Birthday Bash

For my birthday, I had considered making a visit to "Ladies' Night" at the local gun range, but soon realized that I would need to take their gun safety workshop, which requires an investment of time and money that effectively ruins the joke. So, my friend suggested we attend the season-opening bout at the "West Texas Roller Dollz" Roller Derby. It was held at the Civic Center, an all-purpose facility that accommodates the Lubbock Symphony and professional wrestling alike. It was flat-track roller derby, which comes with the added excitement of dangerous seating options - one can elect to sit in places where a woman in body armor, roller skates and a purple tutu could end up in your lap. We didn't arrive early enough to grab the prime real estate, but we know better for next time.

The bouts were exciting, the music was loud, and the crowd was intriguing. Lots of families, college kids, and a considerable number of senior citizens. We speculated that the older ladies had roller derby (or perhaps barrel racing) careers in the past, and were reliving the old days. At one point the MC, who wore thigh-high leather boots and a top hat while being substantially pregnant, asked if it was anyone's birthday. I scurried down to the front, where the various birthday boys and girls had a dance contest. When it was my turn, I busted out some belly-dancing moves that I learned back in Chicago. (I have taken lessons in many styles of dance, but I have found the belly-dancing to be particularly useful.) Unfortunately for me, the other contestants included a woman with a wheelchair, who impressed the crowd with wheelies, and a lady celebrating her 83rd birthday, who garnered the most applause. She ended up winning a sparkly birthday hat. As I was walking back to my seat, it occurred to me that I might have students in the audience - students who now know about my belly-dancing career. I wonder how they are handling that.

A week later I ran into one of my friends, a history professor, who had been with me at roller derby. She said "Allison, thanks to you I've earned coolness points with my students. Before class, I heard one of them say that they saw me at roller derby, and had no idea I was that awesome." Stick with me and you'll go far.