Girls on Skates

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of watching the Honky Tonk Heartbreakers win their 3rd straight roller derby championship in a tough contest with the Hotrod Honeys. The event was well-attended by loud and enthusiastic fans. Much beer was consumed.

I had no idea what I was getting into. Mad Science suggested we go as a belated birthday present and - since I am always open to new ways to celebrate my birthday and girls in short skirts and skates struck me as good an idea as any - I agreed. The fact that a friend of Linda's is on one of the above referenced teams (no, I am not saying which one, for I am sworn to secrecy) was an extra incentive.

What is roller derby? Two teams skate around an oval track (a flat track in this case) in rounds called "jams". A team scores points when one designated member of the team, called a "jammer", manages to pass every member of the opposing team. The jammer earns a point for her team for each opponent she passes without going out of bounds. Each team also has three blockers and a pivot whose sole purpose is to prevent the jammers from passing. The blockers and pivots form a pack and, at those speeds, the pack can be a dangerous place to be. The first jammer to completely pass the opposing team becomes the lead jammer - a strategically important position because a lead jammer has the right to call an end to a jam. This ability allows the lead jammer to attempt more passes or - if called at the right time - to prevent the other team's jammer from completing passes. Each game lasts twenty minutes. The team with the most points wins. See this link for official rules.

And yes, there is a lot of falling and destruction and mayhem. A good time was had by all!

Gym Tunes

"What do you listen to when you are at the gym?"

I am glad you asked! Here's a list of songs on my current workout playlist:

Catholic Schoolgirls Rule! by the Red Hot Chili Peppers

Bonin' in the Boneyard by Fishbone

Mr. Jones by Talking Heads

Firestarter by Prodigy

Breathe by Prodigy

More Human than Human by White Zombie

Bring Me to Life by Evanescence

He's a Pirate from the Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl soundtrack

Ape Suite #1 from the Planet of the Apes soundtrack (the recent version)

Naked Eye by Luscious Jackson

These tunes change almost daily and without notice; however, they are scientifically proven to rock your world.

Tough Row Tahoe

It was almost cruel to spend the weekend on the north shore of Lake Tahoe last weekend.

We enjoyed dry, cool, sunny days and clear cold nights. In the evenings, we sat on the balcony of our hotel and watched the blue water deepen in color and the moutains melow in the fading sunlight. We paddled down the Truckee River and walked up and down Tahoe City's main drag. We drank dirty martinis in Frank Sinatra's Cal-Nevo casino. We leaped from rock to rock at Eagle Falls and stared in wonder at Emerald Bay. We had an amazing dinner on Sunday night.

Then we went home to harsh, humid days and work and the hundred little things one must do around the house after a vacation. We played a dirty trick on ourselves when we escaped to the Sierra Nevadas, a tantalizing glimpse of what could be that only made the jagged reality sting the more.

Would we do it again? Absolutely.

While I was gone, I read Rory Stewart's The Places In Between. His book chronicles his travels across Afghanistan in 2002. He walked the entire way and spent his nights in the villages he stumbled across. It was often dangerous and never dull. He was accompanied by a "retired" war dog that a villager gave him, a mastiff-like beast he named Babur (after a historic Afghani king who made a similar journey hundreds of years before). The two of them encountered people who were often ignorant and sometimes frightening (he traveled through the country just after the US invaded, and many locals were once loyal to the Taliban or Al-Queda). It is a fascinating look at a troubled country and highly recommended.