Showing posts with label XC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label XC. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Re-definition

Hello!

Cromy-Crom (the other XC coach) is back from vacation now. He's a bit concerned about me; not because I missed 8:30 practice yesterday, but my (explanation of) why.

You see, what happened was... I fell asleep at 6:45, which isn't a weird time for me to be going to sleep these days. I got up at 9.

Upon hearing this, he got That Look... the one of "fatherly concern". He drilled me about possible reasons why, which I sheepishly answered, promising to go to bed earlier. Not like it would help.

Anyway, I got more sleep last night, due to the fact that I went to bed earlier, when I felt sickly. I slept until noon today, putting me at a good 8-ish hours of sleep if you factor in my hour-long siesta.

While I was running today, I was thinking about the term "rebonjour". I learned this word when I read Words in a French Life by Kristin Espinasse, a book my dad had found at the used bookstore a few months ago and purchased.

In France, if you want to seem even more odd to the French, just say "Hello" one time too many. Les Français don't understand the Anglophone affinity for repeating "Hello" at another point in a twenty-four-hour time frame. The French say "Bonjour" once-- point final.
That said, the Frenchies have come up with a way to regree one another, using the ultrapopular term rebonjour.
~From Words in a French Life, pg 236

I was thinking about it because while Mixtape and I ran our four miles in the woods behind the college near the Gardens, we kept seeing this couple running with their unleashed dogs. I smiled and said "Hello!', and they apologized for their happy pups running up to us and excitedly greeting these sweaty barely-clothed high schoolers, and smiled and waved as they continued their own run. We saw them again a few miles later, and I greeted them, laughing, saying "Hello again!" They replied "Hiya!" and kept running. I wasn't feeling relating to French at that point, but now it strikes me; rebonjour.

Hello again.

Now that I think about it, we say "Hello again" to a lot of things. For many people, each day is a "hello again". As in, "hello again, world!", and then they do the same things they have already done.

I am one of these people right now, with the exception of Random Adventures. My life is in a "hello again" stage right now. I don't like it. I'm prone to periods of Urge-to-Flee, where I can't sit still, can't focus, and generally just want to elsewhere, doing something else with my time. I'm not unhappy with my life, per se, but I'm not entirely content with it, either.

This prompts me to ask: why not change?

When there's an issue in your life, something you aren't satisfied with; why not change it? Change your perspective. Change your interactions with people. Change your relationships. Change your activities. Change your focus, your priorities, your use of your time. It's better than saying "hello again" to whatever it is in your life that isn't giving you a fresh new day, EVERY day.

Elphaba is a brilliant person. She notices things about people and situations, and acts to correct problems. Yet, the boy she liked has been confusing her for a few days. She told him about her feelings a few days after he got a girlfriend, and he promised that, despite being unable to respond well to her confession (since he had a girlfriend and was graduating), the two of them would remain friends.

Recently, he broke up with his girlfriend. The two of them have been talking on FIM for a while, and for awhile, he's been pretty unresponsive. His intial reaction and response in contrast to his more recent emotions and behavior confused Elphaba. She disliked the change in the relationship, and missed his friendship. Finding her bravery, she sent him a message, saying:

"You say that you like me too much to let us not be friends, yet what we have right now isn't a friendship. A friendship isn't having a one-sided conversation or having to struggle to keep a conversation. It isn't awkward and random 'hi, how are you's'. If this relationship is too awkward for you please let me know because right now it isn't a friendship. I'm starting to regret ever telling you THAT I had a crush because I liked our friendship before and it's not the same without it."

After she shared that message with me, I realized something: my whatever with Dumbo is kinda like that recently. It's not a friendship. It's me, trying to hold on to a boy who has nothing to tie him to me, except the thin WHATEVER-this-relationship-is. It's me being pathetic, sending him an email at midnight and rambling about randomness, texting him when I feel like it, and not expecting an answer.

I think it's time to re-define.

Elphaba's on to something, there; that isn't friendship. What is it, then? Is there a word for a partial relationship? (one word. not two ;))

Re-defining, to me, seems like it is figuring out what is going on with your life, figuring out the reasons behind it, and fixing what you can.

I like the idea; I think I may try to re-define my life and relationships. How do I describe my days? Boring. I would like to say they are all worthwhile, fun, or just good. Am I happy? Not particularly. I'd like to be content, even happy. The problem is figuring out what I need to do to achieve that.

I have a pretty good idea what I need to start with, so I'm going to go do that now.

Best wishes!
-Aly

Friday, June 12, 2009

We Are The Champions

Hihi!

NO MORE SCHOOL. Well, sorta.

So far, this summer has been AMAZING and I really hope it continues :)

Friday: LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
My last exam was a Algebra II, which is an EOC class... and the exam period was HOURS LONG. It was FREEZING COLD in there, and I was isolated off in the corner by the wall, which meant that I got the FULL BLAST of the A/C (and I was in shorts and t-shirt, prepared for the room to be sweltering like it always is) and therefore became an uncomfortable ice cube for three hours. Twas not fun.

After the exam ended (after a few interruptions by annoying people who celebrated the end of the school year while the lucky EOC classes were still testing...*hate*), I met up with Bingo, Rhymenoceros, Crant, Finch, Astronaut, and Molly and we walked to the local Mexican restaurant. (Dumbo was being lame and left without really even saying goodbye to Bingo, who is his best friend... really? FAIL.)

The walking was pretty fun in itself; there was randomness, crazy running (because MAlly and Astronaut run XC; Crant's a sprinter), and lunch lead to amazing quotes. Bingo decided that Rhymenoceros wins the creepy competition out of the seven of us, though Molly and I (as MAlly) come in second, and Astronaut is third-creepiest. [Rhymenoceros only proved that later, but I'll get to that.]

Once lunch was over, Finch and Rhymenoceros unexplicably disappeared, while the rest of us went to the Park, where we met up with Yos, Bluefly, and peeps (I'm too lazy to come up with blog names for the rest of them right now, so...). Molly and I decided that since our old middle school was right there, we might as well go pay a visit. That was fun (we had to run all over trying to find teachers) but it was kind of sad because some/most of them didn't remember us immediately, or at least what grade we were in. We forgive them though, because they are still awesome. We stole all of Chuck's tootsie roll pops that he keeps for his students because he owes us from the many times we've visited him before and he didn't have any.

Upon returning to the park, Molly fell in mud and injured herself, so she decided that we would go creek-romping. We invited Astronaut, Crant, and Bingo along, and once everybody disbanded to go wherever, Astronaut walked home, and Crant's mother picked the rest of us up so that Crant and Bingo could get romp-clothing.

Under NORMAL circumstances, having four (hyper) teenagers in the car would be dangerous... but when we actually proved why, there was only three of us (Molly, Bingo, and I).

We found really melted chocolate in my purse, and somehow we decided to smear it all over each other... while still in the car. We then proceeded to have a chocolate war and got chocolate all over our faces and each other, and generally made a rukus. It smelled AWFUL; apparently the scent of sweaty teenagers, melted chocolate, and hot car is gross (who knew? =P), so the three of us had to clean up in Crant's kitchen. His mom didn't seem that surprised, though she and Crant seemed a bit horrified by the astonishing amount of chocolate that we had on us. It took quite a while to get it all off, and even then, we still smelled like chocolate.

(Then we went to Bingo's house and nothing interesting really happened, other than MAlly fridge failure and Bingo creeping Molly and Crant as they had an *ehrm* moment on the back of his car.) Bingo transported Crant, Molly, and I as illegal immigrants (SHHH!) and we had fun car adventures blasting music on his retarded radio and playing mind tic-tac-toe, which I am still not very good at.

When we (finally) got to Molly's house, we learned that Astronaut had already been there for close to 20 minutes (poor guy). Molly and I changed into romp-clothing (there was a moment of awkward that was even awkward for us, but don't go trying to figure out what) and then the five of us went to the creek.

The water was REALLY HIGH (higher than the last time we took Astronaut and Crant romping) and VERY MUDDY and VERY cold. But of course, it was still amazingly fun. (We had a mud-fight, which was really fun and involved mud-love.)

Later, we returned to Molly's house to rinse off, run around like idiots, eat, and play with the hose in her driveway. Rhymenoceros and two of Bingo's other friends creeped Molly's house by driving through EVERY neighborhood along the road that they knew she lived off of until they found us. They then kidnapped Bingo (to take him to a concert at the RibFest), and left Crant, Molly, Astronaut, and I to have much less fun that before. We basically ended up in the basement, where Crant and Molly shared a blanket and made Astronaut and I feel awkward.

Eventually, Astronaut's dad came to get him (since he had ridden his bike to Molly's) and Molly's mom drove Crant and I home, though she EXPLODED first, so that was a really awkward car ride. I abandoned the poor guy to her mercy because I got dropped off first... poor guy.

(Sometime that day, I got sunburnt...and it was only the first day of summer... fail.)

SATURDAY:
Not as awesome as Friday, but only because Molly and I (as well as all the other band/orchestra/chorus kids that actually came) had to sit through a VERY LONG graduation ceremony while they FROZE US with the air conditioning. (WHY must there always be FREEZING?!) Luckily, Hosef let me steal his jacket (it swallowed me whole) but then I got CHOMPED by Mrs Eggburt for talking to the flutes. And I remembered why we dislike her.

The stupid band director made Pomp & Circumstance FAR TOO COMPLICATED, which made it impossible for us to watch the seniors go by, because usually, if we just play the same thing over and over again, we can just sit there and play mechanically. Argh. So, I didn't get to ogle My Pants as he went by (though I did see him as he walked back to his seat after graduating and he predictably looked adorable). We cheered for people we knew crossing the stage, and Elphaba yelled "McDONALDS!" as Prettyhair crossed the stage, but you couldn't hear her :(. Boringness.
Pomp and Circumstance is SERIOUSLY cruel and unusual punishment. Stupid Dumbo and Bingo weren't there (Dumbo because he moved and Bingo because he SOMEHOW got out of playing YET AGAIN) to suffer with the rest of us.

After the ceremony was over and we were released, I saw some of my senior friends (Orchestra and XC kids, mainly), and then Mr History congratulated me on "singing well" (I'm in orchestra...fail...). I'll miss him next year; the School Board is sending him to a stupid little middle school where they won't appreciate his amazingness. Way to go, School Board; take away the tenured teacher that has been with our school for most of its life.

Rorito and I hung out for awhile and took retarded pictures on her Mac:
Demented Ghosties.

And then Molly and I went to the End of Year/Surprise Going Away Party for our German Friend (we'll call him "Munchen", like Munich, Germany; an amazing city). That was amazingly fun, as expected, and there were A LOT of people there (including Kangaroo-kiddo and Vodkakitten). We made a whirlpool by holding hands and going in a HUGE circle, until it pulled us into the deep end. We also "jousted" and generally acted like idiots.

When we decided to move the party to Animaid's house, Crant had to bike home and change clothes, so Molly and I stalked him there in my car while blasting and singing along with Queen. He wasn't very happy with us. XD (then we got lost, because we have a great sense of direction? o.O)

...and the awesomeness continued.
(I would write about it in detail but I am FAR TOO LAZY.)

SUNDAY: (today)
RibFest with Molly, which was fail until we discovered the hidden corner with the band of awesome. Kitterbee and Bingo (went on a date tonight) showed up in my driveway (CREEPERS, but I'm used to it and expect it sorta, because Bingo has done so before) and kidnapped me. I thought I had misplaced my phone in a salad, and then the three of us went to Rorito's and surprised her. Twas fun and I'm sick of blogging so whatever.

Now I'm eating cake and I have to get up early tomorrow to go get Molly, then go running. YAY XC TRAINING! *blargh*

Online School starts tomorrow, so summer's basically over. w00t. :(

Quotes:
  1. I hope they aren't all fraternal or identical. If that's the case, then I feel very sorry for your uterus. -Astronaut
  2. Bacon? I think not. Me thinks it's the better meat than the bacon! -Billy Buffett (DUDE IN BAND OF AWESOME)
DFTBA!
-Aly

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Fattie Club

Hihi!

XC season is coming up quickly and THE FATTIE CLUB is still around. What?!

Oh yeah.

*eats a few bowls of ice cream*
*feels fat*
*feels guilty*
*decides to run*
*decides is "too busy" to run*
*feels guilt about not running*
*feels guilt about excuses for not running*
*eats more ice cream*
*feels fat*
and the cycle continues.

*is too lazy to break the cycle*

I really don't have much to say.
*is boring*

...this is SO FAIL!
Almost as much as me not being able to figure out my own practice problems... or being unable to stay mad at my friends for very long... meh.

Molly has/had? food poisoning today and yesterday, which I'll say is her excuse for not posting anything. And Sunday was her and Crant's 9-month-anniversary and we had MAlly/Bingo/Crant adventures, which was kinda really awesome. And movies.

Imma go do homework now, and eat more ice cream. Yay Breyer's Mint Chocolate Chip! ♥

Quote For Today:
"I doubt she gave you the stink-eye, that's just how her face looks."
~
Bleaker in Juno

-Aly