So...I picked up my flute today after almost two weeks of not practicing. You know...the cold sore, then the strep. I sound better than I thought I would.

Got a heck of a lot of music to learn before the recital, though.

My life is being crazy. I kind of like it, kind of not. I need to get some sleep...

The scrimmage was spectacular! The atmosphere was reminiscent of Tally. I don't think I've had that much fun since the first day of league! Lots of people, enjoying each other, enjoying the sport, marveling at magnificent plays, rooting for our teams, great weather, and no jerks!!! (unless I was a jerk and didn't realize it...it's possible. Plausible even.) We will definitely be doing that again.

-----------------------------------------------------

Take a risk, take a risk, take a risk for once in your life.

Take a risk.


...I did!

Man, those redeye flights are rough. I'm back in T-ville, and the scrimmage is only a few hours away! I feel about 70% healed from strep, but sadly, I really don't feel up to playing yet. But you'd better bet that I'll be there! Wouldn't miss it for the world.

(Well...maybe the world.)

Go Titusville Ultimate!!

Long story short: I made it to Phoenix, I found a beautiful apartment, but the process was excruciating because I have strep throat. My throat hurts so much that I can't even describe it. You don't realize how much you swallow until you have a sharp pain in your throat every time you do it.

I went to a walk-in clinc here and got me some drugs to kill this sucker. I reeeeeeally hope I'm well enough on Sunday to play in the scrimmage. I have been looking forward to it for a long time.

Wow, I haven't been blogging very much lately, have I? There's not really much to report, and I really don't have a lot of free time, I guess that's why.

This weekend I'm going to Phoenix to find my roommate and me an apartment. I am so excited to go back there. You all know how much I loved it the first time. And since my mom is going with me, she'll get to see what I've been yammerin' about all this time.

It's a little late, but happy father's day. I would just like to point out the fact that my dad is cooler than your dad, and that is evidenced by the fact that my entire quotes section on facebook is made up of dad quotes. And it's been that way...eh, like, 7 or 8 months now.

Yankees are being bad lately. Get better.

Ultimate is still awesome.

It hurts when I build up a relationship with a guy, and when he finds out that I don't want to date him, he doesn't want to even be friends anymore. What the hell, guys. There is more than one kind of relationship in this world.

The Ladder Theory

They'll never admit it. But actions speak louder than words.

Today I was bored at work (d'habitude), and for no particular reason I started to rearrange the letters in my name to make up new names. I couldn't think of any really good ones, but this is what I've got:

Alley Shaths (or Ally Sheaths)
Alyse Thachls
Lyssa Hethal
Lea Stahlshy
Shyla Thales
Tessah Hally

I am so cool.

Oh, and I have solar dermatitis (insert David Letterman's "WWHAT?....WHAT?"). If you're gonna have a disease, might as well have one with a cool name, that's what I always say.
(+cold sore, my skin is NOT havin' it this week).

My cold sore friend is back, right where it likes to do the most damage. Thanks, friend!

And if while wandering on that way
Waves crashing so serene
The palm trees a-sway
Your eyes a moonlit green

I took ahold of your hand
Held it right there in mine
Barefoot, both of us on the sand
While the stars above us shine

I woke up to find a watch on my wrist, going off. Bleepety-bleep! Bleepety-bleep! Bleepety-bleep!. I never wear a watch to bed...how did it get there? And suddenly I hear a voice in my head, enunciating his words like a game show host, almost egging me on:
"You hear that sound, Ashley? That means you have a few minutes left. Many people graduate each day. Now all we have to do is to decide whether you're reborn or unborn."

I was going to die.

I woke up in terror, total complete terror. I can't remember a dream ever leaving me so scared, even when I woke up and realized that it was all a dream. Because the dream seemed so real.
I mean, in the dream, I was in my bed, where I was in real life. I could still remember the exact evil voice that I heard, the exact sound that the watch made. And that he said that people "graduate" instead of die, and that I would be reborn or unborn. What does that even mean? The message was a little like The Ring, except instead of having 7 days, I had more like 7 minutes.

I was so scared that I was going to die soon, so scared. I heard my dad out in the dining room, and I jumped out of bed just to go and talk to him and calm down. He seemed to think that it was funny that I had a nightmare. But let me tell you, I'm not someone who gets spooked very easily, and I seriously thought I was going to die.

Worst dream ever.

Sigh...it's so easy to just not practice.

Warning: if you don't care about ultimate and/or don't like long posts with no point, don't read this one. Don't say I didn't warn you.

SO SORE

So. Tournament. It was awesome like I knew it would be. Despite more playing time, I still only scored two points...but they both meant a lot. One was the only point we scored in a game that we lost 15-1, and the other point was epic. Allow me to explain:

My team beat team Zissou, the other team from Tallahassee and for all purposes our rivals. We beat them. Again. And not by universe point this time.

My second point contribution was made during the game against them. I made cut to go long, and, amazingly, a teammate actually threw it to me. It was a great throw. I ran down the entire field, out-running my defender, and caught it in the endzone. That blasted us into halftime with a 3-point lead. I've gotta admit, it felt good. I kept telling my teammates, "I can do things too!...sometimes." Ya know, cause usually I don't really do much. It's not that I'm bad, it's just that everyone is better than me.

My team went 3-4 and we got second place in the B bracket. We went home with silver medals. Sometimes I played well, sometimes I didn't. Everyone's going to have a little bit of both. And I'm still learning.

I was born with no talent for this sport. Practically everyone in the world has more raw material, more potential, than me. That means that I have earned all the skill that I have right now. And that makes the good things that I happen to do--the D's, the catches, even good marking choices--all the more meaningful. I earned the ability to run down that disc. Why shouldn't I celebrate and write all about it in my blog?

Throughout the weekend, though, I was a little disappointed at the low level of sportsmanship. This tournament in particular was built around an emphasis on good spirit, but at this one in particular I heard more complaining, bad-mouthing, jeering, fighting and heckling than ever before. One team even got kicked out because they started a fight...twice. Throwing punches. At some points I was even appalled at my own team's behavior.

I had a good time at the party on Saturday night. We didn't stay there long, but while we did I got some good "Dr. Phil" advice from the guys on a situation I am (and have been) having. Guys are good like that.

I realized why I never get tired when I play pickup in Titusville. It's because I don't actually play. When I went to this tournament, I have to run my hardest at all times. And boy did I get tired! After two points--or even one long one--I was done, ready to sub out.
And I realized that when I play pickup, I almost never run as hard as I can. I don't have to. But these tournament people...they're serious. They're ripped, and they want it. I guess that's why they say that tournaments make you better. You have to really push yourself to keep up with these players. It's good for you.

Okay, I'm still tired and sore so I'm-a gonna go sleep right now. Bye dudes.

I'm baaack!!!!

I'm dead :(

I'm even leaving sunday secrets for tomorrow. I'll tell you about the tourney tomorrow. It's bedtime.

Note to self: It's probably not a good idea to go play pickup as soon as you get home from a tournament.

Welp, the day has finally come. I have been constantly subduing the urge to go on and on about this tournament, and now I don't have to anymore because it's here!

In a couple hours, I leave for another ultimate tournament--Sunshine State Games in Lakeland. I love tournaments! And it looks like I'll have more playing time at this one because we are only taking four girls (so I'll play half the time, roughly). This is Ashley 5.0 playing this time, not only with more speed and endurance than ever before, but finally with a little confidence!

Our first game is against Arladon's team, so we'll see how that goes. :)

I love this sport.

I'll be back on Sunday...
SMELL YA LATER.

Resting the body, resting the soul. One more day!

I'm reading this book right now by Garrison Keillor called "The Book of Guys" and it's really hilarious:

"Women know all about life and social life and how to get along with others, and they are sensitive to beauty, and at the same time they can yell louder. They know all about guys, having been exposed to guy life and guy b.s. since forever, and guys know nothing about girls except that they want one desperately. Which gender is better equipped to manipulate the other?"

This is how I will be playing ultimate next year:



(Yes, you SHOULD be jealous.)

I'm getting swept up in Magic fever. It's the closest professional sports team to my home, and I used to go to Orlando for youth orchestra every week and when I went to see a musical...so I can kinda say that I live there, allright??

The more I watch basketball, the more similarities I see between that sport and ultimate. The passing game, the blocks, the cuts, hucks (3 pt shot)...all of it is eerily similar.

Oh, and one more thing--there's something in basketball called a field goal. Now correct me if I'm wrong here, but there's no field and no goals in the sport of basketball...they definitely stole that term from some other sport.

I believe in Magic!

Things are not REALLY falling into place just yet...but they will (or I will eat my head! [ten points to whoever can name that character {or even which book he's from}])

HEY GUYS SCHUBERT WAS 5'1"

You know you're a nerd when the highlight of your day is learning about an awesome new fingering for high E.

Dang man, ultimate frisbee is the shiznit. You'd better believe it.

1:42amSteven
you could email them and ask for an away message... but they will probably say
you DO have a status that people can see
which is true

1:43amAshley
yeah
true
or they would say
HEY I'M FACEBOOK AND I'M STUPID

It's a Sigur Ros type night.
Have had too much time. Have been thinking too much.

Don't want to be alone.







(You can't be alone with this band.)

These kids...sigh

So I was at work today listening to NPR as usual, and what came on but the famous Dances by Susato (even if you're not a musician, you might recognize these if you heard them). It got me thinking about the evolution of dance music, from Susato to comtemporary techno that they play in clubs nowadays. They're not so different you know, each with a very strong beat center and a clear and simple melody.
For as long as man has had instruments, he has been playing music, and for as long as man has been playing music, he has been dancing to it.

It was a good day at work. Later on they played Borodin's "In the Central Steppes of Asia", which is my absolute favorite piece of music. I don't have a problem saying that it's my favorite--it's just so beautiful, so evocative. I like to completely ignore the fact that it's a programmatic piece and just get lost in the colors and harmonies.
The piece means something different to me every time that I hear it (something similar happens when I listen to Adagio for Strings). This time, I heard the journey that relationships (mostly friendship, including romantic relationships, because as I have said before, relationships are a type of friendship) between people take. We meet people. We're shy at first. But eventually (hopefully!) we build up a glorious friendship, mutually gratifying for both parties, the glory of which cannot be described in words, but can be attempted through music.

I lead two lives. They're very different. One is in Titusville. The other is in Tallahassee (soon to be Pheonix). For years now I have been saying goodbye to one or the other every couple months. I have to leave all of my friends and family behind MANY times. And though some partings are inexplicably more painful than others, they're never easy. Just a few weeks ago, I had to say goodbye--permanently--to one of these lives. Everything, whether it had lasted for four years or was recently discovered, was left behind.

"In the Steppes of Central Asia" paints this. By the end of the piece, you know that the end is coming. Just as all relationships (okay...99% of relationships) come to an end eventually. The glory of the music dies slowly away, and the glory of friendship dies slowly away. We don't mean for this to happen, of course, but it happens nonetheless. Eventually all we have left is a memory of the good times and the changes that these good times have made on us. Ultimately, both music and friendships are ephemeral.

"My flower is ephemeral," the little prince said to himself, "and she has only four thorns with which to defend herself against the world! And I've left her all alone where I live!"

It's not easy.

I'm having a good time.

My dad came and watched me play some ultimate yesterday. He enjoyed it. It made me happy.

It's funny. My dad didn't come to my senior flute recital last year because he "didn't want to drive that far just to see me play flute"...but he will drive up to Titusville to watch me play some casual pick-up with my friends. Oh dad...

Ultimate Serenity with the 'villains, it doesn't get any better than that.

I thought I had known them so very well
But you learn so much more when with them you dwell
So here I will pen
Some lines about men
And all that I've learned, I will tell

They all play the computer game they call WOW
And tease each other about it--somehow!
They'll all go and build
A place in a guild
But they're not addicted, they'll avow.

They talk about cars at least once an hour
That topic with them never seems to sour
A car will drive by
They'll let out a cry!
The class! The handling! The POWER!

Apparently a car can make a girl hot
(I've never really cared about which car I've got!)
Masculine and girly,
Sexy and burly
Over favorite cars, they'll argue a lot

T'was news to me when I discovered they approve
Of when a girl that likes them makes the first move
(They were appalled at my lack
Of knowledge on that fact!
And now my knowledge has improved.)

About lovely girls they converse a great deal
But not very much about how they feel!
They'll talk about who's hot
(Not much about who's not)
And go on to describe their ideal

They gossip somewhat more than you'd guess
Each other, relationships, and sports they address
Always needling their friends
And it never offends!
And conversations, well--they can digress

All of them have a dirty mind
After all, they're men--it's a trait of their kind.
They'll take what I say
Twist it every which way
Some more than others, I find.

Being the only girl, it's not very good
When they don't filter as I feel they should
They talk about their parts
Don't conceal their farts--
There are times I would leave if I could!

They all enjoy a really good fight
The short ones are always self-conscious of their height
"Getting the girls" as they say
(As if we were prey!!)
Is something in which they all delight

There is much more that I could say
But to write this poem would take all day!
So don't think I'm dumb
Or some kind of bum
When I tell you that I'm on my way!

-Ashley "the token girl" Stale

I need you now more than before.