The GGA Project -- Day #196 "Jammin'"

Wouldn't it be awesome if there were some kind of legal outlet for women to act out the aggressive parts of their natures, through which they could explore competitiveness, maybe let out some of their frustrations, and hey! get some exercise in the process?  Yes, that *would* be awesome.

But lo!  There is such an outlet.

It's called roller derby.

A few months ago my friends Laura and Scott mentioned they liked to go see derby matches now and then.  I had no idea this even HAPPENED in the area, so I immediately set about going to see it myself.

First planned was a big fat fail, since the friend I was going to go with got sick.  But it's just as well because I learned you can't actually just show up at the door for these events and expect to get it.  Turns out watching women skate around wearing booty shorts and fishnet tights, slamming into each other and tumbling all over the ground is pretty popular.

Go figure.

So my friend Liz and I made a flawless, master plan about two months out for

Today's New Activity: Cheering on the Harbor Hellcats!

Who, unfortunately, lost miserably.  But dang it was fun watching this sport!

First, they called up all the women currently associated with the Santa Cruz Derby Girls, which is A LOT of women!  In addition to the team members who currently participate in their bouts, the SCDG includes dozens of women who form a farm team of sorts, practicing their skating skills until they may be good enough to have a shot at competition.  There is also a junior league for young girls (awesome!), and the organization also does a ton of volunteer work.  In fact, it seems volunteer work is the main thing they do, as bouts only happen about once a month.  And how great that when they do happen, those bouts happen in front of sold-out crowds!

Next, they introduced the refs, who seemed like a good-natured enough bunch.  I found all their whistling confusing to say the least, but the skaters seemed to be able to follow things well enough.  I'm not sure what they were doing in this little circle, but it was a rare chance to catch people not in motion.

Next they introduced both teams, starting with the visiting San Diego Hard Corps.

They were a tough looking bunch...not that I expect you to be able to glean that from this photo.

The Hellcats were nothing to be trifled with either...and they came out really strong at the outset.  Unfortunately it seems they just sort of lost some steam at some point.

I fully planned to break down all the rules of roller derby in this post, but I've decided against it...first, because I'm feeling lazy.  Second, because I think if I withhold some pertinent information, you may just be tempted to go see it yourself and get the low down.  And I highly encourage you to!!

Intermission entertainment was provided by a group of light-up hula hoopers (so very Santa Cruz) called the Hoopalights.  They mostly did simple maneuvers around one very skilled and acrobatic hoopster, but it was definitely entertaining.  What Liz and I found *most* entertaining was their come-one-come-all invitation to the crowd, letting us know that if we too want to Hoopalight, we can meet them at their practice, which takes place every Sunday at the lighthouse at (get this) sundown.  Soooooo Santa Cruz.  It was a cute treat.

But back to derby...It was a great, action-packed sport.  And the women really surprised me with their speed, agility, and endurance.  And of course, as I suspected it might, seeing these women doing their thing totally made me want to join a league.  I can hardly think of a more fun or interesting way to get exercise.

It was also great to see women totally comfortable with their bodies, no matter what size they were.  Although there is certainly a sexualized aspect to the sport, given the shortness of the shorts the girls wear, none of the women there looked like they had the least interest in making this the focus of the event.  They were all serious competitors, and they were badass.  I loved every moment of it and can't wait to get to another bout!

It was also really nice to have the drive down to Santa Cruz and back to spend talking with Liz.  I haven't known her long, but I felt an instant connection and camaraderie with her when I met her, and it's just such a treat to spend time with a woman who cracks me up.  She's the whole intelligent, beautiful, funny package, and talking with her is easy.  I just wish she didn't live on the other side of the Bay Area universe.

The SCDG have another team called the Boardwalk Bombshells, so there's no shortage of action to take in, as long as you plan ahead.  I don't often use this blog as a vehicle by which to proclaim the importance to checking out something I've just checked out, but this is a rare exception.  Go get your derby on!  And when you have and you know the rules, give me a call so we can practice together :)

The GGA Project -- Day #82 "Bustin' Loose"

Three objects in my life have made this daily blogging project possible.  First, of course, is my ASUS Netbook, which is tiny and portable and doesn't need too much attention.  It actually fits in my purse (granted, I have a biggish mom purse, but still).  Second is the Sony Cybershot digital camera I bought a couple of months ago, which also fits into my purse and now comes everywhere with me, ready to document the goings on.  Finally, my iPhone 4, which has become a shamefully inextricable part of my life.

Until recently, however, I didn't know that two of these objects could be working together in a more friendly and symbiotic manner.  Enter the the IT expertise of my friend Kenneth.

Tonight Kenneth and I were going to join our buddy Liz at a benefit concert up in SF.  I opted out pretty last minute in the interest of sticking close to home and the baby (and also on account of the work-the-next-morning factor), and he flaked for as-yet-undetermined, less substantial/noble reasons (I'm thinking it would have cut too deeply into his WoW time).  Still though, since he'd originally offered to drive, he was nice enough to head up my way and make good on a previous promise, which was to help me with what became 

Today's New Activity: Jailbreakin' my iPhone

So apparently there are tons of people out there developing apps for the iPhone that, for whatever (and various) reasons, Apple decides not to approve for download through iTunes.  Some of these are good, useful apps, though.  So the Smarties in Smartyville found a way around this, which involves "jailbreaking" the phone (totally legal, FYI) to allow these other apps their day in the sun.  Granted, some people may then use the phone for more nefarious, pirating purposes, but that is honestly not my intention.  I'm pretty firmly anti-piracy.

What I wanted to be able to do was tether my netbook to the 3G network the iPhone accesses in order to have the glorious interweb available to me wherever I may roam (namely coffee shops without a wi-fi connection, or the breakroom at work).  Jailbreaking makes this possible.  Yay!

Kenneth and I had long been unable to get together to make this 10-minute phone fix happen, so I was happy we'd get it taken care of.  Unfortunately, I'd failed to download the latest version of iTunes, or the latest version of iPhone software to my iTunes or my phone, so the 10-minute fix turned into a whole lot of download progress bar watching.  But eventually everything was up-to-date and ready to be hacked.

I freaked out a little when my phone did this:

until I realized it would do that with the download of every single app or configuration available through Cydia, the software and hub of download madness the jailbreak bestowed upon my phone.

And I nearly squealed with delight when I saw that the normal apple icon that appears anytime the phone boots up was replaced by this:

 Cute!

Though I'd already loved my phone well and truly, exploring Cydia (which I was up waaayyyyyy too late doing last night) made me realize the iPhone was an even better investment than I'd thought; there is so much more it can do; I haven't even scratched the surface of its potential.  And I was super excited to try out the new, mobile wi-fi connection my netbook would be enjoying.

Just one thing, though.  As with any tool, the phone is only as good as the monkey who possesses it.  By way of proof, consider this tech support-soliciting text I sent Kenneth after he'd left and I'd purchased the tethering package ($1.99...not bad):

"I can't figure out how to actually do the tethering.  It is turned on but I don't see my phone in my network list.  I know I'm missing a step but I'm not sure what"

Good thing he gets paid to anticipate the special needs of tech-challenged people.  His response:

"And phone is plugged into laptop?"

D'oh!

The GGA Project -- Day #79 "@monkeygal2"

For a long time now, I've been saying that Twitter was my line in the sand.  The end of the rope.  The last straw. The thing that would rob from me the last of my sanity.  That's probably why I found this Twitterific take on the melodramatic trailer for The Social Network so hilarious:

But the road I'm a'traveling along for this project is a long one, and I'm sure it will lead me onto mini-paths I never would have considered ambling down before.  Nothing dangerous or ill-advised of course (though I'm sure Twitter qualifies as "ill-advised" for a good many people), but I am surely destined to participate in scores of activities I never would have considered before.  In fact, that's THE WHOLE POINT of the project!


So on that note, I will make no apologies for this fiasco, for


Today's New Activity: Tweeting My First Tweets


Early adopters have long garnered mad props.  They are the first on the scene, the in crowd, the trailblazers.  They sniff out the cool and lead you to it like the scouting ants to the sticky spoils.  On the other end of the spectrum, I recently read an article in Details about the merits of being a "first dropper," the person to abandon a fad while some are just barely catching on.


That's all good--both of those trend-setters have their place in the grand scheme.  But I've decided to carve out my niche as a Dorky Late-Adopter Who Never Drops, If Ever (*notable exception: Farmville).  Yes.  That's my scene.


Which brings me to Twitter.  I don't know how people who have resisted Facebook handle the constant mentions of it in every corner.  They must feel like the rest of the world has gone insane and they are just barely keeping it all together for the rest of us.  I think Twitter is far less ever-present than Facebook, and still I've been similarly annoyed/curious/annoyed by all the buzz about "tweets," a word I think is just beyond stupid.  Celebrities especially just can't seem to shut up about how they're tweeting all the time.  Ugh.  It's even worse as a verb!


But whatever you wanna call it, I don't really think the Twitter phenomenon is going away any time soon.  And I think that today, finally, I got a little bit of "if you can't beat 'em join 'em" flowing through me.


I chose the super original @monkeygal2 as my handle, or username, or whatever you call it, and set about to find some people to follow.  The thing is, Twitter doesn't make that part real easy.  It allows you to access your email contacts, but who really has the most up-to-date contact information there?  How many people even use email that much anymore?  Why can't Twitter access Facebook contacts?  Maybe because there is NO NEED for *both* Facebook and Twitter, but no matter.  I harvested the few contacts available through e-mail and went from there.


So this post had to happen a little later than usual, just so I'd have some time to actually use the app before being able to comment.  


I didn't have enough time/attention even available to keep up with my friend Nessa, a master Tweeter.  I remember her rapid-fire tweeting during lunch when we worked together like 2 years ago.  And at this moment, she's authored 11,058 tweets.  Good lord!  Her musings, combined with those of my friend Liz managed to keep me busy reading off and on all day.


But beyond that--so far--there isn't a whole lot to say.  I still don't have any burning desire to share all day long in 140 characters or fewer.  But it is more fun than I expected to have this running buzz in my ear all day long--the buzz of people commenting on everything and the whatnot.  It's potentially very annoying as well, and probably bad for me in some unforeseeable way (at the very least, it's just one more distraction at the gym, now that I'm using my iPhone for music while I'm there).


One thing that I've heard people say in defense of Twitter has turned out to be true for me, though.  It does plug you into your friends' lives in a different kind of way.  I get to know details I never would have been privy to before, especially now that I've moved a little ways from them and no longer work with any of them.  Some people find the thought of knowing such details nauseating, but then I'd just say Twitter isn't for them.  I can filter the junk out and enjoy what's left.  Based on today's tweets alone (still hating the word...it hasn't gotten any better through repetition), I had ideas for several more GGA playdates, just because I got to know things about what my friends were into/thinking about that I didn't know about previously.  I think that's pretty cool.


Now I must excuse myself because I have some tweeting to do.  Hahaha.  And as I end this, I see that Nessa is now, quite seriously, up to 11,060.  Here's hoping they've found a cure for carpel tunnel syndrome by the time she hits 30  :P

The GGA Project -- Day #35 "Dirty Work"

I guess yesterday's linoleum-laying project was considered qualification enough for my Dad to request my help with

Today's New Activity: Installing a Toilet

The old toilet in the guest bathroom wasn't horrible, but the water ran a little too often, a little too long, so it was time to replace it.  I learned more than I ever thought I would about toilets and toilet removal and toilet installation today, which, again, is good know how for the future.

Out with the old.  Yeah...all the way out to the front lawn

Then time for the lovely task of scraping the sealant off the floor and the wax seal from around to poohole (technical term you don't really need to bother yourself with).  I spared the gunky stages from photography, but I *did* think you might like to know what's there, under your toilet:

Hmmm, it's so brilliantly simple.

Thankfully this project was not too complicated and only required a little extra time than expected because my Dad had to bore new holes in the floor to get the above screws out.  Other than that...easy breezy.  Lemme know if you are in the market for a new toilet because I am your woman!  And I'll charge $5 an hour less than your favorite contractor on account of the possibility I may just do something to cause a toxic geyser to bust out in your bathroom.  Hey, give me a break....I'm NEW to this!!

Dirty work out of the way, I'm free to enjoy the rest of the day.  I had time to take Chupi to the Slide Park, where he went up and down and up and down and wowee, what fun!  And on the agenda for

Today's (2nd) New Activity: A Show at Glen Park Station in SF

From what I can tell, Glen Park Station is a dive(y) bar where my new friend Liz's friend is playing as part of what's billed as the Acoustic Triathlon.  It looked interesting when I saw the event in my Facebook sidebar, so I decided to invite myself along.  I've never been to this bar, and when I think of it have been to very few venues at all in The City.  Plus, I've as yet not had the chance to hang out with Liz aside from at the party where I met her, so I'm super excited about tonight all the way around.  More on that later, perhaps.

Happy, beautiful Saturday, y'all!