I'm getting my butt kicked
I’m getting my butt kicked.
I’m getting my butt kicked in Ultimate these days. We’ve been doing these workouts at the beginning of Ultimate, and then playing, after I’ve already worn myself out! I’ve been trying to go to the fieldhouse regularly, but I don’t always seem to have time for that. However, Ultimate is going fairly well… I much prefer it outside, and there’s some issues going on with different opinions about what the club is for, and where we want to go. Right now, we are doing workouts and working on strategy, and playing for maybe half or one third of our allotted time in the arena. This came about because our club did rather well at Huckfest in November without drilling, so we obviously have the ability to go further. However, we’ve also now been losing people, as it seems that a lot of people just want to come and play pick-up Ultimate… They workout elsewhere, and desire to just play and have fun. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with that. Meanwhile, I’ve been having fun seeing what kinds of superficial injuries I come home with each time… tracks can give you a nasty burn if you try to slide on them!
I’m getting my butt kicked in schoolwork. I don’t know if I actually have more schoolwork than I ever did before, or if I’m just making a stronger effort to get my homework done, but it doesn’t happen. Sure, I still have my lazy times, but I’ll also have stretches where I’m doing homework constantly, and I still don’t seem to get everything done. Maybe it’s the twenty readings I have due every Monday? However, I’m at least enjoying it. Not everyday, not every class period, but I’ve been able to find something to enjoy about all my classes, and the subjects usually aren’t boring, even being enthralling at times.
I’m getting my butt kicked in French. I still don’t understand half of what’s being said in class, I still don’t always catch everything I’m supposed to in the readings. However, I’ve talked to the teacher about this (after nearly breaking down…) and she now knows where I am, and I feel loads better about it. Plus, I finally (for the first time in my two years at GVSU) made it to a Les Franglais meeting. I sat through that whole meeting without understanding a word either… but we’ll see what happens in the future. Hey, nothing like a challenge, right? I figure if my grade gets too low, I’ve at least got until the withdraw date to make my final decision… and next year I WILL take French pass/fail! I’ve got to start reading Harry Potter et le Prince du Sang-Mêle again…
I’m getting my butt kicked in time management. Where does time go? I feel so frustrated sometimes, because there is never enough time to do everything… and I’m not even volunteering, working, or participating in other clubs, all of which I would like to do! I barely get my homework done in time (although I have grandiose plans for that), and I hardly have time to do things that I enjoy… play piano, play guitar, learn ASL, read a book for the hell of it, wander in the woods, spend time with friends, cook, lie down without the intention of passing out until the alarm goes off… I do make time for some of these, somehow, but then something else suffers because of it. God, can you extend the day for me? Give me a little Time-Turner like Hermoine’s? Or make it so I don’t need sleep anymore? Meh, never mind…Just dreaming.
I’m getting my butt kicked emotionally by facing a decision I made last fall. Last fall, I went to the first Interplay audition on Friday, and that following Sunday sat in church crying, surrounded by oblivious people, as I made my decision not to go back to Interplay. Not much of a decision, as I really didn’t have a choice, but I still needed to come to terms with that. Well, Saturday I went to Jenison for the MCGC Winterguard competition. I sat in the stands, and even just watching the Michigan A guards, I could feel my eyes getting moist. The moment I saw Interplay come out to the floor, I started crying in earnest. This continued throughout the entire show, as I watched how Interplay has grown since last year, and how beautiful they are now. Everything was fluid, strong, “effortless”, astonishing, and beautifully gorgeous - and Gidget had the most amazing performance face! Yet, I couldn’t help but think how I had given up the chance to be in it… and how I’ll probably never march again… and how it’s been such a big part of me. Yet, I couldn’t have possibly done it… I don’t have the time, and I don’t have the money. However, Saturday was not an evening for rationality, so as soon as Interplay was off the floor, I left the building, went out to my car, and just laid inside until I felt I could drive safely. I never did get to hug Dave Watts…
I knew it was going to hurt to watch them, but I didn’t know it was going to hurt that bad…
In other news, life is going great, I guess! Despite any troubles, butt-kickings, and self-pitying, I’ve generally been rather happy, and loving what I’m doing. ASL Club is growing, which makes me happy (even though it means a return to the most basic of basics…). The weather has been gorgeous, which kind of scares me.
This last Saturday, way before the guard show, I went home: I drove myself home. First time I’ve driven more than 25 minutes, as it was nearly an hour.5 drive. I drove to the Cathedral for a camp planning meeting, which I thought went rather well. We got copies of camp brochures, and the policy book for the summer, in order to read and review them. We went over a lot of the camp positions and clarified what we needed each position to do. One of the best parts of the meeting was that throughout the entire meeting, we weren’t just thinking about this summer, but also about future summers… making a timeline of things that need to happen, leaving room in the positions and guidelines for growth. We talked about visiting priests, so I’m going to try to get my grandfather to come down for a day! It was a well-done meeting, with all voices being heard and all concerns being addressed, despite age discrepancies and personal opinions. Excitement!
After the meeting, I called my mom to see what the family was up to. She said that she and Dad were out at Nelson’s Hardware, buying stuff for her new loom, and they were then going to go back home and work on it. I then excused myself (Oh, sorry Mom, I have to go now…) and she said to make sure to call back soon so that she could talk to me. I told her that of course I would, and hung up, laughing. 15 minutes later, I rang the doorbell (They had the door locked! Odd…) and Mom answered… I think she was a little shocked to see me standing there, but she was quite happy. Father too... Daniel may have been, but he would have never admitted it! I then stayed there for a few hours, grabbing lunch, talking, and holding Izzy, until I finally had to leave. Mom admitted that it was probably a good thing that I hadn’t told her I was coming down, as she would have worried the whole way… and then told me to call when I got back. Yes Ma’am! Drove back in the rain, and then went to guard… and it’s old new from there.
BLAST! I went to see Blast last night with Megan, Robby, Alicia, Nick, and Anne (GLP cat). Amazing and awesome are two adjectives that could certainly apply to that show! There were some spectacular drum tricks, and the music was generally quite beautiful. The visual ensemble was clean and spectacular, full of amazing dancers. One of the things that they spun was a rifle-like object, but it was streamlined and curved. I want one! It was a good show, and I got to actually talk to some of the people from Interplay to see how they are doing. I should have brought cookies though, since Erik was there… didn’t even think about that! Intermission was fantastic as well, as four drummers came out to play, and they definitely hammed it up. One of the more unique things about Blast was how the performers came out during the second part of the show in order to sit and play among the audience. One guy in particular had fun talking to a little girl maybe 10 seats down from me - Blast is one show she’ll never forget! It was certainly amusing to watch all the parents buy drumsticks for their kids after the show, even those too young to walk much…
The best part of Blast, however? Getting to see Bryan and Mike! Bryan Sutton was an instructor last year for Interplay, and I’ve certainly always admired him and his skill. However, I had no idea that he was in it until I got there. Therefore, it was a great surprise to watch him on stage, and to see him after the show. And then… Mike Welch! I haven’t seen that kid in two.5 years! I met him in Marion Glory Cadets drum corps in the Summer of Hell, and while I left with many bad memories, I’ve also left with many good, particular my fellow marchers. Mike was an age-out that year, but a many year vet of the corps. He was definitely an interesting person to interact with on tour, and it was refreshing that we could have some differences, but we could also be completely honest and respectful with each other. Therefore, since I’ve known he was in Blast, I’ve been excited to see him since I knew Blast was coming to Grand Rapids. When I finally found him, I ran over to hug him, and he lifted me right off my feet. We talked for a bit with Erik, and then we both had to go, but it was good to see him again. He’s doing Blast next year, and he and Amanda (who got engaged during corps if I remember correct) are getting married 18 August! It’s always good to hear how people are doing… and amazing, ‘cause I honestly never thought I’d see him again.
I finally got a French translation of the Bible! I never thought that I would find one, particularly after Amazon said, “It’s coming!” and then came back with, “April (January?) Fools!” I now have a nice little stockpile of books in French to read…
Something a little unusual… I’ve gotten into the habit of saying, “Thank you!” to people who let me cross at the crosswalks instead of zooming by. However, since it’s difficult to say thanks to someone inside a warm vehicle with the windows up, I’ve taken to saying it in ASL… Well, someone recently posted about me on the dear_gvsu community, saying (paraphrased) “It’s not your responsibility to blow kisses to people who stop for you at a crosswalk.” Whoops! I never thought about it being taken that way…. That made my day!
And makes me evilly tempted to start blowing kisses at strangers…
And then, finally, a little excerpt from an email I posted to Cran-Hill people a week ago Monday:
So, I'm at Ultimate Frisbee practice tonight (10-11:30), and we're playing with 15 minutes left before we are supposed to leave. My team decides that since I haven't scored yet, I need to score. Hence, I'm trying to get around Becky, who's guarding me, and who does not seem to slow down when she runs, not one bit. At one point, the other team has the frisbee, and they throw it long to her, and she's running to get it. As I run after her to try to keep her from getting it, I hear this sound coming from the other end of the court:
EEEEMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can truly say that I forgot where I was for a minute, and I could almost smell the trees...
Emma Catherine
(and no, I never did score, even with 20 minutes overtime... I did get some spectacular bruises, though...)
I’m getting my butt kicked in Ultimate these days. We’ve been doing these workouts at the beginning of Ultimate, and then playing, after I’ve already worn myself out! I’ve been trying to go to the fieldhouse regularly, but I don’t always seem to have time for that. However, Ultimate is going fairly well… I much prefer it outside, and there’s some issues going on with different opinions about what the club is for, and where we want to go. Right now, we are doing workouts and working on strategy, and playing for maybe half or one third of our allotted time in the arena. This came about because our club did rather well at Huckfest in November without drilling, so we obviously have the ability to go further. However, we’ve also now been losing people, as it seems that a lot of people just want to come and play pick-up Ultimate… They workout elsewhere, and desire to just play and have fun. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with that. Meanwhile, I’ve been having fun seeing what kinds of superficial injuries I come home with each time… tracks can give you a nasty burn if you try to slide on them!
I’m getting my butt kicked in schoolwork. I don’t know if I actually have more schoolwork than I ever did before, or if I’m just making a stronger effort to get my homework done, but it doesn’t happen. Sure, I still have my lazy times, but I’ll also have stretches where I’m doing homework constantly, and I still don’t seem to get everything done. Maybe it’s the twenty readings I have due every Monday? However, I’m at least enjoying it. Not everyday, not every class period, but I’ve been able to find something to enjoy about all my classes, and the subjects usually aren’t boring, even being enthralling at times.
I’m getting my butt kicked in French. I still don’t understand half of what’s being said in class, I still don’t always catch everything I’m supposed to in the readings. However, I’ve talked to the teacher about this (after nearly breaking down…) and she now knows where I am, and I feel loads better about it. Plus, I finally (for the first time in my two years at GVSU) made it to a Les Franglais meeting. I sat through that whole meeting without understanding a word either… but we’ll see what happens in the future. Hey, nothing like a challenge, right? I figure if my grade gets too low, I’ve at least got until the withdraw date to make my final decision… and next year I WILL take French pass/fail! I’ve got to start reading Harry Potter et le Prince du Sang-Mêle again…
I’m getting my butt kicked in time management. Where does time go? I feel so frustrated sometimes, because there is never enough time to do everything… and I’m not even volunteering, working, or participating in other clubs, all of which I would like to do! I barely get my homework done in time (although I have grandiose plans for that), and I hardly have time to do things that I enjoy… play piano, play guitar, learn ASL, read a book for the hell of it, wander in the woods, spend time with friends, cook, lie down without the intention of passing out until the alarm goes off… I do make time for some of these, somehow, but then something else suffers because of it. God, can you extend the day for me? Give me a little Time-Turner like Hermoine’s? Or make it so I don’t need sleep anymore? Meh, never mind…Just dreaming.
I’m getting my butt kicked emotionally by facing a decision I made last fall. Last fall, I went to the first Interplay audition on Friday, and that following Sunday sat in church crying, surrounded by oblivious people, as I made my decision not to go back to Interplay. Not much of a decision, as I really didn’t have a choice, but I still needed to come to terms with that. Well, Saturday I went to Jenison for the MCGC Winterguard competition. I sat in the stands, and even just watching the Michigan A guards, I could feel my eyes getting moist. The moment I saw Interplay come out to the floor, I started crying in earnest. This continued throughout the entire show, as I watched how Interplay has grown since last year, and how beautiful they are now. Everything was fluid, strong, “effortless”, astonishing, and beautifully gorgeous - and Gidget had the most amazing performance face! Yet, I couldn’t help but think how I had given up the chance to be in it… and how I’ll probably never march again… and how it’s been such a big part of me. Yet, I couldn’t have possibly done it… I don’t have the time, and I don’t have the money. However, Saturday was not an evening for rationality, so as soon as Interplay was off the floor, I left the building, went out to my car, and just laid inside until I felt I could drive safely. I never did get to hug Dave Watts…
I knew it was going to hurt to watch them, but I didn’t know it was going to hurt that bad…
In other news, life is going great, I guess! Despite any troubles, butt-kickings, and self-pitying, I’ve generally been rather happy, and loving what I’m doing. ASL Club is growing, which makes me happy (even though it means a return to the most basic of basics…). The weather has been gorgeous, which kind of scares me.
This last Saturday, way before the guard show, I went home: I drove myself home. First time I’ve driven more than 25 minutes, as it was nearly an hour.5 drive. I drove to the Cathedral for a camp planning meeting, which I thought went rather well. We got copies of camp brochures, and the policy book for the summer, in order to read and review them. We went over a lot of the camp positions and clarified what we needed each position to do. One of the best parts of the meeting was that throughout the entire meeting, we weren’t just thinking about this summer, but also about future summers… making a timeline of things that need to happen, leaving room in the positions and guidelines for growth. We talked about visiting priests, so I’m going to try to get my grandfather to come down for a day! It was a well-done meeting, with all voices being heard and all concerns being addressed, despite age discrepancies and personal opinions. Excitement!
After the meeting, I called my mom to see what the family was up to. She said that she and Dad were out at Nelson’s Hardware, buying stuff for her new loom, and they were then going to go back home and work on it. I then excused myself (Oh, sorry Mom, I have to go now…) and she said to make sure to call back soon so that she could talk to me. I told her that of course I would, and hung up, laughing. 15 minutes later, I rang the doorbell (They had the door locked! Odd…) and Mom answered… I think she was a little shocked to see me standing there, but she was quite happy. Father too... Daniel may have been, but he would have never admitted it! I then stayed there for a few hours, grabbing lunch, talking, and holding Izzy, until I finally had to leave. Mom admitted that it was probably a good thing that I hadn’t told her I was coming down, as she would have worried the whole way… and then told me to call when I got back. Yes Ma’am! Drove back in the rain, and then went to guard… and it’s old new from there.
BLAST! I went to see Blast last night with Megan, Robby, Alicia, Nick, and Anne (GLP cat). Amazing and awesome are two adjectives that could certainly apply to that show! There were some spectacular drum tricks, and the music was generally quite beautiful. The visual ensemble was clean and spectacular, full of amazing dancers. One of the things that they spun was a rifle-like object, but it was streamlined and curved. I want one! It was a good show, and I got to actually talk to some of the people from Interplay to see how they are doing. I should have brought cookies though, since Erik was there… didn’t even think about that! Intermission was fantastic as well, as four drummers came out to play, and they definitely hammed it up. One of the more unique things about Blast was how the performers came out during the second part of the show in order to sit and play among the audience. One guy in particular had fun talking to a little girl maybe 10 seats down from me - Blast is one show she’ll never forget! It was certainly amusing to watch all the parents buy drumsticks for their kids after the show, even those too young to walk much…
The best part of Blast, however? Getting to see Bryan and Mike! Bryan Sutton was an instructor last year for Interplay, and I’ve certainly always admired him and his skill. However, I had no idea that he was in it until I got there. Therefore, it was a great surprise to watch him on stage, and to see him after the show. And then… Mike Welch! I haven’t seen that kid in two.5 years! I met him in Marion Glory Cadets drum corps in the Summer of Hell, and while I left with many bad memories, I’ve also left with many good, particular my fellow marchers. Mike was an age-out that year, but a many year vet of the corps. He was definitely an interesting person to interact with on tour, and it was refreshing that we could have some differences, but we could also be completely honest and respectful with each other. Therefore, since I’ve known he was in Blast, I’ve been excited to see him since I knew Blast was coming to Grand Rapids. When I finally found him, I ran over to hug him, and he lifted me right off my feet. We talked for a bit with Erik, and then we both had to go, but it was good to see him again. He’s doing Blast next year, and he and Amanda (who got engaged during corps if I remember correct) are getting married 18 August! It’s always good to hear how people are doing… and amazing, ‘cause I honestly never thought I’d see him again.
I finally got a French translation of the Bible! I never thought that I would find one, particularly after Amazon said, “It’s coming!” and then came back with, “April (January?) Fools!” I now have a nice little stockpile of books in French to read…
Something a little unusual… I’ve gotten into the habit of saying, “Thank you!” to people who let me cross at the crosswalks instead of zooming by. However, since it’s difficult to say thanks to someone inside a warm vehicle with the windows up, I’ve taken to saying it in ASL… Well, someone recently posted about me on the dear_gvsu community, saying (paraphrased) “It’s not your responsibility to blow kisses to people who stop for you at a crosswalk.” Whoops! I never thought about it being taken that way…. That made my day!
And makes me evilly tempted to start blowing kisses at strangers…
And then, finally, a little excerpt from an email I posted to Cran-Hill people a week ago Monday:
So, I'm at Ultimate Frisbee practice tonight (10-11:30), and we're playing with 15 minutes left before we are supposed to leave. My team decides that since I haven't scored yet, I need to score. Hence, I'm trying to get around Becky, who's guarding me, and who does not seem to slow down when she runs, not one bit. At one point, the other team has the frisbee, and they throw it long to her, and she's running to get it. As I run after her to try to keep her from getting it, I hear this sound coming from the other end of the court:
EEEEMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can truly say that I forgot where I was for a minute, and I could almost smell the trees...
Emma Catherine
(and no, I never did score, even with 20 minutes overtime... I did get some spectacular bruises, though...)