Well it was another successful day here in Celaya, Mexico.  I was able to get through my singles 6-3 6-2 against the number six seed Luis Diaz-Barriga (MEX).  It was tougher than the score says, but I was able to raise my level on the bigger points, which is always a nice bonus in any match.  Doubles went well as Darian King (BAR) and I were able to get through 6-1 6-3.  So I am on to the quarterfinals of singles and semifinals of doubles on Friday.  It is always nice to get another day off in between matches. 

     Well that is enough of that.  Let's move on to the exciting stuff.  Since my singles today was at 12:30pm, I was starting to get a little bit hungry after the first set.  So I kindly asked the referee on the changeover for a banana.  Which is usually a pretty standard mid-match snack.  So he made the call for some bananas to be sent to the court.  When they arrived I was just a little bit confused.  They threw me a serious curveball with this one.  Mini bananas? (below) Probably one of the coolest things I have seen in a while.  The Spanish word for these bad boys is chiquita which means mini.  Therefore in English we call them mini bananas.  They taste pretty similar.  You just have to eat a few more of them.  Anyways, I thought they were awesome so I decided to share them with you.

     You might also notice the Pedialyte in the picture.  That is the official sports drink of this tournament.  Sports drink is questionable at best, but I have to admit it is pretty tasty.  It is actually one of drinks to have to avoid cramping.  Most people associate it with babies and stomach issues, but not us athletes.  We are a pretty strange group.  I can tell you that much is for sure.   

     Like I said before, I was getting a little bit hungry during my singles match.  So I decided after it was over I would treat myself to a hearty lunch.  Also I was happy about getting a W so I went all out.  I went up to the guy and said, "Carne asada y pasta con salsa."  Then he looked at me with a confused look so I tried it in English, "Steak and pasta with sauce."  So he replies with a, "No problem man."  Moral of the story is that my Spanish is still terrible.  At least I tried I guess.  You have to take the positives out of these kinds of situations.  Anyways, take a look at this meal (below).  It cost me a total of 80 pesos for everything.  I calculated it, and that is roughly $6.15 in the US (13-1 exchange rate).  Not to mention it was incredibly delicious.  They know hot to cook some incredible food here in Mexico, and to me food is almost everything.  You can quote me on that one.

     When I originally arrived at the club here in Celaya one thing really stood out to me.  Obviously, it was the basketball court (below).  I saw this beauty and I thought to myself, "This court has no idea what is coming its way."  I hate to toot my own horn but let me just tell you this much, they don't call me Lebron James for nothing.  I am a well respected street baller and if you don't believe me... Well I don't really have any proof, so just take my word for it.  So needless to say, on my day off yesterday I let it rain out there.  There is nothing like throwing in a different sport every now and again to keep the mind fresh.  Also I have a challenge from my friend Jon Wiegand (you can find his link under the 'Friends" tab) in a game of horse at sometime this week.  So stay tuned for the results.  I think we all know how that is going to end up though. 

     On a side note, my roommate lost yesterday in the first round so I am a loner for the night.  I am busy trying to recruit a new one.  However today there was no luck.  Hopefully tomorrow will bring better results. 

     That is enough action for one day I think.  I don't want to overwhelm you guys.  I will be back on Friday with some more news though.  Thanks again for tuning in.  Adios amigos.

All the best,

D-train