World Cup watch party at the hospital

Happy Monday, DMV! It’s July 20.

The World Cup is over. Boo. And it was great.

I’m not big on spectator sports, but every four years, the world’s soccer teams pull me in. For the first several rounds, I casually tune in now and then to root for the underdogs. Toward the end, I’m hooked.

The most memorable match of 2026 was Saturday, the England-France bronze final, in part because 10 goals! But mostly because it pulled me out of a funk.

I spent last week in the Midwest visiting my parents and their friends, whom I consider my extended Thai family of aunties and uncles. They went to medical and nursing school together in Thailand in the 1960s. Many moved together to southern Illinois and the greater St. Louis area. They’re my family in the United States. Now, many of them are in their 80s.

In the first few days of my trip, I went to a memorial service for an aunty and a farewell party for a nonagenarian uncle moving back to Thailand after more than half a century stateside. I ended up extending my stay by a few days because my dad was hospitalized … which brings me to the World Cup.

I was with my dad in the hospital Saturday. As the England-France match began, two couples who are close family friends came to visit. They squeezed onto a couch next to his hospital bed. Being retired health care providers, they discussed at length my dad’s symptoms, possible diagnoses.

My parents and their friends have known each other since their teens and 20s. When I was a kid, they had weekly mahjong and potluck parties. They later sang karaoke. For decades, they’ve played golf together throughout the summer. As they age, they said, more and more of their shared time is in hospitals.

I looked over to my dad, but he had checked out of the conversation and turned his attention fully to soccer. Good call. So we all watched the match. I was easily overwhelmed by the adrenaline and excitement, and started shouting “OH!” at each change in possession, shot and goal. (I am no soccer expert, so forgive me if I bungle my sports terminology.)

England 4 - France 0 at halftime.

I paced the hospital room and hallways between goals, holding my hands high in the air to release my nervous energy. I heard hoots and hollers from other rooms across the hospital floor. I chatted with a few staff after another goal. Even in that setting, the vibe was electric. Though perhaps I’m overstating it. Maybe it was just staticky.

Final score: England 6 - France 4.

I’d been cheering for France, but still, it was such a fun match. I felt warm and fuzzy watching the congratulatory hugs on the pitch.

In my dad’s hospital room, we were all cheers and smiles.

(Importantly: My dad’s on the mend.)

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Karaoke Therapy! 6 p.m. tomorrow at Busboys and Poets Takoma.

Chris Montone sent in this photo that he and his wife took in late June.

“After a heavy rain … I noticed this large mushroom had popped up on the church grounds adjacent to my condominium complex in Kensington,” he wrote in his submission.

“I got down on my knees to try to shoot upward with my iPhone camera while my wife illuminated the mushroom from the side with her iPhone flashlight. We ended up with a pretty stunning result, I thought!”

He told me he was inspired by the reader-submitted photos in this newsletter and started sharing his photos on a Substack called Natural Beauty.

Hazy skies. Crazy storms. World Cup watch parties. Share your photos of summer life in the DMV.

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