Varsity

I know it's been a while since I last updated this journal (actually, nothing compared to what I have done in the past), but even though I have been a lot less tired lately, I have just been doing other things. What those things are, they're hardly significant for me to remember, but I just never really got around to writing the journals. I'm sure they get repetitive after a while, when I go through the same routine every day. I am a person for routines, I'll point that out now.

So conditioning has been put on a halt since this morning, and in my opinion it's just been getting easier. I think, now, that it's because I'm definitely getting in more shape, in better shape than I have ever been in my life before, I'm sure, rather than because the conditioning's getting easier. Well, it is because it's easier now, because there ain't none, but today don't count. Just as long as we don't have to jog around half field for fifteen to twenty minutes, sprinting every time Coach blows the whistle, or jogging backwards, bear walk, skipping. And then returning to jog. Never walk. Never stop. Or you get yelled at and that bad.

But anyway, away from practice, Saturday I did go to practice, and I think we did that warm-up, but other than that I don't remember. Then my mom picked me up, we got stopped in town because we forgot there was a parade (compliments of Dexter Days), and we watched its progression down what I want to call Main Street. That road just changes names every mile, so I dunno what it's really called. Went shopping around the booths set up around the gazebo after that, was just a crowded mess, and then we were on our way home. I took a quick shower, grabbed clothes for the night and the next day, and then we were on our way up to Grandma's. Since I was tired from practice, Mom drove, and when we got there, the family reunion was already in progress, but after about an hour or so, my cousins finally got me downstairs (our little designated play place, man) and doing things.

Actually, as long as we're role playing down there, instead of watching TV or playing video games (well, I don't do that, if my cousins do that, I kinda just sit on the couch or something), I'm happy. And though I was sore and could barely move, they got me to play Gambit. The first night I think we just played that zombies had taken over, like last time I was up there, but the second day I kind of played off of the New Nation, although they kept saying the Dark Side, because I said once, "Don't go to the Dark Side!" Which is upstairs, where the evil little brat was. He's not my first cousin, but whatever. Anyway, got along to the point where the Heroes United was blown apart by the Nation, and Nightcrawler came along to warn the Resistance about it, and Gambit decided that to save Rogue, even though they had a row, and the Resistance, he would idiotically go to the Nation to stop them. Alone. And so I had it that Sinister got his hands on Gambit, he was changed to Death (going off of Hellbound, here), and Gambit single-handedly, along with the demons in his control, took down the Resistance, killing everyone but Rogue. And eventually they all got back to normal.

And that was pretty much my weekend. Fun, huh? Well, dinner now. I'll continue my train of thought afterward.

Ugh. Back now. And I just realized that I'm tired. Not a surprise, seeing as I normally am beat by this time of . . . evening, but still frustrating. I mean, normally, in the summer and holidays, I stay up 'till two in the morning. Now ten o'clock is the latest I go to bed.

Starting Monday, we did Metcon One again, and I was sore for the rest of the day and Tuesday, though nothing compared to the first week. And we also started doing box drills more often, and there wasn't one time that I wasn't put on defense. Pretty sure sign of where I'm going to be put later, huh? So Monday and Tuesday went on, and now it's Wednesday.

Well, I set my clock five minutes later into the day, at seven twenty-five, exactly an hour later than when I wake up on school days, at least last year. Ate breakfast, put my contacts in, yadda yadda yadda. Was shipped off to morning practice. It was then we were told that we weren't doing conditioning anymore, but we'll have to run to everything. I've been jogging anyway, so whatever. And I forget what we did in the first part of practice, maybe the same as the last part, but for the last, maybe, hour of practice we played a scrimmage game. The team was divided in half, and the first defense on my side was Leah playing back left field defense, me playing high left defense (Leah and me are normally paired like that), Kayla playing high right defense and Caitlin playing low right. And we had Grace as a goalie, so we didn't get instructions shouted out at us. That's one awesome thing about Sara, who's . . . I'll get to that later.

That scrimmage game was completely different than three on two to the offense. It was a complete mess, so many people! And Megan, the coach's daughter Megan, she got the ball, and I was covering her at the time, the ball got flipped into the air with a lot of force behind it and crushed my right thumb between it and my stick. I was pulled out, replaced by Olivia, and for some reason Emily replaced Caitlin. Watching from the sidelines didn't really make understanding it easier.

After that we were called in, first the defense for a short talk, and then the whole team. The coaches told us that we would learn which team we're on, Varsity or JV, between the end of that practice and the beginning of the afternoon one. Then they added that we wouldn't learn until after one.

I don't remember really what I did when I got home. I read Harry Potter, watched a lot of House, was halfway watching Joe and Ben. All in all, I wasn't too concerned with which team I would be put on. Although I was being grouped with the better defense players every time we played in a somewhat game-like situation, I still figured I'd make it on JV. I wasn't that conditioned in the beginning, there are a lot of people on the team with better stamina than me, my stick handling pretty much sucks. So a little after one, I checked the team site to see if we were sorted yet, but it still said "TBD." And I know what that means. It wasn't until about twenty to two that they put names up there. I scanned through them, looking for mine, was completely displeased that my name was spelled "ABBEY." I mean, common, I even told the coach walking past him Friday afternoon that my name didn't have an E in it. And then, I was completely shocked to be on Varsity. I'm on the flippin' Varsity team with thirteen other people. Sara, Caitlin, Olivia, Leah, Kayla and Emily included. So I have a goalie who's going to yell at me, and Leah on my back. Total shock, man!

Going to the afternoon practice, I saw a person who was on JV crying, and I think it was because she hoped to get on Varsity. She normally plays Forward, though, I think, so I dunno. We have some pretty darned good Forwards and Midfields on Varsity. And for the whole practice except our usual eight minute warm-up and the sprints at the end was separated. Varsity just split up into two groups, two really big boxes. Olivia, Leah and me were on a switch-around, though Leah always played bottom defense and me top, and we won our fair share of box tournaments. Maybe I am a good defense. I'm pretty good at getting in the way of the player with the ball. Until I have to Waterfall back. And I might be shooting out a lot of terminology, now . . . look it up? And, contrary to my brother's belief, asking me when I say look it up is not looking it up. But then again, he has the brain of a fly. I'm certain with that, now. Especially after his and Ben's fight today while I was "watching" them. Guh.

Anyway, I made the sprints at the end of practice, got a ride for Thursday from the morning practice and to the afternoon practice, thanks to Sara, and I promise a few members on the team that I'm bringing cookies. I have a dozen cooked right now, and I have dough for another couple dozens at the very least, and I'm not going to burn any more. I have never burnt cookies before until today. Can't believe it. I'm a good cookie baker! And these cookies, I used the recipe they have on the back of the Nestle's chocolate chips, but I was using Hershey's cinnamon chips. I haven't had a cookie yet, and now I only have eleven cookies, whereas I should have twelve. I will find the person who ate my cookie, and I will be mad at them. They should not have eaten that cookie; it was for my team, Varsity and JV. 'Cause cookies are awesome, and everyone deserves one. ^_^

So, yeah, I gotta go do that. Already took a shower after practice, and because the sun was constantly on our backs the whole two hours, my clothes were a pile of sweat. So gross. And salty. My mouth guard tastes better than sweat. Anyway . . . yeah. I'm tired, and I'll hopefully remember I have cookies in the oven while I finish the Harry Potter series so I can reread the Poison Studies series. I've already reread Cirque du Freak a while ago, and later I'll reread the Sally Lockheart series, until the second book, where Fredrick dies. No point in going on further. It's not my genre of book, and Fredrick was the only reason I kept reading on. And I cried for too long when he died. Realistic, yet I kept hoping he'd come back alive. Realistic, historic fiction. Uh . . . gimme Stephen King, Dean Koontz . . . adventure. Blood. Gore. Violence. Suspense. Mystery. Yeah.

And I still have my comics, of course. *pats Banshee* And the poor bloke. Gambit whacked him in the jaw, and now Sean can't talk because his jaw has to be wired shut to heal. And now Moira left him because she blames herself for Magneto forcing her to rewire the Red Team's genetics so they would be loyal to Magneto because she did it to him when he was reverted to a child. Or something like that. And because Gambit was possessed or whatever by the hands of the blackmailed Moira, it was only because of that that he took Sean out like that. He never said sorry, though . . . 'cause that's oh so Gambit, sayin' sorry.

But I've said enough. I kind of want to find Alex's routine with Twitch on So You Think You Can Dance again, just because a Ballet dancer danced the best Hip Hop routine I've ever seen. Not for the music at all. And Alex is just awesome. Too bad Kent only made it to second place, though. Lauren won the competition.

And speaking of music . . .

SONG OF THE DAY: All The Right Moves ~ OneRepublic