Friday, June 4, 2010

Free Book Friday: Life in the Pit by Kristen Landon... and Sam pulls a Groin

Happy Friday!

Up for grabs today is a signed copy of Kristen Landon's LIFE IN THE PIT. 

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment!

So, Sam was in a tennis tournament last weekend, and he made it to the championships. 
 (this isn't the actual tournament, but it's the only pic I could find of him on the court.)

We were so excited, but nervous too, because during the match before the finals, he had gotten severe shin splints. 

The first set went okay, but he lost it in a tie-break, and then he was way ahead in the second when he twisted his ankle.

Brave Sam kept playing. The other guy gave him a drop shot, and Sam ran forward to get it, but he suddenly stopped and then he leaned against the net for a few minutes, head down.

Those of you who know tennis, and even those of you who don't, could probably guess that's not normal. I wasn't sure which was causing the problems, the shins or the ankle, but he didn't look good.

Because this was the finals, there was a crowd watching the match, and when Sam switched sides to prepare to serve, he turned toward me, caught my eye and... um... gestured toward his nether-regions.

He gave me a look that said, "I pulled my groin." (It's hard to master the look that portrays this statement. Sam's been working on it for years. It's all in the eyebrows.)

I tried to give him a look that said, "I'm surrounded by people! Stop pointing there!" (This look involves a series of winking and blinking.)

I glanced side to side to let him know I wasn't alone. He assumed I hadn't seen his oh-so-subtle message.

He waved at me, pointed there again, and mouthed the word Ow

I know groin injuries are nothing to be embarrassed about, and I was so not embarrassed. Not at all. 

By this point, he could barely walk, but he finished the match without defaulting. After the match (he lost in another tie-breaker) I helped him off the court, and he's all, "I pulled my groin. I tried to tell you, did you see?"

I patted his back as he limped off the court. "That'll do, Pig. That'll do."


So, what do your significant others do to embarrass you? And what are y'all doing this weekend?

15 comments:

  1. I still am not quite sure if you know that it was not just an ankle sprain. The crowd did appreciate the 'never give up attitude' though of my spirit. I was hoping that they would pick me up and carry me on their shoulders. Sadly, they did not.

    My constant crying after the match was able to help wash away the pain of losing as well as the pain in my body. I still have a long way to go to recovery...but with lots of sport watching, poptarts and ice cream, I should be fine.

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  2. Sam - you showed great dedication, determination and spirit in continuing the match! You should win the Ms, er, Mr. Congeniality award! They do that in tennis, don't they?

    Brodi - I would share what my spouse does to embarrass me, but that, alas, would embarrass me. You really don't want to know...do you?

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  3. Way to play through the pain, Sam. Having sprained my ankle plenty of times, I feel your pain. (I'm an accident waiting to happen.) Just thinking about playing tennis, which takes coordination, has made me pull my groin.

    Hubby does plenty to embarrass me. He's the worst when he has a microphone in his hand. Then it's not only embarrassing it's also very loud.

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  4. What does my spouse do to embarass me? There are too many to count...

    The absolute worst was in the grocery store check out. We are standing there on a busy Saturday afternoon - one person in front of me, four people behind me, countless to each side.

    Ben turns his head lovingly to me and says........

    "HEY, REMEMBER THAT TIME YOU ATE MY POO?"

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  5. Sam- right, every time you pointed to your groin, I thought to myself, "Is he pointing to his ankle?"

    Una- He definitely wins gold stars for Best Personality.

    Kimberly- I always pull a groin when I think too hard. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

    Cam- Eeeeewwwww! That Ben Ballou... it totally sounds like something he'd do.

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  6. Sam, you're like Superman! I would've dropped on the court crying like a baby! You're my hero!

    Brodi, I think you should've waved your hands in kind of a "What the heck?" gesture. He may have got your hint a little better.

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  7. The finger across the throat gesture always works. Translation "shut up now or die." Or in your case, "quit pointing at your you-know-what or I'm gonna kill you!" You know, except not literally. But they get the point. ;-)

    Great job finishing the game though. Hope the poptarts are helping Sam.

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  8. Hands down the most embarrassing thing Brian does is talk on the phone like the person on the other end has English as their 2nd language. Or they're deaf and he thinks speaking louder will help. Or like he's on one of those phones you make with two cans and a string, and the other person is in Africa. The man speaks publicly for a living for crying out loud, why does he freeze up when using the phone? Or the drive thru speaker? (Because he also can't order at a drive-thru without the person wondering if he needs the menu where you point to what you want.)

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  9. Jenni- I pointed to my own nethers, and then made a big X sign with my arms. You'd think that'd be enough!

    Sara- Pop Tarts fix everything. They're my family's version of Windex.

    Sal- too funny! I have a friend (I won't name names... Alissa) who feels the need to translate for me when we're talking to someone who has an accent.

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  10. I'm currently significant otherless, can I share what I do to embarrass my family (particularly my sister)? Amongst my favorite things: In restaurants, blowing the paper off my straw in the general direction (or, ya know, right at) someone sitting nearby. Juggling produce in the grocery store. (My sister seems to take FOREVER to pick out bananas.). Pretending that the shopping cart is a race car or a space ship (also works with strollers but is slightly more acceptable and, therefore, less fun). Asking odd questions, and then speculating on the answers. Things like, how old are lobsters, generally, when they are eaten? Why are most laundry detergents blue or maybe slightly green? Why not bright orange or pink? Who comes up with the names of the different types of apples, and why do they insist on putting the little stickers on each and every apple? Stickers on fruit with edible peels is one of my huge pet peeves. And, of course, encouraging my nephews to do these same things and think up more fun questions on which we can speculate about the answers.
    If I wasn't good at entertaining the kids, I don't think my sister would let me come shopping with them at all ever.

    As for this weekend. Lawn care (I'm winning against the ants, slightly ahead of the weeds and about even with the bunnies...it's been a good couple of weeks). Graduation party for one of my high schoolers from church (without an invitation to the actual graduation ceremony! Cake without the boredom! Score!) . Housework. Cookie baking in preparation for trip to Colorado with the youth group kids in another week or so. And Sunday, after worship, helping to put the final touches on the epic transformation of the church from, well, church into space ship/space station in preparation for Space Probe Vacation Bible School next week. Woo-hoo! If only I could get out of my fabric covered box with bad fluorescent lighting more and could actually help with VBS more than just on Friday.

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  11. lol
    Poor Sam!

    We have a busy "Ijust want to survive this" kind of weekend.... joy...

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  12. Dave likes to say, "I'm sweating like a PIG!" First of all, I hate the emphasis on "pig" because pigs are not attractive and I don't like them compared to any of my cute family members. Second, pigs don't sweat, which I've told him. Third, who wants to know how much you're sweating anyway? It's just gross. Go shower and keep it to yourself!

    Even worse is when he tells people that I was sweating like a pig.

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  13. I am ten times more embarrassing than Jerry. This weekend, at a big family reunion, he got to play the competent trail guide for the horse rides, and I took my flabby self on display to the pool, where my s-i-l and I frolicked like little kids. (Someone had to do it--and our own little kids were mostly being kill-joys in the hot tub.) What are adults supposed to do at motel pools, anyway?

    When Jerry is injured, I usually stick with the generic "oh, you poor thing" look. It stops the gestures because he thinks you understand (even if you don't), and, since he's just going to keep playing anyway, you can save the details (which will come--oh, they'll come) for when you're alone at home. With the ice and the bandages.

    I just got the same word verificaction two times in a row: exnenul. Dunno what it means, but there has to be a meaning somewhere, right?

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  14. I'm the embarrassing one in my family. On Thursday, I ran into a pole in front of an audience of over 100 people. And just in case anyone missed the total face plant, I announced, "Oof, pole!" into the body microphone I was wearing. Magical.

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