Kim: meet Birmingham Birmingham: meet Kim

Right, so I realise that this blog has been neglected for some time, and at the request (read: hassling) of Antony – who is more up-to-date than me, I have decided to get it all back up and running again to keep those overseas (wherever you may be) in the loop – and this year, it will probably save time with the emails.

I’m not going to bother rehashing what I’ve sent most of you in emails already – there is no point! So we’re going to break this post down into a few areas:

Uni…
As of right now, I have, quite possibly, finished my undergraduate degree…I know, I know, round of applause please! Now anyone who knows me knows I’ve been at uni for 8 years now, and knows that I’m pretty ready to move on. So this semester (due to a stuff-up whilst I was overseas) I elected to finish my degree via an intense course in summer school. Yesterday I finished my final essay, and tomorrow I will be handing it up. And, pending a degree review by the school registar and a pass mark for this course, I would’ve finished my degree. Woop! Onto honours! Yes, the degree structure here is a little different to that in the UK – we do a 3 year undergraduate course, followed by a year of Honours, before moving into a Masters, PhD etc. So what I decide to do next year will completely depend on the outcome of this one. I haven’t decided what to do for my thesis yet, but I’ve been looking for an excuse to study Australia’s union movement for a year or so – I don’t know enough about it and I think it would be interesting, but it’s just a matter of finding that niche that no-one/not many people have studied before in the hopes that my ‘original’ research will ensure a first…lots of hard work, lots of reading, and three weeks to get my shit together…sounds like a plan!

This year at Uni I will also be a little more involved in uni life. Last year I ran in student elections with an independant left ticket called IndyGo, and managed to get myself elected to the Adelaide University Union Board. So far, I’m really enjoying the experience of being in the loop when it comes to the running of a large business. Student politics can be a little fickle and bitchy, so at the moment I’m trying to stay out of that (rather successfully actually!) and just get on with learning about how the AUU works and how I can contribute ideas. Let’s see if I feel as positive about it in a couple of months hey!

Work…
After Birmingham, I returned to my job at the Marion Hotel – a suburban pub near my house. I’ve worked in the bar, and more recently the bistro, for 2.5 years, and I really love it there. But the Xmas peroid always makes you re-think that – Friday and Saturday nights go nuts, are packed, and sometimes customers don’t treat you as nicely as you’d hope – it’s almost like the stress of the season gets to everyone. So, I’m glad that ones over for another year. On Xmas day, the pub had me dress up in one of those self-inflating Santa suits…

(Myself and the rest of the bistro staff)

It was actually pretty fun! On New Years Eve, the theme was masquerade, so I elected to dress up like a Jester for the night!

(Brett as The Mask and I)

Now that it’s the height of summer over here, things have quietened down a little, as they normally do this time of year – people are dining outside, going to the beach etc. Probably a good thing, considering I go back to uni in 3 weeks!

Derby…
Ah, derby. There is a reason why I put this third…it’s cause I LOVE IT SO MUCH that I knew I’d want to write about it for ages! Okay, so for those of you who don’t know, I arrived back into Oz at the end of August last year, and was skating with Adelaide Roller Derby (ADRD) by the start of September…you can’t keep me off them skates! About 3 weeks into training I had a nasty fall which got me carted off to hospital in the back of an ambulance…I knew people wouldn’t believe me, so I asked for proof:

(This is blurry me right after the nice ambulance men got my helmet off…if I was going to pay $800 for a glorified taxi ride I wanted at least a photo for my efforts!)

Needless to say, I had to stop training for a month or so. I managed to come back right at the end of the season, so I was lucky enough to see the Adelaides (as the Tornados and Phantoms) take on North Sydney and North Brisbane in ‘Skate of Emergency.’

(Debra the Zerba – Ref Mascot – and I…RIP Debra…someone decided to use her as a pool toy and she came off worse for wear)

(The Adeladie Tornados…it’s not a great picture, but it gives you an idea of what a bout looks like here)

Derby is so different here…in hindsight I’ve found that the UK derby scene places so much emphasis on the sporting, athletic side of the game that it forgets that we’re here to entertain too…ADRD do both really, really well. It’s quite a large league (approx. 120 as of Fresh Meat 2009) and it’s a really hard working, empowering, amazing community…if I could marry ADRD and have its babies, I would. So y’all need to come Down Under for your next holiday so you can skate with us! The games are held in a pavilion at the Adelaide Showgrounds (think Earls Court, but for EVERY match) and they pack out – everything from families with young kids, to punk rockers, to hot-rod and rockabilly enthusiasts, to big bands and swing session dancers…it’s SO MUCH FUN!

Fresh Meat tryouts this year had 120-odd people apply to be part of the league, with approx. 35 spots available – Fresh Meat only happens once a year here and it was intense! But so much fun, so supportive, and I got through just fine, so I can now officially say I’m part of the best league in Australia! It looks like the girls that missed out this year are actually keen to start another league, which is awesome, and something that ADRD have been expecting for a little while now. They’re going to be called the Murder City Roller Girls (Adelaide is widely rumoured to be the country’s serial killer capital…it’s actually not true, but okay!) So ADRD is playing some indirect role in helping the girls get set-up. As awesome as being involved in the setting up of a new league sounds, I’m happy that I’m playing with a league that’s already so well established. In February we have Smarty Pants (TXRD) flying out to train ADRD for month – this is something that ADRD funds every year, which is really cool. The league took a 5 week break over Xmas and have just started back…enduro on the first night…sadistic bitches! Last Monday night was an intense blocking session – right up my alley! My whiplash and my other niggles have finally completely healed, so I’m at 100% and rearing to go…gotta wait till April though before we start interleague bouting…bum! All I’m hanging out for now is to find out what team I’m going to be drafted to – I really don’t mind as I love them all, and all of the girls are great, but my gut is telling me I might go to the Mile Die Club – I’ll find out in about a month!

Random Stuff…
- My best mate is like, seconds away from having her first child…I’m going to be an aunty! And her little girl is definitely going to be a punk rocker!
- I’m going to a festival here called ‘Soundwave‘ in a month of so – Faith No More, Trivium, Placebo, Paramore, The Get Up Kids, Reel Big Fish, Alexis on Fire and My Chemical Romance live…YESSSSSS!!
- I’m going to see La Roux in March (after they skipped out on Adelaide in October of last year!)
- I spent an hour and a half on the phone with Trix this morning – that rocked!
- I spent three days down in Mt Gambier recently – a country town 5 hours from here famous for it’s Blue Lake:
(And before you ask, yes it is that blue, and no I haven’t Photoshopped it!)
- You should all see Whip It! It’s a lovely light-hearted film…mmm if only I were allowed to clothesline in real life!
- I like emails…y’all should send some more often!
- Mad March is about to start here – that’s when the Clispal 500 (a car race), the Adelaide Fringe, Womad and the Adelaide Festival all collide…I love Adelaide at this time of year!

I can’t think of anything else, so I think I’m done! I hope you’re all keeping well and that the days are getting less colder as we speak! I will leave you with a little map – something I found to try and explain the size difference between Australia and Europe….

Stay safe, much love xoxo

So my blog has been a little neglected of late, largely due to the fact that it’s exam time and I’m busy busy busy!! As I’ve lost a bit of the chronological order thing I was going for, I’ve kinda just lumped stuff together for you guys to make sense of…starting with my Dames! Enjoy!!

Meet The Dames…

Middlesborough Bout Afterparty
I was announcing at this bout, so no time to take pictures of the action (you can find some on their website) – but sober enough to take lots at the afterparty…and damn do these girls know how to party!

First Intra-league Bout – Bombshells vs. Sirens

Bombshells…

Sirens…

One big happy family…

Leeds Bout Afterparty

Cirque Du Sol Pain
Blitz Dames fundraiser that I got to compare (what can I say? I like being in front of a microphone!)

Lashes – organiser extrodiannare and I (her faithful assistant) right before things were due to get messy!

That’s the Dames updated! Phew! Soon to be added: Kim’s Aussie Attack (Jen comes to Birmingham, Kim goes to London for Anzac Day) and my May Update!

K xoxo

Before the tears…

Oh look there were no tears, which means I can take more video…

The final outcome…

Things I learnt:
a) Don’t get your tattooist’s name wrong…it’s not a good way to start
b) Despite my low pain threshold, I did not cry, and I did not need numbing cream (Cara!)
c) Tattoos are a great excuse to eat chocolate in the morning…need to keep blood sugar levels up
d) Tattoos can provide closure
e) Get a tattoo when you’re overseas…that way you can’t see your father’s disapproving stares (I can see your face now Dad…)

K xoxo