Not so straight from the ATL, mixing one electric personality with a dash of humorous wit commenting on life, the universe, and everything.

Monday, March 28, 2005

Southern Shootout 2005

I'm actually quite surprised at how my body is holding up...this past weekend was our second tournament this season, the Southern Shootout 2005 held in Birmingham, Alabama. The Wackers played a total of six games (3 on Saturday and 3 on Sunday) and things were...well things were pretty amazing.

L and I left Atlanta around 7PM on Friday and got to Birmingham at about 10. The host party at the hotel was winding down but we weren't totally in for that. We were a bit tired after working all day and then the drive. Our first games were round-robin which is a set of games that determine your starting position for the tournament. You really want a good seed otherwise you might get knocked out pretty fast.

So at 8AM we were on the fields warming up for our 9AM game against the Phoenix Pride of Birmingham, AL. When we were registering the night before they were working the registration area and kept joking "We'll see you at 10!" LOL :) Well the game went really well and though we were a little bit nervous at the outset, we got our butts in gear and pulled a win out of it.

The second team we played were the Ft. Lauderdale Paladins. We were a bit wary of this team because Florida has a really bad repultation for under rating their players (and we have seen this in tournaments throughout Florida). See, in softball, you get a score as to your skill level. Once your skill level gets to a certain point, you have to move up. I'm at the upper end of the lowest division and our commissioner is a stickler for ratings because if you take a team to the Gay Softball World Series and you get protested, then your league gets fined.

Well...needless to say the game was over in 20 minutes with a flat out shut out something like 14-0 after 3 innings. We were run-ruled.

With that, Round Robin was over and we began REAL tournament play and our first game was at 6PM against the Knoxville Kats. We were a little bit off because playing under electric lights and a light drizzle your perception of the ball is a little bit off. After 7 innings or so, we were tied up with time expired. Enter the "international tie-breaker rules" where each team gets one last at bat with a man starting on second base. Whoever has the most after one inning, takes the game. Due to some aggressive baserunning, we pulled ahead to beat them by 3 points. But it really was one HELL of a game. Very action packed and suspenseful even if you weren't ON the field.

That night we enjoyed a little bit of the drag show (and by drag show I mean "drag on and drag on and on" at the host hotel. Why they feel that gay sports boys want a super long drag show at all is beyond me. A few choice performances is ok, but they need to re-think that portion of the program. Anyway, L got tired early and I just hung out with a few of the other Wackers and some mutual friends in the lobby and had a couple of drinks there.

Sunday we were back up against our favorite team, the Ft. Lauderdale Paladins. The game played itself without incident...well...not exactly. :) Our fans on our sister team, the Pounders, were doing this cheer where you clap and say "under rated " about one of their players on third and he got huffy and started yelling at them. Our coach was on the pitcher's mound and looked over at him and this guy goes "And what are YOU looking at?" to which my coach replied calmly "You." And that's when he muttered something about him being a hillbilly *laugh* and our coach doesn't put up with that. I think it was part of a ploy to get the team wired up. If you can decombobulate a team mentally/emotionally, then you can kick their butt because they lose focus. Well the ump came over and stopped that little bit of drama toot-sweet and we resumed the game to get our butts handed to us with a score of 16-8. We didn't feel too bad because as one person said, "Hey, you held our own against a C level team" :) LOL.

So to the Losers' Bracket we went to attempt to battle our way back up the chain. We faced our old friends the Phoenix Pride and after a fun game of back and forth scorekeeping, we emerged victorious! But immediately after that we were about to face an all women's team, the 7-2-9 Ladies. Now playing women is very different. They approach the game differently and generally have hard core fundamental skills and this team was no exception. I think that this game had to have been my BEST game as well. I had three great plays. The first one was just a fire to shortstop...a really quick straight pop that you don't have time to think you just reach out and snag it! The second one was where this girl named "Tiny" (and no she wasn't) was making a break to third and got trapped. Threw the ball to second and she turns and then I get it (back at shortstop) and she breaks back and then I throw to second and then she breaks back and I get the ball one last time, get tired of the situation and run her down! The roar from the stands was awesome to hear and someone said later it looked like a hyaena chasing down a water buffalo! LOL :) The third dramatic play by yours truly was another incident of a runner from second to third and I get her out on the tag and she slides down on the dirt and I was about to fall on top of her...hard. I'm surprised I had time to push off a little bit and I ended up doing a dive roll to avoid a catastrophe.

Well these fabulous plays weren't enough and they took the game. But as we were giving a "good game" down the team lines, a few of these women told me "You are awesome" and I can say that coming from these players, that indeed was a compliment to be cherished.

And so we were done. Out of the tournament, but we have our own battles ahead this 2005 Season on our home turf of Atlanta, GA. We've just started and the slate is clean...but we have our work cut out for us this year if we hope to make it to the world series...

Thursday, March 24, 2005

And the Beat Goes On

So True Believers, it has been two weeks since my last update and I know you have been biting your nails in anticipation of news!

It's that time again. Time to rejoin the "Cult of Softball" and worship the almighty Easton and the powerful Worth! (for those of you unfamiliar with the terminology, those are types of bats). There has been a little bit of drama on my team due to lack of better planning on the part of my coaches, but they have lives too so I cut them alot of slack :) We're the little orphan softball team with no definitive field to practice on. Been trying to get in touch with DeKalb County Parks and Rec but they will answer my first e-mail and basically ignore the rest. (Side note: I just called and left voicemail with them so perhaps they will get back to me...I can be VERRRRRY persistant).

Our first two games of the season were this past weekend and I never thought I could be so nervous. After the first four frell-ups in a row I managed to find my inner center and play some decent (but not amazing) ball. Got a NASTY pop fly to right field (which luckily wasn't caught) and managed a nice double on it with a perfect slide between the legs into second base. Our first game of the day was against the Eagle Talons (formerly known as the Amigos D, our arch nemesis from last year). They have the potential to be a good team...we'll have to see how the standings go. BUT we still beat them (granted by only one point, but it was definitely an earned victory). Our second game was against the Jazz (which is a great team to play...very fun) and we won that game as well. Unforunately for us, however, this first week of games was Exhibition (not the kind where I strut around nekkid either!) and won't count torwards our standings.

Been flirting with this guy from Arkansas. Yeah, I don't do long-distance things after the debacle we call "Alabama" BUT it's nice to flirt with an adorably cute guy who is funny and sweet and very much boyfriend material if not for the distance thing. So yet again, I am setting myself up for failure LOL :) Probably my damn subconscious playing "Mr. Eternal Bachelor" with something that probably won't last. But I can honestly say I am happy with the current state of affairs (or rather lack of affairs).

This weekend is Easter Weekend and the Wackers will be going to fabulous Birmingham, Alabama for another rain filled weekend (most likely) softball tournament. This is the tournament we won two years ago (coincidentally the only year it HADN'T rained that weekend) and brought home a big phat trophy. I think 5 other Atlanta teams will be there so we'll get to play them without penalty in our standings this year if we don't do well (and we generally don't do well in the rain...it's like kryptonite).

I was bad and I bought a few things that I didn't need but wanted. The first was a DVD writer (I need to archive all my MP3s and porn O:) and the second was the new Playstation Portable (aka PSP). I thought about waking up at 6:30AM and going to wait in line outside Target this morning but laziness crept in and so I just called a place and ordered it. It should be here in about a week and a half or so.

Gym is going fine I guess. I feel like I'm not getting as good results as I did when I first started working out. But I think that's the way it goes. I did relax a bit on the weights and concentrating on form for now, but I have got to pump it up soon before I get discouraged. I think I am going to try "Hip-Hop Aerobics" tonight at the 10th Street LAFitness since I have been skipping Wednesday step aerobics class to do errands and the like.

Weather here is nice but a bit chilly this morning. I think it will be warm by the time I finish this post.

Wednesday, March 02, 2005

Welcome to my Second 30th Birthday

So today I am 31. I got woken up at 7:30am by my sister to be reminded of that ;) So I've taken the rest of the week off to spend more time with my best friend from college Kyle who is in town for the week to celebrate with me.

So Kyle and I were talking about us getting older and how that we feel that our 20s were more like our teen years and that our 30s are more like our 20s! LOL :) Too bad my knees don't agree with me.

So this guy QuickMessage'd me on this personals site I frequent and says to me "Hey, you're hot. I'm coming to Alaska soon and you're the kind of guy I like. I'd even pay for play". So not only am I a "man of the night", I live several thousand miles from ATLANTA *laugh* I guess it could be a little easy to mistake Atlanta for Alaska. I laughed about that several times.

[insert a few days here while I saved the above as a draft]

So...the evening of my 31st birthday we decided to take disco naps and then head out to the Heretic for some dancing and debauchery! Little did we know how totally wrong the evening was about to turn. It was early about 10:30 when we arrived and got our first drink. I was in the mood for a little kick so I got a shot of goldschlager (I drink it like a tiny cocktail LOL) and after the second one handed my keys to Kyle. I mean...it was MY birthday and I wanted to rock it out.

Onto the dance floor we went and it being "dress code" night at the Heretic, the shirts were off and we were boogling around like drunken frat boys at a keg party (actually I dance better than that *grin*). And who should walk in but the Ex. Lord what luck. Of course that hot wave of flush goes through me when I saw him and I did think to myself "Great...on my birthday...I knew this was going to happen." It's not that I dislike him...I guess it's that I would totally throw up if he came with someone else or got jiggy with someone else while I was there. I still gots stupid issues and it's totally my problem not his.

Anyway, we continue dancing and Kyle meets this little latino boy that is kind of cute and it's nice to see Kyle having a great time. I was just enjoying my exercise on the dance floor and how much more powerful having a firm abdominal set makes me feel :) I had my OWN latin hips to get jiggy with ;)

So I go get another drink and see a few people I knew and had a drink. The Ex came by later and wished me well on his way out and we exchanged a few awkward sentences. It's totally me with issues (I'm working on a complete set you know!).

So it's getting late and I'm not in the mood to drink anymore and Kyle asks me if it's OK for him to go home with his little latino toy and I wave him away saying "fine fine, have fun" and OUT they are through the door.

At this point I saw a guy I wanted to at least say "hello" to and see if any sparks came up. Well he was a nice guy, but not my type. We chatted for awhile about work and other people.

Returned to the dance floor for a few great songs and then I was like..."I'm tired..." so I got the keys...wait a minute! WHERE THE FRELL ARE MY KEYS? I did the macarena dance a few times looking for the keys and THEN the lightbulb went on...I had given them to Kyle! Wait...let me get the cel phone and call him...but then that was in the car...recharging.

So, I had enough cash to get me home in a taxi but I had no key for the house! FRELL! So I figure if I can get to my friend S's house, I can grab the key from her. I apparently looked forlorn and that guy I talked to earlier asked me what was up. He offered to drive me home since he lived nearby because he would want someone to help him out on his birthday.

So off we went in search of the key! Well I hesitatingly wake up S at the callbox and she tells me our friend L has the key! Well L lives close so the guy is nice enough to take me over there. I get on THAT callbox and they are awake...at THREE AM! I'm like "What are you kids doing up at 3AM?" and they were moving to a bigger apartment. They have the key and she offers to take me home to try it so I bid the guy a goodnight and thank him profusely for being such a good samaritan.

Well L tells me she thinks the key doesn't work because when she tried it, it didn't work last time she kept my dog. Well I knew that the lock is sticky because it's old so I took my changes and it WORKED. However I still had no car and no phone to call Kyle. But he said he was going to be home at 9AM sharp to start getting ready for my birthday party and housewarming.

Well NOON rolls around and no sign of Kyle. His phone number is in my cel phone in my car which is still outside the Heretic (and I'm sure my sterling reputation is tarnished LOL). I remember that once I sync'd up my phone with my iBook so I find Kyle's number and log onto AIM and message my friend LB and ask him to do me a wierd favor and call Kyle.

Well Kyle got LOST so I had him get his latin lover to drop him at the car and bring it home. The most surprising thing about the whole sequence of events is that I found it extremely FUNNY. I didn't get mad about it the whole time, because I knew I had options (staying with a friend, staying at my neighbors house) and that my life is generally one strange sequence of events after another and what's the point of getting upset? It's not like it'll change the situation. *laugh* I laughed the whole time saying "this is a perfect example of MY LIFE".

My life isn't full of that dreaded word drama but it is dramatic. And you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way.