Boxing Myself

Volume 7

NY Empires Final Qualifying Round Saturday June 24th, Gleason's Gym

11:30AM: After taking the pictures I decide to move around for a bit. It has now become fight day ritual to blast the Hedwig soundtrack and shimmy across my livingroom floor while attempting to sing along and not cry. If you mock me right now, I will hunt you down and pummel you. I prop my camera up, employ the handy self-timer and take the following "action shots."

Still wearing the hoodie and dripping sweat at this point. I lost a full pound bouncing around like this for half an hour.

After another weight check, I decided it was time to remove the sweatshirt and let my skin breath for a while.

Between noon and 2ish I did a lot of lying on my back on the floor, repeating phrases like "it's just another fight, just another opponent," and "every victory inside the ring is another victory outside of the ring." Each time a negative thought would creep into my mind I would say "Turn it around" out loud and then, with a little flick of the wrist, I would in fact turn it around. I ate a little more watermelon when my weight dropped back down to 125. 2:30PM: I pack my gym bag: satin shorts, tank-top, bra, turtle cups, mouth-guard, head-gear, shoes, jump rope (just in case I come in overweight), vaseline, socks. The perishable items come later. I am still pretty ansty so I strip my bed and throw on a clean set of sheets. This way, when I come home tonight, I'll be able to fall right in. I shower. Shave everything. Shampoo my hair so that it'll be dry and therefore weightless. I sit down in the shower and hug my knees to my chest and have a further conversation with myself about how nothing worth anything is easily done. 3:00PM: I get dressed and decide that I have to move around some more. The pictures are helpful (and I even take a few short digital video clips of myself shadow-boxing) because I need to SEE that I don't suck. This is important and it calms me.

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