Long time no write

I'm back from a long hiatus since I found out someone was actually following this blog.

What can I say? In the span of about six weeks I've bought a new house, had my in-laws visit, move out of old house and into said new house, went on vacation, then had my brother-in-law visit. Phew!



And finally last Sunday I skated in my 2nd bout ever! My first in 6 months so I was pretty happy about it. The theme was 90s Grunge Rock vs. 70s Disco. I was on Team Grunge which suits me fine as I grew up in that era. Grunge lost (barely), but let's not dwell on that.

I was not really nervous all day before the bout. I prepared by blasting Pearl Jam's Ten all morning. By the time I got to the rink I was pretty pumped, but something happens when I see those bumpers on the floor and feel the rope under the track tape. (Yes, they put thin rope under the tape marking the track boundaries, kind of like the ridges on the shoulder of a highway--nice way to tell you "You're out of bounds, stupid!)

Anyway as soon as I started warming up and saw those bumpers and felt the tape it became real. This was a BOUT, baby! I made a conscious effort to avoid looking at the crowd of people as they trickled in because I was sure if I turned to look I would wipe out spectacularly.

Despite some shaky knees I did notice I felt a lot better on my skates than I did 6 months ago. And I actually got to play a lot more than I thought. Our coach was pretty consistent in sending out mostly the same group of 5 as a line up--which was nice. It made it feel more like a team and I could kind of get a better feel for how each girl skated.

The first half I realized I was concentrating so hard on staying upright and in the pack that I wasn't really blocking effectively. I still need to tap my inner aggression. I think I'm almost past the point of worrying about staying up. Now I need to get to the next level, which is (more or less) "Get her!"

The problem is the skating is still not second nature and I still have to think about how I'm going to move to get somewhere on the track. But there's no time to think on the track, you just have to move. The second half I felt like I was more aggressive. I didn't punch anybody or anything but I know I was more conscious of where my jammer was and was trying to help her through. "Trying" being the operative word, but still....

I was pretty happy about the fact that when I did get knocked down I didn't sprawl, I got back up pretty quickly, and was able to catch up to the pack. All of which have been problems for me before. So I'm making progress.

And of course, did I mention I now have another lovely cold that is making life generally miserable? I hope I'm not allergic to bouts because I really love them! I think it's mostly stress. Some people eat when they get stressed; I'm the opposite. I eat when I'm relaxed, if I stress I don't eat as well. Then I lose weight, which makes me more vulnerable to colds and such.

So if you see me around and happen to have food, just shove it in my mouth and say it's good for me. The fattier the better.