New Year's Day

So, I'm married now!

It was a very fitting ceremony: funny, quick, entertaining, and surrounded by friends, family, and derby girls. The bride walked down the aisle barefoot to Mr. Blue Sky, and the preacher played his part wonderfully, reenacting the marriage scene from The Princess Bride:

Seriously. It's good to hear a large group of people erupt in laughter before the vows are officially taken. Which were, and I'm not kidding:

"Do you?"
"I do!"
"And you?"
"Yep!"
"Then, you are! Congratulations!"

The whole ceremony was under 2 minutes. Then, we had a massive party for many hours before my new bride and myself went off to spend a lovely evening away from everything.

Oh! And we got quite possibly the best, most awesomest wedding gift ever from our friend (and fellow derby ref), Rumble StilsKin, who - my god, had better be thinking about further pursuing his doodles more:


Holy crap! Is that great or what? He nailed both of us!

Enjoy the new year, everyone! I know I will!

Absence

Guess who's getting hitched on New Year's Day?!

I've had a busy, wonderful time away from the blog. Thanks, everyone!

Extra, EXTRA thanks to Mr. Popular for the AWESOME gift!

...and 1/1/11 is an anniversary date even my crappy memory won't soon forget!

Portrait!

Hey! It's me! Honest!

(Goatee only slightly exaggerated)

Sketch by Mr. Popular. Who was quite the hit at the Derby Bout! Especially at the bar.

I think it was the dress. Nice legs!

(Thanks, man!)

You got your dinosaurs all over my derby!

So Mr. Popular just finished the poster for our next bout, which, if I'm not mistaken, he will be attending. And staying with us while he's in town. Check it out:

I like to think that the otherwise unexplainable dinosaur motif is something in the way of couch-sleeping compensation. Lord knows it confused the derby girls...

Great job!

Derby Weekend

Hey kiddles -

I'm off as official scorekeeper and stats dude to travel with the Treasure Valley Roller Girls as they take on the Midnight Terrors of Watsatch, UT (Salt Lake City, really). Should be a great bout!

I don't think it's streamed or anything, but if it is, it would be at the Watsatch site somewhere.

Later!

Behold!

The Greatest Poster in Roller Derby History*!!

Courtesy of Eric Powell.

Man, that's positively Dëthklöckian!

(* apologies, of course to Mr. Popular, who - I think - would agree with me.)

Derby Day - Special BIG TIME LIVE Edition (Now - Ongoing!)

Tonight, the Treasure Valley Roller Girls are bouting in the biggest venue they've ever been in. See, the Idaho Stampede (NBA affiliate) has worked a deal with them to cross-promote and allow the girls to use the Idaho Qwest Arena for a one time, see-how-it-goes bout during a prime-time weekday. Needless to say, everyone's more than excited ... and more than a little nervous!

This is a huge venue (well, huge for Boise, anyway), and we're really not expecting to come close to filling it up - but any halfway decent showing will have massive ramifications on the future of Roller Derby in the area. I expect my Tivo to pick up all sorts of local broadcasts tonight with colorful news segments featuring the on-the-spot girly reporter trying to skate in a circle before jokingly being "hit" by an actual TVR girl, "*Ouch!* Well, it's really harder than it looks.. back to you, Bob!"

Anyway, as head scorekeeper, I'll be dealing with the jumbotron and the logistics of adapting it to roller derby scoring nomenclature. And on actually working it properly. I'm sure it'll be a mess. Derby scoring is more constant than even basketball, and it takes a lot of communication with the officials to make it work smoothly. There are often corrections, too.. something you never like to see on a live scoreboard.

Well, it's sure to be an experience, at any rate... Oh! And a bonus of having such a large media machine behind this bout... You get to watch it!

That's right.. tune in here at 7pm Mountain (9pm Eastern) and watch a live streaming broadcast of a Treasure Valley Roller Derby bout! You'll certainly see the Roller Girl at some point.. and, if you're lucky and I'm actually on the floor, maybe even me!

If, for some reason, my embedding doesn't stick, you can watch from the TVR girls main page: http://www.treasurevalleyrollergirls.net

Hope you enjoy it! Now, I'm off to set up...

EDIT: I really can't believe it, but almost a month after the event, the above stream still works. So, if you're curious... you can still watch the entire bout, start to finish! And... it was a squeaker! Came right down to the last jam! An exciting bout, but a real busy one for us scorekeepers.

I'm not on camera at all, but the Roller Girl gets quite a lot of play time. I'm stuck sitting behind the camera wearing a headset and logistically talking with the guy who's announcing the stream (which starts after the Nation Anthem is sung). I did get to push the big arena horn button, which was a lot more fun than I though it would be.

Oh, and that floor ... that's plastic fiber tiles set over hockey ice. Very slick to skate on. You can see the trepidation some of the girls have to work through during the first few minutes before they really get going.

Derby Day

Really, really been busy these days ... Sorry 'bout the low content (again)...

Weekend Wrap-up

Things that made me happy this week:

Jack gives Hydra a Wet Willie.


J.H. Williams, with an easy throw-away detail of him eating, draws one of the best Jonah Hex character moments I've seen in a while. I mean.. Euggh!


Mr. Popular drew this. Total awesomeness a Go-Go!


I bought a Giant-Size Jimmy Olsen in which this actually happens for only a buck. And it's not the craziest thing that happens in it. Not by a long shot.

vs.
Season 2, Bout 4 tomorrow night! The Roller Girl's very own Devil's Darlings vs. those doomed-before-it-starts B-Town Battalion!

Oh .. and we're expecting several inches of snow tonight. Contrary to popular belief, it really doesn't snow much here in Boise. Surrounding area? Yeah. In the city proper? Not so much. So.. looking forward to that.

(It's actually quite funny early in the morning when I let the dogs out to do their business after a nightly snowfall.. they run full tilt outside, then stop suddenly in the middle of the yard, look around confused then back at me with an expression like, "Did YOU do this?!?")

Enjoy the weekend, everyone!

By the way... The devil girl in the Darling's logo? Yeah, that's Bettie.

Previews Want

Noticed in the latest Previews, via Sims:

TRUE TALES OF THE ROLLER DERBY: DOPPELGANGER AT THE HANGAR

Written by: Lisa Titan and Nader Absood
Illustrated by: Dennis Culver
Colors by: Pamela Rambo
32 pages, standard, full color interiors
$4.99

Goodie Two-Skates is missing! And who are these new skaters–the freakishly perfect freshies that have suddenly shown up? The Wheels of Justice have to find Goodie and get to the bottom of this mystery before Nationals, or the Icy Blonde will succeed in corrupting the team forever!

So, yeah... I'll be getting a few copies of that. So should you.

If This Be My Batcave

Official notice:

Soup and SexyNerdGirl are in hard-core house hunting mode, which takes up a lot of our spare time, what with there being so few Crime-Stopper Headquarters on the market out here in rural Idaho. Oh, and there's a big Roller Derby bout this weekend involving our Treasure Valley Roller Girls and the Jet City Bombers from the Seattle area. The former team of SexyNerdGirl, as a matter of fact. So, there's that whole old team / new team rivalry thing going on, which means lots and lots of derby practices and meetings. Y'know.. to dish the dirt on your old teammates.

Oh, and we've just started playing Spore. Wow, is that ever a fun game! Time killer, too!

As a result, expect a very sporadic posting schedule for the next week or so. Hopefully, we can soon get everything straightened out and go back to posting Jughead covers with photoshopped boobies. Or the Goddamn Batman. Maybe both.

Kisses!

Derby D'oh!

Simpsons Comics came out last week in which Marge tries out for a Roller Derby team and the wacky hi-jinks that naturally ensue. It's pretty good, though they did play a little loose with how the actual game is played - at the end of the bout Marge actually crosses a finish line to win. That's weird. But for the most part, they get the idea and make it fun.

And the comic is pretty funny - which is not at all surprising being a Simpsons comic and all. Honestly, this series has been a consistently funny all-ages read from issue one. It helps that you can read the comic and hear the actual character's voices in your head. At least, that's what I do.

Anywhoo, being a Roller Derby official myself, I thought it might be nice to explain some of the sport's more obscure termanology, as helpfully illustrated by this kiddiebook.

All set?

GO!!!


The Flapjack


The Blumpkin


The KrackWhore Whack


The Pirate's Booty


The Alabama Hot Pocket


The Boobie Buster


The Lesbian Threesome
A personal favorite, but the effectiveness varies drastically depending on who's involved in making the play


The Moleman Toss


The Porn Scene Setup


The Rusty Trombone

Ah, yes. Roller Derby. You can learn quite a few things from derby. For instance:

"With Skate Power, Comes Skate Responsibility."

I can't believe they didn't make that joke in the comic! Bongo guys?!? Call me...

Now you Know!

Is it just me, or could this be a scene from a particularly wacky episode of Harley and Ivy Join the Army?

Oh, and a heartfelt "Congrats!" to the Treasure Valley Roller Girl's Devil's Darlings for winning their season opening bout in what was, quite frankly, one of the best games I've ever seen! And (as far as I'm concerned) they couldn't have done it without a certain new Pivot recruit playing in her very first league game....

(*Muhah!*)

BONUS: Hey! Guess who's stuck in the background of a picture in Wiki's Roller Derby page? How odd!

(Almost too tiny to be noticeable.. but still! Spiffy!)

Surprisingly Only Slightly Ribald Monday

Monday! Whee!

Everything went quite over Roller Derby weekend - Our local Treasure Valley Roller Girls won (handily .. though it was a real close game until the last period), and the girls were all justly proud of beating a very good out of state team. And I must say, I've never seen a more fast paced, brutal game in person before. Clearly, both teams were giving it their all and it was absolutely a joy to witness. Seriously, if you ever get the chance - go see one of these things. It's like a brutal carnival. Or an evil disco. I dunno. It's something. Just go.

There were no less than four game stopping injuries. At one point there was an extended time out while they gingerly moved one girl already on the only ambulance stretcher in order to free it up to cart off another. Reminded me of something out of a Popeye toon.

Afterwards we pretty much took over a local bar who were smart enough to recognize a good thing when it happened.

"50+ rowdy roller girls? Yeah... Why don't you all party in here, on us... Oh - drinks are half off for you ladies. Enjoy the dance floor. Gimme a sec to go hang a sign up outside, wouldja?"

We packed the place. The band quickly noticed and really played to the situation. Local boys started pouring in and in no time, we had a thing going. A chick grinding, bar top dancing, sloppy singing, keep it all away from the children, please, thing. Quite fun well into the wee hours!

So after 'Recovery Sunday' we're back - fully rested, debauchery relieved, ripped and ready for another week.

...which makes this one a puzzler! Honestly, given this cover.... I ended up all cutesy on ya.

Elsewhere...


Yeah, there was so much potential there for naughtiness. I know.

Must be gettin' soft.

Awww.. it is kinda cute though. Li'l fella kinda reminds me of someone..

(Actually, I cheated and made up Veronica's last word bubble. Looks good, though! I'm getting better at that!)

Derby Night - The Conclusion

It's been a heck of a busy week here at Casa del Soup as the Treasure Valley Roller Girls are hosting the Lava City Derby Dolls out of Bend, Oregon tonight for the last bout of the season. And because we here at del Casa are a hospitable peoples, we have agreed for several members of the visiting team to crash with us before the flight back. That means no sleep tonight, as the after-bout celebrations are expected to last late until the wee hours. (Mental note - pick up some adult beverages.) I hope they like dogs.

I submit this to you, friend bloggers: Whatever you're doing tonight, wherever you find yourself, let me assure you that it pales in comparison to a house full of drunken Derby girls partying till dawn while still high on the adrenaline rush that only comes after skating a full-on bout, smacking the ever-lovin' hell out of a visiting team. Then drinking with them afterwards.

 

And as a bonus, this bout marks the first time that SexyNerdGirl will be skating full-on as a player instead of her usual role as Score Whor... errr... Rink Girl. She's stoked. And she needs to quit randomly smacking into me as "practice."

Plus, I'm officially the league's lead statistician / scorekeeper. That give me all sorts of number crunching responsibilities and such. Particularly if there's an out of town team in play. Things need to be accurate and consistent with the national requirements. 

Oh, and there's a parade tomorrow that the girls (and maybe me) have a marching spot in, an upcoming music festival that I really need to practice for (both guitar and mandolin), car work I need to get to, possible trip into work this weekend, and I'd really like to level my Everquest character up while the free promotion is going on. And our Wii Fitness just arrived in the mail.

(Bonus: It's a Pride parade. Those are crazy fun by definition. I think it's in the bylaws. Bilaws? Ahem.)

So, yeah, It's been nuts. A fun kind of nuts, but leguminous nonetheless. Ah, life!

On a related note, isn't this pretty?

Eric Powell fundraising promo for the Music City Roller Girls

See Y'all Monday! (If I recover) Play nice, you guys!

Derby Day

Today is the night of the Treasure Valley Roller Girls' Championship Bout!

AKA: The Mayday Massacre

So I'm off to officiate the score while SexyNerdGirl acts as rink girl. Or as we affectionately call her, "The Score Whore." It's a lot of fun, and hopefully we'll get through a bout without a major injury this time. Keep your fingers crossed.

I tells ya, these goils is tuff!

See ya tomorrow!

Derby Bound

No (real) post toady.. I'm off to score another Roller Derby Bout.

Valentine's Day theme this month. I expect to have to break up a lot of girl-on-girl fights.

Derby's strange that way. But I'm not complaining.

Rollin' Around

Well, it's been quite the busy day! I'm still going through all the new comics I picked up! A nice new selection including Ultimate Spider-Man, Casanova, Daredevil, Morrison's Batman ... I'll need a few drinks before I actually get around to reading Frank Miller's Goddamn Joker though, let me tell you!

Frank always reads better with a buzz on. Particularly whiskey. Neat. Ice is for sissies. Goddamn sissies.

Plus, The Roller Girl and I spent some time at the tattoo artists' place checking out what will eventually be her latest. And brother? It's a doozy, even going from the early sketches. She's pretty giddy about it, actually.

So, because of that, and because it's kinda late for me to make up a completely new Flash Bashing crappy photoshop joke, I instead present another quickie. Only modestly changed for that personal touch.

But still, it is a pretty spiffy Flash cover...

Never piss off a Roller Girl. Trust me.

Goin' Off the Rails...

A bit of a quickie today - believe it or not, I'm off to a Roller Derby bout. With costumes. And fire eaters. And monkeys. Hopefully fire-eating monkeys in costume. On roller skates. Keep your fingers crossed.

Ah, surreality... the Devil's Tether Ball!

Anywhoo, here's some wacky fun with everyone's favorite crazy ex-wife...

Whew! Creepy! I think I've dated that girl once...

Tomorrow! - N.E.X.T.W.A.V.E.: Agents of Hostess!

(Or, if I don't get it done by then.. something different. Probably something crappy. Certainly not N.E.X.T.W.A.V.E. worthy...)

Weekend Fun

Hey! It's Monday!

I'm back, just finishing an absolutely fantastic weekend that involved a lot of you'll-never- read-about-it-here crazy fun. Sorry 'bout the no Friday post, though. And the late one today. Too busy.

In fact, I'm still recovering a bit from the whole thing and therefore posting just a quickie. But it turned out well and made me chuckle a little. Hope it's not too in-jokeish.

This one goes out to ... well, she knows.