Fresh Start, Rough Start | Mo 1/2

This entry was condensed since I wrote about it from memory days afterwards. It isn't being published until even later after.

I tried to wake up early to lift, but slept in. I didn't even get to do much laundry before leaving for brunch. Gigi wanted to buy flowers and we learned that deliveries to the Whole Foods near her have been lacking, but also that they usually get flowers on Monday and Friday mornings. She also shared about how fresh and cheap the flowers are in NYC, which was interesting to learn.

Brunch was fun, but we never got to work on my Hinge profile. We made pancakes, hash browns, a fruit platter, muffins, a quiche, and bacon. Before eating we also made bingo cards for events during the year. It was a fun way to think about plans, goals, and expectations for the year. I also set some spicy ones (I get a girlfriend, which Gigi also had on her card).

After eating we thought it'd be fun to shop together and try clothes on, so we went to North Park. There I found a fun and well-made highlighter yellow Lululemon puffer jacket and tried on a lot of Maison Margiela clothes (most of which the employees encouraged me to wear, which was especially fun). I also tried on some Nike basketball shoes and we sifted through Anthropologie.

The trip was fun and the others seemed happy to watch me gush over trying clothes on, which surprised me. Margiela was the definite highlight. During the visit there Chloe actually offered to talk about me to someone at a modeling agency which she shares a co-working space with, which was nuts. One employee's encouragement to try anything on there got me to try things at Burberry too, which was also fun. I was especially excited when some of them expressed interest in coming back since I'd love to try clothes from Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga.

We ended at the mall late so I was an hour late to volleyball, but I was still excited to play again. Thankfully they had more than 12 people, so they could play without me. After my break I felt like I could hit the ball harder than before despite not having eaten dinner. I also pushed my left index finger back and had a little scare, which made me realize that I need to hit with my palm. I didn't love how we had some unfamiliar faces and couldn't play 5-1, since that was a very large appeal of this group, but it was still challenging volleyball.

Early on I also found my passing got rusty during my break and I had trouble in hitting lines and serve receive. Even when hitting I found myself unwilling to try hitting tight sets out of fear if touching the net, but Eric seems to think that it could be helped by approaching faster instead of trying to broad jump. At the very least I did feel my serves were powerful (even if they weren't all in), and I got into the habit of raising my arm to be ready to hit faster.

I did notice the Kyrie's were slipping around on the floor though, even after I tried skidding them to make squeaks and wiping them through the night. Afterwards I feel the "core" if my foot between the pads of my toes sore, as if my forefoot is being squished horizontally. It's especially strange since it's in the left when I thought the right was more snug. I heard about the traction taking some time to "break in", but I'm considering returning them now since I think another pair of Puma Clyde's or some other shoes may be a better choice.

I ended the night in a sour mood, but I'm not sure entirely why. Maybe it was a combination of the friends of friends preventing me from playing 5-1, the shoes not functioning well, my play being rusty, me being late, and having to skip dinner. It also sounds strange and petty, but I felt one guy giving me judgemental and condescending looks from across the net during the night.

Neither of the rave girls have replied to my last messages. I suppose it isn't a big deal, but it's a bit sad to be reminded of.