Don't call me hipster! I am a gardener... or something...

The morning I left for Alaska I said good bye to the sunflowers

So for you who follow me on Instagram, you know that I took over Fisti Cuffs and Frozen Chosens garden this summer. I literally took over... I cleaned out a hella lot of debris and dead morning glory (with help from Frozen) and then I dug up all the soil and added a bunch of pots. Bought lots of soil and started planting... well, I got Frozen to drive me to Home Depot to get a bunch of plants 06.30 in the morning (he was the one who wanted to go that early, and he actually slept in the car while I went crazy on little baby plants in the nursery). I planted tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, lots of different herbs, jalapenos, peppers, zucchini, winter squash and watermelons...
And SUNFLOWERS! I love sunflowers... the only other flower I might almost love as much is a weed, and it's the dandelion. Dandelions are super useful, you can use the leaves for salad and make wine of the flowers. I know there are also some remedies you can make out of them. Have not gotten that far yet...
I spent lots of the summer on killing morning glory and some other weeds, on hunting down squash worms and trying to figure out why I had black spots on some tomatoes and how to get rid of mildew on cucumber leaves... I learned SO much, and I loved it! Well to be fair, I also had Brazilian Nut take me to Home Depot to get more plants and I ordered soil and strawberries from Amazon... yeah... there is nothing you can't get from Amazon...
I think I was mostly excited about being able to go out in the garden and eat a cucumber for breakfast whenever I wanted to.
I had to leave NYC before the growing season was over, so I never saw the end of it, but apperently the watermelons never came out, but it produced lots of tomatoes... and still is.
Growing things in NYC is not hard, well it is polluted, but as long as you have water, it will grow because of the heat and the sun. Sure there are all the pests, but it grows fast, and if something dies, something new will soon pop up...
Stockholm is not the same... we have a subarctic climate here, so it's going to be interesting to see how my balcony will fare next summer. I am also going to do some planing at my moms outside the city, because I want to do some real gardening, and not just the urban balcony pot gardening.

I truly enjoy gardening, it is just fun to get better at something, and also the joy of being able to give something to others. There is something really satisfying about being able to produce your own food.

I am also learning a new composting method called Bokashi, I made my own bin... well... more about that in my next blogg... Well, acctually next blogg will be a late post about RollerCon!

So this is what it looked like after a few hours of cleaning

And I got the plants

And more plants.... 

Gothams Season Opener today!

So tonight is the Gotham Season Opener, my old team Manhattan Mayhem is going to skate against Brooklyn Bombshells. I will be working the bout and having a good ol' time running around. I love bout days, it's lot's of work, but at the same time, the feeling of being there, all the people, the excitement of the game, the fans... it all comes together in such an amazing and vivid way.

I truly LOVE roller derby!

Oh, by the way, I will be skating for Bronx Gridlock this season... busting out in yellow and checkers! I am super excited about it! So many amazing people on the team! Practice YAYA!

Good to Go - again

So this year I took a real off-season, in that way that I didn't skate, I did continue to work out, but not as much, more maintaining than really building. I needed that, I took some mental "me" time, I took care of some things that was long overdue.

I made the Gotham Allstar 2015 squad, but January was a HARD month on me. Really hard! Even if it had amazing highlights, I have amazing roomies, I have an amazing brother that made my birthday fantastic and a whole bunch of supportive friends. AND me and Krissy Krash finalised our plans on blockerseekingjammer.com 

Now it feels like I can see the light in the end of the tunnel, I guess you have to hit the low points to be able to appreciate the high parts. And I'm currently working on getting my body and mind completely ready for the 2015 season. 

Practicing with Gotham Allstars is one of the most amazing experiances ever, but it is also super hard, and you are always expected to push yourself. 

Currently I'm in Sweden for a two weeks to work, and since I've come home I've already been at Good to Go twice and had amazing work outs and my body is SORE! I was also invited by BSTRDs to come and join their practice. It was superduperfun to see a bunch of familiar faces from Stockholm Roller Derby.

Battle of the Allstars State tournament 2015

Ten different state teams gathered somewhere in Pennsylvania to battle out who was to win the trophy and the medals in a double elimination tournament. Once again I had the honor and opportunity to play on Team New York... And did I get to play! It was so much fun, but also one of the hardest weekend on my body ever.

On Friday we only had 9 skaters and we managed to pull a win over Virginia that played really well. This set us up to play against Maryland on Saturday, this time we had a 13 count of skaters, and it was a very tight and exciting game with eight lead changes and great plays from both our and their side, Maryland came out the leader of that one and dropped us down to losers bracket. Since it was a double elimination tournament you had to loose twice to be out.

Sunday we were down to 12 skaters and knowing we probably would have to face both Maryland (again) and  Pennsylvania to win. We played Virginia in the morning, and won, advanced to play Michigan two hours later, and won, just to be facing off Maryland 30 min later. That was a tough game, but I think we all pulled out the last energy we had to win, and we won. We all pulled it together and it made me so proud of the team. BUT this meant we were set up to play Pennsylvania 30 min later. And so we did, exhausted and with smiles on our faces. 

I had an amazing time, and to my suprise I got tournament Blocker MVP! It really meant a lot to me. Sometimes you need a boost, and even if my body is aching today and I feel like I got hit by a train, I love Rollerderby.. 

But if anyone asks me to play 4 full length games during a day again, i might not be totally psyked about it... Hahaha

Yay... it's such an honor!!

So I jammed once, this is the photo evidence.... 

Recap of the past month... sort of...

I am sorry friends, family and others that happen to read my blog, I've really been lacking in writing and skating, dating, writing, thinking and working out. I just have not had time to reflect about anything but the current "right now" state of union.

I downloaded Tinder for a day, turned it into a real life game and met a person that made my heart skip and jump a beat. It's sort of magical and amazing.

I also practices, practiced, practices and went to WFTDA Champs and got to be a part of the team that once again brought the Hydra home. It was beyond an amazing weekend, the level of play was just AMAZING, the athletic aspect of rollerderby is just raising each year and it makes me proud and excited to be a part of the community. I also got to see lots of friends from allover the world, Mainey,Eagle, Rotten, Krissy Krash, Demanda, Mad Dog, Kasey Bomber, Nasty Trick and tons of more... Its just amazing to be a part of a rollerderby and all the great people and friends I have made.

I went back to NYC and spent even more time with this amazing person, just to realise that sometimes you just ought to follow your heart whatever other people say. So I am. I ended up NSOing a scrimmage in Philly, since I went down with Kenbo, Frozen and Carnage, my first time NSOing. I've done almost everything in derby, and now I can add NSOing to the list of things that I have done.

Kenbo, Carnage, me and Frozen on ourway to Philly

And then I went to Sweden to work and attend WET, an European WFTDA tournament in my old hood, Crime City was hosting. I was amazined over how great all the teams did. I was happy to have OMG representing Brooklyn Skates at the tournament. I just got new skates, and I played a bout in them the second time I wore them. Oh, yeah, that happened at WET, a European mixed team called EuroTräsh played Team Finland. It was SO MUCH FUN. OH, and Stockholm did fantastic, I am so happy and proud of them. They showed that they are much better than their ranking indicated. Stockholm will always have a special place in my heart!

Oona, me and Fluke at WET

So, as you can tell I've been really busy and now I'm back in Stockholm again, but heading to Florida and StateWars tomorrow. Another adventure and I get to see some of my best friends and also finally get to rest in the arms of somone special.

WFTDA Championships 2014

We went to Nashville for Champs, and it was an amazing weekend with some of the best rollerderby ever. My team is amazing and I love that we play so well together. I didn't make the roster, but I know I'm still an important part of this team, and being able to be there and suppport the team also means something.

I got to meet friends from allover the world, and I relise how important rollerderby is to me, and how much I love to play the sport, how much I love to skate, skate, skate... and all my friends that I have in rollerderby.

Photo by Sean Hale

Coaching Junior Rollerderby and MRDA Champs

Today I asked Gotham juniors, and it was so much fun. I never coached junior, well, in a very long time, so it was a great experiance. It's funny, when I got there Mick said to me: Oh, the big kid is coaching the smaller kids. And it might be that way, I am a real big goofball... it was a little odd coaching at first, since I really have not been coaching since I left Sweden a few months ago. But coaching juniors is pretty much like coaching anyone. Maybe their attentionspan is a little shotrer, but then half of the derbyplayers I know seem to suffer from ADHD or some simular attentionspan deficency. It is what it is....
I did my favorite off-skate and the warm-up I used to run with Stockholm all the time, I havent either coached such a small group in a long time, it sort of reminded me of when I started coming over to Sweden, and all leauges only had 7-15 players at practice.

After coaching I went over to a friend and watched NYSE play their first game in Tacoma at the Man Champs. They did good and won with alsmost 200 points... it's cool to see two of your coaches play, and some part of me want to tease Buster about going to the box so much.

So today been full of derby, and I am still watching the men play, my first coach from Jet City plays on Puget Sounds, so it's fun to watch them play Bridgetown (Portland) that I also slightly know some players on.

As I*ve said before, I adore derby, womam, man and junior... the rollerderby I play will always be closest to my heart... but at the same time... the more derby, the better. Tomorrow NYSE will be playing the Gatekeepers, so it's gonna be real exciting.... I am sooo down for watching more roller derby!

Back on Westside Highway

I met up with Snagge, who is a skater from Gothenburg Rollerderby that is travelling US for a few months, to skate the Westside Hightway that runs along the Westside of Manhattan. When I lived in NYC a few years back I lived down in TriBeCa and used to skate it almost every week. So it was a little of a memortlane sort of skate.
It was really fun, and quite brisk skate... I was already sore when I started, I am not sure if skating is the best way of gettting rid of tired legs... but I think it was worth a try...

Part of the skate was really awesome, and about as quiet and naturelike as it gets in NYC. I completly wanna go again before the fall takes over... not to talk about the winter... brrr...

Heading to ECDX

Been in NYC for a few days, really been feeling quite crappy and tired... Haven't done much but hang out with OMG and Bonnie, been to a practice and watched soccer with my Colombian friend Sunny... yeah... good times! Oh, and of course I got to see one of my best friends Only who is in town with Helsinki ROllerderby.

Today I'm heading towards ECDX in Philly, more about that after this weekend. But in short hand I get to see Tiger Bay, Crime City and Helsinki Rollerderby play american teams. It is always awesome to see how European teams fare in USA, since we all seem to be quite underanked.

I am bringing my skates, but with outdoor wheels and my running shoes, after feeling crappy for a few days I just can't wait to work out again.

Things are happening

Travelling with big plans in the back off head, it all involves rollerderby and taking over the world! Monday will be a really cool day - not one but two amazingly cool things are happening, and they aren't really even connected at all and at the same time they are totally connected! So it is! It's gay and rollerderby connected... I don't know what to do with myself - but I'm extremely excited.

Skating in NYC again

Scrimmage at the CrashPad!

Today I got to come and guest scrimmage with Brooklyn, it was superfun! Thanks so much to Brooklyn for haing me!  I really miss skating with Gotham, so it's awesome to come and see old friends once in a while, and skate is even better!

I felt good skating, even if the jetlag almost made me bail on practice, and the off-skate after the skating was gruesome... I always eat too little while on trips and jetlagged, I just don't seem to get hungry.

Tomorrow I'm going to hang out at Five Stride, get myself new wheels and probably something more... 

There is honestly a CRAZY amount of snow in New York!

Me and Freddie bonding

Treating myself...

Getting to work early, doing work... I miss my girl, I am cold, I forgot to have lunch, I had too much coffee... I want to buys something to create an artifical happieness. I don't need anything, maybe a pair of new wheels.. I acctually need new wheels... I contemplate what new wheels I should get, I want some real hard wheels I can use when I skate in USA and have to be on sportscourt. I think about it, I will get new wheels, maybe next week when I'm at Five Stride.. I deserve new wheels, I haven't gotten new wheels in over a year, I've spent my money on other things, on travels, on food, on gifts to my loved ones, on more travels...