weekend plans

Tomorrow is Record Store Day, but instead of spending the whole day browsing at Radio-Active or Sweat or even Uncle Sam's, we're going to be either attending, or hanging out with Johnny's parents who will be in town attending, the 25th Annual Sunrise Community Hot Air Balloon Race in Kendall. That seems like a very weird (tho' interesting) event. Anyway, I'm betting we'll be able to spend at least a little time at Sweat on Saturday, because not only is it Record Store Day, but Sweat is also celebrating its third anniversary! They're throwing a big party and everything! And besides, we have to pass Sweat to get to Kendall...

On Sunday...


...I'm caravaning to Fort Myers with some BCDG peeps to watch the Fort Myers Derby Girls* take on the Bradentucky Bombers** at Generations Skating Center, 2095 Andrea Lane, Fort Myers, FL 33912.

*(Don't click that link - they don't seem to have a website besides their myspace, but that page is so bloated it will take forever to load if it doesn't crash your browser first.)
**(Their website does not seem to have been updated since February.)

This will be the first regional roller derby action I've gotten to see besides the MRRG vs. IRDG bouts at the Smackdown! I'm way excited! We're also planning to play our very first away bout against Fort Myers in August (see our schedule), so it will be useful to check out the competition. Not that I'll be skating in that bout or anything, but still.

BTW, I'm not going to be in town for this, but our next bout is going to be an intraleague bout on May 18:


Click the pic for tix!!! We're going with a "derby prom" theme, and it promises to be such a hoot. I wish I could be here for it.

Well, I still feel bad that I'm going to miss Asha Bhosle at the Broward Center tonight, especially after she was on The World yesterday, and there was this write-up in the New Times this week. (Speaking of the New Times, they've got an article on us this week, too! Woohoo!) I'm sure I'll later regret missing this show, but man, I need to spend a night at home sometimes, y'know? Literally, I've been out every night this week so far: Sunday & Monday were practices (I can't skate, but I can watch), Tuesday was BCDG Scrabble night (I was the champion, thanks to my lucky Scrabble shirt), Wednesday was practice, and last night was the Creative Committee meeting. Derby truly has taken over my life. :)

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shows, events, things I want to see...

One of the mixed blessings of living in a major metropolitan area is that there's no shortage of things to see and do. Just this past Saturday, for instance, I had no fewer than four events competing for my time - that's madness! Here are a few things I really hope I can find the time and $$ to see before they go away:

• Friday, April 18: Asha Bhosle at the Broward Center. This is the kind of show I almost can't believe is happening here. I have had Cornershop's "Brimful of Asha" in my head ever since they started plugging the show on the radio. I want to go see her, but alas, I don't think I want to enough to pay $35 (plus whatever inconvenience fees they decide to tack on). :/ Still, it's pretty exciting to me that she's going to be here at all.


• Bodies: The Exhibition has been extended through Memorial Day, thank goodness. I missed it in Miami last year right after I moved here, and I was afraid I was going to miss it again, since I was in Virginia from December to February. But I've still got a month or so to catch it, now - yayness! I won't procrastinate on this, since I don't really have much else going on during my days right now. Tix here.


• Also on through the end of May: Botero, Chihuly and Lichtenstein at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. I've still never been to the Garden, since I missed the Mango Festival last year (and I'm rather bummed that I'm going to miss it again this year, since we'll be in Portland for AALL then). This show seems like the perfect excuse to get down there and check it out. Damn shame it's so expensive, tho' - $20 for daytime admission, $30 for Thursday late-nites. It sucks to be broke. :(


• Last, but not least, this is BIG news - big enough to cheer me up when Johnny sent me a text message about it right after I hurt my knees on Sunday and I was all upset about not being able to skate for a while. But it's not happening here. It's happening in New York and Virginia (so far - I don't know if any more dates will be forthcoming). 2 Skinnee J's are reuniting to play some shows this August. ZOMGWTFBBQ!!! They're playing on 8/8/08 at The NorVa, and Johnny & I will so be there. They're also playing on the 9th and 10th at Irving Plaza in NYC (they had to add the show on the 10th because the show on the 9th sold out so fast) - we may or may not try to catch them on the 10th, too. The trailer for the show promises the return of Stevie Spice (tho' alas, no Mikey B on the drums - but hey, Andy Action is back!)! I am simultaneously very excited to see the guys again, yet also afraid that there is just no way they could possibly be as good as they were at their peak, and thus the show(s) will be somewhat disappointing. Still - there's no way I'm gonna miss it! Tix via TicketBastard here.

Wow - many exciting things afoot. My Google calendar overfloweth. :)

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the Arrogant Worms at Blake Library in Stuart

I finally, after about eight years of being a fan, got to see the Arrogant Worms tonight.

Of course, I had to drive an hour and a half to a public library in Stuart to do it, and I had been feeling crappy all afternoon, so I wasn't sure it would be worth the hassle. But I figured this was probably going to be my only shot to see them, like, ever, since they don't play the States too much, and in all the time I've known of them, they've never played closer than an hour and a half away from where I've lived (even when I only lived a few hours' drive from the border).

And it was totally worth it - I'm so glad I went! Those guys are so freaking funny!! I only wish I'd had the opportunity to see them sooner.

I bought five of their CDs at the merch booth (out of a total of eleven, eight of which they had available when I got to the table). I would've bought more if they weren't $15 each and admission to the show was not $20. I guess the exchange rate is not working in my favor right now. Maybe I should've asked if they would take Canadian currency - I've got a few Willys I need to spend.

Anyway, if you're not familiar with the brilliance that is the Arrogant Worms, run-do-not-walk: buy their CDs here. My only very slight disappointment with their show was that they did not play "Rippy the Gator" - they did, however, play "I Am Cow," which I was hoping (but not expecting) to hear, and it was fantastic. I was a total nerdy fangirl, and I snagged setlists and I got two of them to sign one of the CDs I bought. Here's what they played, if you're interested:

• We Are the Beaver
• Twins
• Rocks and Trees
• Big Box Store*
• The Boy*
• Log In to You
• I Am Cow
• Cellphone Vigilante*
• I Ran Away
• Hollywood Girl*
• Wolfe Island Ferry
• Celine Dion
• The Last Saskatchewan Pirate
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• Let's Go Bowling
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• Carrot Juice Is Murder

*denotes song title I'm not sure of - set list has only one-or-two-word abbreviations.

Yeah, we called them back for two encores. I'm glad they played "Carrot Juice Is Murder," because I had completely forgotten about that song (hey, I discovered the AW on Napster back in 2000 - up 'til now, all I have had of their music has been mp3's, and I lost most of the ones I had in a hard drive crash in 2001. Cut me some slack, ok? I promise to be a better fan in the future). Hooray for funny Canadian music!

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4 years ago today...

Johnny & I got married - in Las Vegas - by Elvis.

We're celebrating our anniversary this year by going to stand in a field in the swamp with a bunch of hippies so we can see the Beastie Boys.

I have the bestest husband in the world. :D

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