Follow the Sun

Right before an entertaining Tom Brady Ugg Boots ad, the Nov 28 edition of ESPN Magazine featured an article, “Stick Route,” which breaks down the popularity of Toradol. This nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory drug has taken NFL locker rooms by storm for the past decade because it’s a quick-fix to aches and pains as well as non-addictive. Sounds too good to be true, right? Some research shows that side-effects of Toradol may include gastrointestinal problems, but ultimately the drug is relatively too new on the market to know the severity of its long-term effects. For all we know, it could have the same damaging qualities as cortisone.

Upon receiving the shot, players lose the sense of pain in 15 minutes or less and hit the field ready to go. The article mentions Tony Romo as a big proponent of Toradol, as well as many guys on the Steelers roster, who call it “the T-shot.” Safety Ryan Clark (who also thinks that the 49ers set up the stadium power outage) has been known to inject a shot before every game. (Quick side note:  could it be more appropriate that ‘candlestick park’ experienced a blackout? I think not.)

Back to the Steelers— we all just saw Ben Roethlisberger hobble around on MNF, throw 3 interceptions, post his lowest QB rating of the season (52.3) and fall to the 49ers 20-3. Did Big Ben take a shot of Toradol to mask the pain? If so, it clearly didn’t work, as shown by his wincing face and lack of agility in the pocket. This a prime example of how playing through the pain isn’t always worth it. Steelers—do you really not trust your second string QB enough to put him in? I just don’t understand why some of the top physical trainers staffed in the NFL don’t want to rest seriously injured players. Okay—playoff berths are on the line, but it just makes you wonder if suffering through the pain is a point of pride rather than for the best course of action for the team.

(Source: katespadeny)

In a whimsical email from my hysterical best friend Emma, she signed the message ‘Ti penso ogni giorno’ (I think of you every day), and like the honest GW gal that she is, she then cited her source ( a site for romantic Italian phrases). When I started checking out other phrases (just in case I get a Vespa-riding boyfriend named Massimo right? Just kidding of course), I realized that there is truth behind the cliche of Italians being lovers. But rather than the typical connotation of ‘lovers,’ I mean that they’re a group of people that love humanity, beauty, fashion, art, food, a slow-paced lifestyle and oftentimes random acts of kindness.

While the public displays of affection in the piazzas at 9 AM can be a lot to handle, the sweet gestures of Florentines in every day interactions are unique and refreshing—like when I asked my Italian professor a question today, he said, ‘Dime cara’ (‘Tell me, dear’), or when my friend Marissa ordered peaches at the Mercato Centrale and the owner endearingly brushed her cheek. What would be creepy in America is standard behavior in Italy because it is executed in such a genuine and compassionate manner. With the fast-paced, literal and figurative on-the-go culture of America, I know that I forget to stop and enjoy the simple (or decadent) things of the moment. So, while my abroad experience is zooming by, I’m trying to soak up the simple conversations that I have with Italian nonnas at the bus stop, or revel in the ‘Ciao bella’ greeting that I get from my homestay mom Anna Maria, because I know that they’re unique cultural moments that could only happen here in Firenze.

Currently listening to and loving the audiobook “Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN”

Say whaaaaat fact: ESPN’s first contract with Major League Baseball was a four-year, $400 million package that was signed in January 1989 and began in 1990.

http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,2093700,00.html?hpt=hp_c2

una cultura nuova: four hour dinners, men voluntarily touring museums, women drinking beer and shouting during soccer games, public displays of affection (everywhere), kind strangers, Renaissance art and architecture.

Reading: “The most improbable dynasty in basketball has survived against the longest odds because Hurley has kept watch on these streets when he could’ve left to be a famous college coaching star, with a million-dollar-a-year package, a shoe deal, and racks of Armani suits. Yet on game nights, he wore that same maroon sweater-vest, those gray slacks, and his dulled brown loafers. And his kids still play the fiercest man-to-man in basketball, treating opponents like they’ve broken into their homes and threatened their families.”

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer