batskeets | I love everything. <3

BEST DAMN WEEKEND EVER.

Well, for the most part. There was some pretty huge dating drama, which ultimately led to failure. It's too bad, because things started off amazingly well, but they blew up in ridiculous proportions. We're at least taking a break, more than likely for good, and I'm confident in my choice there, especially if it means less hurt and frustration for us both in the long run.

Anyhoo, other than some serious difficulty sleeping, even the sheer frustration of that ultimately couldn't dampen my spirits. I slept ridiculously late on Saturday, and wound up being slightly late for derby practice, but it was okay in the end, because I decided to sack up and do my first scrimmage!

In short, it was total sensory overload, but it was also kick-in-the-pants fun. I did my first few jams as a Blocker, thinking I might have gained enough knowledge to have *some* clue of what to do, buuuuuut... yeah, not so much. It feels as though there are a million things to observe and think about: what you're doing, what your fellow blockers are doing, what the opposing blockers are doing, what the jammers are doing... and that's *after* you've already devoted a good chunk of your brainpower to the task of simply skating without falling on your ass. Meanwhile, both teams are yelling out warnings and talking strategy, and there are so many places to look that it feels like sheer insanity. I did a pretty terrible job blocking, to be honest, but eh, as the skating and strategy becomes more intuitive for me, it's only going to get better.

After a few jams, I decided, eh, what the hey, I'll try a round as my team's Jammer. And, sweet merciful jesus, my endurance is *awful*. XD And, I also took a minor penalty after being hit off of the track, and re-entering incorrectly. But other than that, I apparently did pretty well! The singular task of finding openings in the pack and taking them was less overwhelming, and I had a blast doing it. I definitely need to build speed and endurance if I have any hope of ever being Jammer on an actual team, but hoshit, I LOVED IT.

Anyhoo, the rest of the afternoon had

theamazingjosh and I raiding the JoAnn Fabrics for a black backdrop, and despite the absurdly long line at the cutting counter, we escaped with our lives and a serviceable yardage of fabric. Then, I found myself at Value Village, buying a completely awful blonde wig for a last-minute costume, and I was lucky enough to tag along with

katlyn to a Halloween party full of people I didn't know. It was well-attended but lower-key party, which completely fit my mood, and there was Rock Band 3 to fill in the gaps. I also got to chat with

archmage again before his departure, and everyone else at the gathering was very cool.

I packed it in early that night, so I could be ready for Alyson's wedding on Sunday, but some combination of the aforementioned drama and my sleeping in too much had me awake past 4am. I still woke up with a surprising amount of energy, though, so everything seemed okay. Also,

theamazingjosh was awesome enough to fill my vacant second shooter spot, so not only was it my last job booked through the old company (!!), but it was also my first wedding with a member of my new team. Both of these things are AWESOME.

It was a wildly non-traditional wedding, so things were definitely not the usual, in terms of first looks and formal portraits and what-have-you. But, I worked the whole day on 5 1/2 hours of sleep, running around in a costume, and I had an amazing time. My work is *always* better when I'm working with people I enjoy and want to be around. But a whole day of doing work that I love, surrounded by friends, and helping them celebrate a day that they'll always look back on? I need more days like that. I really, truly do.

Anyhoo, I'm at The Job today, I'm tired, and I'm counting the minutes until I can run away from my desk, but I'm awake, I'm alive, and my heart is full-to-overflowing. Excelsior!

Also, I do believe I've decided what my costume will be for next Halloween. I did this as of two days before THIS Halloween. Yep, I'm ridiculous. XD