This Week I….

Can you actually believe that this time next week Christmas will be all over and done with? Well, short of that Bank Holiday we get as Boxing Day is a Saturday anyway, and we’ll all be starting to worry about how to lose half a stone before New Years Eve so we can fit back into whatever it is we’re wearing. Except I think we’re actually staying at home for New Years Eve this year. This is how you tell you are getting old, when the bar queues and the expensive tickets and the total impossibility of getting cabs home afterwards starts to outweigh the New Years Eveness of it all and you start to want to spend that ticket money and cab money and drinks money on a bottle of Champagne instead, or possibly just on your gas bill.

But anyway, I digress, because this isn’t a what are you doing on New Years Eve post (though what ARE you doing on New Years Eve? I always like to hear peoples plans*)

*because I am nosy

This week I…..

Celebrated my Mums 60th Birthday

My Mums birthday was actually on Wednesday, but on Sunday my Mum & Dad trekked all the way up to Norwich to celebrate it with us. We went for cocktails, which took 25 minutes to arrive so we then had to neck them in about 5 minutes, humph, then we went for dinner at Loch Fyne. I let them know it was my Mums birthday and they have my never ending thanks for making me look like the best daughter ever and decorating the table with glitter sprinkles and balloons and bringing us free Champagne.

Made the A Team

Oh you have no idea how I’ve been stressing about the roster for our A team for the next 6 months coming out. We were told it would probably be Tuesday, so I spent the whole day obsessively checking my phone messages, you know, just in case.

I decided I would celebrate with a takeaway and some fizzy wine if I’d made it in this season, but then I got hungry and just had a bowl of pasta. Finally at about 10pm the email arrived, and it took me about 5 minutes to persuade myself to actually scroll down and read it. And, whoop! There I was! Officially on the A team from January-June next year and not even a crossover skater or anything! Whoop!

I immediately burst into tears and then walked to the shop with no make up on because I felt this called for Cava and Chocolate. This is about the first time in 10 years I have left the house with no make up, so I obviously then bumped into someone I knew at the shop who probably now thinks I’m a nutter as I tried to avoid their gaze so they didn’t get too good a look at my puffy eyes and missing eyebrows.

Just another 6 months and I can stress over it all again. Hurrah!

Aced my Make Up

For ages I’ve been in a bit of a make up rut. I wear it so I don’t look patchy and tired, but mostly I just do the same thing, a bit of mascara, eyebrows and some lipstick if I’m feeling fancy.

Then I became obsessed with Ru Pauls Drag Race on Netflix.

Seriously guys, those Queens know make up. I started messing around with contouring and I keep finding myself unconciously making my make up more dramatic. This is not *always* a good thing, a couple of times I have realised I have totally overdone it and I look like an actual Drag Queen. Eyes OR lips is a rule for a reason folks.

This week, however, I actually did some eyeliner flicks for the first time in ages, and I felt pretty good about it. I also ordered some glitter after becoming obsessed with glitter lips and believe it or not I managed to get the stuff to last all night, through pints of beer AND an Indian meal.

Played some Roller Derby

What a surprise right? This week has actually been quite full of Roller Derby, so apologies to those of you who don’t really care, I did throw some glitter lips in there for you!

On Saturday we had our annual Intraleague Game and Christmas Party. I played in my first ever proper Co-Ed game, sometimes at Co-Ed scrims I’ve found it really difficult. Men and Women in general have slightly different skating styles and playing styles in Roller Derby. sometimes it clicks, and sometimes it doesn’t! I was really happy with my line up in this game, we all worked so well together, we were calm on the bench and everything came together beautifully My team, the Yare Yare Yares eventually won the game 251-82, which we were so pleased with.

The womens only Intraleague game afterwards reversed the fortunes and the Ouse Your Daddies took the win. As much as I wanted my team to win, it did seem nicely in the Festive spirit that we shared it out with a win for both teams in the end.

Got an Award

I’m not one of lifes award winners, I’ve known that for a long time! In Roller Derby at the end of each game the opposing team award certificates for MVP, Best Blocker and Best Jammer. I’ve never got one, and at first it bothered me as I thought I must be an awful player, but actually as with most of the things I’ve done in my life, I’m just not the sort of player who gets the awards, and there are 11 of them in every game!

Anyway, lets not talk about the awards I don’t win, because actually in our yearly team awards last night I DID get an award. I won Most Improved. I joked that the first award I ever win was for not being as shit as I used to be, but actually I’m incredibly pleased with it and a bit emotional, don’t tell anyone though.

I’ve worked really hard this year, on my skating skills, my fitness, my game play and most importantly on my confidence because I’ve always thought of myself as a little bit rubbish, if I’m honest! It’s nice to think that my team mates can see that I’ve improved and being part of that team has been a big part of my improvement as well. Playing and winning games with skaters that I’ve looked up to ever since I started Fresh Meat, and feeling like I wasn’t a hinderance has been an amazing experience, and I’m so excited for next season and a new set of challenges.

And that was my week!

With the last practice of the season out of the way there’ll be a lot less Roller Derby between now and January, I plan to fill my time with eating, drinking and Christmas movies instead!