Wheel-O-Mania: what I skate on

I have many girls asking me about wheels, right now I'm on Atom wheels and have been since May 2010, a combination of G-Rods as pushers and Lowboys. I really like this combo, and it works well for me on lots of different surfaces, but I have a feeling that lots of girls wouldn't find it sticky enough, especially not on those slick sports-hall floors lots of Scandinavian girls skate on.
I think my preferred combo for those would probably be Stingers as pushers with G-Rods and if the floor was really slick I'd probably go all in on Stingers - all eight... and yes, I am on the narrower wheels. I used to be on Heartless, but they were to narrow for me when jamming, I lost too much speed, and what they made up in agility wasn't worth it. The slim Atom wheels are a little wider than Heartless and it made a huge improvement in my jamming! It was actually OMG from Five Stride who talked me into going a tiny bit wider, and I totally blew her off about it, but she is a person I really trust when it comes to gear! And it showed out to be true, it really did improve my jamming...
Another wheel I have heard lots of good things about are the Atom Poisons, and I think that those and also the Radar Ghosts are good cheaper alternatives for girls that want a cheaper sticky wheel, those wheels are so called hybrid, and can be skated on both indoor and outdoor. The Ghosts are the narrow version of the Radar Shadows and Poisons come both in narrow and wide!
I am actually quite a fan of the Radar Flat Out for minor outdoor skating and  for slick indoor floors, they also come in a narrower version, the Flat Out's also make for a very good pusher wheel.

Wheel preferences can be quite induvidual, and I know girls that like their wheels to be superduper sticky and girls that like their wheels to slide, because they feel that it gives them more control. I preferred more sticky wheels when I was less skilled, and I don't mind a little more of a slide to my wheels now. Also the success or failure of a wheel depends on your skating-style, your weight and skill, just because your best friend likes a wheel does not mean you will be as crazy about it!

The best way to figure out if you like a wheel is to borrow it from a friend and see if it works for you, and in worst case buy it, and then re-sell it.... and most wheels take a couple of hours to get broken in and also used to, before you can really decide if it's a good fit for you! But I must say that both the girls at Five Stride Skateshop and Fast Girl Skates know what they talk about, and they interact with amazing derby-girls on a daily basis... and therefore are a great resource!

What do you skate on? And do you like it? And why??

Copenhagen to Stockholm - NO accidents

 (photo från Malmö stolen from mirijam.blogspot.com)

So me and Malou made it up to Stockholm from Copenhagen, despite blizzards and late trains... Our train from Copenhagen to Malmö was about one hour late, and when we got to Malmö we had to dig my car out with a tray, since we did not have a shovel. And there was about 50 cm plow-wall to dig throu to get to the car. MOHAHAHAHahaha.... but who deosn't like to dig out your car at 3am??
The drive took about 12 hours, and that is almost double from last time I drove Stockholm - Malmö.... yepp, it was taxing and time consuming, but it was worth it to be able to get to my family on Christmas Eve!

Snow, snow, more snow and familytime....

(Snowblades anyone? Medborgarplatsen in Stockholm by HyperNova)

We are heading to Stockholm later today, right now we're in the middle of nowhere in Denmark... First we are going to celebrate some Christmas with Malous family and then grab a train back to Copenhagen, collect some presents and head to Malmø, grab my car and slowly start to make our way up to Stockholm, to celebrate more Christmas with my family.

Hopefully we can get some skating in, I'm coaching on the 26th of December and then I think we might try to go to Frysen on the 27th and do some indoor ramp-skating!

Lesbian Drama and snow

 (Snowy streets in Malmø, picture stolen from sydsvenskan.se)

No kidding, Scandinavia is frozen, we are deep in the fridge, there is snow and ice wherever we turn, and it is not common. I know, we get snow, in the NORTH, north of Stockholm where I am from, NOT in Copenhagen and Malmø, not to this extent... this will be a white christmas. Trains are late and cars slide of the streets and I have left Copenhagen to spend the 23rd at Malous family and then we will be heading up to Stockholm to spend the rest of Christmas with my family!

Me and Malou just discovered Lip Service... a lesbian drama series from BBC, and Frankie is HOT HOT HOT... and looks and acts EXACTLY like Shane from L-word. We don't care, we still think she is hot! Same, same but different! So tonight that is waht we are going to do, watch the last episode of Lip Service! Sadly there are only six episodes so far, but I am planning on writing nice little letters to BBC BEGGING for another six, because SERIOUSLY, it is better than L-word because there is no annoying Jenny... peeew...

Me and Malou are going to practice with the Stockholm girls on the 26th, well, I think I am probably coaching, and it be awesome and fun! I miss skating...

Car accident and scrimmage

( Hyper Nova jamming blocked by me, Smashed and Vicious Kali)

This weekend I headed towards Gothenburg to scrimmage with them and Stockholm. In my car I stuffed Krazy Kris, Mad Malooney, Evil Eye and Muffa from Copenhagen and Crime City. Only about ten minutes away from Malmö my car decided to lose traction and sway out of control ending up doing a 180 on the highway. We ended up facing the traffic stuck to the left side rail having to climb out the passenger side window into kneedeep snow... and then we stood around in kneedeep snow for an hour, slightly schocked until the tow truck could unstuck my car from the railing and the police stop the traffic so we could turn the car around...  yeah... did I mention that Sweden has gotten a lot of snow the past weeks?

But we decided to continue towards Gothenburg, but on a train, since we were quite shaky and no one of us really felt like driving after the incident. I texted the girl in charge and let her know that I could not hold the practice on Saturday, but I was still on for Sunday, my head was feeling mushy and my hands were shaking.

I haven't been skating much latley, it has been good for my body to take a little break, but I will soon be back on my skates in full force.

Whatever, we made it to Gothenburg on a train thruogh a white, white Sweden, but arrived four hours later than planned and quite still in shock. After skating around a little, trying to help girls with posture and giving hints and help it was time for scrimmage. Well, that's at least what I thought, but we were left with a paper to sign up for if you wanted to jam, and the girl that was in charge of the scrimmage were nowhere to be found. So without any direction we all looked around, saw that most girls were wearing black we put white shirts on and stood around waiting while the refs organizing the last minute things. I skated up to them and asked if they wanted any help, but they really had everything under control.
I don't think that the paper with jammer-names ever got used, not that I was signed up, sicne I decided that I would be more helpful in the pack, talking with girls in the pack.
I finally saw the girl organizing the whole thing and asked her for helmet panties, she laughed and said ''OOoooPS'' and complete chaos came into force for a couple of seconds until one of the Gothenburg girls came up with a pair... scrimmage saved...

I ended up playing in only three jams, and then I spent the rest of the time organizing the white bench, I am much better at bench-coaching than running line-ups... a few of the girls had never been in a scrimmage before, and I kept on trying to boost girls up to go out on the floor and play together, and jam even if they thought they couldn't... together... and they did a good job! It was good for me, even if it was a little sad not playing, but I know since way back that I have a hard time to play nice and not hit hard, and some of those girls should not be hit hard, because the skills were really on different levels.

All the skaters from Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmo and and the one Umeå girl did a great job, and it is good to see that derby are striding forward in the distant north were I was born! Oh, oh and not to forget the refs that helped out from Finland!

It all ended up being quite a good weekend with friends, I got to see Husse, Smashed, Kajsa (Fröken Sverige, HyperNova and the rest of the bunch!

Thanksgiving the Swedish way

Me and Em, mostly Em since she lived in Stockholm, have thru the years collected some American friends in Sweden, and we have also collected some American traditions... Thanksgiving happen to be one of them!  Sometimes Americans asks me why we don't celebrate Thanksgiving, and that really makes me think that those people may not know why they have an eating fest every November...

Ah, nevermind, nevermind friends... We had some friends over the weekend after the American Thanksgiving and I know that was a couple of weeks ago, but I have been in turkey coma ever since... How do you American guys do it?

We did have the American dude Karl slice the turkey, Em did the basting, stuffing (andother thing I just cannot learn to like) and the gravy, I did the basting liquid and yummy brussels sprouts with bacon and garlic. Sunnee who is American created yummy truffel oiled mashed potatoes,,, and Jesper who's got an Amercan girlfriend in Texas took an international approach and brought cheese, wine and he even made a yummy lentil soup. Half Italian Joakim was a no-good-slacker and just sat around and looked good, but you can get extra credits for that... well, in all fairness, he brought beers and wine...

Death by Sushi

All you can eat sushi can really kill you...

Coffe and Snow in Copenhagen

It is snowing outside, and me and Loony were supposed to go out running, but instead we went for a brisk walk to the shopping mall and got some Christmas gifts. Just some small trinkets for friends in US and Sweden...

Since I can't get a gym-membership until January, I'm holding out and trying to figure out ways to keep active. Me and Loony had a bright idea about going out running the other day, now we are both sore... and now it's snowing, so running is even lower on the priority list than it was before. As soon as I have finished this post, I'm gonna throw myself on the floor and do some push-ups and sit-ups, maybe some ACL-dips and other fun little things.

I really miss skating, I really miss derby, it is fun coaching, but it's just not like being a part of a team, not at all! Buhuu... sniff... sniff... I miss hanging out at Five Stride with OMG and Bonnie and I miss going to Treasure Beach with Fisti and Justin and finding trash that we call treasures... I totally miss Kakes being just as bitchy and honest as just she can be, and I miss Bunny hopping around and having awesome drunkan adventures and sober adventures... I miss eating food with Pie (she also has a very funny and awesome boyfriend, he's approved) and talking food and weird things with Suzy... I miss all that... yes I do... but don't get me wrong, I am happy being with my lovly lady in Copenhagen, it just be a little more awesome if all my friends were at the same place and if there was a place to skate all the time around the corner from here!

So now I'm gonna drink another tall glass of coffee and do those boooring exercises I know that I need to stay fit... and tonight we are going out for sushi with Krazy Kris and Martattack from Copenhagen Rollerderby and that will be totally YUMMY!

First German Championships in Rollerderby

 (Boutcasting with programs, weinshcorle and a mic)

So me and Loony boutcasted for Derby News Network (DNN) from the German Championship in Berlin, and that was real fun. First time ever, so it was a little hard, especially since i was not really familiar with any of the German skaters. Loony played Hamburg before, and been to some bootcamps, so she recognized some of the girls, making it a little easier.
We really did not know until the day before that we were going to do the boutcasting, so we were as prepared as we could be. I sat on a ledge and hugged Loony while we both spoke into a shared mic, and drank some weinschorle... it is my favorite thing to drink when in Germany... that and Weissbier. We were trying to figure out the girls name from the programs and their numbers.... yeah, it was not the easiest, and out voices were starting to crack after a while... but it was fun! Did I mention it was fun!

 (Master Blaster jamming for Berlin Bombshells photo stolen from the book of Faces)

Both Stuttgart Valley Rollergirlz and Berlin Bombshells looked awesome, they had great skaters, good strategy and were a really good match up, and made for a great final. They for sure dominated the other three teams, Essen, Barock City and HanseConnection... those other three team were not really cohesive teams, sicne they had to borrow girls, to make up a complete rosters and it is always harder to play with mixed teams than with a team you always skate with, since derby is a teamsport, and knowing your team and strategy is an important part.

I am so excited to be back in Europe, being able to help in so many different ways, boutcasting, coaching, workshops... yepp... anything where I am needed is totally worth it! Being a part of history being written, is so amazing and watching derby grow as a sport warms my little Swedish heart, and I saw girls from allover Europe in the audience, lots of Swedish (from Stockholm Rollerderby and Crime City Rollers- that's Malmö) and French girls from at least Paris... and Germans of course!! Oh, funny thing, I got interviewed by some German media, and proved that I acctually can speak German, well sort of. Klick here and wait for 1.41 min... and you can share the experiance...

It was really awesome to be back in Berlin, I have not been there in four years, and then I spent a summer, this time it was frozen, and we walked everywhere on Sunday and Monday. We were supposed to take the bus back home on Sunday, but when we came to the bus, we realized that Loony by accident booked the ticket for Monday, so we just had to turn around and spend another day in Berlin. Smashed and CallaVera from Stockholm Rollerderby were awesome enough to hook us up with some bedspace in theri hotel, after some beer-drinking.

(May I introduce you to CallaVera and Smashed from Stockholm Rollerderby)

But now both me and Loony are back in Copenhagen and getting some rest and going to the gym, it was an amazing weekend, and I am really looking forward to what German Rollerderby will look like next year, at the German Championships... but this upcoming weekend we are going to Gothenburg to participate in a mixed scrimmage between Gothenburg Rollerderby and Stockholm...

I am off to Berlin and the German Championships

(on the bus with some Crime City girls)

First time ever I get to see European Rollerderby, it is really, really EXCITING! I have just watched some online before, but this is first time I get to see multiple bouts and in Germany... in Berlin that is one of my favorite cities in the world, so this will be a very, VERY exciting weekend. I'm taking a bus from Copenhagen to Berlin with a bunch of Swedish and Danish rollergirls, we packed candy and some wine for the trip... WEINSCHORLE!!

See you on Sunday... this blog is ready to party!

Dear Santa

 (I always put the jammer cap on crocked, photo by Joe Rollerfan)

I only want ONE thing for Christmas, and that is a gym-pass... Maybe this or maybe this or maybe something different, it be more fun to work out with Loony.... I want to have a gym-pass so I can go to the gym a couple of days in the week, so I always feel like I have the opportunity to go to the gym, just the common gym... working out, maybe on the treadmill and maybe with free weights... I would even really like to be able to once in a while be able to take one of those gym classes... not aerobics, but boxercise or something silly like that, or maybe yoga... if all those things could be delivered for me in a little pass for Christmas... then DEAR SANTA I'd love you even more!

I just got a new pair of skates, I have all the roller-derby gear I need, we all know I can always have a cool t-shirt more or less, toe-stops are always hot and Five Stride just got the Gumballs in stock, and those toe-stops are Bonnie Thunder approved... Oh, when I come to think about it... of course I do want new wheels, I want the Stinger Slims, wheels are always on my list over hot things to own, love and roll on.... Maybe I actually start to think that I might want some new trucks to... but I do like the nylon... I do... but OMG have been on me for a looong time I should upgrade to some light aluminum trucks... but I can be stubborn when I want, and my trucks are so nice and orange and I don't know if I am ready for the big leap, I leap so well on nylon...

Yeah, dear Santa, I know.. .it started out as ONE thing, but a girl gotta have dreams, and wishes...

Skatepark with Stockholm Rollerderby

 (Loony and Kix checking the pool out)

I really love skating, like A LOT! And since Stockholm RD still have the problem of getting a place to practice, they substitute some of their practice with some skate park action. And I tell you dear friends, those ladies are KICK ASS!

(Hyper is hyping up )

Malou is still with me in Stockholm, and I totally dragged her along, and she loved it JUST as much as I do! I still highly doubt that either of us will EVER dare to drop into the vert-ramp. If anyone does, I do put my money on that it will be KixDeVille from Stockholm. I swear dear friends, she is a little insane! Actually, I think they are all insane, but sanity is probably overrated anyway, right?!Can't wait to see Stockholm bout Malmö in March, it will be the first bout in Sweden... HOW EXCITING!

(Hyper is going big while Kix, Twisted, Annika and Becky watches)

My derby husband

(Me and Endless Justin)

Most derbygirls have a derbywife, I have two, almost three.... I believe it is OK to get a wife per year that you have been skating... (FYI my wives are - ReAnimeHer from Rat City, Colt 45 from Texas, and Smashed not Strrd from Stockholm, this one I don't really know how it happened...) but I also happen to have a derby husband, he might not always admit that I am his wife, but I am, and he might actually be the wife and me the husband. I endorse queerness and do not like to define things.

I had the plesure to travel with him all this year, and there is just no other like him (or Fisti) and therefore he (and Fisti) are now a part of my ever-growing family. He's a very awesome person, a little thoughtful and he doesn't really get that stressed out when me and Fisti run away from him when he is trying to get our drunk asses home from afterparties, he just gently sights when Fisti is half-dressed and I am jumping up and down and we are supposed to be at the venue in about five min to warm-up for Nationals. He just sort of nods in an agreeing but not really agreeing way when I ramble about something that I might or might not be upset about. He also is about the best lineup runner and also a very mellow and supportive coach! He used to be a ref, so he seem to know everything, and he is also really artsy and pain quite fantastic paintings, and he's a teacher and teach students about art history and stuff...

I would write much more about him, Fisti and their amazingly pathetic but awesome dog Mason, but I totally have to hug my girlfriend who still claims to be hungover since Saturday...

Crazy life and crazy life

I think the past week has been one of the busiest and craziest in a looong time, I have not been this exhausted in a loooong time. Lot's of decisions to be made, and lots of things to do and get done.

I am really, really, REALLY sad I missed Gothams awards party, especially since I heard I tied with Pie for the Manhattan Mayhem MVP Award.

This past week I did that TV thing, had a Thanksgiving dinner with my friends and attended the Stockholm Rollerderby Winter Bash. Makes my life a little crazy busy, real long days and nights and very little sleep. And Malou came here Saturday night, to make me feel like I at least have my girlfriend around me! Oh yeah!

On Saturday me and my roomie (Em) actually made it to the gym, and that was really nice, I like being at the gym and working out, I just wish I really had one place I lived, and right now it feels like I am split between three places. I really want to get a gym-pass, so I feel like I can go to the gym everyday... that is number one on my Christmas gift list...

You and me dear derby world

First of all, I totally miss Manhattan Mayhem, I had a great season playing in orange, but that is not waht this blog is all about. This is about the Allstars... 

So hello dear derby world, I am in search for a new leauge, leaving your old sucks... I have cried many nights missing the wonderful girls of Gotham Girls! It is not easy to leave the team you just placed third at the WFTDA Championships with, to skate with another leauge, not even knowing what leauge you are to join.

I am very passionate about derby, I gained so much playing derby, I also gave up a lot of things. I have not been on a vacation for three years, because all my money spent been on ''Derby vacations'', I can't complain, but it would be really nice to go to a beach an lay out or go somewhere to just surf and get that tan I look so great in... but NO, I go to somewhere and hang out in a dirty wharehouse and get blisters! But it has been totally worth it, every stride has been totally worth it.

It makes me sad that I missed my mothers 6oth birthday and her major birthday party, because I had a bout with the Gotham Allstars in Portland. It was not an easy choice, but I knew that if I skated this bout and proved myself to be a worthy part of the Gotham Allstars, I would have taken a step closer to becoming a starter for Eastern Regionals. Because my goal was to play WFTDA Championships, and that's it, it was a choice I made, I don't regret it, but sometimes I feel a sting of sadness because I knew it was something that was important for my mother, and I had to miss it.

Right now I am just fine coaching, and I know that I wanna skate with my girlfriend, but it all depends what makes us both happy...

I cooked in the name of derby

(I feel a little split in my life)

The past week I spent shooting for a Swedish familyfriendly show... yepp... I did, I cooked for people with cameras on me, but I also got to show of my skills in other areas. Can I tell you it was quite an adventure... I love food, I love cooking food, I have traveled the world eating... and now I have done it on TV. Ugha... I must now flee Sweden, it is done!

Just to make matters worse, I was already signed up to make a week-late-Thanksgiving dinner with my roomie... so right now I'm basting a turkey and preparing brusselsprouts, missing out on Stockholm Rollerderbys Friday night practice... I guess this is a REAL break for me! But on Monday I'll be skating with Loony at the indoor skatepark here in Stockholm!

Six month

Me and Malou... six months... it just sucks we aren't together here in Stockholm, or there in Copenhagen to have an amazing night together... She is sad, and it is frustrating when I can't be there for her to make her smile and laugh.

16 degrees below zero Celsius

Beloved Stockholm, you are so cold, I wanna huddle under a blanket, and I really should go to the gym and not drink wine and eat fantamazing food!

Secret Project Week

I am in hiding this week, I'm on a mission, and it will be revealed later next year, but right now, I'm quiet like a mouse. This project does make me stay out late and drink more wine than I normally do, so I can say I am a little distracted from other things that should be done.

Tonight I have to dress a little glam... ahh... I don't think I own something glam anymore... Ughaaa...

Busy bee cooking week

 

Oh yeah...

Coaching Stockholm Rollerderby

(Me and Loony coaching in Malmö - Crime City Rollers)

I really start to enjoy coaching more and more, it is really inspiring to coach girls that are eager to learn and work really hard. I do have to say that Stockholm has improved so much since last year about this time! It is a joy to watch European derby grow, and I am really happy that I can be of help to improving derby in all sorts of ways... This sport has given me so much, and I am happy that I can give something back to it!

I know I still have lots and lots and lots to learn, we all do, you can always be better, and it is that drive that will make you battle with and against the best, the will to really want to be better and never settle. But my body is really, REALLY shot, so I am on an offical derbybreak for a while, minus coaching... I will still be on-skates, just not going full throttle into others...

Get a Vagine Regime Hoodie

(hot picture stolen from VR's page on the book of faces)

I have one of those, and so does OMG and my girlfriend (well, I had two and she is now rocking one) and Jackie Daniels and Injury Rogers and a whole ton of other awesome and amazing queer and queer friendly girls... and currently they are for sale, so I do recommend you to get one... and this is how you do it:

Vagine Regime LIMITED ISSUE HOODIES FOR SALE! If you want to wrap yourself in this fine piece of clothing, email your Skate Name, Real Name, Shipping Address & Size (IN MENS) to thevagineregime@gmail.com. $35 in the US and $45 International must be paid via PayPal (search thevagineregime@gmail.com) or your hoodie WILL NOT be ordered.

 So good luck ladies, and gentlemen, with this hoodie your life will just be a little more stylish, because it really is kickass and fun and amazing! It really does make unicorns prance and giggle... I was wearing mine when I tamed my unicorn...

Speedskating with Stockholm Rollerderby

Today Stockholm invited a trainer from Stockholm Speedskaters, and it was interesting. He had some really good off-skates exercises practicing form and balance. The main problem was that he was not really familiar with quads, and that caused some problems in the on-skate drill, nothing major, but some were a little awkward on quads. It was still quite an informative and different practice.

The floor in Farsta Hallen, were Stockholm had tonights practice is really slick, and I really think I need to get myself a pair of Stingers for those slick floors. I have been spoiled in US with those nice sportcourt floors (even Gothams Crashpad was better when the floor was pulling apart and we had cracks in it)... But you know, one day ''sigh''... one day...

The unicorn is in transistion

It is hard when all your plans are sort of fuzzy, when money is running out and you are just feeling uncertain. I am uncertain, my unicorn is placed in Stockholm, my heart in Copenhagen, my plans in Malmö, my team in NYC and my skates in a bag going with me...

Team Sweden in making

(Winning is fun, just ask Kandy Kakes, photo by Joe Rollerfan )

So Blood and Thunder is having some sort of World Cup in December of 2011, and Sweden is sending a team. Well, me and Bess Irv Cold from STRD decided to start rounding the troops up to form a Swedish team to send to Toronto in 2011.

It's exciting, I have met and coached both the Stockholm and the Malmö girls (and one Gothenburg girl) on several occasions and there is so much talent and determination among them, I LOVE it... plus Sweden does have some non-residing ladies, that still hold a Swedish passport, and kick ass (I heard, since I have only met one of them). So we are on the look for dedicated and funloving derbygirls So if you are Swedish, play derby and interested in being a part of this fab team, you can let me know or fill in this little form that STRD put on their web page, and we will keep you in the loop.

Currently we are just checking in and seeing who might be interested in Team Sweden and then when we know how many are interested we can start the selection process in some fancy way... Cartwheels in skates get extra point... ooops... I was not supposed to say that...never mind... it will all pan out for the best, and we will be the best... I like being the best, and I think that the rest of the girls are up for it too!

What do YOU want from me?

(Me and Loony working an event in Denmark, picture from vejleamtsfolkeblad.dk)

So this started out as a fitness blog and has turned out to be a derby-fitness-travel-anything-I-do kind of blog!
So now my question to all of you my dear readers are, what do YOU want me to write about? Let me know, it keeps me inspired and writing... and skating... and loving... and all those things that makes me happy!

Blast from the past

(and this is from a Jet city vs. Slaughter County bout in October 2008)

Sometimes I entertain myself my reading my old blog swedehurt.blogspot.com, and I find interesting little tidbits and memories from my life:

November 17th 2008

I have set my goal, that's how I want to skate!
Nationals, on a team!
I want to win Nationals!
Bring it on!

I had a great time watching fantastic blocking by one of my new derby heroins Malice with Chains and some increadable never-stopping-jamming by Bonnie Thunders! The Championship bout was not as nailbiting as the Grudge bout, but still it was a display of AMAZING derby, I love this sport sooo much and I can't wait to get well from my cold so I can go skate again!

I guess I did not win Nationals, but I went to Nationals and got third, and I am not one to complain about that! I am very proud of what I have achived, and not over to making European derby just as amazing!

I was once a smoker...

(Yes, I used to smoke, this picture is probably about 4 years old)

It just don't work out in the end, just as with any sport. If you are planning to be as great as you can be, it is time to quit! For yourself and the people around you!

I used to smoke, at one point me and my roomie smoked a pack a day (if you speak Swedish you can find her on her own blog mirijam.blogspot.com), it think we thought we were cool or something, but I guess we were 17, so we might be excused based on that. But NO, there is nothing cool about smoking, you stink and most of all, you pollute that air for people that are not smoking and make people that are allergic seriously ill.

My first cigarette was from a pack of cigarettes I stole from my parents, I think they were Camel lights, and it tasted terrible, but I know it also tasted like an adventure, I knew I was doing something that I wasn't supposed to do, and triggered by the forbidden, I continued to cough myself thruogh that first pack of cigarettes, to be followed by many more. For a short time I smoked menthols, that my New Jersey friends would make me go buy the pack, because I pronounced it 'mentals' and it would leave them laughing for hours and hours. For a short while I was inspired by my punk friends and would roll my own cigarettes. My favorite was always Red Prince, a Danish cigarette that I abused for many years, until I moved to US, where those were nowhere to find....
I guess as a former smoker I can remember the calmness that would occur after a few drags, the slight high that the nicotine would provide me with. I also can admit that I always felt slightly cool standing outside the bar with a cigarette. Also cigarettes are great company, for some reason a person sitting alone smoking don't seem as alone as the person that just sits. And then it's the poetic aspect to the cigarette, it just looks better to be a suffering poet, teenager, artist or anything with a cigarette. A black cup of coffee is just more dressed up with a cigarette, blowing smoke sexy over the edge of a glass of dark red wine has something luring to it... yes.. yes... yes I KNOW all this!

You will still taste like an ashtray while kissed, you will still be short of breath on your third lap, and you will still give your allergic friends asthma attacks, all your clothes will smell like last nights party and your hangover will be worse... it always is if you smoked. And saying that you just can't quit makes you sort of lame, because anyone can do what they really want to do, and wanting itself is the key. You have to want to quit to be able to quit, and being an amazing rollerderby player was enough of a motivation for me, that and being sick of feeling like shit and smelling unattractivley...

It is now about 3 years ago since I had my last cigarette, and I feel better than ever, and yes it was hard to quit, I had quit about 10 times before, but 3 years ago I just decided I wanted to quit. I really wanted to quit, no matter what... and so I did! When it comes to smoking I don't mind being a quitter...

The other day was golden....

We are such lookers, Loony made the outfits and I slapped some make-up on us to make us look this adorable...

Superheros on skates

Yesterday I worked an event with Aarhus Derby Danes and Copenhagen Rollergirls, it was good times. We greeted guests at a party with 18,000 people in the middle of nowhere. It was quite an adventure, not to talk about the trip there... All I will say about the trip there is that we were in a rental van that would not do more than 108km/h... I named the van "Big Blue" it was orange on the inside and blue on the outside... there was water dripping from the internal lamp and the glove compartment was filled with a blackish oily liquid... but in the end it did the job and we got our job down.

The actual work was just to skate around and greet the guests, smile and greet, the floor was polished concrete, so it was very pleasant to skate on...

Today me, Loony and Kris are going to the Sauna and then hitting up a all-you-can-eat sushi. I figured if the food that you can eat is mainly healthy, you can't really feel bad about eating all-you-can of it...

In Copenhagen with love

So I got to Copenhagen... I got to see my girl, it is all good! Yesterday we went to the gym!! Finally, back on the work-out track. Krazy Kris and Loony snuck me in, and I felt awkward, but it was sort of funny.
I realized at the gym that I need to make myself a work-out plan, Kris and Loony has some sort of machine hopping routine, and that doesn't work for me, I am really nerdy, and want to go and do upper-body, lower-body and core, preferably on three different days, and add in running on a fourth day. Yeah, I am a little boring like that, but for me, that's what gives result. But for the day being yesterday I enjoyed some machine hopping and 6min on the treadmill...

In the night time Copenhagen Roller Derby had a logo-release party and calender release party, and we were all wearing gold, since it is their bouting colors. Loony made us fantastic outfits, and I did make-up and hair. So all together it was a real nice day, even if I will never drink mojitios again, waaaay to much sugar, I think I am still on a sugar high... and the beer selection is this country does leave a lot to wish for... sigh... Yes I am a beer snob...

Train trip to Denmark

I'm going to Denmark today, with a stop-over in Malmö, to see Vix Viking from Crime City Rollers. Sweden is rolling by outside and I acctually slept for a couple of hours, the train to Malmö/Copenhagen is not bad, and I got a ticket on Tradera (the Swedish version of e-bay) for only 160 skr (that's about 23 dollars).

Sweden started of with being snow-covered outside the window, not it's just all sorts of shades of brown with naked trees and frozen lakes. Brrrrr... it really is November... I wanna sit at home and eat soup, I love soup during the fall and the winter and instead I'm rushing thruogh Sweden, but maybe I get to eat soup with Malou tonight. Yaya!!

I know I said I was gonna start working out, and it has to happen real soon. There are three things that makes me majorly cranky, not enough food, not enough sleep and not working out... yeah, no kidding, I am really cranky right now. I have a hard time sleeping during the nights, I have not gotten into a good work-out routine yet and I just keep on forgetting to eat and then end up snacking on something really unhealthy...

Yepp, there you go I am pushing ALL the three reasons for crankyness.... MMmMMmmm... call me the FLYING BITCH from Sweden... maybe my name should be Swede Bitch instead of the current Swede Hurt... I need coffee, I am going to venture around the train to find that suprisingly good coffee they have on the train!

This weekend is going to be packed of action, starting with Copenhagen Roller Derby having a party tomorrow, Crime City has a party on Saturday, but I'm not able to attend, because I'm going to work some event with the Copenhagen girls... and then I have to return to Stockholm on Sunday, oh the joy of traveling, I'm just hoping I can land a cheap ticket back to Stockholm!

Napping make wonders...

First the world was falling ovr my head and I just wanted to cry, and then I closed my eyes for only thirthy minutes, and when I arose the world was shiny and new and I had new strenght and motivation....

Oh that unreal pain

It starts on the inside, just somewhere dark inside, and it slowly travels around the body, the heart beats slower and a black feeling of nothingness overwhelms. One miss, and one don't miss, because missing seem to be quite worthless and has a lack of reality. All this in one breath, and in another one, and then it's the pain, the pain that doesn't exist, because it can't be explained, but it is there.

Stronger than ever one may appear, but just like that, broken, just like all of us, so lost in words and in pain, so not hungry, in the midst of a leap, but having nowhere to turn. Because how do you explain that it is all so easy but it is harder than ever.

Sweden at it's finest

So please come visit, stay for as long as you want, Sweden is your dream vacation coming true... I think I might be able to find you a puddle big enough to take a bath in! Don't worry, it's not thaaat polluted...

So yeah... Sweet SherryPie will tell you all about it

(Pie blog about food, because we all know food is amazing)

So I bet you are really curious what atheletes like us eat... and since I have been a little lazy on my food blogging, I wanted to point you in the direction of the blog that Pie wrote about her eating habits during Championals... CLICK HERE AND YOU will learn all about it!!

Lesbian rookie haircut....

(Oh, and I stole all photos from the intraweb, the book of faces)

Me and Rebel Rock-It have detected a pattern... lesbians that start with derby has bobbed hair with bangs... and then progresses to more elaborate short hairstyles in their second and third season... We have a very little sample of people to base this research on, currently just her, me and my girlfriend Mad Maloony... please let us know if you have any more picture proof to support this theory...

My tilted and jilted body!

So I have not really had a derby break since I started playing with Jet City in December 2007... I just have a hard time taking breaks, it just is not for me... but it has started to show, well maybe not show, but feel on my body right now. My knees are hurting, so is my back and shoulder... and it is not only because it is a full-contact sport, but also because we go around in quite a small tight little circle and all muscles get different preassure... Our bodies acctually become a little tilted and jilted, so we are becoming aerodynamic with the derbytrack... HA... BUT my dear friends, this come with the cost of pain! So for once I know we have tried to run practices in opposite direction, but we probably only skate 10% of practices in opposite direction, and to even out those poor bodies we would need more like 40-50% of practices to be ran in opposite directions...

I really do encourage leauges to run a few of their drill in opposite direction, it really really work wonders for your body, and also your skills... two flies in one swat!

So I am going on a slight derby break now, just until the end of January, I will attend practices, help run practices, I will travel for derby to help... all that I can do, I just also will put together a strength training program that will get me back to a less tilted and jilted person, as it is right now I cannot drive more than 45 min, and I get pains shooting down the entire right side and I have to stop... like really HAVE to stop!

To be fair, I have never been this fit, not since I was 20years old, and snowboarding was just another sport where you use your different sides in an uneven way, getting your body all uneaven... yeah, Iguess I know how to pick 'em...

But since we all know I need motivation, I decided to challange a girl from Paris in armwrestling (this might have started as a joke on facebook) and that is what I'm getting buff for, December 11th.. .at the German Championships!

Skating and Stockholm

Today I walked and had lunch with Kix DeVille, one of Stockholm’s rollergirls, had a terrible, really terrible sandwich at Wayne’s Coffee but the coffee was great, so I guess you win some, you loose some. That’s right, that’s life, as we know it. Except from the extremely disappointing sandwich it was a nice lunch. Kix was trying to talk me into going skating at the local indoor skate park tonight… and I must say I’m quite intrigued, but my back is still hurting and I am not completely opposed to just laying around on the couch and watching Swedish TV (that be an American shows with subtitles…). I don’t have Internet at home, so my sources of other fun are limited. I am not even iPhone borne here I have a Sony Ericsson with a cracked shield from 2004… (It was the shit back then)

I walked Drottninggatan from the city center back home to my ‘borough’… it takes about 25min, Stockholm is Sweden’s largest city, but it is hard to compare it to any of the American cities that I have lived in, it is populations wise larger than Seattle but is more compact and urbanized that Seattle… and nothing compares to NYC, so I try not to generalize or compare, even if it slightly entertains me to think of Drottninggatan as Stockholm’s 5^th Avenue… Yes, I am laughing to myself….

(And YES, I ended up going skating, and it was FUN FUN FUN and AWESOME)

I look good for my 31 lived years

Just one of those late night reflections... but I did have four Guinness and half a bag of chips for dinner... so we will see how long the looks last, I mainly blame Smashed not Strrd from Stockholm Rollergirls, she is a VERY bad influence!

Looking over my shoulder

(Getting ready to jam against Texas , photo by Jules Doyle)

So as we all know by now, I'm back in Sweden, since two days back, and about after landing on Swedish soil, I waited around on the airport so my great Danish girlfriend could join me and together we went to Solna hallen to coach Stockholm Rollerderby... I love to help out derby here in Sweden, and hope in the future to get much more facetime with not only Swedish rollergirls, but also European of all sorts! EROC will be really interesting.

I love coaching with Loony, she really is a great coach and help for me, her previous experiance as a coach and trainer really shows. We compliment each other real well when we coach together, and I really like that! She is also an amazingly funny person, that I love to spend time with, and did I mention that she is also darn pretty?

I do miss Gotham, but it still just feels like I am on vacation, and OMG keep on jokingly asking me when I'm coming back from it. Ahhhrgghhh