don't panic
Sep. 29th, 2008 07:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anotheranonBusy weekend:
Saturday was Faire. I'd dithered about going because of the threat of rain, but the sky looked ok when I got up, so....
Not so ok. Not dreadful, but rain was intermittent the whole time I was there. I met up with fencing buddies A. and C., later joined by A.'s son B. and another B. A. was well equipped with umbrellas and taped-on fake parrots (it was pirate weekend) and I was wearing my over-the-knee Renn-like boots so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
We did catch a few minutes of the Rogues, boldly playing on through the drizzle, and did a lot of eating and a bit of window shopping. The people watching was also fantastic - most of the costumes have little or nothing to do with the Renaissance, but IMHO that's not what it's about - it's 6 weekends of Halloween for grownups, and even though I'm a pedantic history nerd about my own gear I like seeing how other people play sartorially with history. Kilts and New Rocks? Check. Matrix/steampunk black trenchcoats? Check. Gothic bellydancers? Check check :)
I also picked up some practical accessories - a leather belt suitable for wearing with garb of various sorts, plus a tankard strap for same at the very talented![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dreamtigress' shop. This means I can hang stuff off the belt, and will save me in the future from having to put keys/phone/etc. in my breeches pockets where they bang against my legs (men's) or in a basket that makes me feel like Dorothy in Oz (women's).
Also, Douglas Adams was right - always have a towel. You can wipe your hands on it, sit on it, wipe mud off your boots before getting in the car with it. And it tucks nicely under the belt :)
Wish I'd remembered that yesterday when I went to my latest fencing competition. It could have been a wash but wasn't: both my body cords (the wire that attaches me to the score box) failed on the club's finicky equipment and I thought I was going to have to withdraw but my first opponent graciously loaned me a cord and weapon for the day (!) He was what my mom would call a "nice young man", polite and courteous, but he still cleaned my clock :P I got him back in DEs where I still lost but made him work!
Which is what was cool - I made it into the 2nd round of DEs for the 2nd time ever :) I was very embarrassed and stressed at having my equipment fail on me (it happens, but I still felt unprepared and stupid) but once I got over that hump I settled nicely into The Zone.
So far into the zone, in fact, that I inadvertently dribbled orange juice on myself while watching a friend's bout (hence wishing I'd remembered a towel). Beyond a certain point of tiredness I can still focus on the strip but my mind goes when I'm on a break. Not sure that this is a good or bad thing yet.
I stuck around for the finals, which I'd not done before because much as I love to fence I have Other Stuff to do and don't like to stand around stinking of sunshiney goodness either, but I'd stayed to watch B. in semifinals already, so what's one more...
And it was lovely to watch. Normally a DE bout goes to 15 points spread over 9 minutes, but these two guys were so patient and careful in their setup that they timed out before they got that far - the winner got only 9 touches. Both their strategy and their stamina (why weren't their legs falling off??? Because they're bouncy teenagers, most likely :P) were impressive.
Was able to do both of these things because I got my car to the mechanic Monday and they replaced my muffler/exhaust pipe (yes! I guessed right!) in one day.
For the week ahead: enjoying the calm before the storm of quarterly reports on Weds. Trying to tie up loose ends (and start some new ones) in the Florentine Trip Planning. Laundry. Managing feline diet. Foot exercises. Recovery.
Saturday was Faire. I'd dithered about going because of the threat of rain, but the sky looked ok when I got up, so....
Not so ok. Not dreadful, but rain was intermittent the whole time I was there. I met up with fencing buddies A. and C., later joined by A.'s son B. and another B. A. was well equipped with umbrellas and taped-on fake parrots (it was pirate weekend) and I was wearing my over-the-knee Renn-like boots so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
We did catch a few minutes of the Rogues, boldly playing on through the drizzle, and did a lot of eating and a bit of window shopping. The people watching was also fantastic - most of the costumes have little or nothing to do with the Renaissance, but IMHO that's not what it's about - it's 6 weekends of Halloween for grownups, and even though I'm a pedantic history nerd about my own gear I like seeing how other people play sartorially with history. Kilts and New Rocks? Check. Matrix/steampunk black trenchcoats? Check. Gothic bellydancers? Check check :)
I also picked up some practical accessories - a leather belt suitable for wearing with garb of various sorts, plus a tankard strap for same at the very talented
dreamtigress' shop. This means I can hang stuff off the belt, and will save me in the future from having to put keys/phone/etc. in my breeches pockets where they bang against my legs (men's) or in a basket that makes me feel like Dorothy in Oz (women's).Also, Douglas Adams was right - always have a towel. You can wipe your hands on it, sit on it, wipe mud off your boots before getting in the car with it. And it tucks nicely under the belt :)
Wish I'd remembered that yesterday when I went to my latest fencing competition. It could have been a wash but wasn't: both my body cords (the wire that attaches me to the score box) failed on the club's finicky equipment and I thought I was going to have to withdraw but my first opponent graciously loaned me a cord and weapon for the day (!) He was what my mom would call a "nice young man", polite and courteous, but he still cleaned my clock :P I got him back in DEs where I still lost but made him work!
Which is what was cool - I made it into the 2nd round of DEs for the 2nd time ever :) I was very embarrassed and stressed at having my equipment fail on me (it happens, but I still felt unprepared and stupid) but once I got over that hump I settled nicely into The Zone.
So far into the zone, in fact, that I inadvertently dribbled orange juice on myself while watching a friend's bout (hence wishing I'd remembered a towel). Beyond a certain point of tiredness I can still focus on the strip but my mind goes when I'm on a break. Not sure that this is a good or bad thing yet.
I stuck around for the finals, which I'd not done before because much as I love to fence I have Other Stuff to do and don't like to stand around stinking of sunshiney goodness either, but I'd stayed to watch B. in semifinals already, so what's one more...
And it was lovely to watch. Normally a DE bout goes to 15 points spread over 9 minutes, but these two guys were so patient and careful in their setup that they timed out before they got that far - the winner got only 9 touches. Both their strategy and their stamina (why weren't their legs falling off??? Because they're bouncy teenagers, most likely :P) were impressive.
Was able to do both of these things because I got my car to the mechanic Monday and they replaced my muffler/exhaust pipe (yes! I guessed right!) in one day.
For the week ahead: enjoying the calm before the storm of quarterly reports on Weds. Trying to tie up loose ends (and start some new ones) in the Florentine Trip Planning. Laundry. Managing feline diet. Foot exercises. Recovery.
