I've got a new nickname -- JJ.
For those of you who know me (which, umm, is probably all 20 of you), my first name doesn't start with a 'J'. Neither does my middle name. So how'd I end up with the new moniker? My skillz on the basketball court.
Don't laugh. No, seriously. Stop it! By now, I'm sure you've read of my late-night/early-morning experience with the church youth group's lock-in. Well, I came to the lock-in decked out in my Duke 'No. 4' jersey of former Blue Devil J.J. Redick (now with the Orlando Magic). Due to my threads and my ability to knock down 3-pointers from NBA range (like my boy JJ), the kids from the youth group labeled me 'JJ'. And the nickname's stuck. I heard it this morning from one of the kids -- Ted, a great athlete who will be a junior at Pineville High, who wishes he could ball like me!
Moving away from your home for the past 12 years is very interesting because it gives you a chance to start over. Nobody here knew who I was. As Binni, Kyle and others can attest, I've never exactly been the most popular person on the block. Wasn't in high school. Wasn't in college. Yet I am here. It's just weird.
The kids seem to love me. Even the guys in the sports department at work think that I'm funny and knowledgeable. It's so strange to be popular. Yet I love it. I've really opened up (which has been an ongoing process, but just think back to how introverted I used to be!), especially around the kids.
The Bret of old is growing up. Responsibility. Marriage. Home ownership. All that jazz. But JJ is still young at heart -- even if his body isn't listening!
3 comments:
Don't be fooled by a few lucky shots - you still SUCK!
I'm glad everybody else is finally seeing what we've known all along...You're an inimitable guy, insanely funny, and incredibly smart.
You're wife made her winning 3-pointer when she snagged you! (We love her, too!)
(Umm...make that "your" wife, Mr. Editor.)
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