Urban Kickball and Other Ways To Get In Trouble

Before I forget, I just had the following conversation:

Random Woman In My Building: "Wow. Has anyone ever told you you're tall?"
Me (drowsily, due to lack of coffee): "Nope. You're the first."
RWIMB: "Really?"

It's that easy folks.

The weekend was a fairly eventful one, although it did illustrate that I may be approaching an age in which I don't appreciate college-kid type shenanigans as much as I used to. I felt old a bit more often than I care for, and that has never been a comfortable feeling for me in the first place. I'm quite sure that my relative level of consumption (compared to alumni games past -- also compared to my doubles table tennis partner) contributed to that. But I had to get up early(ish) the next morning to celebrate momhood, so what are you gonna do? Kudos to my sister on an amazing Mother's Day brunch.

Four dozen alums or so showed up for the game and festivities this weekend which was some kind of record. Of those 40-odd people, three are getting married this summer. And of those three, two were taken out on the town for a joint bachelor party on the Friday night preceding the game. The highlight of night, the (unintentional?) brainchild of Sebbylite, was Urban Kickball. Followed closely by Urban Four Square. The rules of Urban Kickball are simple:

Materials needed:
*Rowdy and/or drunken people (usually males)
*Kickball (standard issue)
*Urban setting
*Optional: cops and/or security guards

Rules (let's call them loose guidelines):
*Boot ball from sidewalk to sidewalk, preferably over semi-busy city streets, with occassional bank shots off of tall office buildings
*Avoid cops and/or security guards
*Use occassional "back heels" and "through balls" to fain interest/competence in soccer methodologies
*Headers encouraged
*Avoid injury
*Occassionally whip ball at other people with great force which upon striking them shall render them "out"
*Oh yeah...drink a lot

By the way, there are no repercussions for being "out" except for the slightly increased ridicule coming from the other "players". I say slightly increased because there is usually a standard baseline level of ridicule going on at all times when this group is together. Urban kickball was a rousing success, and I hope to play it again soon. Amazingly, there was a 14-way tie for first place during this, the first annual Urban Kickball Invitational.

As usual, the best part of the weekend was getting to see a bunch of people that you were extremely and intensely close with at one point in your life, in the way that being in college and competing in a team sport makes you. I pity anyone who has never had a chance to experience that kind of closeness. Truly. And seeing each other again ove a 40 or two brings it all back, climaxing in a messy, karaoke-fueled, hug-fest at the end of the night when everyone realizes they are soon returning to reality.

P.S. Check in at Sebbylite for more highlights/stories/romantic pursuits/incriminating photos...