Friday, March 28, 2008

The Massachusetts way of life

Spring has finally arrived. The snow has melted and the leaves are beginning to bud on the trees. Each evening on campus I hear the peepers outside singing their nightly song. During the day I see the grass is getting greener and students are dashing outside to spend some time in the warmth of the sun. And for this Massachusetts born girl, springtime only means one thing, baseball season!

The Red Sox are a way of life. All Sox fans have a love hate relationship with the team. You show them so much love and support and (as a fan it pains me to say this.) historically they have the tendency to let you down. Being a third generation Red Sox fan my family knows the heartache. My grandfather died never having seen his beloved Sox win a world series championship, and my dad cursed me for the first year of my life stating that I was a bad luck child and the reason the Sox lost the world series in '86. Whether it was my fault (yeah right) or Buckner's things have turned around and now my dad calls me the good luck for the 2 championships we now have. (He thinks I should stay in college forever.)

I will be attending my first game of the season on April 12th vs. the Yankees. I can't wait to stroll into the dank dark underbelly of Fenway Park, buy my $6 plastic cup of shitty Coors Light (which I may or may not have already had 3 or 4 across the street at the Cask N' Flagon.), and meander around in my drunken state with the rest anxious crowd.

The topper on the cake of the Red Sox world is being in the concrete jungle of Fenway and walking up the ramp to the stadium. In just a few simple steps you are transported from the pit of hell to heaven on earth for any hardcore Sox fan. With the Green Monster in front of you the sweet smell of freshly cut grass fills your lungs and the sounds of the ballpark fill your ears. The team warming up on the feild and the kids standing next to the dugout hoping to get the autograph of their favorite player.

As the start of the game approaches the park fills to the brim. With families, drunks, and the K-Men all in attendance the crowd of, 36, 108 (because you know that EVERY game is sold out.) rise to their feet for the national anthem, and the game begins.

The crack of the bat sends a ball soaring out of the park. "YOOOUK!" bellows the crowd as everyones favorite first basemen steps up to bat. Manny is being Manny in the outfield. The baby-faced Jacoby Ellsbury is like lighting dashing from 1st to 2nd base. Beckett throws his fastball into V-Tek's glove with a thud. All the while the die hards are in the stands biting their nails hoping our boys can bring home a win.

Win or lose (they better beat the fucking Yankees) on the 12th I'll keep going back. I was raised a Red Sox fan and I plan on bringing my kids up as Sox fans too. It's a Massachusetts way of life and I wouldn't change it for the world!

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Fun with the Boys Part 2

Writing is all fun and games until you have to look at what you wrote and take it back. I do not consider my self a hypocrite because I am openly admitting that things have changed since my last entry about my guy friends. Please allow me to explain.

For spring break (Spring Break WOOOO!!) I went on a road trip to Canada with three of my guy friends. This trip was the first time I had ever been somewhere for spring break in my four years of college, and I was pumped. Anyway, on the trip my best friend and I ended up kissing one night (completely sober) and now we are dating.

Now, this is a recent development and I had never really thought that (1) I would ever date someone in my circle of guy friends and (2) that any of them would actually want to date me. Don't take that last statement as me having low self-esteem or that I have issues, but it's just not something I had ever really thought about before.

Looking back I guess it was all kind of inevitable that we would eventually get together. We had kind of a history of getting drunk and making out, but at the time I didn't see that as any more than getting drunk and making out. I mean we were really close before we started dating and, in some cases, I was closer to him that some of his girl friends ever were. We have a lot of fun together. We both enjoy the Red Sox, a good episode of Kenny Vs. Spenny, and we might possibly be two of the dorkiest people in the world. Most of all we have a general understanding of how the other works, if that makes any sense. And although I'm speaking in the early stages of our relationship I can honestly say that I'm very happy.

One thing that I have learned from this experience is that dating, relationships, or however you want to categorize what you and the rest of the world do just kind of falls in your lap. It isn't planned and if you try to plan it you'll most likely fall flat on your face.

So, while I still enjoy having fun with the boys, lately I've been having a little bit more fun.