Why exactly do we pay insurance again?

Honestly, why do we pay for insurance? I know it is required by law in case you have an accident. Every month I fork out over a hundred and fifty dollars for full coverage on two vehicles not including our motorcycle. This past winter was hard on my car. The impossible to dodge pot holes have ruined my suspension.(there is no preventative measures that can be taken against pot holes)
Then to top matters of I was attacked by a deer last week. I had almost come to a complete stop as the animal ran right in front of me, striking the hood of my car leaving 2 dents, one the size of a dinner plate and one the size of a baseball.

So I call up my insurance company to see if we can claim the suspension and the dented hood at one time, it would seem logical and cost effective to handle everything at once. But no...I need two claim numbers and two appointments to inspect the same car. (What? why can't they inspect the car for the two problems at the same time?) and the only times they have available to inspect the car are at 1:40 and 2:20 on Friday. Poor Jacob will have to get up early after working a twelve hour shift so he can take my car to be inspected....twice. I already know I will not be able to take the time off work to take the car in. Then to add a little more frustration to my dilemma, not only will we have to have two claim numbers, two inspections, we will probably end up paying two deductibles, and there is still a chance that the inspector will decide my suspension was not caused by the pot holes but simple wear and tear. Uh...hello, my car wasn't making these awful noises every time you hit a bump before the winter of the pot holes.

Well, that is my rant for today, no point to it, just venting, like I said at the top of the page, no one has ever accused me of making sense.

Later

Victory!

We had a great game. The Stateline Divas placed one in the win column. Here are some, but not all of the pictures taken at the bout. Thanks to Tim Speer for doing a wonderful job with his camera, as always. And thanks to Bombadee from whom I stole the slide show.

The Count Down Begins

It is 1 pm, the doors to the public will be opening in five hours.

I am sitting in front of my computer after rereading the WFTDA (Women's Flat Track Derby Association) Rules.

I have eaten very little today, my stomach is full of butterflies. I had to force myself to eat a banana and half of a sandwich so I will have at least something to fuel my body.

Last night was spent at Redneck B Yotch's house going over bout video and eating pasta. I slept well but my internal alarm went off at eight this morning and I couldn't find the snooze button.

I am extremely nervous. In six hours I will take the track with my team and forever be known as DD Hunter, not only to my teammates, but also to our fans.

In seven and a half hours I will forever and always be able to state without hesitation, "I AM A DERBY DIVA!!"

Why Deer Camp Tails?

I know it is very confusing. Why did you name your blog Deer Camp Tails? you haven't said a thing about hunting. Well, it is a part of me, plus I thought the play on words was cute, you know....Tales and Tails.

Although I truly have never been to a real deer camp, I have hunted deer. But my hunting experiences started a long time ago. The first time I went hunting was with my father in Iowa. My little brother and I got to go with him on a squirrel hunt. Needless to say we didn't bring home anything for supper. We were very young I was somewhere between 3rd and 5th grade. I remember getting up early and riding with dad to a farm in the middle of nowhere. Dad had a thermos of coffee and one of hot chocolate for Me and James. We spent all day walking through the woods looking for squirrels. We didn't see any. We did how ever get to shoot dad's shotgun. It was one of those rare days that even 20 years later you remember.

The next time I went hunting it was my Idea. My husband and I went Dove hunting in Arizona. Labor Day Monday is the first day of Dove season in Yuma County. It is such a big deal that Hunters from California drive into town. High-school kids ditch class with their fathers. One local gun shop has an annual 'Big Breast' contest. (Dove breast goofballs)

Basically you load up with shotgun shells and meet a group of buddies out in the middle of nowhere, close to a field, preferably one with trees and water near by. Then you wait for the birds to start to fly.

Dove are small, but very tasty. It takes a good sized catch to make a meal. They are really easy to clean so it makes it worth it.

What is Roller Derby?

One of my Derby sisters found this short ESPN video. I think it is so far the closest video to how I feel. Especially the part about how many female friends I had before and after Derby.

Enjoy

Trust

Is it the nature of females to turn on one another? When I was growing up I seldom had any female friends. Even as a little girl I found that I could hardly ever trust members of my own sex. They were mean, spiteful, and always trying to hurt others. Why? Even now, as a grown up I find It is a very rare thing for me to have a trusting relationship with other women. Is that another reason I have been drawn to derby? Am I looking for a mythical creature when I want to find a female friend who won't play me the fool just to look good to other females?

In a word, yes. And I have been very lucky. I have found not 1 or 2 but quite a few of those fabled creatures. Most are just like me, they shied away from female friendships growing up, if you ask them they would say "I was a tomboy."

What is so unfortunate is that what I have found in derby seems to be rare everywhere else I look. Especially in the work place. I have said somethings to fellow employees in confidence only to have my words thrown back at me. The worst part is this person has heard the same thing from other employees but because I do not fit into her circle I am the one who is singled out, brought to the front to pay for my views. I'm sorry that I am one of many who feel the way I do. I am sorry that the environment in which I work is not supportive of a positive attitude.

Today I'll admit, I lied, I lied when I said I would change the way I look at my job. I lied when I said I will come to work with a positive attitude. I will come in and keep my mouth shut. I will do what is required of me, keep my opinions to myself, but most of all, I will have learned my lesson. Do not trust anyone.

Why do you Derby

Well let me start by saying I am very sore. I had a hard night at practice tonight. I skated hard and fast. I turned left and then I turned left again. My thighs feel like lead weights and my feet ache. Why do I do it, you ask? I wish there was a deep complex answer, but no. Life rarely gives you what you wish for.

I do Derby to get out of the house and meet people. I am not an aggressive person, but this is an aggressive sport. In seven short months I went from your average wall flower, go to work, come home, go to work, slump, to I am hardly ever home. My work schedule has been rearranged to fit my Derby schedule. Every Tuesday and Thursday I join a special group of women and we drive quite a distance to skate ourselves into dripping messes, for fun! On the nights I drive I put over 50 miles one way on my car, and I don't care.

This is my high. These women have become my family. I am proud and honored to be a Diva.
After seven months of learning a very intense game I am going to be skating against another team in a real game. I will be an official 'Derby Girl'.

Welcome to the wonderful word of blogging

Well, first off I just want to say hello to everyone. This isn't my first attempt at blogging. I tried to do a little on myspace, but I never knew what to say. So, here I am getting my feet wet on a real blog site. I have never been the kind to just jump in to the cold pool or lake, so please be patient while I enter the water one cold body part at a time.

First off a little introduction. I am a thirty-something married woman. My husband and I have been together for over 12 years. We have no children so we have no direct insight into the wonderful world of children. In that sense I love to hear the stories from our friends who have been blessed. I have found that nothing can bring on a more simple pleasure than to hear the latest version of life from a child's point of view. (And no, I am not being sarcastic.)

I haven't always lived in small town Illinois, for over twelve years I baked in the desert, and prior to that I have lived in quite a few other climates. Being the child of a U.S. Marine I was lucky enough to travel and live in many states and even on foreign soil.

In this blog, I hope to bore you with my life, past, present and the hopes of the future. However I feel I have rambled on long enough for a first post. On that note, I will part ways until I remember to sign in again.

May your day be all you need it to be and more.