Evolution of a Black Eye.

Hi guys!

On Friday Adam, Francis and I drove to Tucson for the dust devil roller derby tournament. When we stopped to get gas and ran into the bathroom I got a few funny looks that totally confused me.

Then I remembered that I have a black eye.

The only other time I remember having a black eye was when I broke my nose when I was four. Stupid highway underpasses and patent leather dress shoes.

I am completely fascinated by the daily changes in color and even shape. Here are a few new pictures:




This one is from Saturday. It turned VERY DARK PURPLE on my eyelid. It was actually a very beautiful color, deep and reddish, like a plum.

This one is from Sunday. Yes. I am wearing the same stinky shirt that I wore on Saturday. WE wore black jerseys for all three games this weekend. The color became a little yellowish in some areas and now it is dark underneath my eye, not just on the eyelid.





And this was today. We were headed home from Tucson which is most of the reason I look so grumpy.




Last but not least, here is an adorable picture of autumn and I that was taken at the venue between out two games on Sunday.

I am hoping there will be pictures available for the bouts tomorrow, and I will tell you more about the weekend very soon.

Xoxo
-Erica

Shiner!

One thing you may know about playing roller derby, is that it is a very bad idea to hit your own jammer. If you did not know that here is the basic structure of flat track derby:

There are two thirty minute periods that are comprised of "jams" that can last up to two minutes each.

Each team has 5 players on the track, 4 blockers and 1 jammer. After the first pass, which only establishes lead jammer (the lead jammer has an advantage because she can call off the jam when it is most advantageous for her.) the jammer scores points by passing each opposing blocker. The blockers are trying to prevent the opposing jammer from scoring points by hitting her and blocking her. They are also trying to help their own jammer by giving whips and creating "clears" (or moving opposing players out of the way).

Knowing this, it is pretty obvious that when one is playing roller derby she does not want to HIT HER TEAMS JAMMER.

It is an even worse idea if your jammer is about a foot taller than you and her teeth are level with your eyebrows when you are both in derby stance.

Things like this can happen:

It may be hard to see, but after my brow collided head on with my teammates teeth at scrimmage last night I had a lump on my brow about the size of a golf ball(thank goodness for both of us she was wearing proper protective gear, including a mouth guard)


This is what it looked like this morning:


These are two pictures are very rare photo's of me as I am usually wearing make-up and I think I have only had one other REAL black eye in my life. That was when I was about five and I broke my nose- great story, for another day.



It will be kinda cool to have a black eye for the tournament this weekend, but I am not looking forward to going to work like this. Even though I work for my dad and outside traffic is minimal it is a little embarrassing to have people wonder how it happened. My dad and co-worker both know I play roller derby but many of our customers do not.

I started a post yesterday, should be able to put it up tomorrow. I am sorry I have not been as diligent with my blogging lately, but I am sure you all understand that life happens.

Xoxo,

Erica

Whirlwinds, Derby and Dust Devils

Our Munecas travel season is in full swing! WE just returned from Denver where we got a brutal beating from Rocky Mountain Roller Girls on Saturday (though the announcer gave me "hit of the game" which was totally awesome), and then proceeded to pull of a win on Sunday against Pikes peak derby dames.




Adam and Autumn traveled with me, and I really enjoyed having their support and company. I spend so much time and energy missing my loves when I travel, so it was also fantastic not to be wallowing in self pity because I couldn't see my husband and baby. Yes, I am that in love with them. I miss them terribly when I go away. I don't care if it is lame or pathetic, that is the way it is.

After my vacation in Savannah and my games in Denver and Pikes Peak my head is definitely spinning, and my shops are both being a little neglected as I have tons of items to list and no time to really do it. I also need to finish up some paperwork for our first bout at the convention center and get up the courage to ask my dad to sponsor Duke City Derby.

My birthday is this upcoming Sunday and then we will be headed off to Tucson for a Derby Extravaganza called Dust Devil where we will play 3 sanctioned bouts in two days. Awesome.

Then I may need some sleep. Seriously.

Xoxo,

Erica

Pictures From the tournament

Duke City (us, in green) vs Jet City (in white)

I am the one in the shiny red helmet.

Pictures From Axle Adams

A NEW YEAR PART ONE: Looking back

I feel like this year should really begin with the birth of Autumn, even though technically she was born in November of 2008.

Autumn, Minutes old

Autumn Ringia was born, November 14Th 2008 via Cesarean at about 8:00 am after 17 hours of labor. the Cesarean was necessary because she was not positioned correctly.

uncle Nick, Aunt Erica and little Autumn (about 4 weeks old)

I learned a lot this year from Autumn. Most importantly I learned that things don't turn out as planned SURPRISINGLY often, especially as a parent. Some of my plans, failed due to perseverance, and possibly exhaustion-like using cloth diapers. Others failed because not everyone can do them-like breastfeeding- which was a long, determined, exhausting experience that left me feeling heartbroken, useless and defeated. I still have never had the energy to record my thoughts and emotions regarding breastfeeding, but may soon.

Captain Furious ( Autumn 4 weeks old)

8 weeks after Autumn was born I started skating with Rose City Rollers in Portland. It was nice to get out, and get a lot of exercise.

silhouettes of roller girls

I Decided not to return to work because daycare cost almost as much as I would get paid, but It was hard on me to spend all day at home with a baby-as wonderful as she is- and skating didn't help with that. Adam was traveling a lot for that job and it was depressing.


Autumn and I at the rose garden in Portland

In February I opened our etsy store. I had no goals or expectations and found the community to be an addicting and welcomed reprieve from my life as a stay at home mother, wife and derby girl. I was also surprised that things sold without a huge amount of effort from me.

Arm warmers were out top seller in our etsy store this year

I can't remember much about March or April. I found myself too stressed out by skating with Rose City to really want to stick around, and at some point I quit because I couldn't attend many practices and I didn't want to subject myself to unnecessary stress when I felt like I was already at my wits end at home with a baby, and often left alone during the work week while Adam was doing surveys in other states.


Autumn and Daddy

In may Adam and I moved back to Albuquerque! I am so happy to be back home. I started skating with duke city derby again which makes me very happy! I also started working for my dad which really helped me break up my day and feel more productive and less trapped. I get to take Autumn to work with me so it works out very well, and the extra money is very nice. Adam did NOT have a job when we left Portland, but before we moved in to a house he had secured a position as Natural Resources Manager for the pueblo of Laguna! Everything seemed to come together so smoothly. I am sure my mother would say " it was meant to be".

Adam seems to enjoy his job, and I enjoy working part time for my dad. It is very nice that autumn gets to see my dad so often, I think it is good for both of them, and it is nice for me to get out of the house.

Autumn Thinks that dinner looks good!

At the end of last year's travel season Duke City Derby lost Kamikaze Kim, which has been very difficult for me and many other skaters. Kim moved to Seattle, and I am sure they are very happy to have her. Kim is an amazing skater and an amazing person, and I miss her very much. She had changed a little in the year that I was in Portland- but then I suppose, so had I- and some major changes had happened in her life that would surely effect anyone.

At the end of the season Killer Queen and I were elected as the new travel team captains. We have some very big (even though they were actually really small) shoes to fill as Kim's predecessors. I think that in some ways we are doing pretty well, but a lot of people are very sad that Kim is gone and seem to be taking it out on us, and the rest of the team. We may lose some very good skaters, which would be disappointing. A few other skaters have also really stepped up, and been very helpful, and I am very thankful to them.

Adam and I

Our First Christmas on etsy was very lucrative. I did not have any real sales goals when we opened our shop but I was really surprised by how many sales we did make, and how little effort it took. YES, it is a lot of work, but without doing craft shows, art shows, or promoting ourselves locally we were able to make enough sales to buy ALL of our Christmas presents with pay pal money from etsy sales.

I guess that leaves us about where we are now, Many things unresolved as is always the case in a new year, and a few things changed forever, so completely that It is hard to remember what life was like before.



Autumn at the Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor Michigan

Long Weekend

This weekend was WFTDA western regionals and it was a painfully long weekend. Duke city derby's Munecas Muertas went in to the tournament 6th and left 6th.

It was really difficult to be away from Autumn and Adam, and I was very emotional. I was disappointed that even though I go to almost every practice I had not improved more. It is really annoying when you work harder than you have ever worked and are not seeing the improvement you expect, and then to top it off you are overly emotional. It is all related to some kind of health issue that should be a hormonal imbalance and I THINK is hypothyroid. I am suffering from a meriad of symptoms including extreme difficulty concentrating, fatigue, moodiness and irritability as well as being much too sensitive, and that is only a few. The thing that is really hard for me is that I feel like no one believes me. Maybe because before I experienced it I would not have believed someone that said they were working hard and not seeing any fruits of thier labor. I have been waiting about three months for an appointment because we had to wait for our new insurance to kick in and then we had to wait almost 2 months for an appointment.

I am glad to be home.

Sorry for the downer, here are some cute baby pictures to make up for it :)
This is why Grandpa Howard (my dad) calls Autumn "The Tornado"

Yes, that actually is a mini burrito that Autumn is eating :)

What a game!

This weekend was the second in a three bout run, and we had a great game in Taos on Saturday. It was a home game, Disco Brawlers v/s my team, the Doomsdames, but both teams had a little help. We were lucky to have Carson b. Demented, Botulism, and star jammer Brutalataur. We also had some brand new skaters playing thier very first bout on our team. Doomsdames fell behind quickly, but we also had a HUGE comeback in the second period. The game came down to the LAST JAM. With brutalataur in for the doomsdames and a major penalty on the Disco Brawlers' jammer the game ended with a two point spread! 105 Disco Brawlers to 103 Doomsdames. It was good, because when you lose by such a small margin it doesnt really feel like a loss, but it also makes you really think hard about your mistakes. That two points could have been from whenI didn't get on the track in time. It could have been made up anywhere!

There were some Rose City Rollers folks at the game- I should say the rose city rollers president was at the bout. I never really met her when I was skating in portland so I didn't say anything to her.

After the bout we went to an amazing farm and camped in the orchard.

IT was a great weekend.

Two bouts down, and one to go. Off to portland on Friday!

Duke City Derby is Homeless Again!

WE had some excitement at the beginning of the skating season when Duke City Derby started skating at the Santa Ana star center, especially after two seasons at midnight rodeo, which can best be described as a death trap. We had more people show up to Santa Ana games than any of our games at midnight rodeo but the long drive to nowhere didn't draw the crowds that we needed to pay back Santa Ana and DCD went massively in debt because of it. I am glad that I got to play one game there after I got back from portland. (SPEAKING OF DCD BEING MASSIVELY IN DEBT WE ARE HAVING AN ART SHOW FUNDRAISER AT BLACKBIRD BUVETTE THIS MONTH AND I WILL BE DONATING ART, those in burque should check it out)

Anyway, we are not going to play at Santa Ana Star center any more. That's fine... except for one thing... WHERE WILL WE PLAY?

All is not lost though, I have several games schedualed. Taos, Portland, Kansas... and I am sure I am forgetting some. There is a game coming up in Tucson, but I am not going to that one. (work, baby... you know... pretending my life does not revolve around roller derby-even though it does)

In other news, DCD is now inactive. I wise woman once said "Fuck the WFTDA" and I am kind of feeling that right now.


These Pictures are from my game at the StarCenter... and my first Game after autumn was born!

Derby Derby Derby...

Lots going on with derby right now. I think I will start with the most amusing little tidbit...

I had a "you know me so well" moment with Adam last Sunday. Because the weather was awesome, and league endurance was expected to be crowded- we had an outdoor skate. It was soooo much fun. Our coach, Speedbump, took us on an AWESOME trip through some of the bike paths in the Sellwood area of Portland. It was SO much fun. When I got back home, all scraped up, Adam was not surprised. "Did you try to jump over the train tracks?" he asked, before I had a chance to explain what happened. I HAD tried to jump the train tracks. How did he know?

I am bummed out because I can't skate much right now. Adams job is taking him out of town and so I am taking care of the baby Autumn during the week when I would otherwise be skating. It sucks. There was game last week and there is another tomorrow and i am a little burned out.

There IS one bout that I am REALLY ecited for this week... DUKE CITY DERBY is having THIER FIRST EVER bout at the Santa Ana Star Casino! If you did not know, we used to skate in Midnight Rodeo-pictured on the left- and it was really kind of a death trap. I mean, there were other problems, like that the demensions being wrong, and the stuff in the middle making it hard to see... but the really big problem was that it was very dangerous, and I am really surprised that there were not more injuries. It is a little sad. I mean, there is something really bad ass about playing rollerderby in a bar that is surrounded with obstacles that could possibly cause major damage, but it is nice that DCD will be playing in a legitimate venue, with regular track demensions. Plus as bad ass as it IS to play in a venue that seriously hardcore, no one really wants to get impailed on a death pole or see anyone else (even thier biggest rival) ripped open on a metal grate. It is also AWESOME because now DCD can invite other leagues to play them... or should I say us...?

Which brings us to my absolute favorite bit of derby news... At the end of next moth I am going to be back in burque and playing for DCD again!

A Doom by Any Other Name Would Smell as Rank

I have never liked my skate name. I liked it enough when I registered it, and I thought it was kind of cute, but I have always felt kind of silly and stupid repeating it out loud to anyone who asks what my skate name is. Since I transferred to Rose City this year after Autumn was born it seems like a good chance to reinvent my skate persona with a new name. I get to register a new name sometime this month, so I thought I would share all of my stupid names, and how I ended up with one I hate.

In October of 2005 I saw my first roller derby bout. It was Duke City’s Big House Brawlers v/s Dead Mans Curves. Never heard of them? That is because those teams only played two games. I found out about it after finding an old friend on myspace. She had a weird but hilarious name as her display name, Dahmernatrix, which I learned was a cool Roller Derby alias. I am pretty sure there are a lot of fun things I would have never known about if it weren’t for her, including roller derby. That first bout would seem very archaic by today’s standards. There were tons of egregious fouls, and I think there were three play fights. I was never an athletic person, but when I saw bad ass girls in cute outfits on skates beating each other up, I was in LOVE. It was bold and sexy, and just what I needed at that point in my life. I started the very next day.

I was ready to be drafted by the second Big House Brawlers V/S Dead Mans Curves game and had come up with a name that I really loved for the Big House Brawlers, which is still my favorite skate name and is the one I plan to try to register. I was advised not to publish the name all over the internet until I can try to register it because someone else might snatch it up. I will say that about three months before I started with RCR someone registered a name that is similar enough that I may have to ask permission to have the one that I want. I ended up being drafted to Dead Mans Curves, so I went with Whip Lass instead.

At that time it was not uncommon for people to have a different name for every team they were on. When Duke City’s Munecas Muertas played their first travel game against Sin City’s Neanderdolls I got to join them, and went with Cannon Eyes (that open and close) as my Munecas name for that first inter-league bout, and kept it through our first Dust Devil Tourny. That name was stupid. There isn’t much else to say about that name. I thought it was clever then, but I don’t know why. Stupid, stupid, stupid. If the name alone was not bad enough, I also spelled it Canon Eyes, changing the meaning entirely and making me look like a complete tard.

When our first real season started (the two BHB v/s DMC games were an exhibition season) we had more skaters and more time, so we restructured our teams. I became a DoomsDame. Not that it really needs to be said, but I fucking LOVED my team. They were amazing. My team mates were dedicated, hard working, and they totally minimized the drama. The Hobots were another team, which I think was Dahmer and R2 BeatU’s brain child. Awesome, right? Right. The third team was the Derby Intelligence Agency, who ended up with an amazingly large percentage of the prettiest girls on the league. To go with my teams post apocalyptic theme I went with Agent Orange Crush, but didn’t check the roster before trying to register it and it was rejected. I didn’t have much time to pick a new name and at the time I thought Doom Dee Doom was cute, and it was ok with my teams theme, so I went by that for my remaining time with Duke City. It never really grew on me, and I think I am one of the few roller girls who introduce myself as my regular name almost always.

Here are a few of my favorite names that skaters have already taken:

Sara Problem (Seattle)

Aja Consent (Tucson, she had another Saddle Tramps name… Hoot’n Annie?) This name actually appears to be available?

Molotov Cocktease (duke city’s founder)

Suzy Homewrecker (AZ renegades)

Sparkle Ninja (Minnesota?)

Of course those are just a few.

If I were skating for the emerging Salem, Or league, it wouldn’t be a problem. I read yesterday that they have decided to forgo the “often raunchy” roller derby handles. What a shame!

I can’t wait until I get to submit the name I should have registered in the first place, of course this time I have a list of (top secret) alternates if it is rejected. If all else fails I can always skate as Jenny Tullwarts. Changing my name won’t change much, having a baby already changed enough. It won’t change that I hit hard, or that I skate as much as I possibly can and love trying new and creative drills and techniques (bring on the vag. assists)- and it is VERY UNLIKELY that it will change that I don’t wash my pads.

Getting to Know Portland

It has been harder for me to adjust to Portland than it was for me to adjust when I moved to Los Angeles, or Savannah. I am not sure what is different about Portland, but I know Adam is having a harder time adjusting to Portland than the other places he has moved also.

I can’t say that it was especially easy to adapt to L.A. or Savannah, and I am even pretty sure the only place I have ever REALLY liked living is my home town, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

I can’t help missing the wide open spaces and the clear sunny skies of the desert southwest. I love Albuquerque’s laid back attitude and cheap rent. I miss hiking in the foothills, climbing, and eating New Mexican food… which is not the same as Mexican food. I miss my old roller derby league. There are benefits to my current league, and I am adjusting, but I spent nearly 3 years playing with those Duke City girls. We were never as organized, productive, or polished as my current league… but we had a lot of fun practicing Vag. Assists, pretending to be polite ladies, and I occasionally I would come home after spending the night at my (then) boyfriends house ( now we are married) to find out that there had been a derby cuddle club meeting on my bed..!?!

There are things I DON’T LIKE about Portland. I don’t like the weather. I don’t like having other people pump my gas. I don’t like how overly regulated EVRYTHING seems to be. There have been more blatantly unpleasant people here than anywhere I have ever lived, my husband Adam agrees… and Adam has lived in New York City. We have also managed to offend a lot of people without intending to or really even understanding WHAT we did that bothered them. Of course we have met lots of awesome people too; it is just a very strange trend that we have noticed. We are also now living with our new 4 month old baby, so it may be the exhaustion and added edginess of having a new baby that has caused that strangeness. I also know that there are a ton of fun things to do here that we have not tried to do because we have a baby.

Have you ever had trouble adjusting to a new place???