Now it is time for the updates on life down under. Things continue to go very well, but time seems to pass much too quickly. The last couple weeks at school have been fairly “cruisy” for me as they would say here. Many of the year 12 students (seniors) have had exams and this has changed my schedule quite a bit. Many of the students I would normally work with had different schedules with their exams, and thus I did not see as many kids those weeks as I usually would. I found myself filling in the time by getting caught up on Seinfeld episodes, during the recent marathon on television, and watching seasons 1 and 2 of Criminal Minds.
The World Cup began last week and it has been quite popular. I enjoy watching people I know play soccer, but I have never been a huge fan of watching it on TV – but I’ve never really given it a chance. I am still amazed at the influence it has on people worldwide and the Cup has made me watch a lot more soccer than I would have expected to. I was initially having a hard time watching the games with volume due to the vuvuzelas, but watching it in mute or in a crowded place has alleviated that problem.
After posting last week we played the Rockingham Flames. After our big triple header the weekend before I was excited to be back in Kal for a game. Going into the game we were 13-6 and sitting in 4th place with a 2 game lead over the 5th place team. Rockingham was a team struggling to contend for a top 8 finish and they were a team we were heavily favored against. They arrived into town with a depleted squad, but came to play.
Unfortunately for the Giants we were not in usual form and we caught a player from Rockingham that was going to have a special night. We lead going into the break but the second half was not ours. In recent home games we have been very tough in the second half, and often times erase a small deficit and take the game over. On this night we ran the well dry and Rockingham took the game from us behind Demetrius Hazel’s 40 point performance. On his way to his 40 points he connected on 10 three point baskets. It was difficult to swallow, but in athletics any team can win on a given night and it was Rockingham’s night. As a summary of how I played I finished with 29 points and 17 rebounds. It was a good individual performance, but the loss outweighs that.
After a loss it is always tough to muster up the energy and positive attitude to venture out and socialize. Saturday was no different. The Palace was where we all met up, and fortunately they had the USA-England soccer match on. It was exciting to watch and unbelievable that the US scored the way they did and earned the draw. There are a lot of people with ties to England here, so it was nice that the US was able to play to the draw and prevent any bragging by the POHMs.
Monday and Tuesday were great days at work. The exams were finished and I was back to the normal routine. Monday night I continued attending Yoga class at the health club and I am enjoying it quite a bit. I find myself uncoordinated at times, but improvement continues with each class. Tuesday night a couple of us converged at Paddy’s for dinner and to watch some of the soccer games. New Zealand was playing Slovakia and it was exciting. The All Whites were trailing throughout the game and after bombarding the Slovakian goal with shot attempts in the extra period they finally scored a header to tie the game in the final seconds. It was a roller coaster of emotions on display for the favored Slovakian team.
Wednesdays are usually pretty relaxed for me. I work a couple hours in the morning at the high school and then spend an hour or two in the afternoons at the local primary schools doing basketball camps with Michael. It’s a cool experience in that we see a lot of kids from the camp we did earlier this year and also meet new kids that are excited to have us there. Wednesday I was invited to dinner at Sam’s house. She is a tremendous cook and she ventured out on some curry dishes! Butter chicken is my favorite. It was very delicious.
The rest of the week I fell victim to a cold. Thursday and Friday I was constricted to bed and the couch in front of the TV. It was a struggle to get healthy before our game Saturday, but with plenty of ‘quils, ny and day, juice and vitamins I was doing everything I could. On a positive note I was able to watch the NBA finals – I just did not see the outcome I hoped for. What the outcome did bring, however, was an incredible and priceless post game interview by Ron Artest. Wow!
Saturday came and I was still under the weather, but went through my routine before a game. Wake up, breakfast, shoot around, shop, eat, nap, game time. I mention shopping because this town is bustling before 3 pm. At that point the shops close and they remain that way until Monday. If you need to get anything for the next couple days, Saturday is the day.
Saturday night we played Perry Lakes. In our last trip to Perth, prior to the triple header, we lost to them pretty handedly. The game started and they jumped on us. They took a double digit lead into the second quarter and from this point on we were in too deep. Once again we played without the energy we’ve displayed up until this point. The game was pretty even through the remainder of the game, but we ended on the short side of things. It is unfortunate, but we still hold the 4th spot and need to maintain that. Saturday night I finished with 20 points and 8 boards.
Going against my friend Bobby Kempf.
Looking on from the bench at the end of the game
This upcoming week we host Geraldton, the top team in the league. We beat them in Geraldton earlier this year and definitely have the ability to do so again. I am excited for the upcoming weekend- for the game and for my family coming. I am really thankful that they are making their way! Until next week…
My family
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