I've been meaning to observe for a while now that one of the wonderful things about fencing is that it is something I share with my sister.  We haven't had an activity in common since band in school (she's not a genre geek, nor political, nor religious, nor...).  In fact, fencing is a lot like band in that she has much more natural talent for it ( Read more... )

The first purchase I made in my fencing hobby was not my own foil, nor even mask or jacket: it was a book on fencing.  This surprises none of you.  This is what we do: we read!  And I've read so many interesting things in these histories of swordplay and manuals of fencing this past year that I would like to share with you, and just haven't ( Read more... )

Dave Barry wrote an election columnIn other news, "Ow."  My foot is elevated over my keyboard tray, resting on a ice pack, and turning black-and-blue in very puzzling places, after I stepped wrong and went down while fencing tonight.  Luckily, it is only the foot part of my foot that is in pain, not the ankle.  Everyone there was very nice, and ( Read more... )

NCIS is back tonight.  Set your VCR or TiVo or whatever.  How long until the team is reunited?

Highlander quick hit?  I recently rewatched "Eye for an Eye," and I'm thinking Sheena Easton had been taught fencing (sport fencing, not stage fencing; and dry, not electric) at some point before filming that episode.  She looks awkward fighting as ( Read more... )

Tonight was the first fencing class of the new session, after a summer of informal fencing in the park, so today most of all, my experience of the convention was on VHS well after it ended.  I found Senator Obama's acceptance speech a little long (not approaching former-president Clinton's record-setting lengths, of course) but I'll attribute that ( Read more... )

Always shop the independent!  Today's example: I wanted three 3' lengths of 3/4" PVC pipe to hold fencing foils when not in use, to ensure they don't get bent the wrong way.  (One for my sister, and two for me. Though I own only a dry foil at present, I'll doubtless buy an electric the next time I'm in the vicinity of a seller.)  I drove to ( Read more... )

The US national fencing championships are being held in San Jose, California this year, from July 1 through 10.  And while fencers must pay to compete (registration, etc.), the audience gets in for free, I'm told.  Events appear to begin between 7:00 AM and 2:00 PM daily.  Venue: San Jose McEnery Convention Center, 150 West San Carlos St., San ( Read more... )

I need to get several inches chopped off the sleeves of my fencing jacket, so I don't have to cuff it, but I'm not quite willing to trust my own manual hemming to the task (I don't presently own a sewing machine that can handle this fabric).  The jacket is safety equipment, so the hemming needs to be very secure and precise, as well as tidy and ( Read more... )

I spent most of Thursday happily visiting with batdina.  We got to stop briefly by a local museum, have excellent Chinese food for lunch, watch an episode of a well-loved show, and chat.  ( Read more... )

A three-city-block walk from a BART station I never use took me to the storefront of a fencing supply shop, where I purchased my own gear.  As with so many things, the shop was more interesting inside than out, though the very most interesting parts I saw only from a distance through doors (such as where I suspect the grips and blades are made ( Read more... )