I smell an epic weekend approaching.

Thursday: Work all day, then give yarn spinning demo in New Bedford. You should totally come. To New Bedford. Not to work with me. That’d be weird. The demo will be at TL6 The Gallery (100 William Street, New Bedford, MA).

Immediately after the demo, I drive (all night) down to Maryland. Hopefully reaching my parents’ house without incident. Take a nap. Then later Friday morning I head to a funeral for a woman who I knew when we were teens. We sang together in church choir. She was pretty much the sweetest person ever, and it’s really, really sad.

Friday: After the funeral, I head immediately out to Philly to watch the WFTDA roller derby national championships. It’s going to be so great. I’m going to be exhausted. I might miss a bit of opening ceremonies, but hopefully I’ll get there in time to see a bout or two Friday evening.

The tournament goes all weekend, with parties going all night, I expect. Then on Sunday I head back and resume my regularly scheduled programming, returning to work on Monday morning.

Yikes. Pretty sure I’m going to be running on adrenaline, caffeine, and enthusiasm in order to get through all that.

That’s the plan, anyway. I’ll let you know how it goes. Expect internet silence from me until I return to life on Monday. As usual, I’ll be permenantly attached to my phone, so you know, you can text me and stuff.

Wish me luck!

ctl alt del

Life reboot.

Summer has ended. Fall is nearly over. Winter will be upon us shortly.

My brain is permanently wired to the academic calendar. I was a student until I was 30 and now I work at an academic institution, so September always feels more like the start of a new year than January ever does.

Every fall I get a burst of energy and I have to constantly carry around a note pad because I can’t turn off my brain. (Alas, this renewed zest does nothing for the powers of my memory, hence the note pad.) The cooler temperatures allow my brain to actually engage in thought other than “Dear God, could it get any hotter and could I feel any more disgusting?” I’m finally able to accomplish things that had previously only been vague plans. The summer is always so busy what with parties and derby business and such, that I never get the time to work on any of my other fun projects.

The fall is actually even busier for me, but somehow everything seems easier than it does any other time of year. Fresh perspective, ideas, adventures, parties… it all seems to fit together so much better than in the spring or summer. I usually just feel overwhelmed with all of my obligations, but during the fall, I feel like I can accomplish it all and still maintain my sanity.

I have a zillion and one things going on as per usual, but I think it can still be managed. All it takes is planning. And stamina.

The last year has been very busy and still managed to have a flavor of stagnation about it. It’s been a very disorganized year, to the point where I have felt disconcertingly out of control at times – as if I were treading mud – wearing myself out and not really getting anywhere. It’s been an especially non-crafty year, too. I’ve had the odd project here and there, but I haven’t spent this long away from craftiness… ever, I think. I’m finally getting my crafty mojo back, about which I’m very happy, indeed. The same with reading.

Actually, it’s been more than just this past year. Maybe the last two years. I’ve been out of grad school, and playing roller derby. Two major events (one ending, and one starting), never mind the grueling (and seemingly never-ending) job search, so it’s no wonder it’s taken me a long while to figure out a good rhythm for my life. I use my commuting time to catch up on sleep, instead of reading and crafting as I had done before. Oh, and the place is a wreck, so nothing I need for various projects is within easy grasp. My default is to just zone out on the computer rather than to actually accomplish anything useful at home.

But I’m beginning to (slowly) get my life resembling some sort of slightly organized mess. Anyway, here’s a list of what’s been going on in the recent past, and what’s planned for the near future:

1. Rollah Derby, Hey! It was a great season. The Old Money Honeys made it to the home championship, but lost to the Rats. No worries, though, because I won MVP for my team. It was a pretty sweet moment. I wasn’t able to play in the last two Bees bouts (against Rochester and Pioneer Valley), so my season ended a wee bit earlier than everyone else. We’re in the off season now, tidying up the loose ends for this season and planning for the next. We’re in the height of recruiting at the moment, and I’m on the recruiting committee. It’s been crazy. I’m answering derby-related emails at least two or more hours each day. We’ve got over 100 people on our recruiting list, and at least 40 of them have been coming to our recruiting events, and will most likely stick around for tryouts in January. Yes, we’re having tryouts this year! We’ve got so may people interested that we can’t possibly take everyone. That means that only the most motivated will stick around, which is pretty sweet. I’m definitely looking forward to the 2010 season. I’m also going to Philadelphia for the National Championships. It’s going to be so much fun!

2. Work – MIT has hired me nearly full-time (still a no-benefits part-timer, but it’s WAY better than before and I’m breathing a little easier for having the extra hours). I’m now doing more collections-type work, in addition to the reference assisting (which consists mostly of photocopying for researchers). I get to help with new accessions and some processing. So far the learning curve hasn’t been that steep, but it’s been a little wonky due to shifting work-flows and what not. The short version is that I’m really enjoying it and get to use my brain. I’m also there five days a week, and I’ve got my own desk in a cube with a big window. In other work-related news, I survived my first SeptOber working King Richard’s Faire. It was tremendously fun. I met some really great people and made a few new friends. I’ve even been invited to work at a few Cons next year (steampunk and sci-fi), which is probably one of the coolest and geekiest things ever. I plan on documenting those adventures in a photoblog of sorts.

3. Craftiness – After ages and ages of non-knitting, I’ve finally got projects on the needles (on which I’m actively working) and I’m finally back at the wheel. I ordered a bunch of fiber from Cranberry Moon Farm (a few different wools as well as a wool/alpaca blend) and have been getting back into the groove. I’ve been invited to do a spinning demo at AHA Night next week. On Thursday, November 12, from 6-9pm I’ll be at TL6 The Gallery (100 William Street, New Bedford, MA). If I get enough spun I’ll have a few skeins to sell (though I doubt I will). Maybe I’ll have some other things done up to sell (gnomes and mushrooms, perhaps?) The details are still loose at this time, but I’ve been invited to sell my stuff there, and I’ve got to put myself on a production schedule, because I’m absolutely useless without deadlines. I also borrowed a sewing machine and can therefore get caught up on some of the derby-related clothes I’ve been trying to make these last few months. I still haven’t gotten my screen printing stuff together, though, so they won’t be ready for sale until I get that all set up. Soon, though, especially now that I’m getting my work space a bit more useable. I sense an intense house-purge very soon. We have too much crap. We also have a ton of awesome stuff, which tends to get lost among the clutter. And Christmas will be upon us very soon. Luckily I’m only knitting for a few people, so it shouldn’t be too terribly taxing (she says with much trepidation).

4. Currently reading – Andromeda Klein (Frank Portman), Juliet, Naked (Nick Hornby), as well as a few others that I’ve picked up and put down in recent weeks. The first two, though, are ones that I’m actively reading. So far I love both. Portman is responsible for one of the best books about high school kids ever, King Dork. While KD was told from a teen boy’s perspective, AK has a girl protagonist, and I love her. It’s also got tarot cards, ghosts, and other spooky things. Plus it’s wicked funny. Juliet is great, too. Hornby does what he does very well, with the music and the characters and what not. I just have to remember to actually one of them on the train with me so I can actually finish reading them. I’m also starting a book club with a friend, so that’ll keep me reading. The first pick is Dear American Airlines by Jonathan Miles. It looks like an interesting read. And if I hate it, at least I’ll have something to talk about at book club. (We’re also most likely going to be a rather boosey club, seeing as how the members thus far are fellow derby gals. Perhaps I should use one of the clever names I had on reserve for my non-existent booze blog? How about the Literale Society?)

5. Socialite – I have no unplanned weekends from here until after the New Year. It’s been that way since Labor Day. It’s insane. But I love it. I am much better about keeping my calendar and planner up to date these days to keep up with all the parties and stuff. Halloween was a blast! I’m so glad so many people made it to our party. I didn’t really know how many to expect, since there were birthday parties and other Halloween parties going on the same night. The next event Chez Nous will be a game night. I want to play Arkham Horror, but if there are more people coming than can play that game, we have a bunch of other games to have several going on at once. Plus, we have darts, too. Mark your calendars for Friday, November 20, 7:30 pm. Potluck. I’ll make a Facebook event invite thingie. I also have plans to travel to Maryland for both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. I was terribly homesick last year on my birthday and Christmas, so I’m planning ahead this year.

Whew. That’s the news for now. As usual, I have a bunch of pictures from this Fall but have not uploaded any of them to any sort of photo sharing site. I’m lame. I might get to it. Maybe. Pretty sure I need a functioning Time Turner to get all this done, but we’ll see how I do. Oh, and I could use an airship. Some jerk stole mine, and I haven’t gotten it back yet.

Chrononauts AWAY!

Quebec to Maryland

It’s been a busy week:

The Killah Bees went to Montréal. We lost 84-18, alas. But the Riveters beat the Montréal all star team by 100 points, so the night ended well at least. There were fun shenanigans at the after party, and then at the after-after party. None of which shall be divulged here, to protect the not-so-innocent. The drive back to MA was long and arduous, especially considering I had only gotten 5 hours of sleep (total) all weekend. When I got home, I had a couple of hours to pack and get ready for the long trip down to Maryland. We left at 10pm, and JeT drove most of the way. We arrived in Baltimore around 6 am.

JeT and I sat on my friend’s house and cats for a week. Cats were cool, house was awesome. We spent most of our days lazing around the house, and the evenings at local bars. It was too hot and humid to think, so we rarely ventured outside in daylight hours. We did walk The Avenue in Hampden one day, but that was pretty much it. My love of Baltimore has more to do with the people who live there, rather than the place itself. And I have to say, I’ve had more Natty Boh this past week than I have my ENTIRE life. Even when at Max’s Taphouse I started with the good beer, but when my other friends joined us, they kept buying me Boh. It’s cheap and/or free, so I wasn’t complaining.

I’m spending the last week here down in The County visiting my folks. Mum’s still in Canada, but Dad’s here, and I’ll get to see one of my nieces, and hopefully my brothers and nephews. I suck at playing Cruise Director, but I’m trying to plan meet-ups with various friends in the area. I won’t be able to fit everyone in, unfortunately. Even though I have a week here, I just can’t do it all, and I’m trying to not stress out about any potential hurt feelings. Everyone just needs to be on vacation at the same time as me so we can all meet up. Is that too much to ask?

I didn’t take many photos in Baltimore, because my batteries ran out and I forgot my charger, and I kept forgetting to buy new batteries. (And because I’m lame and kept forgetting my camera when going out.) I’ll try to remedy that soon. I’ve gotten a few good ones, though. And since all I’ve been doing is hanging out, a few choice photos are good enough.

I uploaded the photos from my camera (the ones from my phone are forthcoming, as usual) of the trip thus far. (Oh, and there are some photos from Sarah’s BAP in July, too.) Summer 2009

one funeral, a wedding, and some roller derby

That pretty much sums up my weekend.

JeT’s Grandmother passed away and the funeral was on Friday. It was an all-day affair: funeral home, mass, graveside service, reception. It was a long day for the family, but they held up pretty well.

That evening was PRD’s second home-team bout: Mob Squad vs The Rats. The Rats won. I didn’t see any of the game, though, since I was at the ticket table the whole time. I didn’t want to leave the other girl there by herself, and she couldn’t leave me there alone because I was putting out little fires all evening. I don’t think I want to do that again. It was stressful and annoying. Everyone who saw the bout said it was awesome. The Rats win means that we’ll be playing them for the next two home games, which is cool. And thanks to Monsieur Renard for working the bakesale table for the first half. Thanks also to friends who came out to watch the bout; I’ll be skating in the August bouts.
The after-party was, um… pretty awesome. Those of you who were there, or received texts and phone calls from me, or heard about it all the next day, know that it was EPIC. That is all.

Saturday was Laura and Aaron’s wedding, which was really fun. The ceremony was quite nice. The minister had a wicked Boston brahmin accent, they walked in to “Shipping up to Boston,” and the last song was “Dirty Water.” We were lame and forgot the camera. Laura looked beautiful, and Aaron was quite dapper. They all (including the bride) wore chucks with their fancy clothes. Laura’s were satin. We danced, we laughed, it was super great.

It was such a busy couple of days, I feel like I should have more to say about it. I guess I’m still exhausted.

I leave for Montreal on Friday, then it’s off to Maryland for two weeks. This place is a wreck and I haven’t even begun to think about packing. Need to employ some house gnomes to do it all for me.

no wonder I’m exhausted

Last Saturday actually felt like summer, which made me quite happy. (Remind me I said that when in August I’m daydreaming about October.) I do hate the heat and humidity, but I love these first few days of early summer.

I went for a run last weekend, and it was decidedly more successful than the last time. I brought along my MP3 player and that made a world of difference. Though I rather felt like the marching band people in this xkcd comic. And none of the songs really matched up with my stride, which drove me batty the entire time. But I went the whole nearly 4 miles without having to turn back because I was too annoyed to follow through. I left the house around 11:30 am, though, which was stupid of me. My route is usually pretty shady, but I forgot that at noon, nothing is shady. With nine months of winter, it’s difficult to remember how to behave when it’s actually warm out. I got pretty dehydrated and overheated and got dizzy so I only ran about half the distance and just walked the rest. But I still call it a win since I actually got my arse out the door and running. And the cross training Summah Resolution is in effect! I need to put the pull up bar back in the doorway, and really, I’ve neglected doing any sort of core work for entirely too long. It’ll all pay off when I can kick more ass at derby.

Speaking of which, I’d love to publicly thank roller derby for helping me overcome a metric shite tonne of body issues that have plagued me my entire life. I’m really not that much smaller than I was when I began derby, but my perception of my body has changed tremendously. I’m stronger and faster than I’ve ever been in my entire life, and that thrills me to pieces. I’m not running to lose weight, either. I’m running for the sheer enjoyment of the movement and to increase my strength and stamina to be able to better play the sport I love. I really don’t give a shit about how other people see me when I’m running down the street in spandex booty shorts and a tank top.

Every other time I’ve ever exercised regularly it’s been about getting stronger and gaining stamina, yes, but always looming in the back (or front) of my mind was the desire to become smaller and to lose weight. It was always there. And now I hardly have any of that crap left rattling around in my head. It’s almost entirely gone. I say almost, because no matter how hard I try I can’t turn off the voices outside of my head telling me that I should want to be smaller. I’m average size, really, but a large percentage of society, however, thinks that I am fat. And even if I was, who the hell cares? It’s my body. How it looks is no one’s business but my own.

And while I’m at it, society: Fuck you and your fascist beauty standards. I’m so sick of all of the hate-yourself bullshit that is everywhere during the summer. (Well, it’s everywhere all the time, but seems especially omni-present these days.) I don’t need 53 specials on how to get my body ready for bathing suit season, thanks. And I’m going to stop there before I get really caught up in a body issues rant. I’ll let others (more capable than I) handle that one.

Moving on.

I fell at practice this past Tuesday and my knee pad slipped. No major damage, just a bruise and some swelling, but it was a little scary. I’m going to take it easy (ie no scrimmaging) for a couple more days, but it should be good to go for practice next week. I did not run this week like I had planned, though. It was rainy most days, so I’m probably kidding myself into thinking that I would have gone out if I hadn’t been injured.

Oh and as for my other Summah Resolutions, I did see Ida Maria last week. Two local bands opened for her. I really enjoyed For What It’s Worth (who were super nice and gave PRD a lovely little shout out mid-set). And The Danger Room (while they didn’t completely strike my fancy) were decent, too. In other local news: I went to my first Waterfire last weekend! It was sruprisingly really great. I hate crowds and it was a little touch-and-go for a little while, but I settled in pretty quickly and enjoyed myself thoroughly. Plus, they had fried dough. Oh, and I also got to see the Red Sox this past week. I saw game two in the series against the Marlins. It was really fun! A friend of a friend had an extra ticket for the roof deck standing room area. It was a wickedtonnalotta fun, and half way through the game the people sitting at the $500 table in front of us gave us their seats. (And I got to have fried dough at the game, too. Nom.)

And tonight is the BDD bout against the Texecutioners. (I missed last night’s Gotham/Texecutioners bout in CT, but I heard it was phenomenal! Gotham won, but it was a close one the whole time.) And the Nuts and the Cosmos are kicking things off before the interleague bout gets underway, so it should be a pretty fun derby evening.

My last day at one of my jobs is the 30th and next Friday they’re throwing us a library-wide “assistant appreciation party.” Translation: “sorry the economy sucks and you’re all getting laid off at the end of the month.” I wonder if they’ll actually have anything I can eat. I usually end up with just juice and plain crackers at these “appreciation” gatherings. Though the following week I’m going to a separate gathering just for those of us who work in my department who are getting laid off. That should be much more fun. I went to the library summer party last Friday (though I left early due to a migraine) and it wasn’t as awkward as I had expected it to be, and there was a ton of vegan-enough-for-me food, so perhaps this Friday’s party won’t be as weird as I’m expecting it to be.

It’s still weird to think that in a couple of weeks, I’ll have five-day weekends. I know I should feel bad about my looming unemployment, but I’m actually looking forward to it. It’ll give me time to catch up on a bunch of projects, namely R’s book. Things keep getting in the way and my life keeps exploding all over the place and I can’t seem to get my act together to actually meet to discuss the work thus far. It’s really cool that I get to participate in this project, as I’ve never edited a novel before (just books of poetry and essays and things), but I haven’t been as efficient as I would like to be. It’s a pretty fun story, and I want to be able to devote more time to it. Check out the author’s new website!

That’s the news for now, friends.
Hearts and Stars.

waving, not drowning

I’m not dead. I’m still here. Things have been rather overwhelming these last few months, but I’m still alive and kicking. As per my usual modus operandi, what follows is a list of what I’ve been up to, and what I have planned:

1. Roller Derby – Keeping me relatively sane since 2008! I’m on the Old Money Honeys again this season (hurrah!) and we’ve started off rather well, having recently beaten our old nemesis, The Mob Squad, at the Providence Roller Derby home season opener. The final score was 98 – 75. Go TEAM!

   I also play for the Killah Bees, and we’ll be heading off to Canada again in July to play in Montreal. We’re playing a 30 minute exhibition mini-scrimmage and the Riveters get to play a regular 1-hour bout. Alas, we’re just the opening entertainment, but oh well. We got to play a full bout in Ottowa in May, so I suppose I shouldn’t complain. It’s going to be a great time anyway.

   I’m a bit behind in the behind-the-scenes derby business for which I am responsible: archives and rookie wranglin’. The rest of my life has been dragging me down, and I’m finding it difficult to force myself to do the things I need to do in my spare time. But things are coming together, slowly but surely.We’ve got a recruiting event coming up on the 18th. It’s an informal meet-and-greet type thing at an open skate, where we get to chat with potential recruits in a low-key, hopefully non-intimidating setting. It’s our first one of these, so we want to make a good impression.

2. Jobs, etc. – This part of my life is saturated with uncertainty at the moment, and I’m doing my best to not be overwhelmed. I’m losing one job at the end of June, and I’m losing the other job at the end of August. Meanwhile, my hours at the latter job have been cut from three days to two. I’m still applying for jobs, though. Nose to the grindstone, chin up and all that. I’ve expanded my job search to include the Washington, DC area. If we have to move to find work, it might as well be where I have friends and family, right? On the bright side, JeT just got word this week that he’ll definitely have a job in his restructured company. Depending on where I find work, we may have to live apart for a while. But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.The impending unemployment has actually gotten me to think more creatively about how I spend my time, which leads me to:
3. Ahts and Crayafts – I’ve been looking into setting up a home screen printing studio and finding outlets in which to sell some home made things. I have had an Etsy account for several years and have never gotten around to listing and selling anything in it. Which is a shame, because I’ve got some pretty good ideas. Potential items to sell firstly would include upcycled t-shirt dresses, calico-print summer wrap dresses, note cards, stationery kits, homespun yarn, etc. Oh, and I’ve also been thinking about resurrecting “J-Star Skateboards,” which was a little business I had way back in the day doing custom painted and screen printed skate decks. So, the creative juices are flowing, indeed.
4. Books – I’ve barely read anything this year. Seriously. It seems that reading functions as a happiness barometer. The more I read, you know I’m functioning fairly well. (The same can be said about knitting, really.) I used to read on the train all the time, now I just sleep or zone out to music. An easy way to break out of this rut (which I feel like I’ve been in FOREVER, even though I know it hasn’t really been that long…) is to start reading again. I’m too lazy to go look up things to read, so I’ll just take recommendations here. Tell me what I should read, and I’ll get right on it. I’m participating in the “Infinite Summer” read-along, so that should be fun, but I’ll be wanting to read other stuff as well. Hook me up!
5. PURGE! – Not to sound all emo or whatever, but I’m feeling rather existentially claustrophobic. I’m absolutely smothered by my stuff. I have so much crap, I can’t get to the stuff that I’d actually use. I think getting rid of a bunch of things, and seriously organizing the house would do me a world of good. A happy me is an organized and productive me. Right now, I’m neither happy nor productive, but I’m really looking to change that. I think some selective purging is definitely in order. It’ll give me a bit more breathing room.

That’s it, I suppose. Life moves along at its ridiculously fast pace as I struggle to keep up. Been treading mud for a while, but doing my best to break out of bad patterns, which do not serve anyone’s best interest, and find a niche in which to thrive. Really, things could be a whole lot worse, and most days I can function as a proper adult. Though I’d rather just eat popsicles and go play outside. It takes a tremendous amount of energy to be an adult and still find a way to have fun. I’m still determined, however, to find a way to combine it all.

Other things on the perifery: tattoos! Yes, yes! Been planning them for years, and I’m finally going to get around to it. Though they’ll have to wait for when I actually have proper income, but still. There it is. I’ll post a picture of some sketches shortly. The first one will be a stylized version of my initials, and it’s rather small. (So, who knows, I might get that one sooner rather than later.)

I’ve also been meaning to update my Flickr account, and keep more up to date with that. It’s just one of the general organizational things that I’ve let slip. I’m still doing stuff and photos are still being taken, but it’s mostly been my friends taking the pictures instead of me. I’ve been around on Facebook and Twitter, though, so you can still keep track of what I’m up to, even if this blah blah blahg is woefully neglected.

Hearts and Stars, friends. Hopefully I’ll see you around.

Derby-tastic reminder:

Thursday: Preview of the Cox Xpose on Providence Roller Derby
Cable Car Cinema, Providence, RI
9:30 pm, tix: $3
It’s cheap! It’ll be super awesome! Don’t miss it!

Saturday: RI Riveters vs. HARD’s Nuclear Knockouts!
Rhode Island Convention Center
Doors at 6pm, Bout at 7pm
Tix: Brown Paper Tickets
Or buy them from me!!! Only $10! (I want to sell 100 tix this season!)

Cox “Xposé” of PRD

Come to the Cable Car in Providence on Thursday, April 9 to see a special screening of the Cox Sports one-hour documentary “Xposé” about Providence Roller Derby! It’ll be aired on Cox stations Friday, April 10. We’re teaming up with the Cable Car for this fundraiser to promote our wicked awesome upcoming season. Check it out! Details forthcoming (such as price, exact times, etc).

Here are a couple of commercials for the show. (I’m in the second one, briefly, signing autographs. ROCKSTAH!)

Edit to add: Here’s the rest of the info. 9:30pm showing, $3 at the door. Cheap! Fun! Awesomeness!

RI Riveters vs HARD

Buy tix here:
www.brownpapertickets.com/event/60092

Bzzzz!

We had our first taste of the derby season last night. The Killah Bees (PRD’s “JV” travel team) took on New Hampshire’s Skate Free or Die team. We had several gals skating last night who had never played another team before, so it was really exciting, indeed. The final score was 105 to 50. Go BEES!!! I am so proud of how we played yesterday. We struggled in the first few jams, because it takes us a little while to get a feel for the other team and to be able to read them and strategize and what not. But we got our act together and played a great game. It’s amazing how much you learn by playing people you don’t normally play. We can scrimmage amongst ourselves ’til the end of time, and we’d never learn as much as we would playing another league. In that one hour last night, I think we learned so much about our team, and how we can continue to get even better. We take on NH again on April 25th. (Buy tix here: Brown Paper Tickets)
We filmed the scrimmage last night. Footage from that, along with some other footage of us playing previous bouts, is currently being made into a commercial that will air on channels five and six in the Providence area. Keep an eye out for that. We’ve also got an “Expose” on Cox Cable coming out in early April. We’ve got I think 4 bouts at the Rhode Island Convention Center, in addition to our 4 home team bouts at Kennedy Plaza, both in Downtown Providence. See www.providencerollerderby.com for our complete spring/summer schedule. It’s going to be an amazing season! Come see us skate!