Friday, November 21, 2008
Isn't It Ironic?
It is one of the great ironies of life that despite the temperature outside being near freezing and despite my absolute loathing of being cold, I find myself craving a Strawberry Cheesequake Blizzard from Dairy Queen.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Known World Academy of Rapier - the Aftermath
I'm sorry this didn't get posted last week, when the events of KWAR were still fresh in my mind, but when we got home from a great, fun and highly educational weekend, we walked into a huge mess. The fecal matter definitely impacted on the rotating air circulation device. I'm going to spare you the gory details of our current trials and tribulations, however, and just move on to more pleasant subjects.
KWAR was quite an experience. We learned a lot being around so many higher level fighters. I was especially happy to finally get to meet Tivar Moondragon, one of the pioneers of SCA rapier. Ysabel and I don't usually feel like newbs when we are in our own Kingdom, but talking to people that have been doing this activity for 30+ years sure had that effect on us. It's not a bad thing, of course, because it helps to motivate us to do better. It was also nice to take classes instead of teaching them. We got a lot of new ideas to apply to our own fighting and also to bring back and show our people here. Outside of the hobnobbing and classes, we also got in some decent fighting. A few people managed to kick my butt rather thoroughly, which I'm not really used to anymore. Don't get me wrong, I do lose my share of bouts, sometimes rather spectacularly, but generally, it's because I do something stupid, not because my opponent is genuinely that much better than me. I'd like to think I can hold my own pretty well, most days. But when you have several of the "best of the best" around, that isn't going to be the case. Even I can be outclassed and I'm not afraid to admit that. Some of those guys are just plain scary. So smooth, efficient and well practiced that they just don't make mistakes. I'm still at the "pretty good, but does boneheaded things occasionally" stage. But now I see where my fighting could go if I am dedicated enough. It's just a question of how bad do I want it?
In other KWAR news, I bought a really nice dagger from Darkwood. I may post up a pic of it later. It's got black, curved quillions that are just plain scary to look at. Even better, they like to parry and bind almost by themselves. Very sweet! For those that might want to look it up, it is a German "Dresden" style dagger. Also, I managed to win the "Precious" (also known as the Iron Ring of Meridies) from Tristram in a very hard fought series of bouts that left me feeling like I'd been run over by a truck. I had a hard time catching my breath for the rest of the day after that, which led several people to believe I have asthma issues. Which I don't. Ysabel is insisting that I get tested for it now, so I suppose I will, even though it's a complete waste of time. I refuse to have asthma, so getting tested is pointless, right?
After all the fighting and classes on Saturday, we got together with the other Meridians and went out to a nice Chinese place for supper. The lemon chicken was fantastic! The high point of the meal, however, was watching Ursus nearly fall out of his chair from laughing so hard. I don't recall what set him off, but the end result was hilarious! We were pretty rowdy for most of the meal, actually, and I'm really surprised none of the other diners complained. Still, I guess we are a fairly disreputable looking bunch, so maybe they were just intimidated into silence. We are a bunch of Meridian Gangstas, you know. Once dinner was over, we popped into the party that was going on in the main ballroom at the hotel. There was much drinking and merriment that went on well into the wee hours. At some point, a bunch of not particularly sober people decided to break out the life-sized wooden practice horses that had been used to demonstrate mounted techniques earlier in the day. Mental note to self, riding a large wooden horse into a hotel ballroom and forgetting to duck when coming through the doorway is bad for the rider, but freakin' hilarious for everyone else. Luckily, I was merely an observer for those particular hi jinks.
On Sunday, some of us got together and trekked to Louisville to go to the Frazier Arms Museum. They had an entire floor of swords, polearms and armor from the Renaissance. It was funny to see everyone's reactions. Most people go to such places for educational purposes or just for fun, but for us it's more like a shopping trip. All of us had at least one (usually more) moment where we saw something that we wanted for our kits. Rapiers, helms, breastplates, bucklers... :::drools::: Sorry, what was I saying? Oh, the museum trip, right. There was also a demo of Renaissance sword play that was surprisingly well done. It was obviously choreographed, but used fairly accurate techniques. We spoke with one of the museum swordsmen and he was very knowledgeable. I think he was impressed with the amount of knowledge we displayed, too. He commented that it was nice to perform for other sword geeks. They had to keep it fairly simple for the mundanes in the crowd, but the two swordsmen seemed amused by all the knowing smiles from the rest of us.
So, that was our KWAR, in a nutshell. Good times with good people. Can't ask for much more, really.
KWAR was quite an experience. We learned a lot being around so many higher level fighters. I was especially happy to finally get to meet Tivar Moondragon, one of the pioneers of SCA rapier. Ysabel and I don't usually feel like newbs when we are in our own Kingdom, but talking to people that have been doing this activity for 30+ years sure had that effect on us. It's not a bad thing, of course, because it helps to motivate us to do better. It was also nice to take classes instead of teaching them. We got a lot of new ideas to apply to our own fighting and also to bring back and show our people here. Outside of the hobnobbing and classes, we also got in some decent fighting. A few people managed to kick my butt rather thoroughly, which I'm not really used to anymore. Don't get me wrong, I do lose my share of bouts, sometimes rather spectacularly, but generally, it's because I do something stupid, not because my opponent is genuinely that much better than me. I'd like to think I can hold my own pretty well, most days. But when you have several of the "best of the best" around, that isn't going to be the case. Even I can be outclassed and I'm not afraid to admit that. Some of those guys are just plain scary. So smooth, efficient and well practiced that they just don't make mistakes. I'm still at the "pretty good, but does boneheaded things occasionally" stage. But now I see where my fighting could go if I am dedicated enough. It's just a question of how bad do I want it?
In other KWAR news, I bought a really nice dagger from Darkwood. I may post up a pic of it later. It's got black, curved quillions that are just plain scary to look at. Even better, they like to parry and bind almost by themselves. Very sweet! For those that might want to look it up, it is a German "Dresden" style dagger. Also, I managed to win the "Precious" (also known as the Iron Ring of Meridies) from Tristram in a very hard fought series of bouts that left me feeling like I'd been run over by a truck. I had a hard time catching my breath for the rest of the day after that, which led several people to believe I have asthma issues. Which I don't. Ysabel is insisting that I get tested for it now, so I suppose I will, even though it's a complete waste of time. I refuse to have asthma, so getting tested is pointless, right?
After all the fighting and classes on Saturday, we got together with the other Meridians and went out to a nice Chinese place for supper. The lemon chicken was fantastic! The high point of the meal, however, was watching Ursus nearly fall out of his chair from laughing so hard. I don't recall what set him off, but the end result was hilarious! We were pretty rowdy for most of the meal, actually, and I'm really surprised none of the other diners complained. Still, I guess we are a fairly disreputable looking bunch, so maybe they were just intimidated into silence. We are a bunch of Meridian Gangstas, you know. Once dinner was over, we popped into the party that was going on in the main ballroom at the hotel. There was much drinking and merriment that went on well into the wee hours. At some point, a bunch of not particularly sober people decided to break out the life-sized wooden practice horses that had been used to demonstrate mounted techniques earlier in the day. Mental note to self, riding a large wooden horse into a hotel ballroom and forgetting to duck when coming through the doorway is bad for the rider, but freakin' hilarious for everyone else. Luckily, I was merely an observer for those particular hi jinks.
On Sunday, some of us got together and trekked to Louisville to go to the Frazier Arms Museum. They had an entire floor of swords, polearms and armor from the Renaissance. It was funny to see everyone's reactions. Most people go to such places for educational purposes or just for fun, but for us it's more like a shopping trip. All of us had at least one (usually more) moment where we saw something that we wanted for our kits. Rapiers, helms, breastplates, bucklers... :::drools::: Sorry, what was I saying? Oh, the museum trip, right. There was also a demo of Renaissance sword play that was surprisingly well done. It was obviously choreographed, but used fairly accurate techniques. We spoke with one of the museum swordsmen and he was very knowledgeable. I think he was impressed with the amount of knowledge we displayed, too. He commented that it was nice to perform for other sword geeks. They had to keep it fairly simple for the mundanes in the crowd, but the two swordsmen seemed amused by all the knowing smiles from the rest of us.
So, that was our KWAR, in a nutshell. Good times with good people. Can't ask for much more, really.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Known World Academy of Rapier
Tomorrow we are heading out to the Known World Academy of Rapier (KWAR). I've never been to this particular event, but word has it that it is huge. Huge in attendance and significance. I'm a bit jittery about being around all those "best of the best" types, but I'm also eager to both learn from them and test my "mad skillz" against them. As an added bonus, the event takes place in a medieval-themed hotel. Should be quite a weekend. I'll post a follow up as soon as I recover from it.
In other news, Barack Obama won the US presidential race. Just in case you missed the announcement. ;)
In other news, Barack Obama won the US presidential race. Just in case you missed the announcement. ;)
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Election Day Doldrums
It's Election Day here in the US (as if you didn't know) and the future of our Country is hanging in the balance. Whether you are staunchly Republican or an avowed Democrat-4-Life, today is a momentous day that will be long remembered as a turning point in history, be it for better or worse. So, why is it that I feel so... disconnected from it all? Sure, there is some anxiety. Change is always scary, isn't it? But then, sometimes knowing that we are in for more of the same can be pretty scary, too. Either way, the fear is a weak and distant thing today. It just can't break through the weary numbness that has set in after so many months of hearing the same messages over and over again. "The Democrats are Socialists!" Who bloody cares. "The Republicans have destroyed our economy!" Well, duh! What did you expect from the "rich greedy bastards" party? Not that the Democrats are much better, but at least they let the poor people get in on the corruption, too. Why should the rich white guys be the only ones who can game the system?
You might say I'm being pretty cynical about the state of our government and society as a whole, but maybe I've just had it up to my ears with all the bull crap. Maybe I just want the world to be a little kinder, a little more honorable, a little more Utopian. We have the knowledge and resources to take care of the entire population at a comfortable standard of living, but nobody gives a crap about anybody else, so we just keep screwing each other over for the almighty dollar. Climb that ladder, pal, and don't worry about who you step on gettin' to the top! Do we really think that one little election is going to change that? I want to hope that maybe it can, but I'm not going to hold my breath. Hope makes for great campaign slogans, but in practice it too often proves to be a carrot on a stick, leading us on a fruitless and pain-filled trek that ultimately leads to bitter disappointment. I guess that's why I'm so ambivalent about this election. It won't change human nature, won't change the greed, apathy, bigotry or willful stupidity of our species. I'm not sure there's anything out there that can. Oh, well, at least I won't have to look at the Shrub's glassy-eyed monkey face for much longer. That's a plus.
You might say I'm being pretty cynical about the state of our government and society as a whole, but maybe I've just had it up to my ears with all the bull crap. Maybe I just want the world to be a little kinder, a little more honorable, a little more Utopian. We have the knowledge and resources to take care of the entire population at a comfortable standard of living, but nobody gives a crap about anybody else, so we just keep screwing each other over for the almighty dollar. Climb that ladder, pal, and don't worry about who you step on gettin' to the top! Do we really think that one little election is going to change that? I want to hope that maybe it can, but I'm not going to hold my breath. Hope makes for great campaign slogans, but in practice it too often proves to be a carrot on a stick, leading us on a fruitless and pain-filled trek that ultimately leads to bitter disappointment. I guess that's why I'm so ambivalent about this election. It won't change human nature, won't change the greed, apathy, bigotry or willful stupidity of our species. I'm not sure there's anything out there that can. Oh, well, at least I won't have to look at the Shrub's glassy-eyed monkey face for much longer. That's a plus.
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