Hi, Atus!

Chicago. It's a helluva town. A great place for roller derby, I tell yew whut.

The Red Bull-sponsored game against Windy City was fun. Really fun. And the Ri-Ettes won. By a comfortable margin. 118-81. I'm proud of the team for that. I'm also proud of myself, I must admit. I tried to not be an egotistical dick about being the captain of the travel team this year, but you know what? I'm feeling pretty damned prideful about this. So there.

Co-captain LEGacy really helped make this happen, too. When push came to shove(and when doesn't it in derby?) she stepped up and took on whatever came our way full-force. I now feel she totally has my back, and that's a good feeling to have for this loner.

And the team? We came together and worked as a team in the best way possible. The difference in us from the beginning of the year to this game is profound. And it's great. Next year's Ri-Ettes will be a very different beast...I'm glad I got to be part of this year's roster.

Other highlights of the weekend include:

• Taking part in the most outrageous game of Hangman ever. Have you ever played Sexually Explicit Hangman? I was surprised that it's a good way to spend an hour before a derby game. And I learned a few (icky) things, too.

• Finding out the coat I bought for both Chicago and my upcoming trip to London and Amsterdam in January works really well in cold weather when it's layered with...just about anything. My general non-skating attire included silk longjohns, a t-shirt and pants, a hoodie, the jacket, gloves and sometimes a hat. I was toasty warm when wandering around in the 19F degree cold and snow.

• Windy City skaters hit hard. Really hard. But they're nice off the track. Really nice. And fun. Really fun.

• Vinyl decals on banked tracks are no fun due to a lack of traction. I landed on my face after trying to use my toestops to get back up on the track and stepping--no, slipping back off because of the decals. UGH.

• Afterparties at lame doosh-filled bars can still be fun when you throw enough derby skaters into the mix. 

• The Hard Rock Hotel is kinda cool, though it's unnerving to have a huge photo of Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant watching me sleep, and it's REALLY creepy to have Thin White Duke-era David Bowie watching me use the toilet. Yoiks!

• The dudes from the band Less Than Jake came across like typical rockers-who-get-laid-too-easily dooshes. I didn't like their music to begin with, but to listen to them "compliment" us by saying, "I'd bone every last one of you" made me want to kick them in the crotch with steel-toed boots. 

• Luckily the Red Bull crew were infinitely more professional.

• Snowfights are fun until one gets hit in the face even after saying, NOT IN THE FACE! NOT IN THE FACE! And bee-tee-dubs? You can't throw a snowball at my head and then say you were aiming for my butt. I WILL NOT BELIEVE THAT.

• Missing flights home due to weather sucks. Luckily I had a long book to read and derby girls to snuggle with while we waited for the sideways snow to stop long enough for us to make our escape. We were delayed only by about 11 hours. 

• Making 118 calls to Derby Deeds in a 24-hour timeframe. I even wrote a song to the tune of Motley Crue's Home Sweet Home that I sang in the airport bathroom while waiting for the flight home. That's dedication, people. Or insanity. Whatever. 

• Surly cab drivers at LAX. Really, if you don't like what you're doing, why the hell are you a cab driver?! If you want a fucking tip, shut up and drive, honky.

And now for some photos:


I look like I'm prancing:

But in actuality I'm doing something useful:

This photo shows my first time on the track for the game during the second jam. WCR jammer Ying of Fire was trying to squeeze her way on the inside. I see her and go in for the hit. Funny thing is, I MISSED. However, my flying body forces her off the track. Which is good. What's bad is that my landing on the coping of the track hurts my back and hip. I somehow jacked up my right shoulder in the process as well. This was just the first in a long string of falls I took. I haven't been this sore after a game in years.

Waiting for the weather. LEGacy and I on the Hard Rock Hotel lobby couch with PITA in the background. A lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon.