Still Going...Green

Yeah my water usage is down, yeah my recycling is up but I still find myself driving places that are in walking distance. However, my American driver's license has recently expired in the eyes of German Law. Only being valid for 6 months, I've actually been driving for a few weeks with an expired license...so until I pass this German drivers test I have been stripped of my car keys. Luckily it was by my girlfriend, whose license is still valid (because it's from Michigan) and she can apply for a European license with no extra testing.

Maryland, Georgia, North Carolina, and New York however aren't as lucky. Since my other teammates don't have girlfriends to drive them around like like I do they were forced to invest in another means of transportation. I, on the other hand, am going to take a crack (or a few cracks) at this German driving test and see if I can get me a lifelong EU License (like Anne Mustermann here).


This is Rocky, he is from Georgia...no more license

This is Chris, he is from North Carolina...no more license
This is Charles, he is from Washington DC...no more license

Now when it comes to Holly and I, when we're not walking, we are getting our Driving Miss Daisy impression on...except it's more like Driving Mr. Hoke Colburn. The roles are reversed but I sure can get used to thisP.S Although I'm all the way out here in Germany, it seems my message of professional athletes going green has reached NBA players in the United States. I'm not sure where Louis Amundson heard the message, but I'm pretty sure Channing Frye heard it when him and I hung out at the back entrance of Libation during my junior year (his first year with the Knicks).

Highlights vs. Bonn

Man's Best Friend

First there was KIMBA, the Husky/German Shepard Mutt that came with my Bronxwood Avenue home. My parents inherited her before I was born and she lived until the ripe old age of 14 (in people years). Rumor has it, I used to practice my Frank Thomas baseball swing on her forehead with my wiffle ball bat up until age 4 and she never once snapped at me. Sadly, the true epitome of a family dog was euthanized when I was in fourth grade.

Next there was MOSES, the Akita/German Shepard Mutt that we brought home from the Dog Pound to replace the void left in our lives by Kimba's passing. We had him for three years but had to send him back after biting a few mailmen and running away every chance he got. We weren't able to fence him in at our new Sugar Loaf residence and therefore had to leave him in the Bronx when we moved out.

Luckily, since we've put Moses back up for adoption, I've always had friends, family members, or neighbors that have owned a dog. But as I get older, and think about how much I want a dog of my own, I realize that there is a lot to consider...but before I get all bogged down with that shit, I need to determine what breed I want. Although I'll probably go to the pound and find one that's in need, if I had my choice it'd probably be one of these bad boys...I'm leaning toward this brown Boxer right here----->

Highlights vs. Giessen

The Day After Tomorrow

When it comes to "scary" movies, this global warming/cooling flick won't be tops on anyone's list...except mine. It's not because of killers or monsters or gay cowboys (quick sidenote-I think Jake Gyllenhaal is a really good actor but my friend Matt dressed up as a gay cowboy one Halloween when we were in college and it was one of the scariest things I've ever seen). This movie was scary because the entire time you are watching this "fictional" film, you are thinking to yourself "wait a minute, why can't this REALLY happen?"


So when I wake up one morning and look outside to see...<--
and then two days later (aka the day after tomorrow) I see...-->











then I freak out...how about some consistency with this weather???

My (Not So) Sweet Sixteen

Disclaimer (aka Bullshit Excuse): I'm a professional basketball player...therefore I don't waste my time with college basketball anymore.

If you saw me streaming in my little brother's basketball games during his televised CSAC league games this season you'd obviously know I was lying. But I'm still sticking with that excuse as the reason why my NCAA bracket is so terribly wrong up until this point.

You have to know that when you pull for an upset there is a chance you are going to be wrong...understandable...but when your upsets are West Virginia over Michigan State or Wake Forest over Louisville and those teams don't make it out of the first round it's time to wipe your ass with the bracket.
I know...I'm upset too you damn Demon Deacon...

I guess at the end of the day 12/16 is not TOO bad, but 6/Elite8 and 3/Final4 already is not good at all. Hopefully it'll remain that way and my boy Griffin will be cutting down those nets in Detroit so I can salvage something from this years tournament...but only time will tell.

Don't Leave Home Without It

I've definitely had my share of "Horror Stories" when it comes to dealing with airports. It seems everytime I'm getting ready to travel somewhere, I'm losing luggage, having departures delayed, flights canceled or sitting in a very small seat next to the fattest person on the plane. But in all my years of traveling I've never dealt with a scare like this...

It actually had nothing to do with me, directly, but did involve Holly's mom. Since all of these other parents have been making the venture across seas to visit their children (Greg has been, Angela is coming in two weeks), Holly's mom decided to jump on-board. So she checks her schedule, gets time off, and plans the trip. Only thing is...you need a passport, which she doesn't have yet...not to worry. Some of my friends got a passport two weeks before our Domincan Republic adventure so with a month to go she had nothing to worry about right? WRONG. Although she paid nearly $200 to get it expedited it was suddenly two days before she was set to leave and still didn't have it.

After a phonecall to the Illinois office garnered no results, she was informed that the only way to get her passport in time for her trip was to drive 5 hours to Chicago and pick it up personally. Once she embraced the idea of adding a ten hour drive into her travel plans for the weekend (which included a 10 hour flight and 2 hour train ride) she had no choice but to bite the bullet, take a day off of work (not included with the week she took off to come visit) and drive 250 miles west on I-94 to the Passport office...only to have this conversation ensue...

Federal Agent: Sorry for the trouble ma'am but why didn't you get this handled in our our Michigan office?
Mrs. Smith: Michigan office?
Federal Agent: Actually, I believe it just opened last week and therefore you wouldn't have been able to process your passport there
Mrs. Smith: Oh, what a shame.
Federal Agent: Yeah I think it's it a city right outside of Detroit...Troy or something like that.
Mrs. Smith: Wait what?
Federal Agent: Yeah Troy, Michigan
Mrs. Smith: I live in Troy, you gotta be kidding me!!
Federal Agent: Haha, well this will be one vacation you won't forget, sorry again for the trouble but have a good trip. Where are you going anyway?
Mrs. Smith: Germany, to visit my daughter and her Awesome Boyfriend, he's the coolest guy in the world.

Well maybe she didn't say that last part but you get the idea...back to the NCAA tournament...I'll holla

Time For Madness

Now that my BAC is back down to where it should be following a wild St. Patty's Day, I'm on my way to the Getrankmarkt (drink market) for a couple of six-packs to get me through the best 4-day weekend of the year. The Madness is approaching...and since I was deprived of all of the action last year (being out here with no access to American Television), it's going to make the next few weeks that much more exciting.

Minus the 4 hours a day that I have to practice, my body will be in a complete state of ROT. My friend Basford wrote the best description of what March Madness means to him during last years tournament, and although the likes and dislikes are definitely different, the Homer Simpson ass-groove on the couch will be exactly the same.

Even though I'm not a fan of the Big 12 or of Oklahoma, I'm looking forward to seeing Blake Griffin cut down the nets in Detroit this year...I just think that people preach teamwork all the time in this game, and although he is, hands down, the best player in college basketball...he also has the ability to make his teammates better...and that should be rewarded. Let's Go SOONERS

St. Patrick Was My Homie

As all of the "Spring Break 09" facebook albums begin to pop up we are getting into the height of our season. No beaches, no pools, no daiquiris, and no horny high school seniors. And although none of my teammates will be on Spring Break this week...I guarantee that won't stop us from drinking tonight. Our tentative plan of action includes a stop at The Irish Pub (yeah I know we're in Germany but every city in every country should have an Irish Pub)

And due to the generous amount of Absinthe we consume each time we go there...it'll probably be our last stop. Here's to seeing Leprechauns in Mobile Alabama tonight with me and the rest of my teammates Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Highlights vs. Quackenbruck

Highlights vs. Berlin

Got Some New $h!+

I can't remember the last time I went SHOPPING. Honestly, it was probably right after I moved upstate and wanted to make sure I had some "highschool clothes" to wear during the first few weeks of 9th grade. Actually if you knew me freshman year, and some of the things I wore to school, you'd know that that statement was incorrect. The last time I went shopping had to be with my friend Mike during the middle of our freshman year at NYU. We spent all day trying clothes on, bouncing criticism off of each other, and exaggerating the number of girls we would get with thanks to our new outfits. We spent all of our money at Against All Odds and Mike ended up changing his style, and giving all of the "urban" clothes that he purchased to my father and little brother (Greg Boone still wears them today...just ask Mike).

Anyway, now that I have a little money to trick off, I plan on doing a lot of damage this summer in terms of stepping up my dress game. But until then, the random purchases I make throughout this little town of mine get me by. I got a few sweaters and T-Shirts since I've been here, but I came across a German that had on an Obama shirt that I wanted...and luckily he was a fan...he assured me that if we won our next game, he would give me his shirt...right off of his back. After kicking the shit out of our next opponent, I became the proud owner of a new T-Shirt...

check it outFor those of you who aren't up on your "NBA Team Logo Game" that is the Washington Wizards emblem and our new President (new resident of Washington DC) with the basketball. I'm wearing it with pride...However, I do wish the fan wasn't an XL. I haven't worn an XL since freshman year of highschool (and yes it was an XL orange sweatsuit).

Spring Is (almost) Here

So I know the East Coast got a bunch of snow and terrible weather this week, but I'm pretty sure the snow is done out here. It does rain a lot, but March is officially spring time, and as the "look" changes outside, my blog will follow suit.

Learning from my girlfriend, who is an avid blog reader, the best blogs are not the ones that are filled with "fluff" but rather straight to the point. No predictability is what I'm going for here, just more of a "yo check this out" kind of description.

How is this for unpredictability?
My girlfriend thought breaking into the bathroom during my shower was funny and although I didn't mind the scare, or the photo...it was all of the cold air she let in that really got under my skin...best believe she better keep an eye out for some ice cold water coming over the top of the shower tonight