Ladies - Let's Work Together

Every person knows that yes, every Ladies room on Earth doesn't have enough stalls, the lines get too long because of it, and the guys RARELY have to wait. EVERY PERSON KNOWS THIS! So why do ladies harp on it while they are waiting in line? Does it solve the problem? NO! Does it create more tension? YES! Unless you have a solution or have enough to money to buy the venue and fix it yourself, shut the hell up!

But let's work together. Be considerate of those women behind you especially the pregnant and the elderly...and those of us who have been drinking excessively which tends to somehow magically shrink the bladder. I am not saying give up your space in line, but let's get prepared before entering the tiny cubicle. For example, if you have a coat or some article of clothing that you think you made need to remove, take it off while in line or make your significant other hold it (he's probably not doing anything but checking out other girls' hooters and asses anyway; make him useful plus it's like a "he's taken" token! ha ha). Stay decent but anticipate the fact a coat may get in the way. I was at the Civic Center for a show recently, and I am pretty sure some lady went in the stall with her coat on and came out with it off. I know that wasted valuable time.

Let's think ahead. Don't wear button fly pants, trim your nails that day so you can operate a zipper without freaking out, keep the main doorway to the restroom clear to keep the flow (ha another pun - that's two tonight - see my previous blog), and move quickly - when you open that door to head to the sink to wash your hands (THIS IS NOT NEGOTIABLE), get your butts out of the way as fast as possible so the next person in line can quickly replace you.

As long as there are restrooms with an insufficient number of stalls and woman with a need to urinate, there will always be lines and waiting. It's a fact of life. But I think if every woman implements a "hurry up" tactic, we'll all notice quicker line movement and/or shorter lines overall.

The floor is now open for ideas of how to "hurry up".

Competition is a Wonderful Thing

As frustrated as I get playing, watching, coaching sports, I couldn't live without them. Scratch that - I could but I choose not to and here's why:

I realized after my basketball game a week ago, after playing one of the bitchiest teams I have ever faced, that it's an absolute thrill to HATE another human being for an hour and not care what she thinks of me while I am driving to the hoop and elbowing her in the throat. I gage my hostility on how nasty the other team is and how much they complain to the refs/umps (granted, many of them deserve what they get from players and fans but this team in particular last week should have kept their fat mouths shut). Now after the game, it's a completely different story (usually). I don't know the opponents and their personalities off the court; they could be saints for all I know. Maybe the girls are even people I would consider enjoyable to hang out with. But on the court, soccer or softball fields, if the other team feels the need to be raging bitches, I have no qualms about hating the enemy because I know I won't feel guilty about it.

On the flip side, there are those to teams that are out on the court/field for the same reason I am: to have fun, get some exercise, and feed that competive hunger. Like tonight's team for instance - not a single girl on the other team was nasty. They were kicking our butts (it needs to be stated they are in a higher league than us), but it wasn't a huge deal. We knew what we were getting into in this particular game, but we had a good time and both teams thought the refs were morons. We even laughed about it! Good times!

And I have to admit it's fun being a girl that knows a little something about sports, which tends to still be a male dominated topic. Which is fine but it's nice to talk shop with guys and other females. My sister and I will have lengthy baseball conversations via Instant Messenger, and now that D.C. has a team, I suspect they'll be a lot more.

Coaching sports isn't one of my favorite things to do. I coached a 16 and Under softball team one summer; I was too stressed out. I never knew if I was going to have enough players to field a team every Tuesday night. People (kids and parents alike) can be so unreliable, and it drives me insane. Working with just pitchers is a little different. I am not in charge of an entire team. Just a group that needs some direction in a specific area of the diamond. That I can handle.

I guess watching sports also includes my feelings of hating the enemy just like when I am actually playing. But since I am not actually contributing physically, I can still hate the other team AND hate the other team's fans that are sitting near by! Bonus! More people to sneer at. Fantastic! Pun intended. I am not one to get into a verbal or physical altercation with another fan but it's fun to watch someone else fight then join in on the jeering (as long as it doesn't get too out of hand or too distracting). For instance, this past Friday night I went to a Syracuse Crunch game. There weren't many fights but a couple guys finally brawled, and it was awesome. A Crunch player nailed the Cleveland guy right in the face. That dude hit the ice and curled up into a ball. I haven't been to a ton of hockey games but a few, and I have never seen a guy curl up into a ball like that. It was incredible and the fans certainly loved it!

Here is the twist: I am a huge proponent of good sportsmanship. I know adrenaline, emotion, and competitive drive get the best of me at times and I flip out, but overall I think I am a good sport. I don't actually get verbal with opponents; I try to vent through my physical play. So if a fast ball comes high and inside, chances are you pissed me off somewhere down the line.

Play ball!! (No Aunt Bethany)

60 Percent

It's an interesting number really.

On the bright side - it's better than half! If it's your batting average, you're a total stud. When I was a junior in college (I played softball for those who weren't aware), one weekend I batted over .600 - that was after four games in two days. This led to being name Conference Player of the week. I was psyched. I knew I had batted well that weekend but had no idea it was over .600. Here I was the starting pitcher and my bat was getting all the attention! What an awesome feeling - I even cried (no shock to those of you who know me very well; I have the most productive tear ducts of anyone I know - happy, sad, angry, doesn't matter; I cried again when I won "Senior Athlete of Year" - now I'm just tooting my own horn, sorry).

On the down side, 60% isn't even passing. It's a big fat "F". You work your ass off to improve to make yourself happy, to make others happy, to feel accomplishment and that grade comes in front of you and your heart just sinks. Especially to some one who strives for perfection even though realistically I know I'll never be perfect. I try the best I can; that's what my Mom always told me growing up. She always saw how much I would beat myself up for not being the best or when I worried that I wouldn't be the best. She always said "do the best you can." I won't lie - I still beat myself up and others and I know that is wrong. I'm doing the best I can. Thanks Mom.