The cutest nieces in the world....

I spend the last week in Cinci (mostly) and almost-not-quite two days in Cleveland. The objective was to hang out with the cutest nieces in the world. We drew an ocean on the driveway, putting everyone in their own boats, drawing fish, sharks, dolphins to protect us from the sharks, seaweed, suns, sand, our names. We played at the park. We played with the garden hose turning it into a sprinkler and getting Uncle Mike wet. At McKenna's party we played Duck, Duck, Goose with a 10 other friends in the front yard. We rubbed the chalk down into dust and smacked our hand in it and left hand prints all over the ground and got away with it because I was the aunt watching over them. We read short stories before naps and long stories before dinner. We asked a gazillion 4 year old questions and I came up with a gazillion answers to those questions. We shopped at Target and left with two grocery carts full of balls for the party that the employees talked about for days (I found out when I went back to get cold medicine.) We went to swim lessons. We went to a picnic with their school. We played hopscotch. Margie, Jon and I drank wine and played cards. I caught a cold. I read a book. I helped my bother with a mailing for work. I helped Margie get the food ready for the party. I hung out with my younger brother, his girlfriend and my parents and talked about my hilarious grandfather. I played rummi with the 'rents and drank the local microbrew. I got a sunburn. My tattoos did not. I hung out with Kathy and her kids for a bit. We went to Target too. I bought a few more books to read. I was inspired to write. My flight couldn't land in Chicago. We refueled in Grand Rapids and I missed my connecting flight. I got on the next plane out. I was happy to be back in Seattle.

Not taking my skates...

I am an uber efficient packer.  I will pull out all of the things I need the night before, cut them in half and then trim them again the next day.  Living aboard has taught me that you already know what you need when you travel.  You don't need that one sparkly fun shirt you got in Mexico because you still have only worn it once here.  You don't need that fun summer dress unless you are actually committed to going to a wedding or special event (really, they rarely "arise".)  You don't need to try that new toothpaste now and you don't an extra pair of fun shoes.  You don't need more than two books (one for the flight there and one for the flight back) and you don't need your skates - unless you are going specifically to skate.  And you have plans to skate.  With other roller girls.  On teams.

Like many roller girls I have schlepped my skates with me to countless places - mostly home.  Where my nieces like to try to put them on.  Or wear my helmet around the house.  I say "I will skate in the park by my brother's house" and the one time you do doesn't justify bringing out your skates.  And I have plans to take the girls skating.  I have plans to spend time on the trail by my brother's house.  But seriously.  I don't need my skates.  I don't need the extra conversations on the plane (they'll eventually find out you're a rollergirl); I don't need my helmet banging people in the head as I walk down the isle to my seat.  I don't need the shoulder ache.  I don't need to worry.  And I'm not going to RollerCon (conference just  about skating) or to another city to play.  Really.  I can get my exercise from walking on the trail by my brother's house or chasing my nieces around the yard.

I just don't need the skates.

Obsessive, Compulsive, Inspiration being held at bay...

I am obsessive/compulsive when it comes to cleaning-my-apartment-before-leaving-town.  I have always been this way - and I'm not sure why.  I use to start big projects like sorting thru all of my clothes, going thru the box of "needs to be filed before the next century", or detailed fridge cleaning before I left.  These projects would last well into the night and absolutely had to be done before I left.  But now, without the aid of medication or meditation,  I've got it down to vacuuming, doing laundry, changing bed sheets and putting things away.  

Even if someone else is living with me - I have to clean.  Even if I'm just going out of town for the weekend - I have to vacuum and get things put away.   And it's not because I'm afraid of what my apartment will look like for that person whose coming to check on my cats.  It's not because I'm a fatalist (which I'm not) and think this could be my last trip and someone might have to put my affairs in order.  I think it's because 9 out of 10 times I come back from my vacations or travels late at night, exhausted and the last thing I want to do is find something to wear to work, sort thru a pile of mail that's now two weeks old, clean the rotting food out of the fridge.  I'm truly obsessed.  It's a funny habit.  But at least I am aware... My name is Michelle.  I'm an obsessive compulsive pre-travel cleaner. Give me that sponge and get out of my way.

That being the case and tonight being my only free night before I travel (after a long derby weekend), I skipped out on the HIV Vaccine Awareness Day event at Chop Seuy.  No.  There is still no vaccine for HIV.  But we need to keep working on it.  We need to stay aware.  We need to celebrate where we've come and where we have yet to go.  And I was excited to go to a drag queen fashion show, had a t-shirt specific to the event to wear and hoped to dance the Monday night away.  But the need to clean, (I am aware of my problem) and the even stronger deterrent of freezing cold rain has kept my inspiration at bay.  I didn't even go swimming.  Damn it - the rain - after such a glorious weekend.  It will totally kill your motivation to do just about anything - except clean.

Goggles

When I got out of the pool tonight (down one type of stroke, back another, down one type, back another, bubbles, breath, kick, arms) I noticed a pair of goggles on the bench.  I noticed another pair in the soap dish and one hanging on a towel hook.  It looked like the after math of a goggle party - all strung out in the shower room - precariously.

Tonight was a good night to swim after a weekend of eating out, drinking beers, watching derby, talking to derby skaters, bouting with a team of skaters you'd never met before, driving around Oregon (Portland to Eugene and back to Seattle), sitting in the sun, sitting on the floor, sharing your secret to eating gummy worms late at night with your best of derby friends, accidentally punching your sleep mate because you dreamt there was a lion in your apartment and the police wanted to keep her there until they arrived, seeing your Cleveland friend at the Portland bout, having sushi with your Cleveland friend when you go back to Seattle on Sunday, wishing our mothers happy mother's day in rotation on Sunday on the way home.  

It was a great weekend.  And a good evening for a swim.

2 Months to the day...

"Hi Michelle - it's Kristen!  How are you?"

"I'm great!  How are you!  I heard you broke your ankle (like in December)."

"I hear you had some random surgery... how are you?"

And so started my 15 minute catch up conversation with someone I consider a good friend and colleague but whom I rarely seem to talk to.  And it was easy to get caught up - she was inviting me to an event I couldn't afford - I was trying to plan a lunch together that wasn't going to be $125 (price of the ticket to the event.)   And we talked about our respective injuries and surgeries.   I realized it was two months to the day that had my surgery - the first Thursday of March.  It was the first Thursday of May.

And for some reason it all snapped into place tonight when I was swimming - which was tough. Maybe it's just taken a while to recover.  It's not like you have surgery and you bounce back and even when you do bounce back it doesn't mean you're better.  It doesn't mean you have the same drive and stamina and maybe, just maybe, though you feel great, you might still be recovering.  You might need to cut yourself some slack and just let it be.

Or you just might need a damn vacation.

Relaxing weekend...

I took Friday off to go to the new penguin exhibit at the Woodland Park Zoo. Of course it was an utter madhouse with a gazillion parents and children there also wanting to visit the penguins. Lara and I went and say the giraffes, lions, wild dogs and other animals first while waiting for the lines to thin out around the penguins. There are some pretty spectacular things that happen at the zoo during the day - like feeding the giraffes. That was a lot of fun. (I learned that their tongues are black as not to get sunburned because they're always sticking them out eating things.) We headed back to the penguins - they were pretty funny. They all seemed so excited to see all the people - they would swim to the edge of the glass and look at all the people, swim away and then come back.


Friday night was the Carnie Dance Dance Party. My team is known for their enormous desire to cut a rug at any given opportunity - even while on the track before the jam is about to begin - and we had a great time! There was a big problem with the speakers in the beginning (or lack there of) and we were in competition with a birthday party that was suppose to bring more than 75 people (more like 10). Minus an incident here and there, we had a blast. Gorditos (where we held the event) wants us to do it again. My team would love to do it again.

Saturday was suppose to be a continuation of Carnie fun times but the rain set in and kickball was canceled. I took it as a sign to clean my apartment and eat sushi! Delicious. I also went to hear my friend's very loud band. Sunday found me at the Ballard Farmer's Market where I was Jones-ing for my P-Patch - wishing I was growing my own lettuce as opposed to buying someone else's. I went to Hydrofit with Glitter and Ruthie and headed off to Anya's bridal shower - which was a lot of fun too. Hammer, Rebel Belle and I won for best t-p wedding dress. It was the first time I had honestly made one of these - in all my wedding attending, I had somehow missed this game though I had heard of it and even recommended it.

Last night I finally "got back on the grid" and checked my email - signaling the end of this fantastic weekend.