Friday, February 16

Taking Comfort in a Metaphor

Today's mighty oak is yesterday's nut that stood its ground.

By way of explanation, I've had a run-in with my son's cricket coach. He made the boys - who are only 8 years old! - do pushups - without showing them how - as a punishment for dropping catches in training. I complained. These boys are CHILDREN! They are meant to be having fun and learning skills not being humiliated for making mistakes.

Anyway, I had an opportunity to speak to the coach as he asked me if I was happy with the way the team was going. I said "Yes, I was happy with training last week, except for the pushups." We differed, very politely. He stated his case: aversion to punishment makes children work harder - I am being nice, he didn't say it that eloquently - and I stated mine: but humiliation doesn't. He disagreed and was too intoxicated to reason coherently at which point he decided to flirt with me and touch my hair instead!
Argh! I am infuriated and thus am venting here while taking comfort in a metaphor. Oh, and the metaphor applies to ME not him as he is not a nut he is only a DRUNKEN PHILANDERER who thinks I am a nut to be cracked - interpret that metaphor as you wish!
Did I say Grrrrr!? 'cause I should have!
Grrrr!

9 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

GRRRRRrrrr.

I don't think he was all that interested in you opinion of how the team was going.

Was he really intoxicated at a children's cricket match?(is that the same as soccer?) That's dreadful.

An unwanted flirtation is one thing--that happens--but an unwanted flirtation that involves touching is entirely another. That's an invasion. I hope he's still smarting by your rejection. Guys like that sometimes take rejection as a challenge, though. I'd take a big, burly friend with me to the next match if I were you!

Fri Feb 16, 11:14:00 pm 2007  
Blogger Beck said...

Ew. Sleazy guy. It's so creepy when guys act like that.
Also: cricket? The game with the hoops and little wooden mallets? I wish we had a chilren's cricket league!

Sat Feb 17, 02:13:00 am 2007  
Blogger candy said...

Ahh. Sports. Sigh. I've had my sports issues in the past. Does your son like his coach?

By the way, too bad you don't have speakers. You would have LOVED to listen to Phil Keaggy. I thought of you actually when I posted the video, cuz you like music so much.

Sat Feb 17, 02:57:00 am 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

cricket? The game with the hoops and little wooden mallets?

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrggghhhhh....

No, that's croquet.

Sat Feb 17, 01:49:00 pm 2007  
Blogger missmellifluous said...

Sadly, Kim, I think you are right: my opinion did not matter. He was intoxicated at a children's cricket event. It was training, not really a game. I am now sending my dad along to the cricket games, I think I still have to go to training. Maybe it will rain. I do need a burly fellow to accompany me. I may just ring one. I'm still fuming.

YOu are thinking of croquet, Beck. But that is still a cool game, it's just not quite cricket. I'll post a cricket explanation for you soon.

Hi Candy, My son is ambivalent towards his coach. He would not miss him if he were not there. My little man has tried out for the school cricket team and I am hoping he will be accepted to play on it, even though he is only in Year 3 and the team is usually for Year 6 boys, because the coach is a good Christian male, not a local yobbo. Oh, and I will listen to that clip. I just need to use the computer in the other room as it has the speakers. I do love music, you're right! Thanks for thinking of me!

John, I know, I know, I'll run cricket 101 soonest! Feel free to back me up. I often had conversations with American and Canadian guys at uni about cricket, I always ended up comparing and contrasting cricket to baseball. This time, I think I'll look for some kind of visual information. Other than a tea towel which Paul, in a previous post, observed was the usual way to explain cricket.

Sat Feb 17, 08:18:00 pm 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

There's a similar version that I sing sometimes... ;)

Sat Feb 17, 09:45:00 pm 2007  
Blogger missmellifluous said...

Really? Should I know this song? How does it go?

Sat Feb 17, 11:04:00 pm 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I took my son to a cricket match,
To watch Australia play
I don't know who the other team was
'Coz they both wore white that day.

Then my son said, "Dad! Explain the rules! Which side do we cheer for?"
Well I wasn't all that sure myself, 'coz I'd never watched cricket before.

But it's got me stumped,
It's got me stumped,
That's all that I could think to say
It's got me stumped.


Well, as I understand it son...

One team's in, and the other team's out
(Well I think that's how it's done.)
And the team that's out comes in to play,
While the team that's in stays out.
Then the team that's in sends two men in,
while the rest of them stay out,
And as each one who came in gets out another going out comes in.

But it's got me stumped,
It's got me stumped,
That's all that I could think to say
It's got me stumped.




...and so on.

Sun Feb 18, 04:03:00 pm 2007  
Blogger missmellifluous said...

That is pure gold!

Sun Feb 18, 06:31:00 pm 2007  

Post a Comment

<< Home