shake those pom-poms

It's 5 p.m. Thursday, and I'm counting down the seconds until I can board my Scion (aka: "Bart") and head home. Surprisingly, my excitement isn't a result of an upcoming trip to Shake 'n Shake (mmm...chili mac) or a failing kidney (thank God).

I'm excited because I'm now the proud owner of a burned copy of "Cheerleading Mix."

It was a present from the ever-so-talented Amanda, the same coworker whose bachelorette party I attended Saturday. I found the disc in her car when we were on an assignment together, and within seconds it transformed into a drop-it-like-it's-hot bond between us.

We've listened to it in moments of elation, despair and serenity...and many lonely male drivers will be forever grateful.

I don't know why I love cheerleaders so much -- aside from the fact that Amanda was one, of course. The closest I ever came to being an actual pom-pom girl was my brief stint as a baton twirler in fourth grade. And I was awful.

I always wanted to audition in high school, but the cattiness surrounding my all-girls Catholic school was just too much to handle. Then, once I moved on to Ripon College, I attended two information sessions for the cheerleading team, but dropped out after I realized my place on the speech team would monopolize too much of my schedule.

So pretty much the closest I came to competitive cheering was being extra enthusiastic while chanting "I am a mother pheasant plucker!" during my speech team's warmups. Cool.

Still, there's something about cheerleading that just turns me on. I've even devised a customized set of cheer moves that deviate from my traditional arm in the air, hips in a figure-eight dancing.

The only bad part about receiving my own copy of "Cheerleading Mix"? It means the days I'm able listen to the disc with Amanda are limited. Boo.

The reason I like Amanda so much is that she's an eternal cheerleader, always offering a spirited smile and mark of perserverence even when you feel like you're losing the game. I'm glad to have her -- along with her dance moves and CD collection -- on my team.

Thanks for all the good times, girl. You'll always be at the top of the pom-pom pyramid of life.