LondonTown.

So here is the deal, originally I was going to be lame and not go any where for the weekend after I was in Switzerland...I can't really give you all an excuse for why but I was tired and I had a lot of homework etc. etc.  The problem that developed out of this is that I had already promised my friend Gemayal, my roommate from school last year as well as ex-teammate, that I would come visit him in London before we went back home to the states.  And given that this would be the last time for awhile that we would both be in Europe together at once, I couldn't let this weekend pass me by without heading out to London.  So I sacked up and bought my tickets and before I knew it I was in London by Thursday afternoon.

I caught the train into the city from Gatwick to meet Gemayal and the first thing we did was head for an open gym that Gemayal went to on Thursday nights.  This could not have made me happier as as you all have read, Montpellier is lacking with the basketball availability.  The runs were fine, nothing too serious but good none the less.  There after we headed back to Gemayal's flat and called it a night.  The next day consisted of G, I will now refer to Gemayal as G for sake of less typing,  going to work all day and myself exploring the city.  London is a very cool place with a lot of history...but I wont bore you with all that.  That night after G got off work we went to another open gym in the Shell Corporation Building, this was a different place than the previous night and there were more players in attendance.  The gym was very ragged and beat up, as hoops were bent and the floor was in terrible shape...it made me wonder why Shell couldn't throw a couple million into there athletic facilities from all the money they make in oil.  The games were very rough from the get go, with designated civilian refs that consisted of players who had just lost the previous game and were sitting out on the sideline.  This made for extremely bias reffing as bitter players who had just lost the game before attempting to swing games one way or another by calling phantom fouls for benefit of one team or another.  And if you know me then you know I would be talking shit to the ref the entire game for his off court antics and game calling.  Only making him angrier and more resentful towards myself and my team.  

In what seemed like only the 4th or 5th game of the night, my team was playing a team full of French speaking players.  The game had been going on for at least 30 minutes due to the bitter ref who had lost to us the game before and was calling fouls left and right for the other team...only prolonging the game and causing me to give him more and more of what I was thinking...I wont elaborate.  But as this continued and we arrived at game point the fouls became harder and more dangerous and players from the other team just started fouling me whenever I would touch the ball or make a move.  This did not make me mad as I have had worse but it got to a point where enough was enough and after one play on the opposite end of the court from our basket one of the players proceeded to foul me for at least 10 seconds straight...for no apparent reason.  Haha, so of course I didnt get too mad...but what I did do was address him, to his face, in French and ask him "Why?" "For what?!" What was the point of that?!"  WOW...this did not go over well with any of the players from the other team...who seemed to all be native French speakers.  They almost lost it...no scuffle of any sort ensued but I was amused at how well I was able to get under their skin.  G, who knew these players from previous open gyms, had to mediate the situation a bit but in the end we won the game and they went home bitter and angry at the American boy who came onto their court and not only beat them at basketball but yelled at them in their own language to top it off.  

Oh and just for the record, in case G decides to read this post, this event I just described usually happens between G and myself when we are on opposite teams...except the shit talking only occurs between him and I while the other players on the court wonder why we are so angry at each other.  To be honest, we only do it because it makes everything more fun....and competitive for everyone involved.  

The rest of the London trip included no further basketball but DID include a night out on the town and plenty of fun and humor.  But unfortunately this will have to be left up to your own imagination because I cannot elaborate further.