Just got back from a 10 day three country whirlwind. First was 3 days in Spain, days that I lucked into getting alone, since I finally perfected the art of causing others to feel guilty for my plight. Then 3 more in London with my sister, and finally four in Greece. Being abroad, alienated in a world where no one knows what March Madness, and in a place where their were riots after both Real Madrid and Chelsea lost in successive weekends during my trips into their respective cities (Honestly, opposing teams should just pay me to travel to their opponent's city before a match) gave me an interesting perspective on things; namely: the difference between USA and Europe, why NYC is still the best city on the earth, and so much more.
- The most underrated sub-plot of walking around London: the absolutely amazing feeling of superiority. In Trafalgar Square, there are flags of each of the British "colonies" that still hold ties to the queen, like Australia, Canada, South Africa. Everytime I walked in the square, I thought to myself "every day some poor Briton probably wishes he could put the American Flag up there." Honestly, we were the crown jewel, and we won. Screw You, England. We beat your ass.
- On a similar note, being an Indian makes it even better. On the one hand, I come from a country that fought the greatest military force of all time, and whipped them. On the other hand, my people came from a place that decided not to pick up one gun and still beat the British. That's right. I am essentially a double-middle finger to the British Empire.
- On a similar note (I'm not done milking this British thing), London makes one fatal mistake. It tries to be both European and American. It tries to have the streets and plazas of Paris and Madrid, but also the bustling maw of New York. You can't do both, its impossible. And their confident arrogance that it works is probably worse than the confident arrogance New Yorkers have for their own city's superiority.
- Madrid, and Spain in general, is easily one of the best places to live. It is just so relaxed. Seemingly no one works, as hundreds of suit-clad businessmen gather around the local seafood bar for two hours in the middle of the day, without a care for their jobs. I guess that is why their Economy is going down the loo.
- Also, any country that not only doesn't serve dinner and solely serves tea until 9 PM, but looks down and glares at any tourist with the gall to ask for the "dinner menu", is a place I can live with.
- American Stadium tours should learn from Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu tour, where I got to go on the field, sit in the Real Madrid bench, visit the Real Madrid dressing room, see all of the trophies the team has collected and got to visit the presidential box as well as get a birds eye veiw from the very top of the stadium. Contrast that to the "tour" of Giants Stadium. First off, it doesn't exist, but even if it did, they would guard the inside of the stadium as if I was bringing the plague.
- I am never travelling without shaving completely and putting on skin whitener. In Madrid and London I was asked where I was coming from when walking by the "nothing to declare" area in customs. What was more hilarious, is when I said that I came from New York, they just let me go. I guess they were expecting me to say I was arriving from Pakistan.
- I hate to travel by the US airlines, specifically the farce that is American. Sure, the food was actually not cardboard this time, but their behind-the-seat video systems did not work for the entirety of the 7 hour flight from London to JFK. Really, American? Really. British Airways isn't great either, but at least the had the smarts to have the sole form of entertainment on their flights work.
- I have to give the European Immigration "EU Passports" only line a massive fail. Don't they know that flights between two EU countries (Madrid-London, London-Athens and the return) are 80% EU passengers. So, obviously, the non-EU passport line was much shorter, and went much quicker. I had to fend off laughter at their shortsightedness. Honestly, the EU was a terrible, terrible idea. Mostly because I miss the Euro.
- There was alot of coverage in the Euro papers about the impending EU financial crisis. My favorite part, the fact that Germany was essentially Europe's lender of cash. It's like World War I and II did not teach the Euros anything. Germany should never have that much power.
- Having to miss the best first-week of any March Madness tournament in recent memory was terrible. But it was effectively assuaged by seeing the carnage caused by Real Madrid's Champions League defeat one week, and Chelsea's the next. Those two clubs are essentially the Yankees, with the biggest checkbooks and the arrogance to boot. They were both embarrased, Chelsea doubly so since they lost to a team manageered by a former-Chelsea cast-off. Seeing Madrid and then London react like they had just been nuked was fun. There were literally parades of drunk twenty-somethings throwing bottles on the streets of London.
Now, for some American ramblings.
- Thank You Joe Mauer. Finally, there is a player who cares more about a community that loves him, and his own personal happiness than the negligible difference between 184 million and 220 million. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the Twins dole out that cash, and Mauer accepting. Mainly because it helps show that baseball might not be as broken as we think. Sure, the Yanks, Sawx, Mets and Cubs can still outspend everyone, but teams like the Orioles, Blue Jays, White Sox, Tigers, Rangers, Angels, Mariners, Dodgers, Giants, Astros, Cardinals, Reds, Phillies and Braves, and somehow Twins, can create the funds to save the true super-duper stars. Thank God for that.
- This March Madness weekend upcoming will be crazy. There is reason to believe that this will go down as the best March Madness since 2005. However, that one will be hard to top. Just for a refresher, 2005 featured three Elite Eight games that went to overtime, two buzzer beaters in the earlier rounds, the rise of West Virginia and a classic final between the two best teams. We won't get the final, since one of the two best teams is gone, but we have a shot for some good memories, as all the double-digit seeds look good enough to go to the Final Four.
- Cornell is scary good. They played two of the best defenses in the nation and carved them like butter. Cornell would easily be the best cinderalla ever (sorry, George Mason), if they were to make the Final Four, since Ivy League schools can't even give out full scholarships.
- Kansas was my pick to win it all, and this is the last time I ever trust them. I had them winning it all in 2007 too. Of course, they won the following year, so this might bode well for the 2011 Jayhawks. Either way, how can you not love Northern Iowa? Seriously, Ali Farokmanesh? That name has to made up.
- The seeding matchups are so, so weird. There is a 9-5 game, an 11-2 game, a 10-3 game, and two 6-2 games. In fact, there is only one matchup where the seeding has held through, the Duke-Purdue matchup. Contrast that with last years snorefest, where 6 of the 8 matchups were with the seeds holding through.
- As a quasi-Volunteer fan, I am feeling absolutely giddy. I still cannot believe that Northern Iowa can actually miss the final four, and MSU is missing its best player. Of course, I felt this way in 2007, where Memphis awaited in the Elite Eight (a team Tennessee beat, as they always do), when the Vols ran into...... Ohio State. However, that OSU team had Greg Oden, and won by one point. I am scared how amazingly confident I am that Tennessee can actually make the Final Four.
- Kentucky cannot win. I cannot believe. I believe in God, and therefore, Kentucky cannot win. Seriously, they are frauds. Their coach has been to the Final Four twice, and each year their season was eventually wiped out for shady recruiting. Then, after having a 38-2 year wiped off the record books in Memphis for admitting a player who cheated on his SAT's, Coach Calipari walks cleanly to Kentucky and steals Memphis' recruiting class at the eleventh hour? Really? That underhand crap is going to be rewarded? I just cannot believe it. If anything, they are the least deserving team. Coach Calipari is the new Coach K, and Kentucky must go down and go down hard, and nothing would be sweeter than an Ivy League school with 0 scholarship players, and four seniors knocking off the Wildcats.
- The Big East can suck it. At least the SEC backs up its undisputed claim to being the best conference, winning the last 4 Titles. The Big East last won a National Championship in 2004, and hasn't even had a finalist, let alone a champion since. Since 2004, the SEC (Florida, twice), Big 10 (Illionois, OSU and MSU), ACC (UNC, twice), Pac-10 (UCLA), Big 12 (Kansas) have all sent teams to the Championship Game. Shit, even the Conference USA has sent a team to the final game in Memphis. The Big East has got to get its act together. I really don't think it is any better than the Big 10.
- This upcoming weekend is going to be crazy. It is the second best weekend in the USA Sport's calendar, coming just behind the Divisional Weekend in the NFL Playoffs (ahhh, NFL, what a lovely thought. Come Back Soon!!), and I will live-blog Friday's games, where Tennessee will try to avenge the 2007 game, Saint Mary's will try to beat a team still trying to recover from the whole "one teammate murdering another" story, the giant killer trying to beat the best tournament team year in year out, and a Hummell-less Purdue team trying to do America a service and knock out Duke. Should be fun.
I'll be back tomorrow with something Decadium-related.
