Galaxy Game

The more I try to pay attention to every little detail (i.e. tax class), the more I turn into the absentminded professor!

For instance, a few weeks ago the Girl's soccer team went to a Galaxy game, where they'd won the right to parade across the field before the game with a bunch of other teams.

In Carson. Far, far away from home. About an hour

Since I wasn't comfortable driving by myself, I carpooled with one of the other girls on the team and her mom, Anki. She doesn't like to drive on highways, and I figured it would take her forever going on side roads, so I told her I'd drive.

We left at 5pm, with plenty of time to get there by 6:30. We started chatting and I guess I just spaced out. For some reason, I had a wrong picture in my mind of where I was going, and I proceeded South on the 5 for a long time. Over an hour! It was about 6:20, when we were by Knotts Berry Farm (Anaheim!!) I questioned the directions. Was Anki's husband SURE that the 110 interesected the 5 down here?

So Anki called him, and no, the 110 meets the 5 by downtown LA, dum dum. Like I didn't know that. Every once in awhile I have a brain fart of great proportions, and this was one of those times. Like I was so angry at having to drive (I'd wanted K to come with me) that I just made myself go the wrong way.

Anki's husband said, "You have to go back to LA to get on the right freeway." I turned us around, but the 5 North was even slower than the 5 South. And it was 20 after 6! At this rate, we wouldn't be there by halftime! I handed Anki the map book and said, "Anki, you have to find me a way to cut across!"

She looked it over and decided that the 605 S to the 105 W was our best option, but it seemed like it took forever to get to the exit. We told the girls we'd get there, but maybe not in time to parade with the others across the field. They made sounds of dissapointment, which just made me feel worse!

Time must have stood still for us a little while, because I drove and drove (luckily those freeways weren't busy) and darned if we didn't make it to the 110 by 6:35 or so. The latest they were supposed to be there was 6:45.

We exited and had to drive for a short time on the streets to get there. We started to think about just getting the girls in there as fast as we could and seeing if we couldn't get them onto the field. A problem was that I'd left Gracie's wristband in the trunk. So at a stoplight, I jumped out of the car, ran to the trunk, pulled out the bag it was in and jumped back into the car before the light turned green!

The girls and Anki were very impressed.

We found the right street, and Anki somehow even figured out the right entrance to pull in to park right by where the girls were supposed to meet everyone else. I pulled into the parking lot, and they were diverting traffic off to the left. The guy in front of me drove forward, and talked briefly with the guy waving traffic, and the waver waved him through. So I went behind him, ready to stop and explain our situation, but he just waved us through too!

So I was able to drive right up to the door, and the girls + Anki jumped out of the car and raced for the entrance.

Whew!

It was all worth it too, as the girls had fun parading across the field. The Girl did cartwheels and the splits! They got free t-shirts, and got the mascot (a frog?) and Miss Galaxy runner-ups/winners autographs on their shirts.

It was a good game, too. High scoring, which seemed unusual. Houston scored first, so I was worried because I thought maybe the Galaxy wasn't that good. But the final score was 5-2, so I guess they are. The only letdown was the food, but what do you expect at a stadium? Not much I guess.

I was even able to talk to the Coach just like I hadn't gotten pissed off at him earlier in the day, so he probably thinks that everything is OK.

And it is, I guess. I've detached from soccer somewhat, because I know that the Girl could be excellent at lots of things. Basketball is next, and I'm slipping tennis in there, too. Partly so she can play with me, partly because there's opporunities for girls in that, too.

Plus she likes gymnastics and wants to do karate again. She's a busy girl, that's for sure!