IGX Induced Panic

Aaaaaaaaaaaahhh!

We leave today for Boston. I may not make it. On the up side, nerves had me up until 4am doing ALL THE THINGS! I baked cookies, did all the laundry, shoved all the stuffing back into the dog's bed, read a book, reorganized my DVDs, washed windows, repacked my sword gear, and jumped in the pool for a swim. On the down side, I'm still awake, the smell of cookies is making me hungry, the dog is pulling all the stuffing back out of his bed, I forgot that the temperature only got up to 64 degrees yesterday and the water had a greenish tinge to it and now I'm freezing.

Ever since I was a kid, every time I had a piano recital, an orchestra concert where I had a solo, a work in a school art exhibit, Longpoint's paired forms, even the quilt I just entered in the fair this year- every time, I have these stupid bouts of insecurity. I talk myself into forgetting things I knew, or only see the missteps in my artwork, or whatever. It's ridiculous. So I had a little panicky moment or two about IGX too. I know it'll be fun. I know I'm going to learn a ton. I know we'll have a great time. But I don't know if it was the six people today telling me not to get dead, lingering unease over my as yet un-healed bone bruise from Longpoint, or just dread of a nine-hour drive, but something got me more than a bit nervous. The poor Professor got the joy of dealing with it, but managed to allay my fears enough to get me to let him go to bed. Then the aforementioned frittering began. But my house has never been so clean!

Really though, I'm totally looking forward to trying another tournament and fencing more great fighters! At Longpoint, I got to face the others in my pool, but that was it. The squashed finger kept me from picking up any other matches, so I spent a lot of time just watching. This time, it sounds like we'll have tons of fighting to do. As last time, my main goal is not to get dead. I'm going to shoot a little higher though, and hope to at least land a couple of really good shots, and to try and be sure that I take a step with every cut- I'm really bad about that. Watching the videos we took of Deadpool's birthday gauntlet, I saw that I move with all the smoothness and grace of a robot that's short circuiting. Hopefully I can keep it together and fight the nerves off enough to put into practice some of what the Professor's been trying to get us to see. I'm going to watch for those indes moments and try to actually act on them, rather than just watching them flit by. But if you're at IGX and see a goofball in a blue coat and bunny mask waving randomly in the air, you'll know I missed one. But hey- at least I'll have recognized it :)

Wish me luck- we're shipping off to Boston!

Week 26 - Swordhouse Rock - Conjunction Junction

So this week, we spent quite a lot of time on the hangen and winden again, reviewing how they help get us from point A to point B in a play. The Professor was demonstrating, explaining how they connect strikes and responses, and then he asked "given that windings could functionally extend a play beyond the end point as written, what does that say about what winding actually is, and why the plays are written to end as they do?"

I'd zoned out a bit and lost myself over-thinking, which happens a lot really, when suddenly it hit me... they're just conjunctions! My language arts teachers would be so proud. I knew someday being able to diagram a sentence would have to come in useful! My BA in English Literature paid off at last! Well, not really, but still. And hey, and the whole point of the previous week's homework to find a play that could be extended with winden fit right in- fancy that!

Windens are just "or,"s "and,"s & "but"s! So immediately my mind sticks on the word "conjunction" and wanders off. I think I hang out with kids too much... they're a bad influence. Those of you who remember "Schoolhouse Rock" can come with me for a sec on a little side trip: 

Winden Junction, what's your function?
hookin' up pflugs and albers and ochses,
Winden Junction, how's that function?
I got four favorite winds that get most of my job done.
Winden junction, what's their function?
I got "eins," "zwei," "drei," and "vier"; they'll get you pretty far.

Eins- that one twists, wrists cross the inside like that.

Zwei- that flips to the opposite, not eins but zwei,
then drei and vier- one-two,
when you have a choice like from left or right

"eins," "zwei," "drei and vier," get you pretty far.

Winden Junction, what's your function?
Hooking up plays and making 'em end right.
Scheitel to kron, zwerchin' vom tag, krumping an ochs-
Hey that's nice!
Sweaty but happy, battered and bruised,
Loving your swords, getting your tail kicked too.
I'm poor but honest, black and blue,

Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

Winden junction, what's your function?!

Yes, I actually sing it to myself. And then I proceed to giggle myself stupid. Those of you who don't get the reference are horribly deprived little whippersnappers, and need to go educate yourselves. Here: Conjunction Junction. (While you're at it, check out "I'm Just a Bill" too. You may laugh, but I still know all the steps of creating laws thanks to that song.)

So anyway, the Professor said that was exactly the idea. I waited patiently for my gold star, but sadly, none was forthcoming. I was a little bummed, but we moved on to cutting, which always cheers me up. I managed to cut with an oberhau on my first try, and was the only one to manage it that day too :-)

I'm sure some other stuff happened too, but those were the important things. I totally should have gotten TWO gold stars.