Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Expect the unexpected
Expectations., at one point or another we all have them, be it “high” ones or “low” ones. Going on blind date? Promotion you’ve been slaving for? Your taste buds waiting for the special of the day. Recently, my expectations went for a roller coaster ride.
It was rainy day July, one of those, ”I wish I brought an extra pair of socks”, kind of days, I was swiveling in my desk chair timing the rain drops to the second hand of my office clock. I had seventeen minutes to go before I could make a break for it. While working here in the land that originated from five drops of water from the tip of a Katana (刀), I have had th
e uncomfortable pleasure of witnessing sales people coming in droves into the teachers room to solicit their wears. So when a Prudential salesmen came in hocking insurance, it was just a regular day at the office.
Usually one look at my wide brown eyes and a glimpse at my café latte skin is enough for them to ignore and move on. Yet, this guy sat next to me, gave me his card and started chatting.
“Japanese, ok?”
“”
“Where are you from?”
“I am from Puerto Rico.”
“I like hockey”.
Now, normally Puerto Rico is associated with baseball or for that matter basketball, but never hockey. Although my uncle had taken me to a couple of New Jersey Devil’s hockey games during my brief stints in NJ as a kid, I didn’t start pl aying hockey until I was fifteen and in the continental US to stay. But there was no way of him knowing that, making the question even more peculiar. I told him that I was a huge fan and I lo ved hockey with a passion. He told me he was a go alie and invited me to play on his team. I was on cloud nine. Haven't not played in years, I was starved for hockey and pleasantly surprised to find such a league in Japan.
A couple of weeks later I show up to my first practice with in-line skates over my shoulder and graphite stick in hand. Everyone else was in quad r oller skates and totting sticks that look more like field hockey lumber rather than something that could hit a 90mph slap shot. My heart sank. On top of that, I was asked to use a borrowed pair of quads rather than my shiny new, begging to shred Tours I had brought with me. I had never roller skated in my life. My instincts would tell me to cross over, C-cut, back skates, turn on a dime, but my skates felt glued to the floor. After 30 m inutes, I had enough, and sat dejected. One of the league supervisors approached me after practice and told me next time I could use my in-lines, as long as I made an effort to learn to use quads in the future. I was a bit relieved, but that was just the first step in the process.
The next few practices were a series of hard lessons , for me and others who were opposing me, on the rule differences between Hardball/Roller Hockey and In-line/Ice hockey. Hitting and contact is not allowed, so imagine the shock and horror in others faces when I threw a couple of hip checks and shoulder charges. Phrases like, "Luis, no!", and "Foul!!!", were things I got used to hearing on a regular basis. No kicking of the puck, so any of my "soccer passes" or fancy stick/skate trickery was quickly whistled down. Now, although pressure is not illegal, the Japanese take a very technical and fundamental approach to the game. Either team watches the other make their passes and waits for a mistake happen before they take possession of the puck. Also , fore-checking is virtually non-existent. Then I show up skating and chasing every play my stamina allows, and well at that moment they had to adjust to my game. I spent the month of August practicin g and training with the team from Kinki University in Osaka and learned a lot from them.
After a coupl e o f months, I adjusted quite well. I still committed some fouls, but now they are in the single digi ts. A couple of weeks ago my team was in a tournament. I had been learning and practicing the quads, but was nowhere near ready to play on them, so I was allowed to use my in-lines. Growin g up I idolized Claude Lemieux {p hoto} and if my presence on in-line skates wasn't annoyance enough, I tried emulating him in the rink. I taunted in English, Spanish, and Japanese. I put a couple of shoulders in to chests when the referees wer en't looking and also kept talking trash during face-offs. I fore-checked which led to getting hooked and/or being picked b y players not carrying the puck, which lead to me yelling at the referee, which subsequently lead to my first yellow card. A yellow card in hockey!?! Another first for me. Still, my mouth kept going. Yet un-like Sean Avery, I was able to back-up my constant jabbering with 6 points (2g, 4pa). Granted, not the most sportsman-like way to play but...
Overall, it was a fun day. I made some new friends and some new enemies (not everyone was entertained by my mouth), and my first foray into organized Hardball Hockey was a fruitful experience.
It was rainy day July, one of those, ”I wish I brought an extra pair of socks”, kind of days, I was swiveling in my desk chair timing the rain drops to the second hand of my office clock. I had seventeen minutes to go before I could make a break for it. While working here in the land that originated from five drops of water from the tip of a Katana (刀), I have had th
e uncomfortable pleasure of witnessing sales people coming in droves into the teachers room to solicit their wears. So when a Prudential salesmen came in hocking insurance, it was just a regular day at the office.Usually one look at my wide brown eyes and a glimpse at my café latte skin is enough for them to ignore and move on. Yet, this guy sat next to me, gave me his card and started chatting.
“Japanese, ok?”
“
“Where are you from?”
“I am from Puerto Rico.”
“I like hockey”.
Now, normally Puerto Rico is associated with baseball or for that matter basketball, but never hockey. Although my uncle had taken me to a couple of New Jersey Devil’s hockey games during my brief stints in NJ as a kid, I didn’t start pl
A couple of weeks later I show up to my first practice with in-line skates over my shoulder and graphite stick in hand. Everyone else was in quad r
The next few practices were a series of hard lessons
Overall, it was a fun day. I made some new friends and some new enemies (not everyone was entertained by my mouth), and my first foray into organized Hardball Hockey was a fruitful experience.
A taste of Italy...maybe.
I really don't remember where I learned this recipe, but it's an easy one I've enjoyed making over the years. Quick, easy and impressively tasty.
Portobello Spinach Bacon Salad
1-2 Portobello mushroom caps
4-6 stalks of spinach
clove of garlic
2-3 strips of bacon (pork/turkey or you can use Prosciutto or Jamon Iberico)
balsamic vinegar
black pepper (optional)
olive oil
In a medium sauce pan pour enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Slice your garlic and toss in the pan after heating for a couple of minutes on a medium flame. Cut your bacon/ham of choice into small pieces or strips. When the garlic starts to take on a golden color, lower to a low heat and toss in your meat. You can cook the meat to a desired texture, but be careful not to burn the garlic. Wash and chop the spinach. If you have a lettuce spinner, use it to dry the spinach or dry it with a clean kitchen towel (save the paper towels). You can lightly scrub the Portobello with a mushroom/potato/vegetable brush or peel the upper layer on the caps. After, dice it into bite size cubes. When the meat is ready, turn of the heat, toss in the dry mushroom first and then the dry spinach (remember, water will make hot oil splatter and burn you) and cover for a few minutes. Let the Portobello and spinach steam in the heat. Uncover and grind/sprinkle in some black pepper (or not), then pour in a quick splash of balsamic vinegar (I substituted apple vinegar once and enjoyed it as well) and toss around a bit with tongs or a wooden spoon. Turn over in to a salad bowl and serve.
Hope you enjoy it. If whoever taught me or came up with the recipe reads this, please, toss me a comment so I can give credit where its due.
Portobello Spinach Bacon Salad
1-2 Portobello mushroom caps
4-6 stalks of spinach
clove of garlic
2-3 strips of bacon (pork/turkey or you can use Prosciutto or Jamon Iberico)
balsamic vinegar
black pepper (optional)
olive oil
In a medium sauce pan pour enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Slice your garlic and toss in the pan after heating for a couple of minutes on a medium flame. Cut your bacon/ham of choice into small pieces or strips. When the garlic starts to take on a golden color, lower to a low heat and toss in your meat. You can cook the meat to a desired texture, but be careful not to burn the garlic. Wash and chop the spinach. If you have a lettuce spinner, use it to dry the spinach or dry it with a clean kitchen towel (save the paper towels). You can lightly scrub the Portobello with a mushroom/potato/vegetable brush or peel the upper layer on the caps. After, dice it into bite size cubes. When the meat is ready, turn of the heat, toss in the dry mushroom first and then the dry spinach (remember, water will make hot oil splatter and burn you) and cover for a few minutes. Let the Portobello and spinach steam in the heat. Uncover and grind/sprinkle in some black pepper (or not), then pour in a quick splash of balsamic vinegar (I substituted apple vinegar once and enjoyed it as well) and toss around a bit with tongs or a wooden spoon. Turn over in to a salad bowl and serve.
Hope you enjoy it. If whoever taught me or came up with the recipe reads this, please, toss me a comment so I can give credit where its due.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
