New Look

Ok, it has been a while since I've mixed up the hairstyle too much. It's been in the medium-long range without anything different for the last year and a half. I'm to the point where I want to do something to change things up. But, I'm not sure what to really do about it. I feel like the mullet works pretty well for me, but I'm also considering going for something new like the fo-hawk or a military cut or another that I happen to think about the day I end up actually getting my hair cut. Hair is great in that it always grows back (or at least has for me so far... I guess that might not always be the case, but hope I have a while longer till I have to worry about not having options of what to do with my hair). My hair is perfectly straight, and doesn't curl no matter how long it gets, so I do have some limitations as to what I can do with it, and it is rather thin. It has treated me pretty well over the years, though, in spite of my negligence to it. I've often gone weeks without seeing my hair in a mirror, rarely style it, and don't concern myself with what type of products are used for washing it. If you've got any thoughts or suggestions for me, let me know. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a couple of photos of hairstyles that I think don't receive the respect they deserve.

Joe Dierte reporting for work

The rat tail... time for a comeback

Only in the U.S.A.

(And in a few select Canadian cities).

So I spent this past weekend in Nashville, TN. It was full of some good times, but one in particular I've got to share.

Two words: Roller Derby! That's right, let it soak in.

Since Memphis turned out to be a couple hours further than what we expected, Travis and I decided to stay in Nashville on Saturday instead of going to the bbq festival in Memphis which I'm sure would have also been fun. But, had we headed to Memphis, we'd have missed the excitement and fun of the Nashville Rollergirls crushing the Dixie Derby Girls from Alabama.

I didn't really know what to expect, but was pretty sure that roller derby would be a memorable experience. It turned out to be a lot of fun too. While there were only a couple really good hits in which girls got completely blindsided and laid out by a block, the action was fairly exciting. But I think the best thing about the event itself was the fun atmosphere. The arena was small, and packed. Down on the floor, you could see the expressions on the participants faces as they skated around the rink. They were all having fun, and I don't think any of them are in it for the money (in fact, I don't know if they get paid anything at all). The fans filled in all around the track as well as up above in small balcony areas. Most of the fans were yelling and cheering throughout the entire competition (it lasted maybe an hour and a half total) whenever the team would score any points or when anyone was knocked down.

Another great thing about the roller derby is the creative and fun names and jersey numbers of each of the girls. The best rollergirl was named Rambo Sambo, and her number was M60. She started out the night with a couple strings of bulets (not real) over her shoulders and a belt of bullets as well. Another was named Smith N. Wesson with the number .357, and there was a lot of fishnet stockings, dyed hair, and war paint.

Now that I've been to one, I will look for more opportunities to go to roller derby matches whenever I can. I didn't realize it before, but after some further research, I found that there are about 80 teams that are registered with the women's flat track derby association. And included in that are teams from Harrisburg and Lancaster, PA as well as Ft. Wayne, IN, all of which are places I could have been attending roller derby matches at before now. You should check to see if there's a roller derby team in a city near you, and if so, invite me over and we'll go together.

(Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera with me, but these photos I found online aren't from the same night, but were from a different match Nashville had).