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I have a level 2/partial tear of my MCL. It happened 4 weeks ago during a derby scrimmage. Total bummer. They say it’ll be 6-8 weeks of recovery, and as it stands now, I cannot imagine this will be healed in two weeks. I’m not allowed to exercise my leg/knee, because it won’t heal if I keep irritating it. So basically, my body HATES me right now. I’m missing some much needed endorphins.
I missed skating in two bouts in February. I’ll probably miss March’s bout. Boo. It’s killing me not to be on my skates and working with my team. Like I actually have been mini-depressed, which I’m pretty sure has a lot to do with having to stop exercising. I’m pretty sure the cats know something’s up too, because Ollie attacked me once last week. They know when you’re the most vulnerable!!!
And also, I really miss hitting bitches. Obviously, this goes without saying.
My co-worker brought in the first Game of Thrones book to work for me to start reading, because she goes on and on about how good it is… has anyone read these series? I’d like to poke myself in the eyes right now, reading the beginning of this bologna. Hopefully I catch on soon, or else I’m scraping it and just going to watch the series on HBO.
I’m just putting this out there – if I ever become wealthy, I’m totally making my new profession “Reading for Pleasure.” As it stands now for us working folks, time for stuff you like to do is hard to come by.
What has everyone been up to? I feel like I’ve been absent for far too long.
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Photo courtesy of my friend, JH
That’s me on the right, preparing to lay that jammer out in my 2nd (EVER) bout of my life on Sunday.
Rocky Gap State Park, Maryland
Fall is my favorite time of year, without a doubt. It is filled with things I love: crisp weather, pumpkin-flavored anything, warm drinks, sweatshirts, knitted hats, fires, corn mazes, pick-your-own apples and pumpkins, brilliant colors against vibrant blue skies, and those last ditch efforts of outside activity to enjoy the last bits of nice weather.
B, her sister, and her nephews at a pumpkin patch / corn maze extravaganza
October is also a bit sad for me, as I torture myself with the remembrance of Gracie’s death, and try so very hard instead to remember her life. I wrote as much as I could in the past about Gracie’s death, but I could only bring myself to read this one right now. Gracie’s ashes, collar, and one of my favorite pictures of her sits in china cabinet in my dining room. This cabinet, and the buffet that goes along with it that is also in my dining room, belongs to my great-great grandmom, so it was built in the late 1800’s. This may seem far off but her daughter, my great-grandmom, is still alive, so I feel very close to these wooden pieces of furniture. I can picture the life that lived around them, and I spent many hours in the home that they lived in. I like having Gracie’s ashes there. They are not in my face daily, but I know they are there. It just all feels so very right.
My nephew SG (my best friend's son) at the pumpkin patch
B graduated school around the middle of August, then applied for a job at her top choice company a week later, and then a few days later began the interview process, which was long. She was hired (hooray!) and by the 12th of September she started her training – which (un)fortunately for her, was mostly trips to D.C. and Baltimore – hellish for a truck driver, obviously, but great training nonetheless. Practicing in places like that means she should be able to handle almost anything. The most negative part of her training is that because there are only male trainers, she wasn’t allowed to do any overnight trips (company policy), and her job will be mostly all overnight trips. So, she wasn’t happy about that, but there’s not much she could do. Last week they released her from training with confidence, and she went on her first overnight trip AND her first run by herself to INDIANA. Which really seems so far away. The country pretty much falls off the map for me after Ohio, and starts back up again around Utah, so I had to get online to see where Indiana sits in relation to Maryland. What? I’m not embarrassed to admit it! We all know the east coast is the best coast so that’s all I try to worry my head with : ) Anyway, it was a straightforward run and she did great and all is well. She has more runs out that way this week. I’m excited for her and proud of her. She’s awesome.
I could never drive one of these things, but I sure do look cute in 'em!
Roller derby has been occupying most of my free time. It’s been quite a labor of love. It is some of the hardest exercise and skill building I’ve ever had to do. Learning how to do things on skates that I haven’t even done off-skates has been quite challenging. But I show up, every practice, and work. It’s been three months and me and another fresh meat skater are scheduled to take our minimum skills test on Thursday the 27th. I am so nervous about it that I feel nauseous, DAILY. No kidding. I know I’ll be fine… really, I will. They wouldn’t have scheduled us to take it if they weren’t confident in us, and I know that. Still, it doesn’t make it any less nerve-wracking. I’ve also settled on a derby name, which is quite a big deal, especially considering there’s a roster of over 10,000 names and you can’t take another skaters name or have a similar name. I won’t announce my name until things are official (I pass my test and get it registered with no problems) 
Some of my teammates and I at an all-girl's after school program <3 Here I'm demonstrating single knee falls
So, have you noticed the “Gracie Mac Photography” watermarks on the pics? I changed my photography website from Studio 24 Photography to Gracie Mac Photography. I wanted a change, and as you know, Gracie Mac is a more personal name for me. You can check out the new look on my website, www.graciemacphotography.com
On a wagon ride. Somebody's tired.
About a year and a half ago I saw the movie Whip It, and immediately knew that was something I wanted to do. At that point in my life, though, it just wasn’t possible. So I filed it in the back of my memory banks.
About four months after we moved here, B met a friend who was in a roller derby league about an hour away, so I began doing my research. Surprisingly, I discovered a league in my own town! After much procrastination, excuses, and fear, I decided to just show up to a practice at the beginning of July. A week later I went to my first practice with skates on, and I’ve fallen deeply in love since.
I cannot possibly begin to explain to you the athleticism, endurance, strength, and skill involved in such a sport. Most of the muscles that began to ache after the second practice hadn’t been exercised in years; nothing I was doing at the gym even compared to this kind of activity. And never mind that I don’t know how to skate. That the last time I was on quad skates was when I was about 10, and even then, I never knew how to crossover or stop, let alone skate backwards or jump over something. I knew nothing. And I still don’t, not really, but when I really sit back and think to my first few practices, there is obvious improvement. Right now, that’s where I’m at: trying to improve my skating skills every week.
The commitment to join this adventure is hefty; there are at least three practices a week, and that doesn’t include any extra derby stuff like bouts, fundraisers, after-parties, socializing, or other random events. It has been interesting balancing this new derby life and my life with B, as well as life with non-derby friends. It has not always been easy. I’ve been trying to be conscious of making time for my lover, and showing her how important she is to me without compromising what I want to do and what makes me happy. Especially during this beginning stage of me trying to learn and soak up every available opportunity to skate and be mentored. It’s incredibly time-consuming, but so rewarding!
Only recently have I begun doing some very light hitting drills – my general skating skills are really not in the right place for me to be doing that quite yet, but I’m getting exposure, and it IS SO MUCH FUN. The satisfaction of landing a solid hit on another woman who is happy to receive it, a move that is completely legal, is exhilarating. I know I have such a long way to go, but even the promise of possibly getting to a point in my derby career where I would actually be able to bout and do this is so exciting.
Until then, I’ll keep perfecting my falls and trying to graduate from my baby crossovers. Everybody’s gotta start somewhere, right?
The Others Have Spoken