That game clock is just symbolic
“… and the shootout is going into extra time”. When I called up the streamed feed, this morning, I suspected that the gold medal match might seem long. First hint: a banner showing “Tokyo 2020”. As someone that doesn’t follow footie (is that the right term), my coming to watch the big game is almost wrong. The only familiar thing in view is a red jersey (for Canada).
It seems that you play for regulation time, and then you tie, and then you kick singles until someone misses (more than once) and then the announcer awards the medal. Similar to those long hours spent by a pitch, as son #3 proved that you don’t need to pay attention to have fun. “Are you watching clouds?” A true family moment.
The Games are finishing up a second week, which means that I can start scheduling my “I watched the closing ceremonies” time. The medal count? Who cares, really? We’ll be back in four years.
I’ve taken a few minutes to research how you prove your vaccination status (to others). Without that big blob of a scar that we used to grow (after getting our pox-vax), we now depend on official documents. Which can be counterfeited, it seems. Depending on where you reside, the government can offer anything from a handy email receipt all the way to one of those QR Codes which require a machine for interpretation. Also able to be counterfeited, but we’re not supposed to talk about that.
Turns out, the world is winging this one. If I present myself at an international crossing, and I present a printed page issued by my local health authorities, the response is likely to change depending on the date and the border guard.
