Chris Owens Interview, and other stuff

This is the court where Alba Berlin plays their home games.

Today I got to interview Jesse Owens' great-nephew Chris, who will play for the Berlin pro basketball team this year. Nice guy. I also spoke with the coach, and with William Avery, who, even though he went to Duke, is also a nice guy. I always wondered what happened to Duke players after college. Anyway, it was really cool bc when I arrived, another Burnsie was getting there at the same time, and then we went in, and there was another, and then, a little later, another, so we were well represented. Also, it was cool bc it seemed natural to see them there, and the whole thing was really chill. It made me feel like a real journalist, or at least like a reporter. Anyway, it was cool to see the newspaper guys do their interviews, and afterwards, some of us went for drinks at Prater Biergarten, where we talked and debated various things and I tried to defend the progressive individuals in the south, although I don't think I did a very good job...but I thoroughly enjoyed the lively debate and the opportunity to play devil's advocate. Good folks, and it was a very comfortable and enjoyable evening. It's nice to get to know people, but can you ever really know another person? I think you can, to a degree, but the life of the mind, etc. I think prevents a lot, in terms of knowledge of others. Also, I think people come in with prejudices (myself included) and make judgements sometimes based on who you think someone is, that differ from reality...it's hard not to do this on some level, maybe impossible to be a blank slate...but as you get to know people, little pieces of your perception of that person come together, or are destroyed and replaced with the new perceptions, which also may or may not be accurate, but that is probably the best we can do. It's a nice surprise when someone turns out to be different and better than you originally thought. That's why I always try to act like a jerk when I first meet someone, so then later on, they will have a pleasant surprise, and if there is no later on, at least I had some fun with it. Oh, while I'm thinking about it, let me mention the great news! I have grown a few inches since I've been in town. When I left Atlanta, I was nearly 6'1", but after comparing myself to pro basketball players--Owens is listed at 6'7" and Avery at 6'2"--I realized that I must have grown to about 6'3" or 6'4" over the past few weeks. That is an amazing growth spurt in a very short amount of time, especially at my age!!! If only I were 6'6", then I would be happy. At this rate, I should reach that by about next Wednesday.