Skinned Knees??

Where did I come up with the title "Skinned Knees" has been a question I've been asked a couple of times. So, here goes. One day I received the typical, but not typical, girl e-mail - this one instead of you answering a bunch of questions about yourself, you were supposed to send it on to your friends so they could answer the best they could questions about you. One of the last questions was "What would be a good nickname for me?" Most of my friends, ok, girlfriends, said Drea or Dre which is what they call me and I use as a nickname with close friends.

A brief aside, it really bothers me when someone who you don't know or only know a little bit takes the liberty to shorten your name and give you a nickname - they don't have that right, they don't know you. I definitely clear up those mistakes quickly - unless, in the past (Jason), it was a really cute guy and I wanted him to like me and thought it was cool.

Except for one of my girlfriends, Kerry, whom I have known for about 20 years now and who was my partner in crime on many occasions of going out partying and hanging out to all hours of the night and boy, do we have numerous tales we could tell about each other - but that's another topic. Soooo, she said "skinned knees." There was no, huh? or what? from me. I immediately knew what she was referring to and roared with laughter - it still makes me chuckle to think of it. Anyways, it goes back to our hanging out/wild days - I still have them on occasion :-) when it seemed like at least every other occasion or more, when we were out and had equally tied one on or even when just beginning to tie one on - I would at some point fall down and inevitably end up with a skinned knee or even both. Now, I know, for some reading this you are like "oh, my gawd, this girl has a problem and she thinks it's funny and something to make fun of and make light of." Well, can't say for sure it's not a problem, but basically it's that I have no coordination whatsoever at a normal time, but a little alcohol in me and I can loose it totally.

Oh, the times:

• There was "The Shining" night at Andy and Niki's house where we watched the movie and then decided we needed to walk down about 30-40 steps down to the water and check out the tiki bar/dock and on the way up - Kerry thought it would be cute to all of a sudden say "red rum" "red rum" and begin to chase me up the stairs - I only got about two maybe three steps up before I feel up them and landed on them on my face and, what else, skinning my knees. They all thought it was hilarious - especially the guys - they were rolling. I'm still blaming that one on the frozen drinks we had that night and not the fact that Kerry scared me.
• Then, we have the numerous occasions where just walking down the street from bar to bar, the sidewalk would up and attack me and trip me and there I would go again. Now, this sounds bad, but since I was a little loose, the fall didn't hurt that much usually and I was able to bounce right back up and - yep - head on to the next bar.
• There was the one time and I really don't think I had been drinking and I was getting off the MARC train on the low platform, I made it down the train stairs fine, but not one step further did I somehow trip up and land sprawled out on the wooden platform holding up other riders from getting off the train not to mention the mass of people who got an eye full when my skirt rode up - niiiice.
• Walking out of Old Ebbitt Grill in Downtown trying to act all dignified in front of all the business people and people who think they are important who were going in and stepping off the curb to hail a cab and falling on my face pretty much right in front of one - I swear it was a DC pothole that tripped me.

And then, there was the time when I was training with a trainer at Sport Fit in Bowie - yes, I actually did train and work out at one time. I was training with Butch Minor (R.I.P.), a PG County police office, who was also getting ready to become a trainer for the Washington Capitals, whom I had met through my friend Maria. At various times I'd come to the gym with the cuts and skinned knees from these little accidents, but the best was when I was on a bar crawl with friends - Karina, Kerry, Troy, Jack, Rob, etc. - we hit this one bar on the crawl - it was called the Ascot and you had to go down these stairs to get into the bar - well, yes, of course, wouldn't you know it, I fell all the way down the stairs riding them down on the back of my legs, butt and back - I was quite covered in a bit of dirt - it was raining that day and a bit slippery, but I got up and kept going - it was a bar crawl afterall for gawd's sake. Didn't feel a bruise or anything until the next day. Two days later I had to go to training, now the bruised have had time to look their prettiest at this point and I seriously looked as though I had been through something. Butch asked me about this and I said "Oh, those, I fell down a flight of stairs" and he looks at me and goes huh, I start laughing and explain that I was on a bar crawl and what had happened. He chuckled and made a joke about me maybe wanting to slow down a little bit but that was about it. A couple days later my friend Maria comes up to me laughing to herself saying that Butch had pulled her aside and asked if she thought I might need some help and if I was in a situation which I thought I couldn't get out of. Maria said she looked at him not getting it, but when he explained the bruises and that he thought I might be being abused, she found it hard to not laugh - or maybe she did - right then and there. She was nice enough to explain to him that I hadn't been lying and that I had told the truth - that it was a result of a case of clumsy drunkenness on my part and that it happens quite frequently. I'm sure he then thought that I probably needed help of another kind, but didn't say that to her - LOL.

I still chuckle about that when I think of that story. It reminds me of the happy times training with Butch that I had and what a caring individual he was. His death (he lost control of his car and flipped over) was a tragedy and I know he is still missed by many, many people.

I know some reading this will think, I don't know what's wrong with her she does have a problem, but it really isn't that much of an issue. I still drink, but I don't fall down half as much as I've gotten older - so I've either gotten better balance or I've learned to drink in better control. Ah well.

So, that's basically the story, there are many more times that I've fallen and could describe, but I figure you'all get the gist. Now, I've got to go and get ready to go get a few drinks - elbow pads check; knee pads check.....