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I recently encountered an intense feeling of déjà vu. In 2009, during preseason with FC Gold Pride I pulled my quad. I was out for three weeks of preseason.

Editors Note: For the record, the only two preseasons I have gotten injured in are the only two preseasons where we haven’t done any straight up running for fitness. My body is so stupid. 

Two weeks ago I sprained my knee during one of our preseason training sessions. Though glad it was only a sprain, I was frustrated as hell that I was experiencing a setback during a time when I felt good.

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Lately I have been fortunate enough to work with some of America's youth… the future of our lovely earth, the only hope I have of a potential retirement plan. I'm a soccer coach. And I think a mentor. But if any of the kids I coach become president, we are surely screwed. Haha. Just kidding. They're great. But I would be scared. Just kidding. For real. I joke a lot. These kids are brilliant. Like way smarter than I ever was. They are really good at soccer. They run faster than I did (do) and understand the game better than I did at that age. And they are only 15 and 16 years old

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"Why do you have a video copy of the 1979 Cotton Bowl?" Yeah, that's a question I get asked sometimes if people take a wander around my bedroom. Usually they comment on things like, I don't know, the 20 photos/posters of myself and possibly the trophy case I carried upstairs and put together by myself from Ikea with no help from anyone.

 

If they are super interested, they always find that video. And if they dig a little more they can find clues as to why I might have that video.

-A notebook full of football cards

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“The scariest moment is always just before you start.”Stephen King – On Writing

Every year for the past 100 or so years, I have embarked on a very simple and stated process during my soccer career: preseason, season, off season. Sometimes one is longer than it should be. Sometimes one goes the entire year. Sometimes they all kind of just overlap each other and feel like a huge blur.

No matter what segment I’m going into though, there’s always the sense of wonderment that comes with the unknown. And yeah, it’s scary.

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Lately I've been asked why I enjoy coaching .... My immediate answers aren't anything deep because deep is reserved for my close friends and the cats. Deep is also reserved for late nights when my blog speaks to me... Begging for something more.

Recently I had our u15 and u16 GCF Academy players write reflections pieces on the first four months of the program. I felt it was a good time for them to give their thoughts on their progress, what they've learned and what they want to continue to improve on

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I have this thing I do where I declare things with an intense authority. Like - Saint Bernards are the cutest dogs ever. Or My grandma makes meatballs better than any other grandma. Or Miracle Whip is the worst thing ever invented.

I just feel very strongly about certain things. I stick to my guns. I know what I know. I like what I like.

With that said, Dorothy Mantooth is a saint! JK. The absolute best kind of pickup soccer is 3v3. And no one can ever change my mind. And here is why. 

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Have you ever had to watch something unravel without being able to stop it? That's what happened to me yesterday while I was juggling. Every touch of the ball made it worse and worse and finally, by 403, my shoelace was completely undone.

I'm a pretty agile 30-year-old. That's what my mom says anyway. (She also claims I should be much better at the timed mile, grrr). But avoiding an undone shoelace has never been a distraction I could easily handle. I'm kind of that kid that stops playing in the dirt because she has dirt on her hands.

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I'm not crazy. (Well, keep reading, I might be a little) I don't listen to all of my sudden urges though. Imagine if I did?

I would be out for 1 am runs quite often. And probably have a white board in my car with things written on them for certain drivers that pass by. And maybe wear my Batman mask through the Dunkin Donuts drive thru. (I'll have a Batte-that was a stretch).

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The last three days have been spent doing the following: Working out (coming back from a ten-day absence due to severe bronchitis and other happenings that were mentioned in previous blogs). It's amazing how only two weeks ago, running felt fabulous. Now, it feels as though someone is playing a sick game of "hide yo lungs".

Finishing the Jim Morrison book. (More on that later)

Watching the NWSL (Twitter) wheel and deal.

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It's come to my attention (mostly through social media) and the occasional human interaction, that many people succumb to having more bad days than good days. It is to my belief that regardless of what happens throughout a day, if a bad thing occurs, it is automatically heralded as a bad day in its entirety.

Things that can contribute to a bad day may include: a flat tire, your dog peeing on your carpet, you stepping in the pee with your socks on, you not having anymore clean socks to wear, Starbucks getting your order wrong, spilling said wrong order on your shirt, traffic making you late for work, your kid forgetting their homework at home and you have to bring it to them, rain, snow, wind, rude customers, rude drivers, rude... every body is rude, and the famous -having to go to work.

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