The closest I ever came to serious, physical violence was being followed from the activity bus by a girl gang with weapons.

They had a compelling reason to target me, which didn't actually have anything to do with me. As editor in chief of the school paper, they thought I was responsible for a fairly horrendous racial slur slipped into an article without my knowledge. Since there was no byline on the story, natch, they hit out at me.

Thankfully, one of the girls in the gang knew me from way back and heartfelt reason won the day.

The newspaper adviser vowed the culprit would be sanctioned by grades. He was, however, given an A and plaudits that ushered him into a West Point appointment.

Two weeks into it, he was kicked out for cheating. Officer career, down the drain.

Justice was slow, but sweet.

I was fringe in grade school, middle school and high school. Plagued by a very pretty, petite and popular twin sister. Most of the taunts in high school included questions of whether I was a witch, what the fuck did I do to my hair and odd stares. Whatever. The rest is a blur.

My official derby name is Rose Redrum #217. A play on my maiden name because DH still calls me Rose.

My official derby name is Rose Redrum #217.

Excellent! Though I'm still a bit partial to Kobayashi Maim-You.

Paging Nora and Daisy and smonster: my mom is going to NO with dad for a conference. She wants to know what she should go see, outside the usual " conference run tour of the French Quarter, an historic cemetery (!!!), Museum of art, botanical gardens and the Garden District." I hope the croc tour/farm my brother and I took in the late nineties still exists. My mom likes funky, historical and factual. She LOVES looking at houses and gardens. I think she's be interested in the rebuilding stuff.

I lived in the same house in the same town in the same state from the day I arrived till just about a year ago, with short breaks for a year of dorm life, and four years accompanying H when he was in the army. In school I wanted so effing badly to move, to have a chance to go somewhere else, see new places, meet people who hadn't known me since the cradle and had me pegged as odd and insignificant, and to reinvent myself.

Instead, in senior year I got fed up trying to fit in, flipped off the whole school, faculty included, changed my look and my outlook and never looked back. Oddly? Suddenly everybody was either afraid, intrigued, or both. People I'd known all my life and who never even noticed I was in the room suddenly wanted to be BFF. And by that time I was over it and just didn't care. whatever dude, I'm busy.

I really didn't get the bullying, so I was baffled by it . I just didn't understand meanness.

Yes, this, in younger grades. Well really, ever. I understood the purpose and recognized the effect, I just never comprehended the motivation.

ION, msbelle, you remain my hero.

Kobayashi Maim-You.

I still like that one--if only because it is completely original. I hope someone uses it someday.

Oh, and she's only there for 3 days.

My official derby name is Rose Redrum #217.

I'm going to the roller derby in Vermont next weekend! It's The Border Patrol Brawl, featuring the Green Mountain Derby Dames vs. The Montreal Sexpos!

And going to a truly kickass restaurant. My bro says it's one of the best places he's ever eaten, and, although he hasn't eaten at French Laundry, he's certainly had his share of meals at other world-class restaurants. And I trust his taste. I'll have to remember to take my menu so I can share it here for the foodies, like Nora and Hec.

Also -- I am GIDDY with anticipation -- my bro's brewpub has gluten-free beer on tap. Not just any GF beer; GF beer which won a gold medal at the World Beer Cup (Category 14), beating out Budweiser's new GF beer. t /proud sister

I expect we'll make our required pilgrimage to Ben & Jerry's, and get a cider donut (gluten intolerance be damned) at Cold Hollow Cider Mill, and bring back amazing chocolate from Lake Champlain Chocolates.

That would be guilt chocolate, since I'm going to Vermont with my dad, not The Boy.

One day I want to go to Steph's brothers brewpub!

One day I want to go to Steph's brothers brewpub!

Any time I hear of someone going to Vermont, I try to steer them that way. I know I'm not objective, but it is SO good.

Well, I'm kind of objective. I mean, I love good food, you know? I wouldn't pretend that my bro's food was awesome if it was just limp greasy shoestring fries and a grey hamburger, you know? It really is good food.

And the beer? Fucking awesome. Same dealio -- I wouldn't pretend it was awesome if it was warm Natural Light out of a can. It really is fantastic beer, and I bitterly regret that I can't drink 95% of it any more.

(Well, I'll probably sip them all, but I can't just toss back a pint any more. But their GF beer -- I tried it last summer, before I knew I was gluten-intolerant -- really is excellent. If I hadn't known it was GF, I would never have been able to tell. And I've had Budweiser's new GF beer, and -- you can tell it's GF.)