Whoa.

Time flies, right? It's been what, a million years? 2 million? Way too many. Lots of changes, folks, lots of changes.

First off, I'm no longer a roller derby girl. It was such a challenging decision to make but between tearing my MCL and the bill I'm about receive from that as well as having less and less time for my family and friends, I decided this was the best course of action. So now, I'm back to my lifelong love of music. I am in a choir called Encore Vocal Arts and I absolutely adore it. We have a concert this Saturday, tickets are still available! It's going to be held in the beautiful St. Joan of Arc Cathedral in Indianapolis and I'm so ridiculously excited. Here is a description of the what the concert will be like:

"The Whitacre's Lux Aurumque sets such an ethereal tone with its floating tones and pure sound -- I can't wait to hear how it will float and 'ring' in the live space that is St Joan of Arc. In contrast, I get goosebumps every time I perform a great spiritual..and Moses Hogan (the arranger) does a great job communicating that excitement to the audience. These are just two examples of what we'll be performing.

"Saturday night’s concert will be a gift – great acapella music from traditional to contemporary but also stories of hope and light- in the acoustically rich space of St Joan of Arc Cathedral. One gift will be to you as you experience the music, another will be a gift to us- your presence at the concert and another – an opportunity to learn more about United Way of Central Indiana’s 'Winter Assistance Fund' as we again search for ways to uplift the needs of the human spirit in our community."

Join us for what will be a very memorable evening of music!

And then it was August

It's been a long LONG time since I posted on this here blog. My life has been consumed by craziness and chaos. Most of which I have loved, but I have sacrificed a lot in the meantime (including my regular blog updates). So what have you been doing with all your time, Sassy? Well, essentially, here's the breakdown:

I work. It seems like I work a LOT, but it really is just 40 hours a week.
I roller derby. Yes, it's a verb. Cause I say so. The majority of my extracurricular time is spend on 4, no 8 wheels. And I love it. It's hard as hell but so satisfying.
I still have friends and family. Yup, it's true. I try to see them as much as I can.
It's amazing I haven't forgotten how to read with how little time I seem to have to put my nose in a book.
Anyway, that's that. Overall it is all good. What is consuming the majority of my mind right now is overcoming fear for roller derby. I'm at a point where I'm comfortable enough on skates that I can start really working on hitting, blocking and picking up some serious speed, but I have so much fear involved that I need to overcome. It is a half-in-half mixture of a fear of injury and a fear of failure. I will address each:

Fear of injury

Pretty self-explanatory. Specifically, injuries involving my teeth. It's very irrational because I wear all the regulation pads AND of course a mouth guard anytime I'm on the track. If I were to fall nothing will happen to my face, it will be legs, arms, tailbone, etc. But for some reason I can't get those awful images out of my head.

Fear of failure

This is what makes me really worried at times. What if I can't actually do this sport? What if I am so terrible that I never make the roster? No, nothing terrible would happen. My life would not be over. But I have found a sport that I love so much and I want to excel in so bad, so what if I can't? There I said it. Sort of out loud. Kind of.

For me, so much of this experience is mental. I have to re-learn how I approach challenges. I have to train my muscles to do things they have never done before. I have to conquer fears I've had for so many years. It's not easy. In fact, it's hard. But I can say that I have come a LONG way from when I started. I could barely make it all the way around the track when I started. Now I feel comfortable with sprinting, swizzle skating (although I need to work on speed doing this) and falling. However, here are my personal goals:

180 stops (#1 goal)

Skating backwards

Plow stops

Hitting

Blocking

We start assessments for the WFTDA (Women's flat Track Derby Association) minimum skills this month. It will be fantastic for me to know what I need to work on. My #1 goal is to be considered for the roster for our October bouts. Keep your fingers crossed!

A long time coming

Well it's been a long long time since I've posted here. For good reason I should add, but nevertheless an update is long overdue. Here are the main categories:

• Work

Work is work. Work is hard. It's a fascinating time to be a librarian. We're in a place in our country when not only is it tremendously hard to find a job, it's just as hard to keep it. We have had countless numbers of patrons needing resume help, job search help, general computer skills help, as well as filing for unemployment. There have been lots of articles about the state of public libraries and we are no exception. It's a jungle out there! We're just trying to do the best we can and trying to help people as best as we can.

• Animals

My animals are animals. They're crazy and cantankerous as always. I feel like overall Lyra is doing really quite well. I'm starting to work more with training (also long overdue) so I can try to stop her from chasing after the Monkey. He's not a fan. Sammy and Monkey are still trying to get into anything edible or slightly edible. Luckily with all the locking containers I now use it's pretty challenging for them. I'm sure they're doing their best to grow thumbs while I type this.

• Life out of work

It has been amazing being in the same city as Brainy Girl, Mooville and the girlies. Since I've joined a new sport (see below) I don't get as much time as I'd like to see them but I try to see them as much as possible. They are so much fun to have around and I can't wait to go roller skating with the girlies in their new neighborhood!
Another wonderful addition is who I now have in my life. I won't go into too many details but suffice it to say he has made me tremendously happy and as much as it pains me to say this, I'm starting to grow an interest in cooking. I tried to resist but it's hard when some of the food we cook is just so darn good!

• Roller derby!

This is by far the most time consuming of my new activities. I am completely enamored with the sport and I love every part of it! It's very physically challenging as anyone could imagine but so rewarding when I learn new skills and get to know my kick-ass teammates! I won't be bout-ready for some time. I have no idea when I'll actually start competing. My goal is to be in a bout this season but if it doesn't happen that's okay. I'll be plenty ready by next season! I've got all my gear, my name/number and doing the best I can on the rink!
Speaking of which, we do have our first home bout coming up. Email me at ridesassyride@gmail.com if you want tickets! It's $10 in advance/$12 at the door. We usually sell out so be sure to get your tickets early!
Saturday, April 18, 7pm (doors open at 6). Kids 10 and under are free. Ellenberger Rink, 5301 E. St. Clair
That's all I've got for now. I'll try to keep more up to date. I'm also going to do my best to post some pics from YumYum very soon!!

A long time coming

Well it's been quite a while since I've taken the time to post here. There's been so much going on I've barely had time to breathe. Luckily it's with things I'm very interested in. For instance...ROLLER DERBY! I'm on the team and ridiculously elated to say so. I've been going to practices but I haven't been able to purchase my gear yet (it's quite a hefty sum). However with my state tax refund on the way I should be good to go very soon. I am a member of the Circle City Socialites and the 2009 schedule is now posted. Also, if you're in town be sure to come visit us and meet the team at the Historic Melody Inn on Sunday, March 1st at 8pm. It's gonna be a rockin' good time.

I personally won't be participating in the bouts for quite a while, I have a lot of skills to learn. But nevertheless I will be at every bout cheering on the team! If you are interested in volunteering at a bout contact me and I will send your information to the team member in charge of volunteers. You'll get into the bout for free!

A lot has been going on at work as well. The Executive Committee has adopted a new strategic plan which is tweeking the way we are serving each of our communities. The economy in the shape it is, the focus of the library has turned to community partnerships and workforce development. We will be offering lots of computer classes, resume classes, job search classes, and of course all for free. There have been so many people in the library applying for unemployment that now Central Library is partnering with Indiana Department for Workforce Development to offer help with this service. A lot of people are going through a significantly hard time and we want to help any way we can.

The animals are doing well, crazy as ever. Lyra was very sick a few weeks ago and I had to shell out an arm and a leg to keep her alive. (a little exaggerating here, but she was really NOT okay). Sammy and Monkey are up to no good as always. Monkey ate the stem off of a lovely rose I recently received. At least it was organic. Sammy is still trying to find ways to break into my sealed food containers, refrigerator and dishwasher. He's such a punk. I fear that one of these days he will be spontaneously generate thumbs. I may never be heard from again if that happens.

Sigh.

Not too much else fit to report. All is well in Sassyland! :)