L8er Dayz, Baybeezz...

Alright, so I don't know any real Sk8er lingo. BUT, I will tell you this... Those people who compete in the X-Games??? I ain't gettin on the wrong side of ANY of them.

BUT, before I get into that, I must hang my head and all that shit... Profuse apologies to Brad Pitt for my extremely-thin-ly veiled insult yesterday. The actual Pitt-meister did not leave the snide, snotty comment on my review page. So, my apologies to you... I hang my head in shame because I have shown the fact that I am driven by my ego... or something.

Seriously, tho... Brad, I'm sorry for the slight. And thank you for your explanation... AND for proving that My Email addy works. *grins*

Secondly... Our dear, psychotic, resident tough, attitude ridden bitch Malkie-poo Has signed my guest book and told me that I am long winded. What do you think, folks?

*grins*

Am I long winded? Huh? Huh? Tell me. Cmon! Don't leave me hangin here, man!!!!!!

*shakes her head, clearing her throat* Ahem... scuse me there.

YES!!!!!!!

I am long winded. I can launch into a diatribe which will continue for hours upon hours upon hours, and say nothing at all. I think that's what proves to me, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I AM female. *smirks*

I don't know of too many men who can speak on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on...... *looks around* Okay, so point made.

AAAAAAAAAAAAnyway... Yeah, I'm long winded. I find mysel launching off on some strange topic and then the tangents begin. It's like having 35 different people talking to me all at the same time. Sometimes I can keep the different conversations straight, sometimes not.

Over the past nearly three years I've been RPing in Yahoo chat (link to the left). I would have, on average, four conversations in the chat room, seven PMs (private messeges) and TV or Stereo on in the room, and be able to keep up with them all. AND, when I was still married, my now-ex would stand in the doorway, watch me for a moment, then bitch for a while, expecting me to ignore him... *chuckles* I'd actually respond to him, communicating and carrying on a conversation with him too. *shrugs*

Long winded? YUPYUP. That's me, folks. Besides, I type at an average speed of 65 wpm. ANd when I'm really into the typing thing, I get going without thinking about it and it's a directly line from my word processor in my brain, to the fingers. I think that I type at about 85 wpm when I'm not "thinking" about what I'm typing.

Regardless... I wanted to talk about these X-Games people. I've been watching this on TV for damn near three hours. I'm currently watching it, even. Specifcially, right now, I'm watching the show Wrecked. Good show, by the by. I highly recommend it.

The recurring thought which rises in my mind time after time after time (hmmmm, yes, time after time WOULD be recurring, wouldn't it... Repetition is my friend) is... "My God, that's gotta hurt..." And then, the second thought is... "Just stay down, man..." *chuckles quietly*

Then, the true understanding hits me. THAT's what "getting back on" the horse really is. No matter how many fucking times you go for the ollie and end up sliding down the pavement on your face... no matter how many times you go for that rail, or try the jump or pull together all that energy to do your trick one last time... and fail... The real failure happens when you DON'T get up that last time. That's really the ONLY real failure.

And these kids... beginning at such a young age that I would think they'd rather just chill in front of the tube... get trampled, fucked up, broken, damaged, screwed over and battered every time. They fail again and again and again and again.

BUT, you know what? When they finally ace that trick... when they finally make the jump, score the goal, ride the "wheelie" you know what their reward is?

That internal knowledge that NOTHING made them stop. That even tho they were ripped apart day after day after day, they kept going. They got up again. They're made of stronger stuff than everyone thought.

It's an artform in certain ways.

Most people look at the X-Game crowd as stupid glory hounds who are nothing more than foolish children with a death wish. That's not what I see.

I remember watching this one dude. He'd been Skating (Skate Board) for something like 14 years or so. About 8 years in competition and such...

But he had been working on this one, specific trick, a 900 I believe... (checks her math... 180, 360, 540, 720, 900... yeah, I think that's it) Anyway... he runnin the half-pipe and had been trying to master this nearly tripple turn. He'd been trying it for 8 years or more. Had always come really close... but had never made it and landed it.

Then, on ESPN2, at the end of a long-assed day of competitions on the Half-pipe, the crowd thick, yelling and cheering... All the days competitors... Before everyone... he tried it again..... they were having a small, relax/cool down/exhibition period where each skater got about 30 seconds to try a trick or something

This guy tried that 900 again. And failed it. but his time wasn't up, so he did it again... and failed it. BUT, the next skater didn't go, they cheered for this guy (damn, I really, really wish I could remember his name. I feel really bad for telling the story without remembering his name... kinda anti-climactic)

He was given chance, after chance, after chance, after chance. He was prompted and prodded... each time he failed, he would get up and try ONE MORE TIME.

And ya know what?

He NAILED IT!!! He did it. You should have seen the look on his face. This thing that he'd been trying to do for 8 or more frickin years. This specific trick. He nailed it. Exhausted, wiped out from the day, sweaty, grainy, bruised and battered... and ecstatic.

I remember those eyes... the shot of him, looking directly into the camera, that grin that said everything words never could.

He made it.

And ya know what? For him? All those years of effort were worth it, all the bruises, bumps.... they were all worth it. Because in that moment, with the entire crowd roaring his name, the thing he thought about was.... "I didn't give up. I knew I could do it and I didn't give up. It didn't beat me. I WON!"

At least, that's what I would have been thinking.

That's what I'm thinking now.

*smiles softly* Okay, anti-climactic ending...

Peace unto thy hearts...

J

AKA

Tiger

And... don't give in. Don't let the bad guys get ya. Get back up. And stuff.