photo originally uploaded by @passiveagressivenotes

How I started Reading It

I’m not certain where I came across it. This is a humorous blog so it tends to circulate Twitter/Facebook statuses. It’s funny 99.99999999999% of the time. You know when someone leaves notes in public places (usually offices) that state the rules and etiquette of the world (like the note I wanted to leave in my last post?) This is the blog where people take pictures of those notes and send them in. It’s not just notes, but company wide emails, signs, Facebook passages….anything goes really.

Most Memorable Post

This is impossible to choose. They publish at least one note a day that it’s hard to remember. The stuff that makes me laugh most is usually notes that stores post. Like this one about unattended children.

Reading schedule

They post about once a day so whenever I need a chuckle I go an read it. It’s nice when I’ve been busy and there are a few of them waiting for me. It’s the little things in life, I tell ya.

Anyway, the change rooms are undergoing renovations for the showers – they are old and out of date so I’m actually pretty excited that this is going on. In the meantime, they have given us portable showers to work with. There are only 4 (compared to 10 we had before) and to get the water going you have to pull down a rope and hold it.

All in all, it’s not bad. I remember being in Greece and having to boil the water to take a warm bath. Hubby says it reminds him of ones he’s used in the military. Realistically, the water comes out with good pressure and it’s warm. And they are clean. Really, it’s not that different from a regular shower.

Or maybe I have no class. It seems that I am the anomaly at my gym. All the ladies do in the change room is complain about these showers – there’s not enough of them, you have to hold the rope down, you need to have flip flops, yadda yaddda.

For the first couple of days I could kind of sympathize – it’s change and most people can’t handle change. But by the fourth day, I wanted to scream at them. Every second I am in there that’s all they do!

I even had one lady stop drying her hair, step around the corner and say to me in a crisp, harsh voice, “Oh my god. Have you used these showers?” (As an aside, she was dressed in scrubs, so I’m sure she’s seen worse situations than these showers).

Me: Yup. They’re not so bad.

Lady : *Gasp* What? Well, how do you do it?

Me: *shrugs shoulders* Um, I pull down the rope when I need water. Then I lather. Then I pull the rope down when I need to rinse off.

Lady: *tsk* Well, I think they are horrible. I just can’t shower here.

Me: Meh. I’ve seen worse (I don’t think she was please at my lack of empathy).

This was then followed by a myriad of women walking in (spinning class was over) all complaining about the showers. I just stood, in my towel, wet hair dripping, and listened.

Lady 1: *dripping with sarcasm* Oh, is there a line up for the FOUR showers?
Lady 2: Ugh I know, aren’t they terrible. Only four showers, what were they thinking.
Lady 3: You know, Julie said this was going to be going on for 6 weeks!
Lady 4: Well, the new showers better be made with gold.
Lady 5: Can you believe that they still kept that green colour for the walls? What were they thinking?
Lady 1 to Lady 2: Oh, are you seriously showering at home?
Lady 2: Yes! I can’t take this. It’s really ruining my morning.

etc, etc. (yes, these are real conversations)

When I left I thought about making this sign and posting it on the bulletin board in the room:

passive-aggressive note I wish I posted

I’m so tempted to post that sign in the gym, but at the same time, I’m not a fan of making passive aggressive notes (while I am a fan of reading them). Instead I thought maybe I would say something to them the next time the complained to me.

But I haven’t gotten that chance. The change rooms have been empty since. I suppose all these rich women need to get to their homes and shower.

Either way, it works out for me – I get the change room all to myself!

That being said, it’s still perfectly normal to fantasize about your name. I mean, it sure gets me motivated to practice skating! It’s also generally the first thing that I get asked when I tell people I’m trying out. So, yeah, I’ve thought about some options (and still taking suggestions).

I had an unexpected run in at a wedding in Calgary where I knew only the bride and her sisters (even Hubby wasn’t there). There wasn’t even assigned seating but I ended up next to a derby ref from Regina, of all people! We had some lively conversation and she gave me some good advice.

One thing I learned was that there are no duplicate derby names. That’s right – when you FINALLY make it through the testing and training (like being able to skate 25 laps in 5 minutes) you have to apply with your derby name. There is a huge database and if anyone has your name (or something too similar) then you get rejected.

Of course I had to check my first preference in names, zoëDisco. When chatting with my new found ref friend, we both thought that it was unique enough to be accepted. Right?

WRONG! There is ref by the name of Joe Disco. Can you believe it!? I can still apply with this name and even if it gets rejected i can write to this Joe Disco and beg him/her to let me have my name. The chances are low; but it’s worth a shot.

Really though, I’m not very concerned. I still have a long way to go before I can even think of a name. I think I’ll focus more on improving my skating abilities first.