THE END

It was an utter humiliation - the end of an era. Barca were battered 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Rory Smith called it the end, and sadly that description feels very apt.

In retrospect, we should have all seen this shameful defeat and the end of Barca's dominance on the European stage coming. In 2018, Barca were eliminated by Roma, losing 3-0. In 2019, Liverpool sent the Catalans home after winning 4-0. However, 8-2 seemed unthinkable when the two teams lined up yesterday.

Both teams started off strong, and Barca could have easily been up in the first 20 minutes. However, their chances went begging, and Bayern ruthlessly took advantage of a Barca team that looked a shell of its former self - a team that created far too many unforced errors.

The coach and his player selection and tactics played a role, and he will be gone soon enough. The players were the ones who made the mistakes though and did not respond properly. Many of them will be gone, too. However, the problems run far deeper and go to the very top - the President and the Board. It is they who have squandered the past decade, buying expensive players who were ill-suited to the Barca team. It is they who failed to unload players - albeit beloved players - before their "sell by" date. There were far too many Barca players last night on the wrong side of 30, and they were the biggest culprits in the capitulation.

The club's motto is "More than a club," but Barca are not even half the club they once were. The possession-based, pass and move, high-press style has been gone for years as the club shifted into a counterattacking style. This is explained in part by the fact that Barca's prior style is hard to maintain, especially with an aging squad. That is why the ethos of the club and its philosophy must always take primacy versus the players - no matter how beloved they are. The failure to renew the squad and unload their wages is perhaps even more sinful than the Board's profligate spending on the wrong transfers.

In the end, perhaps 8-2 is the wake-up call that the club needs because the humiliating defeats in Europe in the past two years have clearly not brought about the changes the club needs.

This time feels different though. It feels as though I have watched a loved one die a slow, painful death from a chronic disease that was preventable. Death is a part of life, but I pray there will be an afterlife for my club. 

EARLY RISER

I generally wake up at 6AM everyday so I can go out for a run before work. Today - when I woke up - I saw Cate's light on in her room. When I entered her room, I found her light on and her at work on her computer. I was dumbfounded since Cate usually sleeps in until at least 730.

Recently, Cate let us know that she wanted to switch schools next year and go to the same private school as Nicholas after passing up her acceptance there in the Spring. It turned out that many of her friends from her public elementary had decided not to go to the local public middle school. Though Cate would not provide any more rationale for her decision, I believe that the quality of her online learning experience last spring also played a role.

Fortunately, Cate was able to get in and was asked to take a math placement test to determine the best 6ht grade math class. While she was supposed to take one hour, Cate flew through the test in 28 minutes. Needless to say, after I reviewed the test she submitted, it was clear that Cate missed many of the questions. I sat down with her and spent an hour and a half going through every question. It was clear that Cate did not seem to grasp the concepts. 

Because of this, I told Cate I wanted her to spend an hour per day on the Kahn Academy "Getting Ready for 6th grade math" section. She has dutifully obliged. In fact, that is what she was working on this AM. When I asked her why she was up so early, she replied that she had soccer camp during the day and that this is the only time she could get it done. I felt quite guilty at hearing that and was upset that I was depriving her of sleep.

I told Cate that she could just do 30 minutes per day this week because she was in camp and that getting a good nights rest was very important. Cate expressed understanding and came down for breakfast an hour later - her usual eggo waffles with Nutella - and then she was off to camp.

I love my little worker bee, but I hope she can get some rest and get her math work in!

THE MEANING OF KAMALA

The literal meaning of the word "kamala" is lotus or pale red, but Kamala (Harris) means so much more. By naming her - an Indian and Black American - the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Joe Biden shattered a new glass ceiling. He also inspired people of all ages from those racial groups and beyond to believe that anything is possible. This may sound like hyperbole, but I never believed that an Indian-American would be on a Presidential ticket. This is because Indian-Americans have always been viewed as exotic or foreign, no matter their achievements or roles in society.

I felt this discrimination firsthand while growing up when bullies racially abused me, teachers butchered my name time and time again, and people asked, "Where are you from? And I don't mean New York. I mean where are you really from?" However, close-mindedness lost yesterday when Joe Biden had the strength and courage to nominate one of the most qualified Vice Presidential candidates in history, who just happened to be Indian- and African-American.

Though Nicholas and Cate view themselves as more brown than white, I do not think they fully grasp what this moment means. They just see an exciting, qualified candidate who is getting her chance. Perhaps that is what progress looks like? 

Progress, excitement, opportunity. Whatever you want to call it, I'll take it. Biden-Harris 2020!