Interesting fact - by law, all monster trucks are fitted with a “kill box.” This is a remotely operated engine-shutoff system, which will try to keep the driver from careening into several hundred fans should he lose control of the vehicle.

Did you know you could make your OWN monster truck? Just get a few tools together, and big-ify your vehicle!
Ford Escort!

School Bus!

Firebird!

Oldsmobile Cutlass!

My favorite monster truck was always Grave Digger.

This truck was amongst the first to get a fiberglass body, but it was only because the availability of a 51 panel truck body was next to zero, and this truck usually crashed 172 times per race. Its artwork is epic, and the color scheme is really eye-catching to young kid such as myself (yes, present tense).

The “Bigfoot” monster truck has had no less than 20 versions, including a 10′ tire version, and the Fastrax model, which used tank tread-style propulsion.

The original “Bigfoot,” popularly credited with getting the whole thing started, was actually not that big at all.

Tire advances fueled the sport’s expansion, as rednecks started scavenging bigger engines and axles from production vehicles (Unimogs, dump trucks, etc.) to cope with the increased torque load.

Chris, upon seeing Schenk’s huge array of Electrical tape facial hairs… decided to send us a picture of himself with his phenomenal beard.

BEARD.

VIDEO!

I meant to post this picture of my sister on her wedding day back on January 11th during the “love and breakdancing” day

It is particularly awesome.

Check it out!

Last night the RollerMagic Roller Rink in Waterbury hosted the first bout in this second season of Connecticut Roller Derby. The night had the Elm City Bone Crushers (ECBC) up against the Widowmakers. When these teams met last season the Widowmakers came home with the victory, but last night there were new players wearing skates and both teams were anxious to start the season off with a win.

I brought a bunch of first-timers with me to this particular bout. The sport was introduced to the new comers with a demonstration, narrated by the MC’s. As Hitman Hank and David Coppafeel explained the means by which the jammers score points, my friend Celina shuddered in awe: “Oh my God. They have to go THROUGH THE PACK?!?”

Yes, the Pack was formidable last night. The only thing more intimidating than the pack of six blockers and two pivots was the EMT’s stretcher which ominously stood at the ready just outside the roller rink. Adding to the excitement was a new rule; instead of the three 20 minute periods that we witnessed last year, this year’s bout would be made up of two 30 minute periods. I can only imagine what those last 10 minutes must feel like when you’re wearing skates and dodging the menacing shoulder of an opponent.

The Bout Begins

The bout started with ECBC’s captain Doomcake (#13) up against Eleanor Bruisevelt (#1933). Right from the onset the ECBC showed great defense. They kept the Widowmakers at arms length with an early lead and great consistency. As the evening progressed it was clear that a few new players were playing major roles in the action. Syd Rock (#2 Bells) jammed seven times for the Bone Crushers and she was Fast. Apparently Syd recently moved to CT from Arizona where she skated with The Copper Queens, a derby team out of Tucson AZ.*

Also new were Milla Low Life (#40oz), and Luciana PULVERotti (#110R) for the Widowmakers and Murderface Maully (#M82) and Smith & Wendy (#357) for the Bone Crushers. The first half saw some killer hits from these girls. In fact, in those first 30 minutes there were 38 personal fouls. Thirty Eight! There were Elbows being thrown everywhere.

What was especially fun to watch in this bout was the strategy. There was some extremely good skating by the defense. In one of the final jams of the first half Bone Crusher Chelsea Grin (#T-4) was skating opposite Eleanor Bruisevelt. Eleanor broke through the pack early on, but didn’t take lead jammer status. The widowmaker’s defense was keeping Chelsea back. As Eleanor gained on her rivals Chelsea furiously darted forward… getting to the front of the line just in time. The ref declared her Lead Jammer and she manically tapped her hips ending the jam. Both teams were left scoreless for the jam and the Bone Crushers maintained their lead.

Intermission

As the girls caught their breath, the crowd was entertained with some SICK dancing by the CT based group ‘Poetry in Motion.’ There were 5 guys who came out and Flared, popped, and freestyled to the cheers of the CTRG crowd. The Roller Derby intermissions are typically pretty good, but this one stood out as one of the best. The fifteen minutes flew by and before we knew it the girls were back on the track and the refs were blowing the starting whistle.

The Second Half

That first Jam put Syd Rock against Revengela (#1-2-3-4). Syd got a killer start but was NAILED by Widowmaker Peekaboom (#718). The bout was close. Really close. At the start of the eighth Jam the score stood 64 points for the Bone Crushers, 63 points for the Widowmakers. We were getting anxious. Half our crowd was rooting for the ECBC the other half for the Widowmakers. The Widowmaker fans got a jolt of energy in the ninth jam when Bone Crusher Syd Rock was slammed so hard she skidded 10 feet across the floor into the penalty bench. The hits were getting harder.

Time was ticking down. And the defense was getting tough. in those last few minutes few seconds would pass without an aggressive exchange of shoulders in the ring. ECBC Susan B. Anarchy took down Milla Low Life in one particularly memorable slam.

It was ECBC 75 to WM 71.

And there was time for one Jam left. The Bone Crusher fans amongst us started chanting “DEFENSE!” the Widowmaker fans were screaming for Widowmaker jammer Black Cherry (#C-4).

The Jam started. And the crowd was electrified… and the bone crushers had a lot of team members in the penalty box. Black Cherry broke ahead in the sprint from the starting line. She skated hard and forced her way to the front of the pack!! Lead Jammer status was called. She whipped around again and broke through the pack AGAIN. Upon doing so, she immediately ended the jam.

She’d pulled in 4 points! The time expired! It was 75 to 75!!

OVERTIME!!!

I’ve never seen an overtime before, so I was quite thankful when the MC’s explained what happens in OT.

Overtime in Derby is accomplished by a two minute jam. What makes it different from regular play is that the jammers immediately start getting points and it’s impossible to get lead jammer status. If the results of that jam were another tie… they do another jam. It will keep going like that until one team pulls ahead of the other.

And now, after a full game of being behind the Elm City Bone Crusher’s the Widowmakers had a chance to take it all. Black Cherry was up against Chelsea Grin… The whistles blew.

In just seconds Chelsea Grin was sent to the penalty box. Was it over for the Bone Crushers?!?! Black Cherry was flying around the rink like it was child’s play. Just when we’d thought the game was over, Chelsea stormed back into the ring. We were on our feet with excitement.

Chelsea skated around once… twice… and the bell sounded. Would it be enough?

There was a lull that seemed to last a lifetime. The refs wanted to make certain they got the points right.

the first score announced was the Bone Crushers. 8 points! Chelsea did great!

another lull as the scores were calculated… and the results!

Black Cherry got 11 points! THE WIDOWMAKERS WON IN OVERTIME!

What a bout! It was a joy to watch. The end statistics show how closely these two teams were matched:

***UPDATE! Chelsea Grin informed me that in fact the scorekeepers made a mistake with the numbers and, in fact, Chelsea scored 35 points!!! (35 is a lot.) Rock on Chelsea!***

There were a grand total of 59 personal foul penalties given out in the bout. FIFTY NINE! That’s practically one a minute!

What a show. Great job to all the players and people behind the scenes. From the fans, thanks.

If you’d like to come to the next bout, check out the next bout on February 24th. For more information go here! There are also a handful of inter-league bouts this year. Check back on the roller girl website or here for updates!

* Tucson is actually one of the oldest leagues in the US. The Texas Rollergirls (in Austin) were first.

One of those “You know you’re old when…” moments

I’m the mother of a toddler. I’m also the daughter of an engineer, and the wife of an(other) engineer. Put this together and what have you got? Someone who shops for Duplos.

Duplos, as you probably know, are Legos for the preschool set. They’re bigger, chunkier versions of the same bricks we’ve all grown up with, and they hurt just as much when you step on them barefooted. And for me, they provoke the same addictive frenzy: As soon as you buy one set, you’re scoping out your future purchases.

I was at the Lego shop over the weekend, agonizing over which box to buy. I had an Extremely Helpful Saleswoman who was able to point out the pros and cons of each collection in great detail. So when I finally made it to the checkout, I thought I was completely satisfied. But that’s when I saw the Lego Brick Separator:

I would have killed for this tool when I was, say, eight years old. How many times did I scrape up my fingertips while trying to pry those thin bricks apart? How many times did I mess up the bricks with bite marks when I resorted to using my teeth? I told Extremely Helpful Saleswoman how much I envied this tool, how much I would have loved it when I was a kid. I almost wanted to buy one now, just to make up for lost time.

And that’s when Extremely Helpful Saleswoman told me that the Lego Brick Separator has been included in every set for at least the past twenty-five years.

Ouch.

Speaking of bands, mine got together this past weekend. Dave (guitarist), Jaime (drummer), and I rocked out for a couple hours yesterday.

I am stoked. I think that this thing has a pretty good chance to get us out to a few bars and such by… say… June-ish. It will also help further justify the purchase of the PRS513. Speaking of which…

I got a call in early January from Guitar center. I picked up the phone to hear: “Your Guitar is here.”

the next night I drove up to Hartford, giddy with the anticipation of a black cherry PRS513. I arrived and the box stood majestically against the PRS desk. Brian came out and greeted me:

“Mr. DiDonato! Come to the desk and open your guitar!”

I walked over to the case. Unclicking the three locks, I braced myself and pulled up the lid… but the guitar wasn’t red. It was blue.

“huh? This isn’t a black cherry PRS513″
“uh oh.”

And as it happens, PRS made a mistake. They’d supplied the wrong guitar. So I went home guitarless that night… and we’re probably still 3 months out.

tragic.

I want a watch that will post the time in Braille. That way, if I’m in a meeting or on a business trip. I can surreptitiously check the time without offending anyone who is mid-sentence.

FISH STORY ALERT!!! We got to the lake around 2:30 PM. At 3:00
o’clock I got dressed for success, gathered up my ice fish’en gear and
headed out. I went out about 40 yards, augured my first hole and
commenced to ice fish’en. I sat there oh I’d say for 20 minutes with
maybe one bite, no fish. I walked out another 15 yards and drilled my
second hole. I sat there for a couple minutes and bang!, a pretty big
fish came a callen, but he got off. I brought up my bait, adjusted
the waxworm on the hook and sent it back down.

Moments later, BANG!

This time he was ON! I’d reel up a little, the fish took some line (I
had the drag set properly - dumb luck!). The rod was bent in two! I
got him close to the bottom of the hole.

Is it a pike?

No, it’s alargemouth bass!!

Charlie Moore would have been proud!
I got him almost out of the hole when the line broke. Larry Largemouth headed
for Davey Jones locker. But, because of the way the hole wasn’t cut
straight plus there was an underwater lip left on the ice by the
cutting blade of the auger, he couldn’t swim to freedom! His tail was
flapping above the hole, so I reached in the icy water and tried to
grab Larry. No luck, he was too slippery. I stood over the hole in
disbelief.

What happened next you ask??

Larry shot out of the hole and onto this ice! Larry with my cherished bait
in his mouth were laying next the the hole!!

Hallelujah Hollywood!!

I got the bait out of Larry’s mouth and held him up with pride.
He was probably 12″ long! I bid Larry farewell and sent him on his way
through the ice labyrinth and back to the happy depths of Londo Lake. That
was the first bass I ever caught through the ice. I was getting pretty cold
so I came in the house to warm up and to tell the fish story!

I got a Flat tire last Friday.

As I was changing lanes on the highway, I suddenly found myself speedily approaching what appeared to be a block. A block not unlike what you’d use to prevent a truck from rolling on a hill. I didn’t have enough time to get out of the way, so I hit it. Square on. The whole car surged - WHAAATHUMP.

I knew I had a flat. No need to drive any further. There’s no way a tire could survive that sort of impact.

I pulled over, got out. And checked the tire. Sure enough, there was a steady hiss coming from the side. I found a hat from the backseat, clapped my hands with authority, and got to work.

OpenTrunk.GetSpare.GrabJack.LoosenNuts.PutJackUnderCar.RaiseCar.TakeOffBustedTire.
PutOnSpare.ThreadNuts.LowerCarALittleBit.TightenNuts.LowerCar.Remove Jack.PutBusted
TireInTrunk.GetInCar.StartCar.DriveOff.

And about 9 minutes of fury later, I’m back in my car. I was not surprised to see two more cars just a short ways down the road pulled over with flat tires as well.

I get to work… barely. The car wasn’t sounding good. I got out to inspect… and found that the SPARE TIRE WAS FLAT. What?!

Two flat tires? BAH!

I found another Nissan in the parking lot, found the owner, and borrowed his spare. Over lunch, I went to Firestone to get a new tire.

While waiting at Firestone I was called to the desk. “Hi Mike. We need to show you this.”

And we went out into the garage.

“Your passenger side break calipers are frozen up, you’ve only been operating off the driver’s side break. And you really need some new brake pads. we really need to change that, and the rotors.”

$800 later the car was back on the road. Bummer.

Great Video

I especially like the Air Pushups.

So, I just took the picture of my Ulu for your website, and then I went to your website, and apparently the day of kitchen gadgets has passed. but I figured you might need to fill an hour somewhere randomly, so here is my Ulu.

Additionally to the information below, I find the ULU absolutely amazing for cutting just about anything. I definitely reach for this thing before a regular knife. Perhaps it’s the novelty, but I think it’s amazing, and if you want to mince something, use the curved bowl in the picture, and your done in seconds. Amazing I tell you. I was just looking at the website for the place where my sister got me this one (www.theulufactory.com) and I was astounded by the variety that they have. I may have to buy myself a Jade handled one just cause it looks cool, a 5″ one for usefulness, an 8″ one to round out the collection, and the steak knives cause that’s just wicked cool!

and I copied the info on the Ulu from Ulu.com

The Alaskan ULU (OO-loo) is an extremely versatile cutting tool crafted by the Native Alaskan people over five thousand years ago. The knife was primarily used by Eskimo women for skinning and cleaning fish and has played an important role in the survival of the Arctic people. Blades were originally made of polished slate and given a bone, ivory or wood handle. The handles were often inscribed with distinctive designs or markings exclusive to the maker of the knife. Today, Eskimos and people from all walks of life continue to use the versatile ULU as their primary cutting tool, despite the wide availability of other knife designs. Because the center of force is concentrated directly over the middle of the blade, it creates twice the direct downward force compared to that of conventional cutlery (where the force is behind the center of the blade).

So anyway, that’s my Ulu, use it if you so choose. I was also amazed by the travel stories. We really didn’t have any great stories I don’t think from our Honeymoon, or we are terrible storytellers. Either or both are possible. Doh!

Here’s a picture of a fence post.

Discuss.

(thanks Tim!)

This one is by far my favorite.

Thanks again Akshay!

Epic Power

Storm Trooper. out of work.

The next three posts are images that were made by my friend Akshay. They are quite entertaining.

A poem by Shaun McQuaid.

Go to work.
Go directly to work.
Do not pass anyone on the highway.
Do not collect a Christmas bonus.

Ahh, the last free swim. A day of random posts that spread all categories.

Actually the next few days in general might be Free swim days. Full days of content are few and far between. Let’s just hope we can make it through Thursday.

I can’t wait for February.