Oct. 28 - Nov. 3 Blog #4 - Happy Halloween and W Vs. Feyenoord

Basketball Update:

We had one game this week versus Feyenoord (Rotterdam) and came out with a much-needed victory. We played well in spurts. They had a couple of really talented players, and we were able to extend our lead to almost 20 points during the game. However, they came back, took the lead, and made the game much more interesting than we would have liked. We trailed by one going into the fourth quarter and ended up winning by six, 92-86. My teammate, Brad Greene, was unable to play, so I got more minutes playing center which is what I have played my whole life. It was a fun fourth quarter because our fans were understandably uninspired by our play for most of the game. We played with more fight and energy in the fourth quarter, and our fans got into it. I played pretty well and was able to hit a bunch of threes.

For the first time this season, we play a team for the second time, Kortrijk. They are sitting in second place in our league, so it is a huge game for us. We lost to them in our first league game of the year on a last-second offensive rebound put-back. We have a great chance to make a statement to the rest of the league on Friday, can't wait! I also have some people coming to the game... tune in next week to find out who. Here is one of my buckets from the game on Saturday.

Leadership Lesson:

My New Year's resolution for 2024 was to read twelve books during the year. That may sound laughable to some of you, but for me, it was a fairly lofty goal because I am not much of a reader at all. I just finished my sixth of the year, so it does not look great for me to finish the goal. However, I just finished reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The story is about a shepherd boy who follows his dream to find his treasure and realize his "Personal Legend," aka his destiny. In order to accomplish his dream, he has to quit being a shepherd, meet then leave behind his dream girl, travel through the desert, face tribesmen, and embark on a crazy, risky journey. He has a literal dream in which he is told to travel to the Egyptian pyramids to find treasure. Because he is young, he does not consider ignoring the dream or delaying pursuing it. He immediately begins his venture. Along the way, he must work at a crystal shop to save up money he has lost. The owner of the shop shares with the boy what his dream is, to do the Mecca pilgrimage. He only sells crystals to save up for this journey. Eventually, he shares with the boy that he never actually wants to pursue his dream because if his dream is realized, then he will have no reason to keep on living.

There is a good message and a lot of realism that comes with the perspective of the crystal merchant. He wants to be content and fears that if he accomplishes his dream, he will lose fulfillment and hope in his life. The boy deals with this sort of internal dialogue as well because he eventually could use the money he has saved to become a shepherd again and live a good, happy life. However, the boy has a childlike passion to accomplish his dream of going to the pyramids. The main lesson I took from this book was to do whatever you do with a childlike passion. There is another level of joy that comes with a genuine, real pursuit of something that you can have when you are passionate about what it is you are doing. I don't think this has to be a job, specifically, but it can be your passion for family, a hobby, spirituality, relationships, etc. Finding something that you can feel a childlike sense of passion and joy over is fulfilling. It is something that I have struggled with at times since basketball has become my real job. However, remembering my love for the game, the joy I get from being on a team, and the feeling of winning helps me to recapture my childlike passion for hoops.

Top 5 of the Week:

Candy Bars:

In honor of Halloween being last week and inspired by a conversation I had with one of my teammates, I decided to do this week's top 5 on the best candy bars.

1. Reese's PB Cup: Whether or not this constitutes a candy bar because of its shape is up for debate, but either way, this is number one for me. I am a big PB and chocolate guy whether that is in ice cream, peanut M&Ms, or Reese's. This combination is deadly and Reese's does it the best.

2. Baby Ruth: Very controversial pick here, but for whatever reason I have always loved Baby Ruth. Again, the chocolate and peanuts combination here is great along with some caramel as well.

3. Kit Kat: Pretty simple but solid candy bar. Wafer with a good crunch. Fun to break off too.

4. Twix: Also a very simple candy bar. Getting a Twix during trick or treat was always a big win.

5. Take 5: Very unique candy bar. Growing up, I never loved these because they were my older brother Dominic's, favorite candy. Of course, I could not associate with something that my brother liked, but I have since come around to them.

HM: Snickers, Butterfinger, Almond Joy

What Else Did I Do?

This week was fairly uneventful. Happy Halloween to everyone! Nikki got me some candy which was very kind of her, but we did not do much to celebrate because Halloween is not a holiday here. Nikki went to a Halloween party with her American work friends on Friday night. On Saturday, I met up with her and a bunch of her work friends in Amsterdam after my game to go to museum night. You buy a ticket to have access to a bunch of museums in the city which ended up being a lot of fun. I drove into the city and parked in a garage about fifteen minutes from where Nikki was at the Maritime Museum. When I was walking there, I was approached by these two creepy-looking guys who were speaking Dutch to me. I told them I didn't speak Dutch and asked them what they wanted. Then, one guy told me, "I want everything," and reached into his bag like he was holding a weapon. I kept my space and backwards walked towards these two girls who were walking down the street and told them what was going on and the Dutch guys started laughing saying they were joking... weird joke. I was walking and talking with these two friendly girls until for a couple minutes, and we eventually went our separate ways. Then, one of the Dutch guys came back again with his hand in his bag and kind of got in my face. He finally ended up leaving me alone after we exchanged some pleasantries. I really don't think the Netherlands is dangerous, but this was the first time that I felt a bit unsafe.

On Sunday, we went to a late lunch with two of my Dutch teammates and one of their girlfriends. It was an all-you-can-eat sushi place which was really good. Nikki and I hung out the rest of the day and went for a really nice bike ride/walk around a lake close by (pictures below). I will also throw in a video of a section Leiden's downtown area for people who do not know what it looks like.

Also, a quick birthday shoutout to my dad, Q, who just turned 62! If you are OAF when you turn 60, then what does that make you now?? ;)

Top Meal of the Week:

I apologize for not taking a picture, but the top meal of the week goes to something Nikki made. It was a chicken dish with cream, parmesan cheese, tomatoes, garlic, and onions. We made some rice to go with it too. It was amazing. Nikki also made an apple crisp this week which if you read my blog from last week, you know is one of my favorite desserts. Picture below.

One Thing I Like About the Netherlands:

The transportation here is much better. Trains are very accessible and easy. Stoplights are quicker, and they have more roundabouts here. Even though it is a pain in the butt while driving, the bike lanes and amount of bikers here are amazing. It takes me longer to drive into Leiden than it does by bike which may sound crazy. The bike paths are much more likely to get you from point A to point B in a straight line, whereas in a car, the roads normally take you on a more indirect path. Trains and bikes are a big advantage for the Dutch people.