The Adventures of Mac & Ruby

Refism 3.1.2

2009-01-31T05:00:00.000-08:00

WOW almost a month has passed and I've not updated !!
forgive me ??

I'm slowly discovering how consuming this sport is. Allow me to back track somewhat 3.1.1 left us with the "wheaty drinks" session, a most fun day, since then it's been really FULL THROTTLE! It was back to training as usual for monday 12th and thurs 15th. Me still trying to get my head around all this ref rules business, and where the bloody hell I fit in amongst existing refs, and the new ones.

Fri 16th gave me some relief, went ice skating for a belated birthday for Jane AKA Lady Roll D'Mort and discovered I'm pretty CRAP at that too, in fact skating on quads is much easier!!!
Still no rest for the wicked so they say, Sat 16th was a day of extra freshie training and the new girls first actual scrimmage practice YAY! It was really exciting to see all the freshies getting the hang of what had been drummed into them over the past few months. Lana and myself were there as "frefs" so got to practice some things too, mostly just starting the jams and a bit of calling lead jammer, out of bounds skating, pushing, etc.

Mon 19th and thurs 22nd trainings as usual with a thursday night wrestling match !!! video's on facebook for anyone interested. ALSO this week added excitement ... our league poster photo shoot on wed 21st, Mr Dutch Oven, and the girls from "Kitsch in Synch" were there to direct our poses hehehe. It was great to see sooo many girls get into the spirit. I wont let too much out of the bag here you'll just have to wait and see the finished product!
For now here's a few quick snaps of some of the posse behind the scenes...

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=724452094#/group.php?gid=41502346710/

No monday training for the 26th instead an Australia Day/ hottest 100 bash at Cat's and yes there WAS skating involved! also a slip and slide water slide and much drunkeness! (check out the facebook photos!)

Wed 28th had reached around 45 deg and had our league meeting scheduled for that night ECK!
I have never ever been so sweaty from sitting still, insane, to the point of not caring what my hair looked like anymore, or the fact that I had a huge wet patch down my back and on my skirt.
The business end of the deal was that we all registered as league members, paid our insurance, and got put into a committee. I'm in "Special Events"and pretty much because I don't feel I had much to contribute to the other committee's (Merch, Training, Sponsorship, Promotions). It's good to know that we do have a lot of people who's everyday and work skills can be used for derby goodness :D We finally got to have a look at some photos from the big shoot and the 5 or 6 we saw all looked amazing! I can't wait to see the finished poster.

I forgot to mention that at this meeting we were graced with the presence of "Smarty Pants" an amazing skater from Texas USA (TXRD) who will be training us for all of February along with USA Gotham Girl (GGRD) "Cheapskate"
Both pictured here...
http://www.txrd.com/photos/PhotosMay904/fullsize/TXRD-5-09-04-14.jpg
Smarty also came to our thurs night training, and OMFG it was possibly our worst training session EVER! everyone was hot and moody, me included!!! I can understand the passion for this sport but seriously there's gotta be some limit in 40+ degree heat!!!

And there ends January, just as the heatwave arrives, stay tuned for the insanity that shall be February.

Refism 3.1.1

2009-01-11T01:43:00.000-08:00

Monday Jan 5th was the beginning of ADRD 2009 training season, with no idea what to expect I went along as usual and ended up with a brain ready to explode with information and WFTDA rules. Usual warm up and a few "get to know you" drills with the other girls, we did a game of "I have never" (when you have done what was mentioned you were required to skate a lap of the circle) which was a bit of fun if not an eye opener to everyones bad habits!
Next came some nasty pyramid drills which really only confirmed my state of endurance.
IE... SHIT!
Finally the refs split to discuss some of what we all need to learn, hence the brain explosions!
not really worth discussing on here for all you who wont know what I'm rambling on about anyway.

Thursday was more like the usual session, refs joining in for the warm up and some shoulder/ hip checking drills, involving people lined up and one by one the others skating & weaving around the others standing still in a line. Ended up getting slaughtered with some serious checks to my arm, I'm surprised it hasn't bruised cuz it was pretty sore.
After that we split up and got to observe about 70 odd girls doing some blocking on the track. It was INSANE, fast, congested, and I had NFI what was going on lol
I was supposed to be checking out the blocking, and general obs of what penalties were going on but with so many girls on track it was impossible to get a clear view of all the action. Still a good practice for what goes on during scrimmage and bouts.
After all that a few of us went to our new main sponsor (The Wheatsheaf) for a few unwind drinks. Where I got to meet a few more people I didn't know, one being Mr W. (Barrelhouse Bessy's husband) who also does the commentating for ADRD bouts.

And to top the derby week off we had a casual get together for all of ADRD at the "Wheaty" to get to know each other a bit better, and sus out what we look like as NORMAL people hehehe.

http://www.wheatsheafhotel.com.au/

Skills Testing...do ya think I'll look good in zebra stripes ?

2008-12-13T02:20:00.000-08:00

Another late posting sorry folks!! This time of year is pretty insane at work, then there's all those Christmas dinners and drinks!!

Thursday night skills testing seemed an overall success for most involved, spirits were high, and so was the sweat factor!! I'm simply amazed at how many girls pushed themselves to their limits. I'm so proud of you all XXX!!!

My own personal achievements were a tad more sedate. Not going into things so confidant (still suffering the joys of sciatica) I did fairly well in most of the falls and blocking, yet as I knew my general track skating, speed and endurance was pretty fucking average :P disappointing not to get to the next stage, but not too worried about it when I look at what I'm comparing myself to, my 30 or so hours of skating versus athletic girls who have skated for years, play other sports and go to the gym!!!

It's only spurred me on to try my hand at something else be it reffing, penalty tracking, jeering, merch, or just being my derby posse's "derby mama" as I have been called already lol.
Not so sure what happens next in that regard (awaiting an email from the derby mouldies).

Despite the results of it all I have enjoyed every fall, bruise, sweat infested knee pad, post skate drink but most of all the wonderful community of girls that have welcomed me into their lives.

Best of luck to those of you progressing to part 2 of training... see you on the track!

Meanwhile....
Wed 17th Dec Roller Derby Dolls ABC2 8pm

I'm holding a post skills test get together for anyone who's interested in crashing my teeny unit to watch the brizzy ladies.
Feel free to dress for the occasion :)

http://www.filmaustralia.com.au/rollerderbydolls/

Free entry to anyone willing to flash their frilly knickers.

BYO: booze, food, and pillow if you want something comfy to sit on!!!

PM me for the address

find out more here...
http://z4.invisionfree.com/rollerderby/index.php?act=idx
and here
http://www.adelaiderollerderby.com/

No news is ......?

2008-12-05T19:22:00.000-08:00

Good news???

Sorry folks nothing to write about this week. It was first week of skills testing and I'm signed up to do mine in the 2nd group (next thursday). Congrats to Leisa and Jane who have already made it thru, keep up the fine efforts.

Other Derby Doings

2008-11-29T00:42:00.000-08:00

After Thursdays debarcle I needed some time to vent!!!
My sisters always a good ear to bash, and thankfully she was home. Earlier in the week I had received a little message via my facebook announcing ...

"Hey Poss - I (or Liam actually...as I slowed the car to a roll!) picked up a pair of the dodgiest skates EVER SEEN off the curb for hard rubbish yesty!! Want 'em???"

How could I say no :P

Luckily for me KKK (Kit Kat Krunch) and I had arranged to go see the "talk derby to me" doco at Mercury for part of the feast festival. I've gotta admit it was oddly placed in a group of 3 other short movies about gay relationships, none the less I enjoyed most of them. I think it was a rather new eye opening experience for KKK. She was pissed due to a previous work function, and well chatty, good because I was feeling anything but, still it's amusing how quickly some one elses good mood rubs off.
I made the mistake of telling KKK about the skates now she wants em :P I've managed to clean them up a bit and give them a good coat of nuggett but the yellow stripes are still a bit worn and cracked. Oh well not too bad for hard rubbish I'm not complaining :D

After far too many post derby doco drinks, and a very late night I found myself being far too tired to do the usual Woodville Sat arvo skate, but was ever so kindly contacted by mis KKK asking if I wanted to join the "freshies" in some bevvies, again how could I refuse!
Over all it's been a rather derby w'end and I'm loving it to bits, met some really fun, sassy new females who hopefully shall become great friends.

Viva La Freshies

Fresh Meat- a guide to tenderising! (week 8) OHHHH SO FREAKING TENDER!!!

2008-11-29T00:11:00.000-08:00

Firstly sorry for the delay in this weeks posting.
I've discovered that downloading TV series' online maxes out your monthly downloads!!!!
I did not arrive home from training this week in a very good mood, spent the whole day at work before hand with another lovely case of very annoying sciatica. Came home in a rush and tried to do some stretching to loosen up b4 training ... to no avail. The very first few laps of warm up and it was pretty much all downhill from there!! More back pain and a new found case of shin splints! (possibly from inserts in the bottom of my skates adjusting my foot posture???) either way it fucking CAINED and I was almost in tears at the pain and frustration of knowing this was my "last chance" training night.

We started off with the warm up laps, and stretching, then split into 3 larger groups for revision on everything we had learnt so far. My group was to start with track work and there was no way in hell my back was agreeing with any of what was going on!!! :( With my tail between my legs I ended up sitting out this portion of the revision, which pissed me off alot as it was most of the stuff I needed to get better at! ( stance, speed, and crossovers!!!!!!!!!!)

Finally after having a lie down and bit of a "why me god" moment I managed to partake in the rest of the revision. Straight skating was ok, doing falls, slides, jumps, blocks, and whips, the final part of the evening was doing our 1 min laps and also the 5 mins laps of which again I didn't partake, didn't want to make matters worse.

So I left the evening feeling pretty shitted off with myself knowing I only have 2 more weeks before the 50% skills testing EEEEEEKKK!!!

1/5 jammer stars

find out more here...
http://z4.invisionfree.com/rollerderby/index.php?act=idx
and here
http://www.adelaiderollerderby.com/

"Talk Derby To Me" promo (radio interviews)

2008-11-21T16:17:00.000-08:00

on Fresh FM

http://www.supload.com/music/Talking-Derby-On-Fresh-download-27Z5Z09OMU9P.html#

And Radio Adelaide

http://www.supload.com/music/Aimee-And-Pistola-Balboa-On-Radio-Adelaide-download-OJVCT0GA2CC2.htm

Fresh Meat- a guide to tenderising! (week 7) "CHECK, ONE, TWO"

2008-11-20T04:03:00.000-08:00

Well it's a sorry realisation that I'm so totally destined for the bench! Never have I felt so USELESS at a training session than I did tonight! (Ok well maybe the first week, but that's only because I really was shit and couldn't skate!)

My leg seemed almost better fom last week but everything else ached, not to mention the numb toes and feet!!! The good ole sciatica came back and even during one of the drills I had to sit out for a moment GRRR!!! If that wasn't bad enough I was getting into a train push and got a cramp and fell to the ground in pain! man I feel like such a pussy after tonight :(

Tonight's skills involved learning how to do booty blocking, hip checks and shoulder checks, and bumping skates. After warming up and stretching we got in pairs and learnt how to do some booty blocking. Yep that's exactly what your thinking... you get to shove your arse into someone. I met Anja from the forum chat so she got to sample my arse lol. She's 6ft so you can imagine where here arse came to on me when it was her turn to block!!!

Next up checks with NO skates on! Vaderella and Barrellhouse Bessy demonstrated what areas of the body are used and which are NOT ( elbows for eg... u will get a penalty) then we paired up and started bumping into our partners. I was pretty confidant belting the shit out of poor Kitty Kat, and she may even have some bruising to prove it, but once those skates went on ohhhh boy, things just get all the more difficult!!! I have no idea who fell behind me but the next thing I knew I was going down with them... so much for "falling small" and "your going down alone"!!!

Managed to survive the fall and soldier on, little skate taps and group skating in packs... not so good for the ole back! Finally finished with time trials this week i got 3.5 laps and STILL need to master crossovers damn it !

Skills testing in 3 Weeks!!!
EEEEEKKKKKK

A promo for up coming movie doco will be on radio tomorrow...
Radio Interviews:
Aimee Knight and Pistola Balboa will be talking all things Derby this Friday the 21st of Nov at Radio Adelaide 101.5 FM at 9.30am
then 11am on FreshFM 92.7
to promote the screening, tune in for all the action!!

Doco screening:

'Talk Derby to Me'
by Aimee Knight

The highly competitive, often aggressive and always entertaining sport of Roller Derby is currently once again ascending into popular culture. The ADelaide Roller Derby League is sustained by a diverse group of women who take to the track with valour and vitriol. Between bouts, however, they maintain a unified community based on the principles of female empowerment and resilient friendships.

Screening Friday the 28th of November, 7pm and 8.30pm at the Mercury Cinema.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Adelaide-Australia/Kitsch-in-Synch-Productions/45787664941?ref=share

3/5 rammin jammer stars

find out more here...
http://z4.invisionfree.com/rollerderby/index.php?act=idx
and here
http://www.adelaiderollerderby.com/

Fresh Meat- a guide to tenderising! (week 6) WHIP IT GOOD!

2008-11-13T04:23:00.000-08:00

Well and truly tender tonight!
Stupid girl skates over to get her water bottle, does a knee slide... ooops some ones sitting in her way, she leans back, left foot still skating forward, right foot under huge arse cheek that has some how managed to squish said foot in the process.

Foot is fine ........

right quadricep is NOT :(

I seriously can't believe how stupid that injury was! I was skating earlier in the night and fell on my thigh after trying to take a whip off Vaderella... now that would have warranted a sore muscle, but nope I got nothing for my efforts in that one, instead I end up feeling like a tool !!!

Back to the start.....

week 6 all girls pumped as usual, Barrellhouse Bessy was our trainer tonight, most of it was done in 5 smaller groups, each with an ADRD girl as trainer, tonight's main topic was Whips... basically it's when some one uses a team member to gain some speed by grabbing on to their arm or hips and being "sling shot" forward. Arm whips can be really effective if you manage to keep your stability! We practiced for ages doing very basics, learning correct grips, stance etc, then to more advanced and later in the night full on whips skating in groups on the track. I found during the hip whips everyone was grabbing my arse for a whip! ... at least it's good for something hahaha!

We also learnt some pack skating, lots of laps around the track in a close bunch with our team mates. I would have managed this a bit better but that good old sciatica decided to say HI again :( .. spending all day at work leaning over an arm rest to your left hand side then skating anti clock wise around a rink = not much fun for sore backs :(
I know they generally say no right turns in derby but heck I was welcoming them tonight! The whole back, quad pain thing almost made me forget about how numb my feet were lol... almost!

Finally we brushed up on our other skills, this week I choose to try crossovers... still not getting there :( I think the sore quad wasn't helping my stride, couldn't lift my right leg to do what needs doing damn it ! My self imposed homework for this week is to master crossovers.
So yes I'm feeling a little sorry for myself as I type this tonight...
like they say in derby, it's not IF you get injured, but more so a case of WHEN!

better luck next week!

4/5 jammer stars

find out more here...
http://z4.invisionfree.com/rollerderby/index.php?act=idx
and here
http://www.adelaiderollerderby.com/

Fresh Meat- a guide to tenderising! (week 5)

2008-11-06T03:40:00.000-08:00

Managed to pick up my brand spanking new helmet after work tonight after stressing all morning that it hadn't come in yet! Hugs to Jo for covering for me so I could get to Da Klinic b4 they closed.

Week one of fresh meat started tonight with much antici......................................................pation!

Boy o boy were the ladies pumped for some action.
We started off with a bit of free skate warm up, gear check & then some stretching. Already loving my new skates by this point, no numb feet or screws digging in! We split into 4 groups and learn how to do knee slides on one knee, then double knee slides and then a more artistic knee into laying down (rock star) slide.
Some train pushing around the gym, then a bit of a relay with teams having to do a lay down start, and a slide of their choice to tag the next team member.

Finished with some endurance skate for 2 mins and some skills practice while each group waited their turn to skate( balancing and practise getting up off one knee) I managed 3.5 laps this week, still hellishly slow but gaining alot more confidance! now for the cross overs... hmmm. Met some more newbies, and some "adeladies" starting to feel comfortable with things finally!!

Sweaty as hell but no falls!
boots are looking worn in already after one night lol
Best practice so far 5/5 jammer stars!

find out more here...
http://z4.invisionfree.com/rollerderby/index.php?act=idx
and here
http://www.adelaiderollerderby.com/

ADRD on Triple J

2008-11-05T02:51:00.001-08:00

Download ADRD Grimy and Candy on the air - when derby and radio collide

NEW SKATES!!

2008-10-31T02:50:00.000-07:00

I got em
Riedell R3's size 8

Raw Meat- semi grilled ( week 4)

2008-10-30T05:38:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the last of Raw meat... lotsa fun yet again Violent Krumble was our trainer for the evening. Started off with free skate, the big group skates with drills when a whistle was blown. Next up was learning how to skate the rink most effectively during jamming ( cant remember what it was called DOH) .. basically you cut corners and skate in a big box shape.
lots of practice on the things we've already learnt, group discussions so we could introduce ourselves and meet a few new people, and then another big skate finding people that were a particular animal and grouping together, then waiting for a whistle and finding how ever many people for the same number that got called out. also a bit of skating in pairs for pushes and pulls.
Also decided to join the group for polishing up my T'stops I seem to be getting the hang of that but only with my right foot behind!!!
Still can't do cross overs :( practise practise PRACTISE!!

I heard a whisper on the aussie derby forum http://z4.invisionfree.com/rollerderby/index.php? that skates were in town ready to be picked up!.. alot of girls had theirs tonight but I never got a call :( lucky for 2pm finishes on fridays!

Tonight I finally got the courage to whip out the megaphone and give it to the trainers to use, lots of claps, I gather I wasn't the only one who couldn't hear alot of the instructions.

Met Vaderella tonight,got to grope her arse whoohooo
OK OK only because I was asking about bum protection on the forum and she came and tracked me down to show me hers!
Also, earlier in the week I heard on Triple J that they would be in A-Town on tues 4th of Nov and were looking for suggestions of interesting people to talk to, myself and Cat a new found derby friend both posted on Triple J's forum that they should of course talk to some derby girls! Long story short, the very next morning I hear the radio dudes talking about Adelaide roller derby! and there's a hive of activity over in the derby forum!! So tonight I managed to confirm that indeed there will be a roller derby interview happening on the breakfast show @ some point next tuesday (time to be confirmed)

Next week is FRESH MEAT.. all the derbyness starts actual learning game plays and rules etc.
wish me luck

Not so sore tonight.. oh yeah and no falls!!!! 4.5/5 stars

find out more here...
http://z4.invisionfree.com/rollerderby/index.php?act=idx
and here
http://www.adelaiderollerderby.com/

Raw Meat- a grilling in process (week 3)

2008-10-23T05:32:00.000-07:00

I was a little more excited to be attending this week, knowing my skates were on their way gave me some hope and determination with the pieces of CRAP that they call skates (at the rec centre) ... damn forgot to take a photo just to prove once and for all how very VERY crap they really are!

Only one more "raw" meat" training left then it's playing with the big kids..... fresh meat eeeek! Please god let me have some skates to practice in BEFORE then!

Tonight was chockers ... seemed to be even MORE people than the past 2 weeks my guess was around 80ish. We started with a warm up rink skate, anti- clock wise and clockwise to make sure we can do everything both ways! then started a few balancing drills, running on the spot, lifting one leg then the other, laying on the floor and getting up quickly, squatting on the spot..etc

After that we split into 4 groups and practiced our stops.. again T, stops and snow ploughs.. no eating shit just yet no knee pads :( I'm still pretty bad at T stops so will get stuck into them once I get my own skates! After stopping we practised crossovers, split up by first skating in a circle pushing one leg only out to the side(then changing direction and using the other side leg)... I had a hard time getting the hang of this without always trying to use my toe stop! finally got some help and mastered it on my left leg lol... next was snow plough in a circle trying to put one foot in front, then the other side foot... and finally after trying that both ways skating in the circle doing an actual cross over! this is going to take some serious practice for me !!!

My feet had had enough by the end of tonight, right foot had some serious pins and needles for most of it and some stud from the bottom of the skate boot digging into my foot *sigh*... most of all tho my groin rediscovered some muscles it never knew about, god knows how I'll be tomorrow lol. We then tryed a bit of tippy toe action on the toe stops and in all the fun one of the more experienced skaters decided to show of and came a gutser injuring her arm. Just reinforces the need for safety gear and knowing your limits!

Finally finished with a few rounds of limbo, actually managed to surprise myself at how low i could get under YAY me... oh yeah.. and NO falling over tonight whoooo !!!!

Feeling sore but enthusiastic 4/5 stars
find out more here...
http://z4.invisionfree.com/rollerderby/index.php?act=idx
and here
http://www.adelaiderollerderby.com/

Raw Meat- a grilling in process (week 2)

2008-10-18T05:31:00.000-07:00

Still not 100 % sure about my ability, I'm slow as fuck, and one of the larger girls. Still unsure of myself I pulled my arse to another nights training, glad I went ... again with the shitty skates it was good motivation to get my hiney down to Da Klinic on friday and order some of my OWN! Cuz I'm never going to improve if I'm only using those crappy hire skates once a week! Nothing in stock for me to buy so have to wait a week or so :( Still managed to get some Pro-tec street wrist guards ($30) and Pro-tec park elbow pads($50) for a reasonable price and 10% discount for derby gals whoot! Thanks to Jeff down there, most helpful guy :)

Thursdays training was with Barrel house Bessie leading the troops. It started with some free skating, and balance skills, lifting one foot & standing on one leg then swapping to the other. a bit of running on the spot, practice in getting up quickly "derby style" and how to do cross overs ( man I'm going to need to practise the shit out of that one at home!). cone skating in figure 8's and weaving, managed to fall on my arse during that ! Then a bit of group skating with another train/conga line, track skating having to group in to numbers once the whistle blew, then finished with a timed laps... still only managed 2 in one minute !!! 2 falls for the whole nite, not tooo bad!

Also managed to mention my occupation as for everyone to progress to fresh meat training they need mouthguards! seems like a logical way to provide a service for the needy derby lass, and drum up a bit of business for my own benefit! Shall soon see how many people value keeping their chompers.

I get home from a busy Friday afternoon, go to shave my legs b4 a big night out and find this baby...what I can only assume is my first skate injury, didn't even feel it happen!

want more info on Adelaide Roller Derby?
http://www.adelaiderollerderby.com/

this weeks verdict 4/5 stars... still raw and drippin
stay tuned for chapter 3 next week

Raw Meat- a grilling in process

2008-10-09T06:11:00.000-07:00

Rite so a few weekends ago I decided to finally go watch a roller derby match (after missing out on the 1st game in July... damn you engaged couple Leah & Adam!! hehe) As suspected it was love at first sight, chicks on skates beating the crap out of each other and giving high fives afterwards !!!
http://adelaiderollerderby.com/

So it got me thinking, could this 30-something skate?

After a number of hours online and suffering from a total overdose of "new-fad-itis" I took myself off to the "raw meat" info night @ the Ed Castle. WOW what a turn up!!! around 100 girls crammed the balcony before being told to please move downstairs (for our own safety!) hard to hear what was going on, and no real order to the discussion I gathered a few flyers, filled in my details and left feeling a tad "ho- hum" about the whole idea.

Still this whole derby thing brewed overnight, I managed to get my arse to the 1st training night.
Me in roller skates !!!!!!

OK you can stop laughing now!

"Raw Meat" as they call it (training for derby newbies) was a tad more structured,
locating the venue was my first challenge... hellooo google! thank god for modern technology... the venue was HUGE.. I'm talking a whole block worth of buildings, pools, car parks and court yards etc...hellllp where do I go, who do I talk to... all those "new kid at school" feelings again.. boy how I don't miss them!!! Thank god for people in the same situation, there's always some one just as shit scared as you :D

The venue was ideal, altho kinda hard to hear with so many people & badminton going on next to us, I suggested using my megaphone for future training. Altho there was a glut of skates I soon learnt loaner skates are WOEFUL! I shall be investing in decent gear ASAP!
tonight I rediscovered how bad I really am, and how quickly I regained some confidence or perhaps just dutch courage!? Yep I really am quiet CRAP, can only just stand up and roll a teeny bit without feeling like I'm going to fall on my bum. My right foot seems to dominate even tho I'm left handed.. go figure, my left foot still feels uneasy pushing off.

Training consisted of some free skate time, learning to stop "t-stop" and "snow plough" styles, skating around markers by weaving, and ploughing in and out. Skating in pairs with a person pushing from behind then that person being pulled, and then in a conga line, and finally a big group skate to practice what we had learnt.

This weeks verdict... 3/5 stars
stay tuned for chapter 2 next week

The new splitzer

2008-07-03T23:28:00.001-07:00

The new splitzer
Originally uploaded by bustmybuffers

I wanna make a LOMO style splitzer! http://shop.lomography.com/splitzer/

so far this is the best DIY I've found! stay tuned for my own version!

some cool HOLGA shiz

2008-06-12T02:07:00.000-07:00

check out this sweet lot of HOLGA pimpage....
http://www.ndroo.com/blog/?p=98#comment-644

Vintage Indie Intervewed ME !!!

2008-06-06T19:50:00.000-07:00

The lovely Gabreial Wyatt from Vintage Indie mag found my camera collection on Flickr and wanted an interview. You can check it out here...

http://vintageindie.typepad.com/vintage_indie/2008/06/vintage-collect.html

I won a HOLGA!!!!

2008-05-19T05:14:00.000-07:00

A very nice guy James had a competition and guess who won ???!!!!!

heres the competition details...
http://plasticfantastic.my-expressions.com/archives/7829_1501551975/292742

heres what i won...
http://www.lomography.com/holga/family/holga-35mm-black-corner

And here's an article on the camera from "light leaks" magazine
http://www.lightleaks.org/ll9_holga135.pdf

more pinhole goodness

2008-04-22T05:29:00.000-07:00

http://pro.corbis.com/creative/readycam/

check em out .. some freaking cool w'end projects !!!

Ex-A-Sketch urban jungle

2008-04-03T01:20:00.001-07:00

Just a little something I helped to create on tuesday night :D
ENJOY !!!!

New Beginnings...

2008-01-22T23:34:00.000-08:00

My God it's been a while, sorry folks xxx

So it seems 2008 is a year of change... and I feel it already. Around Christmas both my housemates gave notice they would be moving out in Jan, time has passed and they have indeed gone, not without a trail of headaches mind you!
Still when I was panicking about having to find 2 new housemates i find only one, and today get a notice of lease termination!!!!!!!!! Poor Jess whom I have arranged to move in with me in early Feb is away at Army reserves training and is un-contactable!! I have 3 months to find somewhere :(
So now lays the dilemma of contacting Jess to explain the soggy situation we are in!
Fingers Crossed....
Stay tuned....

Holga Holiday

2007-11-30T22:16:00.001-08:00

holga holiday 1
Originally uploaded by artemis the phoenix

Boy oh boy I love op shops soo!!!

Today I found a mannequin for $20 at Vinnies in Norwood, the dress for $7.50 on friday @ the city Goodwill and the rest was already mine :D sunnies, cardi and neck scarf all op shop finds too, basket from jay jays a few yrs ago.
Oh and the preddy camera is my new "Jack" Holga (see white stripes related posts below)

Adelaide International Guitar Festival 2

2007-11-26T05:09:00.001-08:00

Adelaide International Guitar Festival 2
Originally uploaded by artemis the phoenix

On sunday afternoon I joined in with a thousand odd other people to try and have a bash at breaking the world record for "biggest guitar band" by playing Smoke On The Water down beside the Torrens River.
Such a perfect day for it all :)

Finally...

2007-11-20T04:24:00.000-08:00

My Lomo White Stripes cameras have arrived :D

Noooooooooooooooooo

2007-11-01T22:08:00.000-07:00

 I just wanted to let you know that we had a fire in our warehouse
last week that shut down our shipping department for a few days. We are back
up and running now and your camera order will ship by the beginning of next
week.


just when I was looking forward to holding my shiny new cameras GRRRRRRR!!!!!

Please Sir, May I have some MORE?

2007-10-19T01:34:00.001-07:00

This camera thing has become a monster! bought 2 more Lomo style cam's today. A Split cam, and a Quad cam check them out....
http://shop.lomography.com/splitcam/

http://www.stupid.com/stat/A-QUAD.html

Find of the week V2

2007-10-16T02:37:00.000-07:00

Ok so last weeks was pretty good but this is soooooooo much better!

http://www.whitestripes.com/lomography/lomography.html

His and hers "Meg" Diana+ and "Jack" Holga CFN cameras !!!!!
I've never been the type to get overly excited about a piece of plastic, but these babies take the cake! So much so I'm prepared to set my alarm to get up at 1.30am and make a purchase!
Wish me luck!!!!

Find of the week...

2007-10-10T06:26:00.000-07:00

Well I'm totally addicted to a new found website called "fototiller" it's full of photo/ camera/ and design related stuff. Sifting thru some of the cool stuff on there I find a link for this.....
A paper cut out of "the Hoff"

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Jpdmm_npp4o/RwF6kryEWxI/AAAAAAAACDA/wyIVTXP5yCI/s1600-h/strip_03-2_lg.jpg

enjoy!

Well I found it amusing...

2007-10-08T05:26:00.000-07:00

this entry's a bit of a saga, so to save me retyping it all go visit flickr and read my entry :)

http://www.flickr.com/groups/throughtheviewfinder/discuss/72157602296016296/

MMMMM Vom

2007-09-28T23:46:00.000-07:00

Today I went to a kids educational toy store (Windmill) to look for some kaleidoscope type prism viewers to use for my trash cam photo projects. I was lucky enough to find what I was looking for AND get a bit of a laugh in the process.

As I proceed to the cash register to purchase my wares a young fellow behind me coughs and splutters in an all too familiar way... I turn around to find a small puddle of vomit on the carpet beside him!!! So trying to look like I care I ask him if he's ok?.... So the kid walks away from the crime scene to find his mother at the register, only to hurl up another pile at her feet.... I try not to laugh too hard and suggest to the person working in the store that perhaps she could give the kid a plastic bag to catch the puke?! So he keeps spewing, his mother is embarrassed as all fuck and sends the kid outside to get some air. I look at the attendant and she at me, both with a sly grin,I purchased my viewers, wish her good luck with cleaning up and made a rather swift exit, holding my breath till i got to my car where I burst into fits of laughter.

Adelaide DA Meet Up

2007-09-22T21:47:00.001-07:00

Dufus V2

2007-09-11T04:57:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought it was over.... I manage to do something stupid AGAIN!
My parents are here for a few days and I give my mum a key to the house, no big deal right?
So I drive off to work and go about my usual day. It isn't until I finish work and walk to my car that I realise my car key has somehow fallen off the set of keys in my jacket pocket WTF!!!?

So here I have in my hand is the immobiliser and work keys etc, how the fuck can a big plastic car key just vanish? waled up and down the street 4 times looking for my key on the road to no avail, not in anything at work either ... I'm stumped as to where it could be?

Either way I have to deal with it all tomorrow :( right now I just need some decent sleep!

Dufus!

2007-09-07T00:14:00.000-07:00

Man i am such a doofus! i got a parking ticket while i was at work today, then I drove into town to try and get a cd i thought borders might have ( i have a voucher 4 the store) ....
they didn't........
While getting something else with my voucher i discover that i left my wallet at home so can't pay to get out of the multi story car park I was currently parked in!!!!!!!!!!
Alas .... a refund will give me some cash i think.......not to be... they refunded back onto the bloody gift voucher!

So i got a pay in 7 days thingy from the car park and drove home frantic to look 4 my wallet

it was under a pillow on the couch!

thanks for watching

2007-08-24T23:12:00.000-07:00

probably my last entry b4 I return to work on monday, so just wanted to say thanks to all for reading this crap :P Especially to the big A.... girlfriend you know who you are !!!!

Krappy Kamera's

2007-08-16T16:01:00.000-07:00

Picked up a few new babies last weekend...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLP266VNybU

sniff...

2007-08-10T16:29:00.000-07:00

my bedroom smells like butter chicken.......... that is all

120

2007-08-10T00:58:00.000-07:00

Finally developed a roll of 120 medium format film shot back in march! Had to remind myself of developing times etc, almost died when I did a pre-wash and the water turned blue! (what's with that ????) ended up turning out ok just have to do some contact prints.... stay tuned.

Such a nice day today pity I spent it in the darkroom!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/120_film

Mikey

2007-08-07T05:12:00.000-07:00

Some pics of my old house mate Mikey on my recent visit to Melbourne...

Jelly Lens

2007-08-04T21:57:00.000-07:00

went for a drive today to sus out where I'd be working next week...

stumbled upon a warehouse store selling these cute little plastic stick on lenses for your mobile phones or digital cameras so I couldn't resist and snapped up 10 different ones!

TEdALOG Lite II: Jelly Lenses For Mobile Phones

thank god it's friday

2007-08-03T04:10:00.000-07:00

The woman I temped for yesterday had the personality of a dead fish!!!! remind me not to work at that place again! Today thank god was much MUCH better... my 1st time nursing for a periodontist got to assist for implant surgery ... may not sound much to u guys but i found it exciting, as I only usually get to see the crowns going on!

Still no laptop cable, apparently it was delivered on Thurs morning but I wasn't here to get it ! GRRRR so now I have to go to the AIRPORT!!!!!!!!!!!! to collect it and of course business hours are 8am-6pm WTF am I going to get there if I'm working those hours ? talk about make life difficult for a girl!

Meanwhile feeling much better after Thursdays effort that place was 110% nasty!!!! Thank Marty to put a smile on my face tonight... he decided to change his car battery, so we pushed his car off the grass and into the carport so he could see what he was doing!... got the old battery out, only to discover the new one was far too wide for the space it had to go in DOH... anyone else would think to check what size/ type of battery would fit , but apparently in Marty world one size fits all!

Honey I'm Hoooome

2007-07-31T23:57:00.000-07:00

Finally made it back to A -town all in one piece!

Mind you the entries here have been a bit light on as I managed to drop the laptop and snap the power lead!!!!! yeah smart move I know (NOT) .... you've no idea how Internet deprivation takes hold on the unsuspecting. While in Melbourne I had enough to do with Mikey, but now I'm home things are berryyy berryyy quuuuiet! Thank goodness Dell has a super fast support team :)

So I took some really cool photos around Melbourne with Mikey as my sexay model ;) ... will post on here as soon as I get things up and running again. ( right now I'm hijacking Marty's Mac)

Also went for an interview for a temping agency today to get some work for the rest of my time off. Nice to do nothing but not so nice not having the $$$$

New Shoes

2007-07-26T03:54:00.000-07:00

hey girl check out my new shoes....

Grandparents day

2007-07-26T03:12:00.000-07:00

Spent today visiting my paternal grandparents. Now that Pa is in a home it felt very strange to visit Ma in their house with just her! Altho things were less awkward than expected. My Uncle Merv was there and we all went grocery shopping together, then to visit Pa.
The home he is in is very modern, well furnished and doesn't smell like old people!!!!! It was nice to see him in a place that looks so welcoming. They do alot of activities and keep the old fogies amused. I wasn't sure what state Pa would be in as I knew he had slipped down hill alot since I saw him last ( around Christmas 2006). I'd had various reports from mum and dad as to his "with it" factor. Saying that It was a pleasant surprise for him to recognise me when I turned up to visit, altho he was a bit confused as to who Chloe was, thinking she was my daughter instead of my brother Luke's. He seemed happy to chat away, but I wasn't so sure what he was on about alot of the time. Thankfully he seems happy enough there, and my grandmother has realised that this has been the better decision than keeping him at home and struggling to cope.
Over afternoon tea back at her house we discussed the changes she's had to adjust to, such a stubborn old gal, hopefully in time she will be able to relax and have a bit more time for herself.

Soccer mom

2007-07-21T04:24:00.000-07:00

Saturday 21st

Woke to a chilly youngster jumping in my bed for a snuggle, early morning breakfast, killed a few hours creating Sim's characters and a new house, then off to Soccer for Josh. His team was beaten 2-0 but still managed to get a few good kicks in. Took some photos of the team for the album & parents, then onto KFC for lunch as promised. Home for Chloe's nap and later took Malcolm for a walk around the lake.

Shepparton

2007-07-21T04:21:00.000-07:00

Friday 20th

Made it to Shepparton yesterday, Bron was in a bit of a whirlwind as per usual but managed to pick me up from mum's and back in time to collect Josh from school. Spent the arvo sussing out the routine for my upcoming week, then after dinner off to work with Luke to unpack and sort out new car parts for all their jobs. Didn't get home till 1am...... slept like a log!

Wed 18th

2007-07-21T03:44:00.000-07:00

wed 18th

Finally a proper sleep in :D nice to stay at the "rents" without mum having early drop offs of screaming runties! Granny's cottage for day care has finally paid off. Lazy afternoon talking to dad and helping mum with her one child for the day. Late arvo doctors apt for dad, so the 4 of us had a bit of a road trip to Elmore. Not so great news for dad, a possible 2nd heart bypass to deal with a new blockage.

On top of that his farther who's been suffering dementia for the past few years has finally been offered a place in a nursing home, so my uncle Merv has helped to do the big move today. Can't really imagine how my grandmother must be feeling about it all... she's the stubborn type, but I can only hope she will see that it's for his benefit AND hers.
A bit lighter note ... saw a few wild ducks on the side of the railway across from my parents, took Jack to feed them some bread and take a few photos but I think they were a bit people shy and kept walking away from us.

Destination Melboune...

2007-07-17T23:57:00.000-07:00

Finally hit Melbourne, a lovely sunny 6 deg Celsius!

Thought I'd try out some of those pressure point arm bands for travel sickness... all I can say is don't bother :( even with taking aspirin I felt like I was about to heave up in the doggie bag! So lucky I didn't! Somehow I don't think the woman next to me would have been too impressed!!!
That aside and the crappy weather, Melbourne by night is quiet spectacular. 2 years ago since I was at the Spencer Street Station which had now transformed into quiet a beautiful urban industrial transport hub ( in a very Jeffry Smart kinda way). If only it were as efficient as it looked! Generally Travel here is a breeze, my flight left on time, and spent less than 15 Min's waiting for a sky bus to get to the city station. Every things well marked and easy to navigate thank god! Even met a nice little old granny from Denny to chat to while I waited. It seemed the bus driver was in no hurry to leave, departure was 15Min's after our scheduled time ... need not have stressed out about cutting my flight/ bus times so fine after all!

On the bus now, shitty music on the radio, but alas I have Scarlett loaded with some good stuff for the trip :) Bloody Brilliant! I booked my bus asking if it went to the airport... and I'm told NO.... so why the f&@# am I currently on a bus that's just pulled up at the FREAKING airport that I've just spent $15 coming from!!!!!!!!! .... and here I was praising Victorian transport systems ... I'm taking that all back! Oh and only thanks to the little old granny did I find out there is NO long meal breaks on this bus service! lucky there's a cafe @ the bus station.
Gezuz is this the biggest rant I've had on here so far or what ?

8.05PM EST
What is it about country hospitality? apparently this bus was NOT stopping ... alas we did! mind u not nearly enough time to relieve ones self and drink a steaming cup of hot chocolate oh well I'm sure the rubbish bin appreciated my over priced scorching offering! It would also seem I'm a conversation magnet for the "country folk" the Nana as i mentioned earlier, now some young shearer who seems to have taken great joy in telling me that he needs to finish his ciggy. Apparently I'm a good person to sit next to, god only knows how this will pan out! Typing away at this entry and the young guy takes great joy in informing me the price of a fox ... dead of course, fetches $20 ... or $7 for the tail. Why does this make me feel like the out of town journo amongst the hicks and red necks... have I really changed that much in 5 years ???

R R Ready....Tuesday 17th

2007-07-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

I must be eager to get out of A town... packed my bags yesterday, Ruby even has some travel companions... Scarlett the laptop and Ethyl the Ipod nano.
So back to being eager.... god knows why I got 7am flight stuck in my head!!!!!!
Spent the night at Donna & Pete's so I could get an early ride to the airport, woke at 5.45AM only to get there, check my times and discover my flight wasn't until 3PM!!!!!!!!!
Man my brain really is on vacation!

P.S. I've come to the conclusion this is an American based site, the dates of my postings never seem to be accurate with my local time!!!!!!!

the shit never ends!- Sunday

2007-07-14T23:44:00.000-07:00

woke up this morning with a horrid rash over my face NFI what it's from.

shocking news!

2007-07-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

what better way to start a Saturday morning than electrocuting ones self :D OK so i had this great idea.... isn't that how it always starts? lol I'm bumming around on flickr and get an idea to put the lens off one of my disposable cameras onto a coke can for my pinhole projects. It doesn't come off easily, but i manage to remove the flash component and it's circutboard I'm getting a tad side tracked from the lens and start farting around with the flash, grab a battery and see if it still works without using the button on the cover I've just yanked off. While holding the circutboard I insert a battery into the clips and hey presto !!!!!!! The little bugger starts whirring, and right where my thumb is I'm feeling a shocking sensation..... literally!!!!!!

finally here...

2007-07-11T02:36:00.000-07:00

Finally started my holidays properly tonight after work, but not without incident!!! Poor Yvette had been having "one of those days" and to end it her car wouldn't start. Spyro being the quick thinking hero decided to push start her as I lock up.

All's going well till I decide to help push! Somehow the car comes alive while I'm still pushing...it speeds off...... I trip...............and all of a sudden, like a movie in slow motion i tumble forward onto my hands...my side... and finally...... my arse!!!!!

I'm sitting there, in the middle of the road looking like a retard in the on coming traffic, finally I pick myself up, dust myself off and stumble to my car to survey the damage.... nothing more than a few grazed palms and dented pride!

Day 2 Sunday 8th July 2007 10.45pm

2007-07-08T06:08:00.000-07:00

Spent today having a bit of a clean up... so much for the sleep in. Why is it when you get to a certain age your body clock kicks in and for the love of god will never let you sleep in on a Sunday ever again!!!!!!!!

That aside it actually worked out to be a good day. Marty, Misty and I went for a bit of a bush walk around Waterfall Gully, only to find out after googling once i got home that the track we took was actually Chambers Gully ... no wonder we didn't find a kiosk and a toilet for Marty!

I managed to snap a few photos of the surrounding abandoned buildings and flora before it got too dark and the rain set in once more.

Day 1- Sat 7th July 2007 11.24pm

2007-07-07T06:52:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first day of my enforced 7 weeks off work.
I've never been the blogging type but I figured I had alot of up coming spare time on my hands and my typing skills seemed up to speed ;)

I'm not kicking back just yet, had to work today 8am-1pm and again Mon, Tues, Wed, but at least it was with Spyro... he's always good for a laugh. Also had some time to polish the foil off the army men bowl that i made a few weeks ago.

Your probably wondering who the hell is ruby?
OK OK the secrets out... on Thursday night I bought a new bright red Samsonite hard case (suitcase) spent more than I should have but hey it's a life time investment!

So I find myself kicking back in bed watching soppy movies, and music clips on RAGE wondering what the hell this time off will have in stall for me.