The question you may be wondering is, "How does it feel?" A little like Frodo Baggins, but without the homosexual undertones.
Some small shreds of sunlight managed to peek through the incredibly dense rainclouds to inform us that it was no longer the middle of Thursday night, and thus, wedding day. Having secured a venue in front of the dogwood and rhododendrons at Lisa's parents' place, the hourly forecast forced us to abandon it for their living room. In the end, it was a fine choice, having a small group of family, friends, a toddler, and an exceptionally spoiled beagle around us.
The ceremony went well. The only stumbling block was in the charge, and I quote: "Happy marriages are not competitive and they don’t keep score." Apparently that's funny.
Unfortunately, the couple was too busy murdering the local rhododendrons to notice that they had left the marriage certificate at the apartment, so a minor detour was needed to get to the dinner place, a highly-recommended hotspot named Fenouil, where great wine, champagne, and phenomenal food were had by all.
I wish the rest of you could have been here, so we could have shared the day. We can, however, share a few pictures. Until August, it'll have to suffice.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Apparently, I misunderestimated the needs of my blog's demographic. This demographic is comprised of pretty female 18-35 Canadian sabre fencers.
Further polling data suggests that they like "popcorn" and "kitty pictures." Thus, in a blatant pander to my base, here is a kitty picture with popcorn.
Don't say I never did nothing for ya.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Vote or Die
For those of you who are USFA members, remember to vote!
I'd like to share a story about Tracy Hurley.
This is the one interaction I had with her, and it was at the 2003 NAC D in Saratoga Springs.
Courtney was fencing the Y14 women's foil semifinal match against Arielle Pensler. Every single action went a bit like this. Courtney would press and make a strong lunge. Arielle would break distance and begin a slow attack (we still called "Attack, No. Riposte." then.) Immediately, Courtney would redouble with a fleche into Arielle. Each time there were two lights. Each time, the call was the same.
With each call, Courtney got more and more agitated. I get that; good fencers don't like losing. However, with each touch, Mrs. Hurley also became more and more agitated, and more and more directed at me, at one point screaming, "THIS IS WHY WE FENCE EPEE, COURTNEY!!" (Way to encourage mastery and responsibility, mom!)
I briefly flirted with the idea of awarding a red card (old school, as I said), but figured that the offender's personality would probably be encouraged by the attention. After all, the bout wasn't going to last particularly long.
Upon the loss, tantrums ensued. I don't take that personally, it's part of the game. The Fencing Officials' Commission rep assured me that my calls were spot-on and some armchair quarterbacking was done on the type of cards that could have been thrown (red or black would have been acceptable).
As I walked away from the piste, I heard Mrs. Hurley remark to a cohort, "...and no student of Buckie's will ever lose a bout when Buckie's standing here."
So we've got interesting behavior problems, avoidance of responsibility, and paranoid accusations of partiality. This is the person you want controlling the direction of the USFA? No - it's Kalle Weekes, Mark Stasinos, Jerry Benson, Ro Solbavarro, Greg Dilworth, and Brad Baker.
I'd like to share a story about Tracy Hurley.
This is the one interaction I had with her, and it was at the 2003 NAC D in Saratoga Springs.
Courtney was fencing the Y14 women's foil semifinal match against Arielle Pensler. Every single action went a bit like this. Courtney would press and make a strong lunge. Arielle would break distance and begin a slow attack (we still called "Attack, No. Riposte." then.) Immediately, Courtney would redouble with a fleche into Arielle. Each time there were two lights. Each time, the call was the same.
With each call, Courtney got more and more agitated. I get that; good fencers don't like losing. However, with each touch, Mrs. Hurley also became more and more agitated, and more and more directed at me, at one point screaming, "THIS IS WHY WE FENCE EPEE, COURTNEY!!" (Way to encourage mastery and responsibility, mom!)
I briefly flirted with the idea of awarding a red card (old school, as I said), but figured that the offender's personality would probably be encouraged by the attention. After all, the bout wasn't going to last particularly long.
Upon the loss, tantrums ensued. I don't take that personally, it's part of the game. The Fencing Officials' Commission rep assured me that my calls were spot-on and some armchair quarterbacking was done on the type of cards that could have been thrown (red or black would have been acceptable).
As I walked away from the piste, I heard Mrs. Hurley remark to a cohort, "...and no student of Buckie's will ever lose a bout when Buckie's standing here."
So we've got interesting behavior problems, avoidance of responsibility, and paranoid accusations of partiality. This is the person you want controlling the direction of the USFA? No - it's Kalle Weekes, Mark Stasinos, Jerry Benson, Ro Solbavarro, Greg Dilworth, and Brad Baker.
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