The mood? Subdued.

Just so I don't look like a total fair-weather fan (or a "treulose Tomate", as people apparently say here) -- or, worse still, someone who only cares about UEFA or FIFA soccer when there is a major tournament on:

Germany lost.

Mostly thanks to Imelda's new boyfriend "pretty boy" Fernando Torres and an incredibly lackluster effort from the Mannschaft, who looked shocked and exhausted for most of the game. There were Spanish fireworks, quite a few rueful, not-too-surprised Germans, and a quiet night in Berlin.

But to explain why I basically look like a fair weather fan, why you haven't heard about it ten times over by now, and why I didn't make it down to the Fan Mile at the Brandenburg Gate on Sunday afternoon...why I watched the first half from my couch while enjoying the stomach-calming ambrosia that is coca cola and pretzels... Why? I will refer you to what my dad says are called scintillating scotoma or these.

I went to sleep at 2 am with the fun spinning pinwheels of multi-colored light in my left eye, thinking "oh, migrainey, i'll sleep it off..." and I woke up at 4 am on Sunday with a brain-splitting, day-shattering migraine. I have decided that, in addition to a few stray grey hairs and less panic about some things, adulthood has decided to sic me with real grown-up migraines. I used to get migraines from having too many sleepovers as a kid, and would miss watching the "wonderful world of disney" on Sunday nights...

But this one lasted just about 16 hours. There is an utter desperation that you reach, somewhere past the half-way point - the only reason you don't literally mortally injure your own head is the vague memory that last time, at some point, it eventually stopped hurting. Nothing helped (Imitrex, thumbs down), except for a cool cloth on my forehead and eyes, very good earplugs, and a LOT of sleep.

When I got through to the living world at home to get help, Dad also said that they follow a pattern, so, when I was in the throes and desperate to know when it would stop, my answer was - when the last one, the only other one that's been this bad, did. And the last one, also during a major soccer tournament, also in Germany, also in June, lasted, well, about 18 hours. Awesome. I am more grateful than I ever could say to the friend who was crashing with me this weekend - who was ostensibly planning to chill out before starting her round of German summer courses, but ended up bringing me ice chips. It was interesting to commiserate, because hers are so much worse than mine - but also to think about how there is apparently a whole set of bloggers out there, talking about being migraineurs...different than my sleepover-induced "Monday sickness" and feeling like the weird kid.

In any case, the post 'graine hangover slowed me down a little bit, and made me a little computer averse. Back to normal now (ahem, 2 days later) and getting stoked for Kolz's arrival on Sunday (!), while still crossing a few things off the pre-Tanzania list every day.

But the question remains: do my migraines make Germany lose in major soccer tournaments? Or are they a sort of pre-loss fugue -- if I get a migraine, is Germany losing a foregone conclusion? Why does my brain hate Germany? Oh, god, does my brain hate soccer?