/hibernation

I have been extremely lax in my blogging these last several months. You know how it goes: Busy doing fun things. Not organized enough to put photos on Flickr. No photos = no writing about fun things. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. I shall attempt to remedy that this weekend by doing a massive upload of photos. I’ll be doing them in installments, starting with last August.

It’s March. Pretty soon we will have ploughed through a quarter of the year. What have I been up to this year? What’s coming up? Hey, look! A list!

1. Coming up on Friday, I have a phone interview for a Project Archivist position at an area library. The lovely folks at MIT have offered to do a mock interview with me on Thursday to help me prep. I’ve also expanded my job search to include positions back in the DC/Baltimore area.
2. I had a whirlwind trip to Maryland and Florida last week. I left Boston for Baltimore on the 20th, caught the Riveters/CCRG bout, spent several days among friends and family in Maryland (met the BFF’s girlfriend, she’s rad), left for Florida on the 24th, spent a few days on the Gulf Coast with my seester and JeT’s dad enjoying the 80 degree weather, caught a Red Sox spring training game, then landed in Boston just as the snow began to fall Sunday morning. It was a bit of a wild week: one morning I woke up to broken glasses and raw patches on my hands and face. I try to tell people that the raw skin was due to extremely dry skin, and the glasses were on their way out anyway. There are some, however, who refuse to believe this and assert that I must have been in a bar fight.
3. I now have new glasses. They are red. And shaped rather like my pair-before-last, slightly cat-eye. Did I mention they are red? And awesome? Yes.
4. PRD is gearing up for the 2009 season. Our last batch of newbies joined in January, and there are only a couple left who haven’t yet passed their assessments to claim their name. This is really exciting! It’s going to be a fantastic season! I shall be continuing as the Rookie Wrangler, and I’ll also be taking on the job of League Archivist. I’m also going to be playing in two away games. In Canada! Also, PRD is playing host to several travel teams this year. The first Riveters home bout is against Harrisburg Area Roller Derby (HARD) on April 11 at the RICC. The Killah Bees are hosting the Skate Free or Die girls at a scrimmage next weekend, and then we play them at a NH bout in April. I’m not going to be playing in that one, though, as I’ll be playing in Ottowa the following week. It’s going to be a derby-filled summer, indeed. (Check www.providencerollerderby.com regularly for the most recent updates.)
5. I haven’t been very crafty though. I did finally finish my SIL’s hat and scarf, delivered only two months late. The BFF has a birthday coming up and I’m working on something for him. I started a hyperbolic plane in blue and white cotton, which was supposed to be a bath pouf. I ran out of the white, half way through the last round. I might just knot it off and call it done, though, since the whole reason for making it was to do a bit of stash busting. I also have to make another Jayne hat for myself, since I lost the one I made last Fall. Once I actually get going on something, I’ll feel better.
6. I have severely neglected my pen pals these last several months. The end of the derby season in September ate up all my time, and then it was fall, and then winter, and now here it is nearly spring and some of them haven’t heard from me in ages. It’s not due to lack of caring, but rather to severe lack of organization. I just need to cart around my little notebook of writing supplies, then I can write while I commute, just like old times.
7. Saw They Might Be Giants a while ago. They were super great, as usual. They played so many songs! And many many were ones I’d never heard them play before, or hadn’t heard in a long while. We made some concert friends, which was fun.
8. We have a new car: a 2008 Kia Sportage, silvery grey. It’s awesome. We can accelerate. Uphill! And it’s big enough to fit my legs! And passengers!
9. Though I have been bringing my lunch to work nearly every day (thanks to JeT who actually prepares and packs the food), I miss bringing super fun bentos. I shall endeavor to remedy this. We’ve been making some new foods, though, so we’re slowly edging out of our food rut, which I’m very happy about. More new foods to come, and of course bento photos!
10. I’ve recently discovered Wild Turkey’s American Honey. If you’re a fan of whiskey or bourbon, you need to try this. Even if you normally hate the stuff, you need to try this. It’s golden awesomeness in a bottle. Highly recommended.
11. Speaking of imbibing, my librarian friends and I came up with a blog idea to help us broaden our beer horizons. We plan to sample a different kind of beer each month, and report our findings on the blog. We’re still thinking of a name, though. I was all ready to go in January, and then I sort of just forgot about it. This should be quite fun, once we get going!
12. I would like to go bowling. And ice skating. And just go out more often. Maybe stay in town for a bit on Fridays or something. I just need to get my act together and play cruise director, I think. I’ve just been so disorganized; I haven’t felt like myself for months and months. I think I’m finally coming out of my stupor, though. I think the sunshine did me some good. I’ll work on my schedule this weekend, and will start planning some outings. I wonder where my planner is… probably under the laundry somewhere.
13. First outing: This Friday, March 6th! Watchmen! Who’s in? JeT and I are going to see it in Boston (on the Common). We’re buying our tix tonight, if anyone’s interested.
14. And then there are a couple of concerts coming up: OK Go! and The Pogues! So excited!

notices:

December 19 is my birthday. It falls on a Friday. Prepare for a party.

Knowing how I operate, expect belated holiday gifts. We will have a linner* party for friends on the 3rd of January. It’s a Saturday.

* Linner = Lunch + Dinner. That way people with childrens can come earlier and not feel like they’re missing out on stuff. And people are welcome to stay later into the night for more fun times.

Go vote for Dan White for The Rhode Show. He’s one of PRD’s announcers, and we want to support him. Here’s the link: http://www.wpri.com/generic/entertainment/ent_other_3/the_rhode_show 

You can vote once a day, or you can clear your cookies in your browser and vote as many times as you want. He’s tied at 22 percent right now. Go vote!!!

Vote for Diamond Dan White!

An announcer for Providence Roller Derby is a finalist to be the next host of a talk show in Rhode Island. Go vote for him!!!

http://www.wpri.com/generic/entertainment/ent_other_3/the_rhode_show 

“running just to keep the pace…”

Feeling a little behind on nearly everything lately. Here are a few tidbits:

1. Job search: I check the RSS feeds and message boards daily. Right now I have two (possibly three) open applications. The rest I’ve given up on, or have been notified of a rejection (I’d rather know than not know, you know?)… but at least this is one area where I’m actually on top of things.
2. Roller derby: Being the newbie wrangler isn’t that difficult, but I’ve got a new batch of potential skaters coming in, and I’ve only just realized today that I probably won’t have enough gear for them to borrow. I’ve put out a call to arms on the forum, but we’ll see. I’m trying not to think about what will happen if it turns out I cannot scrounge enough gear for them to use. It makes me not able to breathe when I think about it, so I’ll pretend it doesn’t exist and maybe the problem will go away. Generally, I love this job, because I get to meet the new people and interact with them, and make sure they have a smooth entry into the league. But at clinic time, I get a little stressed out. I have to remember to breathe.
3. Oh, and we also had the PRD awards banquet Friday night! I got the OMH “up and comer” award! YAY!!! I didn’t expect that one, and I’m very happy! It’s on my bookshelf in front of my fake mantle. (Ok, so it’s a real mantle, but there’s no fireplace, so I wonder if that counts.)
4. Work in general: I spent two days this past week working on a part of a collection, only to realize an hour before leaving at the end of the week that I was using the wrong list. *sigh* The proper list has been found, but I feel really lame for not noticing sooner. Also, I was very distracted at work this week. I didn’t get enough sleep, and kept getting distracted by the news websites all week. I’ll do better this week, promise. Wouldn’t want anyone to think I was a slacker. (Because at work, I’m totally not. At home… well, that’s another story.)
5. Home: I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I figure if I put it out into the public eye, my shame may be great enough to motivate me to fix the problem. So here goes: we’ve been sleeping on the futon in the living room for the last week or so because our bed is completely covered in laundry. We just keep washing it and adding it to the pile. See? Embarrassing! Ok, so it’s not really earth shattering, but still. Wicked domestic slackers.
6. Craftiness: I cleaned out my WIP basket and finally frogged several projects and re-wound the yarn. I also chopped up that felt bag and giant disaster of a felt bowl into coasters. Now I have a ton of coasters that I don’t know what to do with, but at least I don’t have those dumb projects taking up space. And by frogging a bunch of stuff that was still on needles, I’ve discovered that I have three pairs of size 10 circulars, two pairs of size 8s, and a pair of size 4s that I didn’t remember having at all. Amazing! It’s like shopping without spending money! I also organized my megre yarn stash. Hat boxes and baggies. I think it will work fine. And actual WIPs now occupy the aforementioned basket.
7. Finally got around to joining Facebook. Friend me if you wanna!

I think that’s the news for now. I just feel all sorts of scattered. I think once the newbie clinic is over this week, things will settle down a bit and I won’t feel so freaked out.

OMH Undefeated!!!!!

The Old Money Honeys are the 2008 Providence Roller Derby champions!!!

Thanks to all of you who came out to support your local roller girls last night. It means so much to have so many friends and family as my fans. I had a blast out there. I only sustained very minor rink rash during the bout, which is way less than I expected. But coming back from the bar, I thought it would be a really awesome idea to run down the sidewalk to catch up to the rest of the gang. I twisted my ankle and skinned my knees. I’m a dumbass.

It’s pretty sore today, and I may have a minor sprain. It’s not bad enough to go to the docs, so I’ll just RICE it and see how it goes. I’m pretty bummed though, because we are supposed to scrimmage the Skate Free or Die New Hampshire girls on Thursday. Yeah, probably not going to happen for me. Lame. Literally.

But, we won, so I’m happy. When it’s my week with the trophy, I’ll have a party and we can all take pictures with it! Yay!

Go, OMH!!!

OMH vs MOB!!! OMG!!!!!

Because I am lame, I put the wrong side of the flier up. I will amend that tomorrow. But for now, here’s the basic info, for your information needs, should you need some information.

Providence Roller Derby Championship Bout!
Downtown Providence (Kennedy Plaza)
Friday, September 19th (Rain date, Sunday the 21st)
Doors are at 7pm
Bout starts at 8pm

As usual, let me know if you need me to get you tickets. $10 from me, $13 at the door. Or $11.50 from brown paper tickets. WOOOOO!!! Go, OMH!!!

THANKS!

Thank you all who came out to support Providence Roller Derby last night! It’s always so great to go out there and know that you’ve got people cheering you on! I’m not a star player, but I have the BEST fan club EVER!!! Thank you all for your support, not just for me, but for a sport I love! I know I’m not the only one who loves roller derby, and you don’t have to be on skates to show your love. Just coming out to watch us means so much. Not just because we get your money (which we really need) but because if no one came to watch, it wouldn’t be as much fun. So, a million times, thank you!

I didn’t feel like I had a very good game last night, what with taking myself out on several occasions. I kept tripping on myself and others, so that I didn’t get very many good hits in. BUT, I still had a blast, and really, I’m my own worst critic. I did better than I did the first time out, because I knew what the hell was going on. I’m a wee bit more experienced, so now that I know what’s going on, I can see what I have to do, I just can’t always get my body in position to actually do it. And I think that’s where my frustration comes in. I see what has to be done, but I’m neither strong enough, nor skilled enough to actually accomplish what I want.

And for a brainy person like me, that’s a bit hard to swallow. I see it, so why can’t I do it? You’d think my brains would be able to say “Um, dude? You’ve only been doing this less than 7 months. Lighten up!” But no, I’m lame and continue to beat myself up when I can’t perform at the level I think I should be at. Which is an arbitrary level anyway. Just because I work hard, doesn’t mean I’ll ever be at the top, and I just need to let that sink in a bit. Derby is not school. I’ve never played a sport before, so really I just need to cut myself some slack and just chill out about it. Dude, I hope the video crew didn’t catch me crying. That would be totally lame. But I’m not going to think about potentially embarrassing footage.

Because we won! And it was great fun at the after party! I’m not much of a kareoke person. I’d rather dance to a DJ, but that’s the nature of PRD, they love to sing! I’ll get over myself soon enough and step up to the microphone eventually. I almost sang last night, but they didn’t have the songs I wanted. I’ll be better prepared next time though.

Now I need to soak in a hot bath. My back is freaking killing me. I need to check for Kid Ace shaped bruises, because I’m pretty sure she was the one who landed on me when we had that (one of many) massive pileup, with me flattened to the cement.

Anyway, thanks again for being such awesome friends! You all ROCK!!!!!

And back to our regularly scheduled derby time:

Come see me skate with the Old Money Honeys as we battle the Sakonnet River Roller Rats in Providence Roller Derby’s last bout before the Championship. The Rats fought hard against the Mob Squad in July’s bout, though the Mob reigned supreme in the end; let’s see how they hold up against the Honeys, who dominated the Mob in the bout in May.

Due to my absences from practice (stupid dizziness), I have not been able to score many advanced tix. I may still be able to arrange to get you a discounted ticket if you give me a call by Thursday afternoon. Then you can phone Jesse when you get to the bout and he can hook you up with your ticket.

A free ticket to the championship bout for the Foxie fan who brings the best sign or slogan or Foxified t-shirt (etc) to the bout on Friday!!! Be creative!

In other news: DERBY!

If you need tix just give me a call. I know some of you have already contacted me, and I’ll be in touch today. Otherwise, just let me know and I’ll hook you up. I won’t be skating this one, but the Old Money Honeys and I will be working the bout. I only have to work for the first half, so I’ll come and find everyone when I’m done rockin’ the merch table. See you there! (Please pray, dance, think, wish, whatever, for no rain!)

I’m a real BEEEEEEEE!

Yesterday was my first inter-league bout, even if it was just an exhibition, two twenty-minute period event. It was a million degrees in the sun, and still a million in the shade, since the rink is a giant concrete oven. But I didn’t pass out. Nor did I vomit. And I actually had a couple of jammer take-downs, of which I am exceedingly proud (even if this was NH’s first bout ever). I think I may have gloated over one of them, which is pretty funny, since normally I’m all “Oh, so sorry! Are you hurt?” It really is different playing against another league. You’re not afraid of hitting harder and actually knocking people down. I need to learn to hit harder at practice with my own league now. I think it’s a confidence problem, too. The skaters on my league are way faster than I am, so I know I can’t catch up to hit them, and they’re way better than me and blah blah blah. But NH are just as new as I am, more my speed, and I was able to catch them and actually be of some help to my team, instead of concentrating so hard to keep up with the pack and avoid getting knocked down. It was very gratifying to have the training finally click into place and to be effective. (Oh, I don’t remember the score… I think NH had 11 points, and we had 70 or 80 something… not sure. But we did, indeed, “bring the sting,” as they say.)
The festival in general was really fun, too. There were many cool vendors (clothes, jewelry, housewares, books, records, all sorts of stuff), some really great bands and DJs, too. It reminded me a little of how the River Rave used to be at Great Woods. Before the bout I kept thinking that we’d just head straight home afterwards, since I knew I’d be exhausted and heat-stroke-ish and lethargic. Um, quite the opposite actually happened. I did have to drink a million gallons of water, but once the bands and DJs got the party going, I couldn’t help but dance. I don’t really know how I kept going in that heat.

Anyway, sorry I didn’t advertise this better. I think many of you would have really loved this festival, even if it was in the hot hot heat. Next time, Gadget, next time.

Edit to add: I totally forgot to mention the best thing ever! The “Burly Q” burlesque troupe performed an homage to Frank N. Furter last night! They danced to the sweet transvestite song! Sparkly “lips” pasties!! I asked them before hand if it would be ok to do call back lines, and they were all “hell yeah!” so I shouted out a few. It was fun! Man, you all missed out!