Coming Up for Air
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).
Fencing
About half my silence has been due to the brisk tournament schedule leading into the Sectional Championship which we had the privilege to host this year. Since the championship is a qualifying event for Nationals, there is more pressure to get things right. While our group had a fair amount of autonomy in organizing the event, there remained another level of bureaucracy to satisfy. This lead to an additional mantle of stress which I felt that I bore poorly.
The tournament went well enough though. Even with a late winter storm dropping our numbers a bit, we still had a few decent events. They ran smoothly and the set up and tear down both were pretty efficient. There is still a debrief to go through, but I consider our effort to be a success... especially since my colleagues and I hadn't run this particular tournament before.
On top of which, I dug down and got myself certified for refereeing foil. While it wasn't my best work (hey, I was distracted), it was good to lend a hand there in an official capacity.
With that, the season is starting to wind down. Our Division has a few tournaments to run still but the big pressure is off in my books. I am even getting back in the mood to compete in one or two of the remaining tournaments before the season ends. In fact, there was one this past weekend that I managed to compete in epee in addition to helping out. Came in second too. I guess there is still a little mustard left in this guy after all.
Bowling
The season for my bowling league has also wound down. While we gave the lead team a run for their money, we fell a little short of vying for the championship title. I'm fine with that. The Charmers had a good run and I even finished up with something like a 140 average.
To cap everything off, we had a banquet to get everyone together one more time. Most of it was hob-nobbing and reminiscing, but at the end the league went through some business. In additional to reviewing a couple changes to the bylaws, they had officer elections... and guess who got nominated for president...
Yeah... I don't know how this happens. It could be that I was picked at random because the guy who did the nominating was the current president and he was just looking for a way to get out of the office. Not necessarily a ringing endorsement for the position. Regardless, I quoted the words of General Sherman, "if nominated, I will not run. If elected, I will not serve."
So the officers stood as is, but I cannot help but feel that a bug has now lodged itself in someone's ear somewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if this scenario plays out again twelve months hence.
Music Lessons
I am still taking my bass lessons. I am still enjoying them even though it can be slow going at times. It dawned on me that I recently passed the one year mark and considered posting something to commemorate, but it keeps getting pushed off. Sufficed to say, I do see a marked improvement from where I was and where I am now.
Rock Band
Speaking of music... Squid, Leems and I have still managed to get together on a semi-regular basis to play Rock Band. It hasn't lost its glamour and part of that is due to the robust download schedule Harmonix has adopted for new content. Song releases vary on my personal scale of taste, but then again you can't please everyone. I am thrilled that they have kept up their momentum and wish them luck in sustaining the franchise. In that same breath, I curse them for the workout they give my credit card.
Hockey
The Wild finished the regular season in spectacular fashion by winning our division title for the first time in their franchise history. Then they got themselves axed out of the playoffs in the first round by the Avalanche. Disappointing, sure, but still a good run. Squid and I managed to get tickets to game five. It was an exciting game for two periods and then our boys lost their skates in the third. With my schedule freeing up a bit, I have been watching more of the other playoff series with great enjoyment. I am especially savoring the shellacking the Avs are currently taking from the Red Wings. No, I'm not bitter...
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.
Fencing
About half my silence has been due to the brisk tournament schedule leading into the Sectional Championship which we had the privilege to host this year. Since the championship is a qualifying event for Nationals, there is more pressure to get things right. While our group had a fair amount of autonomy in organizing the event, there remained another level of bureaucracy to satisfy. This lead to an additional mantle of stress which I felt that I bore poorly.
The tournament went well enough though. Even with a late winter storm dropping our numbers a bit, we still had a few decent events. They ran smoothly and the set up and tear down both were pretty efficient. There is still a debrief to go through, but I consider our effort to be a success... especially since my colleagues and I hadn't run this particular tournament before.
On top of which, I dug down and got myself certified for refereeing foil. While it wasn't my best work (hey, I was distracted), it was good to lend a hand there in an official capacity.
With that, the season is starting to wind down. Our Division has a few tournaments to run still but the big pressure is off in my books. I am even getting back in the mood to compete in one or two of the remaining tournaments before the season ends. In fact, there was one this past weekend that I managed to compete in epee in addition to helping out. Came in second too. I guess there is still a little mustard left in this guy after all.
Bowling
The season for my bowling league has also wound down. While we gave the lead team a run for their money, we fell a little short of vying for the championship title. I'm fine with that. The Charmers had a good run and I even finished up with something like a 140 average.
To cap everything off, we had a banquet to get everyone together one more time. Most of it was hob-nobbing and reminiscing, but at the end the league went through some business. In additional to reviewing a couple changes to the bylaws, they had officer elections... and guess who got nominated for president...
Yeah... I don't know how this happens. It could be that I was picked at random because the guy who did the nominating was the current president and he was just looking for a way to get out of the office. Not necessarily a ringing endorsement for the position. Regardless, I quoted the words of General Sherman, "if nominated, I will not run. If elected, I will not serve."
So the officers stood as is, but I cannot help but feel that a bug has now lodged itself in someone's ear somewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if this scenario plays out again twelve months hence.
Music Lessons
I am still taking my bass lessons. I am still enjoying them even though it can be slow going at times. It dawned on me that I recently passed the one year mark and considered posting something to commemorate, but it keeps getting pushed off. Sufficed to say, I do see a marked improvement from where I was and where I am now.
Rock Band
Speaking of music... Squid, Leems and I have still managed to get together on a semi-regular basis to play Rock Band. It hasn't lost its glamour and part of that is due to the robust download schedule Harmonix has adopted for new content. Song releases vary on my personal scale of taste, but then again you can't please everyone. I am thrilled that they have kept up their momentum and wish them luck in sustaining the franchise. In that same breath, I curse them for the workout they give my credit card.
Hockey
The Wild finished the regular season in spectacular fashion by winning our division title for the first time in their franchise history. Then they got themselves axed out of the playoffs in the first round by the Avalanche. Disappointing, sure, but still a good run. Squid and I managed to get tickets to game five. It was an exciting game for two periods and then our boys lost their skates in the third. With my schedule freeing up a bit, I have been watching more of the other playoff series with great enjoyment. I am especially savoring the shellacking the Avs are currently taking from the Red Wings. No, I'm not bitter...
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.