October

October marks the changing of seasons. I broke my left wrist in the first Pacific Roller Derby bout against San Diego Derby Dolls, amidst a heated performance filled with excellent hits and some serious heart. Everyone played hard. We lost, but really... we won. As a team we came together and pulled off some of the drills we've been working on for months. It felt great to play, and the Jameson at the afterparty helped dull the pain in my wrist.
As of Tuesday, the orthopedic doc says I will be cleared to play again in a month IF I don't play before then... which I interpret to mean that I will be allowed to play "non-contact" derby until the next bout against L.A. on November 7th... which is technically a month. Ahem.
So.
Until then, I wear a cool custom removable splint that allows me the freedom to go in the ocean and the shower with the release of three velcro straps. Love technology. No more plaster prisons! I used to feel so bad for the kids that would get breaks in the summertime, having to wrap their appendages in garbage bags in order to shower up or dip in the lake. Poor things. I am new and improved. I am unrestricted. Lucky, once again. A "lucky" break.

Back to derby. It really is my true love. I know I get pretty beat up, and I know I complain about it. It feels good to work yourself over, to give everything at a bout and leave a little battered. The bruises and breaks are battle wounds. Trust you me... I wouldn't have it any other way. No clique has EVER fully accepted me the way derby leagues have. They have my back like thugs in Compton. I have girls volunteering to break the limbs of ex-boyfriends. They love my ass, and they never complain when I forget to take a shower. In fact, they're more embracing of all of my quirks and attributes than most men (save one or two). Best part is that they are never intimidated by my friends.
On October 2nd the film 'Whip It' was released. Directed by Drew Barrymore, the derby movie has a star-studded cast including Ellen Page. Being the resourceful derby girl that I am, I pulled off a collaborative effort with local theatres to promote their movie and our October 3rd bout simultaneously by handing out literature in our team uniforms before showings. It was a grand success!! We assisted with both the sneak preview a week prior as well as opening night shows, even giving a question and answer session post-movie! Talk about feeling like celebrities... I think all of the derby girls left the film feeling a little taller, and the patrons loved us! I believe it has even boosted our presence on the island, as 15 new girls attended yesterday's practice. That's huge, especially considering our current roster is 25 girls. This season will put us on the map. Last year was just a warm-up for them! The 5 girls doing all of the work are excited to have me step up and have given me the Sponsorship Chair position. I will hopefully line up some league sponsors to help our aching pocketbook. PBR? Sure. Spam? Why not? Hawaiian Airlines? Sweet. Maybe a few other randoms. Every little bit helps, and printing isn't free... yet.
Next on deck: L.A. on November 7th, followed by a 'Pilgrims vs. Indians' scrimmage mid November. January is the big kahuna, though... the SK808 tournament. Our league captain has already secured a venue, so I must get sponsors!!

Things on the home front are relaxing and settling. The roommates bought a $50 futon off of craigslist, and a few random helpers donated a t.v., microwave, lamps and bedside tables to our humble dwelling. We're living high on the hog now... especially after I purchased a $7 bar stool at Goodwill. Score! Now we have multiple places to sit!! We are secure in our lease until February, the roommates are chill and we get along well, a junk service removed the icky couch off the lanai, and an exterminator has greatly reduced our cockroach and rodent infestations. I no longer have a mouse highway running through my bedroom and trips to the kitchen at night don't leave me crawling out of my skin! This is the good life. Even better, I got a full-sized mattress and box spring curbside a few weeks back, and after a very brave night of determining whether or not I was sleeping alone or with bedbugs, I have determined it to be quite bug-free. Just the way I like it.

Speaking of poverty, there is a bonus to my unfortunate living wage; I've applied and been accepted into the Electronic Benefits Transfer program (EBT). That's right... I'm on food stamps! Don't laugh. This is a beautiful thing. Because of my very meager living stipend, I qualify for the max allotment and can now afford luxurious items such as ground beef! Even pre-skinned chicken breasts are now within my budget. I can buy organic produce. I can even buy artisan cheese wheels imported from Italy. I went to the grocery store last week with my EBT card for the first time and spent a whopping $150 on food that fit into 4 bags. I graciously acknowledged the hundreds of taxpayer dollars that are affording me a more humane lifestyle, packed the groceries in my europe backpack, and bussed it 45 minutes back home. My milk was still cold when it went in the fridge due to expert packing.

Work is... interesting. I spend most of my day attempting to stay occupied. Strategically throughout the week, I send emails and leave voicemails to people that are trying to avoid me. I feel quite unpopular. Really, I believe the web tool that I'm supposed to be implementing is the unpopular one... but regardless of how the staff at my four schools feel about it, I have been assigned to be a gnat for one year, and so a gnat I shall be.

My government program, it seems, is a loosely-defined umbrella organization that truly succeeds at being well-intended, but not all of its programs can succeed. That would be impossible. I understood from the first signing of the papers that I might be forced to sit the bench. Shit happens. This is one of those years.
In an unprecedented move, the Hawaii has passed a statewide furlough that eliminates 17 school days in this calendar year. Instead of cutting teacher prep days/workshop days, they have voted to turn 17 Fridays into 3-day weekends. Will this make everyone in the schools happy? Yes-well, certainly the students. The big issue, however, is that Hawaii public schools are ranked second to last in the nation in achievement and testing. To put it bluntly, they suck. This will certainly keep them from getting ahead. This will certainly create major setbacks. My initial thought was that it won't effect me... but how could it not? Sure-I'm not receiving a salary cut. I already make nothing. But. I will be feeling the pressure of less days to complete trainings (should anyone actually want to be trained), less interest in my program, less support from faculty, and horrible statistical data at the end of my service. I can try to get them to use the tool until I'm blue in the face, but it won't make it happen until they take initiative. This is the reality of an indirect service position. I must wait for others to act. I am essentially a cheerleader.

I do declare that I have been set up to fail.

Good thing the beach is so close... that helps ease the pain a bit. So do $4 lychee martinis at Indigo.

At the end of the month I am taking a lovely trip to the island of Kauai to see untamed beauty... It's a tough life, but I gladly accept the challenge.