Best Friends Play Fantasy Football

My BFF, Zach, is a little concerned that there will be conflict during Football season. We support different teams. I, however, do not see how that will produce conflict. We are already very good at acknowledging and accepting each other's perspective (one story, two perspectives...). I can support the cowboys. I just support New England a whole lot more. I do not think the NFL will be able to come between us.

BUT...

Best Friends are playing Fantasy Football. Last night was our draft party, or parties, as it were. Fantasy Football is already trying to drive us apart. You see, our computers couldn't even connect to the same internet servers. We had to be at coffee shops across the street from each other. It was sad. I am generally known as a brave girl to all of my friends but I think I saw Zach tearing up a little. He does that sometimes, like when he watches a RomCom or when he is separated from his BFF. So, anyway we drafted our teams last night. Zach did an alright job but he forgot to draft some Patriots. My team, however, looks fantastic. So, while I don't think that NFL Fandom has the power to come between us, I'm a little concerned that in Week 1 of Fantasy Football, when the Paju Pancakes play Chillsan, Zach will try to pull away from the BFF that so awesomely defeated him.

Best Friends' Conflict

Never before and never again will our BFFness be tested like it is about to be tested.

BFF-Heather is a staunch New England Patriots fan. I naturally support a winner: the Dallas Cowboys.

For some strange reason, BFF-Heather refuses to accept the fact that the Dallas Cowboys are the better franchise.

Maybe, after this NFL season, she will finally see the light.

Until then, though, while the NFL season is being played out, I expect there to be much friction between the BFFs. It is a good thing the two teams don't actually play each other during the regular season. If they both happen to make it to the Super Bowl....well, let's just say that I better be out of Korea by then or things might become ugly.

One Story, Two Perspectives...

One NFL, Two Teams...

No Flu and No YouTube

Wednesday was a day of have-nots for BFF-Heather and I.

Korea loves Swine Flu. Much like America assumes innocence until proven guilty, Korea assumes Swine Flu contamination until proven healthy.

I woke up Wednesday morning not knowing that I would be taking a trip to the doctor's office that day. I learned about it through a Facebook status update from BFF-Heather followed by a phone call to said BFF-Heather.

She said, "Yes. We are infected."

I said, "Crap. We are going to die."

So anyways, BFF-Heather, myself, and the rest of the foreign teachers at our school took a field trip to the doctor's office in the middle of the day to have our temperature taken, blood pressure checked, and an x-ray zapped.

As it turns out, I am not as healthy as the rest of my foreign cohorts. I have slightly high blood pressure and need to lose weight (That means no more Cheese Donkassa --- if a cheese donkassa doesn't give me a heart attack, the news that I can't eat one anymore will!). The other teachers are as healthy as a quite healthy person. The x-ray proved that all of our bones were indeed intact.

Also, we don't have Swine Flu.

Now what's the other 'have-not'? I'll tell you what it is: YouTube. As it turns out, Korea is lacking in a fundamental component of YouTube.

BFF-Heather and I filmed our experience with the plan of allowing y'all the chance to see what we got to experience. Everything was going fine with the project until I tried to upload the video onto YouTube. It was then that I discovered that users in Korea cannot upload videos onto YouTube. I was quite disappointed. I may as well have the Swine Flu. What's the point anymore?

One Story, Two Perspectives....

G.I. Best Friends

I love Heather so much. She is the best BFF that anyone could ask for. I would die without her in my life. We are going to the movies. We just bought tickets. Isn't Heather pretty?

A Day in the Life of Heather Through the Eyes of a BFF (Actually...Two Days)

BFF-Heather's day (or two days): as I see it.

Thursday

August 13, 2009

10:16 AM - I arrive at work. BFF-Heather is not here. (I think she is busy planning GYM TIME that is going to happen on Friday.)

----------------------------------------------------------

12:30 PM - I'm eating lunch. BFF-Heather is still not here. (Wow! I am impressed at the amount of prep-time BFF-Heather puts into GYM TIME. She is obviously not here because she is still planning for GYM TIME on Friday.)

----------------------------------------------------------

2:18 PM - Kindergarten is finished. BFF-Heather is preparing lessons for her students. (The lesson she focuses her preparations on most is GYM TIME. Honestly, I wish she would balance her preparation time a little more and devote equal amounts of preparation to all her classes. Fortunately enough for her GYM TIME classes, New York and Colorado class, though, she spends the majority of her week preparing for her 40 minutes-a-week of GYM TIME.

----------------------------------------------------------

3:22 PM - BFF-Heather is busy working at her desk. (There really is a desk there.) (The reason you usually can't see her desk throughout the week is that it is filled with either 1) GYM TIME equipment or 2) books on the subject of GYM TIME.)

----------------------------------------------------------

Friday

August 14, 2009

10:20 AM - I get to work. BFF-Heather is not here. (Today is the big day. Every Friday, for 40 minutes, BFF-Heather gets to live her dream: GYM TIME Teacher!)

----------------------------------------------------------

1:32 PM - BFF-Heather is getting ready for the highlight of her week: GYM TIME!! (She is usually so excited about GYM TIME that when GYM TIME actually comes around she forgets she is actually the teacher. Often, she lines up with the kids ready to partake in the action.)

----------------------------------------------------------

1:50 PM - BFF-Heather is immensely enjoying the highlight of her week: GYM TIME!!! (What else needs to be said? GYM TIME!!!)

----------------------------------------------------------

3:20 PM - Even though GYM TIME ended an hour ago, BFF-Heather is still exhausted from all the excitement and thrills of GYM TIME!!! ("If only life was one big GYM TIME!!" -quote from BFF-Heather, usually heard once a week immediately after GYM TIME.)

----------------------------------------------------------

5:48 PM - BFF-Heather is conspicuously absent from her desk. (I suspect it's because she is busy planning next week's GYM TIME!!!)

----------------------------------------------------------

5:49 PM - Indeed, BFF-Heather was busy working on a Dance Party routine for next week's GYM TIME!!!! (She is very excited about it.)

----------------------------------------------------------

6:50 PM - BFF-Heather is busy molding the young minds of Korea. (Unconfirmed, but I suspect the lesson she is teaching here is about GYM TIME activities. Vocabulary for the day: jump rope, hop-scotch, jumping jacks, stretch, dance party)

----------------------------------------------------------

One Story, Two Perspectives....

Best Friend All Stars

Best Friends make good teams. I think that is a scientific fact.



Earlier this week, my Best Friend Zach and I dominated, I mean played basketball against our other friends Elizabeth and Kaleen. (Readers may not be aware of my mad skillz, but they're there. I'm a basketball superstar.) It was fun. They were formidable opponents but we won. My BFF Zach would say that Basketball was the real winner. But I think that we were the real winners... because we won.

Heather's Side (It was implied!)

My best friend doesn't always seem to understand social protocol and other related things, such as sharing and communicating. I try to help him out, but once in a while, I get resistance.

Why dinner was implied:
- the races are usually an 11-6 affair. this means you probably just had breakfast on your way and you're hungry by the time they end, right? (they end at dinner time!!! how much more direct would something have to be?)
- the races are far from where we live. very far. so you are going to meet your friend at this faraway destination, watch the horses run in a circle and then be like alright, bye? that's ridiculous.
- i have never gone to the races and not had dinner with the bulk of the group afterwards.
- i have never done anything with this group that didn't include a meal somewhere. often eating is the main event. its what we do. we eat delicious food. EATING IS ALWAYS IMPLIED!!!
- i don't think that the friends that Zach mentioned who didn't come to dinner should count. here's why: 1 set had just arrived to the races when the rest of us were feeling pretty much ready to leave. perhaps Zach hadn't communicated to his friends certain things like that we usually eat dinner afterwards. they also don't hang out with us much. so they would not understand the structure of our day or the dynamic of our group. the other set were all about eating but we left later than we meant to, and had a long wait for our table and they decided to dine elsewhere. the rest of our friends understood that dinner was implied.

In conclusion, I am right. Vote for Heather '09, Dinner was Implied. Yes we can.

Implied vs. Assumed (Zach)

BFF-Heather and I have been discussing a recent episode from our life as BFFs. We don't seem to agree on how something should have been understood so we decided to take full advantage of our BFFB and let you help us decide. So please, take a minute to read, and then vote on how you understand the situation.

Zach's account:

A month ago (approximately), Kate and I decided to go to the races. We hadn't seen each other in some time so we decided to get together and hang out. As stated above, we planned on doing this at the races. In our decision, we involved nobody else. It was only the two of us that planned the event. In all the talk of getting together (granted, there wasn't that much detailed discussion) having a meal was NEVER mentioned. The ONLY thing that Kate and I ever discussed doing together was going to the races for the day.

Leading up to race day, a few friends were invited to join us. The week before the races, apparently Kate and said friends decided to have dinner after the races. Once again, let me stress, that I was NEVER consulted about dinner. I was never involved in any discussion about dinner after the races. I never once mentioned going to dinner after the races.

Two days before race day, Kate asked if I was going to dinner. I said, "I don't know. Maybe." That was the ABSOLUTE FIRST time I was ever involved in any discussion about me going to dinner after the races. I never said anything prior to this conversation nor during this conversation that might imply that I was going to dinner. My answer was simply, "I don't know. Maybe." ...which means, there's a chance that I might go, and there's a chance that I might not go.

This is the point of the story when BFF-Heather and I got our social signals crossed. She told me that the mere planning of going to the races IMPLIED that I was planning on going to dinner afterward. I disagree; she ASSUMED that I was going to dinner after the races, but I never IMPLIED that I was going to dinner.

My arguments:

1a) As stated, I had never been involved in any discussion about dinner with Kate, the person I planned the day with, up until the point when she asked me if I was going to dinner. To which I answered, "I don't know. Maybe."

1b) I had never discussed going to dinner after the races with ANYONE prior to the same discussion with Kate that point 1a refers to. BFF-Heather told me that they were going to dinner after the races, but she never once asked me if I was going, and I never made a single comment about going to dinner. In fact, I specifically discussed with BFF-Heather doing other plans at that same...at which point she said she couldn't because she was having dinner. Once again, let me stress that I NEVER spoke of me going to dinner, nor gave any indication that I would be joining the dinner party.

2a) As a rebuttal to a point that BFF-Heather has tried to make to me....she has said to me that precedent had been set: it was the norm to go to dinner after a day at the races. My response is that the past 2 times I've been to the races with this same group of people, I have not gone to dinner with them afterwards. Actually, at the time of this writing, I cannot remember ever going to dinner after a day at the races with BFF-Heather. I'm not saying that I never have; I just can't specifically remember having ever gone to dinner after the races with BFF-Heather. If precedent had indeed been set, then I was very unaware of it as based on my prior experiences.

2b) In all actuality, this was the 1st time Kate and I ever went to the races together. It was the 1st time we ever organized going to the races. I find it difficult to understand how precedent had been set concerning a 1st time event.

3) Others in the racing party did not join us for dinner, and it was my perception that nobody thought that those absent from dinner were breaking any socially implied obligation. The reason: it was NEVER implied that they were joining us for dinner. Nobody thought that just because they came to the races with us then they would also be joining us for dinner. The two events, racing and dinner, are not correlated in that way. Doing one does not imply participation in the other. Those that left us to go home after the races without joining us for dinner did so freely because they NEVER implied that they would be joining us for dinner. Yes, they said they would come to the races. Yes, they came to the races. No, they were never involved in any discussions about going to dinner after the races. (Wow. Their story sounds very similar to someone else's.) I don't think it was ever implied that they would be joining us for dinner. Hmmmm.

Conclusion:

BFF-Heather assumed that I was going to dinner.

It is not implied that one is going to dinner just because one goes to the races (see argument 3).

I never spoke of going to dinner.

I was never involved in planning dinner (....planning dinner apparently as part of an event that I planned, or helped to co-plan with Kate).

Now go and vote.

One Continent, Two Vacations....

Recently, BFF-Heather and I have been spending a lot of time in the same country. Why?

Good question. Some might say it's because....... Hmmm, I don't know what some might say.

Well, to fix this 'same country' stalemate, we decided set off in two directions. BFF-Heather went to Hong Kong. I went to Vietnam. Wow. What an experience we had....together...apart.

Let me tell what BFF-Heather learned from this experience. She can tell you her perspective of my experience if she so chooses.

BFF-Heather says that Hong Kong = Pretty Darn Tootin' Alright.

BFF-Heather says that Hong Kong is the best place in the world. She can prove it.

BFF-Heather has been motivated by Hong Kong to get into the financial business...via a financial husband.

BFF-Heather thinks that not all Chinese people are bad.

BFF-Heather would have loved for time to stand still while she was in Hong Kong. She likens her feelings to those of residents of Hong Kong in the mid-90s who were loyal to the British Crown.

BFF-Heather thinks that Hong Kong is pretty darn tootin' alright.

You should go there.....and take BFF-Heather with you. It's what she would want.

One Story, Two Perspectives.....

One Continent, Two Vacations....