Cut a Rug(by)

I'm a supportive girlfriend, mostly. But there's one thing that I'm having trouble getting behind and it's Dan's new found love for the sport of Rugby. I'm all for male bonding and sweaty, beefy guys in shorts with cute striped socks, especially the ones with accents. But why can't they just wear padding or a helmet? Who decided it was OKAY to invent a sport with all the dangers of football, yet none of the protection? Someone who didn't have an irrational girlfriend who worried over everything, THAT'S WHO!

This past weekend, I went to watch Dan play Rugby, and it's even worse seeing it in person than it is hearing about it later after he comes home with some horrific injury. In just a month, he's injured his knee to the point of not being able to walk for two weeks, and come home with a black eye and so many bruises I've lost count. Every time he leaves to go to a practice or a game, I don't stop feeling anxious until I get a call from him saying that he's heading home and he's fine.

It might sound like I'm being a worry wort but when you hear things like, "Can someone pop a finger back into place?" when you go to a game, and then you see a guy biting a towel as a "trainer" pops his finger back into place, it scars you a little.

I do have to give Dan credit because he like to try new things and he fully commits to them when he does. The first year we were dating he started playing hockey. Year 2 he started riding cyclocross (bike racing with obstacles to trip you up!) and year three...rugby.

I, on the other hand, have picked up countless "hobbies" that have died soon after, mostly musical -- guitar, mandolin, keyboard, violin (I'm just waiting to find the instrument that I'll pick up and magically know how to play...).

So while I'm glad my boyfriend is active, I do really hope the sport he picks up in our 4th year of dating is something closer to chess. I dream of the day when Dan goes to "away games" and comes back with stories about stand-up comedians dressed as Harry Potter instead of about how teammate so-and-so earned the nickname "Rabbit" because he brought a girl back to the hotel after a match and everyone could hear him having sex with her. I'll let you imagine what it sounded like if that's the nickname he earned.

P.S. If you want to come to any of Dan's games with me, so I have someone to support me while I'm being supportive, Chicago Riot plays on Saturdays at parks around Chicago, unless they have an away game, then they don't.