Ravings of an Irate Pirate

Mudderella 2014! This was one of the best experiences and I hope we do it again in 2015! Go Iron Maidens! Muderella Boston had some pretty bad site issues. They were not the fault of the Mudderella staff/organization. It was all the fault of the site owners and the towns originally set to host. We, the Iron Maidens, stuck with it. We rolled with the changes and we all had a pretty amazing time! We are why we can't have nice things. We broke the wall!   We started together, we finished together! Between this and Roller Derby, it looks like I will need a third post!

Niagara Falls It was the Honey Moon we never had! Canada USA USA Canada Canada LARPing Life Realms and SCA/Birka HOORAY! The look for Birka Folkestone Family at Yule Order of the Peacock The Three Fates Freesia - By D. Harvill

It's that time of year again. Time to look back and say "Wow, better than I thought." Years after year, the more recent ones anyway, I get to do just that. I get the chance to look at my life and I am happy with who and where I am. It's hard to say that sometimes, but it is true. I like me, and I am proud of me. So, let's have a look at 2014. It was a pretty great year! I can say that confidently, honestly, it was good. Yes, there were moments of great sadness and there was loss. However the overall arc shows the positives win. TMiB and I worked hard on our house, making it our home more and more each day. It's hard but we are making it happen. The new windows were installed and next comes a new water heater and central air! Life will be grand! (Well, that is the hope.) Roller Derby saw a great year for me and my teammates! While we did not win at Champs, the Granite Skate Troopers took #2 in the chase for the Kennedy Cup! I am honored to have worke...

No time like the present, right? It is with hope that I introduce you to my new friend. I am pleased to introduce you to Hans Christof DasAuto. He has a nice look to him And check out the TRUNK! Inside is comfy and clean He is young (2014). He has ambition. While he may be German, making him inherently tough, he was born at Volkswagen's Puebla , Mexico, facility and is proud of his lineage. The Tech Specs 2014 Jetta S, 5 Speed Manual Transmission 2.0-liter inline-4 115 horsepower @ 5,200 rpm 125 lb-ft of torque @ 4,000 rpm EPA city/highway fuel economy: 24/34 mpg Purchased with 6112 miles. Certified pre-owned He does not have huge ad-ons, and I already miss my heated seats and sun roof. But, we have hope. I am trying to not compare him to my old flame (German born as he was). Hans and I have talked some about what I expect from our budding relationship. Our relationship is new, so we are taking it one day trip at a time. So far, I like his pep a...

His name is Gustav...  Gustav DasVagon. He is 12 years old. He has traveled more than 235,000 miles. He has seen the east coast and the edges of Canada. And I love him, and I must say good-bye to him. This is him! The day we met!March of 2010 The day we met is was fate. I was at the Interstate Auto Auction. Every other car I wanted I was outbid on. As this boy rolled onto the line I said to my friend Mitch "One more, find out what the yellow light means." It meant he was a manual transmission. I did not set out to make a pairing with this vehicle. I was, at the moment I made the deal, discouraged and feeling as though I would not get a car that day. And there he was. Waiting, for me. Together we traversed New England. We traveled all over for Roller Derby, for Realms, for fun. 100,000 of his miles are mine . He and I did that together, in the 4 and a half years I had him. Work, home, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania and back again. When my life was at it's lo...

Well world, the Roller Derby season (for me) has officially wound down. 2014 has been pretty amazing. I had the honor of being a captain to my home team, the Granite Skate Troopers. I had the privilege to skate with the B-travel team, the Queen City Cherry Bombs. We competed in the All 8 On The Floor tournament in Worcester (we took 4th place) and I coached my little derby heart out. With GST it was a challenge at first. I have never really coached before and attempting to impart skill and strategy to a team made of many new skaters was terrifying. Many night I lay awake wondering, "Did they get it? Was I mean? Am I too nice?" and I feared that each practice was worse than the one before. Sometimes I wondered if I asked too much of the team, or perhaps too little. My co-capatin Emily Deckerson was with me every step, but we knew her priority was doing the same with the Cherry Bombs. You know what? I think we did alright! The Troopers finished with second place. It was our ...

This past season has been pretty rockin' for me. In fact, I will go on record as saying it was the best I have had yet. I skated with the Queen City Cherry Bombs . We saw a hard and close season. We skated against other teams with heart and together. We killed it at the All 8 on the Floor Tournament this year. We did amazing thing. I am honored to be Co-Captaint Emily Deck’erson on the Granite Skate Troopers . For the first time since our premier game (four years), GST legit-won. Not only did we win one, we won two ! We went on to the play offs. It was one of the most rewarding experiences on this team. I won't lie, to know that I helped shape us into a #2 team fills me with a tremendous pride. I cannot even think of the words I want to put here. Every practice, every scrimmage, they... we... gave our all. We skated with heart and we worked together. It just all gelled this year, like it was meant to be. I have a lot of thoughts, and I plan to share them when time allow...

The end of this post is the most important part! You don't have to read everything if you do not want, just please read and pass along the end! No matter what problems you are dealing with, we want to help you find a reason to keep living. By calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255) you’ll be connected to a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis center in your area, anytime 24/7. This was prompted by the sad news that came about August 11, 2014. We, the world, lost Robin Williams . A brilliant actor, a creative and strange mind, and by all accounts an amazing, humble, and generous man. So, here's the big thing (and I keep thinking about this)... what it all comes down to is what is written here . Depression is something people fight every day. Some of us fight with a chip on our shoulder or a smile we have practiced our whole lives. I say practiced because it is not always a real or genuine smile, though we pretend hard enough that it seem...

Oh, hey there BlogWorld. I may have been a little busy, and life may have gotten away from me. And I am so sorry I have neglected you for... month . Will you ever forgive me? Now let's cover what's been keeping me away. First foremost, home ownership. Oh, this is a hard thing to do. We unpacked, had a rad housewarming party, and then went "What the hell do we do now?" I can tell you yard work is beyond me. My dreams of a beautiful garden have turned to the harsh realities that I hate bugs, I don't like being in the sun, and damnit that neighbor across the street needs to stop telling me I am pulling flowers. I don't care! I wanted them all gone (fresh start and all). So, my dreams went from this: To this: Next year I hope to actually landscape. I'm accepting volunteers to help out. because I am a little clueless. That reminds me... I need to mow the damn lawn. *Ugh* We (well, I) also have plans for interior painting, window replacem...

I work really hard for the sport I play. I train on the track 3 times a week and I am at the gym for the remainder of days or working out at home. I try to take a day of rest, but I admit I like exercise. I like when I realize "I can push 5 pounds heavier than last week" and "I can run ___ minutes more." I like when I sweat. I like the release of endorphins that comes with exercise. I might be addicted. I never thought I would actually like training for anything. I mean, I have always liked learning things that interest me, but I never thought I would like physical conditioning the way I have been the last few years. It's hard. The mental part of any training is the worst for me. I get in my own way. Little failures make me want to throw my hands in the air and say "Fuck this, I quit". Still, the next day I push more. I admit it is not the easiest thing to do. Quieting that little voice in my head that tells me I will fail is hard work. Th...

I am not sure how this will come across, but I feel I need to get it out there. (Yes, strong language.) I am done with this. I am finished and bidding a fond farewell. I am tired of body shaming myself through, and allowing myself to feel like shit because of, what other people think is 'ideal'. It's fucking stupid. Image fromhttp://www.glamour.com; Weight Stereotyping  Size, weigh, caloric intake... it's all bull shit. I will not ever be, and do not want to be, a size 6 (or even 8, or 10). I am happy being a size 14, (sometimes 16, depends on the clothing). Look at me! Do I look "fat"? Photo: Matt Norris, http://www.mgnorris.com/ Nope... Because I'm not! What I used to look was unhappy. Well, fuck that shit! I haven't felt that way in a long while. I am pretty happy these days. I like the way I look. I like the way I feel. I'm tired of people making me feel like an ass because I want a fucking cookie. I like fucking cooki...

While most folks on the internet are babbling about their pitfalls and downs, I plan to let you know that 2013 was pretty amazing for me as a whole. Sure, there are (were) moments that were very low and sad, but all in all the year came out as tops. A great example is that I am writing this from my new home office in my new home purchased in the very year we shall review. While I would love nothing more than to give you everything all at once, that would be impossible and I am bad at updating in parts (though, I did finally get Dano Quest completed). My derby year was a pretty amazing one. I got to skate with the Granite Skate Troopers and the Queen City Cherry Bombs . The Troopers may not have won any games, but we had more heart and were a close knit team of amazing talent. We became fast and close friends and I could not be more proud. The Bombs saw a high on the other hand. We won more than lost. We came out with a 5W/4L season. When it came down to it, we did better in ever...