Lounge'n and Shoot'n

6/14/2009

Thanks to the Times Square Alliance, I was able to take a good portion of my day and spend it sitting on Broadway and Seventh, watching, listening, thinking, and basking in this jungle called New York City. 

The remainder of my day was spent watching my friend Allison rock in a pool tournament. Read all about it at nycgrind.com.

Foggy Horses

6/11/2009

I was thinking of spending another day/night in Philly, but really there wasn't much keeping me there. Plus, by this point in my journey I was ready to settle in Rye, NY, my final destination. However, after hitting the road out of Philly, I got a call from my company director informing me that the house I am to be moving into is not ready due to some renovations. So I extended my tour a bit.

As I drove up the Jersey shore I picked a point on the GPS and went to it, figuring I'd stop when I saw something interesting. That did take long. Within an hour of driving I came across Monmouth Park horse racing track. I've watched the Kentucky Derby on TV and such, but I've never been to a live horse race. Lucky me, I got there in time to see the last four races, three on the dirt and one on the turf.

It was a unique day for racing because as you can see, it was a touch foggy. For the majority of last race, the announcer just said, "and I can't see anything, last I saw 'Fast Forward' had the lead." Because of the mysty dampness, the dirt was good and thick and clung to the jockeys. It was these little nuances that entertained me the most.

Like when a horse decided he just wasn't going to leave the stables. The caretaker tugged and pulled, but he just planted his hooves. Every once in a while he would buck up on his rear legs and everyone around would clear the way. The race was drawing nearer. The owner and jockey were discussing scratching. Then out of nowhere the horse decided he was in the mood for racing after all. He ended up taking second.

After the races, I continued my drive north on Ocean Avenue. I pulled off to walk over the sand dunes but saw nothing but a few feet of the Atlantic Ocean and a whole lot of fog.

I continued north and reached Sandy Hook National Park. I'm sure this place is gorgeous on a bright sunny day. However, I did not have such luck. Further into the park though, things got more interesting.

In the early 1890's this National Park was (and still is) a homeland security base. Some of the old turrets and mortars are no longer in use and are open to visitors. Well, they are sort of open. The cool parts are gated off. But that did stop me. There was no one else in the park, so I figured a little gate hoping wouldn't hurt. I went where this sign said I shouldn't. Opps, but worth it.

Trackside Seating at Your Own Risk

This past Saturday night, I had the opportunity to witness a sport as sports should be played. If the following video doesn't explain it all, I don't know what will:

I would try to explain the rules of this fantastic event but in all honesty, I'm not 100% on how it all works myself. Here's the basic premise. Two teams of scantily clad women are on the floor at a time. One skater from each team is designated the "jammer" and wears a star on her helmet as an indicator of such. The object of the game is to get your team's jammer through the pack of both teams' blockers.

It's obvious why every heterosexual male should fall love with this event. Chics in mini-skirts, lace panties, and other unique uniforms skating around and knocking each other over is entertaining to everyone, male, female, straight or gay. But besides that aspect of the sport, I personally love the fact that this sport is pure fun.

No million-dollar contracts. No overly inflated egos. No huge corporate sponsors...well, some local Madison area businesses, but it's all in the spirit of promoting and contributing to the sport. This league is what sporting should be: FUN. No one takes themselves too seriously. All of these ladies have day jobs, and many have families and lead perfectly "normal" lives outside of that ring. But in it they are death machines. They use fake names like the Vaudeville Vixens' Chop Suzzy #311, Octopusy #007 and my favorite Juke Boxx #A18. Or the Reservoir Dolls' rock'n jammers Mouse #4 and Rosetta Stoned #420, and the ridiculously gorgeous Little Bo Bleep # #@!% and their coach Busta Crimes.

Those were my two favorite teams, the Vixen's and Res Dolls. However, a friend I was with had a sister who played on the Unholy Rollers and they ended up rocking the shit out of the Res Dolls. The Vaudeville Vixens ended up setting a new Mad Rollin Dolls league record high score of 164 points. For a full recap of the night's events.

Here's what the referee saw that night:

I could go on and on about this Saturday night's rollin rumble. Instead, I'm going to post their 2009 season schedule in hopes that you'll make it to the Madison area to see this fantasticness for yourself.

• Saturday 10 January 6PM: Veterans Memorial Coliseum @ Alliant Energy Center
• Sunday 1 February 1PM: Veterans Memorial Coliseum @ Alliant Energy Center
• Saturday March 6PM: The Exhibition Hall @ Alliant Energy Center
• Saturday 21 March 6PM: The Arena Building @ Alliant Energy Center
• Sunday 5 April 3PM: Veterans Memorial Coliseum @ Alliant Energy Center
• Saturday 25 April 6PM: The Exhibition Hall @ Alliant Energy Center
• Saturday 16 May 6PM: The Exhibition Hall @ Alliant Energy Center

If you're thinking about it, message me and I'll join you.... gotta go cheer on my Vixens.

Oh and I can't complete this blog without thanking the man that showed me the glory that is roller derby. Thanks Albino! (Check him out this Friday as he does his 3rd Annual 24 hour Random Jandom radio show on 90FM)