GC and I went to the Roller Derby on Saturday night. We saw The Slaughter Daughters dessimate The Riot Squad. We bought our tickets in advance, at Westfest – otherwise we might not have gone because I had a killer headache. But you know what? It was so much fun I actually forgot about my headache a few times.
I used to occasionally watch Roller Derby on TV when I was a kid. It was, to my mind, the female equivalent of wrestling – violent and theatrical. But that’s not what it was like on Saturday night. The Rideau Valley Roller Girls is a much friendlier league. There was lots of action and plenty of spills, but also a spirit of camaraderie between the two teams.
During the first half we were up in the stands. We went outside for intermission because I was having a semi-permanent hot flash, and then sat in the Suicide Seats for the second half. That’s on the floor, just feet away from the track. I recommend it. It’s nice and cool. Time flies and so do the Roller Girls. They’re much more impressive up close. My favourites were Ripper A Part, DDT and Arsenic Martini. But I liked them all. (Interesting crowd, too.)
Final score? 226 to 53 for The Slaughter Daughters. (Kind of like the scores in my softball games when I played third base for the Kinburn Kool Katz.)
Anyway thanks to Ciaochow and David Scrimshaw for turning us on to Roller Derby. We’ll go again.
In other news, there have been some developments in the Love Nest. Billie laid her second egg on Saturday morning. There appears to be a small hole in one of the eggs, but we’re hoping it’s just dirt. We’re expecting a third egg any minute now. You can watch the live cam in the nesting box here. Also, we harvested our only broccoli from our garden yesterday and shared it with the birds. They like broccoli, and it’s good for them – particularly during egg-laying season, because of all the calcium.
You know how human mothers are supposedly “eating for two” during pregnancy? Well, bird fathers need to literally eat for two, because they feed the mother birds. Billie has been eating next to nothing the last few days, but Lester regurgitates his food for her many times each day. It looks like they’re kissing, but really he’s feeding her. (After you get used to the idea, it’s really quite sweet.)
Billie spends a lot of time on her eggs. She only comes out to poop, have sex, drink water, and gather more paper for shredding. Lester spends about a third of his time in the nesting box with her, preening her, regurgitating, and being very attentive.
Speaking of sex, here’s a video of Lester and Billy having sex yesterday. I’m not sure this was an entirely successful coupling – it looks like Billie tossed him aside before he was finished.
What else is new over here? We went to the Friends of the Experimental Farm used book sale on Saturday, and I got a ton of used books for $5. My favourite is a 1956 book about the sex lives of wild animals. I also got books about Zelda Fitzgerald’s art, tree identification, gardening, Morocco, and crime.
We planned to go to Fringe Fest last night to catch The Sputniks, on Arden’s recommendation, but we didn’t make it, for reasons too boring to recount. Instead we stayed home and watched a pretty dismal movie called Life is Hot in Cracktown.
Anyone else around here old enough to remember Skinny Minnie Miller (sp)? Ah, rainy Saturday afternoons in a one TV station universe.
So glad you went and enjoyed yourself! Suicide seats are the way to go, for sure.
I went to my first roller derby last fall. Now I’ve started on a photography project involving women from my local derby league, and I’m loving it!
I love all this bird ‘sex’ talk:) Check your stats and such. you are probably going to get a lot of new peeps popping onto your site looking for something else:)
BIRD SEX!!!!!
I like that warning sign. Especially how it recognizes that most people now ignore warning signs, so you need to include reference to “actual risk.”
Grace, Skinny Minnie rings a distant bell…
Ciaochow, are you a roller girl yourself?
Kate, I think they’d make excellent subjects. They seem so animated and outgoing and dramatic and tough and sexy. I don’t think they’d shy away from the camera.
Lo, I should have said FREE bird sex. That would have really roped them in.
Pamela, woohoo! BIRD SEX!
Milan, I know, it’s such a good sign. Like “we’re not just saying this to cover our asses, you really *could* get hurt if you sit here. But it’s up to you.”