Fly, Little Monkey, Fly!

Good news! My co-ed team, the Dirty Martinis, won the championship! The other team in the final, the Grinders, are actually very cool and were not shout-y and mean like the one in the playoffs. The game was just as tight though. It was 0-0 for a while, then 1-0, 1-1, overtime, and after no one scored in the 15 minutes OT we went to a shoot-out. Two of our guys scored, and only one of theirs, so we won! It was very exciting. That was the first time one of my seasonal teams won the championship. My one other winning experience was last January when my tournament team, the Hot Flashes, won our division. It is a very satisfying feeling, especially since my soccer team in high school never even won a game. I am used to being on underdog teams. VERY underdog teams. I'm all about the underdogs.

My co-ed team is great- we are about 50-50 male and female, so truly co-ed. The guys pass to the women and much of our defense are women, so it's not like one of those teams where they don't trust or include the women. We party before, (sometimes during) and after the game, so it's a lot of fun. We definitely cheer like crazy for each other, stick up for each other on the ice (sometime too much!), and enjoy each other's company. It's the kind of team you want to be a part of. (I would also say my Lady Kings team is like that too. Great women who appreciate each other and are super-supportive. Of course, 5-6 of us are on both teams.) The Dirty Martinis is also where I got my latest hockey nickname- Monkey. Monkey seems like a pretty popular hockey nickname, but it's the first one to really stick with me. I love it when I can hear my teammates yell "Go monkey!" when I'm on the ice. It's inspiring. I've had a handful of nicknames before- Garbage Girl (for picking up rebounds), Dirt (for picking up ice scum on my hockey socks sliding around), Ketchup (because I'm # 57), and Flypaper (covering the point). I think I got Monkey because when I'm on the bench I get excited and say, "Ooo ooo ooo ooo OOO!" I also kind of flail my arms around when I skate, and act silly. Monkey is a great nickname because it gives you license to act goofy and make funny noises and not care what you look like when you throw yourself around on the ice. I really do give it all I've got when I'm out there, and it's not exactly my most graceful moments that are the most effective.

It's lunchtime at work right now, and the reason I'm writing is that I'm having a panic attack. I don't know if it's work, or something health related, or personal, or what. I am very busy at work, so that could be a factor. Last Wednesday, I think, I was feeling really sad about my brother without really knowing why. We talked about awareness and meditating in therapy on Tuesday. Wednesday I went to a Kings game so that's why I didn't finish blogging. My boyfriend had to work so we had a girls night. It was a lot of fun. It just feels like a strange week for some reason. It may become more clear this weekend why I'm feeling odd. Right now I'm just trying to breathe and calm down so I can get through the day.