The Sherriff has been sighted!
So I've been at this job for about a month now. I'm about to start my third timesheet, so that must be right. Anyway, I'm in Building 10, which is connected by an atrium to Building 11. My friend Bridget, aka the Sherriff because she's the hockey league President, works in Building 11 and though we'd met for lunch a couple of times, the accidental meeting hadn't happened yet.

So today, I'm on my way to a meeting with one of my esteemed co-workers, absolutely minding my own business when, at the end of the Great Long Hallway, comes Bridget. It was cool to see a familiar face, though more and more people in my group are getting to be familiar too.

Skating With My Peeps
No, not with Peeps, but with my friends. Went to Belmont last night with Andrea. Viv was there, as planned and then great surprise! Heather showed up too. Totally cool. We were the only women, and the bulk of the guys were beginner/intermediate skaters. What always gets me is the guys reactions to seeing women skating along with them. All night I heard things like:
"Wow, that was a nice play." (in a surprised voice) after a wrist shot went cleanly into the net, hitting the back about halfway up.
"That was a nice pass." after a nice pass.
I always forget that guys just assume that because I'm female, I automatically suck at this game. I know that it's often easier for guys to improve faster, easier for them to get a solid shot, even before they can stop. Hate that.

But what I hate worse is when scrimmaging against or with those guys who were so goddamn surprised that I'd made a good pass or outskated them on a number of drills, I set up a great pass to an open man further up the ice and he does what with it? Nothing. Just fucks it up.

That's when I left. It was near the end, anyway. Apparently finesse is optional but for me it's a requirement.

And for the record, Viv, Heather and Andrea all skated like pros too. Full of finesse. Nice job, peeps.

With Easter just around the corner, it's time to reflect on what's really important in life: doing crazy stuff to Peeps. There's a wave of Peep Love going around work right now, you just can't help but love those little bundles of stale marshmallow-ey goodness.

If I may just mention this again. I dig the job.

The New Math
Apparently to the washer repair guy, 10 actually equals 9. He was supposed to come at 10, I had planned to be at work, eating a plain bagel, so procured because I got into the office in time to get one before they were all gone, long before Mr. Repair Guy arrived. But no. He came at 9. Lucky for me, 3 of the dogs were already outside enjoying the newly landscaped (i.e. poop picked up and mowed) backyard and it was easy to trap them out there while the guy came in.

Andrea was cool enough to take the day off to attend to the Repair Hootenany, which, in the end was over by 10 leaving her with a free day. She met me for lunch and I introduced her to the mediocre, yet convenient but expensive work cafeteria. Yum.

In other news, we're moving toward the end of evaluations. I got to inform a large chunk of the league that they're either fine in their current division (myself included. Sigh...) or that they moved up. I much prefer being the Good News lady than the bad. Sorry ladies, and congrads, all at once.

Not My Beans to Spill
I'm still in a position of having to keep someone else's rather large secret from my mom. I keep this secret because it's not my story to tell, but it's gone on for far too long and now I'm starting to look like an ass. Please, people, own up to your shit.

Now I have to return to not talking to my mom as much, because she's going to bug me about this until I spill the beans. But they're not my beans!

It Burns!
Last night was the first chance I had to skate as a goalie for this season, I've been too busy coordinating the evaluations to skate much, which kinda sucks. Claire was nice enough to let me be in net for a maroon session and I was ready, damn it, ready! After all the headaches of coordinating 180 people and their 180 issues/injuries/allergies/just plain don't want to 'try out's/confusions it was nice to just skate with no expecations. It's not like I'll ever be a maroon goalie so I just put on the stuff (once I remembered how!) and went out, all relaxed.

Three things are true: if you are relaxed and have nothing in your head about how well you *need* to do at something, it's a lot easier to do well. The other thing that's true: if you have 15 shooters lined up to shoot at you, and you know they'll all be doing wrist shots or backhands or some kind of a slapshot, it's very easy to do well. I must have faced 100 shots and I don't think I let in more than 4 or 5. I also discovered a kick save that I didn't know I had! Woo! One other true thing: hard shots are easier to stop than soft shots.

It was totally tiring to face shot after shot and every time I'd want to take second to rest, I'd look over at Mary C., who was ready, ready by golly, to take her next shot. There was no way I could deny that kind of enthusiasm so I lined up and faced them all over again, which was great conditioning since I had to stay low for a lot longer.

I'd like to thank my own personal bi-weekly root canal: step aerobics for improving my stamina. I'll still be a red goalie this year but maybe I'll be a little bit better at it. For my team's sake, I can only hope! Until then, I'll be nursing some sore muscles.