Old things in a new place part 1/2

SueSue is here, and I’m sure there are things I should write about while/after she visits.  So before I create further mental backlog, I need to get some things written down.

Shortly after I got here, I learned about on-site volleyball.  With the onset of summer [and it’s supposed warmer weather], there are several teams [enough to make an A and a B league] and roughly once a week, I was heading out to the volleyball court [sand bit in the back corner of the installation] to have a “hit and giggle” as it has been described by our last-place team.  This has been fine and fun, but then I learned that a coworker was playing soccer once a week with another group of people around here.  I didn’t want to seem too desperate, and I had promised to play volleyball, so I stuck with it for 2011.  But when 2012 came around, it was time to get the soccer team together again, and I got the invite to join up.  So I threw the volleyball team over for my true love.  Since then, we’ve actually played two games and forfeit one due to lack of numbers.  Games are seven v seven, and we’ve only been able to bring four to the two games we’ve actually played [we picked up a few players that were loitering for those two we played]. 

Anyways, anticipating this return to the pitch, on my birthday, I went out and bought new soccer shoes.  Specifically, I bought turf shoes.  In neon yellow and purple.  Adidas [naturally].  They’re fantastic.  I’ve been joking with the folks around here that they’re my best attempt to harness the 16-year-old soccer player inside and my only source of skill. 

Shockingly enough we actually won our first game [and against last year’s champs!].  And I have to say, I was pretty pleased with how I played.  Definitely rough around the edges, but it felt great just to get out there, run around, and play some soccer.  It makes me wish I had been playing more over the past decade.  Our second game was a blowout against us of something like 1-10, but I scored our only goal, and the first of the game.  Additionally, I have been receiving quite a few compliments on my play.  Granted, we’re not really an exceptional team, and I’ve heard rumour that there are a few players scattered across this “league” that are exceptionally skilled.  But I have to admit, it does a boy’s ego well to hear these things.  Not to mention, I scored my fourth-ever goal.  Woo!

So that’s one old thing in a new place.  The next thing is pottery.

-EP