First Jade of School
So it's finally happened. My little girl, my BABY, has started school.
Getting up, getting breakfast. Wife was nervous, I was nervous, Jade was chirpy and excited.
Getting dressed, doing her hair. Wife was nervous, I was nervous, Jade was jabbering and giddy.
Riding the bike up there, gathering outside the classroom. I was nervous, Jade was quiet. And stoked.
I stayed for a bit to read her a story and get her settled... A little Indonesian girl bansheed for about 5 minutes, and when I lost sight of Jade while she went to get a new book, I found her concernedly stroking the little girl's arm saying, "It's okay, you can come read a book!"Â What an amazing kid.
Time came for me to go, and she bid me farewell with a kiss before running off to get a hand puppet down that looked like a cockatiel. That was that, I was on my own. Naturally, she had a blast. Me and wife just felt weird all day.
"Whatcha doin' Daddy?"
"Takin' a pitcha?!? Lemme say 'Cheeeeeese!'"
"Look, no more smile! It's my 'sad' face!"
"Now I do my 'Dancing Face'!"
"Now I'm SCARY... I'm a scary zombie! Braaaaaaains..."
"DADDY! No more pitchas! Let's go!"
************
Something in the energies of the ol' Universe shifted this year, only in contrast to the entirety of 2010, it was good.
First, I just up and decided that I was going to play some hockey. I had an old pair of player's inline skates, my forward gloves from the US and a crappy plastic stick we found in an op-shop. I needed a street hockey ball so that I could go to the car park near the local shops and just skate around. Maybe even shoot the ball up against that brick wall. Hell, I figured I'd bring some chalk and make my own "net".
So we drop in at a store called "Hockey Action", and though they really mean "field hockey" they've got a section in the back for ice hockey stuff. At least, they did 5 years ago when I first went in there. I didn't have any money then either, so I figured it'd have to wait until I did. Well they've expanded into inline stuff too and while the guy got me a crappy orange street hockey ball he told me about how he runs a proper league up in Claremont. It's even on Sport Court (what proper Roller Hockey is played on).
To say I was excited was a bit of an understatement. I told him I needed a stick. All he had were special composites. $200. Whoops, not today then.
But still. Stoked. So I traded emails with him about why sticks are so stupidly expensive (I can get them shipped from the US for $70 all up) and he told me about other leagues and how goalies are free here, as it should be. I went straight home and emailed mom to ask her if she still had my old goalie skates. Then I went to bed.
Mom found them, then emailed me. Then couldn't wait to see if I wanted anything else shipped with them and just put them in a box and sent them off. Go mom!
So my skates got here quickly but I needed a stick. Well I rang the guy at the Rollerdrome in Morley and he had a couple of old sticks gathering dust that he wanted to give to me for a screamin' deal. Stick, sorted.
Then my brother-in-law, Doc Sam, was at a garage sale in Byford (semi-rural, south of Perth) and rang me because somebody was selling a "whole bag of hockey armour" as he put it (t's hard for medieval nerds to break out of it). His mobile reception is shite, so I can hear him chattering away about "there's a pair of gauntlets here... some... well I suppose they're basically greaves with a knee cop on them" while I'm going "elbow pads mate" and "shin guards Sam, they're just shin guards".
Well I told him I'm a goalie and I've got all the goalie stuff, and even if I wanted player's gear I only needed another stick (I broke the crappy one pretty quick) to shoot around the parking lot. Then I rocked up to Grey Company training and saw that he'd bought the whole bag anyway. The lady was selling it for a neighbour, and when Sam asked her to throw in the two sticks (still in decent shape) she did.
So, big and odd heart that he is, he dumped the stuff in my car and then took the gear bag "which is what I really wanted anyway...". I told him I couldn't pay him for all the stuff and he said, "Well take the stuff you've got 2 of and put 'em on eBay." Fair enough.
So now I've got a set of just about everything.
I'm ready to play goalie or forward on inline and I can play goalie on ice (though ice is expensive here). I've been doing my stretching (not enough) and my PT for my back (not enough) and I'll be ready to go in a couple weeks (months).
I'm back. I'm going to be back playing hockey again and it feels friggin' GREAT.
I'll keep this place posted with how I go. Unless I end up in hospital. Heh.
Wish me luck.
