Coffee shop discussions #4

After a week off due to fall break, Nasser and I met again today after he showed up 30 minutes late because he overslept from his nap. After several apologies on his part and several assurances on my part that it really was ok, we talked about what each of us did during fall break.
I traveled back and forth between Plano and Fort Worth all weekend. I went home Friday, but then came back with my parents for the football game on Saturday. I was telling him about how cold it was outside (we both hate the cold, and fifty degrees is definitely cold!), and how we lost the game. At this news, he was quite surprised. He was not expecting to hear we lost a game. I told him that it was understandable because our quarterback had only had one day of practice. Then he asked why? It shouldn't have surprised me that he didn't stay up to date with our football team since it is exclusively an American sport, but it did. I asked him if he heard what happened to our other quarterback. He hadn't. I asked him if he knew what a quarterback was. He didn't. Thankfully, I know what a quarterback is because when it comes to football, I don't know a whole lot. To someone who doesn't know football, the easiest explanation I could give is that the quarterback is the main player on the field, the one that calls the plays and throws the ball. But then I had to explain what happened with Pachall... To that he was really surprised.
I also observed total knee replacement surgery over fall break. That grossed him out. I thought it was slightly boring; it is just sawing and malleting, just carpentry. That grosses people out even more.
Over fall break, Nasser said he went to the state fair. He was surprised at how much food there was! But really, what else is the state fair known for besides fried selections of many types of food and drink. He didn't go on any of the rides, just played games and ate the food; he doesn't like rides much beccause they scare him. I told him I desperately want to skydive, and he said I am crazy. (Maybe so, but that's fine with me.)
Then he asked me about Halloween, what the date of it is, what I usually do for Halloween, and what other people usually do for Halloween. Growing up, my family was never big into Halloween. My brothers and I still went trick-or-treating when we were little, but we didn't buy costumes. I was a competitive gymnast at the time and guess what I was for many Halloweens in a row. Yes, you guessed it, a gymnast. My parents just didn't see the point in spending money to celebrate a holiday where you dress up in costumes to get lots of candy which just ends up giving kids a sugar rush and a more expensive dental bill. Frankly, I don't blame them. And honestly, we teach children "stranger danger" and to never take candy from a stranger, but then once a year, we willingly take our children from house to house and allow strangers to give our children candy. How messed up is that? But then I explained what usually goes on: most children dress up, carry a pumpkin from door to door where the porch light is on, knock, and say trick-or-treat to get candy; most older kids dress up and go to parties. After this explanation, he got a bit excited; apparently, there is a holiday very similar to this Saudi Arabia. I thought it was a made up American holiday, but according to Wikipedia, it is observed around the world. I said that many people will decorate their houses with pumpkins, black cats, cobwebs, and spiders. Spiders... we are both terrified of spiders, me more so than him; he can kill the little ones that show up in his apartment, but I can't even look at a picture of a spider.
With that I need to leave, but when we scheduled our next meeting, we made it at 4pm so that he should hopefully be awake by then.