Yeah, it's hot. Yahoo has us posted at 100 degrees at 8:00 pm. We have our own digital thermo reading set up and it registers 96 degrees. I think once you get over 90, a couple degrees here or there makes no difference. It's been hot to say the least. All last week was in the 100's with indexes reaching a few degrees higher. I can say though, I don't think humidity has been that bad. It's been so damn hot, you can't really tell the humidity. When we first moved in, our thermostat reading was kept at about 72 degrees by the previous owner (or maybe that was the contractor since he was here for about two months). Once we got moved in we were all freezing. We were bundled up as if it were December in Virginia. It did take a few days to figure out the thermostat was designed to function on different cooling zones during the day. Early am was set at 74 degrees, later in the day was set at 72 degrees and then evening was set at something else. We finally, after being in the house for a few days and freezing, figured out we needed to reset the cooling times. We pretty much have it adjusted to 74 degrees for the entire day. Today, however, after seeing 104 degrees on our thermostat, the house reading was at 76, i think. But we still felt great. Even enough to occasionally have to put on a light jacket.
Last Wednesday was the last time I was able to take Taylor and Hale to the pool before school starts Monday. Yes this Monday. A full two weeks earlier than in Virginia. It was almost too hot to be at the pool. I'm not one of those types that likes to get into the public pool. Too many kids without diapers for me. I had no choice. The sweat starting dripping every fifteen minutes or so and I had no choice but to cool off. If not we would have left after 30 minutes.
So in today's heat, we had Taylor's first soccer game. It was a 3:30 game in a series of fields with not the first indication of shade. These fields are flanked on either side by corn fields. Made me feel a little like I was back in Virginia. When we left was when the thermostat reading was at 104 (which i have a picture of). At the field it was 102. We've had some reservations about this team Taylor is on since the beginning. The team started out as the Woodchips, then the coach decided he'd move the kids to a different club called Swanner United. Swanner appears to be a better club, but the coach is still the same. The team only has 11 girls. And U13 soccer plays 11 v 11. So easy mathematics tell you all 11 girls play all the time. We just made our club fees check out to, guess who, the coach. Normally we make a check to a club or league. He explained in order to get a checking account in the name of the club required incorporation and this was too much trouble for him to do. Yes, I know major red flags. But after many bend over and smile experiences in St. Louis so far, we're keeping our eyes open.
If you've read any previous blog postings, you'll know that alcohol is the preferred beverage in this town regardless of the extreme heat. The games were running a little over today so Tom and I made our way to the side lines to wait for the previous team to finish their game. We set up our chairs to wait for prime midfield spots. It's just to the two of us. We don't take up much room. So as the previous team is finishing here come St. Louis rednecks out of the mill works. They swoop in behind us like birds of prey (which are many here, perched high in their own concrete jungle feeding on pigeons). Just like the rest of St. Louis, do what you can to get ahead (or make a buck) without thinking of who you might screw over. Yeah it's a small thing, not a big deal unless everyday you got screwed over one way or another. As soon as the past game's parents are packed up and gone they jump right into our territory, midfield.
Back to the booze. As we're sitting there waiting for the game to start, I here that familiar pop of a carbonated drink open. I glance up and the woman next to me (the redneck bird of prey woman) has popped open a beer. I'm sorry to stereotype people, but I come from a family of proud rednecks so I think I'm an expert at identifying them. She fit the description. She's drinking a beer at her daughter's soccer game. There's nothing more redneck than that. I don't even think my family would do that. Not in public anyway. She wasn't worried about hiding it. I guess there again, that may be the culture around here. The list of classifying redneck traits...beer drinking at your daughter's soccer game, smoking at a sport were normally smoking is not acceptable, the Dale Earnhardt Junior Umbrella, the demin cut off shorts (sorry Tammy), the tattoo of a wolf on your too small bicep (the husband), the foul language regardless of who may be around and the nonstop talk of how good our daughter is, even though she is already at age 12 about 20 pounds over weight. Oh, don't let me forget the echo of "air you go". Maybe not as prevalent as in Virginia, but still heard it even in the Midwest. Kaeli, that was for you! But this couple seemed to have a following. There were plenty of people hanging around them. I never would have imagined. I tried to make my talk small, so as not to appear stuck up but was very annoyed by them. Oh the drama ensues.
This was Taylor's first game, with a new team, in a new state...a guess what. She scored the first goal of the game by either team. Yes I said that right. She scored the first goal of the game. It was awesome. I know it made her feel good and it built her confidence for the rest of the game. She was close at two other goals but was denied. Her team went on to win, 3-0. Her last two seasons in Virginia, they only won 2 games. That's two seasons, not just one. She was growing frustrated understandably. I think what she never grasped was that her first year she was younger than the rest of the kids minus two and was added in and then the next season those three were teamed with a group of new kids to form a completely new team again. Kids don't understand you need time to work as a team to understand what each other is thinking. Or maybe that may not be the case. This team today, with little time to practice all together at any one time, did pretty damn awesome. Who can say what it is. All i know is she did a great job today and she made her parents very proud of her. That goal is what it took to prove to these kids in this over privilege society that she can do just as good as they can if not better. She's been turned away by some of the better clubs for bulls**t reasons. And sometimes i wonder about her own intentions with the game, but either way she can play and if she wanted it bad enough she could blow all of these a**holes away.
So, 9:23 pm and it's now 92 degrees. SAHARA HEAT!
Any of you who know Hale go to crown-ridge.com. This will be her ultimate experience. I'm going to do the Siberian VIP tour with her and then eat some buffalo!
Sorry for the long get away. Have been busy home decorating and pool escaping. Will post pictures soon.
Taylor's soccer team website is swannerunited.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment