Friday, January 31, 2014

A Rare Afternoon Off


{The beach in Cannes with the cliffs in the background}

     I laugh when I hear people ask the question about what we are going to do after basketball, you know 'when we have a real job'. They must not know that teams often practice 2x a day (for 2+ hours each time not including any treatment needed before or after, stretching, extra personal work, shooting, lifting etc…). All that factored in, and Shaun can be gone 8-9 hours a day. Oh and all this happens 6 days a week, not 5. Don't know about you but that sure seems like a real job to me. Not to mention, unable to call in and take 'vacation' time when wanted. Sure, they have 2 months off in the summer, but so do teachers, right? As if that is not argument enough, take for example, the 'ever changing' schedule. You are expected to be available at all times, because after all, this is your job. The team decides to change practice time to later/earlier, you gotta be there. The team decides to add a practice, you gotta be there. The team decides to tell the players that they are leaving in 12 hours to spend the week up in Belgium for no reason besides the President living up there, you gotta go. For us to get an afternoon off with out a change of plans or something else random happening, is rare. So last week, on a beautiful sunny day (which is also seemingly becoming more and more rare here since we have had rainy day after rainy day), we headed to Cannes to eat outside and hopefully catch the sunset from the cliffs past Cannes. We lasted until about 6 minutes after the sunset because it got cold and let's face it, pictures of watery eyes and runny noses aren't flattering for anyone. Or as I like to say 'ain't nobody got time for that' (I'm sure my mother is so proud of my education level after reading that). We had actually visited these cliffs last year in this post but since it was overcast, it seemed like a completely different place as opposed to this time. As I'm sure it will be even more striking when it warms up since for some reason, it seems that the water is clearer in the warmer months when the sun is shining. And the water is clear here, let me tell you. I can only imagine the contrast of colors (blue waters/red rocks and the abundant greenery) being more prevalent in summer/spring. Now if only the sun could could make an appearance, we'd be on our way.

*Disclaimer: I am not complaining about an athlete's life, after all I was one myself. More just attempting to enlighten those who think it's a walk in the park since most have zero idea what the 'behind the scenes' look like. Having said that, it is never a bad thing to be paid for doing what you love, no matter what it may be.




{The contrasting colors of the rocks and the water}


{Even the sand is red}



{Don't know why this picture looks fake, but I promise it's not}



2 comments:

  1. Bonjour Nikki, heureuse de voir que vous appréciez notre bord de mer! J'habite à La Napoule, et vos posts me font toujours sourire, merci...

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  2. Salut Magdue, je suis content que vous aimez le blog, merci!! Et, je suis sur que tout le monde qui voit le bord de mer va adorer, c'est incroyable!! Bis

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