Post by Ashley Mastrangelo on Jul 28, 2013 22:32:06 GMT
The scene opens with the camera aimed without waver on a lavish sign that reads “Little Boutique”. It was one of Ashley’s favorite stores on a fun little shopping strip in the East Suburbs of Cleveland…far East. The weather was delightful, nothing but sun on with a gorgeous breeze that left it at the oh so perfect temperature that just made you want to stay outside all day. Ashley’s flip flops, purple in color, could be heard flipping and flopping, louder with each step as she got closer to the camera who peered down from the sign in her direction. They caught her in all of her beauty as she pulled her sunglasses down a smidge to see that it was indeed an IWF camera.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Oh, it’s you…great. So I guess you’re wondering why I asked you to meet me here at this lovely little store in suburban Ohio right?
The camera nods up and down as Ashley pushes the sunglasses up to the top of her head like a headband.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Well last Sunday, live on Pay Per View, I was the victim of someone else’s opportunity. Tara hit me with a move and Amber strolled in and picked up the pieces. I don’t blame her one bit, but after the match, when I was helped to the back by officials and the thought of losing hit me so bluntly in the face, an overwhelming bit of sadness came over me.
Ashley walks past the cameraman, her hair being pushed around by the breeze as she reaches for the door. She turns her head over her shoulder…
Ashley Mastrangelo: Follow me.
She starts in but turns to see that the camera hasn’t moved as the door closes. She rushes back, pushes open the door, a perky smile on her face, and reaches forward to grab the cameraman and pull him in.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Don’t worry silly, it’s just girls and clothes…we don’t bite.
She pulls as she walks in. The camera rushes in and then stops as it peers around the quaint little shop. The walls were white, but the reflection of the pink and purple lights gave it that very feminine appeal. The camera finished its loop around before turning back to the young lady who was already diving into the first rack of clothes.
Ashley Mastrangelo: You see, now if I were some of the other competitors on this roster, both male and female, I would be crying and complaining about how I lost and blaming the popcorn guy in the third row. That’s not who I am though. When I set out to do something, I go all out with no excuses and if I get knocked off the horse, I get right back up and try again until I finally succeed and that’s why although I’m sad about my loss in the Ruby Title match, I’m not angry about it.
Her eyes go wide as she pulls the clothes apart, singling in on a cute white top with a lacy see-through back. She pulls it off the rack and holds it out for the camera to see.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Oh my God, isn’t this such a cute top?
She looks over to the cameraman who shrugs his shoulders off scene. She shakes her head and looks back at her article of clothing.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Well what the hell good are you? You’re supposed to be here to listen to me talk while I pick out an outfit…geez.
She refocuses on her topic before continuing on with a clearing of the throat as she drapes the white top over her arm.
Ashley Mastrangelo: As I was saying. Any other person might sit on their couch in their living room, eating a gallon of ice cream watching infomercials, but that’s not me. As you can see by my cute little frame, I’m not much for sitting around doing nothing. Besides, those infomercials all suck anyway. No, what I’d rather do is get back up, straighten my outfit, and view the task at hand. Though that task might not be too far off from the one I was just trying to accomplish.
She moves on from the tops, as it seems she’s looking for more of an outfit than just a bunch of clothing. From there, she moves on to the skirt rack where she begins to finger through the selection.
Ashley Mastrangelo: My goal this week is a simple one, beat Alysson Gardner.
She grabs a skirt from the rack and holds it up to her waist as she sizes it up with the top. Shaking her head, she throws the skirt back up on the rack before continuing.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Now some of you may hear that, and you may think, “Wow, short-sighted much?” If you were to say that to me, I would simply giggle and move on from you because you would just be wasting my time. I’m not stupid ladies and gentlemen. I know full well that there is a grand scheme of things. What I also know, that seems to escape a bunch of you on an everyday basis is that you can’t accomplish everything in one day. It’s like that old saying about how Rome wasn’t built in a day…well, neither is a career. I had my shot at the Ruby Title, and I let it slip away. A win against a high-end competitor like Ally would give me not only another notch in my cute little belt, but would also start my ascent right back up the ladder to the top.
Her focus again diverts to the clothing as she pulls off another skirt from the rack and after holding it to her body with the top, is enamored with it.
Ashley Mastrangelo: THIS IS IT! Now I have to go try it on. Do you mind waiting for me?
The cameraman can be heard mumbling “I guess.” as Ashley heads to the fitting room and the scene fades.
==========
== Quitters Never Prosper ==
As we all know, each week I have to give you a little insight into my life. There have been many times where an instance in my life is a good teaching tool, something I’ve learned from, in an effort to better myself for the future, and I like to pass the learning on to all of you. Seeing as how I’m not very old, there aren’t a lot of my stories that don’t involve high school. I mean, after all, that’s where many of us did our learning in preparation for the real world right? This is the time in which we realize the world isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. We learn the cruel harsh truths of the world, and it is this time in which we all start to develop our own identity, separating ourselves from one another. The story I’m about to tell involves myself, Danielle and the high school softball team.
The scene sets in on the high school softball field. In the background you can see the tall building that is the school itself, and to either side you can see empty bleachers and no opposing team. We were at practice, batting practice to be more precise. I had always been the athletic type with the body to match and the will to succeed. We were hitting the balls tossed by the coach and on this particular day, I couldn’t walk up and hit the broad side of a barn. No matter the speed, angle, break, I just couldn’t hit the damn ball.
When I can’t do something, or I fail at it multiple times, it doesn’t sit pretty in my head and I start to get a tad bit frustrated. It’s almost like that nerd who sits at home all day playing a video game, but gets stuck on that same level over and over until he finally gets pissed off and throws the controller on the ground, breaking it into a hundred pieces. Don’t look at me funny, you’ve all been there, don’t lie.
So I was missing pitch after pitch until I finally threw the bat in frustration and headed to the bench. The coach was calling my name, but I didn’t care and kept walking until I hit the bench where I turned and sat down in frustration. The coach continued as Danielle walked over to me and had a seat next to me.
Dani: Rough day?
Ashley Mastrangelo: Screw this. I hate softball.
Dani: No you don’t. You love it. You’re just having a bad day.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Bad day nothing. The only thing I can hit out there is air. It’s stupid and I hate it.
Before she could answer, the coach called over to her and it was her turn to bat. As I sat there and watched, she missed some but also got a hold of some of the balls, driving them into the outfield, and even one clearing the fence. After ten pitches, the coach called over to me. At first I ignored him…then he went to far.
Softball Coach: What is it Mastrangelo? Are you a quitter? You must not be good enough right? Fine, forget it.
Not good enough? Who the hell was this guy to tell me I wasn’t good enough? I’ll tell you who he was. He was my coach and he knew how to motivate his players. Anyone else would have went home and cried…not me.
In a fit of rage, I got up from my seat and stomped over to the plate where I took the bat from Danielle and gripped it harder than I had ever gripped a bat before. I felt like I was peeling the rubber off with ever grind of my hands. His first pitch came and I crushed it back into the protective fence, up around his head that would have been a hit up the middle if not for the fencing. The next pitch was lined into the outfield and the third up and over the fence in right field. He threw me seven more pitches, all hits of some sort. He then called it a day and we all went into the dugout to pack our gear. Danielle was next to me and wondered what had transpired.
Dani: What the hell was that?
Ashley Mastrangelo: What?
Dani: You go from not hitting at all to hitting it all over the place.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Oh…that.
Dani: What changed?
Ashley Mastrangelo: He told me I wasn’t good enough. Nobody tells me that…NOBODY!
Dani: Remind me not to get on your bad side.
We finished packing our stuff and headed inside where I was called into the coach’s office. I walked in and he had me take a seat. He always meant well and had a polite demeanor when we were off the field.
Softball Coach: You know that I didn’t mean any of that out there. You’re a good ball player, but when you get frustrated, you need a little kick in the butt.
Ashley Mastrangelo: So you do think I’m good?
Softball Coach: Absolutely. You just need motivation. So from now on, when something isn’t going your way, I want you to think of what I yelled at you today. Take that and use it to motivate yourself, because I’ll tell you what, when you’re motivated, you’re a hard girl to stop.
As an athlete, that’s always good to hear. You want someone to tell you “good job”, and that’s why I got into the wrestling business. When you’re doing well, the crowd lets you know it. When you’re doing badly, the same is also true. What he said to me that day has resonated with me ever since.
A smile formed on my face from ear to ear and Coach knew he did his job. He dismissed me with a pat on the back as I walked out of the room.
Softball Coach: Great job today.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Thanks!
Grabbing my bag, I turned and walked outside to the curb where the car awaited.
==========
The scene fades back into Ashley peering out from behind the dressing room.
Ashley Mastrangelo: You still there?
The camera nods as Ashley smiles before pulling the curtain to the side.
Ashley Mastrangelo: So? What do you think?
The camera nods in approval again which causes her to turn toward the mirror, her blonde hair slicing through the still air. She flails her hair out a bit and checks out both sides front and back before turning sideways and making a pose, and then turning to the camera.
Ashley Mastrangelo: So did you like my story? Did it inspire you? The moral is simple…”Quitters Never Prosper” Really, it’s sooooo simple. If you’re not there, you can’t succeed at it. If I didn’t get off that bench and go back to bat, I might have quit the team. Who knows where that would have taken me, what career that might have led to? Instead, here I am, looking really cute in this super fun outfit in front of all of you, dazzling you with my sparkly diamond like qualities…no pun intended. That said…I’ll be right back.
Ashley runs back into the fitting room and takes mere minutes to change back into the clothes she was wearing when she arrived. She re-appears from behind the curtain and followed by the camera, heads to the register.
Ashley Mastrangelo: I’ll take them.
The sales associate rings her out and gives her a white and purple bag with the name of the store on it. Ashley kindly thanks the assistant and heads out of the store, lowering her sunglasses as she walks out. She takes two steps down the sidewalk and turns, realizing the camera was still there.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Oh, almost forgot to wrap this whole thing up. My opponent this week is a girl who has many qualities. She’s done a lot of things in this male dominated world that I can only dream of doing, that I one day hope of doing. The way she’s handled herself in that ring in the past is certainly inspiring to a girl like me who is just now starting to come along in my career. When it comes down to it, some in my position might say that they want to be just like her…not me.
As inspiring as you may be Ally, I don’t want to be you. I don’t want to be the next Ally Gardner, Zelda Knite, Tara Fenix, or Amber Richards. I want to be the first Ashley Mastrangelo. I want to be the girl that others look up to and I when that happens, I don’t want them to be like me. When that happens and they see me as someone to emulate or look up to, I want them to think what I am thinking right now. Don’t be the next anyone…be the first you. When the going gets tough motivate yourself to continue, because if you don’t you’ll be labeled a quitter…and you’ll never prosper.
The scene fades on Ashley walking away with her purse bouncing off one hip and her bag containing her new outfit slung over the opposite shoulder. Her flip flops smacking against her feet as the sound gets more and more distant.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Oh, it’s you…great. So I guess you’re wondering why I asked you to meet me here at this lovely little store in suburban Ohio right?
The camera nods up and down as Ashley pushes the sunglasses up to the top of her head like a headband.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Well last Sunday, live on Pay Per View, I was the victim of someone else’s opportunity. Tara hit me with a move and Amber strolled in and picked up the pieces. I don’t blame her one bit, but after the match, when I was helped to the back by officials and the thought of losing hit me so bluntly in the face, an overwhelming bit of sadness came over me.
Ashley walks past the cameraman, her hair being pushed around by the breeze as she reaches for the door. She turns her head over her shoulder…
Ashley Mastrangelo: Follow me.
She starts in but turns to see that the camera hasn’t moved as the door closes. She rushes back, pushes open the door, a perky smile on her face, and reaches forward to grab the cameraman and pull him in.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Don’t worry silly, it’s just girls and clothes…we don’t bite.
She pulls as she walks in. The camera rushes in and then stops as it peers around the quaint little shop. The walls were white, but the reflection of the pink and purple lights gave it that very feminine appeal. The camera finished its loop around before turning back to the young lady who was already diving into the first rack of clothes.
Ashley Mastrangelo: You see, now if I were some of the other competitors on this roster, both male and female, I would be crying and complaining about how I lost and blaming the popcorn guy in the third row. That’s not who I am though. When I set out to do something, I go all out with no excuses and if I get knocked off the horse, I get right back up and try again until I finally succeed and that’s why although I’m sad about my loss in the Ruby Title match, I’m not angry about it.
Her eyes go wide as she pulls the clothes apart, singling in on a cute white top with a lacy see-through back. She pulls it off the rack and holds it out for the camera to see.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Oh my God, isn’t this such a cute top?
She looks over to the cameraman who shrugs his shoulders off scene. She shakes her head and looks back at her article of clothing.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Well what the hell good are you? You’re supposed to be here to listen to me talk while I pick out an outfit…geez.
She refocuses on her topic before continuing on with a clearing of the throat as she drapes the white top over her arm.
Ashley Mastrangelo: As I was saying. Any other person might sit on their couch in their living room, eating a gallon of ice cream watching infomercials, but that’s not me. As you can see by my cute little frame, I’m not much for sitting around doing nothing. Besides, those infomercials all suck anyway. No, what I’d rather do is get back up, straighten my outfit, and view the task at hand. Though that task might not be too far off from the one I was just trying to accomplish.
She moves on from the tops, as it seems she’s looking for more of an outfit than just a bunch of clothing. From there, she moves on to the skirt rack where she begins to finger through the selection.
Ashley Mastrangelo: My goal this week is a simple one, beat Alysson Gardner.
She grabs a skirt from the rack and holds it up to her waist as she sizes it up with the top. Shaking her head, she throws the skirt back up on the rack before continuing.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Now some of you may hear that, and you may think, “Wow, short-sighted much?” If you were to say that to me, I would simply giggle and move on from you because you would just be wasting my time. I’m not stupid ladies and gentlemen. I know full well that there is a grand scheme of things. What I also know, that seems to escape a bunch of you on an everyday basis is that you can’t accomplish everything in one day. It’s like that old saying about how Rome wasn’t built in a day…well, neither is a career. I had my shot at the Ruby Title, and I let it slip away. A win against a high-end competitor like Ally would give me not only another notch in my cute little belt, but would also start my ascent right back up the ladder to the top.
Her focus again diverts to the clothing as she pulls off another skirt from the rack and after holding it to her body with the top, is enamored with it.
Ashley Mastrangelo: THIS IS IT! Now I have to go try it on. Do you mind waiting for me?
The cameraman can be heard mumbling “I guess.” as Ashley heads to the fitting room and the scene fades.
==========
== Quitters Never Prosper ==
As we all know, each week I have to give you a little insight into my life. There have been many times where an instance in my life is a good teaching tool, something I’ve learned from, in an effort to better myself for the future, and I like to pass the learning on to all of you. Seeing as how I’m not very old, there aren’t a lot of my stories that don’t involve high school. I mean, after all, that’s where many of us did our learning in preparation for the real world right? This is the time in which we realize the world isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. We learn the cruel harsh truths of the world, and it is this time in which we all start to develop our own identity, separating ourselves from one another. The story I’m about to tell involves myself, Danielle and the high school softball team.
The scene sets in on the high school softball field. In the background you can see the tall building that is the school itself, and to either side you can see empty bleachers and no opposing team. We were at practice, batting practice to be more precise. I had always been the athletic type with the body to match and the will to succeed. We were hitting the balls tossed by the coach and on this particular day, I couldn’t walk up and hit the broad side of a barn. No matter the speed, angle, break, I just couldn’t hit the damn ball.
When I can’t do something, or I fail at it multiple times, it doesn’t sit pretty in my head and I start to get a tad bit frustrated. It’s almost like that nerd who sits at home all day playing a video game, but gets stuck on that same level over and over until he finally gets pissed off and throws the controller on the ground, breaking it into a hundred pieces. Don’t look at me funny, you’ve all been there, don’t lie.
So I was missing pitch after pitch until I finally threw the bat in frustration and headed to the bench. The coach was calling my name, but I didn’t care and kept walking until I hit the bench where I turned and sat down in frustration. The coach continued as Danielle walked over to me and had a seat next to me.
Dani: Rough day?
Ashley Mastrangelo: Screw this. I hate softball.
Dani: No you don’t. You love it. You’re just having a bad day.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Bad day nothing. The only thing I can hit out there is air. It’s stupid and I hate it.
Before she could answer, the coach called over to her and it was her turn to bat. As I sat there and watched, she missed some but also got a hold of some of the balls, driving them into the outfield, and even one clearing the fence. After ten pitches, the coach called over to me. At first I ignored him…then he went to far.
Softball Coach: What is it Mastrangelo? Are you a quitter? You must not be good enough right? Fine, forget it.
Not good enough? Who the hell was this guy to tell me I wasn’t good enough? I’ll tell you who he was. He was my coach and he knew how to motivate his players. Anyone else would have went home and cried…not me.
In a fit of rage, I got up from my seat and stomped over to the plate where I took the bat from Danielle and gripped it harder than I had ever gripped a bat before. I felt like I was peeling the rubber off with ever grind of my hands. His first pitch came and I crushed it back into the protective fence, up around his head that would have been a hit up the middle if not for the fencing. The next pitch was lined into the outfield and the third up and over the fence in right field. He threw me seven more pitches, all hits of some sort. He then called it a day and we all went into the dugout to pack our gear. Danielle was next to me and wondered what had transpired.
Dani: What the hell was that?
Ashley Mastrangelo: What?
Dani: You go from not hitting at all to hitting it all over the place.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Oh…that.
Dani: What changed?
Ashley Mastrangelo: He told me I wasn’t good enough. Nobody tells me that…NOBODY!
Dani: Remind me not to get on your bad side.
We finished packing our stuff and headed inside where I was called into the coach’s office. I walked in and he had me take a seat. He always meant well and had a polite demeanor when we were off the field.
Softball Coach: You know that I didn’t mean any of that out there. You’re a good ball player, but when you get frustrated, you need a little kick in the butt.
Ashley Mastrangelo: So you do think I’m good?
Softball Coach: Absolutely. You just need motivation. So from now on, when something isn’t going your way, I want you to think of what I yelled at you today. Take that and use it to motivate yourself, because I’ll tell you what, when you’re motivated, you’re a hard girl to stop.
As an athlete, that’s always good to hear. You want someone to tell you “good job”, and that’s why I got into the wrestling business. When you’re doing well, the crowd lets you know it. When you’re doing badly, the same is also true. What he said to me that day has resonated with me ever since.
A smile formed on my face from ear to ear and Coach knew he did his job. He dismissed me with a pat on the back as I walked out of the room.
Softball Coach: Great job today.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Thanks!
Grabbing my bag, I turned and walked outside to the curb where the car awaited.
==========
The scene fades back into Ashley peering out from behind the dressing room.
Ashley Mastrangelo: You still there?
The camera nods as Ashley smiles before pulling the curtain to the side.
Ashley Mastrangelo: So? What do you think?
The camera nods in approval again which causes her to turn toward the mirror, her blonde hair slicing through the still air. She flails her hair out a bit and checks out both sides front and back before turning sideways and making a pose, and then turning to the camera.
Ashley Mastrangelo: So did you like my story? Did it inspire you? The moral is simple…”Quitters Never Prosper” Really, it’s sooooo simple. If you’re not there, you can’t succeed at it. If I didn’t get off that bench and go back to bat, I might have quit the team. Who knows where that would have taken me, what career that might have led to? Instead, here I am, looking really cute in this super fun outfit in front of all of you, dazzling you with my sparkly diamond like qualities…no pun intended. That said…I’ll be right back.
Ashley runs back into the fitting room and takes mere minutes to change back into the clothes she was wearing when she arrived. She re-appears from behind the curtain and followed by the camera, heads to the register.
Ashley Mastrangelo: I’ll take them.
The sales associate rings her out and gives her a white and purple bag with the name of the store on it. Ashley kindly thanks the assistant and heads out of the store, lowering her sunglasses as she walks out. She takes two steps down the sidewalk and turns, realizing the camera was still there.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Oh, almost forgot to wrap this whole thing up. My opponent this week is a girl who has many qualities. She’s done a lot of things in this male dominated world that I can only dream of doing, that I one day hope of doing. The way she’s handled herself in that ring in the past is certainly inspiring to a girl like me who is just now starting to come along in my career. When it comes down to it, some in my position might say that they want to be just like her…not me.
As inspiring as you may be Ally, I don’t want to be you. I don’t want to be the next Ally Gardner, Zelda Knite, Tara Fenix, or Amber Richards. I want to be the first Ashley Mastrangelo. I want to be the girl that others look up to and I when that happens, I don’t want them to be like me. When that happens and they see me as someone to emulate or look up to, I want them to think what I am thinking right now. Don’t be the next anyone…be the first you. When the going gets tough motivate yourself to continue, because if you don’t you’ll be labeled a quitter…and you’ll never prosper.
The scene fades on Ashley walking away with her purse bouncing off one hip and her bag containing her new outfit slung over the opposite shoulder. Her flip flops smacking against her feet as the sound gets more and more distant.
Well howdy there pardner.