Promises, promises.

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Thank you all so much for the positive feedback on the video blog! I will definitely make it a weekly thing.  I’m going home this weekend, so maybe there will be a guest in the form of my sister or brother, or possibly Dad if he doesn’t make fun of me mercilessly for it.  Perhaps I will do the next one with the help of my trusty video camera so I can interview people in my home.  Be warned: My family is quite possibly insane.

Question time!
Ho11yS asked…What is your favorite place that you’ve been? What spot haven’t you made it to yet but is on the top of your to-go list?
I am very blessed to have the opportunity to travel with the team a lot.  I’ve been everywhere from New Brunswick, NJ, to Rome, Italy.  One of the most fun times I had on a trip was when we went to Europe when I was thirteen, especially Italy.  I’d love to go back sometime to see everything there with new and adult eyes.  I wasn’t quite old enough to really get what I was seeing.  However, I did get to go back to France last year and it was truly a transcendent experience.  Aside from that, going to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands was eye-opening and interesting.  I’d never been so close to the equator before, so aside from frying in the sun I learned a lot about Caribbean culture.  Plus, the whole thing made me think of PIRATES.

Jennifer asked…As I was watching your video blog, my neighbor calls and says she just literally ran into your dad at Bolton Mobil! Did not mess up his hair though… ha ha ha...Question about Charde: Does your Dad ever talk to her now? What was their relationship really like? I always rooted for her through her struggles… I was really happy she decided to stick it out at CT and from what she has done in the WNBA Geno’s strong arm helped her in the long run.

first of all, how funny that you saw him there! That’s right on the way to school as well as the highway, so he’ll stop there sometimes to get his gas.  I myself use that station all the time.  And good thing his hair remained perfect.  Nobody other than myself and my family is allowed to mess with it, make fun of it, or force him to cut it.  He had a very strange almost Afro-like quality about it earlier this year, and after I told him he was starting to look like Nonna, he ran out and got it cut.  That’ll do it, apparently.
Ah, Charde.  Charde was and will always be a conundrum.  I didn’t get to know her too well.  She’s an enigma.  Everything you think you know about her is probably true and probably wrong at the same time.  Underneath it all that hair (or lack thereof when she got rid of it) there lies an enormous wealth of potential to become an incredible player.  But what I think everyone didn’t understand is that sometimes you can have a great coach and a great player and they just don’t gel.  My dad and Charde were never on the same page.  He wanted things out of her that usually Charde just couldn’t give him.  It was a frustrating situation at times, but the moments where she showed her brilliance are still incredible.  Pretty much every time she shot the ball from around the foul line arc, I knew it would go in.  I gave her the biggest hug after the North Carolina game when she took over and pulled us through that game, and when she helped us win the Big East Championship she definitely earned the MVP trophy.  But those moments were shadowed by inconsistency.  I’m glad she’s doing well in the WNBA.  I think that’s a better environment for her.  In my opinion, Dad’s program proved to simply not be the right fit.  We’ve had players that decide that and then transfer, but Charde chose to stick it out and for that I definitely applaud her.

conanaim2007 asked…You said your sister and her hubby is the most adorable couple. What about your parents? Aren’t they? And I remember you said it somewhere before that you couldn’t sing in front of a lot of people. I suppose you got over that, didn’t you? 😉

Well, I didn’t really think that by saying Todd and Jenna were cute, I was damning my parents to some unholy “UnAdorable Couples” purgatory.  But my parents are very cute.  One New Year’s Eve at about 2 AM, I sat in a pile of discarded paper hats and watched Dad twirl Mom around the dance floor, screeching “The Way You Look Tonight” in her ear.  The singing was, in a word, abysmal, but the actions were wonderful.  I remember feeling very blessed that in a word of broken marriages, my father’s union with my mother is still going strong after nearly 31 years together in marriage, 37 total.  And I actually said that I find it extremely hard to sing when I’m in front of people that I know personally.  I have usually no problems singing before crowds of total strangers, but given a room of five of my friends, I freak out.  The fear of failing comes so easily when it’s people that you love making the call.

enkidu asked…What shows are you auditioning for? Is your concentration musical theater? Are other members of your family musical? I love New York for the variety of its ethnic food. What are your favorite places to eat? Oh, I have always thought the world of Stacey Maron, what was she like in person? Do you know what she is doing now?

Stacey Marron is a wonderful girl! We got along very well when she was at UCONN, I actually just saw her a few months ago.  Dad in turn thought the world of her.  I’m sad to say that I don’t really recall what’s she’s doing now, but I think it’s something to do with sports medicine.  As for the shows I’m auditioning for, there’s a bunch that I’ve been seen for and a bunch more to come.  South Pacific, Avenue Q, Cabaret, Young Frankenstein to name a few.  My concentration is anything and everything musical theater, but I was trained in Shakespeare and Classics as well at UCONN.  My sister has a good singing voice, but I really got my urge for the stage from my grandmother, my mom’s mom.  She went to the Professional Children’s School in NYC and knew Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, and was to become an actress before she got married and settled down.  And as far as my favorite places to eat, I recommend Haku on the Upper West Side for Japanese food, Karen’s on Astor for their great vegan and healthy selections (I’m not a vegan but i love vegan food) as well as La Masseria in the theater district for awesome rustic Italian.  For dessert, I love frozen yogurt, so I recommend Red Mango as well as Pinkberry.  But Tasti DeLite is great too.  I also can say that Charm in the Upper West has great Thai curry, but in general I try to cook for myself.  I’m a health nut and I like to know what’s in what I’m eating (although I am definitely not one to say no to anything with chocolate in it)! 

Alyssa asked..What are your thoughts on Pat Summitt and Tennessee? Were you disappointed when the annual series was cancelled?

I felt a number of different things when the series between us and Tennessee got cancelled.  One feeling was sadness for all of the amazing fans both in CT and TN that wouldn’t get to see this amazing battle between us anymore.  One feeling was anger, because the series was cancelled for reasons that I still don’t understand entirely.  And one was, shockingly, relief.  The series had spun out of control at that point.  People were slinging mud from all directions and I just was sick of it.  I respect Pat’s accomplishments.  Her program is legendary.  I got to meet her at one point many years ago and she was nothing but kind to me.  She’s a Southern lady in every sense of the word.  When she got her 1,000th win this year, I was happy for her.  I was also happy that she didn’t get it against Oklahoma, because I love that program and Stacey Hansmeyer.  I hope that’s a good enough answer! 🙂



7 thoughts on “Promises, promises.”

  1. Love the blog. does it ever suprise you how the following (fans and media) has grown over the past fifteen years or so? when I was at UCONN there were so few fans attending now it is SRO.

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  3. Thanks for the response! I agree, Charde did not fit and when she was on, she was great! I think that was why it was so easy to root for her cause you knew her potential. She seemed like she had a lot of personal struggles. Hope she finds peace. When Rene got drafted to play on the same team I wondered how that would be. I always felt like the team stood behind her for the most part. Maybe that was why she stayed?

    I have seen your dad at the Mobil station quite often on the way to or from UCONN I usually presume. I have also run into the team or at least part of it at the Outback. They are always very friendly and patient with every talking to them. Sometimes I wonder if they just want to be left alone. BUT we LOVE our HUSKIES…

    Thanks again! Good luck on your auditions.

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  4. Hi again Alysa,

    Thank you for answering my question about feeding the team at your house in the video. You were so animated and all the usual stimulant type stuff (I'm familiar with) showed through when you were talking about Italian food and get-togethers at your house, Bless you.

    Stemming from your original answer, do you think your Mom would be willing to share her Risotto recipe that you love so much?

    Thanks,
    Rosie Patrick

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  6. HELP Alysa,

    Sorry to have to mention this but . . . is the mess up such as typeovers, bunching & various small/large type an error on my system or the blog itself? I just can't read most of Promises Promises dated June 4. I hate missing what you have to say, I just can't help myself.

    Thanks and hopefully it can be fixed.

    Rosie Patrick

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  7. Alysa,
    Thank you SO much for answering my last question but being that the WNBA season starts today (yaaay!) it sparked One more : Does your dad watch the WNBA on tv? If so is it as a fan or is he screaming at previous players for things they do/or dont do during the games? Thank you!!! 🙂 Tell your dad Congrats on the USA BBALL job for me 🙂

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