Dismember in December

This past weekend the Warning Belles of the Naptown Roller Girls traveled to Evansville for our first couple bouts. The Demolition City Roller Dolls hosted a four team tournament with a two game guarantee called Dismembered in December held at the Evansville Memorial Coliseum. The building was constructed in 1916 and made out of brick and limestone. It has a great theater vibe to it and seats around 2500 with a large balcony ringing the floor facing the stage. We had an actual dressing room for our dressing room with home made couches. Very comfy.

Our first bout ever was against DCRD, and I am so glad this bout was away from home. I was sent in to block on the opening two jams to knock people down. After two jams I was to come back to the bench and go back to jam. I managed to knock one skater down. Too bad. The penalties were flying and they were not the fun kind either. My first recorded trip to the penalty box was for a false start from the jamming line. During my next jam I went in for cutting the track. Silly. But I got it together and I scored some points. I hit some skaters and I got one girl to chase me around and keep trying to knock me down. We spent a lot of time in the penalty box. There were some legitimate calls and there were some questionable calls. It doesn't matter. The refs are a part of the game. I don't think the scoring defecit would be so high if not for the many penalties we got, but I also don't think the outcome would necessarily be different. We lost the bout, but we gained invaluable experience.

The next bout pitted the Slay Belles against the highly experienced Quad State Terrors. Both teams came together for the tournament, but the similarties ended there. The Quad State Terrors were the dominant force of the whole tournament, and they showed their skills early against the Slay Belles. QST has some great skaters, and even though that was the first bout they played together (I think?) they moved really well together keeping control of the pack and jamming right on through. QST owned that bout.

We went to the consolation match against the Slay Belles. Joan of Dark came in to ensure we didn't go home with a loss and she proceeded to host a clinic on how to achieve multiple grand slams in a single jam. Her first jam out she officially scored 18 (it was 19, but no one was going to quibble). Blue Messiah also netted an 18 point jam. Everyone who jammed, Ivanna B. Naughty, myself, Ana Slaysya, heavy hitting Joanie Gouge grand slammed. The final score was 177 - 6. We won.

I was pretty wiped out after two bouts, and I probably would have been more comfortable at the hotel than at the after party, but I couldn't miss my first post bout bash. It was held in a bar called Hammerheads around the corner from the venue. They had a deafening juke box cranking out nu-metal, grunge, and miscellaneous with an 80s dance party going on in the basement. If Broadripple was distilled into a single bar you would end up with Hammerheads. Everyone was having a good time, and it was great to get loose with my teammates and our opponents. I have a hard time with loud noise though. I think I'll bring some discreet ear plugs to the next after party. I'll risk being lame to be able to party down.

Six more days to go

Only six more days until I get a chance to compete in my first Roller Derby bout, and it's a tournament with a two game guarantee no less! I'm so excited I can barely stand it, and it's only Monday. I have been pumped up for this bout for the past couple weeks to the point where the hair on my arm stands on end when I think about the pre-game warm-up. I'll need to bring a paper bag to breathe into by Thursday.

In the wake of all this excitement are great moments from this weekend. Namely, the NRG calendar launch party. This was another event for which I was excited to the point of having the squirmies up until I arrived. The place, Christoper West's new gallery, was packed the entire time the event was going on. A couple of friends dropped in, including Fitness Nerd and Athena, to see the new calendar and give support. Even a co-worker showed up. The finished product looks amazing, and covers fifteen months. Such a value! If you're interested in purchasing one then shoot me a comment, and I'll hook you up. Nay from the [un]official Fan Club lead the crowd in some rousing cheers. I stood back and warmed up to the glow from all the support, volunteerism, and down right creativity that was put into all this. NRG is blessed with the best fans and support staff ever.

It's a human rights thing

So maybe you can't call in next Wednesday, but you like millions of others support the choices of consenting adults and would like to know how to help? Post this message. Donate time or money to a GLBTA cause. The website is full of useful ideas for those who can't take off work, but want to offer support.

I don't know where I changed up. Up until now I've been patient. I've told myself all kinds of stories that have kept me on the sidelines: All out groups experience a time of struggle. I'm not even a fan of marriage. Gay marriage will never happen in Indiana in my life time so why bother. It will happen in more progressive states. That's good enough.

Well it's not good enough. It has nothing to do with my personal views of marriage. And there's no time like the present to get involved in the struggle to perhaps pave the way for gay marriage to be accepted in Indiana whether that be now or later.

But what was it that got me really mad? A group of people took away the rights of another group of people and used a state constitution to do it. I am a strong believer of majority rules with minority rights, and when the gravity of the situation sunk in - that hard won rights were revoked by a simple majority vote I got angry and a little scared. It's not just my freedom we're talking about here. It's everyone's freedom.

Under threat of expulsion

What a juicy title for a standard update post. I read in Fitness Nerd's blog that if those of us on his Blog Roll didn't update our blogs then we'd be cut, and I just can't afford the traffic loss...

Seriously though, I have plenty going on, but I go back and forth as to what I'd actually publish in a blog. My most recent news is Thanksgiving and the lovely time I had with Maestro, Persephone, and Gentle Giant. We played a lot of Rock Band 2, the modest changes of which make it even more enjoyable for group play of varying skill levels. Persephone got to rock out in front of her younger brother when he dropped by. That must have been a highlight. Persephone singing Blitzkrieg Bop was a bit of an image departure, I'm sure.

I continue to work on the sport and art of roller derby. Last night I broke out the new bout only wheels. For the gear heads, these are the grippiest Radar Tuners, which I don't think is saying all that much. The durometer reading on them is still somewhere in the low 90s. I haven't skated indoors on anything other than Radar Tuners so I'm getting a good feel for what the line has to offer. When I started out in them they were slippery almost as if they were coated in something. After I skated on them for about 10 minutes they felt better and eventually they felt softer than my blue tuners (tite). I don't know if there was something on the wheels or if the slip feeling was from my bearings being brand new as well (Kwik ABEC-9). I think the next set of wheels will have to be these Answers my teammates are going crazy for. Grippy without slowing down? We'll see.

I had a strong practice. I learned a new skill and received some kudos. I'm really excited about our calendar launch party this Friday (1647 English Ave. Indianapolis, 6 - 9 pm. Be there!) And I'm practically humming with excitement when I think about our upcoming bout in Evansville. A mixed team of Vets and Rookies will be going to Evansville for a small tournament against some stiff competition. When it's talked about at practice I can feel my skin electrify and I start pacing in anticipation. I have been thinking about how to handle strategies and tactics that I have never seen before in oponents. I am visualizing successful jams. I believe I am stoked.

Phew... the beat goes on

George Stephanopoulos is saying the show will go on tonight. Overall, I'm glad to hear it, but I'm a little sad that we didn't get to witness Obama holding a townhall style meeting with the media. That would be a departure. Seriously, there was no way McCain could skip the debates seeing as how every journalist outside of the Fox network was left scratching their collective heads trying to decide how to report this piece of news without stating McCain is playing a game. Fox actually embraced that and lauded McCain's political brinksmanship. What a jaded audience they must have.

As I've said, I believe McCain's move was an attempt to grab the spotlight at a time when his campaign was coming down from the Palin poll bump and simultaneously attempt to add some economic credibility to his CV. I only wonder if Obama will deliver a knock out blow during the debate or just let it drop.

Dear McCain: Please stay out of Washington until the bailout deal is completed.

If there is no debate on Friday I'll spit.

Well, honestly, I spit often so it's not like I'll refrain if there is a debate. I'm frustrated with McCain's bull fighter's cape sweep attempting to manufacture relevance in an arena he has not entered in some time. He has not seen much of the senate in the last two years and now he wants to go to Washington, presumably to broker a bipartisan deal for a bailout of our financial markets, one that is argued we may not even need. I see this as an empty flourish added to a campaign bolstered by his sensational running-mate selection. McCain is weak on the economy. What better way to avoid a debate that would be completely dominated by the thorny subject of finance than to pretend to trim the briar patch in question? It's hard to nail him on it, because he can counter that he's too busy fixing the economy to talk about it.

The fact is finance is perhaps the most complicated area of an already complicated subject, and in this case we're attempting to fix finance with finance born from taxes. There is a lot of tension between Wall Street, the Fed, the Treasury, and the Hill. I envision lobbyists forced to camp in neighboring parks due to a lack of hotel vacancy. Now that many in Congress have had to say, "If I knew then what I know now..." there will be far more measured thought before we blindly sign a check for what is the gross domestic product of the Netherlands. Basically, this issue is hot enough. How about we let the politicians do their jobs and keep the campaign out of Washington.

My right cheek

Training for derby means skating aggressively counter clockwise a lot. It creates a special wear pattern on our skates and wheels, but most importantly my body. Certain muscles get worked a lot more than others. My right ass cheek and my left groin for instance are sore in concert today. I feel lopsided, and a wallet just isn't happening today.

In my cubicle I have assembled a bunch of networking gear for a lab. When I turn it all on the fans create so much noise I have to wear headphones to keep from going crazy. Lab work is the best part of my job, but it's also the noisiest. Here I go.