Pinks in Town and International Break - Blog #7 (Nov 18 - 24)

Basketball Update:

No games this week, just practice! All of the teams that are a part of FIBA got an international break for national teams to hold qualifying matches against each other. We practiced from Monday-Friday and got the weekend off which was nice (more about that later)! We have two big games this week versus Dutch teams, Den Helder (beat them at their place earlier this season in 2OT) and Leeuwarden. We are currently 5-4 and in the middle of the pack in the league standings.

Leadership Lesson:

A lesson that Coach Tharp taught me during my time at Hillsdale was about energy vampires. Everyone knows a couple of people in their lives who have a unique ability to suck energy out of a room, conversation, or activity. Their presence and attitude can be infectious toward the group and can negatively impact productivity and the mission you and the other people you are with are on. However, there is good news. Just as negative energy is contagious, so is positive energy. Positive energy attracts positive energy. It is easier said than done to have positive energy, though. Some people have the ability to be positive and happy-go-lucky all the time. The reality is that most people have a limited amount of energy to spread. It is important to be smart about this and allocate your energy to the right things. Channel positive energy to places that will be productive and fulfilling to you, and you should see positive dividends.

I have found this to be overwhelmingly true in my life. I have had teammates or other people in my life who simply throw off my energy and would be considered an energy vampire. It can seriously affect performance and team culture, and this isn't exclusive to sports. Having people on the same page and all moving in the direction of a common goal sounds easy, but is difficult to accomplish. Don't be an energy vampire and invest positive energy into the important things in your life, whatever that might be.

Top 5 of the Week:

Thanksgiving Dishes

1. Sweet Potatoes (Aunt Julie style with marshmallows on top): Close battle for the top spot in this top 5, but I have to give this to Julie's sweet potatoes. Topped with marshmallows, it is the perfect side dish for a Thanksgiving meal. Probably more of a desert type of item, but it plays as a side.

2. Pecan Pie: I have already talked about this in my desert's top 5, so I won't spend too much time on it. Flawless desert and will be missed dearly this year.

3. Mashed Potatoes and Gravy: A Thanksgiving staple that never misses. Soft, fluffy, buttery, delicious.

4. Turkey: By itself, turkey is not anything special. With gravy and mixed with mashed potatoes, it is elite. I also like to make a hodgepodge of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and cranberry sauce which is an awesome combo.

5. Pumpkin Pie: Not sure why pie isn't a more common dessert. I am taking pie over cake any day of the week. Pumpkin is a great flavor of pie and one of the best desserts out there.

What Else Did I Do This Week?

First off, I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I am so grateful for all of you. Sorry that this blog is a bit late, but I have had a busy week with the Pinks in town. My trip to London started and ended with plane delays. The Pinks got to London on Thursday, and I met them Friday after practice. My easyJet flight on Friday was delayed about 1.5 hours and switched gates twice. That experience but I still made it to the Come Alive! show that we went to on Friday. It was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced. I am a big The Greatest Showman fan, and the show included the whole soundtrack accompanied by amazing circus acts. It was like a great concert mixed with a Vegas show. It was incredible.

We stayed at an Airbnb in a really good location by St. James Square. Saturday morning, we did a neat tour of the Tower of London and learned about some of the history of London and the building. We did an audio tour and also saw the crown jewels which was stunning. Then, we went to Borough Market and had some amazing food. We got paella, mac & cheese, sandwiches, cider, chocolate-covered strawberries, and more. I also went solo to check out the Churchill war rooms because the Pinks had done it on Thursday before I arrived. It was sweet to see the bunker where much of the WWII planning took place. All of the rooms were left just as is after the war ended, so it was cool to see the authentic preservation of the war rooms, maps, living quarters, etc. Saturday night, we got dinner and went out to a really cool pub with live music. It was a different vibe than an American bar because everyone was belting out along with the performer. We had drinks and lots of good times. We also found time during the day to check out Big Ben, Westminister Abbey, Parliament Square, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, etc. We even rode on a double-decker bus! It is a cool city with fairly easy public transportation to navigate.

Sunday started off great. We got breakfast with my cousin, Craig, who lives in London, and his son, Leon. We played the animal game where someone is supposed to think of an animal, and then everyone else goes around asking questions to guess what the animal is. Leon was by far the best player at this game and made me question my intelligence in a serious way. While at breakfast, the Pinks found out their flight had been canceled because of a storm the night before. Luckily, or so I thought, I booked separately, and my flight was still on schedule. Got to the airport, and we had about a 30-minute delay, so no big deal. Then, it became an hour... two hours... three hours... and I ended up spending almost 12 hours at the airport. It was a fiasco. Gate agents were getting into arguments with angry customers. Our gate changed about three times, and all in all, it was one of the worst traveling experiences of my life. I got back to my house at around 3 am, and even with how awful this day was, it was still worth it. It has been great having the Pinks out here. It is always a lot of fun with plenty of laughs. They leave this upcoming Monday.

Top Meal of the Week:

The best meal I had this week was probably at this pasta place in London called Pastaio. We all ordered fairly different kinds of pasta, and they were all great. London can be very expensive, and this place was fairly reasonable. It was a cool vibe, and I would definitely recommend it.

One Thing I Miss About the US:

I miss Thanksgiving and being with my family. The people in Europe tend to start the Christmas season with markets, decorations, etc. a little prematurely if you ask me. They skip over Thanksgiving because it is not a holiday here and start with Christmas stuff in the middle of November. It has been a while since I have been home for Thanksgiving because of basketball, but it felt a little different this year being across the globe. It was nice having the Pinks here to celebrate! More on that next week. Thanks for reading!