Dual Derby Duel

There were actually two bouts tonight for derby.  In celebration of Fur Rondy, Rage City put on a mini bout using the B team girls: the Miners vs. the Trappers.  It was loads of fun!  We arrived a bit after 6:30pm or so, and were lucky to get seats on the first row of the bleachers.  Which means most of the time we were craning to see over the people at the tables in front of us, but - on the other hand - we had good access to concessions, beverages, and restrooms...  (I totally look like some kind of freaky goofball in the picture below.  Maybe I can blame it on the excitement of the moment?  Anyhow, all pictures are courtesy of Greg and his fancy-pants camera.  I don't know why I even took mine with me, since I know it's not going to do me any good.)

Greg is One Tired Boy tonight.  He's spent most of the past week in Seattle, running around like crazy.  His dad had surgery on Friday, Greg got up early Saturday morning (like 3am) to be at the hospital for a while, then went to have breakfast, then off to the plane.  (Shout out and many, many thanks to my sisters, who provided a place to stay, wheels, and company while he was there - I owe you Big Time!!)  A little nap while flying, then he made it home in time to re-gather his gear and head out to roller derby to take awesome pictures.  Now that's dedication!!

When we arrived the place was packed!  It's good to see the sport filling up the new (larger) venue.  Now if only they could teach the concessioneers to put a bit of salt on the popcorn...  I mean, Come On!  Really?  Popcorn without a little salt is just bland.  Besides, if people are eating salty foods, they're going to be buying beverages too, right?  It's a win-win situation.  Anyhow.  That's beside the point.  It was Packed!  We were lucky to find some seats and get settled in before any of the magic started happening.

 I think there are two more bouts this season, and I'm definitely looking forward to more fast-rolling, body-slamming action.  As I learn more about rules and strategy, it becomes even more interesting to watch each bout.  Here's to another fantastic evening spent at roller derby with friends!

It's a Wonderful Weekend

It's been a wonderful weekend!  I feel rested and refreshed - as ready for the coming work-week as I'm ever ready for any work-week. I spent Friday night (Sewing Night) visiting with Anita.  We didn't get much (okay, any) sewing done, but had a nice time visiting.  Some crackers and cheese, a glass of wine, and some good conversation make for a relaxing, enjoyable evening.  A wonderful way to let go of the stresses of work and get ready to enjoy the weekend.

Saturday was packed with activities.  We met friends for breakfast at IHOP - it's always good to fuel the body before a long day.  From there, I went to the gym to get in my final workout of the week.  I'm training for a triathlon with M and Holly in October 2012 (I'll need that long to be in any kind of shape to actually finish the race).  I was actually stoked at the end of my workout because I'd been able to go a little bit faster (and therefore a little bit farther) than on my previous workouts.

Dirty Polli's vs. DevilsClub

After the gym, I went grocery shopping, and while I was wandering the aisles I called M to chat.  It was so lovely to shop with M - the only way it could've been better were if she were here in person (or I were there).  Someday.  Shopping done, now it's time for roller derby - yeah!!  There's a new Anchorage team - the DevilsClub - and they're my new favorites.  Mostly because Mrs. Furious is on the team, but also a little bit because their primary team color is green.  My second favorite, by just a wee bit, is the Sockeye Sallies - because they have Lethal Lavender.  Mrs. Furious is my favorite player because she's good, but also because I know her.  Lethal Lavender is also very good and I like her skating, but there's no personal connection.  And then there's the Dirty Polli's - lots of good players, which makes any bout between any of the three teams entertaining.  It's even more fun when an Anchorage team is playing a team from another city - then there's absolutely no confusion as to who to root for!  (All photos in this post are courtesy of Greg and his fancy-pants camera - if you're interested, there are *loads* more pictures here.)

 Mrs. Furious jams for the DevilsClub

Lethal Lavendar (in the purple helmet)

demonstrates her moves during half-time entertainment

I took Amy with us to the derby bout, and later Greg picked her up and took her on his photo shoot.  If she were a real person, it would've been as if she had a backstage pass.  She even got her picture taken with both the teams...  Way to go, Amy-Doll!!  (She's in the front - the gal with the orange tights is holding her.)

Derby was a blast - as usual!  My team didn't win this time, but it was close (seems to have been the theme for my sports teams this weekend).  There was plenty of action and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  On Sunday, I got up (earlier than usual) to start making cookies.  Bacon chocolate chip, of course!   By the time our guests started arriving, I was mostly done with the baking - whew!  I was rooting for the black team (Steelers), but should have known to go for the green when my team showed up in yellow instead of black.  But since most of the house was for Green Bay, I stuck with my choice so we had a little friendly rivalry.  Great company, good food, fun commercials, and a little bit of competition made for a fabulous afternoon!

As always, all good things must come to an end.  My fun-tastic weekend is drawing to a close and it's time to start thinking of the coming work-week.  The feel-good vibes I accumulated over the weekend should make Monday (at least) go a little smoother...

MS Walk and the Derby

Jeannea's Spring visit usually corresponds with the fundraising walk for Multiple Sclerosis.  This is the first of many charity walks that I sign up for - mostly so I have an excuse to get some extra (or any) exercise.  Being that it's April, the weather is unpredictable.  It's best to dress for chilly weather (and be prepared for cold rain), so if it's sunny you can peel layers and enjoy (but if not, you're not miserable).

Even with my multiple layers (or perhaps because of my multiple layers), the walk was brisk but pleasant.  I was told it's a little over 4 miles.  A little chilly to start, but once we got moving I warmed right up!  This walk takes us around Lake Hood, the float plane lake that's next to Anchorage International Airport.  I always find it fascinating to see the big jumbo jets taking off in the sky and the little two-seaters on the lake.  An interesting contrast.

As a special treat, Jeannea happened to be in town for the last roller derby bout of the season.  Anchorage's Rage City Rollergirls vs. Edmonton's Oil City Derby Girls.  The first bout that we took Jeannea (and Sara and Sheri) to was when Rage City went to Seattle to play.  We had a blast, but it's always better on the home court, so I was excited to have her be able to go.

As usual, we went early to get good seats.  Good thing - doors open at 6pm and the derby doesn't start until 7pm, but by 6:10pm the best seats in the house are taken.  Once again, it was a sellout crowd - great news!

This was the most exciting bout of the season!  There was never more than a 20 point spread in scores, and in the very last two minutes we went from tied to down one to win by four!!!  Super plays, loud crowds, and rowdy girls!  The Edmonton team was fantastic (I'm hoping we try to recruit a few of them - interested, Tie Dye?) and our girls played their hearts out...  I was hoarse by the end of the evening.  =)

To round out the day, Stacy met us for dinner (James was already with us at derby) and we got to enjoy more good company and good food.  We went for sushi.  I'm finding that I rather enjoy the sushi rolls - as long as the fish is cooked.  It's not that I don't enjoy the raw fish, I just can't bring myself to try it. *shudder*

In between all the drama and the fun, Greg was busy too (is he ever anything but busy??).  He ran the course for the MS Walk and got a bit done on the flooring before heading to derby to photograph, then met us for dinner.  Next post will be an update on the remodel progress...

Weekend Updates

I meant to post last weekend, but I procrastinated.  This post will be a combination for non-house-remodel-related happenings for the last couple weekends.  I'll be doing another post shortly for the remodel stuff (combining them would just be too long).

Last Friday was a tough one at work - which is disappointing, since Fridays are generally my favorite day of the week.  It was one of those days where nothing seems to go right; where I should know certain processes but no matter what I did, nothing turned out well; where I intended to get certain things done, but nothing happened the way I planned: one of those days where I felt that everyone would (or maybe should?) be questioning whether or not I was fit to be in my current position.  A real bummer.  To help cheer me up, Greg brought home my favorite flowers - and they're still making me smile every time I see them.  Thanks, Hon!

Anyhow, having most of the weekend away from work was helpful (I had to go in for a few hours on Sunday, so I could make sure everything was on track come Monday morning), and an evening of relaxing with friends and not worrying about work was just what the doctor ordered.  Lucky for me, Saturday was Roller Derby!!

It was a great bout (Anchorage vs. Fairbanks - our girls rocked!), and nice to focus on spending time with friends.  (As usual, derby pix are courtesy of Greg and his fancy-pants camera...)  I have to say, I found out I'm a HUGE fan of chocolate and... bacon.  Bacon really does make everything taste better!  If you ever have a chance, you should try Mo's Dark Bacon Bar.  We took some chocolate to the game, since we knew dinner would be late.  I'll be getting more of these (even the package looks tasty)!

Fortunately, this past week has been productive and I've been able to regain some of my equilibrium.  That's one of the benefits of time: I know I'll get through the rough patches, just have to keep my head above water long enough.   Today, I did some research for work in between helping Greg with the remodel project.  Tomorrow we'll spend more time working on the house (Greg's been getting loads done), but I took a break this evening to go to dinner with friends (Greg was on-call, so he couldn't go).  We drove out to Double Musky in Girdwood.  It's an hour drive and there was an hour wait for a table (they don't take reservations), but it was *so* worth it!

The extra daylight is noticeable again.  This means that winter is almost over and I can start looking forward to warmer temps.  The picture above was taken at 6:45pm.  Just a bit more than a month ago, it would've been dark by then.  (And since we Spring Forward tomorrow, it'll just get more apparent - yay!)  Now it just needs to warm up...

Derby Madness

Saturday night was roller derby - wahoo!!  A chance to get out of the house; watch some fast rolling, hard hitting competition; and spend time visiting with friends.  A great evening!  (Note: Greg and his fancy-pants camera provided the pictures for this entry - all my pix turned out grainy, probably because of the lighting (and only a little because it's a plain-jane point-and-shoot camera and his is super-spiffy).)

Greg and I went early.  Him, because he's one of the photographers for the event; me, because I want good seats and it starts filling up fast.  Because Greg's an "official" person, we can get in before the doors technically open.  So I was there by 5:45pm  - holding seats for 9 of us. I was really glad to see James and Stacy - having a couple extra people helped stave off the dirty glares, but not necessarily all the hopeful "are these seats taken?" inquiries.  Last night there was standing room only and they actually had to turn people away.  One of our group almost didn't make it in, but we were lucky.  It's a good sign for the sport - but for me, it meant that I arrived not a moment too soon, and could actually have been a little earlier for extra peace of mind.

Roller derby is always enjoyable - and Saturday's bout was no exception.  I think it's more exciting to watch than hockey.  There's more action, lots of shoving and pushing, and plenty of excitement.  No out-and-out brawls, but hard work and good fun.

The teams were well matched, so the score was close - first one team in the lead, then the other.  My team lost.  I was rooting for the green team.  For sports, that's one of the best deciding factors for me. (Just ask Sheri about the football game on Sunday.  I did pick the black team to win - because black goes with everything and New Orleans knows how to throw a kick-ass party (we should all know the good party-throwers, right? and the cool purple just doesn't overcome the freezing coldness of Minnesota).  But when she was giving updates using team names I got confused and cheered for a score by the purple team...  Now it's black and blue for the Super Bowl - I'm going to root for black.) 

 The next bout is the 6th of March - I think it's a little too early for Jeannea or Sara to be here.  One of these days their visit will coincide with a bout and they'll be able to experience derby Anchorage-style.  Yeah, baby!

Marathon Madness

Saturday was The Big Day: Greg's First Marathon. He's been training since last fall to run in the Mayor's Marathon. It's an annual event held on the Saturday closest to Solstice. All this meant that I had to get up at 6:30am - yes, AM - on a weekend. (Because we all know it's all about me, right?) I was only snappy with him once, as I was still waking up, and he was only grouchy with me once, as he was dealing with pre-race jitters. =)

We picked up James & Stacy on the way to the race. I'm not sure why they opted to leave the warm haven of blanket heaven and dreams, but I'm grateful. We hooked up with his training buddy, Jeff, and Jeff's family (Julie & Milo) while we were there. Race organizers thoughtfully provided bug dope (since some of the course is through the woods), and rain coats (look at the picture carefully - it's very funny) since it was cloudy and threatening to rain.

After a little bit of stretching and a trip to the port-a-potty, the runners were ready to go. I was amazed at how many people were here to run the race. This event also has a half marathon and 5.6 mile race, but both of these started later and in a different location - so everyone at our starting point was either there to run, or to see someone off at the start. I didn't realize there were that many crazy people around here... Oh, wait! Looks like I was one of the crazies since I was there, and Greg was even crazier since he was running... ;)

When Stacy agreed to join me for the hurry-up-and-wait-while-you're-supporting-a-marathon-runner, she mentioned breakfast. Well! If I'm going to have to be up early, then wait around for a few hours, why not kill some time by eating greasy eggs & bacon?!? It was a *great* idea. Plus, we found out Julie (Jeff's wife, aka Mrs. Furious of roller derby fame) was going to be in the Pride Parade (with the Rage City Roller Girls) downtown. So, after the boyos got to running, we booked it to breakfast downtown so we could also catch the parade.

The morning clouds cleared out, and we had some really nice weather. (I'm still wondering how Greg didn't overheat in his long-sleeved shirt and running pants...) The parade was lots of fun (and breakfast was delish - mmmmmm, bacon!!). One of my favorite entrants was this last guy. No affiliation and no paperwork for the MC to read off - he was just a guy who wanted to join the parade, so he grabbed a flag and started walking. Gotta love it!! =)

From there, we headed to the fourth (of only five) viewing spot along the course. I was hoping to catch sight of them there and cheer them on, then go to the fifth area, then book it to the finish. We unpacked the camp chairs, our snacks, and the books, then settled in to wait. Didn't get any reading done, since we cheered along every runner (and many walkers) that crossed our path. But no sign of Greg or Jeff. We waited an hour, but knowing that Greg's goal was to finish in under six hours, we were worried that we'd miss everything - including the finish. So we packed up, skipped the fifth viewing spot, and headed directly to the finish.

It's a good thing, too... we were waiting at the finish line for maybe 15 minutes when Jeff came in. He finished in 5:47 - even with a bum knee, tweaked somewhere along the race but he persevered and was able to finish. We waited some more, and just as I was getting antsy, Greg rounded the corner for the home stretch. He finished in 5:56 - accomplishing the goal of competing in a marathon AND finishing in under six hours. You can see the official times here.

We did have a celebration dinner that night. It was lots of fun, and nice to visit... even if two of the participants were stiff and sore and not very mobile. I hear there's another Anchorage marathon in August - Humpy's Marathon. So maybe this post will have a followup: Marathon Madness II... =)

Way to go, Greg!!

Whirlwind - Day Three, Experience & Roller Derby

The girls have some really nice views where they live. Greg went running in the mornings to continue his marathon training. Since my camera is easier to carry when you're running, I have the shots he took. Unfortunately, my camera is not as good as his, so most are pretty blurry. There are a couple that turned out good. This is one:

Sheri had a morning work meeting, so Jeannea (great sport that she is) and Greg took her so Sara & I could get a little more sleep. We met for a late breakfast before heading into Seattle. Off to see another floating bridge, a troll, and The Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. Long name, cool place! Check out the site here. The troll under the bridge was a geocache (of course), but it was much cooler than I expected. Actually, I'm not sure what I expected, but not a 20' tall stone sculpture hidden under a bridge close to downtown Seattle. If you look closely, it has a car under it's left hand (the one Sheri is standing on), and a hubcap for an eye. On the way back to the car, we saw several of those pretty pink trees that are in bloom everywhere (in contrast to back home, where everything is still covered in snow and not even *thinking* about blooming yet).

From there, it was just a matter of maybe 10 minutes to downtown Seattle, where we were meeting Holly & the boys at The Experience Music Project & Science Fiction Museum. I need to go again, with more time. At least a day. If I get done sooner, I can wander downtown for fun places to eat or sights to see, but I need that time. I took in the visual aspects, but there was lots of reading or listening that I skipped, in the interest of time. Places to be this evening. We did the whole SciFi section (quickly), but didn't make it through the entire music section. Plenty of cool things to see, but there was lots I missed too. Next time. It was great to get to spend some time with Holly and the boys - I really appreciate that they made the effort and braved the traffic to meet us there.

The guitar scuplture is actually programmed to play music. They have listening stations set up so you can hear what's playing. There's also a basement or lower floor that we didn't even get to - Greg and his tag-along buddy found that we'd missed the entire first floor. And Holly, Sheri, and I (and our tag-along buddy) didn't even finish the second floor (that I thought was the first floor) before we headed up to the next level. All in all, a great time - but I need to go back and see/hear/experience more. There's even an el (train, monorail, elevated bus on a track, whatever) that goes through the upper part of the building - I want to try that!

Holly & me =)

Greg & the boyos

We had to cut the afternoon short, since we had to journey to Lynnwood (Edmonds Community College) for... ROLLER DERBY!!!! Wahoo!! Our Anchorage team (Rage City Roller Girls) had an "away game", and so Greg & I introduced Jeannea, Sara, & Sheri to their first game of roller derby. It was an absolute blast!! Although I do have to say that I think we do things better in Alaska. The crowd in general, that is. We're more energetic, enthusiastic, and excited. And we have a beer garden. Wahoo!! ;) Our girls didn't win, but they played hard and did exceptionally well - seeing as this was their 4th bout ever and they were playing the regional champions. I'm excited for the next bout (April 11th), but a little bummed that Sara will be gone already and Jeannea won't be here yet - so neither will get to experience roller derby Alaska Style. Oh well. There'll be more chances... Greg was photographing the event, so my pictures are courtesy of him.

After the bout, we went to the "after party" for the teams. Didn't do much socializing (the girls and I didn't - Greg wandered here & there to visit with lots of people, as is his style) because it was hard to find a seat, and then really loud so conversation wasn't really feasible. We did get to chat with Mr. & Mrs. Furious (the first time I've actually met Mrs. Furious, although I've heard about her several times from Greg) for a bit, and spent the rest of the evening doing our own renditions of the karaoke songs being played... Overall, it was an enjoyable end to the evening. I've been having a blast spending time with the girls!!

The Girls
(picture courtesy of Greg)

On tap for tomorrow: domestic chores (moving a couch, packing), visit Holly & Corey in Puyallup, time to go home...

Derby Madness

Last night was another derby night - wahoo! I took my camera, but the little point & shoot just doesn't cut it. I've attached one that I took, just because I finally got a shot that I was trying for. The shutter takes a bit, so when there's action I have to start taking the picture before the subject is even in the frame. This was the third try at getting Mr. Furious doing his warm up laps. Dark and he's almost out of the shot already. (In the first two, he's nowhere in the shot at all.)

So the rest of the photos are courtesy of Greg, who was taking pictures for the bout again. While he was wandering around the arena trying to get good shots, I was sitting in the bleachers rooting for whomever was making a move at the time. I'm primarily rooting for the Dirty Pollis, but the Sockeye Sallys can put on some good moves too. And most times it doesn't matter who's doing what, it's just so darn exciting that I have to cheer! =) My last post about roller derby (here) has some basics.

We went early again. If you try to show up 10-15 minutes before it starts, you won't find anywhere to sit. It's amazing how many people show up for roller derby. I'm not sure how other people found out about it, but I'm glad we did. Since Greg works with Mr. Furious during his day job (and they're both training for a marathon), we get our information from him. I'm impressed that Mr. Furious made it through the entire day. It can't be easy to start the day with a 5k run, and end it reffing the roller derby. Lots of work, that.

We're going to be in Seattle for the next bout - but so will the Rage City Roller Girls. Yay! They're travelling Outside for the March bout, back in Anchorage for April. We taking the Seattle fam with us, to introduce them to the fun.