Kickball

The Dolls and Balls (actually 'Dolls n Balls' but I refuse to not spell 'and' out) won our first game last night. I cannot believe just how fun playing kickball really is. I'm not sure if it would be as fun if our team wasn't so great. Sure, we are decent kickball players, but when I say great, I mean as a bunch of people. We worked together as a cohesive unit. Everyone was helping out, cheering and generally working together. It was a great display of teamsmanship, if I do say so myself.

I wish I was as savvy a sports blogger as some I know, and could go into great detail about what happened, but I cannot. Here are the most salient details of game one, in my humble opinion (that means they are all about me, just so you know!):

1. We won!
2. As second base person I got tons of people out, which rocked.
3. I jammed my finger, which sucked. I'll be sure to take a picture and post it cause it is NASTY!
4. I have a tendency to kick right to the pitcher, which means I get out; however, I am getting better with my tactical kickball kicking skills.
5. Did I mention that we won?!

I am really looking forward to game two next week. Here's hoping it isn't rained out...

Bug Bites Can Be Bad

Last Thursday was a beautiful day, so I ate lunch outside and sat outside after work. At some point in the evening, I received what ended up being quite a bug bite (you'll see why). I first noticed said bug bite when it began to itch. I slathered on my trusty anti-itch gel that I have to have sent to me from overseas (they don't sell it in a gel form in the US. You can, however, get a prescription for it in a liquid suspension). This anti-itch stuff is amazing. It is a gagillion times better than any anti-itch stuff you can buy in the US. I first discovered it on a trip to Italy where I hosted a Suzanne Buffet for the local mosquitoes (thank god I didn't get roman fever, not that I think they still have malaria in Italy), and I've been hooked ever since.

Anyway, I digress. I used the gel, but my neck welt still itched. I used more and went to sleep. The next morning, it itched, but when I scratched it, it sort of hurt. I put more gel on it. Throughout the next day or so, it bothered me. At some point, I scratched it and a sort of crusty center came off. After that it sort of stopped itching. I remember thinking this was odd -- mosquito bites normally don't have crusty centers like say spider bites do, but spider bites don't normally itch. The weekend progressed, and the welt got bigger. By Sunday night there was a red line radiating out of the quarter sized welt on my neck. I now have what I think is a case of what I think is blood poisoning.

I don't know why I never get normal illnesses like, oh say a cold, but I don't. I get weird things like hot tub rash and a fructose malabsorption disorder. I went to the doctor yesterday, and he prescribed an antibiotic that will get rid of everything from "lyme disease and rocky mountain fever to staph or other skin infections." He didn't diagnose me with blood poisoning, but clearly there is some sort of subcutaneous infection. I guess I can just say that I have a neck infection. Lovely.

Deal Breakers

I was recently asked what my deal breakers were (in regards to dating, of course). At the time, I couldn't think of any. I tend to be reasonably positive, so I don't usually think in terms of what I can't stand (although somehow I always end up being reasonably superficial in the end!). Since this question was posed, I have been more aware of my deal breakers, so here they are, in no particular order:

1. Lying. I think all my dating posts make this one clear. I can't stand liars!
2. Being 'anti-choice.' I say this with one caveat: if you don't really feel strongly about this issue, and we disagree it probably isn't a big deal, but if that were the case, the issue would most likely not come up. For instance, I have no clue what my father thinks about this, even though I am very aware of his stance on other social issues.
3. Being allergic and/or disliking cats (or pets, for that matter). I've done this, and I am not doing it again.
4. Making comments about my neighborhood. For some odd reason, men feel compelled to make comments on where I live. If you are not my father, you don't get a say on where I live. Heck, my father doesn't even get a say. I don't understand why so many guys I go out with think they can say something about this from the outset. Considering they are 'wooing me,' as it were, you'd think they'd know enough to keep snide comments about my neighborhood to themselves. I even had one man suggest I be sure to lock my car doors whilst driving in my neighborhood so as to not get car jacked. I am unaware of any car jackings in my neighborhood, but people have this horrible perception that if an area is predominantly black, it is dangerous, and it pisses me off.
5. Suggesting my pet bunnies be made into rabbit stew and/or bringing up how yummy rabbit stew is around me. I don't get it, but for whatever reason rabbit stew is what the majority of men I meet bring up when they discover I have pet rabbits. I've never had rabbit stew. Who knew it was so prolific amongst American males. Bottom line, joking about eating my bunnies just isn't funny. It wasn't funny when my dad said it years ago, and it still isn't funny.

That's it. Those are the five things that I CANNOT stand. If I have not fallen in love with you and I discover one of those five things, you are out the door. If, however, I have fallen in love with you and then I discover one of those five things, it may be a different story... Well, except for the lying thing.