We’ve been housecleaning all day today in anticipation of the arrival of some beloved guests tomorrow evening. Nothing motivates me to clean my house like having house guests and I only wish we had them more often! My dad, stepmom, and niece Elise are arriving tomorrow from NH and I’m looking forward to spending some time with them as we don’t see them nearly enough!

In derby news, there is no news. I haven’t skated at all in 2 weeks. My knee has taken a sudden and inexplicable turn for the worse and I don’t get it. I just know it’s hurting more than ever and now my lower leg is swollen and stiff like it had never been before. It’s kinda mysterious considering I’d quit all forms of exercise 2 weeks earlier. What gives?! So I’m wearing my knee brace all the time now and trying to be extra careful. *sigh* I’m not very good at inactivity.

Clearly the universe is determined that I learn to be patient. Resistance is futile. Like I’m always telling Rio, if don’t learn the lesson then you’ll just keep suffering it. Here I am, suffering it again!

Just so you know I haven’t quit posting photos altogether:)

Glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly in MO Botanical Garden’s tropical Climatron.

Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis.

Life is incredibly hectic right now, in a good way, but hectic nonetheless. At least I have some photos to post:)

This is a well-known catfish restaurant in Sedalia, MO.

[Find it on the Flickr map]

You may have noticed from my last post that I’ve been shooting with a new camera. I finally shot a successful roll with my Argus C2 (C3?) and it performed pretty well but it’s not a camera I’ll shoot with often. It’s not at all user-friendly but I still enjoyed getting acquainted with it, in all its square and boxy glory.

I’ve been missing my OM2. It’s such a pleasure to use and it reliably produces lovely images. I did manage to finish a roll from my XA recently, and I’ll be picking that up tomorrow, so hopefully there’ll be something worth sharing on that one.

Last but not least, I’ll leave with you a picture of my bruise. Isn’t it hideous? The swelling is more painful and lumpier than ever and very persistent. I wish it would go away. Stupid lump. It needs to go away so I can skate again.

I’m pleased to announce that I’ve earned my first big badass derby bruise. It doesn’t have any color yet but as soon as it does I’ll be sure to post a photo of it. It’s gonna be a beauty;)

Here’s how it went down:
I was skating with the big girls last night in the endurance skate because beginner’s practice was canceled on Saturday due to the float trip. As luck would have it, it also happened to be the first 3-hour practice session, now that they’re doing warm-ups for an hour in the parking lot, so they can skate for a full 2 hours during their rink time.

It was a tough practice but I was hanging in there and feeling pretty good about it, considering it was my first time skating with the advanced group, but by the end of the night I was definitely starting to wear out. Naturally, in the last 15 minutes of practice, during a whips drill (which I really need to work on!), Addie whipped me into the inside track and I somehow managed to wipe out hard. It happened so fast that I’m really not sure what went wrong, I just know that I hit that floor like a ton of bricks. It’s a good thing I was wearing my helmet because my head bounced off the floor, too, when I hit. I’ve got a nice ding on my helmet now:)

I got right back on my feet and I was all ready to keep skating but as soon as I stood up my right hip protested loudly. Ow! I mean, damn that hurts! Now I’ve got a big fat lump which is actually on the back and side of my upper thigh. It mostly hurts to sit down. It’s still wicked tender.

I really need to take my skills test this Saturday, though, so I hope the pain subsides. If I were to take another fall on that spot right now I wouldn’t be able to walk! And since I tend to fall quite a bit, well, let’s hope that this thing looks worse than it feels by this weekend. But hey, this is Roller Derby, so I guess I’d better just deal with it:)

In other news, Festival of the Arts is this weekend and once again I’ve entered 2 photos in the Visions exhibition. I chose this one and this one, neither of which I’m terribly enthusiastic about. I really don’t feel that excited about any of my photos from the last year, unfortunately. I certainly don’t expect to get first place again - that was a big shock - in fact I don’t hope to place at all, but I’d be pretty happy if someone buys a print. That would help me get some new derby gear. I need better padding!

Saturday’s derby bout was BIG fun! The turnout was excellent and from what I could see the bout was awesome. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see much of the action, though. The other junior skaters and I had volunteered to mingle in the crowd selling beer, and when I wasn’t peddling my wares I was on tiptoe behind the crowd, craning my neck to catch a glimpse of the girls whizzing by on the track. It was one of those times where being short was a serious disadvantage.

The Blarney Banshees edged out a narrow win over the Yo Ho Ho’s. It was a very close game all night, which made it even more exciting. It was lots of fun but all I could think about was how much MORE fun it will be when I’m out there on the track, throwing blocks and racing with the pack! I can’t wait:)

I also didn’t get to take a single photo, since I had such a lousy view. I had my camera on me all night, just in case, but no luck. Oh well, them’s the breaks.

[See this photo on the Flickr map]

Rocheport, MO

[See this photo on the Flickr map]

I’ve got some catching up to do for my Camera Gallery. I’ve acquired a few old cameras recently and I’ve been getting them cleaned up so I can photograph them for the gallery. I found one called the Lavec that looks like the 35mm version of the Holga, and since it was only 50 cents I figured I’d give it a try. I ran a roll of film through it and it came out blank. It’s the junkiest camera I’ve ever used. It’s all creaky and twangy springs and low-grade plastic. Makes the Holga look like a Hassy! Sheesh!

But I also picked up a Polaroid Land Camera that I can’t wait to play around with. Unfortunately the cost of the battery and film packs is a bit prohibitive at the moment, so I’ll have to wait whether I like it or not. And Steve brought home a filthy old Yashica Electro 35 GS the other day and I was thrilled. However, it’s going to take some minor surgery to get it in working order, and I’m pretty intimidated by DIY camera repairs. But hell, I’ve got nothing to lose since it was a freebie, and I’d love to be able to use that one.

[Find this photo on the Flickr map]

Behind the bar at the Rocheport General Store. Steve’s new band, The Sand Fleas, made their debut appearance there a few weeks back. It’s a fun spot and whenever he plays a gig there I always come along. The locals are a great bunch and they don’t mind if I shake my ass when the groove grabs me;)

I survived another roller derby practice on Saturday! It was a struggle, though, because I went to the public skate first to get warmed up and as luck would have it I pulled a muscle in my thigh while practicing my mohawk turns. Doh! But I toughed it out and managed pretty well, considering. I’m already looking forward to getting back on my skates on Wednesday. I’m determined to make it to public skate that night. I know I really just need to spend more time on my skates, so pretty soon maneuvering on 8 wheels will feel as natural as breathing. That’s my goal. I’ve got a ways to go yet!

There were some girls taking their skills test Saturday so I had a chance to see what’s expected of me. It looks pretty manageable, but there’s lots of stuff I need to work on. The part where they were hopping over short little cones looked the most challenging to me. If I were to attempt that now I’d end up on my ass HARD.

[Find this photo on the Flickr map]

This photo didn’t turn out quite as well as I had hoped, but it’s still kinda cool, if only because Jerry is an interesting subject.

New Haven, MO

New Haven, MO

New Haven, MO

You don’t often see breakdancers at Bait Shop Boys shows, so this was a treat:)

The Bait Shop Boys at the Walt Theater in New Haven, MO.

The Bait Shop Boys played the best gig ever last weekend at the Riverfront Cultural Society in New Haven, MO. We had a blast and I shot an entire roll in my OM2 and the Holga each!

Rio and Dizzy at Bear Creek enjoying the summertime. This photo has a very nostalgic feel to it, I think.

Another from the Paxette.

Next door to Arthur Bryant’s in Kansas City, MO.

Tucked away in the railroad district of north Kansas City is this funky little shanty town, and this home here is the main attraction. Found while visiting Knuckleheads Saloon, a most awesome blues bar(don’t be fooled by the dreadful website).

Guess what I got for Mother’s Day? A new vintage camera! I’ve already read the manual and loaded it with film. My father-in-law bought this camera in 1955 while he was stationed in Germany in the military. It’s well used but very functional. I’m so tickled! And I feel quite honored that they passed it on to me. I have the BEST in-laws:)