Preseason Training Camp

Our training camp is somewhere about an hour away from where we stay. We are staying at a bed and breakfast that literally looks like just another house along an offroad, but it is nice. We had weightlifting this morning for about 2 hours because we had orientation with our strength coach for a long time. The weightlifting isn't really anything too strange. It is not as tough as the St. Vincent's workouts I was doing with Greg all summer, but they're good enough. Then we had lunch.

Today at lunch I decided that if I eat outside of my apartment the rest of the time I am here I am going to use chopsticks. It has been pretty interesting so far. I am not that good. Not good at all. All the Japanese players laugh at me when I try to pick up something like a piece of lettuce and right as I am about to eat it it drops to my plate again. Hunger is the best motivation for learning though. I am nearly always hungry and so it motivates me to learn quicker how to use chopsticks. For someone that wanted to go on a diet but didn't want to stop eating. Buy them chopsticks. Take away everything else and they will take a long time to eat or just get frustrated and stop eating. I will get better at it.

Then we hung out in our little bed and breakfast here. I am rooming with Bobby Nash and he speaks good Japanese because his mom used to so it is interesting when he actually know how to talk with people here. After we went to practice.

Today's practice was just over 2 hours. I finally made it all the way through practice. My ankle hurt like crazy and I am still not at full speed, but I finally made it all the way through. The trainer here is really good and has been giving me ultrasound, stem and massage between every workout. He also has me doing about an hour of rehab everyday to get the strangth back in my calf and ankle.

Tonight's dinner was really good. We had fish, chicken, salad, meatballs, rice (of course), green beans with sesame, lots of different fruit (oranges were the only thing I knew but I ate all the different kinds), and miso soup. After dinner I had treatment again.

Now I am in the room with Bobby and there is some Japanese game show on. It is not like you would think of a Japanese game show (not wipeout). Here is my guess at what it is - except its in Japanese so I don't know for sure. It is these kids that are in asked academic bowl type format. It is a tournament to get there and it is so serious. The losers cry. The winners cry from being happy. The highlights of the kids as they get introduced are of them putting library books away and studying in school. It is unreal. I have no idea what is going on, but I can't turn away.

Well, I'm going to watch one more episode of this Japanese game show and go to sleep. Hope all of you have a great Friday. It's been great for me as I am finishing Friday here.