Hello 2014

So here it is, 2014! A new year, and new chapters in our lives awaiting. So, as usual, I had a little look over my goals from last year (New Year, New Start) and I'm a little disappointed.....

Firstly, my blog - 5 times a week was probably too ambitious. This year, I think 4 times will be my max, maybe not always the same days each week, more like when I feel like there's something to write about. 

Secondly, my derby goals. I managed to accomplish most of them, but my 180's are still far too slow. I would like to feel more confident on my skates by the end of 2014. I feel more confident than this time last year, so it's probably not a bad goal to aim for. 

At the ARRG bootcamp this year, I attended a little session about mental prep. After the last year in derby, I now understand how important this is. Part of this prep was to write down your goals for derby, a yearly one, and then goals with different time frames. For mine, I've decided that, by the end of 2014, I would like to be back on the FVRG jammer rotation. I had a terrible game against Wirral and was taken off jammer rotation in the 2nd half. I was devastated of course, not just for myself, but I felt like I'd let my team down. Awful feeling. And I didn't handle it well. It made me realise that I was letting derby become my life, not part of it that I enjoy, and I really was starting to lose the reasons to why I started skating in the first place. Not good. It knocked my confidence, then line ups didn't play me so much as jammer for other things and then there was more confidence knocking - a vicious circle that I'm removing myself from. I know I can be a better jammer, I just need to focus and work hard. So that shall be my goal for the end of 2014. 

In the next 6 months, I'd like to be back on the team. This means passing that god damn awful backwards skating (my calves hate it), but I'm determined. If there's one comment that always comes back to me from feedback, it's that I'm determined. 

My monthly goal is to get fitter. I've been resting due to a knee injury and my shoulder is getting physio, but I'm feeling a lot better and ready to get back into the swing of things. We've also had the festive season with lots of drink and too much food....

I think these are achievable goals. At least, I hope they are and that I'm not being a complete eejit. Guess we'll find out!

And then we get to my "life" list. Oh dear....

* Read at least one book a month

* Bake/Cook at least once a month
* Craft once at least once a month
* Start taking more photos!  Get out once a month and photograph landscapes.
* Keep up with the Fatmumslim photo a day challenges!
* Sell the house....
* New job
* Dye my hair a new colour
* Try sushi
* Try a ghost chilli
* Get a new tattoo

My book reading went majorly downhill. It got busier at work during the year and I didn't have as much time to read. So, instead of saying I'm going to read a book a month, I think I'll say that I'm going to read more at night. Maybe an hour before sleep. Might actually help my irratic sleep patterns, rather than sitting in front of the tv or computer.

My baking/cooking also went downhill. I cooked a lot of soup though....I have bought myself a little book though, where I can write down my recipes, so I'm hoping that encourages me some more.

I'm quite happy with how my crafting went last year. I'd already been doing cross stitch and playing with the perler beads, but I've also started embroidery and making jewellery. Who knows what new craft 2014 will bring :) 

Ah, photography.... :( I really have no excuse for this, aside from laziness. I definitely intend to start taking more photos this year and keep up with the FatMumSlim photo a day challenges. I've actually been looking into a new zoom lens.

As for the rest, I didn't sell my house (ugh), get a new job or new tattoo and I haven't tried a ghost chilli. However, I did dye my hair (pink of all colours!) and tried sushi. Yay? 

So, life goals for 2014? 

1) To be happy. Regardless of what life throws in my way. 

2) To see the best in each day. My "feel good" jar was emptied at the beginning of the year, time to fill it with more smiles.

3) To read more - nothing wrong with getting lost in a good book.

4) To be more sociable. I still have to work on my social anxiety, but after the New Year day skate (which I walked.....), I realise the only person missing out is me. Why would I deny myself fun with friends?

5) Watch at least one movie a month that I haven't seen before. 

6) Be more organised. I have an awesome diary, personal planner and about 100 note books along with my phone, I have no excuse to be disorganised!

Hopefully I won't be disappointed at myself this time next year :) 

In My Shopping Bag

As a sufferer of depression (I bet that's not how you thought this post was gona go when saw the title!), I know the signs of when it's trying to break through and ruin my life.  Sounds a bit drastic, but that's how it feels at the time.  You can't explain to anyone why you're feeling the way you're feeling, you just do, which can be difficult for people to comprehend.  Which is why I usually slap a happy face on and tell people "I'm fine" when I'm really not.  Although I guess this post kind of negates that effect now....oh well.

So, after having a pretty shitty day on Saturday, I was catching up on my blog reading and came across this - 19 Ways To Kick A Bad Mood To The Kerb.  Thank you FatMumSlim!  This is just what I needed!  I mean, I know all these things.  I do.  But having them in list form is what my brain needed to kick it's arse (if brain's had arses) out of the funk that I was letting myself slowly drown in. 

After waking up on the right side of bed this morning, which is number 10 on this list (although I can't really wake up on any other side, unless I want to fall out of my window), I did some cleaning (number 4 on the list), walked the dogs (number 1 on the list) and headed to the retail park to do some much needed retail therapy (on a budget, but hence the title of this post!  Got there eventually.  And this would be number 11 and 14 on the list!).

First stop was Hobbycraft.  Nobody will come with me to Hobbycraft, not even my own mother (who has a pretty high tolerance for pretty much everything) because I take so damn long to browse.  I've never been guilty of this before, so I think of crafty stuff being what shoes are to my sister.  Helps me sleep at night.

Here is what I bought!!

 

This fabric was on sale, which made me very, very happy as it's beach themed!  This is for the Wild Olive Summer Stitching Club.  I've still to pick out my second fabric.

 

The thread needed for the stitching club, plus an embroidery hoop.  This is only the second one I've ever bought of these - the first was for a little mouse I stitched using a sewing machine programme in Home Economics.  Yeah...little disappointed with that class.  But so glad I could get the exact colour I needed thanks to Wild Olive providing the colour codes :)

My last purchase in Hobbycraft was cupcake icing.  I'm going to recreate these delicious babies, 2 Minute, 2 Ingredient Cupcake (number 6 and 9 on the list).  Now, it does say to use whipping cream and vanilla, but I cheated and just bought the vanilla flavoured cupcake icing ;)

Then it was off to the supermarket!  Here I managed to purchase some vitamin D tablets (number 8 on the list), some raspberry ribena (another addiction and number 7 on the list.  Although they do list alcohol on this list, best to avoid the depressants when you're on a low), and I decided that instead of buying chocolate biscuits for the cupcake recipe (I couldn't find any decent ones anyway) I'd make my own double chocolate chip cookies freom a Weight Watchers recipe I had years ago.  Less guilt and the momma might eat some ;)  However, this recipe changed when I went wondering for chocolate chips and found fudge pieces sitting next to them. 

So, feeling better already, I have cupcakes to make tomorrow after work.  I also have a few more things to do from that list, including sorting out a pick-me-up music playlist and rummage through my feel good jar, and I might even indulge in a bath tonight.  If you're ever feeling down in the dumps, this is indeed a good list to get you smiling again :)

Aaaaaaah! Cramp!!

This is what I yelled as my right calf decided it was going into a painful spasm at training last night!  Owwwie, it was bloody sore.  Luckily, it didn't last too long, but for the rest of the session, I was aware that it was niggling, ready to cramp up on me at any given moment.  Booo :(

I'm pretty sure this happened because, although I have been prone to calf and feet cramps in the past, my legs were doing exercises that they're not used to - backwards skating and a lot of toe stop work.  I'm a little annoyed that the cramp started when we began our toe stop work, it's something I enjoy doing, especially as it seemed to be the only thing I got the hang of straight away when I was at Fresh Meat!
Some of the girls gave me suggestions on what it could be - maybe my toe stops are too high up, maybe my laces are too tight.  But having the brain that I have, I wanted to know why this was happening and if there were any ways I could prevent it from happening again.  So, here we go:

 The Main Causes of Cramp

We'll skip past all the medical reasons (such as diabetes as I'm pretty sure I don't have that) and skip straight to the part that I'm concerned about - exercise.
Common causes include muscle fatigue, low potassium, low magnesium, low sodium, low calcium, lack of vitamin D, dehydration and over-exertion.
So, pretty much all related to the roller derby.

Prevention

- drink six to eight glasses of water a day.  That's a lot of water....especially for someone who drives for a living.
- take deep breaths.  Make sure you are constantly breathing while exercising (really??) to provide enough oxygen for your body.
- eat foods with lots of potassium.  Things like spinach, salmon, avocados, mushrooms....

 (couldn't resist!!)

and bananas.
- sit in the sun.  This will help with the lack of vitamin D.  Because we don't have lives and/or live in Scotland.  Or we could just do the next point -
- drink milk.  Milk contains vitamin D!
- stretch before and after work outs.
- sports drinks during exercise.  These will replace the electrolytes we're sweating out!
- avoid dehydrating drinks such as coffee and tea before exercise.
- increase your muscle's flexibility by stretching regularly.

Seems mostly like common sense.  I'll start drinking more water, maybe eat a banana before training and I'll definitely start stretching out my calves regularly.  I'll also take on board the advice given to me from the girls at training - I'm going to lower my toe stops a little (not too much as I prefer them to be high) and I've found a website that shows you a few different ways to put your laces (North Coast Foot Care), so I'm going to try that out too.  And if you see me walking around on my toes a lot, it's me trying to slap some muscle memory into my calves xD

The secret(s) to a good sleep...?

If you read my Twitter feed, you'll know that I am not a morning person.  This is mostly because when I do tweet in the morning, I'm on early shift.  When I'm on early shift, I don't sleep.  I mean, the eyes are closed, the brain is mostly switched off, but I can't sleep.  And when I do, I wake up every thirty minutes.  This causes the condition known as "Zombie Moogle".  I'm irritable, grumpy, I don't want to talk to anyone.

 This has been going on for pretty much a year now, and I'm getting a little tired of it, literally.  So whilst the lovely Occupational Health nurse continues to use my medical report as a paper airplane, I've decided to take matters into my own hands.  I came across this website, full of hopefully not completely useless advice - Sleep Tips.  Let's see how this goes....

Tip 1 - Keep a regular sleep schedule

* So the first points, "Set a regular bedtime" and "Wake up at the same time every day" are completely  moot - I start work at 6am on an evil early shift and 12:30 on the back shift.  Next!
*  "Nap to make up for lost sleep", trying to opt for a daytime sleep.  I think I've got that one covered....sometimes I can't keep my eyes open at work (obviously not when I'm driving....).
* "Be smart about napping, it can make insomnia worse".  Wait, what?!  You just told me to nap to make up for my lost sleep!  
Ok, so far, not so helpful (for me and my personal situation.  If this helps other people, I'm happy for you, really.  Actually, I hate you and I want to steal your sleep).

Tip 2 - Naturally regulate your sleep-wake cycle

Ah, some science!  More melatonin is what I need!  How do I get me some of that?
Increase exposure during the daylight
* "Remove your sunglasses in the morning".  Dude, I live in Scotland, what are sunglasses for? 
* "Spend more time outside during daylight".  Kinda in the job description.
* "Let as much light into your home/workspace as possible".  My office is a mobile greenhouse, if I hadn't stopped growing 15 years ago, I'm sure I'd be about ten feet tall with the amount of light I get at work.  However, when I get home, first thing I do is shut my curtains to get out of my sexy uniform and into something comfortable.  And then the curtains stay shut.  So that's at least something to look at. 
* "If neccessary, use a light therapy box".  An expense.  
Boost melatonin production at night
* "Turn off your television and computer".  Ooops.
* "When it's time to sleep, make sure your room is dark".  Ah, would love to do that, however, I decided to pick me out a router that thinks it's actually a disco ball....
* "Use a flashlight to go to the bathroom at night".  I'd like to say that I have not reached the age where I need to get up during the night to go to the bathroom. 

Tip 3 - Create a relaxing bedtime routine

* "Keep your room cool".  Again, live in Scotland, not a problem.
* "Make sure your bed is comfortable".  Do three comfortable blankets cancel out the first point??
* "Reserve your bed for sleeping and sex".  That'll be for sleep then.  (I feel these tips are mocking me somewhat....).
 * "Relaxing bedtime rituals to try" - reading a book, take a warm bath, listen to some soft music.  Finally, some things I can do.

 Tip 4 - Eat right and get regular exercise

They say 20-30 minutes a day should suffice.  With Tough Mudder coming up in August, I've been doing at least that, plus roller derby practice at least twice a week.  So maybe it's the diet..... 
* "Avoid alcohol before bed".  I have to say, I usually get the deepest sleep after a good drink.  But I can't exactly drink every night, not to that excess and not in my profession.  And supposedly it's worse for your sleep...
* "Cut down on caffeine".  Haha!  Guess drinking my body weight in tea needs to stop.

 Tip 5 - Get anxiety and stress in order

Ah, residual stress, how I loath thee.  But seriously, not too much of an issue for me.  Yes, I do worry, stress, rage.  But mostly, when my head hits that pillow, I just want to sleep, so I don't think about my day.  Unless I've had a really bad one.  But that doesn't happen often.  So, relaxation techniques to try:
* "Deep breathing".  Simple enough.
* "Progressive muscle relaxtion".  Starting from my toes.  Well, if the feet don't cramp up immediately upon trying this, I'll give it a go.
* "Visualising a peaceful, restful place".  Rivendell :)

Tip 7 - Cope with shift work sleep disorder

No, you're not reading wrong, I skipped Tip 6 because it's all about getting back to sleep, which I don't have any issues with, I just wake up again soon.
* "Limit the number of irregular shifts".  One week on, one week off doesn't seem too irregular.
* "Drink caffeinated drinks early in your shift".  Flask of coffee, coming up (Starbucks is both too tempting and too damn expensive to have every day).
* "Take frequent breaks and use them to move around".  Probably better than sitting on my arse, reading a book....(see Tip 3).
* "Make sleep a priority at the weekends".  Oh, right, my "non-working" days.  Excuse me, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Ok, seriously, there has been some helpful advice in there.  Some of which I'm hoping will make a difference.  I don't think the world is ready for me to spontaneously combust....

 

Tuesday Ramble - The Irritating Man

Have you ever met someboy, one single person, who irritates the complete shit out of you?  Everything they do, say, their mannerisms, just everything, makes you want to punch them in the face?  I am fortunate to have such a person in my life.....

He's there, waiting for me every day at work - it wouldn't matter if I arrived half an hour before my shift, he'd still be there, sitting in that chair, hands clasped across his almost pregnant looking stomach, with that smirk, that arrogant, smarmy smirk that I'd love to throw a chair at.  I always give him a polite "hello", albeit through gritted teeth.  I also politely listen to him drone on about how hard life is for him, having to decide which useless gadget he needs to spend his money on this week.  Some of his sleep inducing rambles must have got through because I know he's going to chose the most expensive one before he's even decided himself.

Then we pick up our patients.  Now, first thing in the morning, they're all that keep me from smacking my head off a wall to end the pain.  I have some really great patients.  Which is why it hurts my head, ears and eyes (from the constant rolling) when he tries a bit of comradery with them.  It's like, seriously, you do not need to kiss their ass, they're not the ones paying you and you have enough fun doing that with the people who do.  Some of them laugh, uncomfortably, others pretend they don't hear him.  I actually have that benefit when sitting in the back because the man mumbles something chronic.  I can't hear what he's saying, but I don't actually care enough to ask him to speak up.  It's even better when he actually puts the radio on.  Of course, with that comes his singing...or cat crying.

The time between patients is my saviour.  I get to read and drown him out.  Although, to be fair, he usually goes elsewhere and does the earlier butt kissing I was talking about.  Sometimes, when I'm feeling generous, I'll actually converse with him.  If it's work related, I'm usually interested as somewhere along the line what he's saying is bound to affect me in some shape or form, especially as I've never met a man (or woman for that matter) who can gossip quite as much as him.  It's 99% of the reason behind us being late picking up patients.  Let me tell you, that's a fabulous time, having to hear patients complain about how long they've been waiting.  It's my most favourite topic of conversation, ever!  Anywhoo, work related conversation type talking.  I find myself giving my opinion on situations, especially his one sided, bigoted, narrow minded blethers.  He argues, his opinions are always right, of course.  But what I especially love about these conversations is getting to hear my opinions regurgitated to others.  It's like watching someone try to do a jigsaw puzzle in the dark - the pieces are all there but you're not sure where they go, and you never will, because it's not your opinion!

This cocky, smarmy arsehole also seems to think he's one of the best driver's in the job.  Of course you are, mounting kerbs, driving OVER roundabouts and going 20 mph over the speed limit are all qualities one looks for in an outstanding driver.  Silly me.....

Tuesday Ramble

Basically, I couldn't think of anything to write about for a Tuesday, so it's just going to be a good old fashioned ramble about anything and everything!

Firstly, I am slacking on my Photo A Day challenge.....
From August, I still have to do:
22nd - Home
24th - Path
26th - Dream
27th - Tap
30th - Card
31st - Hidden
From September...:
8th - At night
9th - Most weekends
16th - Strange
17th - In my fridge
18th - Price
19th - Underneath
21st - Sometimes
22nd - Up
23rd - Before bedtime
24th - 3 things
26th - Near
28th - A Good Thing
So far for October (only 3 days in mind you, lol), I've managed to do a photo for every day. I need to get my finger out! My "to do" list is growing....

Another thing to add to my "to do" list is scan all the books I've read! Or at least the one's I've read since moving back in with mum and dad. I got this app a few days ago called Goodread - you scan the book you're reading/have read and it adds it to your profile. You can give reviews and see other people's reviews on the books. Sounds fab as I'm slowly running out of books to read. Mainly because I've devoured all the books written by my favourite authors! And the plus side is, if I can't remember some of the books, it's a perfect excuse to re-read them ;)

Today was also a bad day for my poor wee car :( The purple pest failed it's MOT...the guy at the garage (who's done her last 9 MOT's) said I'd be spending more to get her fixed than she's worth. But after much deliberation (and panic, and anger, and tears....), I've decided to take her in on Thursday and get her fixed up - as long as she does me for another year, until I'm a little more financially stable, that's all I need. She's a good wee car and I would have been really sad to scrap her.

Smiles

So yesterday seemed like it was going to be one of "those" days. Started out with two crabbit patients, I was so ready for the next one!! However, turned out a complete opposite. I had the joy of taking two of the loveliest patients to and from the hospital. One of them called everyone Angel, which I love. She seemed like such a kind wee woman. The other was so anxious about going out but soon settled, enjoying the fact that we had to detour so much before we got home! It was one of those "I've seen places I've not visited for many years" kind of patients. You actually feel nice for taking them to the hospital, lol.
Today has been a tying-up-lose-ends day, which as incredibly boring as it sounds, actually gives me a little bit of peace and well being. I finally got my log in and e-mail sorted out at work (yes, apparently ambulance staff on the ROAD need this....) thanks to a lady in IT who spoke plain English and not the IT version of it. I also had a lovely day out shopping with my momma. Got a few other things sorted, but also had to buy a shit tonne of cards this month! I even treated myself to a new dress - yes, me, a dress.
And now I'm off to an extra wee skatey session before training at 9pm. Hoping I'll get to help out some of the girls and meet the Fresh Meat again :D

Smiles :)

So, on Wednesday, my new outdoor wheels arrived! Yay!! And then boooo.....it's pretty much rained since, lol... I was hoping to get out on them at the weekend if the weather stays dry, but Elton John has pretty much scunnered that idea by deciding to play a gig at the stadium where I skate. I'll have to ask around about some of the Helix footpaths I think. I've got 300 laps to practice for!!
This day was pretty awesome as I also won free cinema tickets :D There was a competition on Central FM and at about 4:45pm I heard the question - pretty easy, "who sang the main theme song for Top Gun". We were even given a clue, it's the name of a German city. Well duh, lol. Showing my age, I text in, Berlin of course. 10 minutes later, I get a phone call asking me to repeat my answer and bam! Tickets won xD So, now I have to find a few scary films to drag Mike to, bwuhahahahahahahahaha >:D

Thursday saw the arrival of more wheels, this time Atom Poisons after my wee shot with Fun Ghoul's. So this morning, I got stuck into my skates, taking the bearings out of the old wheels and cleaning them, then popping on some speed cream.

A New Month

I really need to start posting more regularly.... I've become lazy with this and I don't want to stop doing it. Time for a kick up the arse! So with this new month, a new me shall start. For this to happen, I need to work on a few things:
Work - so lately, really not happy with work. Not the actual job, my job to be fair is very easy and it pays well. I like my patients, and most of the people I work with. However, there are a few who like to make our job seem more difficult than it is, lazy people, lazy, arrogant, shallow people who really shouldn't be in the profession they're currently in. This frustrates me. There are also management issues, and a few other things that annoy me to no end, but at this moment in time, there is nothing I can do about them. I've tried looking for another job, but realistically, it's not an option right now. So, stuck where I am. I've devised a plan for every time I get pissed off at work - song lyrics. If you see Facebook or Twitter getting spammed with song lyrics, this is why - I apologise now, lol. I shall count to ten more often. The only person me getting angry is affecting is me, and I need to start looking out for myself.
Bailey - I love my dog. He is a great companion, gives me unconditional love (even when I come from derby training smelling like I've skated ten times more than I have!) and generally makes me smile even when I'm feeling like crap. He needs to be walked more. I need to walk him more. I also need to stop losing the rag with him so much, something that seems to have happened a lot more since moving back home with the parents. My dad has a very short temper, something that I've grudgingly inherited, and it makes everyone around him miserable. I don't want to get to that stage (if I'm not there already....). He loses it so much at Bailey, just for wagging his tail, or being too hyper, and I find that I'm getting angry at Bailey for doing it because I know it's going to set my dad off - vicious circle. So, time to sort this out.
Roller Derby - I went to try outs on Tuesday so down in the dumps, because I knew I wasn't going to make the team. I looked at who we had from the last bout against Dundee and I was sure there would only be a few spots left and I wouldn't get one. During stretches, I got a pain up my left leg that I'm assuming was trapped nerve pain. I could have cried. I just thought "well, that's it, you're definitely done now". After a 75% attempt at knee falls, I just decided, I'm not making the team, might aswell enjoy the training session. I went home, I slept. I woke up at about 2am and thought I'd have a look at the team roster anyway, put myself out of my misery. And then I saw my name. Holy crap! No no no no, there must be a mistake. I refreshed the page. I refreshed the page again. Nope, still there. I kept checking the forum all day at work, they must have put my name there by mistake, but no, it remained there, third from the top. :D So now I really really need to start working on my fitness. As on tomorrow, I'm restarting the Roller Derby Challenge. I've ordered outdoor wheels and will be skating as much as I possibly can over the next two months. I'll be doing more sit ups - need to work on that core strength. I'll be working on stopping more quickly with my plough stops (possibly ordering new wheels, shall see after trying out Fun Ghoul's poisons and of course depending on funds). I've been given a dream opportunity, I'm not about to let my team down by doing a half ass job of it.
Blog - going to try and start updating at least twice a week. Think I'll give myself a Wednesday and Saturday as definite updates, with anything in between being a little bonus.
Crochet - this was supposed to be a hobby to chill me out. So I'm gona try and get properly started this weekend and go from there.

So, sorry about the rant, this was more of a "kick-up-the-ass" post than a "this-is-what's-made-me-smile" post - they shall resume as of Wednesday :)

Oooops....

Wow, it's been almost 2 weeks since I last posted anything! This is not to say that I haven't been smiling, I just feel like I haven't had 5 minutes to sit down...

So, my week off was the laziest week off ever. I had so many plans, and as usual, the thought of getting an extra couple of hours in bed won instead.  I did visit my sister on Thursday - would have been a nice drive to Helensburgh had the weather not been crap, but still, nice to get out of the house.  Because the weather was so crap all week, I couldn't get out to skate.  And I never seemed to get any peace to focus on my crochet (I received my first copy of Lets Get Crafting Knit and Crochet, was so excited to get started!).  I think I need another week off!!

Monday made me think alot about things, mainly how there are some things in my life I'm not extremely happy about, but then I realised there's not much I can do about most of it, so I just have to plod on and try to keep smiling.  So as the day went on, I added some key points on how to do this:

1) Ignore thy father's rants (high impact ear defenders possibly required)
2) Add James Brown, Get Up Offa That Thing as my ringtone! (Thanks Mike).
3) Start the week as I mean to go on! Less stodge!
4) Bring iPod to work when I'm not driving, drown out all the stupid!
5) Stop letting the silly little things get to me
6) Stop dwelling on things that I can't change.
It helped on Monday, it really did.  Just gota keep thinking along these lines. Positive thinking!

Tuesday was fun scrimmy times! Had the butterflies again, not as bad as the first time though.  I only got to jam a few times, but I think my blocking is getting much better, and all that training is finally sinking in. I was also told my pack awareness was awesome :D  We did a little positive pow wow before hand, going around in a circle and telling the person on your left something good about them.  Jo told me I was a great jammer, nippy and quick xD It's always nice to hear good things, I'm never sure if my team mates think I'm an asset or a hindrence, lol.

Today, last "happy" backshift, then skatey fun times (the intermediates are sitting their mins tonight!), then straight home to sleep for an early shift tomorrow.  Then maybe my weekend can start. And I hope it's a good one.

No work for a week :D

Indeed, I have a week off! A greatly appreciated week off!! Time to recharge and chill.

Saturday, I woke up to my Lead Jammer competition goodies! Still trying to decide where I'm going to pop the stickers, but the t-shirt gives me an extra training top :D

The painful thought of work was numbed slightly by the fact that I had THE Fiercey party of the year later on, and I was working with Fergie, who always brightens the day with jokes and generally makes you feel better just with his presence, a good guy :)  He also gave me the shorter run in the evening, so I got finished nice and early and turned up to the party just after 8pm, so not too late.  It was the best night, so much fun, hilarity and lots of hugs!  Twister was hilarious!!

Met some awesome new people too - Sue's wife and Wee Zoomer's hubby, although the night went far too quickly and I felt like I didn't get to talk to some of the girls.  I also got dragged out afterwards to Storm....honestly thought when I was younger that I'd never miss going out, having a dance, but after Saturday, I think I've had my fill for a few years! I'd honestly rather chat and laugh than try to dance in a crowded nightclub with people constantly bumping into you and having to shout every time you want a conversation - is this me getting old? Lol. Maybe the realisation of how unsocialable nightclubs actually are has hit me.

Yesterday, no hangover, but uber munchies xD  Mum and dad were coming home from my sister's, so me and the brother got the place tidied up, hoovering done, some laundry and washing up done, and I got a few bunches of flowers for the momma.  Might not have been mother's day in this country, but she felt like it was :)

Day 4 of 6

So my lazy Saturday may have spilled into the week a little....Sad to say that nothing much has really happened this week, and it's a 6 day week...(think of the money, think of the money...lol).

On Tuesday, I was having a bad day.....so bad that I'm actually considering looking for another job.  Whilst I was thinking along those lines, there was a well timed post on Facebook from Lush in Stirling saying they're looking for a trainee.  This actually sounds really awesome, although the only information they've given out so far is that you'd be required to work week days and weekends, some early mornings and evenings, which is pretty much what I do now anyways.  More information will be given when they receive a CV, so that's exactly what I'm going to do next week when I'm off (YAY!!!).  This post was even more apt as my photo a day for May was a smell I adore, which just so happened to be Lush!  I love walking down Buchannan Street in Glasgow, getting a whiff of that shop before you've even got within 100 yards of it.

Today has been a good day.  Started a new thing on Instagram called Adventures of Moogle, which is just a little bit of fun, but is making me smile :)

Got finished early today, which is always good.  And then came home to a great e-mail from Lead Jammer magazine, I won third prize in their competition! :D  I've won a Croydon Roller Derby T-shirt, Team Scotland Sticker, Oslo Roller Derby Badge and a Tiger Bay Brawler's Sticker :D

Lazy Saturday

As the title suggests, I am having a lazy Saturday!  Finally done with the evil shift that is earlies, and in all honesty, I'm not in a great shape to be doing anything else after last night's epic fall - thank derby for helmets!
Had a great day on Thursday!  My new dress got delivered from Soho's (it's so purdy!) and what's even better, it fit, so no returning for me!

My sister and her hubby also popped by with my nephew, Ethan, in tow.  He's getting so big and always has big smiles and giggles for his crazy Aunty Shelly :)  Ended my night on a high by having a wee five mile skate around the stadium with some of the girls from skating.  Was so much fun, felt like I was 6 again, skating and laughing!
Yesterday was a good day too - last day of earlies and I was single crewed which is always nice just for a break.  Aside from the bad fall at skating, it was an awesome session.  It's like everything clicked into place, I understood everything what we were trying to do.  I even found my pivot voice!  Although I think the pivot panty scurs my inner pivot - I seem to do better as a pivot when I'm not wearing it!  And my awesome Wifey passed her rules test, which means she'll get to try out for the Belfast team alongside me.  I hope at least one of us gets on it....
Oh, and happy anniversary to my sister and her hubby!  Can't believe it's been a whole year since they got married :)

Derby Dayz

So once again, the weekend has been and gone.  But at least this is my last early shift week for 3 weeks :D.
Friday's skating was awesome.  We had a mammoth endurance session - do at least 25 laps in 5 minutes, 20 in 4, 15 in 3, 10 in 2 and 5 in 1.  I managed to do at least one lap over every time, even managing 26 and a half laps after falling twice (spaghetti legs...), so I'm pretty happy with that.  It's good to know I can still do it :)  Was a great night, with lots of laughs (especially with the Wifey) and finding out that I will be here for the team try outs against Belfast!  Not that I'm confident about getting on the team, I'm just glad to get a chance to try.  I also found out I have a rules test to study for this Friday.....lol.  Whilst I'm not looking forward to a test, I am quite keen to know how bad/good my knowledge of roller derby is.

The Craft Fayre on Saturday was a great success - we raised just over £700 and I panicked for no reason, the cake stall had a few cakes left over afterwards, lol.  It was an awesome day.  Met the girls responsible for Roller Grrrls, and they shown a keen interest in the Cubs.  My mum won "Guess the Tiger's Birthday" and my cousin, Louise, won "Guess How Many Sweeties in the Jar" from the Cubs stall - I promise it wasn't a fix!! I also bought the cutest pair of earrings from one of the stalls:

After getting home from work today (nice early finish, tee hee), I've sorted my kit out for tonight, cleaned the kitchen units after Bailey's tail massacre, and I'm sitting relaxing with a cup of tea and a cupcake (you'd think I'd be sick of seeing them...), before getting ready to head out to watch Avengers Assemble with Mike.  It looks like it's going to be an awesome film!  Only problem is it's in 3D, which of course I have to see it in, but those 3D glasses over my own glasses gives me a headache :/  Then it'll be a quick change for skating tonight :D
Oh, and last but not least, the Photo a Day May challenge starts today :)

TGIF

Friday is finally upon us! Wooo! :D

My Wednesday went without any issues.  Best described as normal.  I don't think I like normal too much, but it's always better than having a crappy day.  Highlights were Mama Do The Hump by Rizzle Kicks (this song always makes me happy):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxEINSBsbeo

And a new Epic Meal Time video which involves cakes! I won't lie, I may have drooled....and excellent week for this with the Craft Fayre just around the corner and me in charge of organising the cake stall :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMYJxeebGmY

I also got my payslip, before I got paid!! What blasphemy is this??! Made me breathe easy seeing that.... lol.

Thursday was a good day.  Scrap that, Thursday was an awesome day!  I got in contact with Elifino from Quad City Rollers, just to let her know how things were going with the Cubs and to thank her again for all the help she's given us with all the advice she had starting their junior league.  I told her I'd be over in the States in June. Well, she only went one better and told me that there's a junior roller derby tournament right where I'll be staying, the day after I arrive!  I'm gona go along and hopefully meet some of the girls and watch junior roller derby in all it's awesomeness! I'm sooooo excited!!  :D
(Also got to come home to Strawberry and Lime Kopparberg and a strawberry cupcake! Yummy!!!)

Today, well, holy hell have I been busy already!  Fun Ghoul popped by to drop off all her goodies for the cake stall and tombola/raffle, then I had to pop out and get dog food and pipe insulation for Crazy's tail (don't ask, just nod your head).  I've baked cupcakes for the cake stall and am ready for work, just to come home, iron my gear and clean my wheels for skating, head to training, collect Cubs stuff from Frocky, come home, put the icing on the cupcakes, paint my nails, maybe play some WoW before heading to sleep a little earlier than normal to get up bright and early for tomorrow's Craft Fayre!  (And breathe...).  Can't believe the Fayre is tomorrow, all this organising and it'll be over by 4pm tomorrow.  Hopefully we make lots of money for FVRG! :D

Getting back into it...

So, it's been a week and I haven't updated my blog (bad Moogle).  Reason's being, it's been a busy week for me, between my 6 day week last week (most of which was catching up on sleep when and where I could), and organising things for the Craft Fayre on Saturday (cake stall and Cubs leaflets).  My week has seemed to fly by and it's left me wondering what the heck I actually did with it!

Thursday springs to mind as an alright day - vet for Bailey, dentist for me and hair dying.  Not a bad day all in all as I got to oogle two of the best looking professionals in the Forth Valley (albeit whilst one of them looked at my teeth, but still...).  I'm sure Bailey didn't appreciate how good looking his vet was, but he was a good boy all the same, lol.

I've been keeping up with my Photo-A-Day-April challenge, and the list for May has been posted up.  Day 16 is "what you're reading", so I've made a challenge for myself - to finish reading Into The Darkness by May the 16th.  It was a little difficult to get into to start with (soooooo many characters), but 200 pages in and I'm now in the thick of it.  Then it'll either be onto The Hunger Games, or I may treat myself to the new Trudi Canavan or Kelley Armstrong.

Anyway, just a quick update for today.  Now to get typing and sort out these last two documents for the Cubs stall and hopefully I'll be done!

Hump Day

So, we're half way through another 6 day week for me.  Happy Hump Day!!
Been a busy week so far - Sunday I popped over to Frocky's to discuss the paperwork for the FVR Cubs stall at the Craft Fayre on the 28th.  Between the Youth committee and the Fund Raising committee, I've been kept quite busy, which is great.  Not only does it keep me out of trouble, it makes me feel like I'm giving back to the team who's given me so much <3.
On Monday, the Momma treated me to dinner at La Banca.  I don't care what anyone says about the portions in there (I always hear they're too small), we were both stuffed afterwards, om nom nom!

Tuesday was scrims day.  OMG did I have butterflies, I was so nervous, all day.  So something to take my mind off it, or so I hoped, Cabin in the Woods.  Very gory (which doesn't really phase me), not so scary (which did, because I wanted Mike to be scared gdi!!), and kinda almost a what's become a typical "horror" flick.  Yes, it was funny in typical Joss Whedon humour, but all in all, I was a little disappointed.
Then it was home for a quick change and off to scrims!!  I only got to jam twice, but both times I got lead jammer, I was so happy!!  Definitely have the jamming bug now, no matter how bad I think I do at practice from now on, I am not losing it!  I was on Team Black, aka Team Ninja, and we won 87-83, a very close score (to which I contributed :D ).  The girls on my team were so great, giving out advice, I learned a lot.  And Team White were awesome.  I love my roller derby family!

Let the weekend beginneth!

It's finally the weekend :D It's been a strange week, not really any highs or lows, I guess normal is maybe the word to describe it.
So, I noticed a few people I follow on Twitter are doing this Photo A Day April thing. I tried this before, just a photo a day, but for some reason, I kinda faded with it after day 20, I think mainly because me and Mike ran out of ideas fast, and I was so adamant I was taking them on my big camera. This time around, someone else has come up with the ideas (blogger named FatMumSlim, I love it!) and I'll be taking the photos with my camera phone using Instagram, which I usually have on me at all times, so if I see a photo op, I can just go for it. Get me back into the photography :)

Skatey fun was had last night - so much endurance, loved it! I'm getting the hang of my toe stop starts, practicing them more. I also need to read up more on strategies for blocking - I understand them at the time we're learning them, but then they seem to go straight out of my head, and I don't want to look like an eejit at scrims on Tuesday if I'm given Pivot.  All in all, I think I'm looking forward to scrims xD

Someone posted this up on a friends Facebook page a few days ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvwnbOqTkvI&feature=share

I've never seen Despicable Me, but this made me laugh sooooooo much xD How cute are those guys?? BAN-AN-A hee hee.

So, after I've fed the fish (mum and dad are away to the sister's this weekend to visit the wee man), I see a fantabulous lazy day ahead of me, possibly filled with gaming and/or movies. Oh, and watching the Grand National - I put a wee bet on Chicago Grey ;)  Here's hoping my photo from yesterday brings me luck!

Catch up...

So my last post was almost a week ago, which doesn't mean I haven't been smiling, but I have been dealing with a few things that have made me want to wrap chairs around certain people's heads....
Although there was no skatey fun times for me on Friday (mahoosive headache), I did pick up my scrim shirts and my copy of Lead Jammer magazine arrived, yay!

The rest of my weekend can be summed up with one photo, Saturday's dessert:

Strawberries are awesome.  Strawberries with whipped cream are even more awesome.
Sunday wasn't so bad, I got to go watch the Fresh Meat and use some of my (poor) first aid skills on one of the girls who fell after jumping over some cones right on her coccyx - painful.  Also loaned out my wheels to Chaos Faerie, who fell in love with them - they are awesome wheels, but I'm already thinking about an upgrade to Poisons....

Yesterday I did my first 8:30-4:30 shift in about 5 years - someone called in sick and I offered to help out with a shift change (brownie points are good, finishing at 4:30 instead of 8:30 is good, and working with Brenda is always great).  Had a good laugh, catching up with an awesome friend, even headbutted a window in the ambulance dancing to "Rescue Me".
And whilst the skatey fun times were testing (I really to need to watch more derby, get more tips on this agressive jamming that seems to evade me, and my non-existent blocking techniques...), I did learn a lot.
(And yet another yay, but not as big of one - I fixed my phone to save shit to the SD card!! Go me xD)

Skatey Tuesday!

Started off the day smiling because my friend Mike was grinning like a Cheshire cat ;) Even work wasn't too bad. Yes, I'm aware it's only Tuesday...but Tuesday means skatey fun!! And to add to the fun, my bearings arrived today. <3 Billy's Skates :D  So after a quick stop into Pink Nik designs to drop off my scrim t-shirts (need numbers on them if I'm gona scrim, eeeeeeeeeeeeee!), I got home to the shiney bearings and put them on my skates.

I also came home to my gorgeous nephew, being babysat by my momma til his momma got home from getting her hair did.  Nothing makes you smile more than when he giggles at you (for pulling ridiculous faces and making baby noises that you daren't do around adults).  Once the family had gone home, I got treated to momma's macaroni cheese - OM NOM NOM!!

I'm still stuffed and I have to skate in an hour and a half.....tee hee.

Random song of the day (as it was my turn to drive at work today, there was actually some music!), Ash - Shining Light:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZGcNx8nV8U