At the urging of Mother Dear (more to follow shortly), I was told to take a few days off from contributing to my own blog. Good advice as I return now, recharged and ready to catch up on a few things that have been going on. Mothers always know best.
Thing the first: GAME WEEK! I have been practicing a lot of football specific drills and onfield training in preparation for my return to playing this coming Saturday. Been a little sore from my recent wares, but this is certainly to be expected. During team practice the other night, I felt pretty darn good running around like I used to. We have two more this week, in addition to my own workouts before Saturday's showdown; very exciting times on the horizon.
Speaking of which, I thought it might be kind of cool to show you where the Tigers call home here in Aarhus. Although it doesn't have a cool name like "The Jungle,'' or the "Tigers' Den," (yet...) our field is pretty nice in that it is exclusively our's. It's part of an section of playing fields called Viby Idrætsanlæg (Sports Complex, roughly, in the Viby district of the city). Right next to our field (not pictured below), there is a field that local soccer clubs share and next to that one is where our club's Flag Football team plays. There is also another peripheral 'gravel' field that is used year round and looks pretty much as the name would indicate. ARK (Aarhus Rugby Klub) also has their home field and clubhouses nearby, too.
From this perspective, you can see a very large building overlooking the field. This is an administrative center where one of the directors is apparently a fan of American Football. If all goes well, perhaps he would be willing to take down some of the fencing surrounding the playing surface. This would be of great benefit to anyone who wishes to come check out one of our games, not to mention to our video cameras filming the all the action. As you can see, there are no bleachers but there is a natural embankment where people can take a seat. It's a lot more cozy than this photo might suggest, should be fun to play at.
We also are very fortunate to have our very own clubhouse being built as we speak (okay, maybe not RIGHT now). Take a look:
The room to the left will be a team room where we will be able to have meetings and possibly check out some film at some point. There will be two changing rooms to the right, each with some lockers and showers. I personally look forward to the completion of this place, which the Aarhus Kommune (city) is building for us and continually making steady progress. Carrying all my gear over my shoulder in a very large duffel bag while riding on bike is great and all, but if I could avoid it, I think I would. There will also be washing machines here at our disposal. When those go in, I'm thinking of showing some of our guys how they work. If four years of college ball has conditioned me in any way, it's that there is no going back to dirty football clothes. I'm quite comfortable with all the microbes that follow me around on a regular basis, I don't need anymore.
That's about it on the football front for now. There will be more to come this week, leading up to Saturday's game. Right now I'd like to show you how I've been supplementing my Danish eating habits. During heavy training periods, it's important to make sure you try and follow good dietary practices. Sometimes, it is darn near impossible to do this and thus you need to be able to have a quick, reliable source to satisfy your hungry muscle fibers. I have recently found one from bodylab.dk. In the interest of using a reputable product of Danish origin (Anti-Doping Danmark is a very, very strict governing body that oversees athletes, literally everywhere in this country), I opted for five kilograms of Whey 80. I picked it up yesterday from the Post Office and immediately got a kick out what I saw when I opened up the package:
In a bucket that appears to be better suited for carrying floor sealant, here stands eleven pounds of caramel-flavored protein. Luckily, it's pretty tasty because as you can see, I've got my fair share of the stuff. When looking at this, I can't help but think of one of my all-time favorite Simpsons sight gags, when Homer looks to gain sixty-one pounds to get on workman's compensation. Looking for a way to increase his calorie consumption, he is seen shopping for all manner of unseemly products ('Tubbb-o,' 'Uncle Jimmy's Country Fillin',' etc.). His travels soon take him to a nutrition shop, where he finds a new item:
While ringing him up, the cashier mumbles in disgust, "Eh, lucky for you this stuff don't work." Priceless; I'm so glad I found this image.
Getting ready to call it a night here. On my way out, I would like to wish any and all mothers reading this a very Happy Mother's Day. Such a strange concept does not exist in Denmark. In fact in recent weeks, a message quite the opposite from celebrating our mothers is being portrayed on many local billboards and radio advertisements:
http://www.sellyourmother.dk/sprite/
These ads are really, really stupid and really, really annoying. I can't imagine Grant Hill approving of the direction Danish Sprite has taken. Oh well, such is marketing. I don't buy much sodavand (soda water), anyways.
Safe travels and kind thoughts to both Bill and Casey as they embark on their cross-country journey tomorrow. Have fun, I demand a comprehensive BBQ report along the way. Same wishes also to my Copenhagen Correspondent, Liv, as she heads off on an exciting EuroAdventure tomorrow, too. Best of luck, Madame; enjoy your real pizza experience (hold the noodles).
Good to be back with you all. More fun to follow this week, please do join me again. Hej.
No comments:
Post a Comment