The Domestic Matt's

Ok so here is the film from our everyday life in Paris. Watch as we learn how to enhance our culinary skills. Really it's just to show you what our supermarket is like, what cooking in a French kitchen entails, the reaction to French cuisine, and the massive amount of dishes afterwards. There's some funny parts and I hope you laugh....or atleast understand the humour.

It's about 9 mins long, so make sure you've got a bit of time to watch it.



Click me for the video link on youtube.

Deutschland

Ok so I have a ton to catch everyone up on. Things have really settled down and I feel like Matt and I are both in the groove of things. I'm currently working on a new video which will hopefully show you the L'Eclerec (that's are supermarket) experience and what a duo of world class chefs have to go through in order to make and eat a 5-star meal. Hopefully that will be done by tonight, which for most of the people reading this, is like 4pm or something.

I am heading to Deutschland tomorrow to meet up with an old buddy from Angleton. Andy and Matt team up for the facebook official Matt Rhodes Welcome Week 2009. It's going to be a blast. For those of you who don't know, Andy plays football (soccer) in Dortmund. Were going to the game to watch Borussia Dortmund play and then Superbowl on Sunday. Oh and he told me that I have to experience the Autobahn. He asked if I ever heard of it, and I simply said how fast. He said I can't tell you, you just have to experience it. So I'm pumped.

It's gonna be great and I'll have a ton to update you about. Also, I've still got some more blogs to finish about the Louvre, Matt's parents in Paris, and some other videos I'm working on. Just want you all to be able to see through my eyes....probably b/c I'm much more of a visual learner then a reader as well!!!

Here's some pics and videos of the stadium in Dortmund.

Cougars vs. Flash 20-8 loss

Sunday we played the Flash. The returning French Elite Champions for four consecutive year. The Flash are a very confident team and have some really decent sized players. The lineman where pretty big boys. Definitely some +300 pounders. Which is different then the size of the cougars. There running back was an Eddie George-esce body type and had played in NFL Europe. The imports they had were a QB from western michigan (who reminded me a lot of Matt Hassleback) and a OL/DL from NC State.

I went into the game thinking they were a totally out dominant team and unsure of who the Cougars really were. I didn't know if we'd be the type of team to think the game was not possible to win or if we'd be the type of team that gave all we had at all times. After the game I've realized one thing, the Cougars are fighters....we are scrappy, we lay it on the line, and we don't fold. For me there is no better type of team. Statistically we may not "match up" with the Flash. But I'd take us any day.... An old coach used to have a saying about "fat cats" and "street cats." You see fat cats just lie around the house all day, eating what's given to them and don't know how to work. Street cats are the total opposite and have to fight for the food they eat each night. So when the time comes when the fat cats and the street cats are moved out of their elements... the street cats know how to survive.....couldn't have picked a better name for our team then Cougars!

Chasing the running back. I got to play defense. It was funny he I'd mouth
off at the line and then he would wink in the back field and I'd just smile.
Pretty much got to play the whole game... I think it's actually the most
plays I've ever had in one game.

The game started off strong. We drove the ball down the field and get into scoring position. However, Matt and I had a fumbled snap. Matt had the ball and got up when the whistle blew, however the flash player layed on the ball afterwards and they ruled it Flash ball. However on the Flash's next drive Alyou caused a fumble and Clement recovered.

We drove the ball again against the mighty flash and scored on a QB roll out to the right. The play however would be called back for a holding call on one of our recievers. Now I know as an offensive lineman I tend to gripe about holding calls. However, this game was unlike anything I had ever seen. They had to have called atleast 10 holding penalties in the first half all against us. It was completely onesided in the first half. We ended up going for it on 4th and 1 on the 4 yard line and were unable to get the much needed yard. This makes twice that we didn't score when we should have.

The next defensive possesion we held them to 3 and out. I was upset because I should have had the safety on a 2nd or 3rd down passing play. We had a stunt on and I slipped past the guard and tackle and couldn't get to the QB fast enough before he threw the ball. I did get to deliver a nice blow to the QB though causing him to land on his back. I still can't believe I didn't get that one. (There would be a couple of times on defense where I should have had tackles for no gain or a loss. I tried to reach out with my left arm and make an arm tackle...basically I forgot how to move my feet and run through a tackle....it's been a while since I played defense)

Sandino got a safety on the 4th down punt after a bad long snap. 2-0. They go on and score twice and it's 13-2 at halftime. There were a couple of interceptions that gave them good field advantage and a nice 33 yard reception for a TD on the 2nd one. The 2nd one coming as time was dwindling in the 2nd quarter. They shouldn't have scored, but they did a great job managing the clock and running a 2 minute attack. On the extra points I almost blocked the first one, and the 2nd one they missed.

Going into halftime, you start to wonder. This is the turning point of the game. How will we react? Do we come out ready to take back the game after pulling a "Plaxico Burress" or do we lay down? The Cougars showed real gumption and came out on fire ready to win. We stopped them on defense and then drove the field putting the score at 8-13. We decided to go for 2 but failed on the try. The 3rd quarter would be back and forth. Then the break hit in the 4th. We drove the ball down to the 18 yard line or so, with 7 mins down. The crowd was into, the team was excited and we were fixing to take the lead.

John-Michel had made a great third down catch on the drive to keep us moving. He ran across the middle on 3rd and 15...the ball hit his hands and a rush of excitement hit, then he juggled it up in the air and all of a sudden it was as if the wind was taken from underneath me, then he managed to pull it in for the 1st down. It was such a change of adrenaline and such a quick change in high's and lows. However on the 18, Matt and I would fumble the snap again and turnover the ball. I felt like "merde." It was as if I lost the game for our team and it sucks. I still replay that over and over.

They went on to score on the next drive. 20-8. We tried marching again, but time would be our enemy. The team NEVER quit though. Throughout the game they wouldn't give in. With the last seconds of the game winding down, we caught a ball and took it to the 1 inch yard line. I thought we actually scored, but the ref said no. I am proud of my teamates and proud to be a cougar.

I know we are better then we played. We competed against the best team in the league and had a chance to win it in the 4th quarter. We will continue to get better and work to be the best.

After the game, there players were pretty cool guys. Not jerks. Except for this one guy. Some little looking dude with an attitude. While we warmed up before the game, this little jerk stood on the 50 telling us to move. I thought it was pretty rude and immature, but thought nothing of it after 5 seconds. Then during the end of the game, this little prick starts waving at Matt and telling him "nice try Ivy league" and little inappropriate jabs/comments that were uncalled for. If I ever met a guy without any class in his body, it's this little guy. I don't know if he's a coach or what, but the guy needs to grow up a little bit.

I did get a penalty in the game...for those of you wondering....apparently you can't touch a guys facemask at all, but it's ok for them to "DEACON JONES" headslap you, or choke you.... REALLY? I don't get that one, but C'est la vie.

*I also wanted to take the time and say thank you for Emily, Jessica, Caroline, Hillarey, Mere Bear, the hockey guys and all the fans who came out to the game. It really made it awesome having you support us and I thank you for bearing it out through the weather and unfortunate outcome. Mere, thanks for the nicknames for Matt!!!

Also, thank you to Matt's parents who really showed us some quality picks of resturants in Paris. It was great getting to meet you and I hope the jet lag is not to bad today.

You can read the link here about the game from the les cougars website.

For pics click me or at another site click me

Another Day at the Office

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN....MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE!!

So this is a video I compiled at a normal practice in Pontoise. Hopefully it will give you the look, the feel of what an everyday practice is like. And just in case the video isn't working I'll talk about it breifly. It's 8 mins long, please watch and comment on youtube.



CLICK ME FOR THE YOUTUBE LINK

So first thing that happens is Matt and I arrive like an hour before practice, if we catch a ride with coach, usually 20 min's before people show up. (But if Will drives we show up with the rest of the guys) Since we have some free time, Matt usually takes a nap and I get ready or nap as well. It takes me a little longer with the ankle braces instead of having a CLAY FARR approved double-double...or "The Honeycutt Special"....for those of you who don't know that's the trainer at Tech and the best tape job in the country, seriously this guy can put on a clinic.

Then we usually mess around on the weights for a little bit. Around that time, the people start to show up and everyone says hi to everyone... wait let me stress that again....EVERYONE stops and says "ca va" to EVERYONE...this is your typical hello/ greeting. After that we put on the pads and warm up. Matt throws a bit and we get the equipment situated. Then take two laps around the field, followed by a NFL EUROPE circut? (not sure if that's 100% correct, but who knows) This is the shuffle across, high knees up, run back, butt kicks up, karoke across, run up, do it all over again, and sprint back down the length of the field warm up. It takes a while..

Then it's fundamentals and techniques. "The building blocks to success" (thanks Coach D) We hit bags and drive the one man sled. A lot of footwork and firing off the ball. Then its run blocking drills, schemes, pass pro drills, OL vs. DL one on one, two on two. Inside period and a team period, with a scrimmage sometimes at the end of practice. Your typical practice progression.

It normally lasts about 2 hours or 24 periods. You start off freezing and end practice with steam coming off your head and your hands frozen. Take a shower and hang out with the guys.

This Sunday we have our first game against the Flash....the best team in France. They have beaten the Cougars EVERY time they've played. We have never won, and if that's not enough adversity, we have a lot of injuries on our team. Nyda, one of our defensive lineman, will be going both ways playing Left Guard and DL. He's only practiced OL probably 2 days in his life. As for DL one of the LB's will be playing end, Will and myself will play Defensive Tackle. Our tightends our hurt, so we'll be using the linebackers. One of our DB's might be absent, so might is probably a substitute in the secondary. So it is IRONMAN football. It will be a tough test. But there's no other way to tell what your made of, then to be put in the fire.

Masters of the Universe... (He-Man)

Sunday Will, Matt and myself went to one of the street markets that Will used to work at when he was younger. It reminded me a little bit of New Orleans and a flea market mix. There was all sorts of small little shops with cheap clothing and bartering going on around every corner. The massive amounts of people strolling through the little shops made it quite different to manuever quickly.

After parking Will's huge Landrover, we walked up to a little snack shop. Will was the celebrity of the streets, as we rolled through everyone stopped to speak to him. At the little snack shop, Will knew the owner and his wife. We had a crepe and a drink, and then walked around. The find of the day was without a doubt a Green He-man t-shirt I spotted in the top of a little corner shop hanging in the open air of the streets. I stopped Matt and Will who had walked ahead and we took a look at it. It looked like a cartoonized Matty P and Will had to buy it for him. (Note... French people are generally smaller then Americans....probably due to walking All the time...so the smallest shirts you can find are probably XL which is a tight XL)

We then stopped at a little cafe that had a jazz band playing. The music was just like being in the streets in New Orleans and you start putting together the pieces of French culture in America. It was fun and relaxing. I like good jazz music, made me think of Doc Osborne for some reason. We drank some chaud vin... translation HOT WINE. It was really warming and delicious. They had some fruits at the bottom that you could eat as well. I think it's really a good/ different taste for a cold day. Afterwards we walked back to the cafe with Will's friends and just talked for a bit.

While on the way to the outdoor markets, Caroline invited us over to dinner at her place. We went over after some funny story swaping conversation and some useful metro manuvering advice. We arrived at her apartment and met Hillarey and Jerome, roomates. The apartment was absolutely gorgeous. They really lucked out. It's big for American standards...again things are smaller in France, definitely smaller then TEXAS!!!

It was situated right across from a local church. As we walked up the bells were ringing in an out of tune, out of sequence style...which reminded me of spending Christmas in San Francisco for the bowl game and hearing the bells ringing before having to get ready for practice. They fixed us an American meal, which I have to say is always a delighted change of pace. Cheeseburgers fries and a vegetable casserole. When your in the land of delicious desserts, you might as well stick with that. We had a strawberry tart and there were chocolate almonds. The almonds however looked like blue marble stones, maybe used for decoration. At first instinct I picked one up thinking it was chocolate. After putting it closer to my eyes, I decided against eating it because I thought it was a rock. Then someone told me it was chocolate and ok to eat. I had this really confused look on my face that can only mumble the words "ohhhh...."

Hillarey had lived in Texas and it was good to talk to someone who missed Tex-Mex as much as myself. We talked about tortillas and how they are not the same here....which to me makes no sense because their bread is REALLY freakin' good, so if they made tortillas it would be good too.. c'est la vie. But overall it was really pleasant and I appreciated their hospitality. Afterwards they went to see a movie...Twilight I think.. but we being football players wanted to hurry home to catch the game. It turned in to a pretty fun debate on why we should/should not go. Kind of reminded me of the good old days of arguing with Justin just for fun, or just to be right. Like General Patton would say - You're never beaten until you admit it.

We made it back in time for both games and had an overall great day. Larry Fitzgerald is a beast! So glad we decided to get up and going after the American party!

What to wear to an American theme party?

If you were an American going to an American themed party what would you wear? I mean it's a tough question. I know what I'd wear to a French themed party, but I've never taken the time to think about what an American themed party would even look like. Or what people's perceptions of America is...Never really needed to. But Saturday, we went to a pretty awesome American themed party and it was a blast.




Well first I should start off by saying we went to the Cergy Jokers hockey match... They basically dominated and won 6-2. This would totally set the mood for a good party, I mean it's always better with athletes after you win. I am enjoying watching the team play, it's a pretty cool local atmosphere and your in the match. Never a real dull spot. Matt P. forgot his jacket and was basically freezing the entire time.

Anyways, there were some cool points in the match. First off I had never seen 3 players in a pentalty box at the same time. This was new to me. But they still played 5 on 3 and after Cergy scored then the next guy started his time. It was pretty ridiculous.

Also, they had a penalty shot. I snagged a video of it. I'm liking the camera, being able to just show you what I actually see. If you have any requests about what you want to see in France, just comment or send me an email/message.

This is the penalty shot.

The American Themed party was being thrown by one of the Jokers and his wife. It was his 27th birthday celebration and an all around good time. A couple of us met up at Roland's place to get ready. The outfit ideas were pretty Awesome. I'll just show you some pics.... We had a bunch of cowboys and indians, the blues brothers, some football players, both the young and old elvis, wonderwoman, homer and marge simpson, laura croft (lifesize and miniture), Lil John, a baseball player, a skater, military madman, and a bunch of gangsters.



The couple had rented out a little club/bar for the night. When you walked in, outside they had this huge ice sculpture of the Statue of Liberty. (which again if you don't know was a gift from France, and is actually modeled after a smaller version in Paris that resides on a bridge over the river.) After you walk in there was a huge table for food and stuff. Some of the family and friends where running the bar. Giving out Budweisers and American hotdogs (French style...basically you take a baggett cut a whole in it and shove the dog through it) and Chicken Nuggets, along with the homeade ice shot glasses and a full service bar. It was American.



It felt like a typical college party...besides the costumes... There were some pretty good songs which of course made everyone get involved. The whole crowd started hopping to "Jump Around" And some other French and Spanish songs. They played some rap songs which got everyone up and going, IAM and NTM? IAM is like the old school rapper whose most famous in France. Kind of like the guy that started it back in the day, think of Dr. Dre or L.L.


I got to talking to one of the hockey players about modern day rap music now. He was pretty much upset that now rappers don't actually talk about anything important. He started talking about Tupac and how he rapped about real life and trying to bring a MESSAGE to the people. One that inspires and brings change. Now he feels like everyone is sell outs just talking about Cars, Money, and Women. I agree, I tried to explain that it's all about a catchy beat that becomes a hit and brings in the most money. Oh how hard it is for a rich man ... I mean they forget who they are, where their from and how they got their.


But isn't this one of our most common faults as humans, we put the value of a dollar above what we stand for... It was pretty surreal for me that something as simple as talking about rap music at a party translated into a pretty insightful conversation about life. (Maybe it's just on my mind being the inaguration and all is coming up, or that campus ministry is eating at my heart.)


So back to the party. There was this little girl probably 6 or 7 dressed as Laura Croft. She was dressed like her big sister, or mother, or idk the relationship, but it was cute. She danced the night away and I thought to myself I don't think I've ever seen a little kid out that late in America, but I'm not in America am I? She crashed at around 2am. Here's a video of her.


Oh and I should also show the video of the Happy Birthday. Everyone gathered around and it was full of energy. The cake they had was like 4 individual cakes that more than live up to the standards of French desert. The top cake was a orange cream style cake, 2nd was a strawberry shortcake like dessert, 3rd was my favorite a rich chocolate pie like cake, and last was almost a tiramusui coffee style cake. It was really good. So overall the party was really a great time. I like the hockey guys, they are down to earth and fun to be around.

Don't worry....be happy

It was quite a Thursday. After waking up early in the morning to the AirFrance bag man bringing my luggage, I was in a great mood to hit up Paris and show you what goes on in my hood. See I was watching this episode of "cops", Paris style of course, and I decided to check out the local scene. I met up with the teen gang the Kingz, who are famous for writting stuff on walls after they have committed a crime. This was taken after my initiation in the Kingz gang in Paris. Yea I had to tag a wall after my initiation was complete...... (and if you buy that, my friend George has some Ocean Front Property in Arizona for sale, he might even through in the golden gate for free!!!!)





Really I just wanted to get your attention... first impressions have been on my mind this past week or so, and they really can be a doosie. Also, I just thought it was a pretty cool wall to take a picture with. Matt and I went met up with Brandi at the Eiffel Tower. He had to take a picture for his uncles birthday and thought it would be awesome to get the tower in the background. Having my camera now powered up, I decided to use my skills and take some photos as well.



I have eaten so many Milka bars (The French Wonka Bars) that I've grown to be as tall as the Eiffel Tower. I actually tried picking it up, but it's still pretty heavy. We took this shot right across the river from the Eiffel Tower. It was such a beautiful day, for the middle of winter. The sky was so blue, and the sun was out, I really enjoyed just playing in Paris.

Having Brandi as our day tour guide was pretty neat. After the photo shoot, we walked to the train station and jumped over to the "Red Windmill." See I had been hearing a lot about this whole Red Windmill thing and figured we should investigate. Tickets however are like 80 Euro's a show. It's not really my scene that much either. I mean seriously it was a pretty RED district in Paris. Oh btw Red Windmill translates to French as Moulin Rouge...

After walking around and noticing the History of Sex muesum, which had some very liberal articles in the front window, we headed over to Sacre - Coeur. A famous Church on top of the Montmarte hill. Montmarte used to be an old village north of Paris back in the 18th century. A farming village if you will. Now it is a huge tourist trap, but it is easy to see why. It is absolutely an amazing view of the city. I mean breathtaking.

You climb up these stairs and along the way tons of africans try to stop you with 3 strings. Luckily Brandi was there to inform us that they take like 10 mins to tie a little friendship braclet thing on you, all while talking about some African fable....after they are finished, the braclet is to tight for you to take off and you have to pay them or else you are stealing. I mean talk about hustlers, these guys are good.

We went inside the church and it was beautiful. I made it about 10 feet and snaped a picture of the altar when all of a sudden a small indian looking french man rushed me and started barking at me in French. He told me to leave, that photo's weren't allowed and all this stuff. I mean I didn't even get a good picture, as you can see below. But it just sucks that churches seem to be tourist spots/museums instead of Churches... maybe it's just my first impressions, but it still just seems odd. I mean it's beautiful. I stand in the back for a couple of min's and then exit as asked.
The Trouble making Picture.

Afterwards we sat on the steps with a pretty decent size crowd and just listend to a local musician singing typically English songs. It was awesome. I tried to catch a video for you. You can see Paris in the background and hear the man singing. It was perfect for the day. I mean I could totally come and just sit on the steps, have a picnic and waste a day during the spring. Matter of fact I think I will. Here's the video.




DON'T WORRY.....BE HAPPY!!!

Afterwards we walked through the streets to the little Painters market. There are some very talented artists. It kind of reminded my of New Orleans, where the painters have their own little block. Of course the hustlers walk around trying to sketch your picture in Charcoals and charge you for it. We stop in at a little cafe and have a late lunch. Sitting and talking is always so good. The food was decent, I had a fish pate' and a steak with potatoes. The mustard however was....how can should I say..... nostril opening! It was very awakening. Of course I had some dessert, just a little glasse (ice cream) which was amazing.

We then head to the Chatlet les Halles area to walk around. As we hop down on the train, my nose starts to bleed. I'm a little embarrassed and thankful Matt has a tissue. I am trying to stop it all while a small French boy sits next to me and his mother beside him. He was adorable. I felt bad because I almost bled on him, thankfully I dropped it on my sweetshirt instead. It was precious though when Matt started asking him names for body parts. He'd point to his nose and ask, Qu'est-ce que c'est? And the little boy would answer. *SIDENOTE.... we totally need to get a tutor, or even a babysitting job to learn from the little kids vocabulary words....*

I wish I could have spoke to him but it was awesome. The kid was very young and didn't know them all, so sometimes he'd ask his mom. While others he'd quitely answer. Matt said yes when the boy was correct or just nodded his head when he had no clue what the real answer was.

At Chatlet les Halles there was a protest by the Palestinians about Gaza. That lasted a good 2-3 hours. We walked around, grabbed some cafe/ hot chocolate and sat. Brandi left to met a friend for dinner, while Matt and I went to see Slumdog Millionaire. Matt had said it was a great movie, I was skeptical thinking it would be in French and we'd be lost.

While in line a Canadian couple in front of us were going to see it. It was so comforting to be able to understand what others are saying and have conversation with them. (I don't know if you realize it or not, but my one hang up is not knowing French!) We made a joke though about how movies weren't big here, and how there was a whole 86 seats left in our theater. I laugh thinking it was like the other one which probably only holds 100 max. Nope this theater was HUGE, like a giant IMAX. Seriously it was hard to find 2 seats together for Matt and I. It was packed. We watch the movie, which I highly recommend, and then head back after one amazing day.

On the train there is a massive attack dog muzzled. This really freaks me out. I mean not as much as the armed military guards who patrol the subway systems and the Eiffel Tower and such, but seriously pretty crazy. Heres a pic of the sucker.