French Toast or Nothing: Is basketball coach Mendoza the wisest man on Earth?

“Basketball or Nothing” is a fascinating tale about the young high school team and their coach Mendoza. The school’s athletic director Shaun Martin**, who is an ultramarathon runner himself constantly puts an emphasis on “why”. He wants children to become better human beings, while coach Mendoza measures his success by them not committing suicide while on his team.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar used to be his assistant coach. There is so much wisdom, patience and love radiating from his presence.

“There’s no limit to what we can accomplish if we don’t care who gets the credit,” he told his teenage team.

Childhood, YogaAleksandra Horwood4 January 2021basketball, yoga, violence, netflix, balkan, fleabag, kareem abdul-jabbar, suicide, navajo, native american, coach, resilience, self-destruction, addictionComment

The sweetest things or no more lockdown blues

For me, being in lockdown is nothing new. As a child, I remember when we had to plan well and alternate which grandparents we can visit in our green Renault 4.

In Yugoslavia in the 80s, the government renegotiated the foreign debt at the price of introducing the policy of stabilisation which in practice consisted of severe austerity measures — the so-called shock treatment.

Due to effect of the oil crisis, there was an introduction of fuel limitations (40 liters per car per month), limitation of car usage to every other day, based on the last digit on the license plate.

There were shortages of coffee, chocolate, and washing powder. We were cueing in front of the supermarket in my hometown Našice, just like I do now in London. Except there were no trolleys. One could get only 4 or 5 items and that was it. Somehow I view these moments nostalgically, but I guess my parents would have perceived it differently. I relished those simple home-made cakes, which are up to now, my absolutely favorite dessert.

In our south Slavic temperament, we say: “Bilo nam je bolje kada nam je bilo gore/It was better when it was worse”.

Croatia, Life, ChildhoodAleksandra Horwood13 May 2020Happy Stance Yoga Therapylockdown, Yugoslavia, Croatia, Family, Homemade food, Sweet memories, plum jam, Renault 4Comment