Racists, racists everywhere

I just got a chance to write about this but there was an incident at my roller hockey game a couple of weeks ago.

No, it didn't involve me.

It could have easily been avoided but there's this uncanny knack that men cannot take the high road (I'm guilty of this once in a while as well). It bears no weight that most are at least in their late 20s and above on whether they act like a jackass or not!

This though was completely ignorant and 95% one guy's fault.

So, picture my teammate: about 6'2", Caucasian, biker mustache/goatee, definitely seems to have anger issues. He's on the bench with me and my brother when a team member of the opposing team seemingly (more than likely) takes a dive to draw a penalty. One is called on our team but for slashing instead of tripping. Weird but we move on.

"Angry man" responds to the call with something like "What was that?" "Are you seriously going to call that?" "That was a Dora-like performance!"

Where that last comment came from is beyond me other than the fact that the "diving guy" was seemingly (more than likely) Hispanic or Mexican. The Dora comment was pretty ignorant but I guess if one dug deep enough the correlation could be made...maybe. The point is there was really no need to bring ethnicity into it.

So, the immature bantering goes on between my teammate and the "Diver" and a couple of others on the opposing team. There is about 20 seconds left in the game and what players just happen to be left on the rink: White guy, the Diver and a few other Hispanics (presumably), and my brother (who looks Mexican like I do).

All of a sudden we see White guy get tackled by Diver. Which is just plain stupid to begin with because we are all "adults" but I do understand the Diver's reaction to the ignorant Dora comment. White guy gets out from under Diver but is in a kind of sitting position and then Diver's brother bum rushes White guy, knocking him to his back and sucker punches the White guy on the left side of his face.

It's not my altercation so I remain on the bench as to not bend/break any of the "rules" as I really don't know what the facility's rules are to begin with. I just know it's not my issue and I'm not friends with White guy or Diver.

My brother sees it another way. He's three years older than me and a little shorter and scrawnier. But he has the same temper - we get that from our dad. Anyway, my brother sees the sucker punch and goes in to pull Diver's brother off White guy. I yell from the bench for him to stay out of it. His wife and son are in the stands watching and I hear her voice the same sentiment. I keep a close eye on my brother because if someone did involve him, I would have jumped off that bench and leaped over the wall to bust some knees! Fortunately, the facility workers were able to separate and settle things if not temporarily. They went ahead and ran the remaining 20 seconds off the clock and the game was called. Our team was victorious.

We are removing our equipment in the locker room (basically the back side of the stands without doors or really a room) when I told my brother that I'm glad he stayed out of it. His wife and son again shared the sentiment. My brother said he wasn't getting involved until he saw Diver's brother sucker punch White guy. He just wanted to make sure it didn't happen again.

After a few minutes or so, when we were done de-equipping and getting ready to leave, my brother walks down to White guy and says something. My brother starts to walk back towards me and I hear White guy say, "No disrespect," and my brother says, "That's alright. I'm not Mexican."

My brother sits back next to me and says that White guy skated by Diver and said, "Chico." This apparently is what set off Diver. This is also some portion of what White guy probably said and "apologized" to my brother because White guy thought my brother was Mexican.

So, other than the obvious immaturities, I was a little bothered by the situation. Granted, I'm not Mexican but as I've stated time and again, I look Mexican, especially to the ignorant gringos of the U.S of A. especially in the border states!

Should I feel offended by White guy's comments even though it wasn't me and I'm NOT Mexican? Yes, because that very well could have been me he asininely called, "Dora" or "Chico." Would it have pissed me off like it obviously did Diver? Fuck yeah it would have!

Should I feel awkward by my brother's oblivious statement of "It's okay, I'm Hawaiian?" Because fucking White guy thought he was Mexican to begin with. And as such, his Dora and Chico comments could have indirectly affected us. Just because we aren't Mexican, doesn't mean we haven't had to deal with the outright ignorance, stupidity, racism and dickheadedness of White guy in some form or fashion.

White guy is obviously a pigheaded dip shit that doesn't know any better. Diver is probably an asshole too but it has nothing to do with him being Mexican. My brother is just a dumb ass for encouraging White guy and thinking that whatever White guy said was funny or intelligent sounding.

So, it bothered me a bit. I'm over it but I wanted to write what I was feeling/thinking at the time. I'm just as racist as the next White guy but I've written before about how I don't think it's racism by me when I hate and make fun of every race. :-) Most of the time I'll make fun of your intelligence, your overall life skills and your wife or family in general (even though I don't know her/them). Sometimes, deep down in my mind I may have some damn good racial slurs waiting to creep out of my vocal chords but the odds are I won't bring them to the plate unless the other person brings it first. Even then, I really try to keep my arguments precise and to the point and if your race had nothing to do with it, why even bother mentioning it? It's a waste of time and effort for the argument and it just shows the ignorance of the person who flung the race card because they can't hold their own without turning it to race.

I guess that's all I have to say about that.

I'm sorry, white people suck!

Why do white people always have to turn things into something about race? Now, I am not your typical white guy. In fact, I am so not-white-looking it's amazing.

My dad was white, born and bred in a little hicktown called Gladewater, Texas. My mom was Philipino-Hawaiian, born and raised in a little hut village in Hawaii. You put this combination together and you get what "white America" calls Mexican — I have a goatee which doesn't help but it also doesn't affect the white man's narrow view.

So to the point of "why white people suck".

Yesterday, at my Over 30 roller hockey game, a dip shit white guy on the opposing team was trying to check me and others on the team. One time, I was burning past his ass and he stuck his foot out to trip me. I angrily said, “What the fuck asshole, why are you trying to trip my ass on purpose? Why do you feel you need to fucking cheat because you can’t stop me?”

We jawed back and forth a few times and I pretty much put him in his ignorant place. A few minutes later we were on the rink at the same time again. I had the puck and passed it up to someone on my team. He skated close to me like he was going to scare me or something. I just pushed off of him to give me a “push” start. It’s not like I could really move him unless I really tried because I’m about 5’ 7” and he is around 6’. Anyway, I smoked by him time and time again. I’ve become a real expert on avoiding attempted checks. At one point my brother and a friend (we play on the same team) were out there and this guy and another made too much intended physical contact with them. I was on the bench and was yelling about it to the refs and the punk fuckers who can’t play with skill so have to resort to near violence. I say this because I, my brother and my friends don’t play physical in the sense that we don’t go out of our way to cause physical harm to the opponent. We are all skills, baby!

Anyway, after this one altercation and my yelling from the bench, the fuck I initially spoke about yells back at me on his way to his team bench, “Taco”. I was like, “What the fuck?” Did this guy just resort to 7th grade immaturity? He can’t best me on the rink so he has to resort to racial name calling. Of course, I laugh at him and tell him he’s really funny like the dumb fuck he is. I thought about retaliating with a slur of my own but I thought “numb nuts dumb fuck with no hockey skills” was much more appropriate. And since we are playing in the “OVER 30” league, I thought I’d keep it within our grade level.

I get back into the locker room after the game and I ask my teammates that if I was white(-colored), what would have been his retort for getting his ass kicked!? Would he have called me "chicken fried steak" or "meat and potatoes"?

The gratifying end to it all was that even with their cheating, they still lost.

So, take that you paleface, honky ass mofo!

** NOTE: Yes, I know I generalized all white people just like he generalized me and all people of color (basically meaning not like him). I know not all white people suck but it caught your attention, didn't it?

2nd roller hockey game

I had my second Adult Copper roller hockey game tonight. We won, 6-5, thanks to me. My brother wasn't there. He was out of town on business or something and his flight wasn't coming back until 8:30 p.m. which is when our game was.

I scored 4 out of the 6 goals.

We actually would have had an easier time winning if we had a decent goalie. Two times now we have had guys that play forwards for other teams but work for the facility we play at be our goalie. They put out pretty decent effort but they aren't goalies. So, the 5 goals the other team scored weren't exactly quality goals. Although the guy that was subbing as our goalie didn't do half bad. He had a few really good stops.

I just thought I'd jot down that useless boring thought before I went to bed. I'm tired but jazzed up from my game. I hate it when this happens.

I'm out!

New roller hockey season

I am taking off the summer session in the Over30B league as is team Tornados. Which is a good thing because I didn't want them to go from a 6-1-1 season back to a 0-8-0 season without me. Seriously, that's what they were the season before I joined them. And they had lost their first game of our championship season. Since I joined the team, they went undefeated!

YES! I'm that good!

Anyway, my brother plays on an Adult Copper league (18yrs+ of sort of newbie skaters) with some of his Over30B team and they asked me to play with them. I was going to take the season off because the games are so screwy. They don't follow the typical same day every week format. Typically the Copper league plays on Thursdays but because it's condensed the game days will vary. Which sucks.

I am playing just because it's cheap ($60), I don't want to sit out too long before the next major session and I sort of enjoy playing on the same team as my bro. I feed him pass after pass and he misses. I don't usually get a good return pass because I don't think he knows what "pass" means in hockey.

It's all fun though.

Our first game was tonight. I only scored one while I think my bro score 2 or 3. I had about 20 shots on goal again but just couldn't put anything in! It was pissing me off! Anyway, about 5 minutes into the game, I felt a little bad for the team we were playing. Most of the team was, in my honest opinion, below my level of play. I got out there and was skating circles around them.

Yes, I didn't score a whole lot but in no way was it due to the defensive skills of the opposition. The more I got pissed about missing my shots the less I felt bad though. That's probably why I couldn't score. I was trying too hard but I finally got one and that's better than none.

We had a piss poor goalie. He typically plays forward or defense on an Over30A team but he subs as goalie as needed. We scored six on the opposition but they scored six too. They really didn't score so much as our goalie let the pucks go in.

I guess that's how the shit flows though. Like I said, it's all in fun right now because it's only six games with no playoffs. Basically, it's like playing adult pick-up.

It's good to be playing still. Something to do besides just sit around and vegitate!

A roller hockey CHAMPION!

Finally, after five seasons of Over30B roller hockey, I am on a championship team!

I can retire a winner now!

Can't think of a good title...

The sister-in-law came over again today. They were going to swim and almost didn't because my wife and her sister were being pretty lazy. I was too but I had to play a hockey game at 7 p.m. and didn't want to tire myself. Around 5 p.m, they finally took the kids to swim. James Michael was still at my place and the kids asked him to go and he eventually did. I would have but I had to leave for my hockey game around 6 p.m. and if I swam it would tire my legs which would have been no good for my roller hockey game.

I was getting my stuff together around 5:50 p.m. and my wife calls on my cell phone telling me the kids want me to see them dive before I leave. So, I walk about a block to the pool, taking my camera with me. I get there and they are all excited and get out of the pool ready to dive from the side into the deep end. This is why people should have kids: the pure excitement and joy they express at the little and big things. Anyway, after about 20 minutes of snapping pictures of the kids, I told them I had to get on my way to my game. It was about 6:20 p.m. now and the rink is about 15-20 minutes away depending on the traffic.

James Michael decides he wants to go with me so we get all my stuff together, jump in my Jeep and are on our way when I realize I have a voice mail. I check my vmail while I'm about to get on the highway service road and it's the coach of the team I play on. Turns out, the team we were playing forfeited. It is Fourth of July weekend so I'm sure they had a tough time with people showing. Not a problem for me. I am more than willing to take an easy win. With this win, we are automatically into the final championship game on Thursday the 7^th. That'll be almost two weeks I haven't skated. I don't know if that's good or bad.

I turn my Jeep around and we unload all the stuff and go back into my place.

Now, I am supposed to play in another game at 10 p.m. for my Over30A league team but I don't think I'm going to play. It's about 9:30 p.m. right now and I don't feel like getting out. If I was already there, it would have been different. Also, I don't much like playing with that team. It's nice to play on a team with my brother and friend but the other guys aren't reliable and they don't know how to play as a team. They don't pass. They want to be one-man gangs and try to win it all on their own. That's why we were 2 wins, 5 losses and 1 tie — the worst team in the four-team league. Lucky thing there are only four teams, so we all made the playoffs which is what this game is tonight - the second game of the playoffs. Remember I missed the first one because I was in the ER with my brother.

Anyhoo, needless to say I made the executive decision to not go. Instead, I'll stay up until around midnight to rest up for tomorrow at my friend Keith's for a Fourth of July cookout and swim party.

My team is victorious!

Both of the roller hockey teams that I play on won their games.

The first game wasn't too hard. Our opponent only had four players and they were pretty much gassed by the end of the second period. They still played hard but when we had five people and they had four, at least we had someone to swap out with for a quick rest. I played about 30 of the 33 minutes. I'm just an iron man!

The second game was a little more important. It would decided whether or not our team would be first place or not. In fact, it was against the team my brother plays on. So, to win our game was more important just for bragging rights. I mean I always knew I was the better player but I proved it tonight. I got two goals and an assist. My brother barely got an assist. That's what we call shutting down the player! Booyah! Anyway, it was a good clean game. Very enjoyable to play.

The playoffs start next week. We play a team a couple of my friends play on. We beat them before so hopefully we'll do it again. If all goes the way we think, we'll be in the finals probably playing the same team we played tonight.

I will be victorious...I hope!

Busy day and a long night

I should have started my paper way before today but I didn't. So shoot me! I tried to start my paper before I had my busy day but I knew it was going to be a long night anyway. I got up around 11 a.m. to start the paper but it didn't start out very well or very fast. I tried but I was lacking much needed motivation.

I had a hockey game at 5 p.m. and then another at 8 p.m. That pretty much screwed my afternoon/evening for working on my paper. My wife told me I should skip hockey. Not just 'No' but "HELL NO!" I don't miss things I paid for. Well, technically I didn't pay for it. I sort of swindled my brother into paying for it. Long story that I won't go into right now.

Anyway, my team lost the first hockey game. I play with my brother and my friend along with others I don't know personally. We played well. We just got beat by a team with a better goalie.

My second hockey game, I am on a team with no friends or relatives. I'm pretty much their best player other than this other guy. But without, me it would be just him and they wouldn't be as good. In fact, they lost their first game before I joined the team and they have been undefeated since I joined the team. That's just how good I am! Lol! So, we obviously won the second game. I had two goals and an assist. I'm a madman hockey player.

I got home, took a shower and began to work on my paper with my wife. She helped me out quite a bit, in fact. She went to bed around 11 p.m. I am still up working on my paper. I'm going to be a tired son of a bitch tomorrow/today.

How do you know when you are fat?

Is it when your front pockets on your black pants flare when you are standing, exposing the white pocket insides that are typically only seen when you turn the pockets inside out?

Is it when another fat guy calls you fat boy?

The first one I think I'm getting close to but I think the dryer is slowly shrinking my clothes with each drying. Shut up! That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

The second one happened to me today during my first roller hockey game. I was playing in my Over30A league - A is supposed to mean they are better and cleaner players but that is not the case. Anyway, I was standing near my goalie playing defense when a guy from the other team crosschecks me in the back. I turn around and tell him "dude, why you gotta play like that because you aren't going to score anyway?" For some reason the whistle to stop play is blown and this ass face comes up to me and puts his glove in my face. I rear back with my left arm and punch him in the chest knocking him to the ground. He gets up all pissy having a hissy fit and gesturing to me to "come on, lets fight." I was like "come on man, bring it on you dumb ass!" The refs step between us and give us both matching penalties. That was bullshit because he should have gotten double the infractions. Anyway, on the way to the penalty box, this piss ant is still jawing and starts name calling. He's calling me "fat boy, fat fuck, fat ass." I understand being pissed and frustrated but I'm wondering where this is coming from because aren't we "over 30" and he's just as 'fat' as I am. Dumb ass! We are sitting in our penalty boxes and he's still going on. He starts asking if my mother is fat, my father and blah, blah, blah. I was so shocked that all I could do is just laugh. I'd expect this from a child, an adolescent but a supposed working-class over 30 year old? I just laughed and I think it pissed him off more. I finally got a word in during his rant and asked him "how old are you dip shit? You are acting like a kid!" I wanted to sink to his level and call his mother names but I just couldn't bring myself out of the shock of such an ignorant fuck! I told him "dude, why are you so mad? Because this fat fuck shut your ass down!?" Oh man, you should have seen him get his little red-necked ass even more red. I was laughing so hard. He threatened to hurt me in the last minute of the game - "full contact" he said. I told him he should grow up but if he did indeed try something he didn't know who he was messing with. I told him I would find out where he lived and I would kill him and his family. That was the first time he shut the fuck up and said, "What did you say?" A question instead of a ranting statement? Amazing! I said, "Forrest, you heard me!" He now was like a babbling idiot, repeating "What did you say? What did you say?"

I just smiled and thought to myself..."I'm pudgy you dumb bastard, not fat! PUDGY!"

In the end, he didn't try anything in the last minute and when the game was done (my team won) all members of each team skated and tapped gloves saying "good game, man." I fully expected him to try something then but it didn't happened. He too tapped my glove and said "good game."

The sad thing is is that he had his children there. They came to the penalty box after he had time to calm down and asked him why he got a penalty. What was he going to say "because he's an ignorant ass that isn't setting a good example for his children?"

The moral of the story...if you say things in anger, don't say things you don't really mean. Apparently, he was just too involved in the game and was frustrated for his team losing. I, on the other hand, was calm, cool and collected. Although like I said, I really would have hunted him down if he had injured me in any way.

Eye for an eye. That's the way it should be!

Damn, I'm tired

The title says it all but that's what I get for staying up late, getting up early and playing tennis for three hours for the first time in a long time.

I decided to play tennis today because it has been a long time since the last time. No, it is not because I am a lazy ass. I admit that. It is because I broke my middle toe on my right foot about 3-4 weeks ago doing something foolish that I won't bother to explain.

I've been playing roller hockey on my broken toe but it is different because the boot of the skate is solid and doesn't allow my foot to bend. My tennis shoes on the other hand allow this bending which is very uncomfortable and painful, at times.

Anyway, I've been bored on my Saturday morning because I've played tennis just about every Saturday (only missing here and there for various reasons) for the last 10+ years.

I used to play Sundays as well but my wife got pissy about all the time I had to myself on the weekend mornings to do what I wanted while she was home, all alone, with the kids not getting to do what she wanted to do. Wah! Wah! So, like the good, whipped husband I am, I caved and no longer play tennis on Sunday mornings. Of course, now I play roller hockey on Sunday evenings! Woohoo, for me!

Nah, really I stopped playing on Sundays because one of my friends goes to church so he isn't out there to play. The only reason it's important for him to be there is because I enjoy having the opportunity to peg him with a tennis ball when he's on the other side of the net. We're good friends, huh? It's all in fun. I would genuinely be concerned if I hurt him but, come on, it's a friggin' tennis ball. At most, he'll get a bruise.

Also, my wife wanted to be able to go to church. Now, my not being there didn't keep her from going on her own with the kids but that's the point...she wanted me to go with them as a "family." Holy crikees! Like my kids really care if I'm there or not. Not the point, really. Perception is the key. If I think it's important, they'll think it's important. I won't go into why I don't think it's entirely important. Save that for another blog entry, another day.

So, back to the tennis...It was enjoyable. I didn't push too hard like I wanted to and would have if I didn't have a good handle on my urges to run down a drop shot or a lob. Unfortunately, it started raining but not before I got to play for a few hours.

It was really refreshing to be able to be in the hot, humid air of Texas playing tennis. Ah, good times.