"Some Fun Now" (LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS)

Group dynamics are intriguing, and I continue to witness their actions in various volleyball groups. There are cliques within the larger volleyball group and that is to be expected, but what is so fascinating to me is that the cohesiveness of those cliques grow stronger through experiences and stories. Those experiences may be travels, games, or dinners, and during those times, stories are told, repeated, and become a fixture of their history. Stories may be about people they've encountered--the outliers, so to speak, individuals who play the game and circle the group but remain on the "outside." Though they provide a minimal function to the group, it's the stories that somehow bring the group closer together simply by some storytelling. Stories can also tell personal experiences which may be humorous and get repeated because of their content. That content can sometimes become part of the language of the group. One example is the pop-culture influenced saying "that's what she said..." after some sexually-inclined comment. Another example are stories that provide so much laughter, some of which can be attributed to the storyteller and their re-enactment, that they become a defining factor of the group. This past Friday night after open play, a story was told that has circulated for weeks but it's best heard from the source. Here is that story being told. Since this story was first told the group has made this expression, complete with exaggeration, part of their vernacular.

The rest of the weekend had a sort of "me time" theme to it. Well, actually that was Saturday. There should always be a day where you just do things for yourself that make you happy, no questions asked, just a good feeling kind of day. I started my day off playing tennis and I swear if I could play tennis everyday I would be so happy. I started playing again last year and I forgot how much I love playing it. I've been an avid follower for years but watching it and playing it are two different things. Later I took in a movie which was a family/teen-focused kind of film but that was what I wanted to watch and so far of the summer movies I've seen it was actually pretty good. There have been some real stinkers in the summer blockbusters so far this year. But I still have three more movies on my list to catch up on the current line-up about to it with "Transformer" coming up soon and I totally cannot wait for that one. After I saw the movie, I jotted down to my favorite karaoke place and proceeded to belt out a few songs, some new stuff that I wanted to try out. Then I whisked back uptown to catch HAIRSPRAY (yes, I know, again) but there was a recent cast change and I wanted to check out that and also the "Edna" understudy was on. I have to admit that sometimes I love watching understudies because they add a different take on the characters. I also wanted to check the show out once more because I probably won't get a chance to see it again before the movie comes out in mid-July. Now that is another one I cannot wait to see. A multiple viewing kind of movie if you get my drift. HAIRSPRAY always puts me in a great mood and Saturday was no exception.

Sunday was the most gorgeous day for the beach. So loads of people showed up at Long Beach and we had a lot of playing time for beach volleyball. I played for about an hour and then just took pictures and watched. I just enjoyed soaking up a little sun and feeling the breeze go through my hair. It was just nice to be around people and enjoy the beach. I'm not really a beach person but it's all in how you spend your time at the beach.