Oct. 21 - 27 Blog #3 - Nikki Birthday Week and Bad Loss to Spirou

Basketball Update:

Was kind of dreading writing this. We had a bad loss to a good team, Spirou, 50-73. The game was fairly close in the first three quarters, but they pulled away in the fourth. Our performance in the fourth quarter was abysmal. I got in foul trouble again and made a couple of shots but did not do anything special. We had a rough film session which was deserved. I have a great feeling going forward about the guys we have. We have the right players to contend for a championship, we have the right character of guys too, but we have to start playing better as a team for forty minutes. Sounds cliche, but it is true. I am excited to continue to improve and start stringing some wins together with this group. No highlights this week. When we lose, you do too!

Leadership Lesson:

My leadership lesson for this week is going to come from one of the best coaches of all time, Jimmy Valvano. I was looking for some inspiration for this part of the blog this week, so I was looking through some old school work I had done. I did a presentation on Jimmy V during a sports psychology class in my undergrad which made me want to write about him. One of my favorite documentaries ever is Survive and Advance, the 30 for 30 about Jimmy V's Cinderella run in the ACC tournament and March Madness circa 1983. He is well known for his charisma and how much he loved & cared about his players. After his NC State team pulled off their biggest upset and beat Houston in the national championship game, the camera cut to him, and he was running around on the court aimlessly. The link is pasted below. You may ask what in the world he was doing in that moment. When asked after the game, he was quoted saying he was looking for someone to hug. https://youtu.be/rGfDRlEDs34

That video is a prime example of how much Jimmy V truly and authentically cared about his players. Caring for the people you are leading is a natural pathway to empowering these people as well. This is something that Tom Brady (sorry, Dad) talks about as well. He attributes his ability to make the people around him better to the care he had for his teammates. Not only did Jimmy V love his players and the game of basketball, but he also loved life and had a great philosophy for how to live it. In his famous ESPY speech, which I watch at least once a year, he talks about the key to a good life. The key, he says, is to laugh, think, and cry every day. While that part might not be about leadership, it speaks to how you can live a good, happy, and fulfilling life. Jimmy V was notorious for his passion and emotion as a basketball coach and man. His ability to live in the moment while keeping perspective on life was unique and something all of us could learn from. The thing that I admire most about Jimmy V as a leader was his genuine care for the people he was leading. This care empowered his team and resulted in a successful coaching career. He also founded one of the biggest cancer research foundations In the world. Check out the speech if you never have, it is great!

Top 5 of the Week:

Desserts (specific)

1. Leon's Butter Pecan Frozen Custard - Close call here, but well deserving of the number one slot. I believe that Leon's in Milwaukee has the best frozen custard in Wisconsin. Something about the butter pecan is extra creamy and delicious. My mouth is watering just typing this out. It brings back good memories of St. Dom's hoops post-games, hanging out with the guys, and enjoying some rich, tasty custard. I could eat this stuff no matter the season or weather.

2. Mom's Pecan Pie - My mom makes the best pecan pie on earth. Her signature Thanksgiving dessert always hits the spot and caps off what, for me, is the best meal of the year. I will miss it dearly this year. Maybe Nikki and I will try to make it!

3. Culver's Oreo Banana Concrete Mixer - This probably sounds very bizarre to many of you, but ever since I was maybe a junior in high school, my buddy, Kevin Shrawder, put me on to this, and I have never gone back when ordering from Culver's. My favorite more general dessert is frozen custard, so it makes sense that it occupies two of the top three spots in this top five. Don't knock it 'til you try it.

4. Apple Crisp - While my mom makes a great apple crisp, it isn't necessarily specific to my mom because I have had some great apple crisps from many different people. The combination of cinnamon, sugar, oats, and apples is very tough to beat on a crisp fall day. Served à la mode Is the best way to go to take it to the next level.

5. Peanut Butter Patties Girl Scout Cookies - Kind of a lame pick here, but I love me a box of PB Patties. The best Girl Scout cookie (also go by Tagalongs) in my opinion. Some say Thin Mints, Caramel Delights, or Adventurefuls, but no... PB Patties are the best.

What Else Did I Do?

Nikki and I went out for dinner on Wednesday to Brasserie Buitenhuis. It was really good food and was in a cool spot. There is a lot of water in the Netherlands, and this restaurant was greenhouse-themed right on a decent-sized lake right on the outskirts of Leiden. It was a fun night. For Nikki's birthday, I got her a really cool gold bracelet (for her golden birthday), a pair of New Balance shoes (which she has already returned), and a book about adapting to new cultures in business, Culture Map. I think I might give it a read, too. She loved her presents, and I feel like we celebrated well, besides the loss.

On Sunday, Nikki and I went to Noordwijk via bike which is a beach town that took us about 50 minutes to get to. The weather was great. It was 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny. I didn’t realize how big of a beach it would be, but it was awesome with a ton of sand and people out & about. It was also interesting to see that when you look out into the North Sea, there are hundreds and hundreds of windmills out in the distance. It was very unique and something I had not seen before. We grabbed a solid breakfast at a beach-side restaurant, and then, we biked back. Some pictures/videos below!

Top Meal of the Week:

Nikki’s birthday dinner at Neni in Amsterdam definitely gets this award for this week. It is a Mediterranean restaurant with a cool vibe on the inside, and the food did not disappoint. We got sea bass and a zucchini dish as appetizers which were unreal. Then, we got a wagu beef kebab dish and a chicken dish that was served with hummus and pita bread. The wagu beef kebab was solid but the chicken dish that Nikki chose was one of the better-tasting plates of food that I’ve had since being out here. The service was great as well, and Nikki got a free birthday cheesecake to finish things off. It was a bit pricey but not unreasonable. I would definitely recommend to anyone visiting Amsterdam! Pictures below.

One Thing I Miss About the United States:

It is crazy to me that restaurants do not serve complimentary water with your meal. The Netherlands is very well-known for its biking culture. Many people walk or bike to get around, and it is simply the way that it is here. However, even after this semi-workout that you have done to get to a restaurant, you still do not get water. The people here and in the rest of Europe must constantly be dehydrated. I realize the irony in my commentary about the health of the people here coming from someone who hails from the country with the highest obesity rate in the world, but the point stands. Next week, per request from Nikki, I will give you something that I like about living here that the US should consider implementing. Thanks for reading!