Tuesday, April 10, 2012

A Searching and Fearless Moral Inventory

Tennis practice this morning was kind of weird. Yeah, this has become one of the those blogs where I talk to you not about the sport of tennis, like, in itself, but about my local culture of tennis and how it makes me feel. You know, one of those blogs.

So why was it weird? First off, we were all pretty rusty after having had a week or ten days off. Only my friend T had played over break, but that girl watches tennis on youtube (vids of the Bryan brothers) and takes notes. Girl is dedicated. Anyway, we were all rusty but I in particular played like ass. Such that, at one point, the coach called out, "Becky, WHAT? You're just not swinging at all!" And I tried to yell, "Yes Coach!" but while I'm talking I'm comically clumsy. It's like I was all, "Okay, I got this!" then slipped on a banana peel. Or stepped into a mop bucket. The tennis equivalent of that.

Also, I didn't get to hang with my cadre of buddies, but was paired with a perfectly nice woman I'll be partners with on Thursday. We won a match together a couple of weeks ago, for our other team (a lot of these girls are on the same two teams, confusing). She's fine, we just don't know each other that well.

Meanwhile, Debbie Downer, from last week's post, is paired with Pretty Neighbor again this week. And not to beat a dead horse, or dogpile on someone who, as I have already stated, is a bit crazy, while we were on vacation she sent a whackadoo email to the whole team, apologizing for having played badly and enumerating specific areas of her game she was going to work on. I was going to tell you immediately but really, too cringe-inducing. And today she did her best to horn into a conversation I was having with the coach about my string tension. MY string tension, mine! But enough! Let us just wish her well and return to ladylike placidity on the subject.

I don't know, Reader, but it gave me something to think on as I drove home from dropping Laura at swimming. And then the Chick fil A employee in the drive-thru line told me they were out of vanilla wafers for the new banana pudding milkshake and I was like, "Dammit! Why is everything such CRAP?"

But I rallied somewhat afterwards.

And that was a lot of what happened today.

Worst blog post EVAR.

But you have my love!

12 comments:

AlGalMom said...

I'm with you on the spreading information front, but I'm having a hard time thinking of a way that gossip paired with norms of group behavior is a good thing. I guess I tend to be on the outside of the gossip circles, and the fringes of "normal" behavior, and have felt mostly negative pressure from both for most of my life.

Beth said...

One of my advisors in grad school wrote a whole BOOK on gossip. It was gossip from literary heroines the likes of Jane Eyre, and it's called The Erotics of Talk, but I'm certain that it applies in this situation, too.

I, for the most, part, have very few qualms about gossiping, and that is why I am probably an inferior human being.

Anonymous said...

"Captain on Captain ball violence." Really? That's awesome. It's like a naughty Easter egg hidden in an otherwise appropriate post.

etheljr said...

A riveting post my dear. And a well-placed salubrious as well. Not to be found just anywhere. Nicely done!

Elizabeth said...

It's so not the worst blog post evah. For one, you said something nice about gossip -- just the other day, I had lunch with three of my best girl friends, and it was an hour and a half of THE BEST gossip, and I left exhausted by laughter and general camaraderie and in my otherwise extremely stressful world, how could that be bad? So much for the Buddha's Right Speech.

Also, we've tried the banana milkshake thing at Chick Fil A. It's frighteningly sweet.

Amy said...

Oh man, this is getting sad about tennis lady. Total cringe-worthy! Someone needs to pull her aside, maybe? Or not...you know me and how I think I can fix everything!

M said...

I was at Marshall's shoe shopping last night and a woman was roaming the store talking rather scathingly on the phone about some other woman. There was no mention of tennis, however. I guess my rule of thumb is I gossip in public places only about family members.

M said...

I was at Marshall's shoe shopping last night and a woman was roaming the store talking rather scathingly on the phone about some other woman. There was no mention of tennis, however. When in public, I try to limit my gossip to the discussion of annoying family members which ties up much of the time.

I literally feel the pain of the person struck by the ball as that happened to me a few years back. The injury stung almost as much as the embarrassment I felt since I was old enough to be the mother of the offending college student who had the upper body strength of a major league pitcher. I'm exclusively on the senior circuit now. ;(

Christina said...

I sincerely wish you would post every day of every month. That's all.

Erika W said...

It sounds as if you you feel you have exceeded the limit on your gossip data plan. Gossip does spread information, create intimacy, and build bonds that are so valuable. In fact, when someone refuses to engage in some form of gossip, I usually get suspicious and uncomfortable. But when the bond has been made, the information spread, and all the good stuff has been accomplished, anything more can feel excessive. And you end up feeling like a gossip glutton. One banana milkshake is good. 3 or 4 will make you feel queasy. That said, I don't think you are there yet. You are doing research, testing new methodologies. That is difficult work. All for the greater good. How else are you going to keep us entertained and enlightened all month long!

Camp Papa said...

This is about garden variety "gossip". Malicious gossip is another species altogether.

Julie Morris said...

Can it still be awesome if you think it's the worst blog post ever? Please? Maybe my bar for this blog is set low, but at the end of reading it, the first word that came to mind is awesome :)