Flu...

My friend sent me an email today with this picture and the subject on it read "How you really get the swine flu" which of course made me laugh. I'm totally taking this seriously but I have to admit it's a very confusing thing - why the level 5 of 6 in regards to "pandemic" ratings. It also makes me sad on others levels. 10,000 people had died of AIDS and still President Regan wouldn't even say the word. I don't remember when it reached the title of "epidemic" but I do know that some people (scientists and others) were definitely paying attention to it long before the public was. I'm sure more that 110 people (number in US who have Swine Flu) had died of HIV/AIDS before it got mentioned anywhere besides a CDC report.

It's not fair to compare them, I know. One is a horrible disease at caused agonizing deaths and we had no idea how it was spread or could pin point what you really died of. The other is the flu. We now know how you get AIDS. Someone sneezing can get you the flu (but not AIDS). And our media's LOVE of fear and panic is just exhausting. Really.

So in honor of epidemics, I'm going out to dinner with my friends to night - we're going to Dine Out for Life and support Lifelong AIDS Alliance. Because there is still an epidemic going on - even if it has been downgraded to a "chronic illness" in the US.

The real flu...

One summer in middle school,  when my grandfather was still alive, I was downstairs in the basement of his home, snooping around, when I ran across a photo of a woman who was rather young, quit pretty standing sternly with a slight smile on her face on a mountain side, a rocky grade of boulders.  On the back of the brown press board photo was the name "Odia".  I asked my grandfather "Who is this Odia?"  She was his sister.  She was the oldest of his siblings - Odie, Oscar, (America) Jane and Owen.   My great Aunt "Odie" died in the 1918 Great Influenza Epidemic (or Pandemic).  She was 17 or 18 years old.  And I learned, in middle school, what a great epidemic this was.  Half a million people died in the US alone.  Millions of people died world wide.  My great uncle Oscar would later kill himself in the early 1960's leaving my grandfather Owen Dorr and my great Aunt (America) Jane (Dorr) Simeth as the remaining family - and really the only Dorrs I would know.  I have no idea what it would be like to lose a family member to an epidemic.  AIDS isn't even close to being able to compare - so I won't even try.

And I listen to these stories of the pig flu - and yes it's important to be concerned and pay attention.  But wow - I can't even imagine being a part of a massive influenza outbreak.  And being remembered as beautiful woman on a press board...

A quiet walk in the hood...

I tried to go on a walk with one of my teammates tonight but our schedules didn't cooperate so I took off on my own - too late to meet up with those already at Greenlake.  I walked down 65th Street towards the Puget Sound.  I know there is a quick way to get down to Golden Gardens from the time a couple of years ago when Pygmy, Listie and I accidentally walked from Carcreek Park to Golden Gardens (during low tide).  We walked up the stairs to the top of the hill and back to her house.  But I wasn't exactly sure which street that was so I kept walking... It was a lovely evening - in the high 60's and the air was filled with the scent of every possible thing in bloom.   Eventually 65th dead ended into 32 and the hill sloped down towards the water and it was a beautiful evening with the Olympics just beyond Puget Sound.  The older houses I walked by were lovely - and why not - they had one of the best views in the city - with windows facing west to capture as much light as possible.  

I passed by the Nordic Heritage Museum - which I knew about but didn't know where it was located.  It looked like it might have been a school at some point in Old Ballard (and reading their website you find it was just that -  red brick school building that was originally Daniel Webster Elementary School. Located in Ballard, the heart of Seattle’s Scandinavian community, Webster School educated generations of Scandinavian and other immigrant children who came to this region, including many of our own volunteers.)   My family is half Norwegian - my father is Norwegian (mother right off the boat) but I can't say I felt much affinity for Norway.  It was mostly something my grandfather would make jokes about. Though it might be fun to visit.  

It was a nice evening to stroll in my neighborhood - I need to spend more time it.

A derby wedding, a nail biting bout, a dance dance party...

Recently, I was starting to think that things were getting a little boring in my life.  When people ask me what's up? It's the same things - work, derby, work, derby - outings with friends, a swim class here or there, committee meetings, derby, work, derby.   This weekend was a great example of how that derby, derby, derby makes it so much fun.

Saturday was open scrimmage and there were just not enough skaters that we all ended up playing a ton.  I got to scrimmage with my derby wife - we're a great combo - and some other skaters who I don't skate with much.  After scrimmaging, we headed to the Rat City Rollergirl bout.  It was a going to be good match up.  We were confident that the last place team (Grave Danger) who had recently spanked my team, could pull off a win.  And what a game!  It was a total nail biter.  GD got off to an early lead and held it into half time.  They started to slip in points but never too far behind.  The crowd was on their feet for the last 5 minutes and Carmen Getsome tried to bridge the 15 point game with an incredible jam but only managed to score 14.  They lost by one point.  It was heart breaking but exhilarating and inspiring.

Afterwards we (a group of about 8 Carnies) all headed over to the Fun House where the after party was happening and this time they picked the right DJ - it was all 80's all night and roller girls love to dance to 80's music.  There were many recounts of the great games played earlier in the evening - lots of love - I was the driver limited to 2 beers but so much fun.   just about closed the bar down - again.  And as another skater told me as we are leaving, "Carnies are FUN!"  You bet they are.

Sunday I skated with Mona and Lara at Myrtle Edwards, working off some of the alcohol from the night before.  Lara and I headed off to Betty Ford Galaxy's wedding.  Yes, she use to be an alcoholic.  Yes, she's sober.  And derby was a big part of all that.  She also started Seattle Derby Brats - one of the first junior derby leagues in the nation.  So it made sense that derby would play a huge role in her big day.  

The Derby Brats and Tootsie Rollers came skating down two different aisles with pink tutus on to the song "Brand New Key".  The groomsmen strolled down the aisle in powder blue suits, giant afro wigs, and sunglasses to the song "Shaft".  The bridesmaids on their arms wore sunglasses and black and white dresses like they were glam-stars and had no idea of why they were there.  Betty enter wearing a giant pink dress, with enough tulle to make a couple of tutus on the traditional "Wedding March" (Here Comes the Bride).  It was pretty unique and pretty fabulous.  There was cake, punch, and plenty of toasts afterwards.  It was a gorgeous day.  A great weekend.  And not a bit boring.

So Disappointing...

Tonight 6 of my teammates went to Hydro Fit to work our butts off and laugh our heads off - when we saw that our class was not going to be lead by Chandelle (who had been asking me to bring out my team).  The disappointment was palatable.  We looked at each other in disbelief.  And though we tried to follow the new instructor (who was new to the pool and clearly to teaching this class), we couldn't.  We were all so disappointed.  At the end of the class, I asked the instructor if Chandelle had switch pools, teaching at a different venue or was subbing somewhere else.  She said, "No.  She's not here... she was fired."  We went into the hot tub and plotted ways to find her.  After getting showered and heading out, Wibe went over to the lifeguard (not the instructor) and started some small talk.  By the end of the conversation, Wibe had a scoop that she wasn't let go on the best of terms and that the place was boring without her.  She also gave Wibe contact information to get a hold of her.  Woot!  We'll find her at another gym - at a Y - or somewhere and join her class there!

We can't wait to laugh and drown at the same time!

Another bout sittin' out...

We have this policy in our league that you have to be back on the floor, practicing our full contact sport ONE month prior to skating in that bout, no matter what the source of the injury was - from a broken ankle due to a fall in derby to a problematic omentum - you have to be bouting full contact for a month.  I was given clearance on April 1st - which was only two weeks ago.  And though my injury is healed and I feel GREAT (a little less on the endurance side) I couldn't bout.  But it didn't kill me either.  It was a total bummer not to be able to bout Grave Danger (my friend Sara Problem's team) I was glad to help out by calling the lineups.  

Of course I learned a lot by calling lineups - my second time in a row.  As a captain, I use to spend hours agonizing over them.  What I've learned in these last two bouts is that they a

ll go to hell after about the 6th jam  because people are in the penalty box.  Really don't stress about them.  Figure out how to get a good lineup in and make sure you're having fun.  That's how my team does well.  We play 10x better when the premise is to go out and have a good time.  It should be our strategy from here on out.

Sunday, post bout, Easter, cold, rainy, bleh, I spent curled up on the coach with my coffee watching a documentary about a woman who had survived the Holocaust and was having a real hard time with her grandchildren marrying outside her faith.  It was a tough film and touching but didn't put me in the best of moods.  I went to hydro fit to clear my mind - but had a new instructor and though I liked her work out - it was a little repetitive (read: boring.)  Dinner at Heidi's was a chilled out good time with kids.  After dinner, Lara had rented Twin Peaks from the library - which I use to watch in the kitchen at the Chinese restaurant (I worked at in high school) on Sunday nights while trying to clean up and close down for the night.  I totally remember certain parts of it and others are just baffling.  It's fun to watch because it's suppose to take place in Washington (filmed just outside of Seattle actually).  What a funny show - so dramatic  - it cracks me up now.  The 90's were good at that.

* photos of peeps.  I love peeps.  I use to use them in dioramas and such since college days... also in the 90's...

Playing Hooky...

I was having a hard time today  getting back on the "wagon" - work wagon that is.  (Never mind the fact that I was tired from two practices in a row, late night meeting and getting up in the middle of the night not feeling well.) After three months of intensive deadlines, writing new web content, pushing the envelope, working on budgets, burning brains cells on branding and bullying people in to getting me what I needed - I'm having a hard time getting to energy up to "get back to work".  I have plenty of work to do.  Plenty of deadlines - tons of actual fundraising and more branding to do actually.  But with the sun shining, windows open, the sounds of skate boarders coming down Pine St., I'm distracted.  And I'm not the only one.  You can totally tell that it's the first few days of spring because people are taking longer lunches, leaving early or are generally in a great mood.  The first days of 60+ weather in 6+ months makes you do funny things.

So I left work a little early - went and had a beer with a coworker, took the bus home and then curled up in the sun and took a long cat nap... kind of like Fezzy.

A looooong weekend...

I took Friday off because I was doing a small presentation and tabling at an HIV AIDS and Black Women Conference. I talked about the CAB a little and microbisides which, hopefully, one day will allow women to take control of their health and be able to do something to prevent AIDS (instead of having to trust men to do). I also went to a workshop about the web of violence and trauma (rape, slavery, police brutality, medical experimentation), and black Americans and how it makes them more susceptible to HIV infection. I had learned this at various points in my life - mostly thru literature and film but was reminded of it. I left at noon to grab lunch with a friend and go home and clean! I threw open the windows (it was starting to warm up) and shoo out the dust.

Early Saturday morning a carfull of us headed north to Marysville to volunteer for the MS Walk. About 11 Carnies showed up to volunteer at the first station. Half of us handed out water, jerky and oranges while another group of us went around the corner and flagged walkers the right direction. It was was super fun - partly because we spent most of the time entertaining each other and the othe part because it was nice to be doing something for the community that didn't involve raising money for our team... that would come later that night. We packed it up around 11 a.m. and headed back to our homes.

There was a merby (men's derby) bout later on Saturday coupled with a Tootsie Rollers (little derby girls) and a Brats (bigger derby girls) bout.  It was awesome to see three (ok, 2.5) generations of derby action.  Merby is exciting for about 20 minutes then you're like, Ok, they don't play by the rules, they're all about showing off, etc.  We left the bout early and headed to a bar night in Lynnwood - it started off shaky but ended up being a night of pure laughter.  There was a teammate who was a one woman show (but not that she's-so-drunk-I'm-embarrassed-for-her type of thing.)  We raised some money and had a great time.

Sunday-super-sunshiny-ball-in-the-sky, I outdoor skated with some teammates having a heavenly time.  It was beautiful!  I took a cat nap, watch bout footage, went to practice and came home - having had an incredibly long, but rather satisfying weekend - which admittedly made Monday rather disappointing (except practice ROCKED)... there's always Tuesday.  And if that doesn't make the week better, then there is a chance to play hooky some time... and enjoy the sun.

*Carnies at the MS Walk

No foolin!

I missed the Express bus today when I had to turn back and get my very fun winter hat - which I bought at the Ballard Farmer's Market a week or two after my surgery. It's a great hat! Very Doctor Seuss type of hat that gets many laughs and conversations. It's also felted wool and very, very worm. I got it on sale because winter was over. Well, I've worn it for two weeks straight as Winter is still hanging - not even by it's fingernails. Winter is hanging out at the bar down the street with no intention of moving until well after the customers have been kicked out, the doors are locked, the bar is closed. Damn, it's only Happy Hour. It's April 1st. There was freezing cold rain in the morning, snowing by noon, and freezing cold again in the evening. Nope, it's just happy hour. I don't care if Spring wants to come on in...

*Carnies dancing this weekend with parasols.