Great

So today wasn't much different from yesterday. It wasn't raining today and the girls lifted before practice today but other than that, we ate more food. Watched more HBO and won another game. So instead I'll talk a little about what else I find time for while I'm in these trips.

I read quite a bit and it's been great. Just finished The Great Gatsby today. The story was interesting even if it took half the book to get anywhere. What I really appreciated about the book was the writing of Fitzgerald. He was an incredible writer and that I itself made the book worth reading. By the end, I was totally engulfed in how accurately he captured the feel and the details of mood, perception and emotion and yet how much he left to the imagination when it came to the actual plot of the book. Really enjoyed it and I'm glad I finally read it.

Next up: The Fountainhead. Great way to gear up for my jump back into architecture school.

Thumbs up for great writing.

Photo: girls getting their game face on for another win.

More of the same

Living a little bit of a Groundhog Day here in Changshu. Wake up for breakfast then practice. Lunch then back to the pool for games. Back from games to dinner and meeting. HBO movies like Batman & Robin (Clooney is an awful Batman, but Alicia Silverstone is pretty hot). More of the same tomorrow. Tournent is moving fast, be home Monday.

Thumbs up for six more weeks of winter??

Photo 1: the bathrooms at the pool smell awful but it was even more shocking to see that the ice cream bars were being stored in the smelly bathroom. No thanks.
Photo 2: "Assorted Mushrooms Cook Testicular" dinner was interesting tonight.

Culinary adventures

So one thing about China is that the food is always an adventure. The language barrier is a problem and when the two combine it makes for some great images to remember the trip by.

We won our game against the host Chinese team to start off the tournament. There was an incredible group of Chinese fans at the game all dressed in the same shirt. I think they were a hired crowd. Just a hunch.

Interesting tournament so far, only a handful of legit Senior Teams. The others are JNT/SNT mixes. Still, good games to be played with the Russian, Chinese, Australian and USA teams. Should be a good top 4.

Thumbs up for interesting food lost in translation.

Photo 1: practice pool with a view of the soccer stadium next door
Photo 2: competition pool, just before the USA v China game
Photos 3-5: unique gastronomy. (also had one today called "cold skin")

We have arrived

Had our first practices at the pool today. Meals were pretty good, although I don't anticipate that they'll stay that way. No worries. Tomorrow is out first day of games and we play the host Chinese team. Should be an interesting tournament with the variety of teams here. Some teams brought junior teams, some are mixed and some are just normal. Anyway. Fairly uneventful day. Oh and it's the first time I've celebrated a birthday in China! The big 31.

Thumbs Up from china.

Photo 1: some building next to the pool. Might be the pool, not sure....
Photo 2: the team getting ready to get in.
Photo 3: view from inside the practice pool.
Photo 4: the competition pool.
Photo 5: some little kid at the grocery store trying to start shit.

Going going back back to China China

13hr flight from LAX to Shanghai, bus ride to Changshu where the tournament is being played (World League Super Finals). I was up late packing the night before and killed the movie selection on the plane, watched 6 movies so when we got to the hotel at 9pm, I just passes out. It's now 5:28am and I'm wide awake. Anyhow, hotel is way nicer than I was expecting so that's a plus. Tell you more when I get things figured out.

Thumbs up from China, again.

Photo 1: sitting in the back of the bus, I was in the last row. Actually worked out well.
Photo 2: drove thru Shanghai, forgot how cool parts of the city can be.
Photo 3: massive 20ft chandelier in the hotel lobby.
Photo 4: "Days Hotel" nicer than the Days Inn we thought it might be.