God Bless America!

Only in this here fine country of the red, white, and blue can I share with you the recent events in which I partook! Read, enjoy, and yeah, be totally jealous!

The early part of January started with ROLLER DERBY! Not gonna lie: Everything I know about roller derby I learned from that Ellen Page/Drew Barrymore movie that came out a few years back... but in my frequent travels, I have come to discover that many cities have teams! Milwaukee = Brew City Bruisers. Fresno = NoTown Roller Derby. Grand Rapids = Grand Raggidy Roller Girls. After watching, I totally want to play! But a lot of those chicks look a wee bit scary (and larger than me) not to mention, it'd totally be just my luck to get pushed down, break a wrist, and be out of work for a bit (can't scan hearts with bum hands!) And my travel budget just can't risk me being on disability! So I'll have to settle for watching (and secretly giving myself a cool kick ass nickname like the roller derby girls, too!)

Zoom Zoom!

Not to be outdone by a bunch of skating girls......I also attended MONSTER JAM! The premier monster truck rally!!! Rednecks, unite!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was: loud - country - tacky - loud - loud -loud - loud - one big advertisement - loud - and a hoot! Never thought that wearing jeans and a t-shirt somewhere would make me feel overdressed, but I did!

Me and all the cars on the track!

Crush!!!!

BMX bikers were there too.

The Iron Man car!!!

And just for your amusement - here's a picture of me classy-ing it up at a local restaurant :P

Baby, It's Cold Outside

I took the plunge!

Milwaukee's annual New Years Day Polar Bear Plunge! Hundreds of crazy individuals (Most probably still sauced from the night before) decided that it would be a marvelous idea to jump into the freezing cold Lake Michigan at noon. And I decided to do it sober (which I maintain is a bigger accomplishment than the drunkies) And, by golly, jump I did! And it was cold :) A great start to 2012 crossing yet another item off my bucket list (even if that list is a bit non-conventional :P)

The crowds at the beach - mostly spectators.

Pre-plunge. Already feeling chilly, I went for the 1piece suit in sad sad hopes that it might keep me a tad bit warmer (it did not).

Most people went for the "just keep running in" technique" while I went for the "lay down and go under as soon as it's deep enough approach!" which may or may not have been intentional (In all honesty, I kinda tripped and fell down) I'm in the center!

A close up of my hilarious face. The shock of cold (and this is the quality you get when you hand a random stranger your camera)

Post-plunge. Jim went in despite significant pissing and moaning before hand. His hair remained suspiciously dry....

I also went ice skating. Michelle Kwan, I am not. My hopes and dreams of Olympic gold are long since dead....but maybe curling is still a viable option....

Zoom-Zoom

Well I hope everyone's New Years was a blast and that you haven't broken your resolutions yet! So far so good on mine :P I even started swimming every Monday and Wednesday for something different! Maybe a mini triathlon is in my future? Only time will tell!