Monday, May 26, 2003
Basketball!
Okay, I’ve got a new goal in life. I want to play basketball again! I used to play, when I was in highschool. And at university I played some pickup ball with some friends. It was fun, a good way to stay in shape, and you get to yell at people a lot when you play basketball. Before I discovered eating, it was my favourite way to escape, when painting wasn’t enough.
So where does this come from? Well, it’s a long story, but, that’s the point of this, right?
Saturday, after work we went to a party for a guy who used to work at the gallery and had just come home. Actually, in some ways he’s the guy I replaced. He’d been in England working with some friends from Queen’s who were cataloguing works for one of the museums they have there in the ‘other’ London (as people from London, Ontario call it.) While there he took a few trips to France, Italy, Austria to see some of the museums over there. Lucky lucky guy!
He’s a great guy too. In some ways, he reminds me of Ian. Well, Ian if he were into Art, any weighed 300 lbs less. Thomas is about Ian’s height, and is bright, like Ian is. But he’s more into art than cars and computers. But he’s smart about a lot of stuff, and he just loves to learn.
Anyway, he is Ian’s height, so he played basketball a lot (how Ian never played basketball, I’ll NEVER know!) when he was younger. He even used to enter the ‘street ball’ tournaments before he went over to England. There was one this weekend here in London (Ontario), and he wished he could have played in it. I guess there’s not as much roundball to be found in jolly old England, and he was never good enough at soccer that he wanted to play with the guys there. (Jeri should go to England, I’ll be she’d love it there!)
Anyway, we got talking, about what he’d done in Europe, how I found the gallery, etc. He did bring up the basketball, and how much he loved it, and I mentioned that I used to play, but didn’t miss it all that much. He seemed pretty dumbstruck to discover I played ball. I don’t’ blame him, not a lot of fat chicks play basketball! It requires a lot of lateral movement, starts and stops, balance, and about 50 other things that this body of mine just cannot do.
But talking with him about it made me realise that I DO miss playing basketball. It’s like when Jeri suddenly decided to lose weight so she could start playing soccer again. At the time, I didn’t quite get it. Certainly when I got to 460 pounds, I understood her complaints about being uncomfortable with the weight. My threshold was just a little higher than hers.
So, while I’m losing weight for a few reasons, I think playing basketball again is my number one reason. Well, co-number one. Well, it’s an important reason, and it’s put the fire in my belly again.
I told Thomas how I used to play, why I stopped, and all the things that have been going on in my life. Well not EVERYTHING, but I gave him the quick spiel I have about how I got so fat, and how I’m trying to be not so fat.
He’s like most people, he doesn’t get it. If you’ve never let yourself enjoy being fat, then you’re really depriving yourself. Yes, I’ve had to make sacrifices, but my only regret is letting myself go past 400 lbs.
Anyway, maybe by next summer I’ll have lost enough weight to at least be a ‘bad’ basketball player! And who knows? Maybe I can find some way to get my game into a decent enough shape, surely I’ll be able to pass and shoot okay. I wonder how the refs would call me on charging? I wonder if other players may be surprised at what I can do? Never underestimate your opponent’s ability to underestimate you!
Okay, I’ve got a new goal in life. I want to play basketball again! I used to play, when I was in highschool. And at university I played some pickup ball with some friends. It was fun, a good way to stay in shape, and you get to yell at people a lot when you play basketball. Before I discovered eating, it was my favourite way to escape, when painting wasn’t enough.
So where does this come from? Well, it’s a long story, but, that’s the point of this, right?
Saturday, after work we went to a party for a guy who used to work at the gallery and had just come home. Actually, in some ways he’s the guy I replaced. He’d been in England working with some friends from Queen’s who were cataloguing works for one of the museums they have there in the ‘other’ London (as people from London, Ontario call it.) While there he took a few trips to France, Italy, Austria to see some of the museums over there. Lucky lucky guy!
He’s a great guy too. In some ways, he reminds me of Ian. Well, Ian if he were into Art, any weighed 300 lbs less. Thomas is about Ian’s height, and is bright, like Ian is. But he’s more into art than cars and computers. But he’s smart about a lot of stuff, and he just loves to learn.
Anyway, he is Ian’s height, so he played basketball a lot (how Ian never played basketball, I’ll NEVER know!) when he was younger. He even used to enter the ‘street ball’ tournaments before he went over to England. There was one this weekend here in London (Ontario), and he wished he could have played in it. I guess there’s not as much roundball to be found in jolly old England, and he was never good enough at soccer that he wanted to play with the guys there. (Jeri should go to England, I’ll be she’d love it there!)
Anyway, we got talking, about what he’d done in Europe, how I found the gallery, etc. He did bring up the basketball, and how much he loved it, and I mentioned that I used to play, but didn’t miss it all that much. He seemed pretty dumbstruck to discover I played ball. I don’t’ blame him, not a lot of fat chicks play basketball! It requires a lot of lateral movement, starts and stops, balance, and about 50 other things that this body of mine just cannot do.
But talking with him about it made me realise that I DO miss playing basketball. It’s like when Jeri suddenly decided to lose weight so she could start playing soccer again. At the time, I didn’t quite get it. Certainly when I got to 460 pounds, I understood her complaints about being uncomfortable with the weight. My threshold was just a little higher than hers.
So, while I’m losing weight for a few reasons, I think playing basketball again is my number one reason. Well, co-number one. Well, it’s an important reason, and it’s put the fire in my belly again.
I told Thomas how I used to play, why I stopped, and all the things that have been going on in my life. Well not EVERYTHING, but I gave him the quick spiel I have about how I got so fat, and how I’m trying to be not so fat.
He’s like most people, he doesn’t get it. If you’ve never let yourself enjoy being fat, then you’re really depriving yourself. Yes, I’ve had to make sacrifices, but my only regret is letting myself go past 400 lbs.
Anyway, maybe by next summer I’ll have lost enough weight to at least be a ‘bad’ basketball player! And who knows? Maybe I can find some way to get my game into a decent enough shape, surely I’ll be able to pass and shoot okay. I wonder how the refs would call me on charging? I wonder if other players may be surprised at what I can do? Never underestimate your opponent’s ability to underestimate you!
// posted by Charlotte @ 3:07:00 PM 
