So weird to think that a year has already gone by since my last Christmas. Wow...how things change in a year. I was with my ex at this time last year....so happy I'm not with him anymore. And then I think about to Christmases before that...and how much things change. Three Christmases ago, I was parting and drinking Sam Adams Winters with Trav. Strange how we only think how fast time moves after the fact.
Today I will be opening presents, eating lots of food, and spending time with my family.....all 50 of us lol.
Merry Christmas Eve! I'm sure many of you are gearing up for tomorrow. Some spend the day finishing their shopping for those last few presents, baking up a storm in the kitchen, or traveling home to see family.
Sadly, I'll be sleeping most of today because I had to work last night and tonight. It's not so bad though because my family party is on Christmas Day. I'll sleep today, come to work tonight, go home in the morning to unwrap presents, take a nap, and then go to the family party for food and fun. I then have 3 days off....omg it's a miracle...3 DAYS OFF!!
So enjoy the hustle and bustle of today.... My opinion: don't rush...the anticipation is just as much fun.
I'm sorry, I'm about to do a little venting rant... You've been warned. If you do not want to deal with my feelings, don't continue to read lol.
So, to set up for my little rant, you must know the back story to this. I coach cheerleading...I've been a coach for the same high school varsity team for 5 years now. We compete and have been state champions the past two years in a row. At tryouts for our upcoming winter season last month, a boy showed up to try out. He was in 10th grade and had played football for the high school just weeks earlier. I found out later that day that he had quit football because he didn't like it and didn't get along with the coaches. I pulled him aside and spoke to him about why he quit and why he wanted to do cheerleading. He stressed to me that he just didn't want to play football so he never took it seriously and that when he was little he took dance and gymnastics. He loved to perform and wanted to give cheering a try. Over the next 3 days of try outs, I was shocked. He was doing better than most of the girls who were trying out. In the end, he made the team. Since then, he has worked just as hard as the girls and has really improved. He does not know it yet, but he will make the competition team and will be part of our "co ed" 2012 competition team.
Now, with all the said, I can explain the purpose of this post. Yesterday I bumped into the high schools boys basketball coach, who was also one of the football coaches. He pulled me aside and told me that the boy couldn't cheer because he was on a social suspension list at the high school. I was a bit confused, but told him I would look into it. He then started to get very stern with me and told me that the boy needed to be off the team. I again assured him that I would speak to the athletic director and take care of it, and even thanked him for making me aware of the list that I knew nothing about. Personally, as a coach I would never interfere with another coach's team. It is none of my business and who am I to tell another coach how to run their team. I was a bit taken off guard by the other coach's comments, but took it as a grain of salt.
I went back to the gym where my team was practicing and pulled a senior captain aside to ask her about this list and what that basketball coach had told me. She said she wasn't sure about this list, but the coach (who is also a teacher) had said something to her a few weeks back about the boy. Apparently, the coach said that if the boy cheers any away basketball games (the team cheers away basketball games and we take the same bus as the players, but sit together at the front of the bus...we do this for all sports), he wants her to make sure the boys is as far away from him as possible while riding the bus. My mouth fell to the floor. What an asshole!
I immediately called the athletic director to tell him about this. He was rather upset and said he would speak to the coach about it. I have no idea what will happen, but it better be some kind of disciplinary action against the coach. This is absolute bullshit. He's an adult and yet he is talking to high school students like he is one. "Keep him as far away from me as possible." What does he think would happen??? Does he think the boy is gay and his gayness would rub off on him or something!? He's not gay and anyone who thinks gayness "rubs off" of you, should be sent to a secluded island with the rest of the ignorant people in this world.
People wonder why kids are so rude and hateful these days....its because of people like him. Someone who is a teacher and a coach. Someone who is supposed to be a role model, yet says such mean things for no reason. Someone please explain to me what is wrong with people????
I don't care if I had the biggest shitheads in the world on my team, they are MY team and no one is allowed to talk about them like that. I'm very protective of my team!
Someone tell me, if the school does nothing is this considered sexual discrimination or slander? I mean, are there any legal battles that could be fought in this situation? I just want to have my guns ready to fire.
While in college from 2003-2008, I was lucky to have amazing friends with amazing tastes in music. In high school I seriously only listened to what everyone else listened too...you know...the common stuff; Top 40, country, pop, rap. But in college, I was able to meet so many different people with all different kinds of preferences to music.
Honestly though, because of these people I found the beauty in music. Sure, I still like to hear a upbeat Britney Spears song once in a while, and yes, it brings back fun memories of being a teenager, but there is nothing like the feeling you get when you listen a song that can only be described as a true piece of art. I learned that it wasn't about the popularity of the song, or how it somehow made me want to put lip gloss on and dance around in my underwear. I learned that there were meanings to why that lyric is written that way, or why there is a specific guitar solo during that point in the song.
There was something deeper to certain songs. They were written out of pure emotion and actually sung by the people who wrote them. You can hear feeling in their voices and the passion behind their instruments. They didn't write these songs in hopes that their music videos would make the top ten on TRL... music videos didn't even exist back in the day. They wrote what they felt, what they experienced, and what they hoped for.
Ok...wow...now to get to the point of this post....which I went a bit of topic with by ranting haha. Anyways....
At the beginning of November, Pink Floyd re released all of their songs as an "Experience Edition". I heard about this, but hadn't heard any of the new versions only thinking that they were going to just be the same songs but remastered (honestly, I like the older sounding versions of songs). Two nights ago while driving into work, flipping through the radio stations, I caught the beginning of the "Wish You Were Here", my favorite Pink Floyd song. As I listened, I thought about my friend Travis who passed away at the end on September 30th and how much he loved Pink Floyd too. The song seemed very suiting to how I felt about him.....wishing he was still here. When it got to about the middle of the song, a violin started playing with the song. This was a version I had never heard before.
As a child, Travis was one of those young musical prodigies but, when he hit his teenage years stop playing because it, "wasn't cool". He played with the Worcester Symphony Orchestra when he was only 9 years old. He played the violin. Just days before hearing the song that night, I had spoken to his sister about how he had told me about how much he loved to play when he was little. She then informed me that she was surprised I knew that, seeing as he didn't tell many people about it. Travis was a rather private person when it came to his childhood.
After Googling this version of the song, I found out that Pink Floyd had originally recorded this version with legendary violin player Stephane Grappeli but, it never made it to the original cut of the song. The band members thought it had even been recorded over while finishing the album and officially lost. Little did they know, the recording was sitting in an archive for 30 years until it's discovery and re release at the beginning of November. Only days after Travis's passing.
I truly believe that in some parallel universe, I got to hear Trav play.
Since August, I have not had any time off. Between working and coaching, I hardly ever have any time for myself or my friends. Last week I was so excited because I had a super long weekend coming up. I had Friday night through Monday night off. No work or cheering for me! I had so much planned....do some shopping, crafting, and of course see my friends.
But of course...by Friday afternoon I could feel it...just a little....but it was there...in my sinuses. A dreaded cold!
So instead of having fun filled weekend, I stayed in bed. I guess you could look at it from the positive angle of, "Oh you needed some relaxation anyways," or, "At least you didn't have to miss any work because you were sick." Nope...I'm looking at it from a negative way. I wasted 4 glorious days doing nothing when I could have been doing much better things.
And to make matters worse, I've lost my voice....not completely but, I do sound like an 80 year old man. I keep thinking that I jinxed myself. My last post was about how lately I haven't wanted to say much...well now I can't whether I want to or not! Damn you Karma!! ::shakes fist at sky::
But of course I'm back to work now....sniffling and answering the phone claiming that I'm a girl to the person on the other end.
"Blah, blah, blah". Three things I haven't been doing much of lately. For some reason I've come to the conclusion that I enjoy life much more when I'm not talking. Shit, I can't believe I just typed that. I've NEVER been one to not want to talk or want to be heard. Most times, I'm the one who always puts in her two cents.
The other night while at my parents house, we were watching TV and I realized I didn't say a word to either one of them for almost two hours. It was wonderful! All night long at work I talk...to customers, on the phone, to the person I work with and then when I coach during the day, I'm always talking. The only time I don't talk is when I'm sleeping and 99% of the time, I text rather than make a phone call. Hmm, the more I think about it, I hate talking on the phone. Most of my communication is done via text or email.....and I prefer it that way.
So, I'm sitting here rolling my eyes at myself for thinking about how I used to gab 24-7 on my phone in college and even a couple years ago. Think I'm kidding? For example, in college I used to sometimes go over my monthly minutes...which were 450. Now, have 550 a month (family share plan) and of those 550, I used 48 minutes last month. I kid you not.... 48! Sidebar: I used 2,398 texts though......
So on that note, I'm going to shut my mouth more often. Silence is golden and duct tape is silver.
Ok, I've been a little neglectful of my blog....but only because I've been super busy. It's the begging of competition season for my team so I've been a nut!
Anyways...
I wanted to talk about the swap I did right before Thanksgiving. I was supposed to blog about it on the 5th but, time got away from me.
This nail polish swap was sponsored by Celia and Tara. I do have to say, this was my first blog swap and it was so much fun! I was paired up with Keri who was so nice and bought me the most beautiful items (pictured below).
She was so generous!! She bought me 10 colors, a little black purple polka dotted zipper bag for all the items, 1 clear coat, a nail file w/ catty, and a mistake pen. I took her advice and tried the gray color first. Totally loved it!!
Everyone should head over to her blog and follow her! And again, thanks Keri!!
Where were you when the ball dropped taking us into 2011??? Where was i? I'll tell you at the end of the month...I'm not ready to even go there.
But honestly, where the hell did 2011 go???? I know they say as you get older time moves faster but, my God....this is just ridicules!
But I'm not going to spoil what today is. It's December 1st everyone! It's officially Christmas season and I'm so excited. I love Christmas....the family, food, presents, music.
Think quick, what is your favorite Christmas song? Why? Mine is easy.... O Holy Night. It's just such a pretty song and I love all the notes you have to hit while singing it.
