I read the New York Times every now and then, but sometimes I just get my news from barf. Pretty sad, I know, but it’s true. Anyway, the good ol’ Bay Area Riders Forum clued me in to the presence of a blog that, even though it’s clearly tongue-in-cheek, makes me cringe and cry for the status of American women everywhere.
It’s called Dating a Banker Anonymous, or DABAGirls.com, and it’s a blog and support group for women who’ve been financially and emotionally abandoned by their formerly rich banker boyfriends and husbands. No more vacations, no more jewelry, no more flowers, all because Lehman Brothers went belly-up. Woe is she! Perhaps some of these girls should learn how to ride a motorcycle instead of gallavanting around in haute couture crying into their Appletinis about how their broke boyfriends don’t love them anymore. Just a thought, girls!
Today’s DABA post actually brings up an interesting point about two people in a relationship who both kick ass at their jobs, but then the girl gets laid off and her boyfriend steps up to the plate, offering a month of rent, all those vacations he promised back in the day, and more, whereas when they were equally employed he never offered to pay “for anything more than a vodka cran.” She even goes on to ponder how her relationship seemed stronger once she was unemployed. I’m very curious to hear the stories of those racing couples out there, like Jason and Jenn, Josh and Melissa, Kelly and Sue, Angie and Corey, and then also what it is like for racer girls and their non-racer boyfriends. It’s a sport that requires some serious confidence and ego, and it’s got to be tough to make room for two.
A girl can deny it all she wants, but being absorbed in an unusual and dangerous hobby such as this changes a girl’s life forever and brings up some really fascinating societal and interpersonal implications, so I can understand why some women are shy to talk about their racing with laypeople. I know a girl racer who doesn’t even tell her co-workers about her passion; she broke her collarbone once, and then fibbed to others that she fell off a ladder! Me, on the other hand, I’d want to shout it from the rooftops that this girl races and let all her co-workers know how proud I am of her and her success on the track.
Regardless of how it might affect life or relationships, I’ve seen women out there in the paddock pursue personal greatness and glory with a dedication that the DABA Girls could certainly learn from. Who has time to worry about how many texts a boy has sent or if she’ll be whisked away to Hawaii when there’s racing to do?
Joy Higa & Shandra Crawford excited at the end of their 4 hour endurance race at Miller, 2008
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