Back in Brat

I arrived back in Bratislava this morning after a productive week of work in Bracknell, which is about an hour West of London. The highlight of the week, besides the opportunity to work and spend time with the rest of the team in Europe, was that the Bracknell office arranged for the local ice cream truck to make a stop by our building every afternoon. I certainly didn’t need to be eating ice cream every day (and I didn’t), but it was definitely a nice treat. I went with the “99”, which is soft serve vanilla in a cone with a chocolate wafer in it.

Since I didn’t get a chance to blog during the week, here are some random thoughts worth mentioning…

• After intense negotiations, our landlords agreed to provide some plug-in fans since they didn‘t follow through with the installation of air conditioning as they said they would. This will make sitting, and more importantly, sleeping, a lot more comfortable. I have the fan going now and it makes a world of a difference.
• My nephews would have loved the life-size Star Wars characters made of Lego’s that were on display in the Aupark shopping mall today. They had Darth Vader, Yoda, R2D2, and a Starship Trooper. I need to start carrying a camera.
• Speaking of the mall, at the place where I ate lunch, they had bacon donuts on the menu, with a side of fries. I didn’t order them. I did, however, order a chicken sandwich and fries, which I knew I would regret eating even before ordering. It was 3pm and I hadn’t eaten all day, so sometimes you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.
• To all of you who worry about germs and try to protect yourselves and your children with hand sanitizer, wet wipes, anti-bacterial soaps, and whatever else, you are fighting a losing battle. Take it from someone who travels a good bit. From airports to airplanes to public restrooms to public transportation to most bars and restaurants and to the people around you coughing, sneezing, and probably not washing their hands, there are germs everywhere, and there is nothing you can do about it. All you can do is come to terms with it and accept it.
• The weather was beautiful in Bracknell by the way. With the exception of one day, the skies were blue and filled with sunshine. It was not at all what I was expecting.
• The Pelican Brief was on TV at the hotel this week. I hadn’t seen it in a while. It’s a pretty good movie. Conspiracy Theory also came on (must have been Julia Roberts week), which I also hadn’t seen in a while. It is an awful movie and I’m not really clear why it was ever made.
• I’m rooting for Spain in the World Cup on Sunday.
• I just finished watching the Lebron James fiasco of a show on ESPN from the other night (recorded through Slingbox) and I have several thoughts on his decision. I have no issue with him wanting to play with Bosh and D-Wade. He is giving himself what he believes is the best opportunity to win a championship and have fun playing basketball. If you made more money than you knew what to do with and so did two of your good friends, wouldn’t you take a little less to be able to work with them every day and live in the same city? Fans and media care about things like legacy, league history, and the integrity of the NBA. Obviously, he, and I believe many other players, do not. What I don’t agree with is rubbing it in the face of the fans in Cleveland by airing his decision as an hour long special on ESPN. This was basically Lebron leaving a flaming bag of dog feces on the doorstep of the city of Cleveland, but airing it on national TV for everyone to witness. This is what The King has become. The media and the fans have turned him into this. How do you stay grounded when the ground you walk on has been worshipped by all around you since you were 14 years old? He’s been in the spotlight since he was an adolescent, so there is nothing unnatural to him about making this decision in front of the camera. I do take issue with the writers and TV media that are bashing him. These are the same people that cover every minute detail of the guy’s life and report on it as “news”. They can certainly be critical of his decision, but it is hypocritical to criticize the way he did it when they made him into what he is.