We had friends visiting from Philly all last weekend. In addition to enjoying several local beaches, touring Fort Gorges and eating our fill of Labor Day barbeque, we also visited Mackworth Island.
The Fairy Houses of Mackworth Island
fun
The Secret Lives of Lobsters
Last week my daughter & I visited the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, a nonprofit marine science center located right in the heart of Portland’s harbor.
My daughter’s 5th grade class had been invited to participate in a special program called Lobster: Untold Tales and I was tagging along as a chaperone. I’d never thought much about lobsters before – apart from how tasty they are – so I was interested to see what I’d been missing. After being briefed in the lobby, we were led into a state-of-the-art interactive exhibit room for our LabVenture!
As someone easily impressed by things like salt free food and wild turkeys, you can imagine how taken in I was by the (nearly) $2.5 million facility above. With its gigantic screens and its dark lighting and shiny metal kiosks, I felt like I’d stepped right onto the set of CSI! But instead of being ordered to stand behind the camera, the LabVenture! program is all ACTION! Not only were we set loose in the “lab” to investigate, but we got to (hold your breath) TOUCH LOBSTERS.
Snow Tubing
Friday we got another foot of snow. Yeah, I thought spring was on its way too, but HAHAHHAHAHAHHHH!! We live in Maine. So yesterday (Saturday) we decided to put all this white stuff to good use. Via SNOW TUBING. We drove to Seacoast Snow Park in Windham. Only 25 minutes yet a world of fun away!
Here we are at the bottom of the hill. When we first started we were feeling perky and WAY EXCITED! So we hoofed it up the hill. I overheard a family walking alongside us saying it was GOOD to walk, that we were all doing it the old fashioned way. (Old fashioned = code language for WORK OUT)
Here we are at the top. I cannot tell you how much FUN!! it was cascading down. Snow spraying hitting your face, the wind in your hair. I felt positively giddy. As you can see, there’s not a huge wait for a lane. This is b/c there are 12 lanes to choose from. And snow tubing sessions are divided into 2-hour blocks. Only *so many* tubes are sold per session, so things keep moving. Single riders can go in any of the 12 lanes, but if you want to link your tube up with other riders, you have to choose the proper lane: 2 riders, up to 6 riders, or more.
The four of us hoofed it up the hill once and rode down. Then we hoofed it up again and went down again. After this we were TIRED. The hill’s not that high but it ain’t that short either. So we decided it was time to be carried. That’s right; CARRIED! Not on the backs of sherpas but via conveyor belt or rope tow! The conveyor belt works just like you’d imagine. You step onto it and stand with your tube as it whisks you up the hill.
We didn’t use the conveyor belt method. Mostly b/c all the double tubes had to be carried that way and the wait was much longer. As we were all using single tubes, we opted for the rope tow. The rope tow line was fairly short and the method more appealing. You sit in your tube and relax. A handle connected to your tube is looped onto a metal claw attached to the rope. You and your tube are yanked up the hill to the top, where at a specified location you toss yourself off your tube and proceed a few steps to collect your ride.
Here we are waiting at the bottom of the hill in the rope tow line. You can see the mechanism to the left, pulling the happy tubers up to the top. The wait was short and while waiting we listened to music over the loudspeakers. They were playing “The Q” – the Top 40 radio station here in Portland. Very toe tapping / booty shaking music, sure to put you in a good tubing mood. My younger daughter is a BIG Q fan – but that’s for another post altogether..
Me & “Greenie”
Here we are back at the top, waiting in line for Lane 1. Lane 1 is the best lane – single riders only – it’s curvy and has a mogul in one spot. Worth the short wait.
After this I couldn’t take anymore pics b/c my iPhone camera stopped working. Personally, I think it got jealous of the fun we were having and decided to stick it to me. So I didn’t get any shots on the rope tow, or while tubing down any of the lanes. But that’s probably for the best. We went a total of 9 times in our 2 hour session, mostly linked together in a big mass of four tubes. The added weight only served to increase our speed, velocity & fun — so together we FLEWWWW down the hill, Whoopping & hollering and having a BLAST!! I’m glad I couldn’t take photos — for once I simply sat back and enjoyed the ride. 🙂
Animal Attraction
Yesterday, amid snow filled skies, a group of friends gathered to celebrate the union of two very much in love stuffed animals.
A marvelous time was had by all and the ceremony got me thinking about love. Isn’t it amazing how two different species of stuffed animals can come together to form a perfect union? I know some folks are really adamant about who can & cannot commit to one another, but really, who are we to judge the love a chickie can feel for a bunny, and vice versa? Or, say. the attraction a Buffalo can feel for a Donkey? Because surely you haven’t forgotten about MY FRISKY COOKIES??!
YES FRIENDS! hard to believe they’re STILL humping after all these years!! (But not as hard for us as for that donkey.)
Click to relive the magic (really, just read the original blog posts)
December 2007. Donkey & Buffalo find each other in a crowded tub of crackers.
January 2008. Donkey & Buffalo remain “attached at the hip”
February 2011. Three years later ….. and STILL GOING STRONG!
As if their long lasting interlocked state wasn’t evidence enough, I have further proof that the Donkey & Buffalo’s inter-species love is here to stay. Dear reader. What I have to show you may be shocking, but remember, it is NATURAL. Earlier this afternoon, when I fetched my animal crackers from their special box, they…. weren’t alone.
BEHOLD!!!!!
Animal Cracker —- OFFSPRING!!!!!!!!
The Donkey & Buffalo’s union has produced a (I don’t know what to call it) just in time for the grandaddy of all Love Ins, Valentine’s Day. Though he looks a little funny, his legs are a bit twisted and he appears to be moving forward and backward simultaneously, you cannot dispute the look of sheer unbridled JOY on the (whatever it is)’s face. DON’T JUDGE!!!! LOVE CONQUERS ALL
SO. To all you naysayers. I say PPpFFFFFFTTTTTT.
Interview with a Roller Girl
This inaugural post of 2011 is dedicated to everyone who loves Flat Track Roller Derby. As a woman who longs to don skates, hot pants and an alter ego, I wanted to do an interview with someone who knows the ins & outs of the sport. Longtime friend, Kim – aka Supersonik! – a REAL LIFE ROLLER GIRL (!!) has graciously agreed to spill her derby beans via this blog. If you’re curious about roller derby, have wondered what it’s like to be a roller girl, or think you have what it takes to kick ass and be kicked in return, then Friend, this one’s for YOU.
Kim – I mean, Supersonik! Thanks so much for being a part of The Daily Dish. Before we get started, first things first. What team do you play for? What’s your name & number and do they have any significance?
I am Supersonik! and I play on the Atomic Bombshells, one of the 4 home teams of the Minnesota RollerGirls. My number is 7 of 9, which comes from the Star Trek Voyager character. My name Supersonik! was part of an inside joke around the song Elektronik Supersonik by Zlad, a fake rock star from a fake former Eastern Bloc country. Some people get excited thinking that I got my name from the JJ Fad song “Supersonic” and start singing it to me. In reality, I’m just a big sci-fi dork. Growing up during the 80s, with my formative years during the Cold War, the Zlad song was extra funny.
What’s your position? Can you briefly describe what that entails?
At home, I play the blocker position. Basically my job is to keep the other team’s
jammer (the person who scores the points for the team) from getting through the pack while clearing a path for our own jammer. This is where you see a lot of the big hits. When I’ve played on other pick-up type games (i.e. RollerCon) where derby players come from all over the world and theme teams galore spring up, I play all positions. For instance, I’ve played the pivot (who often sets the pace of the pack and acts as the last line of defense) or the jammer. These pick-up games have themes, like Star Trek vs Star Wars, Vegetarians vs Meat Eaters (I think we were officially called Lentilly Deranged vs. Meat Curtains), cats vs dogs, diapers vs depends (under 30/ over 30), things like that. These are just-for-fun games that don’t count for anything. Last summer, I even played in a clockwise bout! That was a lot of fun because we always play counterclockwise.
How long have you been involved with roller derby? How did you get started? Did you know the rules when you started or did you learn by doing?
I started the second season of our league. That was in 2005. I’d won tickets to
the first MNRG bout and had remembered watching roller derby on TV when I was a kid, but the event I was at had these girls on roller skates with these
awesome names on their shirts, and I was like, Wow, this seems really cool. It was NOTHING like what I saw on TV growing up. For one thing, they were skating on a flat track and not a banked track like in the old days. And the uniforms were all unique, there was awesome music; it was just a bit mind blowing! I’d always hated the idea of team sports, partly because the uniforms were so awful. In roller derby there were women of all shapes and sizes and skating level. I knew I would be back. I ran into a friend [at that first bout] and we decided to go roller skating (cuz heck, we both grew up on roller skates) and then came to future bouts. When we heard they were having tryouts, we both went and made it; it was the hardest 4 hours I have ever been through.
I really had no idea what was going on on the track when I first started watching, I just knew that I wanted to be involved. When I started there were only about 5
pages of rules. Leagues around the country (there were only about 10 at the
time) were making it up as they went along. The rules have since been
standardized, as the sport has grown exponentially and playing inter-league games with different rule sets did not really work out too well. There are over 40
pages of rules now! And yes, we are tested on them. If you are interested in learning more about the rules, this is the place to go. The rules definitely needed to change to ensure the game was safe for all players, with the sorts of scenarios coming up and increased skill level of the skaters.
How much time do you spend practicing? Have you always been a great skater?
We have practice generally 3 times a week, 2 hours at a time. All-stars have extra
time. I grew up on ice skates and roller skates so I was okay with making the
transition.
What’s the worst injury you’ve sustained during play?
A few weeks into derby, we learned to do shoulder hits and then were sent out
to play Queen of the Rink [basically a derby version of Last Man Standing, with one remaining player skating in bounds.] I got hit by a vet skater and landed on my shoulder. The result was a shoulder impingement. I didn’t get it treated right away and it still flares up a bit to this day. In subsequent years we have figured out ways to make it safer for new skaters. Like I said earlier, in the beginning we were just making things up as we went along, because the re-emergence of the sport was so new. Today our rookies go through a summer of boot camp to build up skills before they get to be put on a home team. This has been a wonderful way for them to bond and build up the confidence and skills before they get drafted.
What’s the best thing about playing roller derby?
I don’t know if I can say just one thing. It’s been awesome for me to learn to
play a team sport, get regular exercise, and meet really fabulous women. We have a ton of awesome volunteers who keep us running smoothly and fans who support us. I love the kids who are so excited to be at the bouts. We now have co-ed junior derby in the twin cities for youngsters interested in becoming future players. It melts my heart when they want my autograph. It’s strange to have these kids look up to us; I mean I get it, but I never thought I would be in that position. Playing has also given me the opportunity to develop leadership skills, as our organization is owned and run by the skaters, for the skaters.
What’s the worst thing (if any) about playing roller derby?
I wish we had more public bouts. 🙂
How does your team travel? Are you sponsored? Do you get paid for playing or is it strictly volunteer?
We have a travel team called the All-Stars. They are comprised of skaters from
all 4 home teams. They are the ones that do the inter-league travel and
tournaments that count towards our rankings. This year though, our home teams have had opportunities to travel in the region to play other teams. It’s always a lot of fun to play new and unfamiliar people. We are very fortunate to have a lot of support with awesome sponsors like PBR. But we are unpaid athletes. We donate proceeds to charity.
How would you describe yourself? Age? Occupation? What else do you enjoy outside the arena?
I’m 38 and have historically earned my income in the non-profit/government/health care/education sectors. Currently I’m back in school through a great program made to retrain folks in “green” careers. I’m now involved with starting a Transition Town in my neighborhood, something that’s been really exciting for me. I tend to have a lot of interests that are all over the board. Off the bat, I can say I’m crazy about cats, organic gardening, low-impact living, science fiction, antiques and traveling. I also like to play tennis and ride my bike, and I want to learn how to sew.
So there you have it, folks. Roller derby – one of the most empowering sports for women EVER, is growing exponentially and is only getting better. A sport played by women, with teams owned by the players themselves, who – rather than capitalize on the proceeds, donate it all to charity. Could it get any better?? My sincere thanks to Supersonik! for allowing me to do this interview, and to both Lucas Saugen & Peter Worth for kindly allowing me to reprint their photographs.
Think you’ve got what it takes?
Watch Supersonik! in MNRG’s 2009 Season Trailer: Bad Mother Rollers.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGK77sLsln8&fs=1&hl=en_US]