Oct. 13 - 20 Blog #2 - Two Game Weekend and Nikki's First Week of Work

Oct 21, 2024

6 min read

Basketball Update:

We went 1-1 this week to move us to 4-3 in league play and 5-3 on the season (Supercup win in our first game of the season didn't count towards our league record). We lost a very winnable game to Zwolle on Friday. We gave up 94 points at home which is no bueno. Zwolle plays really fast-paced, and they were able to speed us up at times. We scored a lot (87 points) but struggled to get stops. I did not have my best game. I was in foul trouble in the first half, so I sat for most of the first quarter and the whole second quarter because I picked up two early fouls. The foul trouble was very frustrating because my first foul, I did not even realize was called on me. It should have been on my teammate. Then, I had a dumb foul on a rebound and got subbed out not knowing I had two. Tough realization when I got to the bench.

Our second game was a lot better. It was only our second road game of the season, and we came out with great energy and got the lead up to 17 points in the second half. They made a late surge, and we held them off for a 5-point victory (76-71). I played much better than I did on Friday and ended up with 9 rebounds. I was ONE rebound away from my first double-double in years. For those who have followed my hoops career, rebounding has weirdly been a struggle for me at times. Playing the 4 makes rebounding a bit easier because there is less wrestling and hard boxing out under the basket. I can run in free sometimes and jump (although not that high) to grab some boards. It was a great road win, and I have to shoutout my teammate, Aaron Cook, who had one of the most spectacular plays I have ever witnessed while on the court. Link below:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBWhAW4oVRz/?igsh=a250bmpoZTl5aHd4

Leadership Lesson:

Nikki and I are making our second attempt to watch the greatest show of all time (in my opinion), Game of Thrones. We picked it back up in season 2, and there is a scene where the men of the Night's Watch are traveling north of The Wall and make a stop at Craster's keep. The Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, Jeor Mormont, is a beloved GOT character who is a man with honor, integrity, and great character. He pulls one of the main protagonists of the show, Jon Snow, to the side, who is being groomed to be the next Lord Commander, and tells him, "You want to lead one day? Then learn how to follow." I thought it was a simple but great quote. It closely relates to the situation I am in right now. I have always viewed myself as someone who is a good teammate and has the ability to be a good leader. On my teams in the past, I have been a good mentor to younger guys and have set the right example with my words and actions. Now, I am back to being a rookie who lacks the experience and wisdom in comparison to some of my teammates. When you are leading a group of individuals, it is easy to be judgmental of your lower-ranking teammates and completely forget what it is like to be new or not know what is going on. I am grateful to be in this position again and to have empathy again for someone who lacks experience and status on their team. It has been productive for me to focus on being a good follower who works hard, communicates, and brings good energy in a consistent manner. You don't always have to be in control or be the one making all the decisions. A lot can be learned by following well in your professional life or even in your relationships. GOT scene below:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TmpEFNMMyJo?feature=share

Top 5 of the Week:

Holidays

Christmas Day - Easy pick here. Not much needs to be said. You get the rare combination of getting presents while also getting a lot of family time with fun traditions. Also, as you get older it becomes increasingly fun to shop for other people and get them presents. Cozy vibe, NBA games, winter weather... doesn't get much better than Christmas. Capped off with Paper Charades at the Albert's too!
Thanksgiving - The best meal of the year. I put this at #2 never having contributed in the slightest to any of the cooking involved with this day. The fall vibes with a full day of football make for a great day. My mom's pecan pie is one of the my favorite desserts which is a big plus.
4th of July - A great day to celebrate the USA while also spending the day outdoors. If you are lucky, you can spend the day on a lake playing some yard games with some family and friends. I like the parade purely for some nostalgia and honoring some first responders and veterans, but in a vacuum, parades are not anything special. I will always prefer to go, but it is not a deal breaker. Drinks, good food, and a lot of fun.
Easter Sunday - Easter is the spring version of Thanksgiving. Great time to spend with family and celebrate Jesus' Resurrection if you are a Christian. Quality time spent with the family with one of the best meals you will get during the year. Solid holiday for me.
Super Bowl Sunday - Perhaps not seen as a traditional holiday, but it is one of my favorites. I always bet on the coin toss with my guy, Kyle Goessler, and it is a good excuse to bet on some other stupid things (Gatorade color, first song of halftime show, national anthem length, etc.). Very bittersweet considering it is the last football we get for roughly six months. Halftime show and commercials are fun too!

What Else Did I Do?

Because of the double-game weekend, Nikki and I were not able to do a whole lot. We were able to hang around Leiden a little bit because Nikki had some trouble with her work situation, resulting in some more downtime than we thought. However, Nikki's birthday week which is a big thing for the Pink's started on Saturday. There was a film festival this past week in Leiden which is something neither Nikki nor I have ever done before, so we wanted to check it out. We bought tickets to this Jesse Eisenberg movie Saturday night at 7. I had practice from 3-6, so I kept the tickets and was planning on meeting Nikki at the theater straight from practice. I guess we messed up with reserving our practice time, so our practice went until 7. Missed the movie which sucked, but Nikki and I walked around Leiden a bit. Leiden is a great city, and since Nikki got here, I have been doing much more in the city like going to the market on Wednesday/Saturday and exploring the different restaurants in town. Pumped to celebrate the one and only, Nikki Pink this week for her birthday on the 25th!

Top Meal of the Week:

This is a toss-up between the club sandwich I had at Barista Cafe on Saturday for lunch and the spaghetti with homemade meatballs that Nikki made for me that was ready when I got back from my game on Sunday. Barista Cafe is in the center of Leiden. Nikki and I both got pumpkin spice lattes, and the sandwich was great. The spaghetti Nikki made hit the spot because I was pretty tired, hungry, and the Packers were on in our time zone which probably helped too. Also, Nikki put me on to these peanut butter cups that are made up of a date, peanut butter, and melted chocolate chips on top. Put them in the freezer for 15-20 minutes, and they are a healthier version of a Reese's. They are delicious. Pictured below are a couple of croissants Nikki and I got that were really good but didn't quite make the cut.

One Thing I Miss About the United States:

I miss the ability to watch primetime sporting events. Fall is the best time of the year for sports with the three major US sports converging at the same time. If you read last week's blog, you know that Aaron Rodgers is my favorite athlete ever. I haven't been able to watch any of his games because they have all been primetime. This hit me hard when he and Davante Adams teamed back up with the Jets this week, and I was unable to watch. The Packers have a bunch of them coming up in a few weeks, so I will have to get used to it.

Thanks for reading!