Thursday, November 26, 2009

Not Confused About Somethings, But I Am About One Thing

Wow, it's been far too long since Little Jackie Showers regaled you all with anything. So here goes. Stay with me on this one, because it's a little odd.

Lately I've heard or read some stories about transgendered people. I'm no expert, but what I've come to understand that to mean is a person who feels they are one gender, but physically they are another. For example, a man who as always felt that he is a women (in the psychological sense I suppose). Not something I could relate to. Or so I thought.

It occurred to me today when I heard a comedian referring to the usual high school stereotypes such as the nerd, the academics, the class clowns and the jocks that maybe on some level I could relate. You see when I was in high school I didn't really fit neatly into any category, but if I was anything I was an academic. I was good at school. The thing is what I wanted to be good at and what I felt I was inside was an athlete. The only problem is my body was letting me down. I was transcategoried.

I've moved on because fortunately once you get out of high school there are leagues for those who aren't good enough to make teams in high school. In fact there are pretty low talent leagues out there where an academic can feel downright jockish. I once crushed a grand slam home run in a Baptist Church softball game. And there was another time when I hit a game winning home run in the staff vs student softball game when I was a student teacher at a middle school. I'm still a clumsy bookish fellow next to the real athletes, but put me in the right talent pool and I'm an Olympian.

I'm sure there's a lesson in there somewhere. And before anybody writes in to complain, I'm not saying all Baptists are poor softball players, just that this particular game wasn't exactly being played at a high level. Now, the Lutherans on the other hand, have no game whatsoever.

8 comments:

  1. Uh, Jack, you realize most of your readers actually know you? An academic? Not a jock? Seriously? Whatever.

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  2. Phew! I was wondering where you were going with this one. -the missus

    ... bookish?

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  3. I know exactly where you are coming from, Jack. As a young lad teaching himself how to play guitar, I had lofty dreams. Well, not that lofty. I didn't actually see myself as a musician, but rather as a Rock God, a la Jimmy Page or Pete Townsend, worshipped and lavered over by fans the world round. And if it wasn't for my lack of perseverence, confidence, agility and ability, I am sure I would have conquered the world. Later in life, I became enamored with the idea of becoming a writer. Orinally I idolized the gonzo journalism of Hunter S. Thompson, and later in life I fell for the deft prose of David Foster Wallace. If not for a decidedly lazy streak, not to mention an adverse response to Wild Turkey and polyester Hawaian shirts, as well as a stubborn insistence of avoiding 300 word sentences crammed full of subordinate clauses and an allergic reaction to gunshot wounds and rope, I am sure I would have found my niche in the publishing world.

    If not for these inexplicable obstacles, I could be fronting a reunion tour, playing Stairway to Heaven for the 3000th time or working for some third tier newspaper writing yet another review of a JLo rom-com.

    Damn you cruel world for crushing my dreams!

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  4. I understand Jack..... just recently, I thought I was a roughriders fan, but it turns out that im just a Homer wearing a green jersey... Oh well

    ZIPPER, ZAPPER, FIRE CRACKER
    ZIMM BOOM BA
    GO RIDERS, GO RIDERS
    RAH, RAH,RAH!!!
    -Mr (or is it miss) Bugs Bunny, circa 1970

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  5. ROTFL! the comments are as good as the blog! Which got me thinking... I always identified more with being a boy... but if I transgendered over, I'd be gay. so then I would have to switch back.. and so on and so on.... I am soooo confused!

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  6. In response to Guy:

    Compared to most of my readers I am a jock, but compared to the jocks in high school, my lack of talent and B+ average qualified me as "academic". And still does.

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  7. Sure, "academic" is fine so long as you use the quotation marks.

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  8. Personally I try not to worry about how I feel about myself. And let's face it, what anyone else thinks of me is not my business! Cheers, xelA.

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