| Fencing stuff |
[Nov. 6th, 2009|10:23 pm] |
As of last night, I am a member of RIFAC and the US Fencing Association. This is pretty cool, as I could technically fence at the academy 4 nights a week with my monthly membership. I think I'll do one or two a week, plenty while still allowing job/weightlifting/band practice flexibility.
On my first bout last night, we had a bit of an issue. My foil pierced my opponent's jacket, and somehow pinched her under her chest protector. I'm not sure if she was wearing a proper underarm guard, but that just about never happens.
Most of the folks there were fencing veterans, or young official team members (we have some international competitors, so the kids are frightingly skilled). I did alright, but made myself a list of things to improve. |
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| Tea Parties |
[Apr. 14th, 2009|06:41 pm] |
Hmmmm...
I find this subject a bit humorous, to be honest.
Where were these protesters three or four years ago, when our tax money was being used to build Iraq's infrastructure though no-bid contracts to Bush's cronies? Suddenly, people resent tax-and-spend when it's spent on our own country, but they overlooked their taxes building a country we had no business breaking in the first place?
Now they claim that this is not a partisan thing, it's an anti-government movement. But its gained support of Fox News and people like Glenn Beck. So...I know where all these "anti-government" protesters were a few years ago. They were the ones shouting "Why do you hate America!?!" when you suggested anything George W. did was not in our best interests.
Tea Party protesters...."Why do you hate America?"
I'm not naive enough to think that the Democrats have all the answers. As far as I'm concerned, or system of government puts the power in the hands of the richest lobbies. I never thought Obama was a messianic solution to our problems, I just thought it would be nice to be represented to the world by a leader who wouldn't stumble over the English language. As far as I'm concerned, he still has a long way to go to prove himself, even up to the low expectations I have. But there are two things:
1) We had 8 years of Bush. That was worth protesting.
2) This guy hasn't been in office a year yet. Let's give him time to see what plans he implements, and whether they work. If, in three years, they haven't helped the economy, then I'll be ready for a tea party like I would have been a few years ago.
I never ceased to be amazed how conservatives have the "Average Joe/Josephine Blow" convinced that pro-corporate-greed government and lack of regulation are good for him/her. I guess they just use the same tactic they do to scare him/her enough that legalization of gay marriage will make his/her wife or husband run off and be lesbian or gay or something. |
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| I've been complaining for years about the quality of their products |
[Mar. 3rd, 2009|12:49 pm] |
Sony used to make good things...years ago, I think they decided they didn't have to bother making good things, their brand was "established." I'm glad someone else called them out on it. Turn up your volume, unless you're at work. If you're at work, don't click the link, you will probably laugh hysterically and people will come to see what you're doing. Anyway, the link below is NWS!!!!!
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/sony_releases_new_stupid_piece_of
Well we're at it, this one isn't a video, so it is not as dangerous in a work environment. Mostly here to be arkhamed, er, archived for my future use:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/lovecraftian_school_board_member
The last entry is again ere for the sake of my remembering it is there. It's an old problem I used to know all too well.
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/38680 |
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| Fencing tournament, etc. |
[Feb. 26th, 2009|12:43 pm] |
I competed in a fencing tournament last night. I won three bouts before being eliminated. My ranking was improved a bit since my first tournament a few months ago. I came in 9th, one slot behind the last person to bring home some hardware for placing.
The person who received that honor is a very cool fellow and law school professor named John.
Later, I went to Left of the Dial at the Scurvy Dog and had a great time listening to Delsin and Freddy's sets, and hanging out with Heather, Colleen, Paul, Dax, Joe, and Amber. A few other people I knew came in as I was leaving. They have Newcastle and Strongbow, and since I won't touch beer, it is nice to have good cider and ale options. |
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| Yet another random video |
[Feb. 25th, 2009|01:02 am] |
I was talking to someone who took my classes several years ago, who long since gradiated and lives in Japan. I mentioned that I want to be big in Japan, so he introduced me to this musical treasure:
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| Our CD Release |
[Feb. 23rd, 2009|11:40 pm] |
Come see us play! Celebrate our new release with us! Dance your butt off to Sanctuary's awesome DJ sets!!!! |
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| Dead Milkmen |
[Feb. 21st, 2009|11:37 pm] |
I was singing this song earlier this evening, so I was inspired to post the link to the video.
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| Not a real update |
[Jan. 7th, 2009|08:32 am] |
Just thought I'd call your attention to this.
It's fairly entertaining. |
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| Minor update |
[Dec. 18th, 2008|10:45 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | fencing | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  contemplative | ] |
| [ | music |
| | New Dirge Carolers tracks | ] |
As usual, I haven't posted much, but I've been busy. The end of many things has made life hectic and/or exciting lately. For one, the semester ended today. That means plenty of grading has been done the last few weeks, much more happened today.
Another end cometh; the new Dirge Carolers CD is approaching completion. I think we have all the tracks recorded, now just mixing, tweaking, effects processing, EQ'ing, compression, mastering, etc. needs to happen. Much of this is to be done by me. So nearing the end of this project means plenty of work. We also need to get our artwork and text layout, etc in order. Whereas the recording process itself was a relatively slow trickle with occasional downpours of activity, the post-recording process will be a pretty huge chunk of long hours at once, I think.
The fencing academy I've been going to is leaving a building they have been in for years, and although they are moving to another one in the same town, they'll be closed until after the new year. I had my first quasi-real tournament Wednesday, and, although victory was not mine (nor did I expect it to be), I did manage to score a few touches against a well-known fencer or two. The upper half of the competitors were mostly nationally-known people, so when I was eliminated in my fifth bout, I got to sit down and watch some great fencers. The people all seem pretty awesome, too; I hadn't had as much social interaction with most of them before that night, when all us not-national-competitor-people sat and watched and chatted after our elimination, occasionally joined by those who were still in the running, when they were resting between bouts.
This year has seen a lot of things end. Some will be sorely missed (e.g. Spike's on Thayer Street.) Some things haven't ended yet, but we're counting down the days cough-Bush-Administration-cough. |
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| Insomnia |
[Dec. 11th, 2008|08:32 am] |
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8:32 and I'm still up. Oddly, I've done little grading in that time. Hardly any mixing of our new tracks in that time. I didn't even play video games very long. I wonder how I passed all that time without actually managing to fall asleep. I've never felt so unfulfilled by solitary pursuits, which are something I generally need a good share of to be able to deal with others--and "recharge my social battery." |
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| Peer Pressure |
[Nov. 15th, 2008|09:05 pm] |
Five Things I was Doing 10 Years Ago
1). Going to Dark Sun and Rebound (the Goth and 80's clubs in Athens)
2). Working on my dissertation research on the Acropolis and in the Epigraphical Museum
3). Enjoying great food and wine
4). Hanging out at the Fulbright Office and the ASCSA
5). Spending any "free time" hiking almost aimlessly all over Greece, and occasionally Turkey (especially when my Greek visa ran out)
Five Things on My To Do List Today:
1). Buy a Nerf Gun
2). Promote on Myspace
3). Vacuum
4). Get speakers, stands, and cables ready for tomorrow
5). Laundry
Five Snacks I Enjoy:
1). Olives, Kalamata only.
2). Salt and Vinegar Chips
3). Nachos
4). Fruit-flavored sugar snacks
5). Peanut-butter smidgens (PA version of peanut butter easter eggs)
Five Things I Would Do If I Were a Millionaire, in no particular order:
1). Buy a house outright. And outfit a music room with a studio, and a wall-mounted guitar rack. Convert the basement into a multipurpose room with a fencing strip and wall-mounted sword racks.
2). Remove all of my and Heather's debt
3). Buy a new car, and one for Heather
4). Spend two years travelling off and on, maybe doing some research, recording while home
5). After I was sure my Mom and Aunt were taken care of, I'd buy a sailboat
Five Places I Have Lived:
1.) Bronx, NY
2). Providence, RI
3). Athens, Greece
4). Pittsburgh, PA
5). Rome, Italy (only about 3 summers)
Five Jobs I Have Had:
1). Lifeguard
2). Professor
3). Asst. Director of Excavation
4). New Age Store clerk
5). Curator / Numismatist |
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| Incredible show |
[Nov. 1st, 2008|10:09 pm] |
Wow!
Last night was the most fun show I've ever played. It wasn't the biggest, the loudest, anywhere near the coolest venue or anything like that. I don't know if we sounded good, people alwyas say you did, and I imagine that the first song or so didn't sound so hot as we were working out the technical difficulties (there was no time to soundcheck), but as for the general vibe in the air, crowd reaction, quality of the people present both that I knew and didn't know, it was as good as it gets. The other bands were good, and as always, DJ Delicti had good stuff spinnin'. Penny Dreadful, Garou, Dr. Manfred von Ace Frehley, and their Pirate friend were awesome. Thanks to all who came out and supported the "Make a Witch" foundation.
http://shillingshockers.com/
( Pics below. ) |
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| weird nightmare |
[Sep. 9th, 2008|01:10 pm] |
I had this bizarre nightmare last night....it was sort of a cross between The Orphanage, Silence of the Lambs, Law and Order SVU, and the parts of my brain that lean toward vigilanteism.
I was working with a police detective to find some children who had been held prisoner by a pedophile for years. We found out that he was keeping them in these 19th-century houses which had been buried by a landslide and were only accessible by tunnels. When she gave up searching for the kids long before I did, she told me that if I see the pedophile I should kill him, and make it look like self-defense, because "there's no way he'll be put away for as long as he deserves."
Eventually, I found some of the kids. One boy said that the others were dead, and that the ones that died were jerks anyway. At that point, the ghosts of the dead kids started attacking the live kids and me, so I started leading them out. One girl could barely move due to the way the ghost was attacking her. As I was leading them out, I got ahead of some of them, then I saw the pedophile entering from a different hallway than the one we were exiting from. I steeled my resolve for a fight, and chased after him.
Then the alarm rang. |
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| (no subject) |
[Aug. 16th, 2008|04:14 pm] |
Well, last week, for the first time in my life, I stopped to look at a rainbow.
It was that impressive. It was actually two rainbows, fairly opaque, with all the colors, in uninterrupted arcs from horizon to horizon. Never saw anything quite like that before, so I figured I'd get a lifetime of rainbow-looking in then, so I could continue to ignore them in the future. 8-) |
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| Well.... |
[Jul. 4th, 2008|03:47 pm] |
Yeah, some of you probably won't believe me, but I have to say it anyway.
Billy Joel rocked harder than anything. Ever.
He made Siouxsie, who should be the same age or slightly younger, seem ready for the nursing home. He sang for about 2:15 straight, the only break being when he played guitar (a Hamer Honeyburst SATF, like my main guitar) while he let his guitar tech "Chainsaw" sing Highway to Hell as well as any AC/DC cover band I could imagine. He doesn't bounce around as much as Peter Murphy, except on "Still Rock'n'Roll to Me," which is the only song where his guitar, piano, or piano and harmonica wasn't preventing him.
Every song was something I knew by heart...the ones I knew least were "In the Middle of the Night," and "We Didn't Start the Fire."
You may think I am biased because I have listened to him for over 30 years (yes, I was a small child rocking out to my bro's 8-tracks) but I expected to see one of the greatest songwriters of the last century, beaten by his age, needing extensive offstage breaks, etc. But he needed no such breaks, everything was performed with extreme energy and emotion, and he even still ahs the technical prowress to manage "Root Beer Rag" on the piano at full tempo without a stumble.
No wonder he sold out 10 consecutive arena shows.
( More detailed account, for my own recollection, under cut ) |
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