· 7 December 2006 at 10:07pm ·
I was wondering how they were gonna fit a 3-ring circus into John Paul John Arena. They didn’t. I laughed when I saw that a new Facebook group had been created to commemorate just how bad it was: One Ring and One Elephant is NOT the Greatest Show on Earth. But since we got the discounts via Piedmont CASA for only $7 each, I thought it was a great deal, and I was glad to pile up the car with the 6 of us (me, kidlet, los 4 Lopez) and see the infamous Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus in all its glory– but there was no glory. Charlottesville got shafted.
Anyone who knows me knows I love a good protest, so when we drove into the JPJ Arena parking lot and saw the scores of protesters lined up, I slowed to a crawl to read their signs and see what the fuss is about. I love a good protest. Now when I never go to the Ringling Brothers circus again it won’t be just because I paid $35 for a 2 hour nap, but because how they treat their most famous performers is unthinkable, unethical- and if not criminal- incredibly cruel.
It turns out- completely unbeknownst to me- all this time I’ve been supposed to be boycotting animal-exploiting circuses. Who knew? If someone is passing out leaflets I’ll (almost always) take and read, and even if it’s not of interest I won’t litter- I’ll at least recycle the pamphlet before leaving it all over our brand new arena for someone making minimum wage to clean up- like most of the other circus goers did. But this time the information was actually useful.
I’m almost embarrassed to admit it, that the show was so boring that it alone was reason not to support Barnum and Bailey. I thought maybe it was the adult in me being jaded, but the kids were bored senseless too- and I don’t think it’s because of the constant action cartoon and video game world we live in heightening their threshold for level of stimulation necessary to captivate, no, I think it was just boring. The clowns weren’t funny, there was no man in a cannon… ok, the trapeze artist family was fun, and there were these dogs catching frisbees (sp?) that was (surprisingly) entertaining- but the rest was an hour and forty minutes of yawnage. There was only one ring- not three- and by the end of the two hours I was fairly certain that unless my child specifically requests, we will not be patronizing RBBB ever again.
Yes, the show was a bust- but that’s not all. After watching these videos (and especially this one in particular) I was disgusted. I read the printed information with a grain of salt (I mean, it was coming from PETA after all)- but as much as you can put spin on words- photos don’t lie, and videos let you see the truth in context. We’re not talking about occasional prodding or poking, it’s not just the anecdotal crack of the whip. No- it’s life long torture, animals being forced to breed before they are physically- and emotionally- mature enough to do so, families being torn apart at the seems, living creatures spending 11 months on the road- almost every non-working moment confined to a crate– and the most hideous cases of abuse.
I was already headed in that direction- but when I watched in horror as Baby Benjamin- who had been from his mother untimely ripped, not raised with a herd who would’ve taught him to swim, and who- in case of emergency as can occur in the wild- as a herd would’ve been there to rescue him… as I watched that baby drown, and I tried to rectify that with the fact that it was all in the name of entertainment- my mind was made up.
It’s hard to say never- but I will NEVER support a circus that abuses animals in this way ever again. It was the girls’ first trip to see Ringling Brothers- for me, it was my last. One of my favorite sayings is “if you aren’t outraged, you aren’t paying attention”. Well, when it comes to the cruelty to which animals are subjected at circuses like Ringling Brothers, I just hadn’t been paying attention.
The time I spent browsing the PETA site was productive in one other respect- no, I’m not going vegan, but no longer can I buy my beloved POM juice in good conscience. Really though. I’m embarrassed that I never knew what went on behind the scenes. I’m ashamed that I never asked. I’m not a total PETA convert (even after finally seeing the infamous “Supersize Me” documentary last week, neither my child nor I is ready to swear off McDonald’s)- but the circus? No more. When Cirque du Soleil comes to town, I’m down, but Ringling- never ever again.
{ One year ago today: What's in a word. }
· 3 December 2006 at 10:45pm ·
Enter your password to view comments
· 3 December 2006 at 4:14am ·
We spent last night in Harrisonburg at James Madison, celebrating Iota Alpha’s 35th anniversary with our Sandz of Spring 2006:
(More photos in my “Sorority Life” set at Flickr.)
· 2 December 2006 at 3:14pm ·
Well, the good news is- I took it. The bad news- I got to my test room to learn that earplugs were not allowed, and Lord knows I needed them. I get distracted oh so very easily- in life, in love, and most definitely in a room full of squeaky chairs and fidgety other test-takers. The earplug thing shook me hard; I’ve been taking all my full length practice tests with them, so it basically nullifies my ability to have predicted my score in real test conditions. It shook me enough that I was an absolute wreck all through the first section- I heard every cough, noticed every nail biter, cringed with every click of a mechanical pencil, lamented the beeping of a stop watch that the girl in front of me knew doggone well she wasn’t supposed to have. It was terrible.
…read the rest of the entry…
· 30 November 2006 at 11:33pm ·
Just how they did it, I’ll never know… but Survivor/13 tonight managed to trump last week’s episode- and last week was so good I hooted and hollered and clapped when it was over. (Buh bye Nate!!!!) But man oh man, now Candice is gone too? YEAH! So at least for the last month I won’t have to suffer through her and Adam’s making out. Bleh.
I don’t know how much impact the intitial race based teaming really mattered in the long run- but this has been one fine season of tv. Indeed. I’ve been reeled in- hook line and sinker. I didn’t watch for years, not at all since the debut season, but I’m back- and the TiVo is already set and ready to go for next season in Spring 2007.
Go Jonathan! Go Yul! Go Ozzy!
· 23 November 2006 at 1:01pm ·
Dysfunctional? Oh yeah. Photogenic? Yup, that too.
Happy Thanksgiving all.
{ One year ago today: i know she no good, but she good to me. }
· 15 November 2006 at 11:26pm ·
High marks to J.Crew- for the surprise gift of a $25 gift car in the mail “just for being such a loyal customer”. If J.Crew were my man, this would be the equivalent of a “just because” gift.
In other news, I must have this dress. I wish bebe would take a hint and just send me the dress “just because”.
Now the folks at Fossil watch on the other hand, I’m not so pleased with them- not at all. I just bought 2 watches online from them, under a special “free overnight UPS shipping” deal. When did I get the watches? More than a week later- with no note, no apology, no partial refund. That is such poor service. I returned one of the watches just on principle, the second was too good a deal- even though I was salty about the whole transaction.
I’m funny about customer service issues- always have been, always will be. No more shopping with the fine folks at Fossil for me. Now J. Crew? They know how to treat a shopper…
· 9 November 2006 at 9:04pm ·
talk that I would like to attend- but can’t, thanks to work. Doggone gainful employment!
The UVA Center for the Study of Race and Law is pleased to sponsor the following talk by national expert on transracial adoption, Rita Simon:
The Case for Transracial Adoption
Why Race Is No Longer a Factor in Placing Children-
and the Native American Exception.
With Sociology Professor Rita Simon
Thursday, Nov. 9, 12 p.m. WB 105
Just why would I want to attend this talk? Hmmmm…
· 8 November 2006 at 8:45am ·
It’s the morning after- the midterm election results are in, and the winners are… House? Yes! Senate? Yes! Virginia’s 5th District?! (And there the luck ran out.) So dear Al Weed didn’t win, but Jim Webb did- and that’s big news both statewide and nationally, not just locally. I really really wanted to see Virgil Goode sent packing, but I must admit- although I voted, although I encouraged others to do the same, in my wildest dreams I didn’t think I’d awake this morning and find Senator George Allen had been ousted. Good old George Allen- of noose and Macaca fame.
…read the rest of the entry…
· 3 November 2006 at 10:37pm ·
Word of the Day for Friday, November 3, 2006:
fillip \FIL-uhp\, noun.
1. A snap of the finger forced suddenly from the thumb; a smart blow.
2. Something serving to rouse or excite; a stimulus.
3. A trivial addition; an embellishment.
4. To strike with the nail of the finger, first placed against the ball of the thumb, and forced from that position with a sudden spring; to snap with the finger.
5. To snap; to project quickly.
6. To urge on; to provide a stimulus, by or as if by a fillip.
· 31 October 2006 at 8:34pm ·
High on the list of things I love most about Charlottesville is the phenomenon that is trick-or-treating on The Lawn. It’s one stop shopping- it’s really almost too easy. Gone are the days of walking from house to house- instead you’ve got tubs of candy every few feet; no more ringing doorbells- all of the lawn and pavillion residents are already right there in their doorways waiting for you.
True, there are thousands of other kids out there too- but that’s the beauty of it. You get to see every costume under the sun, there is more than enough candy to go around, and after one lap around the perimeter the kids are pooped and down for the count. It’s a wonderful thing- we’ve done Halloween on the lawn since our first year here in 2003, and the girls came last year, but this time was definitely the most fun yet.
(the “black Mr. Incredible”, a dark princess, and a Barbie cheerleader- does it GET any cuter than this?)
Tonight at the lawn had a couple of highlights beyond the candy gathering. (I guess the first is actually a lowlight?) We ran into our Congressman- Representative Virgil Goode who was out campaigning. I’m too tired to rant about how much I want to see that man out of a job next week, the only thing I want more is to see Al Weed in his place. Chances are slim that Weed can unseat the incumbent, but miracles do happen.
The other incident of note is that as we crossed the lawn I stepped on a cell phone- one of those big fancy ones with a QWERTY keypad and a camera phone and the rest. Of course I picked it up, and of course I called the first couple of numbers in the recent calls list to try and let someone know I had their friend’s phone, but no one knew another way to reach the phone’s owner than the cell phone which- obviously- wasn’t gonna work.
But a little while later the phone rang, I answered, and it was the owner calling to see if someone had found her phone. We then played some serious phonetag to catch up that evening, but we did- and she got her phone back. She was incredibly overwhelmingly grateful- it was a bit too much. I mean, wouldn’t anyone that found her phone have done the same? I don’t know, but I do know that if we’re still in C’ville next fall, you can bet you’ll see us back at the Lawn come the end of October.
· 29 October 2006 at 8:47am ·
I think back to last year- not being a Delta yet, oh how I fretted about what to wear- red was certainly way out of the question, as were black and white for equally obvious reasons. I wasn’t gonna roll up in pink or green of course, and my yellow/orange dress would’ve been safe colorwise but not at all right for the occasion… so I went with a pale lilac, a staple in my formal rotation. But this year the question wasn’t what color, but just which red dress to wear.
This year, with a closet full of red dresses, 3 others bought with this occasion specifically in mind (a sequined Guess one that I decided was too formal, a slinky Nicole Miller that I decided was too low-cut, a ruffle-edged BCBG that I love but already wore twice last year and am not ready to resurrect- quite yet)… I went with the bebe number. [Yes, I went with the bebe, I also went with Dr. A, who wound up looking a bit like our pimp in the photos, with the two of us flanking him!]
Kisha, who also had a red dress to wear- of course, opted against it at the last moment, instead raiding my closet and getting rave reviews in a silk double v-neck plunging ivory halter from J.Crew that I have never worn. Sure I’m bummed that I didn’t get to debut one of my favorite blouses of the season myself, but then again, who knows when I would’ve ever worn it. She did look fantastic in it, that’s for sure. I’m definitely inspired to actually wear it at some point now. We actually started out the evening by decorating not ourselves, but the hall where the dance would be held. After an hour or so of decorating, Kisha and I made a run thru the ABC store to give a try to the new Bailey’s with a “hint” of caramel. The verdict? Well, when they say “hint”- they do mean “hint”. Yummy, but subtle.
After a prolonged preparation process that included an argument about what she should wear (I lost, see the PHOTOS), we were off to one of my faves- the Downtown Grille for a quick drink that wound up being not so quick. Not having reservations and not planning to be long, we were happy to just take a high bar table, but just as the bartender was coming over to take our drink order, the maitre’d interrupted and asked if he could escort us to a table instead. Hmm… I wonder why he did that… Dr. A had the vegetable medley, Kisha the calamari, and I- of course- had the crabcakes. Ummh ummh good is that jumbo lump. If I could I’d eat it every meal and never tire. Between the drinks and the appetizers time really flew; we found we’d los track of time and scrambled to relocate. I was really enjoying their company- I hope they can say the same. If time flies when you’re having fun, then we were having lots- but that was only a taste of what was to come.
We got back to the dance a little later than we’d planned, but we made sure to make the most of our time there. I was so proud of the Sorors who had organized it all- everything was beautiful. The dance itself was so much fun- particularly because we got to sing the Sweetheart Song at long long last. (Dr. A videoed the song- but the file is too huge to upload.) We danced, we ate, we drank, we took photos. Good times, indeed. If I’d had big plans for afterwards, they were thwarted by the fact that Kisha lost her keys (turns out she’d left them under the table at the Downtown Grille) and wound up crashing at my crib. But by the time we got home, peeled off our faces and clothes and scrubbed away the MAC residue- we were both DONE, so I can’t imagine I would’ve been much fun at an afterparty anyway.
And for all of my worry over what to wear, the dance is about so much more than crimson and cream attire. In a way it’s a bit like a belated informal debutante presentation- a sort of unveiling to the community of our newest members. Although we are chapter members now, in a weird way I still felt like a guest in this- what should be my own house, and I hope some of that anxiety will fade by next year’s Fall Scholarship Dance.
Even from the inside, I’m still a bit in awe of these women- both locally, nationally, gloablly and historically- and it feels more than a bit surreal to finally be able to put my own hands in that prescious pyramid, to finally be a part of the circle singing our song- not just a voyeur. For more reasons than I’d begin to articulate in this forum, I’m still not sure if this is real.
It’s a curious thing to want something so much, for so long, so intensely- and then to get it. “Be careful what you ask for“… they say that for a reason, and as I’ve learned- a good one. “…because you just might get it.” Well, I got it- and the rest is still unwritten.
(Oh, and there are lots more photos where those came from.)
· 28 October 2006 at 2:59am ·
NC State @ Virginia ~ October 28, 2006
Final Score: Win! UVA 14, State 7!
· 22 October 2006 at 1:41am ·
So Gram turned 90 back on the 1st of the month, but it was today that well over 90 of us gathered to celebrate this anniversary of her birth. It was sooo good to see so much family that I never see, many of whom I hadn’t seen in years. There were a few surprise appearances, there were a couple conspicuous absences- and I hope Gram was able to focus on who was there, not who wasn’t.
Despite what my grandmother has been telling folks, the party was actually my idea. I had been musing that funerals are for the living, not the dead, and what a shame it was that everyone gathers to celebrate after someone dies, and how much nicer would it be for the deceased to get to partake in the reunion while still here amongst us. And with Gram’s 90th right around the corner, what better occasion than a birthday to reunite? So we did. And we even had a “Celebration of Life” program written up.
Now my Gram is fit as a fiddle, this wasn’t a “funeral for the living”- not hardly, but that was where we I got the idea. But other than the idea itself, I didn’t do a thing to get it together. That was all my aunt. My task? I was charged with giving the toast- but instead of the witty anecdote I had planned I wound up getting up there and sobbing as I thought about those who weren’t with us, my grandfather, my cousin, and my mother- who, had she lived, would turn… 51(?) tomorrow.
But even as embarrassed as I was by my own teary flustered outburst, the day wasn’t about me nor my inability to suppress emotions; it was about Gram. She enjoyed every minute of her spotlight- boy did she ever. If I see a 90th birthday, I hope I am as loved as she is- and she is very, very loved.
In other news, I have had it up to HERE with the red eye. I am SO sick of the red eyes! And it’s not just me, apparently my whole family suffers the same demonic affliction. Is it my camera? Maybe it’s time for me to upgrade- because I just have neither time nor energy to use Photoshop’s red-eye reduction tool on every photo in the batch!
· 19 October 2006 at 1:08am ·
Enter your password to view comments
· 18 October 2006 at 1:49am ·
10 days later still counts as a birthday gift, right?
It was love at first sight. I first saw her when Bono announced the “Product Red” campaign on Oprah- and I knew I had to have her. Yes, I already have a silver iPod mini and a white iPod shuffle (neither of which are made any longer)… but if ever there was a product made for me, THIS is it:
Go get your own red Apple iPod nano. You know you want to.
Next I’ve gotta get my hands on the matching RED phone…
· 17 October 2006 at 8:22am ·
“…may see me in DC at Howard Homecoming… jump in the car and just ride for hours, making sure I don’t miss the homecoming at Howard…”
Yeah, so Biggie, LL, Ludacris… They’ve all rhymed about it, but I’d never been- until this past weekend that is. Not being a Howard alum, it never seemed relevant to me, but now being greek, I thought I should find out just what all the talk was about. I’m tempted to say “Don’t believe the hype”, but actually, I had a really good time. I’m not booking my flight now to make sure I’m there next year or anything, but it was definitely worth seeing- at least once. Kinda like NYC’s Times Square at New Years- everyone should do it once, but you don’t really need to go again. You’ve seen one ball fall, you’ve seen ‘em all…
The funny thing about going to DC for Howard’s Homecoming is that we had little to no interest in the events actually related TO Howard (fashion show, concert, the Homecoming football game et al). None of my girls were HBCU alums (Stanford, Yale and UVA grads), but they’d each been before and swore by it- so I thought it was high time I make an appearance. We did make the stepshow- walking in over an hour and a half late to find both seats in the 3rd row AND only the first act on. I worry that I might have jinxed my Sorors- who closed the show in impeccable fashion- ’cause for the first year since like 2000, we can came in second to the ladies of pink and green. So maybe I DO have to make an appearance next year after all, to be present when we redeem ourselves.
It was good to see my girlfriends, and it was just as good to be out on the yard and see hundreds and hundreds of my beautiful Sorors- particularly locking arms and singing our songs in a huge circle. When we got to the yard, we found them already in song- R slipped right between 2 Sorors and joined right in, I wasn’t quite as bold. I could’ve, I should’ve, but I didn’t- and I was kicking myself for that afterwards. But I got to make up for that at the stepshow- plenty of Ooo-oop-ing and putting up of the Pyramid. I don’t know if I’ll go next year, but if and when I do- I hope I have the nerve to join in (or, better yet, get to the yard early enough to be there when the singing starts)…
· 16 October 2006 at 1:03am ·
Of course seeing Gram and kidlet and Carter was the real highlight of my return… but finding the finale of Flavor of Love waiting on the TiVo when I got back from Howard’s Homecoming weekend was also quite welcome.
So New York is gone, off to her solo project (”Flavorette”?), and I am long since out of the closet about my infatuation for this show. Indeed, I do feel myself getting dumber with each passing scene, but I figure I’ve got some brain power to spare. Besides, I remember reading that you lose something like a few thousand brain cells every day past age 25 anyway- so I’m already running a deficit.
New York’s parting words: “I know in the long run it will be beneful.” BENEFUL? Huh? I think that’s dog food. How apropos. That Deelishus is something else- I can’t remember when in reality tv I have found a personality so genuine, so multi-dimensional, so intriguing. It’s so conflicting, man I was rooting from her hard from like Episode 2, but it’s so hard to root for her when the prize is… Flav, who- mysteriously- she certainly seems to sincerely like. Ugh. *shudder*
How can I root for her to “win” a man who hooked up with a nasty dirty other woman the night before? How/ why is she ok with that? That’s really the only thing about her persona that seems inconsistent- how could a woman so real, so thoughtful, so together- be interested in such a… him? My only guess is that editing is brilliant, and maybe there is something endearing about the man that gets lost on the cutting room floor, and she just understands the public persona and can roll with that. That’s permissible. But him having got down with NY the night before? Absolutely inexcusable.
Miss London Charles: I am officially a fan. In addition to her brilliant “beneful” comment- New York had an earlier slip that Dee called her on. In an episode back at the beginning of the season, New York read the Flav-O-Gram aloud to the gathered women with the word “…slicking…” and it was not until later when Dee reread the card that we learned it actually said “…slicing…“. (The difference- of course- between N.Y. saying “beneful” and “slicking” versus Flav continuously referring to NY as “dramatical” is that his blending of “dramatic” and “hysterical” is oh-so upon point, whether or not it’s accidental. But back to Dee.)
Remember Jerry Maguire and “you had me at hello”? Well, Dee, you had me at “slicking“. But what really peaked my interest tonight was when N.Y. accused her of being money hungry and “out for the stash”, Dee’s retort included the comment “Do you know who my baby’s daddy is? He’s got money over money over money…” WHO IS HE?
So Season 2 is a wrap, and the burning questions remain:
- Why does Dee think that a man who could deem N.Y. “classy” could possibly be right be for her?
- WHO is Jasmine’s daddy? Inquiring minds want to know!
- And did that man give her a GRILL at the elimination ceremony?
Yes folks, I watched Meet the Press today, I read the Times, and I listened to NPR and BBC on the 2 hour ride from DC back to C’ville. But it’s not the midterm elections coming up in less than a month that’s on my mind, no I’m not up at 1am praying for the fate of Darfur, and no- it’s not the fact that the deadline to file taxes (with a 6 month extension I filed back in April), which I promised I’d do for Gram ages ago is due today- that’s not what’s got me going either. Nope, it’s a VH1 Celebreality show. Wow. Something is VERY wrong with this equation…
· 15 October 2006 at 1:46pm ·
Enter your password to view comments
· 14 October 2006 at 12:57pm ·
So we kicked off the season with a game that was surely the beginning of a promising football career, an athlete clearly destined for greatness… but that illustrious takeoff took a severe dive in the opposite direction this morning with an absolute lashing the likes of which I doubt many a football field has seen. In my son’s words: “Mommey, we got demolished!” And it’s not just that we lost (after all, we did lose 2 weeks ago)- it’s HOW we lost. Final score? 46-0. HOW could it be 46-0, you ask? Here’s how: [(6+2)x5]+[(6+0)x1]=46. That’s right folks: 6x touchdowns + 5x 2-point conversions + woefully unmatched teams = a beatdown handed to us on a platter.
I don’t want to whine, but I’m going to anyway. Because the fact is, it’s NOT just winning and losing- it’s not. I’m not going to minimize how important winning is to me (and my son) because it is- very. But playing hard is even more important, and in order to do that- some basic semblance of fairness at the outset. And last game the teams were (more or less) evenly matched, they had (relatively) a similar mix of experienced players and newbies, and (for the most part) the matchups were reasonable in height/ size. And my kid’s team just lost. That’s sometime how it goes. Those are the breaks. Dust yourself off and try again. Come harder next time- and other such motivational rhetoric.
Now my child is resilient- and many of his teammates are as well. There’s this one kid #2, I just can’t get enough of him- he’s like a Weeble, he wobbles but he won’t fall down. He hustles every play. He goes hard every down. But my child is much more easily shaken- for example, when they kicked off at 8:00am, it was FREEZING outside (literally- frost on the ground so thick it looked like snow). And knowing that the frost was coming today, I broke down last night and shelled out $60 for some UnderArmour and gloves which I had thus far successfully refused all season (the UnderArmour b/c it’s $40, the gloves because he lost at least 2 batting pair last baseball season) so that my child wouldn’t catch hypothermia waiting for the snap.
He started at quarterback and had a turnover on the very first play- he couldn’t catch the ball. Admittedly (as he justifiably complained later) the center’s snap was right into the ground- but still, on a balmier morning kidlet could’ve easily scooped it up before it made contact with the ground. Instead- he just dropped it. And then the next play- he dropped it again. Even from the sidelinees I realized that some of the awkwardness in his halted movements were likely due to the fact that he has never worn, even practiced- much less played- in receiving gloves. It must’ve been on the 3rd down and 10 that coach realized it too- because he sent my son off the field where I saw him deposit his gloves on the bench and return to the huddle barehanded.
But- I’m getting to my point- by that point he was so shook, and I could see that he just couldn’t get his head right back in the game. And of course- he’s only 9. It’s been a while since I took a course with any adolescent physiology in it, but I wonder if at this age they might not have more estrogen pumping than testosterone- so I fully expect a little teariness after a particularly tough game like today. He’s still letting me console him- but that won’t always be the case. And that’s not even my point.
My point is this: you win some, you lose some, yeah yeah yeah. But the operative word being SOME- you have to win SOME for that little adage to be applicable. And by winning SOME, I don’t even mean just some games- but even smaller victories- scoring of course, but short of that- even moving the ball past the line of scrimmage- ANY positive yardage even! That little #2 on our team is this kid that I just adore. He comes hard on every single play. And when there were only a couple minutes left on the clock, down nearly 50 points, Big #49 who I don’t believe came out at all during the entire game (if he did I sure didn’t see it) catches an easy lateral pass and doesn’t take not one step before my man #2, less than half of #49’s size, takes him down by ankles with everything he had in him.
That brought us to: Goliath- 46 points, David- a handful of good tackles, plus one great one by #2. And #2 will bounce back, unless something happens to seriously change his course, this kid will definitely play at least through high school, maybe college. He’s got moves, he understands the game, and he has as much heart than a kid that size ever had. It’s my son I’m more worried about, and some of his other teammates even more so. If they don’t get some victories, I’m worried that some of the really athletic good kids without the thickest skins will get discouraged, will lose what little confidence they have left, will turn away from a game for which they might have real potential. And then again, some natural attrition is necessary to cull the team of the children who have neither interest nor atheletic ability- at least one of which is a prerequisite for not wasting everyone else’s time.
Speaking of thick skins… as thick as #49 was, apparently I underestimated just how sensitive a 9 year old boy can be. The kid is huge- the other parents are estimating 5′2″ and 180#, I don’t know about all that- but he’s huge. And at a practice last week I’d made an off-hand remark about wanting to see a birth certificate before I saw him take the field against my kid. (Remember Little Danny Almonte?) I didn’t think anything of it, but his Pappy sure did- and before this morning’s game he marched right up to me as I was seated amongst our team’s parents and called me out for it. Sure did. Said his son was very sensitive about that, because people were always commenting on how big (not just wide- but tall) he was for his age, and that I was wrong for saying what I did.
What else could I do but apologize? I did. Truth is, I don’t believe that child is my son’s age just because they’re in the same grade. I mean he’s got stubble and a child of his own, and I’m supposed to believe he’s 9? (< < kidding) What I wanted to suggest was that he tell his son to suck it up, toughen up, take it like a man already. How is a kid that big gonna have his feelings hurt about folks wondering how old he is? I wanted to say something to that effect- but of course I said nothing of the sort. No, what I said, in my most contrite voice, was that he had my most sincere apology. I was embarrassed that I had hurt the kid- now granted, I am an equal opportunity teaser- I pick on any and every one, but I certainly never to hurt a (supposedly >>) NINE year old in the process.
I never did get to peek at that birth certificate. Even aside from the issue of the bohemoth on the other team, I’m trying to be really fair about this game- I am. And to highlight some of the responsibility that lies (< < lays?) with our our team- it has been incredibly frustrating that it doesn’t seem everyone is giving 100%. I don’t know if I want to say some families aren’t committed- because having had a job for the past two years that required me to work three evenings per week, I know how hard it can be to juggle commitments and get the kids to practice every night, much less get them there on time.
BUT- I also think that it’s really unfair to the other kids, parents and the team as a whole for there to be a good number of players who come sporadically to practice, come late and/or leave early when they do come, and then roll up gameday with parents who fully expect to see their child getting some PT. It’s not even a matter of “fairness” in the sense of he who practices most gets to play most- yes that too- but moreso, how is the child supposed to know what to do if he isn’t there for practice? Q: Why is YOUR child missing his block and allowing the opposing defense an easy tackle on my son? A: Because he wasn’t at practice to learn the play!
We have a whopping FOUR youth football leagues in Charlottesville City/ Albemarle County- and though I haven’t been around long enough to understand the history behind the need for a fourth, I do know that some parents and/or coaches were not satisfied with the current offerings, and out of this was born TJYFL. (Consider yourself forewarned, if you click on that link you’ll be subjected to a rousing MIDI rendition of “Rock You”. MIDI’s? Remember those?!)
Indeed this is the debut season of the Thomas Jefferson Youth Football League- and there are LOTS of things I like about it. I love the “no questions asked” financial aid policy (spared the embarassment and/or hassle of documenting your level of poverty, families could simply say they needed a scholarship and they were awarded one). Love that. What’s more- the $100 fee that was asked included pants, jersey, full pads AND helmet- whereas in many other leagues its customary that in addition to exhorbitant registration fees that you also are responsible for paying for child’s own equipment and gear.
And (I’m sure they give back the pads and helmets?) the kids even get to keep their jerseys from the inaugural season. And although I still had to buy all of the accessories- socks, practice pants/ jerseys, UnderArmour etc- everything except the cleats for which his father picked up the tab- it still made all the difference in the world to have his game day gear covered. So for that- I applaud Bill McIntyre and TJYFL, so much so that although my son was a scholarship receipient when we registered back in the spring, when I was able to afford it I was glad to be able to send in my $100 and repay the aid- although I was never asked to. So for all of that, high marks.
With all of that said- LIFE AIN’T FAIR. There are going to be lots of uneven matches in this son of mine’s life- some in his favor, some- like today- where he gets the severely shortened end of the stick.
BUT WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED WITH THE GROUPING OF THE TWO CHARLOTTESVILLE TEAMS IN THE AGE-9 FOUNDERS DIVISION?!?!??!?!
