Dinner at Pascucci

I have come to the realization that one of the great pleasures in life is helping people who can't help me.

If you are a regular follower of this blog, then you are aware that I absolutely love the cherished memories of our time coaching football in Sicily and look forward with great anticipation to our upcoming adventures in Sweden.

Because of these feelings, I get a big kick out of helping players and coaches find out about what great times await them overseas and giving them a leg up on how to find employment on a European team.

Usually this happens by phone or e-mail but I really enjoy meeting with the Seniors at local colleges and the occasional one on one meetings like the one we had last night.

Ed and Ginny Barnett on the left

Last night Laurie and I met with Ed and Ginny Barnett in Santa Barbara for dinner at Pascucci, an Italian restaurant on upscale State Street. They are very interested in coaching football in Europe in the near future after Ed retires and they had lots of questions.

We had a great three hour (how very Italian of us) meal as expected and were able to discuss the fine points, both positive and negative, about spending six or seven months living abroad.

Ginny and Laurie exchanged many ideas about a wife's role in the experience while Ed and I talked about the football side of things. Together the four of us explored the non-football cultural, travel and housing side of things. While I believe that we answered all of their first round of questions, we have already agreed to meet again soon once they digest all of the information they received last night.

I think some wine tasting in the Santa Maria area will be included as well. . . AWESOME!!!

Ed has been an outstanding football coach at both the high school and now junior college level. He is currently the Defensive Coordinator at Hancock College in Santa Maria.

NOTE TO ALL EUROPEAN TEAMS: When you get the chance a year from now, hire this guy! His passion for the game and ability to teach are just what every team is looking for in an import coach.