| Stabbing Preamble to the Boundary Waters |
[Jun. 24th, 2008|12:52 pm] |
Around this time of year, me and some folks get together for an annual trek up into the BWCA, or Boundary Waters Canoe Area. It is a federal reserve at the northern part of the state where you basically have to rough it. No motor boats, no glass, no cans. You get a canoe and paddle until you run out of water, and then put the canoe on your head until you find more water.
I have been going up to the Boundary Waters for a few years now, and the four of us usually head up the week before Memorial Day to get ahead of everyone else as well as gamble on it being cold enough for the bugs to still be down. However, conflicts arose that dropped out two of our normal crew and between that and the cold spring, it pushed out our trip a few weeks.
But I am getting ahead of myself.
The story of this year's trip actually begins with a fencing tournament in Des Moines. This is another annual trek I make and it generally falls after my return from the wilderness. I like this tournament because I really like the folks down in Des Moines. Additionally, since I have been on the administration end of tournaments up in the Twin Cities, this is a rare occasion for me to fence in the even as opposed to working it.
The tricky bit was that the tournament was on Saturday, and I would then be getting together with Squid on Sunday to pack and drive up north to enter on Monday. A slim timeline to be sure, but I took comfort that since my events were the first two of the day that I would get back home in time to get any last minute packing done.
( A stab southward ) |
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| Coming Up for Air |
[Apr. 30th, 2008|07:39 pm] |
I have been remiss in my posting of late. The tide of life has a habit of washing over you unexpectedly and then carried off into the deep water with the undertow. Since I have reached another ebbing period in the cycle, I aim to make up for some lost time. Hopefully this update will prompt me to up my posting frequency (again).
( Gasp )
The theoretical warming of the weather hasn't changed the pace my lifestyle has taken of late, but the release valve on the pressure has certainly opened up a bit. So, hello again, hope to talk to you all soon. |
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| Judge Not, Lest Ye Be Judged |
[Feb. 20th, 2008|01:07 pm] |
It has been a while since my last post about fencing. This is largely because I have not competed all that much this season. That, in turn, is due to the fact that I have been volunteering to help run many of the local tournaments for the past couple of years.
In one sense, it is a bit of a drain because there is the set-up and the registration and the actual running of the events that can turn a nice lazy Sunday into a chaotic melee of activity. Our division has turned a corner though. I think we have finally organized bit better and had some people step up to ensure that each of these tournaments have adequate personnel to keep pace without increasing the stress levels.
In fact, we have increased the number of tournaments considerably and the burn out factor has remained relatively low. Despite the drawback of not competing as faithfully as I had once did, I do find a certain amount of satisfaction in sustaining the local tournament circuit and giving back to a sport that has given me so much.
You might ask, "Fish Tie, where the Hell are you going with all of this?" Glad you asked. You see, in addition to the organizing committees to run the administration of tournaments, there are bodies devoted to training armorers and referees. The armorers understand the specifications and tolerances of all of the scoring equipment for effective repair and maintenance. The referees maintain order on the strip and ensures fair applications of any rules when a situation arises.
After years of serving as a referee in an unofficial capacity, helping to ref bouts and tournaments just to keep things moving, I have finally taken the final steps to being properly qualified through the USFA. Took nearly a year to do it too.
For those who are curious, the process involves a lengthy seminar to go over strip order and general referee instruction. Then there is a written exam testing you on general knowledge of the current rules and regulations for tournaments as well as specific rules on the different weapons.
While the seminar isn't difficult, it is time consuming. In addition, there is not a long list of qualified refs in the country to choose from, so getting them into the area can be a costly endeavor. Luckily, completion of this seminar allots a year to complete the exam requirement.
The exam is a little more challenging. Not only is it purposefully worded in a manner to confuse the takers, but it is done so in a poor fashion. Or, at least, that is my opinion. In addition, the margin for error is very slim, where passing a section requires a 94% or better on the results. The combination of the two keeps the pass rate down in my experience.
Last night, I finally got through the general exam. While I still have work to get the further qualification for foil and saber, I did pass the epee. Now that I've gotten through the first bit, I will not have to go through the seminar again to retake the foil and saber sections. Well worth the added effort in my estimation.
It is a nice accomplishment. I lends an air of authority to what I had been doing in years passed and it is another way that I can support the local fencing community. |
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| Pointless College StoriesII: Fish Dates Outside His Species |
[Feb. 8th, 2008|03:45 pm] |
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) captain_squid said yesterday that I should tell this story. It is actually a pretty good story considering the shocked response I get after having done so. However, I am at odds here because one of the tenets I had set for myself when posting here is not to talk about my love life (or lack thereof). It just seems like a bad idea to air that kind of thing on the internet. Lucky for you, nostalgia will win out this time...
( Bizarre love triangle ) |
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| Pointless College StoriesII: Fish Becomes a Ham |
[Feb. 7th, 2008|01:16 pm] |
While plenty stories remain to be told about college, it is becoming more and more difficult to bring them up without first broaching the topic of No Refund Theatre. It has certainly been mentioned in passing enough that it warrants its own attention. So here we go.
( Formed from the slag of The Crucible ) |
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| Pointless College StoriesII: Fish Meets the Mascot |
[Feb. 6th, 2008|12:46 pm] |
To continue this romp through the past, I am feeling awfully tangential. So for this third installment, I will recount an encounter I had with an agent of the dark cabal that truly runs everything on main campus.
( Pernicious Squirrel Union ) |
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| Pointless College Stories II: Fish Learns to Stab People |
[Feb. 5th, 2008|12:11 pm] |
I am finding it hard to decide which stories to tell, but since the post about nicknames came up, I figured this post would help clear one or two things up.
( Gym class ) |
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| Pointless College Stories II: Fish Makes a Stand |
[Feb. 4th, 2008|12:03 pm] |
In reviving the meme that word_geek started last year, I figure that it is only fitting that the first story I will relate took place during my tenure at the McKeesport branch campus.
( Paper is trash too ) |
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| Yet Another Post About Rock Band |
[Dec. 21st, 2007|08:45 am] |
At the risk of appearing obsessed, I wanted to share this because it is pretty nifty how these guys have been supporting the game.
In addition to releasing a good number of new tracks since the game came out (I've downloaded at least nine so far), they've also updated their community website so that you could link yourself to your rockers and bands. It is an interesting way to share the experience and so, without further ado, may I present an insider look to the Red Mantis Cult.
I know, it isn't much to look at yet. I have to chat with my band mates to see how to proceed. |
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| One Track Mind |
[Dec. 10th, 2007|04:02 pm] |
At the risk of boring you all with yet another post about Rock Band, I did want share with you all that I tested out the multiplayer function this weekend with the astute assistance of captain_squid and piratelemur.
They got themselves familiar with it for a few songs while I finished up dinner and then after we had finished eating, we dove into our multiplayer options. Quickplay would have allowed us to pick freely but since Squid and Lemur wanted personae of their own, we fired up the World Tour. We felt obliged to name ourselves Red Mantis Cult. I'll let one of my bandmates chime in the appropriate response.
One of the drawbacks I have read about this mode is that the person who makes the band is bound to it as its leader. It is good in that it still allows folks to be removed or added, but there should also have been an option whereby you could change the leader of the band, should it become necessary. Additionally, it seems that characters/avatars/whatever are locked to the instrument they are created under. So... if you make a drummer, they cannot become a singer. Because they mix the guitar and bass parts together due to the fact that they are governed by one controller, making a character there is a little more flexible. Squid and Leems were content to having guitar characters while I pulled up my drummer I had going in a solo tour (which is a pretty nifty thing).
Actually playing a tour is relatively cool. Each city has a number of venues and those venues have options for set lists. You can either pick from a few songs or you pick set lists of varying shades and colors. Some of them are set lists you pick, some are random, some are a mix between them. It keeps it interesting though the random songs can be tricky if it decides to drop a complicated song on you. Depending on how well you play on the difficulty level you select determines how much you increase (or decrease) your fanbase.
Venues and cities unlock at a brisk pace and opportunities such as winning a tour van or stealing roadies are part of set list selections. After playing through a little while, we gave ourselves a rest and hit the store to kit ourselves out. Squid found a nice steampunk ensemble while the Lemur decked herself in electric lime green.
Over the course of the night, I came to understand a few things:
1. We all liked how the crowd would start singing along if we were really nailing the song.
2. Squid preferred the new guitar over the old one. After experimenting between the two, I had come to the same conclusion.
3. My left foot has a better sense of rhythm when using the bass pedal of the drum kit.
4. Lemur really likes the Pixies.
5. General consensus was that we could easily tune out the noise from striking the drum kit. We had the sound up on the television but it wasn't too loud, I thought.
We were up pretty late and everyone had a go on just about everything. I felt like I hit the hump on the drums though because I played a couple of songs on Sunday and found it come a little easier. In my hubris, I jacked up the difficulty to expert and tried one of the beginner songs... where I promptly failed at around 71%. Lousy bridge.
I'll let my bandmates fill in anything I might have missed. However, I will close by saying that Harmonix did well. Very well even. This game is going to see a lot of use, even more should some of my other friends take a similar plunge so that we could get an online band together (hint, hint).
Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go practice my stick twirls. |
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| Bang the Drum Slowly |
[Dec. 3rd, 2007|01:26 pm] |
I will make a brief acknowledgment that EA made good on its promise to replace the wonky kit quickly. The new pads performed well against my, er, quality control testing. Now it is just a matter of packing up the old pads and sending them back.
While I did not have an abundant stockpile of the fourth dimension in which I could lavish on the new gear, I did play enough to get a sense of my aptitude. My drumming skills need a little work. It is one thing to have a sense of rhythm. It is an entirely different thing trying to set three separate parts of anatomy to function in an independent, yet correlated cadence.
I have also noticed that the slower speeds of the easier levels can be more of a detriment than the guitar. Anticipating notes is always a problem, but I find tuning out extra percussion harder than tuning out the guitar fills. Once I feel a little more coordinated with the kit placement, I'll put that theory to the test on the harder difficulties.
Until next time. Keep on rocking. |
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| An Interesting Notion |
[Nov. 27th, 2007|09:45 pm] |
There has been a lot of press regarding Rock Band, both in its development and after its release. However, this piece stands out to me.
Why?
MTV, back in the day, was a refreshing outlet to expose people to new music and artists. Music videos themselves evolved into an art-form which sadly petered out as the station that launched the revolution also evolved itself out of the art-form in attempts to keep up with the fickle tastes of their young demographic.
I have often heard the sarcastic comments of those reminiscing about the does when MTV actually broadcasted music videos and even reveled in the irony. I find the above story to be an odd glimpse in to the potential of this medium and how MTV has shrewdly positioned themselves to cycle themselves back onto the pulse of music community.
It will be interesting to see what pans out and how much corporate taint may leak into the final product. All I know is that I have already downloaded the Bowie pack that opened up today and I am quite satisfied. |
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| Remember Me? |
[Nov. 27th, 2007|08:22 pm] |
I find myself browsing through here recently and came to the realization that I haven't posted in a while. While nothing particularly noteworthy has happened between now and that last post, it is probably a good idea to touch base... if only to serve as a sounding board to myself (because I am relatively sure that all of my readers have since vanished into the ether).
( Stuff and things... and stuff ) |
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| Break Out the Nisher |
[Nov. 2nd, 2007|12:47 pm] |
I generally refrain from talking about work here mostly because I feel that it isn't entertaining reading. That, and it reduces the chances of hurt feelings or leaked corporate secrets to a minimum (like they tell me anything anyway).
But this, I had to share:
( I've got a million of them ) |
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| In Cognito |
[Nov. 1st, 2007|02:53 pm] |
Halloween turned out to be a very busy day this year. Not only did I have the normal duties for a week day, but I was on schedule for my bowling league and I was invited to a costume party to top it all off. So in order to save time, I opted for a costume that would function in all environments. I will hold off the big reveal on who I am until the end, but below the cut is a sample of the result.
( Boo ) |
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| Enough Already! |
[Oct. 31st, 2007|10:06 am] |
It looks like the Wild are still trying to make up for having such a strong start this season by dropping yet another game... this time to the Penguins. While I am conflicted about the results, seeing as I grew up in PA, I am still cheesed that the Wild's play has devolved so much so quickly.
Last night, I saw a few instances where not only was their stick handling sloppy but their were also running into each other like a bunch of little leaguers. I mean, come on... you guys are supposed to be the professionals.
And, I'll hand it to the coaching staff to find the perfect schedule where we have the goalie who is having the off night tending that evening. You're on a roll guys, don't disappoint me. We'll tank Nick and Josh's league leading GAA in no time. |
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| Thrown for a Curve |
[Oct. 25th, 2007|08:01 am] |
I have actually done a lot of bowling in the last few weeks, mostly subbing in for teammates who could not make last minute. Last week, I was not really throwing all that well and decided, for a lark, that I would start hooking the ball.
I did not get a lot of english on it, but there was a curve and a little pin action. Even got one strike out of it. But the night itself wasn't anything to write home about: 109, 102, 121.
Last night, I decided to continue my experiment and try to make the transition permanent. My first game was a 119. Again, not too bad considering but still off from my average. Then I followed it up by bowling a 184 and a 181. Holy cats.
It would be utterly ludicrous to suggest that I have made the switch in so few games. We will just have to see how it evens out in the next few weeks. However, the prospects are very encouraging. A 200 game seemed like a pipe dream not too long ago... now it seems within reach. |
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| I Couldn't Resist |
[Oct. 15th, 2007|06:48 pm] |
This goes out to my peep, cobrani. Shelving and finding books was never so much fun. Enjoy! |
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| An Apt Team Name |
[Oct. 4th, 2007|08:33 am] |
It occurs to me that I forgot to post last week's bowling night. It is quite possibly due to the fact that I did so abysmally that my denial apparatus went into overdrive to block it all out. I truly tanked my average by bowling a 97, 110 and 101. A series where I barely broke a hundred average really jarred my senses a bit. There was a moment where I pondered whether or not the rest of the team would mutiny my captaincy.
But however bad my luck was last week, I more than made up for it last night. I ended up bowling a 174, 155, and 159. So I went from bowling 30 pins below my average, to 40 pins above my average. And a new high game. And yeah, that last game was almost clean.
A little redemption is good for the soul. I seemed to have repaired the damage I did to my average and looking forward again to my next outing. Who knew leading such a Charmered life could be so exciting? |
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