Last week I had a hip arthroscopy to repair a torn labrum in my hip. Healing has gone well, with rest, excellent care by Henry and plenty of pain meds. Things were moving along peachy, with increased use of my hip and even some time on an exercise bike, when I started getting nauseated and having odd vision. I looked in a mirror and saw my left eye pupil entirely dilated, while my right was normal. I became worried.
A trip to the ER and an amused doctor later, we concluded that I got atropine in my eyeball, left over from a motion-sickness patch I had been wearing behind my ear. Atropine is a chemical also known as belladonna and has been used by women to dilate their eyes. The idea that women ever purposefully did this to their eyes for beauty amazes me. Of course, we also wear high heels.
There is nothing I can do but wait. I asked for an eye patch because one eye being dilated was too uncomfortable, and also because I've never had a valid reason to wear one. I've been hobbling around my house with an eye patch, on crutches, and anxiously waiting for my upgrade to a cane on Thursday. It doesn't get much cooler than this!
With the latest news from Livejournal I've had several people ask me about Vox and whether or not I recommend it as a "replacement" or another option for those who already use and like Livejournal.
Pros of Vox:
- Aggregator in the "neighborhood view" makes reading the latest from friend's easy!
- Integration with Flickr for photo sharing/posting
- Ability to upload and play videos and music through my blog
- Mostly pretty
- Ability to cross post to Livejournal!
- SEO - my vox posts are found easily on google (take that as a pro or con!)
- PRIVACY. Vox let's you create friend and family filters on a per-post basis
- ...and more!
Cons of Vox:
- Not very many of my non-work friends are using it :(
The more of *you* I get to sign up and use the service, the more useful it will become to me! Win-Win!
So far this is my favorite thing about the holidays - our fake fireplace video!! Curling up with a book and listening to the cracklin' firewood - waiting to catch that moment when the video loop starts again. Lovely!
I love music, but have a fairly passive relationship when it comes to listening and discovering something new. I listen to KEXP in the car, or Pandora through itunes or iphone when I don't feel like listening to my own collection. My early experience in learning about new music was done in the usual way for people my age: mix tapes*, and later, mix cds. I know muxtape was popular, and of course shut down (booo) before I ever bothered to check it out. I was excited to find 8tracks.com because it is so simple! The limitation of
8 tracks works perfectly for my attention and focus. I love the short
amount of time it takes for me to make a small set, and how easy it is
to make a themed mix. Sure, the site suffers from some obvious
usability issues, and so far I haven't been able to upload mp4
files...but I'm hoping the specific, targeted nature of the site means
it won't go the way of muxtape. In fact.... stop reading this post!
Don't use the site!
David Porter sums up what I like about 8tracks in his post:
"8tracks is not about “personal listening” in the sense of a user goes to 8tracks.com and makes a playlist and then turns around and listens to it himself or herself. That is not the objective of the service. Rather, we seek to provide a useful, legitimate platform so that those relatively rare people with the knowledge and time to make great playlists can do so for others who love music and want to discover new artists, but who simply don’t have the time to do so themselves."
You can listen to my existing mixes on 8tracks. Also, in the style of the day, uploading a new mix will spam my Twitter**.
*Incidentally, explaining "mix tapes" to an 8 year old is a trip. Cassete tapes, a time without mp3 players, recording on to tapes from the radio! Try it sometime.
**Although, would prefer to have an option to post when I choose to, instead of every time I upload
Lots of great moments during Northwest Knockdown, and a few bummers for west coast teams and fans. Without a doubt the most exciting moment was watching Kitt Turbo score 20 points in the last 2 minutes of the Bay Area Derby Girls vs Philly bout. Bay Area was down by 19, and if Philly hadn't also scored 4 points this would have won the game. This is one of those moments where you find yourself kind of rooting for a team you think is about to lose in one moment, and the next moment you're on your feet and screaming for the jammer to go faster, your brain going haywire with the thought that she could pull this off. It is one of the best things about the game!
I'm looking forward to my visit to San Francisco next week. I'll be working at 6A HQ during the day, and visiting the old haunts at night. Karaoke at the Mint? Margaritas at Casa Nova? Martinis at Dalva? Hopefully watching Steve eat a corn dog!
TV is for old school derby. Twitter, RSS, Live Blogging, streaming video are the best way to feel close to the action when you can't afford to make that trip across country for a tournament!
Photo by Jules Doyle
We're halfway through the Western Regionals derby tournament in Houston and the excitement is building. A big upset in the Kansas City vs Duke game. But that's not what I want to write about, because you can read all about that on the recaps. In past tournaments, I'd be updated via SMS texts and at the mercy of derby friends who were at the tournament and not skating. Not this time! I'm able to keep current with Twitter updates from DNNscores and RCRG, read game recaps on Derby News Network via my RSS reader, follow the game live with DNN LiveBlogging "Boutcasts" and now I can even watch the game on a livestreamcast! Don't forget using google alerts to find the latest blog posts for those who are at the tournament and writing from their own perspective.
I hope to see this level of coverage in future tournaments and home games.
There is a level of interaction and community those of us watching from home and chatting are building that I'd never feel sitting at home watching on television.
Now if only DNN made an IPhone app....
Photo by Joe Rollerfan
Last Saturday night, our championship game was filmed for Comcast On Demand. Afterward I did a short interview with Queen Mum and we discussed the game while I looked in to the camera awkwardly. Our team lost but only by a few points, and we closed a 50 point deficit in the second period! We also discussed my transition between Bay Area and Rat City, and differences I've noticed between the leagues. The most notable distinction for me is the focus on speed and endurance that I see on Rat City. Whether or not this equates to a winning strategy we'll see in the next couple of months in the Western Regionals and then (hopefully) WFTDA Nationals.
The On Demand filming is a trial and I hope it is well viewed. Seeing flat track derby on cable and in homes across the country is exciting to say the least!
There are so many great things going on in this picture, from the jammer floating above the track (about to get a major penalty for cutting the track) to Anya Heels barely clearing my head as I'm (seemingly) praying for my life (and is that a smile on my face??). Photos like this remind me of the precarious nature of the sport I love, and make me laugh because this isn't what it feels like when I'm playing. Well, not always.
