Ten Thousand Fencers

We've started a campaign to get ten thousand new people to try fencing. We thought about getting the whole country fencing, but our advisors told us to start small.

If you've ever jousted with a stick, whiffle ball bat, or any other item with your friends then you have fenced! If you had fun, then come learn what this sport is all about.

As it is, I'm not sure what their recruitment strategy is beyond putting up this site. Supporting clubs are a good thing, but I've found that most non-fencers don't even know that there are clubs in their area. Short version, pending further info - I think they're preaching to the choir.

I'm hopeful (because doG knows, I evangelize every chance I get, and many times when I don't :P), but skeptical.

oh, *squee*!

Just watched the ITV movie for Sarah Waters' Affinity - a surprise from D. as I didn't even know it had been adapted. As ever, very very good - not as great as TTV or Fingersmith, but this is Sarah Waters, so it's still better than 95% of what's out there!

fuel

Strategy, footwork, coordination - this is the order of my capacity loss as I burn up breakfast on the strip on Sunday mornings. On good (? active, anyway) mornings I start losing speech a little bit before I decide to pack it in. I don't push myself that hard all the time, but I admit a little "macho" thrill when I can still manage to hit my opponent after running myself that ragged :P

In other fuel news, I've held off complaining about the rising gas prices - Europe has always paid this much at the pump, higher gas prices = greater incentive to improve public transportation/cut the American reliance on foreign oil/come up with alternatives to the environmentally destructive car-centered lifestyle, etc. ad nauseum.

But....

Even though from a dispassionate "historic overview" perspective watching the slow changes in commuter habits, telecommuting etc. due to the cost is interesting, from the selfish day-to-day perspective it's getting inconvenient. I second guess every trip I have to make that's over an hour away and am consciously having to set aside $ for gas, when before it was such a small amount of my income that I didn't think on it much - silly me.

I'm not feeling the bite in terms of food prices yet, but it is affecting electricity here. And I know I've got it easy compared to some.

We're even postponing getting the Florence tickets in the hopes that gas prices (and hence, airfare) will go down between now and later, but I'm skeptical. I rather suspect these prices are here to stay.