Torrid Affairs

While in Kyrgyzstan, I met very few girls. Indeed, if you're looking for a romantic adventure, Kyrgyzstan is one of the last places I'd recommend that you go. However, I did meet one-- a Russian/Kyrgyz girl who I fancied to no end, named Olya. We got a drink together. Between her sticking to orange juice at the bar and her 2 out of 10 English, the chemistry was lacking. At the end, we hugged. I went for the kiss on the cheek, but got rejected (since she couldn't "turn the cheek" to reject me because I was already aiming at her cheek, she put her head down and I ended up kissing her on the top of the head).

Anyway, I left her town the next day, and I haven't really thought about Olya much ever since. But last week, I got an email from her. It took me awhile to realize who "Olya" was, but when I did, I was delighted-- my little Kyrgyz girlfriend has written!

Now, I go in phases with email. Sometimes I'm on top of the ball, and respond to everything right away. Other times, I get hideously backed up and won't respond to anything for days and days. This was one of those times.

So yesterday, a week after I had received her email, I had not yet responded. Then I received this:

From: Ольга Попова
To: Tim Urban
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 7:47:22 AM

Hey Tim
I think you forgot me at all. Just say Good buy to me.

Olya.


This is my life.

Anyway, in other news, after my brilliant reverse jinx, the Red Sox have come back yet again in to win a postseason series. In fact, they've completed a dramatic comeback in four of their past five postseason apperances:

1999: came back from 0-2 to beat the Indians in the ALDS
2003: came back from 0-2 to beat the A's in the ALDS
2004: came back from 0-3 to beat the Yankees in the ALCS
2005: no comeback
2007: came back from 1-3 to beat the Indians in the ALCS

In that time, in 17 postseason games in which the Red Sox were facing elimination, they've gone 14-3. In 8 games in which the other team was facing elimination, the Red Sox have gone 7-1 (the Aaron Boone game being the only loss). If you take out the overlap, they've won 17 of 20 postseason games in which either team was facing elimination since 1999.

And-- just for fun-- since Mariano Rivera blew the 2001 World Series, the Yankees are 5-10 in 15 postseason games in which either team faces elimination. The Red Sox are 14-2 in 16 elimination games in that same span of time. What a remarkable, and beautiful, role reversal.

So tonight, my team takes on the streaking Rockies in the World Series. This is a pivotal game. Either:

-the Red Sox win-- Colorado believes that the long layover has cooled them down, and the Red Sox feel confident.

or

-the Rockies win-- both teams believe the Rockies are still red-hot, despite the layover, the Rockies know they can beat Beckett, and the Sox suddenly face a must-win game the next day.

I'm terrified.

I'm emotionally vulnerable.

I wish Olya were here.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

i would love to hear you say "Kyrgyzstan". :)

Anonymous said...

so since you are talking about oyla, does that mean you and nicole are no longer???

Tim said...

indeed, nicole and i are no more. we live 2,000 miles apart, and we're both pretty busy people, and after about a year together, we called it a day. we're still in touch, though. just the other day, i sent her a text message that said, "how about them red sox!" because i knew it would make her furious. predictably, she tried to dampen my happiness by comparing the red sox to all those yankee teams i hated, and that the whole bar she was in was booing after they won. so i responded with, "jealous cubs fans!" which made her even more furious. good times. so we may not be a couple anymore, but as long as we can still push each other's buttons, i'm happy.

Anonymous said...

I am surprised people are not all over you in this blog right now since you broke the news - indirectly at first. Also, smart move to remove the email addresses. I was surprised to see all that information exposed and couldn't stop wondering if all kinds of people would now start emailing Oyla and how surprised she would be etc. etc.

Anonymous said...

Was wondering the same - the whole Nicole issue. Distance is a bitch. Been there and done that. Figured you would bring it up eventually - and this is just as good a way as any. Glad it was civil.

Red Sox still have J.D. Blew ... so it is what it is.

Anonymous said...

Funny Man! Oyla's email; love it! BTW I think the news broke when you declared yourself "single" on FB! Quite the newsbreak...

Anonymous said...

When Boston were down in the series
before 3-1 I think they were paying
more than $7 here ,to win the World
Series.

I would have bet the outback on em'
to win the World Series from there,
well I'm happy it's raining. And we
get to view it all at a more decent
hour,will they win before midnight?

Anonymous said...

GO SOX!!!!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

RESIGN MIKE LOWELL - GO TO HELL AROD!

Anonymous said...

To answer my own question ,no, they
won same day they did here ,Boston
time.

And what's so sad about being a New
England sports fan?

Maybe our New England not yours ,it
sounds like a golden era there.

I wonder what a R.Sox World Series
sweep was paying when 1-3 down that
series before ,now that's sadness.

frmr jhi ...

Anonymous said...

I'm Russian- Russian to be with ya! ;)

K said...

Sorry to hear about your break up :(

That may explain why you left the country so quickly though...

Unknown said...

I am REALLY late posting to this:

So it became official a couple of months ago, though that had been as you know dallied around for some time here (if you go through earlier blogs, some people were commenting on you and Nicole). The distance is a killer, and Nicole seems to be uber busy anyway (she has not been into her MySpace account in ages).

One thing I learned eons ago is that you never truly know what will happen, and in that regard, though unlikely, situations could always have you and Nicole back together down the road (though the two of you did last a lot longer than most couples not name Rob and Amber who met on a Reality TV show).