Roller Derby Queen

I heard about a party for a company called CH1 Productions. As I drove to the Clairemont location, I assumed it would be in a studio, but it was a house with a RockStar Energy Drink van and banner in the driveway. Miles told me that they once had a "Heaven & Hell" party. A woman chimed in, "That was so cool! One room was all white, and one was all red. I went from being an angel at the beginning of the evening to a devil as the night wore on." The guy next to me whispered, "I wouldn't have talked to her until she had a few beers and went into devil mode." Someone else told me about the previous parties these guys had. When people do that, I know I'm dealing with people who know how to throw a party.

I noticed a wall that had pictures of their previous parties, as well as photos from the "Mud Run" they participated in at Camp Pendleton. I overheard a woman on the phone excitedly say, "That's great! It came back negative. I'm so happy for you." When she hung up, I said, "One of your friends just pass a pregnancy test?" As soon as the words left my lips, I realized this was none of my business and rude. She said, "My friend has lymphoma. She's only 23." She told me more of the story. It's sad hearing about young people getting diseases like this. And, normally, it'd be a downer at a party, but when you're talking to a woman dressed as a roller derby queen from the '70s and wearing a colorful headband, it's impossible to have negative thoughts.

The theme of this party was "Roller Disco Inferno." Miles had the '70s theme going at his place with Kool and the Gang and Chic blasting out of the stereo (an hour later he spun more contemporary dance tunes). CH1 Productions paid for two buses to take everyone to Roller World in Linda Vista. I said to Miles, "Great idea. Have everyone drink here and then watch them try to roller skate while drunk." He laughed and said, "We got the buses so nobody would have to drive. They don't serve alcohol at the rink. So, we are drinking before the skating. After that, we're coming back here to continue. One of my friends was watching soccer this morning at 9. He's already way fucked up." A woman named Paige that overheard this said, "When the party comes back to the house, it won't just be drinking. We're going to be mud wrestling, too." I told her it would be more '70s if they put the pads on at the roller rink and knocked some people out like in the old roller derbies.

I saw a few pairs of Elvis sunglasses, which seem to show up at every party these days. One guy had an interesting pair. When I asked about them, he said, "I was Hunter S. Thompson for Halloween, and these were the glasses I used for that."

Someone else was handing out glow sticks that everyone was wearing around their necks or putting in their belt loops.

One guy was in an athletic outfit, with a baseball shirt, socks pulled up to his knees, and a headband. Another guy had a '70s tennis player look. He had a medal around his neck that read "Singles tennis -- Most Improved." He said he got it from a thrift shop earlier in the day. There were several Afro wigs and a few handlebar mustaches. One guy was wearing a cow outfit. I'm not sure what that was about.

I went to the back patio where I met a couple smoking. The woman told me she worked with a bunch of old guys, and that her date was the only other young person at her job. "So, we hang out a lot together and party." Since they looked to be in their early 20s, I asked, "Are they old in relation to you, or?..." before I could finish, she said, "One guy uses a cane. Another guy died recently. Yeah, they're really old."

I talked to another couple, Jenny and Graham, who have been engaged for a few years. I talked to a guy who produced a play in town. It had some gay themes, and he talked about his company, P33. He said their mission is to spotlight onstage and backstage talent in the local area. We chatted for about 45 minutes, although he'd stop to talk on his cell phone every 5 minutes.

I saw several banners for the energy drink and was told that one of these guys works for RockStar. They provide free cans at the parties if banners are put up. I wondered if anyone would be smart enough to contact beer companies with this idea.

I talked to a guy who met Miles in Santa Barbara, where they went to school together. A lot of others I talked to were former Mt. Carmel students.

When the first bus pulled up, a large crowd marched out to head to the roller rink. I thought the neighbors were probably relieved, thinking they were done with the noise (little did they know, everyone was coming back after three hours).

I got into a conversation with two women on the back patio. One told me she was at a party in Seattle (where they were from), and she ran into Tom Hanks. He was filming Sleepless in Seattle. The other one said she was in line to see The Graduate in England and was behind Rita Wilson (Hanks's actress wife). When she noticed Hanks, she said hi and took his picture. I jokingly asked the few people nearby if they had ever met Tom Hanks. One guy said, "I saw him at Disneyland with his two daughters. He was wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap. I don't think he wanted to be recognized, but he signed autographs for us and was friendly."

I started talking to a woman and when I realized she looked familiar, I said, "Wait a second. I met you earlier. You were wearing a different outfit." She laughed and said, "Yeah, I wanted to change clothes." I looked at her boyfriend standing nearby and said, "Are you going to change your outfit?" He replied, "Guys don't change outfits. Only chicks do that."

The second bus pulled up and I took a peek. It had a disco ball and dance music playing. It also had booze. Miles asked if I was going to the roller rink. I told him that I hadn't skated since childhood and didn't want to break my neck (and I did have a few drinks). I told him that I saw a group of guys having a BBQ around the corner. "I think I'll crash their party and get some food."

Crash your party? Call 619-235-3000 x421 and leave an invitation for Josh Board.