Huge Home W & Nikki Birthday Week - Blog #40 (Oct. 20 - 26)

Basketball Update:

We had a huge matchup against MKS on our home floor on Sunday. It was our third game at home out of the four we have had, so it was important for us to win in front of our fans because we have failed to do so thus far. We have had such great crowds for our home games this year, so we really wanted to get one at home for the fans. We started the game very sloppily and got down a bit early. I got in foul trouble again in the first half which sucked. I do like that my coach doesn't sub you out automatically for the whole first half if you get two fouls. I came back in the second half and played much better. I had a few buckets, and we maintained control for most of the game. We ended up winning, 82 - 70. We signed a bunch of autographs and celebrated with the fans for a while. It was a lot of fun.

Now, we have a big game on the road at Szczecin. If you remember, we played a preseason game there, and it is the team that Coach, Andy (our PG), and Phil (our Center) won a championship with a few years ago. It will be a nice homecoming for those guys and an intense game. They are coming off a win versus one of the top teams in the league, Anwil. It should be a fun game.

Leadership Lesson:

I was listening to a podcast with Derek Sivers, and he has a very interesting catchphrase. It is, "hell yeah or no". The core idea of it is that if you are presented with an opportunity, and your immediate response is not, "hell yeah", then it should be a no. Whatever you do, you should do wholeheartedly and with 100%. Maybe this does not apply as much when you are younger, but I really like the message. If someone asks you to do something, and it could be socially or professionally, you should only do that thing if it excites you and you will give your all to it. If not, you should simply say no. One person can only invest themselves in so many things. Being a yes-man has its benefits, but it is easy to spread yourself too thin. Having this frame of mind makes things much easier when you are presented with the option of doing something. It gives you no excuse to be lukewarm about something you say yes to, and also allows you not to feel guilty for declining.

Top 5 of the Week:

Favorite Non-Basketball Workouts

1. Hiking - I have missed this a lot, and it is something Nikki and I did a lot of in our time in Colorado. Walking in nature and getting to a beautiful destination is the best workout.

2. Pilates - I think I have shared this, but Pilates has had an enormous impact on the health of my back in a positive way. Core, hips, glutes, etc. I will do these workouts for the rest of my life.

3. Biking - I love biking. I have done a lot of it in the last three years. It is how I got around in college, and I also bought a bike in the Netherlands. I have missed it this year, but Poland is not very bike-friendly.

4. Yoga - This has been a good way for me to work out over the years that is also low impact and is good for the mind too. Special shoutout to my cousin, Elissa, who has been huge getting me more into yoga.

5. Running - I do not do this very often at all during the season, but I do enjoy going for the occasional run in the summer. Nikki likes doing this together too which is a bonus.

What Else Did I Do This Week?

Going to be honest here, I did not have a very eventful week. The weather here was really bad. It was 40 degrees Fahrenheit and raining for most of the week. It was, however, Nikki's birthday week. She spent the week in Amsterdam and had some fun things happening. She went to a couple of concerts, including Old Dominion, which is one of my favorite concerts I have been to. She also hung out with friends and got some nice presents from some family. She had a good week! We will celebrate a bit when she gets out here next week too.

I had some extra downtime this week and finally got around to posting all of Nikki's and my hike review videos on YouTube. We posted about twenty of them, and they are kind of fun to watch if you ask me. I will put the link below, so feel free to check them out. Really sorry for the lack of pictures. I'll be better this week!

https://www.youtube.com/@patrickcartier2845/shorts

Top Meal of the Week:

The food at this meal wasn't anything special, but the vibes were great. There is a McDonald's right across from the arena we play in, and I celebrated the win with my teammate, Conley, and his wife, Maggie, with some McDanks after the game. It honestly is not that different from an American McDonald's. I got some chicken nuggets and a McChicken, too. It hit the spot after our first home dub.

Cultural Difference in Poland:

In Poland, it is very common to celebrate your name's day in some cases more than your birthday. I think this stems from the country's strong Catholic population in that Catholics celebrate saints more than other Christian denominations. My mom would always give me a buck on St. Patty's Day, but that was about it. I don't think I have ever heard of someone doing this in the US, so it is a very interesting cultural difference about this country.