Wow its been over a week since i last blogged. what an awful term.
its been hectic. im playing with 2 teams but i should clarify i dont have a spot with either. in the mornings i play with the team alboraya. its a juvenil team so theyre all around 16 yrs old but these kids can really play. Some just dont have enough strength yet but they really know soccer. The game is so much different out here. Everything is perfectly technically. The game just flows much better than in the U.S. I play with this team from 9:30- 11:30 monday-thursday. Its in Puzol a pueblo and there is nothing to stop the insane heat. Yesterday it was around 44 degrees c but fortunately they have a pool that we all go to after playing. Then, me and Ariel will go to a bar where ill get my usual Horchata. Then we come back, he cooks la comida, and then we sleep. Then i wake up around 5 to get ready for soccer at night which is infinitely more demanding than the soccer in the morning. These guys are all around 23. Not only can they play but they are quicker and stronger than any team ive played with. I do that from 8-10 and then take the metro home. I usually get back around 11:30 and have to wake up at 7:00 so the midday siesta is really helpful.
Last night we went to the plaza de torros! check out pics from that on facebook. That was definitly something interesting. Then we hit up a few bars after and then came back and slept. Its unbelievable how many people are awake at insane hours here. The bull thing started at 11 and went till 1. After is when all the people go out. We went back to the house at 3 and thats when the majority of the people started arriving.
Today Ariel and I went to a couple music stores where I bought some music and then found the only book store in Valencia with any english books. Now were gonna eat soon and im typing this while im waiting for pictures to load on facebook.
Tonight i have a game with San Marcelino- the team at night. its the first preseason game and i think im ready. My legs are really tight from playin all week but they usually loosen up pretty quickly when i get playing.
Hope all is well with everybody!

Streak of Good Things Continues

Yesterday, I had an email from a team that I had called earlier. The guy told me to come by their offices in this town outside of Valencia and we could talk. Well, I typed the address into google and apparently that street runs through more than one town so, after the subway, bus, and taxi, I was in the wrong city. Finally a taxi driver knew what I was looking for so I found the stadium. After a couple hours of waiting the guy I had emailed shows up and he says that the coach is running the team by the river- which is a lot closer to where I'm staying. He calls the coach up and the coach says that I should come out and run with them. He also said that they were starting at 8:00 pm, in 30 min. I have no idea where I am at this point or where I need to be. There are no taxis in this town. The president of the club called a taxi for me and this dumb lady is driving so slowly while im changing in the back seat. I failed to mention earlier that i keep a pair of cleats and soccer clothes with me wherever I go. Anyways, finally get there and i cant find them. I'm frantically sprinting all over this place and then after like 20 min I find them. its 8:10 and the coach tells me to start streching with them. He then tells me that I need shoes because we're running on concrete. I didnt have any with me so he told me just to come back tomorrow. Well, it has been a pretty long day at this point so im not giving up now. As im walking away I find some people and ask them if theres a place nearby where i can buy shoes. theres a mall really close. I sprint to the mall, find the first store with shoes and just buys the first pair of 11s I see. Sprint back, cant find the team because theyve left running so im sprinting all over the river once again and finally I find the coach. He's liking me quite a bit at this point cuz I dont think the other kids trying out showed up dripping in sweat and out breath before a 2 hr run. I get going with them and find out that Spanish players are incredibly lazy during the summer and im in better shape than any of them. So, I looked pretty good for the coach, talked with him a bunch, and am going back to run more tonight.

Today: Woke up, went to work out, then went to the socccer fields for technical stuff. Theres this African kid there who's freestylin and is pretty sick so I start juggling with him. He couldnt speak that much spanish because he only knew French so it was pretty hard talking with him but he was with these other Africans that I've seen working out there everyday and these guys are in pretty good shape. Well I talked with them and they said that they workout at the fields from 9-11 every day and invited me to come on Monday. Mondays my tryout in Puzol but I told them I'd see them Tuesday. The kid I was kicking with stayed a little longer cuz he lived in a different direction and turns out he moved here a year ago from Liberia because of war. He told me, in broken spanish, that his father and mother were killed by the rebels and he was lucky because he escaped. I dont know if thats luck. He made it to Spain and now he stays in a shelter. The shelter opens its doors at night for everyone to sleep and then is closed the entire day. He said he cant do much cuz he has no money and nobody will hire him because he is African so he just walks around everyday. Anyways, I'm gonna see him Tuesday if I dont have soccer and I got his number.
He kept sayin that America was so good. I realize this doesnt really make sense and it didnt to me at first either because im giving you as much context as I had. But I see what he means. Everybody in Europe and most likely around the world loves to hate the US. Everyone I talk to says that Americans are just greedy and idiotic in general as they ridicule our politics. After they rag on the US for a few minutes they always say, but Americans are the nicest people in the world.
I'm learning what this means. All the critics say that our borders are so tough now we would be lying to say that we take the tired, poor, and huddled masses but aside from immigration controversy, there is no nation that is as accepting of foreigners as the US. I think Spain mirrors the rest of Europe in that people generally refuse to interact with people of different ethnicities, cultures, countries, and just immigrants. Spanish employers will not hire Africans or Muslims which just perpetuates the tensions between races here. Today is a good day to be an American : ) haha I love saying that. Its good to hear from a bunch of you.

Ryan accomplished something not many people do so congrats to you man. A lot of people have given up putting in the work by this age. It takes a lot of determination to make it to the next level. I'm really excited for you and I know that everybody else is too. Good luck and I'm looking forward to following your blog so start that up ASAP! Haha love you all!

Today has been a great day. I'm not gonna be overexcited and take it for granted because i know how fast luck can turn. I'm just thankful for one successful day. I had decided last night i'd go check out some soccer fields that i had seen the day before. i figured it'd be fun to just go kick around at a cool field. Well i worked out this morning-not as well as i should have- and then took a cab to the fields. well i had no idea where i was going so i told the cab to take me to the soccer fields along the river near downtown but apparently there are more than one of these. well i get out, pay him, realize im far from where i wanted to go but decide to go check out the fields anyways. I got some pretty cool pictures of a dirt field there and the grass field that was obviously exceptionally maintained. Found an old locked up trailer but i thought i would go ahead and knock on it. as im walking to find the nearest taxi this guy walks out and i ask him if he plays there blah blah blah he gives me the director of the clubs number. i called him up and he said i could tryout. then i came back and checked my email. email from this agent that hasn't contacted me in a while saying on the 20th im in a tryout with other young players being looked at for villareal and castellon- 2 very big first division teams. then the other agent that i havent spoken with in weeks calls me to apologize for not being in touch. he says that he tried to get me into a tournament but wasnt able to but is still working hard for me.
on top of all this good news i was able to talk with the fam and bre a lot today which was nice. Also if anyone wants to talk or text the number is 663299137. Lets not do it regularly cuz it probably cost tons for both of us. Miss everybody and am grateful for this turn of fates but i know i gotta keep workin hard to keep the good things coming.

The Hypocracy of the Republican Party

What's the Matter With Kansas? by Thomas Frank has illuminated an issue for me that I hadn't considered before but now seems central to politics. Oversimplified, why do states such as Kansas with working class populations vote Republican? The working class man has seen his people suffer through deregulation of industry and other pro business policies. He works in worse conditions for less money; that is if his job hasn't been outsourced. He depends on federal aid but votes against it.

The leaders of the Republican party know what they're doing. They're stealing this demographic that rightfully belongs to the Democrats. They do so by manipulating these people into thinking that economics are negligible and they should vote based on values. Conservative leaders force the idea that America is in the midst of social (moral) decay. That by prohibiting abortion, gay marriage, and gun laws, our nation's values will be restored and life will improve for everybody. It is significant to note that while Low Income Red America sacrifices wealth for values the leaders of the conservative party are making more money because of cheaper labor. We can all see the direction that social policy is going. Roe v. Wade will never be overturned and if by some miracle it is there will be some much contradictory policy in place that it won't matter. Gay marriage is becoming more and more accepted throughout the country. Gun laws are as strict as ever and Obama promises to make it even more difficult to bear arms. So, in reality, if Republican leaders are even fighting for these social changes, they are doing a really bad job. All they succeed in is continuing to deregulate profit motivated corporations and lessen government.

There is an example given in the book where a woman works as a secretary in a small town.She is in desperate need of financial help walks into the office of a Republican governer and announces she will not be voting for him. She reasons that because he is pro-choice he is too liberal for her. Frank describes the situation simply but powerfully, "And that is Kansas for you: a state where the working-class heroes are even more Republican than their bosses."

The scheme would not be perfect without vilinizing the opponent. The Republican party propogates to the masses that the typical liberal is a rich snob who lives on the coast, drinks lots of lattes, and has no motivation other than to ruin life for the rest of us. That the Democratic party is not the party of true Americans.

So, the workers of the Midwest Red States rise up, infuriated because their small towns are now poor and jobless, because working conditions are worse, because the income gap grows, and proceed to vote Republican.

TGIF!

Happy Friday everybody. been a long couple of days. yesterday i woke up late and decided to go to a soccer stadium in the town of Puzol. after an easy ride on the metro (subway that is partially above ground) i found myself in the town of Rafelbunyo. That was the closest I could get to Puzol and the map sure made it look close. Of course I had never heard of either towns and learned that they were both very poor pueblos. there is no bus system so I decided I could walk it. Turned into around a 4 hr walk one way- at hour three I knew what I had gotten myself into but decided that it was too late to turn back. The way back I tried to hitchhike but I must have looked really strong and intimidating so nobody picked me up. Got home late but had a good dinner cooked by Ariel.

Today I got up at 8, walked to the rec center, and worked out for 2 hrs. Then came back and kicked the soccer ball against the wall trying to get it off the half bounce, no bounce, etc. After I spoke with the parents for like 2 hours which was good. Found out all about Jill's exciting adventures in Canada! Ask her about them. I actually didnt talk to her cuz it was 5 a.m. denver time and she was trying to sleep with mom and dad in her room. But it sounded like she had fun. Had a variation of Paella-national dish- for lunch which was made my Ariel. I love that he loves the cooking. He, and the Spanish people in general, have strong wills and he insisted that I not drink water while and eat and sleep immediately after as to help my digestion. went downtown. checked out the famous train station cuz im thinking of takin a couple days in Alicante next week to look at teams down there. Now im finally going to get my hair cut at one of the hundred Peluqueras on this block. Tomorrow is gonna be hot and sunny so im definitly spendin the majority of the day at the playa. Hope all is well. Talk to everybody soon.

P.S. I have political commentary on the way. Cafe con leche is easy to say so i order it a lot. The combination of coffee and a book get my mind going.

Hey guys! Well trying to keep you updated...yesterday i was lazy. but i did get a working phone and a bus/metro pass which i really needed. besides that i didnt do much yesterday. ive actually gotten out today though. this morning i woke up and me and ariel went to the "rec center" here and turned in all the stuff i needed to get a pass. i went there a little later to work out and well the weight room is terrible. theres almost no machines and theres a hundred people crammed in a little room. then i went to the pool but turns out i need a little swimmers cap to go in. so it could have gone smoother but at least i got a little workout in. and ive realized that out here the first time i do something it never goes according to plan. i think with everything i do out here the more times i do it the better it is. i hope to go to the gym earlier so that there arent as many people and i will buy a cap tomorrow no matter how goofy i look in it. oh and i smelled cuz the people have a laundry machine here but no soap. so after working out i went and bought soap and the grocery stores here are actually pretty fun cuz theyve got some crazy stuff. then i came back to the bar near the house, had a beer, and read the marca newspaper (soccer newspaper). filled with ronaldo of course. it was amazing how much it made me relax and im feelin pretty good right now. ariel and marioja are coming back soon and gonna make me some lunch. -Miss you all-

Yesterday

Well yesterday was intersting. The bartender from the discoteca is a really cool guy. He lives around here so i always see him and and we always talk and all. He said he wanted to help me buy a phone here. well we went and all that- by the way i never mentioned my religious affiliation due to the mass amounts of Arabic paraphanelia in his car. We buy the phone and a card for it and everything so its all good to go but i forgot my passport so he had to put it under his name-no problem. come back to the house and ask ariel to help me change the name the phone is under cuz i couldnt understand the spanish. He asks where this guy is from and I say Morracco. He was not happy. Apparently if your Jewish or American-heaven forbid a combination of the two- under no circumstances do you interact with Morraccans or Algerians. The racism out here is unbelievable. And it actually has more power than in the States cuz in the US im not scared when i interact with foreigners but here, Ariel made me fear for my life if i talk with Muslims. He said we're throwing the phone away and getting a new one. I dont know. Im not sold. The guys name is Somi and he's tight. I understand that his friends may not be cool with me even if he is but i dont know. Thought i had finally made a friend! Theres two things that i believe in that are currently conflicting. One: I will never discriminate based on race and creed. Two: I will always be proud of being Jewish and will not hide it. I didnt think this situation would arise but i dont know how to honor both beliefs. Well besides that my day was really good. Today I went for a run to the beach in the morning and now me and Ariel have been hangin out at his girlfriends bar. Oh and im gettin all my music from itunes right now so if you guys readin have any new music suggestions send them this way. Thanks for readin and update me on what happen in the 303!

Smyth Trade

Woke up this morning and saw that we traded Ryan Smyth. I also see that everybody hates this deal and thinks were just giving up. but giving up on what. we were last place in the west last year. preissing may have his flaws but i dont think were gonna be any worse. i believe that improving our defense is much more important at this point than buyin some expensive forwards. signing heatley (talented free agent that has a reduced price tag) isnt gonna win us the cup next season. or the season after that. and in all honesty we wouldnt have any money left. because of stupid deals like theodore smyth hannan etc we have no money and a really bad team. gettin rid of some overpaid players will give us a lot of money and a really bad team. still preferable. at least this way we'll have options-somethin the avs havent had in a long time. the players that we got are questionable but i dont think that we can count them out yet. even if they turn out to be flops its better than what we dealt with last season.

thursday the 2nd afternoon

sorry everybody for not updatin. hope you still check in from time to time. i woke up this mornin around 12:30 which is pretty standard for me now. this climate just makes everybody sleep all day. the guy i stay with is currently partaking in his daily siesta. when i woke up he took me to this national park where we hung out on the beach. pretty amazing. ill be posting pictures. its intersting seeing the city from the perspective of a local. oh and i thought it was pretty ironic that im the one that always complains that the beach isnt as good as the pool cuz its dirtier and then today i proceeded to get oil all over my feet. i was the only one in the water who managed to do so. well turns out it doesnt really come off so oh well. just gotta wait. after the beach we went to the pueblo of palmar, where they invented paella- famous dish in spain. bought some of that and took it home. ate the paella with a onion and tomato salad- which is what i always order at noodles lol (btw not too many noodles and co out here-as in none) i find it interesting that the chain restaurants havent found their way out here. there is a lot of money to be made here in the food industry. well i think thats all. and in response to all the photo comments on facebook that nasty lookin thing i ate was delicious- the sea monster was not a part of it unfortunately and i am not drinking excessively out here mom. ariel just likes to buy me beers- well until next time-stay classy colorado