So I guess we are not the ’72 Dolphins…
Saturday night, in front of a packed house at Brescia, we lost our first game of the season. We didn’t just lose, we SUCKED.
As I’ve said before, Brescia is by far our biggest rivals. They are Pigs and we are perfect. I guess just not in the pool…
We could not buy a goal last night as we went 3 for 15 on our man-up opportunities. For those of you who don’t understand water polo…we gave a more pathetic performance than Shaq would if he entered a 3-point shooting competition. BAD shots, unlucky bars, goals that went in but the refs took it away from us, you name it and it happened.
There are many different theories to a loss
-Its good to have one early in the season so that you know how it feels
-You learn more in a loss than you do in a win
-Its better to make a lot of mistakes in one game than a few in every
While there is truth to all of these it doesn’t make it any easier.
I am a firm believer in former NFL coach Herman Edwards’s most famous quote, “You play to win the game”. While often mocked, it couldn’t have been said any better. Its that simple, “You play to win the game”.
No one is happy when you lose, or at least they shouldn’t be. So if you play because it makes you happy, and you are not happy when you lose, then the only reason you play is to win the game.
When the final seconds had ticked off we stared blankly at the scoreboard which indicated a 9 to 6 defeat. Straight to the showers where no one talked, nothing is worse. You don’t want to say anything because you are angry, you don’t want anyone else to say anything because they should be angry too, and still it’s the silence that makes you the angriest of all.
Bus #10
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Swim Caps and Flip-Turns
Not many adventures in the life of Bus in Bergamo lately. After the initial “firsts” (1st game, 1st snow,…) It gets difficult to write something interesting about a lot of my days. I don’t think you want me to start documenting the minuets of the daily routine…
9:30am- Woke up
9:35am- Decided to have “Honey Rings” cereal.
9:36am- Poured bowl of “Honey Rings” and then realized I was out of milk.
9:40am- Walked to the market to buy milk for my “Honey Rings.”
These may be the minuets that fill up my day, but by boring you with them, I would be taking away hours off your life.
Instead today I am going to discuss some differences…
“What kind of differences Bus?”
Well if you would just be patient I will tell you…
Since my life here is centered being in or around the pool, that where I make a lot of my observations. I’m going to bullet these out
•Swim caps- It is mandatory that unless you are groomed to pass military standards you must cover your hair with a swim cap at all times while in the pool. I was very confused because I have not worn one since I think I was 8 years old doing club swimming. But here everyone has a cap, and most of the guys wear these cloth ones that look more like a grandma shower cap than anything else. Every time I put mine on I struggle to find my masculinity.
•Flip-turns- Lets just get this point out of the way first- I HATE SWIMMING. This may come as a shock to some of you who are wondering why the hell I have devoted so much of my life to the pool if I loathe this activity, and I do. It’s boring, tiring, and after 24 years I still haven’t found the point of it. I love water polo. Water polo is a GAME that combines physical strengths and skills but more importantly requires as much thinking as playing a game of chess against Bobby Fisher. Swimming is mindless. Hell, even my retarded cat Ned can swim if he gets tossed in the drink.
So for all you smart people out there…”What do you think is my least hated part about swimming?....”
Of course it’s the flip-turn…It’s the only part of swimming where you aren’t actually swimming! You go heals over butt, push off, and then for 2 beautiful seconds you don’t have to do anything at all…just glide. That is why I am so confused by the members of my team…no one does flip-turns. They approach the wall, touch it with their hand, do a 180, and then push off. Besides looking like a 5 year old, this takes way more time. There are definitely guys on the team that are way faster than me, but in anything over 50 yards I can kick everyone’s ass because they insist on doing their open turns. I just don’t get it…who in the world would want to swim anymore than you have to?
-Bus#10
9:30am- Woke up
9:35am- Decided to have “Honey Rings” cereal.
9:36am- Poured bowl of “Honey Rings” and then realized I was out of milk.
9:40am- Walked to the market to buy milk for my “Honey Rings.”
These may be the minuets that fill up my day, but by boring you with them, I would be taking away hours off your life.
Instead today I am going to discuss some differences…
“What kind of differences Bus?”
Well if you would just be patient I will tell you…
Since my life here is centered being in or around the pool, that where I make a lot of my observations. I’m going to bullet these out
•Swim caps- It is mandatory that unless you are groomed to pass military standards you must cover your hair with a swim cap at all times while in the pool. I was very confused because I have not worn one since I think I was 8 years old doing club swimming. But here everyone has a cap, and most of the guys wear these cloth ones that look more like a grandma shower cap than anything else. Every time I put mine on I struggle to find my masculinity.
•Flip-turns- Lets just get this point out of the way first- I HATE SWIMMING. This may come as a shock to some of you who are wondering why the hell I have devoted so much of my life to the pool if I loathe this activity, and I do. It’s boring, tiring, and after 24 years I still haven’t found the point of it. I love water polo. Water polo is a GAME that combines physical strengths and skills but more importantly requires as much thinking as playing a game of chess against Bobby Fisher. Swimming is mindless. Hell, even my retarded cat Ned can swim if he gets tossed in the drink.
So for all you smart people out there…”What do you think is my least hated part about swimming?....”
Of course it’s the flip-turn…It’s the only part of swimming where you aren’t actually swimming! You go heals over butt, push off, and then for 2 beautiful seconds you don’t have to do anything at all…just glide. That is why I am so confused by the members of my team…no one does flip-turns. They approach the wall, touch it with their hand, do a 180, and then push off. Besides looking like a 5 year old, this takes way more time. There are definitely guys on the team that are way faster than me, but in anything over 50 yards I can kick everyone’s ass because they insist on doing their open turns. I just don’t get it…who in the world would want to swim anymore than you have to?
-Bus#10
Sunday, January 3, 2010
NYE
Happy 2010! How was your new years? Hopefully good, because according to the Mayan’s you only get two more…or was it the Aztecs? Let’s just hope they rounded down and we get to squeak in a few extra.
Thursday night I was invited to attend a New Year’s Eve party at the house of Giulio, a friend of Sessa and Roberto that used to play polo with them when they were younger. It was a dinner party, potluck style where everyone brought something to share. I sheepishly brought drinks. I am far from a chef and didn’t want them judging America on the talent of my dish. So all of you should actually be thanking me, one more stereo type averted.
Giulio set up a large table and the 12 of us sat around it and ate for what felt like 3hrs straight. There were the meat trays with prosciutto and salami, several different quiches, gnocchi, and of course polenta! For the main dish which almost no one had anymore room for, was Lenticchie(a seed-like bean) with sausage. It is an Italian tradition to have Lenticchie on the both the last and first day of the year, for it is supposed to bring you good luck with money. While I couldn’t finish my serving I made sure to go back after midnight to have one more spoonful…couldn’t hurt!
As the clock neared the final minuets they turned on the tube and tuned into their version of New Years Rockin Eve. No ball drop but an excited crowd gathering somewhere in Italy to countdown the final seconds of 2009. 3…2….1….
What? no midnight kiss? There were at least 4 couples there and no one brought the New Year in with style. Hey I wasn’t expecting any love, especially with this beautiful catipilliar that is blossoming on my upper lip, but I was a little depressed to see that this was not a universal tradition. Lenticchie is good and all but who doesn’t like a buzzed spit-swap to start your next 365?
The food coma was winning its battle with me. I was ready to bow out and leave but the group was adamant that I stay. Again I couldn’t let America down and be the NYE weenie…so I stayed. Little did I know that I would be letting down the country big time before the hour was over.
The universal consensus is that USA is greedy and only concerned about global domination. Well everyone is way wrong, its ITALY! This is at least the third party where someone has busted out RISKOLA, better known to us as the board game RISK. They love it over here, and they were more than excited to play 4 against 1 vs the American. I will spare everyone the pathetic details but the blue soldiers covering the map might have been the first to disappear.
Board games and no kiss…not my normal NYE but hey I’m up for anything! That’s what this is all about and I’m loving every day!
-Bus #10
NOTE: For some reason it is not letting me add any photos anymore, so until I figure it out you get the privilege of painting your own with your mind…Luck you!
Thursday night I was invited to attend a New Year’s Eve party at the house of Giulio, a friend of Sessa and Roberto that used to play polo with them when they were younger. It was a dinner party, potluck style where everyone brought something to share. I sheepishly brought drinks. I am far from a chef and didn’t want them judging America on the talent of my dish. So all of you should actually be thanking me, one more stereo type averted.
Giulio set up a large table and the 12 of us sat around it and ate for what felt like 3hrs straight. There were the meat trays with prosciutto and salami, several different quiches, gnocchi, and of course polenta! For the main dish which almost no one had anymore room for, was Lenticchie(a seed-like bean) with sausage. It is an Italian tradition to have Lenticchie on the both the last and first day of the year, for it is supposed to bring you good luck with money. While I couldn’t finish my serving I made sure to go back after midnight to have one more spoonful…couldn’t hurt!
As the clock neared the final minuets they turned on the tube and tuned into their version of New Years Rockin Eve. No ball drop but an excited crowd gathering somewhere in Italy to countdown the final seconds of 2009. 3…2….1….
What? no midnight kiss? There were at least 4 couples there and no one brought the New Year in with style. Hey I wasn’t expecting any love, especially with this beautiful catipilliar that is blossoming on my upper lip, but I was a little depressed to see that this was not a universal tradition. Lenticchie is good and all but who doesn’t like a buzzed spit-swap to start your next 365?
The food coma was winning its battle with me. I was ready to bow out and leave but the group was adamant that I stay. Again I couldn’t let America down and be the NYE weenie…so I stayed. Little did I know that I would be letting down the country big time before the hour was over.
The universal consensus is that USA is greedy and only concerned about global domination. Well everyone is way wrong, its ITALY! This is at least the third party where someone has busted out RISKOLA, better known to us as the board game RISK. They love it over here, and they were more than excited to play 4 against 1 vs the American. I will spare everyone the pathetic details but the blue soldiers covering the map might have been the first to disappear.
Board games and no kiss…not my normal NYE but hey I’m up for anything! That’s what this is all about and I’m loving every day!
-Bus #10
NOTE: For some reason it is not letting me add any photos anymore, so until I figure it out you get the privilege of painting your own with your mind…Luck you!
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