest in football when we lived in the States.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

No, they never really they would sometimes sit and watch part of a game with me, but then they would lose interest and go do other things. It's so it was it was interesting that they were the kind of the ringleaders.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

I know the boys actually made sure that everything was up and live and streaming, and we had different treats and snacks throughout the day because we knew there was no way that was gonna happen in the middle of the night, and everybody stayed up.

SPEAKER_01 1:23

Yeah. So we were well, all of us were kind of sick. I was just getting it at that time. Saturday and Sunday were my two worst days, really.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

Yeah, Jason was not, he was touch and go, and I kept saying, just go to bed, it's fine. He's like, No, I'll do it, it's fine. But we made it, and um, we watched everything we got to 4 a.m. and we're like, okay, we'll watch all the other stuff.

SPEAKER_01 1:49

Like so we're six hours, six hours ahead of central time. So when the game ended at like 10 p.m. or thereabouts, 10 30, it was four, four thirty here, and we were still up.

SPEAKER_00 2:04

We were, and I have to say that I was like, okay, no problem. Like we have these blackout blinds, like Persian blinds on the apartment, so they block out your entire room. Like you you actually will see no sunshine. I just figured we would wake up and like we'd sleep all day long. I woke up at nine.

SPEAKER_01 2:23

I was up by eight. I I I don't know, you reach a certain point where it's like you can't sleep once you've been up for so long.

SPEAKER_00 2:30

I'm telling you, the boy slept a little bit longer, but it was it was really hard. And then we just kept looking at each other, going, I don't think I can ever do this again. You were like, we are never doing it.

SPEAKER_01 2:40

Yeah, I don't think we'll do this again next year.

SPEAKER_00 2:42

I think that we probably will, and he won't have a choice.

SPEAKER_01 2:46

Well, did we do it this year because Kansas City was in the game? I think that that was part of it. You know, San Francisco next year. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 2:58

I think it depends on who's doing the halftime show. I don't know. Like, I think it really just depends. I thought it was interesting because um we really had that moment of like, oh, do we do this, do we not? And Tyler was insistent it was gonna happen. And you know, he is he's a lot like me, and that when you plan something, you have something in mind of how things are gonna go. And he had this vision, and both Jason and I were in bed, and Jack's like, Oh, it's fine. He's like, No one's gonna come and watch the Super Bowl with me, and we all went, okay. And then we were up all night, so it was a good game though.

SPEAKER_02 3:37

Yeah, it was good.

SPEAKER_00 3:39

Um, I'm gonna be honest, I'm totally all about the Travis and Taylor love story. Um, but I still prefer Jason Kelsey's sense of humor, so I don't know. See? And he's like, oh my god. Yeah, we were not impressed with Usher, by the way. The boys were like, hmm, except that when Usher took off his shirt. Jack was like, if I look that good, I wouldn't wear a shirt either. I don't blame him. And then what was like the one with the faux abs. He's like, why do you need faux abs when you have real abs? I'm like, that is the million-dollar question. So it was not dull for multiple reasons. The game was a good game, but the boys always had hysterical observations. Um, but it was important for them to watch it because of Kansas City, and there are lots of people in Jason's family that are Kansas City Chiefs fans. And so he watched it, and we all watched it and got into it. But I think that that's also kind of like put us over the edge. Of course, it's a Sunday night, and I'm sure you're all thinking, well, what about school the next day? Oh, it was the middle of carnival break.

SPEAKER_01 4:48

Yeah, they didn't have school the next day.

SPEAKER_00 4:50

Right. So they had school off on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for Carnival and Ash Wednesday, so fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. And then Tyler and Jack were sick enough the end of the week that we were like, okay, they didn't go to school at all last week because they were sick. So yeah. They got a full-week carnival break instead of you know a five-day carnival break. I'm sure they're heartbroken by that. I'm sure. But the good thing is that they actually, you know, we have some medication and all of those things. They had a great time. They sent information to like their friends and their WhatsApp group. Jack was able to play some video games with some friends back in Indianola. That's been a good connection. Um, so I think we're kind of like hitting the stride. So we haven't been to the movies in a while, or I guess we're waiting for good movies to come back out. But um between the Super Bowl and then watching football, right? We're watching soccer all the time. Like the soccer stats, like this is a very important thing in our family life, which is ironic because before we moved here, um, and before we watched that World Cup game last year for Portugal and Ghana, I don't think that Jack cared about soccer at all. And Tyler was like, yeah, whatever, no big deal. But he is now Jack is like an avid soccer fan. He is, he knows everything. Like he's gives you all kinds of information, doesn't he? So he'll be talking about all kinds of things.

SPEAKER_01 6:32

I've never gotten into soccer, though. I'm trying to, now that we that's really our only sports option in Portugal, is get into soccer in the same way that that people over here do it, the same way that Jack has. It just hasn't clicked with me yet.

SPEAKER_00 6:48

Okay, I am having a good time. So this is Jack and I sponding time in Tyler 2. We sit and watch the SC Braga games. Usually they're on in the evening. Jason is working or doing a presentation or something, right? So, um, but we're really into it. And but what I love is that we get all of these different stats of like, did you know so-and-so left and went to this team now? Or hey, did you know that this team now is no longer in the Premier League, or this team is going to the Premier League, or oh, they're never really gonna have a problem with their salary cap because of X, Y, and Z. I'm like, all of this information holds into his head. So he's now even thinking about, you know, what are the things I want to study when I go to high school and to get ready for college? And he's thinking maybe like communication, sports communication, media communication, art, marketing. He's a little bit graphic design. He can't decide. He's kind of like in that area. But he would like to combine arts and sports, I think. So we'll see where he ends up. But he is an avid fan. And what I appreciate is that, you know, we've decided, the boys decided that our team is going to be SC Braga. So the Braga team is our team. Braga also won the Portuguese Cup. So this is a big deal. We watched the game, we were into it, everything like that. Some of their teachers are Braga fans, but then there's a lot of like Menifica and sporting, and so the big Lisbon teams, Porto even. Porto is the only team right now that's, you know, are they in the Champions League? Or I don't know. I'm so confused. But soccer is becoming a way of life. It is a must. Um, we did go to a soccer game.

SPEAKER_01 8:41

We did.

SPEAKER_00 8:41

Braga has the most beautiful stadium that I have ever seen. Um, it's like literally embedded and nestled into a mountain. And so the views are stellar. It's amazing. The feat of architecture for that place is just mind-boggling. You have to be prepared, though, that you're going to walk a zillion stairs. Like we're talking 15 flights of stairs easily to get into the seats and the stands. So, and then also you have to climb more than that, or the equivalent, you have to climb up the mountain to get out of the stadium. So you have to be physically fit. Um, elevators are definitely not a thing that people use. You just gotta take your breaks, maybe stop and get a beer on your way up, but that's a requirement. What I did not realize or know is that the stadium was actually a design by a Nobel laureate in architecture who is based in Porto. He's done several different things. Come to find out, one of the people in my Spanish-Portuguese class, like my Portuguese and Spanish class, they're from Valencia. He just moved and he is now working for his architecture firm in Porto. So I was like, oh, wow, I'm learning all kinds of things. So art and sports, there you go.

SPEAKER_01 10:01

Well, in architecture, there's an Avenue Robert Smith in Braga, which is very random. Like, who's Robert Smith? The only Robert Smith I know of, I think, played for the Vikings, but it's not him. It's not him, it's uh some, I don't know, architect or something at an Ivy League school years ago now, like a hundred years ago.

SPEAKER_00 10:24

Architect and art historian that brought attention to Portuguese art and architecture to the world. And so it's just definitely one of those things. We're in a great spot because we have fantastic sports, but there's also fantastic arts in Braga. Um, they are constructing now the modern art museum, which is going to be in Braga. They were like, we talk about it at pottery classes because, you know, art people. Um, but we're like, how many floors is it gonna be? And I can't remember, but people were like, there's no way there's gonna be enough art to fill that many floors. And it's supposed to be open like soon. Like literally by the end of this year, the modern art museum is supposed to open. So it's interesting. You can see a little bit of everything. You have great sports come through. You've got all of this art that comes through, concerts, right? I was telling Jason Adele will be here on May 1st, which is a holiday. I'm like, hey, maybe we can get tickets to Adele. Um, because we definitely didn't get him to Taylor Swift in Lisbon. That didn't happen. Um, but there are all of these different um plays and festivals, and um, I think that we're seeing how people are like coming out and supporting different different elements of the population. So you can see that really well. Like there's a great little art store, and of course, you know, people have got their ceramics and all of that stuff, but then there's also the ceramics for the sports fans. Like, give them a jersey, you know, make them a nice little cup, that kind of thing. It's all handmade. People want handmade things. And so I think that we're getting out there and becoming more of that kind of community and learning more about what makes Braga unique. Um, the expat community, thank God for the expat community in Braga, I'm gonna say I go to my knitting group tomorrow, which is fantastic because I haven't been in a while, had a few conflicts, and so now I'm very excited to go. There are there are all kinds of activities. There's a monthly gathering at one of the bakeries downtown at Lusitana. Um, there's um a new bar and pub that was opened by a couple of expats, and they have like trivia nights and game nights, and you can come in and relax. Um, I have my knitting group, which I'm so very excited about. We meet down in downtown in Braga. Um, and so it's great for connections, but I think that without that um input and without the networking and the conversations, um, we'd probably be missing out on several things from the US way more than I think that we are. Um so for that, I think that we're very grateful, even though we're not as involved in the expat community as we should be or could be. You know, um it's hard because they're in Braga and we're in Pova. And so I think that that's the hardest part is that we're 15, 20 minutes away. So I can't just like walk down to the corner and go have a beer and enjoy the night trivia and then walk back home. Um maybe I can convince Jason to move to a city again at some point in time. The thing the first step was moving into an apartment before any of that happens. But I think it's good that we get to actually have those connections. Um, and I think we're looking, that's our goal now that we're here and settled and you know, done moving, is to really kind of I think lean into that expat community a little bit more and make more connections, not just for us, but for our kids. Um I think that that's gonna be really important for them. And and uh it's good to see like everybody like, oh, I'm going to my Portuguese lesson. Okay, me too. You know. Um so I'd say that we're learning about all of the different elements of Braga, in part through the expat community. So learning about the different elements of art and architecture and sport and all of those things through our connections and through the people. So that's how this all kind of comes together. I didn't even think about watching the Super Bowl until the speakeasy. They were like, hey, come see us, and I thought that would be so much fun. And it is so late.

SPEAKER_01 14:42

Maybe if you could walk there, it would be different. But I don't know, walking home at four in the morning reminds me. Oh, four in the morning's fine. I shouldn't say this to a former professor at Simpson College, but it reminds me of my Simpson college days.

SPEAKER_00 14:59

Oh, really? I was actually gonna say this is just part of living, like if we lived in the city, that would just be part of going out and having a good time. I mean, I've been walking home from going out and doing things in Spain at 6 30 in the morning. So I think it's just part of life.

SPEAKER_01 15:15

Well, the only thing different though, at what in my Simpson days, it was walk to either the zoo or mojo's when it was like 20 below outside, and you didn't want to get your winter coat smelling like smoke, which every bar did back in those days. So you would walk in just a long-sleeve shirt, no matter how cold it was.

SPEAKER_00 15:39

Oh my god. Well, there you go. Welcome. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_02 15:51

That we uh that we didn't probably good that we didn't meet it until later in life.

SPEAKER_00 15:57

I think what it is is that we looked at each other and thought we're old um and that we won't be able to get back by then. It was driving at 4 or 4.30 in the morning. Maybe it will be able to do that.

SPEAKER_01 16:08

Like I say, walking is one thing. Drive even if you haven't had anything to drink, I don't think driving at 4.30 in the morning sounds like a fun thing when you've been up all day and all night.

SPEAKER_00 16:20

I think we'll plan better for next year. So we'll be there, expat groove. Don't like we'll see you at the speakeasy next year. I'll make sure he takes his nap and we go. I feel like we need to do it at least once.

SPEAKER_01 16:32

Well, see, it's easy to say that now. There's no commitment.

SPEAKER_00 16:37

That's right. Okay, well, we'll see how it goes. Oh my goodness. Yeah, so um I don't just having visions of you like walking back from Mojo's and the zoo through Indianola. Oh, that's a shout out to all of you and Indianola and The Simpson crew. So with that, I think we'll end. Well, catch us again.

SPEAKER_01 17:06

Catch us again next time on another episode of As the Dinoson's Turn.