Purple Tinted Glasses

The message below was sent to me which has sparked my interest in reviving my bloggy-blog thing. I can honestly say that I have not been happy with the things I have posted and the drafts that sit unpublished. I often times feel like I am forcing words on to the page just to have something to say. I guess that’s why I haven’t said much lately.

So much has been happening and I haven’t had the time or wherewithal to mention any of it. So here we go. Grab a shovel and dig in.

Accomplishments/Mentionings:

• I did the MS 150 last month. That was exciting. With hardly any training (see reason here) and on an alien blue bike, I made it through all 149 miles! Yes, I got SAG-ged for 1 mile because of a series of flat tires that nearly drove me off my rocker. I think I have finally regained all feeling that I lost in unmentionable places from that ride too. Special thanks to Will for sticking with me.

• I’ve played my first home game with my new team at our new venue, and we won.  I don’t particularly care for the new venue. It reminds me of a high school gym and smells like one too. I miss our flashy lights and being surrounded by quintessential New Orleans (Mardi Gras). We outgrew our home that all of our fans came to love. Now we just need to finish working out the kinks to get this one just as fabulous. Ibeatya painted banners, one for each home team and they are just amazing - as is she! We also need to sell tickets. They’re cheaper than they’ve ever been - $10. So, for those of you looking to do something this Sunday, Nov 9, you should come out and see the Big Easy Rollergirls’ Crescent Wenches and Story Villains duke it out. Centerpunch will be playing at half time and I have a feeling this is going to be one hell of a game.

• The house is CLEAN! It’s 30% my doing and 70% Will’s. I’m hosting some team meetings this week and next, which as Will says lit a fire under my ass to get some stuff put away.  We have company coming at the end of November anyway, but this just got me to focus on it sooner.

• I painted the back porch… all by myself! I’d like my gold star and my cookie now.

• I entered my late 20’s. This was #3 in a string of good birthdays. It felt really special this year and I have my other half to thank for the most of it. I also went to the DMV and officially became a New Orleanian. Bye bye Jefferson Parish.

• My house is rented… finally. The rent doesn’t cover the note, but I won’t be eating Ramen and mooching off friends for drinks… at least not as much as I was a month ago. The renter has also assured me that she is interested in purchasing in an undetermined amount of time. I guess I’ll save my official good riddance until then.

• I’ve been to an addition 2 or 3 Molly Ringwalds shows and have enjoyed all of them. One of them was even a festival down in… um… Well, I cant remember right now, but it was crazy and they were like rock stars out there. It was kind of weird. I had sworn off festivals because it just never is the same, but Sally and I made the trip for the sake of others’ sanity (sanities? saniti?)

• The rollergirls participated in the Voodoo Music Festival parade. We were officially “artists” for the day. Free drinks and back stage access is something that’s hard not to abuse.

• My best friend is having a BABY! I’ve been knowing forever and I’ve already been through the stages of denial: WHAT?! My friends can’t start having babies! No one can have babies! Babies are scary… but at least it’s you, not me. Ok, fine. You can have your baby, but you know the rule… Auntie Sherri doesn’t take them until they’re potty trained.

Ok, bored with me yet? Until next time… hopefully sooner than later.

Blake Killian, 27
Food blogger and founder, www.BlakeMakes.com  Blake Killian’s night job has made him very popular at his day job. Killian, a Web developer for the funeral services company Stewart Enterprises, is the cook behind BlakeMakes.com, a burgeoning hub for the food-blogging community. “I’m actually doing one of the worst things a food blogger can do: I’m on a diet,” he admits. “That really affects the way I cook. I used to buy a bottle of olive oil a week.” While Killian cuts calories, he says his colleagues are reaping the rewards. “I cook it, taste it, photograph it, blog about it and give it away,” he explains. “I’m making a mushroom and farro pie this week. It’s going to photograph fantastically. I’ll bring that in to my vegetarian friends on Monday.” Giving away food is how Killian got his start. The food-obsessed techie was fooling around with a peanut butter dulce de leche and, on a lark, posted a giveaway on his site. “In less than 60 seconds [a dozen] jars got claimed,” he says. “I was like, “Hmm. There’s something here.’” Twelve bottles became 80, and soon Killian was receiving products from companies like Lipton and Hershey’s. Though BlakeMakes.com  began as a whim, it is now a veritable movement, with a staple audience of 500 bloggers and several spin-offs in spec: BlakeBakes, BlakeSips, a communal magazine and two cooking shows. “It never stops,” Killian says. “I tell people all the time: If you want to blog, great. But you have to realize that they’re little monsters. Their hunger is never satiated. You have to constantly feed them or they’ll die.”