Flotadores!

Yesterday, I played basketball with my close-talking friend Francesco and some other Italians. They don't check the ball, which makes the game continuous and much more like soccer.  After each point I would sort of relax for a second to catch my breath, losing track of the man I was guarding in the process.  The playground crew was pretty good, lots of pick and rolls, ball movement and solid fundamentals...my only complaint is that every time I blocked someone they would call foul, or FOULO!, and clutch at a random body part while grimacing and cursing under their breath, again the game has clearly been influenced by soccer.

The big news is that on November 5th I am going to Budapest.  If Obama wins the election, it will be a great excuse for a giant celebration, and if McCain wins, I will be appropriately moving farther away from the United States.  The trip itself sounds like the beginning of a terrible joke, "So two Americans, a Mexican, and 33 Spaniards take a twelve hour train to Budapest..."  The Spaniards organized the whole trip in search of an exotic festa, and the Hungarians have something called a sparty (Spa + Party = Sparty), a disco inside one of Budapest's famous Turkish bath houses.  "We will buy flotadores!"  My Spanish friend Charlie excitedly told me, and he's absolutely right...when dancing and drinking in a giant pool, I think it's imperative, for safety as much as anything, to have some floaties around.

With this aquatic party in mind, I am a bit concerned about the P-word...but I suppose if I get prune hands then everyone else will also get prune hands.  Copy the URL below and paste it into your web browser if you are interested in seeing what I am getting myself into.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-iHlbRV6rQ