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| "Benehuntalina" |
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| Racing |
Had a very cool opportunity last night while racing. I was able to bring my BFF(J) down to the West River & join our boat. We had pretty decent wind too so she had opportunity to actually pitch in--when you are short crew members--makes you an instant asset, even beyond just being "rail meat". It is always cool when you bring someone outside of racing (she is a windsurfer & kite surfer so she's not a total noob) into the "fold" & have them experience the excitement that is sailboat racing--especially if there's actually wind on the Chesapeake in July like we had last night. I also was anxious for her to meet people that I've come to enjoy spending time with--consider them friends & not just "the boat that I sail on." Plus, as time progresses, I have also forged relationships with other folk on many of the other boats & I look forward to dinner after the race to talk with them as well--good to share with my BFF(J) a part of my life that folk up here in Baltimore just don't see. And since Xing Fu is away this week, it was much easier to orchestrate a time to leave & not have to be concerned with coordinating with three people--also helped that her children, as well as my son are all away at overnight camp so no worries about who's going to watch the kids (not that they necessarily need watching at their ages). I hope she decides to join me again--I think she learned a lot about this racing--vastly different then her experiences on another friend of her's boat--I believe a Benehuntalina--ie., cruising. No triple-time need for speed there. I know that it was difficult for her as well--so much new vocabulary that one must digest quickly--can't just say, "put that rope around that thingy & pull!" Need to explain the winch, the handle, the self-tailer, the direction that you need to wrap the line around the winch, etc., etc. When cruising, there is so much more time to explain, or when there's little wind. The learning curve is way steeper when there is heavier wind during a race. But my BFF(J) was able to do a little jib trim at the end of the race as we came to the finish & the land sheltered the wind enough for her to get a little feel for what the sails should look like. I'm glad that my skipper gave her that opportunity.
An aside: feeling a bit like a "Sidedish Friend" these days.
Facebook is certainly an interesting phenomenom. Everybody loves to talk about how they've reconnected with high school friends, etc. & I'm no exception. I had occasion today to have coffee with my "big sister" from Alpha Chi Omega--we haven't seen each other really since we left school & here we were having a coffee & talking about our lives as single women--she's recently separated. It was wonderful to see her--she looks amazing! And the great part about it is that we really don't live too far apart so future face-to-face meetings will certainly happen. That is the great part about Facebook. Unfortunately I have also witnessed the seamy underbelly of Facebook as well.
Another friend of mine is currently dealing with a nasty situation. What blows me away is that these 40+ year old women are acting like classroom bullies! She is being threatened & bullied by other women who have kids & families, etc. and yet feel justified in posting things like "Don't worry, -----, I've got your back--I'll pull her scalp off, &....". WTF???!!! And the woman who started the thread is encouraging others by saying things like, "Hey, ----, what ya' got?" Egging others to post threatening stuff too! How old are we? Come on! Grow the FUCK up!! Obviously these women have nothing better to do with their lives than to make an incredibly funny & kind woman feel threatened that they'll show up at her house and make real what they say. Frankly, I'm disgusted...these women have children who themselves have FB accounts--what are they modeling? It is very scary....
Which brings me to my final point--I am taking this forum to publicly say how lucky I am for my BFFs. They are amazing & vivacious women (I know I've said this before, but the above situation just reminds me how much I do appreciate them) who have stood by my side without question. We had so much fun at our winetasting yesterday--it was just us, which hasn't always been the case, & we were in rare form. Laughing uproariously at a business card from a winemaker that was laden with sexual inuendo--"quivering, bare skin bathed in the full moonlight..." Just enjoying each other....Facebook can never supply that--glad that we put FB aside so we can be out in the world living great lives!
