Tempest Storm the math major (ask G.P. Jim)

I played in my first home game on Saturday and we won, yay! I´m still feeling a little strange in games, but it´s getting better. I think I need to get used to the team and them to me...

Ok, the more fun, less positive version: my team doesn´t like to pass to me during games! And, to be fair, it´s not just me, it´s just the post passing in general isn´t great. Rueck, get over here and do some yelling and make up some odd metaphors on the spot please!

[SIDENOTE: My favorite random Scott Rueck on the spot analogy/rhetorical question was when he asked us: "Do you think Jesus would let you just drive to the hoop if you played him one on one? Do you think he would just let you shoot?... No! Jesus would rip your freakin´ throat out!" Now that´s some motivation baby!]

Anyhow, I was told that my defense and rebounding are really going to help the team. This is a wonderful thing, yes. But seriously, isn´t that sort of an oximoron? My defense? My rebounding? Do I do that? I can equate this to someone watching Pamela Anderson (Rock?) act and saying, "Wow, she must be in this movie because she´s so smart." I always thought the jump hook was really all I had in my pocket. Apparently not. I think this will be a good life lesson for me. I´m still a total black hole in practice, don´t worry. I gotta do what the team needs and for the first time in my life, it´s not really what I want to do. But, I think it´s cool that I get to contribute in a new way. A new adventure.

Also, a classic Darby freak out. We were getting hammered inside and this damn girl wouldn´t get off me. So, a well placed elbow to the breastbone and down she went. Oops, not the right moment as we were the only two in the backcourt at the time... :) I got yanked for that one and grumbled my way to the end of the bench, in english. Can you imagine how strange that must have sounded? It´d be like hearing a chinese player get pissed off in the NBA. Sarah came down to the end of the bench and gave me a little calm down speech that I only understood 3 words of: "tranquila" and "no falta." That means, calm down, don´t foul. That´s when I had a moment... "Darb, you´re in Spain playing basketball... that´s awesome." I was pretty calm after that and hope to remain that way. But, sometimes the frustration crawls up my throat and grabs my chest and wants to bust out of my elbow on someone´s face! Tranquila, darb, tranquila.

Half the girls thought we´d lose the game beforehand and we kicked butt. We were up by 20 or so in the 4th and let them back in at the end, but won by 11 or so. Plus, one of the better teams in the league lost and we are now in 2nd place, sweet!

Afterwards, I grabbed my stuff to head home and shower. Kim and Emily were there and I needed to take Kim home I thought. Everyone else was showering at the gym and Yoyo (what I now like to call Yosu) grabbed my arm and in front of a large crowd of people scolded me for not showering. Which would be fine if I could fling it back, but he was talking in Spanish and I´m not quick enough with it yet! So I basically nodded and agreed that I was a dirty American girl and was on my way. The weirdest things stay with me and bother me sometimes.

So, that´s how it went. I´m looking forward to this weekend´s game and will be interested to see if they only want me for my "mind" again. San Sebastian entry to come soon...