Impact...
On so many levels Mr Z left an impact on me, on life on all around.
My first encounter with Mr Z was in August 1991. Back in Texas my mom and step-dad bought a house in Pearland. 2nd day of school after soccer practice Mezio took me to the house on Shauntel. Upon entering his dad was in the living room laughing out loud whilest reading the newspapers.
"This is my dad, Adrian Zangirolami." So I reached out my hand to this intreging figure rising up from the couch, " hi Mr Zangi.... my name is Duncan... can I just call you mister Z?" Took me I think 6 weeks to pronounce that name out correctly :-)
So Mr Z it became.
As he shook my hand and almost broke my hand, he shouted out, and I remember it word by word "Germana, jhgeujd jzghjf hah;%+%"# " or something like that in Italian. The way he said it with a big smile, I thought Mezio had a sister and I was to be introduced as next Friday's date...
A beautiful lady came out of the kitchen saying, "Adrian, the pasta is ready, ok" I learned a few things in that moment , learn Italian, Mr Z is a lucky man and pasta will be in abundance.
Over the years to follow I ate pasta so many times all the time because at the Z residence pasta is always on the kitchen cabinet. Morning noon and night. Sneaky how somebody kept us teens hungry, fed and craving for more. One day Mr Z had a tiny fit (Italian verbal blow out with arms waving for 7 seconds) after a soccer practice with the North Shore elite there was no pasta. Oh Nr Z, you wanna make the pasta with.. "boy, I don't know that one, I always open the cabinet and let my love for food guide me to the ingredients "
As Mr Z lives soccer he came to watch games regularly. I loved how he would drive Z crazy scream/coaching him from the stands, telling him to do the opposite from what coach Lewis dictated, driving him nuts all the while Dennis and I laughed our asses off. Mr Z mostly had a good p.o.v.
Having MrZ as a coach at north shore elite we got a great feel how coaching in Argentina went... "Messi ....Messi...Messi"
For years I thought our passing, shooting and ball handling was messy, nobody he was a visionary ;-)
On Sundays, a kitchen table was the center of attention with the huge newspaper... most importantly was the comics. "That is where you read the entire newspaper son"
It's true, it has it all as long as you read read, read between the political lines and intreges. Laughing it out loud and giggling together like to young boys being tickled. A hobby we shared over the years on my visits to my parents away from home.
That being said, one of my proudest gifts was having made a glass statue in different colors to honor both MrZ and Mrs Z and their love for art.
The love for food at restaurants and being a critic carried over to me and I still use... as Mr Z blew out his back in 92 I was asked to chauffeur him around Texas for promoting alcohol at restaurants was to be continued. "At this restaurant you need to ask for something but as the waiter walks away call em back and say you wanna change your course to ..." that is the best here"
"Here you will drink this, I will give you a glass"
With huge intreged eyes I eagerly stole knowledge as I saw him perform bar after bar, restaurant after restaurant. At the the house late that night, " I don't need my painkillers" ... so I lurned after all that happened that day, that the right amount of alcohol beats pills any day! Cheers.
The love for sailing, the ocean fishing put us in the Golf of Mexico where educational speeches about fish, how to grill how to filet how to eat, which wine to add were all covered. It is also where I was given one of my biggest tasks by Mr Z. " You boys will have your prom in Galveston this year, I decided it is ok to use the beach house. I had ideas popping up in my mind like crazy. "Mezio I put i charge of keeping the house in one peace, Duncan, Iput You in charge of making sure their is no sex at the beach house..." why me, does he know me? Does he know me better than I know myself? He was tricky with that one, to this day, I am still b
