March 2012

The voicemail from my grandfather: “I saw that Carolina lost. Keep your head up, there’s always next year.”

A lot of people will never understand how we feel right now. How a game could have such control over you. They’ll never understand why you switch chairs throughout the game trying to find the one that will help your team drop a shot as if it will make any difference. You do what you can to help, to get through those taxing forty minutes.

It’s not just a jersey. It’s not just a color. It’s a flag. It’s a reminder of everything good about the town you were raised in. It’s your family, your friends, the party you got your first kiss and the fires in the streets you jumped over as smoke disappeared into a night sky freckled with stars. It’s a chance to return, if only mentally, to a place you don’t get to visit nearly enough.

How would you describe the feeling? For me it is a gloomy, cheerless anger. It’s heartbreaking coming to terms with the idea that the season is over, that we missed our chance to capitalize on a squad that comes every five years. I despise the idea that if it hurts this bad for me it must be ten times worse for the players that fight for me. The anger I feel isn’t directed towards our opponent, but instead distributed between the refs and our own team. I feel like Barnes plays to not get hurt, like Roy doesn’t control the game in the last five minutes like he should, like a referee should know a travel when sees one and various other thoughts I know I’m in no place to even consider. I coached a middle school team of 9 players who could barely tie their shoes for two years. What do I know?

I wish you luck getting to sleep tonight Tar Heel nation. Tomorrow when this hurts a little less I’ll pick up the phone and give my grandpa a call back. His voice will do the same thing watching my Heels lace up and step on the floor does- remind me of where I come from. I urge you to wear something carolina blue tomorrow. We have to represent the great north state until our colors are streaking down the hardwood again next season.

Monday- Family Time

After recording two new songs with a DC producer, Unknown, I went up to my Aunt and Uncle’s house in Maryland to spend the night. We talked life, split a few beers and I got a chance to play with my little cousins (not in that order). The boys are starting to get really good at lacrosse… but they still can’t get past Leighton.

Tuesday- Connecting the Dots

I spent most of the day relaxing in a cloud of a bed. A few hours before I left Maryland to volunteer as an ESL teacher in NW DC I got a call from work with good news. We won a project that will give me 8 months of full-time coverage being a designer and producer of an audio program that will teach English as a foreign language to all of Latin America. As I walked around the classroom later that night helping fifteen adults properly pronounce numbers I began to see the bigger picture. Following your interests and being confident enough to wait for the right opportunities has been my recipe for the real world so far.

Wednesday- When In Texas

After my first day on the job I went out to a bar in Georgetown with about 15 people from work to take advantage of some happy hour specials. Once the food and beer went back to normal prices we headed to a salsa club downtown. On the walk to the bar we ran into a girl who one of my friends knew. She told us the tale of a hotel party down the road with an open bar, free food and live music. The stumbling woman outside the metro station guided us to a formal event for the people of Laredo, Texas. Luckily, I come equip with a southern accent and good manners so I put on my imaginary cowboy hat and started getting down with the mariachi band. Yehaw, never miss an opportunity to see a handle-bar mustache.

Thursday- Sweat It Out

Once a week I play basketball with the homeboy Ron at a gym behind the pentagon. In between listening to high school and college kids argue about fouls we actually get about five or six games in. I’ll be that old guy at the YMCA in 20 years with knee-high socks… ball so hard!

The Weekend- Got Game?

I spent the weekend grilling out with some friends from high school…

playing frisbee golf…

and kicking the soccer ball around on the national mall.

I also spent a considerate amount of money on celebratory activities at different bars around town,watched a lot of the ACC tournament, went to a house party called Canadian Tuxedo Ball (a denim themed event) and wrote four new verses. I’m loving DC and can’t wait for the summer to come.

Today I played basketball with my little cousins, did a few hours of work from a very comfortable bed, got an email with two new songs I did with my best friends in Colombia, took a nap after a free lunch, volunteered at Sacred Heart as an ESL teacher to basic level students and won a proposal that will give me 8 months of full-time work doing something I love.

It was so nice to get back into a classroom and work with people who are enthusiastic about learning. It made me really miss my old students. I love teaching but don’t see myself doing it until much later in life. The contract we won today is for producing another audio program that teaches English as a second language. We will get to create a curriculum, produce songs and chants, develop a story that is entertaining and educational and travel to Latin America to train teachers and implement the program. Imagine if your favorite show could teach you another language… that’s what I’m hoping to create.

I got a lot to figure out but even more to look forward to. Times are hard but life is great.