The Book of Ashes

Netball 11:53AM

Damn, I'm going to hurt tomorrow, but it was worth it. I didn't realise that the underneath of your big toes could get bruised until I played indoor netball. Maybe its my shoes (although I now have a new pair of cross-trainers) or maybe its my style (or lack of), anyway lets begin back with the crappy dinner I had of chicken nibbles and wedges and mixed vege from the freezer...

It was a crap dinner and it tasted it, I should have put some effort in but Monday had drained most of that out of me so I prepared what was quickest and easiest, from the freezer to the mouth in 20 mins. Look how lazy technology has made me. Anyway to compensate I got some mince out to defrost for tomorrow night, I'll cook something good then. I took the last of my choc chip biscuits over to the neighbours house and they let me in to watch TV. I had to constrain myself so that I didn't run up and hug it, the wonder that it is. I had given a few biscuits to Crispin and Tammy that morning. It is surprising how quickly they go when you share them around. Still, I enjoy sharing.

Got home and changed then began the long walk out to the WIS. As I walked I could feel the wind pushing against me and I spread my arms wide as I walked into it, embracing it. In situations like this I feel that the elements are pitting themselves against me and I am prevailing, I am stronger than nature, more powerful than any force they can throw against me. Of course this is a beautiful illusion as a tornado could rip me off the ground without a seconds thought. I am nothing against nature. Yet when feeling natures power, even a small amount of it, you cannot help but feel that some of that power is within you too. Anyway I got to the WIS early and warmed up.

Our opponents and us were third and forth from the bottom in the play offs. We played a pretty good game but turned over the ball too much. We almost caught up at one stage but lost in the end. Next week we get to play the loosers of the loosers game. If we loose that one then we are the king of the loosers. You gotta be good at something right? We play for the fun of it anyway. Let me state here, indoor netball rocks. I am so much fitter than when I began and way way better, although could still improve a lot. Anyway I had to sub off for the last quarter of the game and I don't want to do this as I can now last a whole game without getting too tired and I don't like not playing.

So the game finished and I was wondering if I just kept playing quarter after quarter, how many quarters could I play when a dude came up and asked us if anyone wanted another game. Yes popped out of my mouth faster than you can read these words. Sweet a chance to play a bit more... The team introduced themselves and I realised I knew one of them, it was Jeremy Banks from Alex, then Computer Science in Dunedin Uni. Damn imagine banging into him here. So we hopped on the court and I got to play attack which was cool and we started playing. Nobody told me these guys were in the semi finals and probably hadn't lost a game yet. I soon found out why... they were good. We started the game with 5 points down because we were late and 1 player short and me filling in as an unknown. Not really the best of starts. But that was alright, apparently Jeremy had just been playing over in Aussie and was pretty good. Really good in fact. Every pass I threw to him got to him and not cause I'm good at passing. He could find the ball within a 2 meter radius of himself with his eyes closed I'm sure. I was out of my league here but it was a challenge and heaps of fun. They weren't stressed about winning as they had such a bad start and were happy just to play. I was pretty stuffed by the end of it, but we had caught up so there was only about 2 or 3 points in it. That means that if we had not been penalised 5 points or if we had had another player we might have won.