File this under, you've been in China too long. You've been in China too long when you forget when your favorite athletics team begins their season. Holy 3 weeks late, Batman, U of I started their season on October 26.
I will be the first to admit that I am a NCAA Men's Basketball nut. I have done more crazy stuff because of U of I basketball than I have for any other sport, woman, misdeed, injustice, etc. etc. When they win, I party like it's 1999. When they lose, I've been known to throw a fit like my 4 year old niece (Happy Birthday, Gracie). What's throwing me through a loop is that this is the first year that October didn't register a few very American things with me.
- MLB World Series
- NCAA Basketball
- Halloween - forgot all about it until I got an email about a costume party
- Fall
I completely forgot about the World Series until I noticed some Twitters about the Rays and the Phillies. I'm not as big of a baseball fan as I used to be, mostly due to the 1994 strike, but I've never forgotten about a World Series in the past.
I've already explained NCAA Men's Basketball. Growing up only 45 minutes away from the U or I's Assembly Hall was a big influence on which NCAA team I would root for, that and the fact that there uniforms are blue and orange, my two favorite colors. I will say that I did become a little disgruntled when they banned the chief from performing during half-time, but not enough to start rooting for the Hoosiers.
Ok, I'm a little old for trick or treating (well, at least the treating part), but I've never forgot about Halloween in the past. I haven't dressed up for a long time, but I usually hung out with my parents handing out candy to all the little ones, and moving on to the "trick" portion of the night afterwards.
Finally, I completely missed Fall. Part of that is due to the fact that Dalian doesn't have a true Fall. One day it's sunny, humid, and 70˚F (21˚C), the next it's cloudy, the wind's blowing 50MPH (80KPH), it's dry, and the temperature has plummeted to 37˚F (3˚C). That is Fall in Dalian and if you're lucky, it lasts two weeks. About two weeks later, green leaves will start falling from the trees, mostly due to the early morning frost build up.
The lack of these simple, everyday things (for most Americans), really messes with a person after a while. You start to get bitter and lash out at things you would normally ignore. I think it's getting to be about time for a visit home. Time to see the family and friends, and watch some NCAA basketball. Only question that remains, should I go home in February for my mother's birthday, or should I go home in March so I can watch NCAA's March Madness.
