Week 36 - The Bugs Bunny Play

Going to two classes weekly is kicking my tail... but in a good way, I guess. Except that my back aches halfway through the regular one. It's been awesome, actually. I've been going to the beginner class, which is giving me the chance to reinforce basics and providing another set of explanations about how and why we do things the way they do. The first time around, the reasoning was all different. This time, the Professor seems to be explaining things a bit more. Maybe having to teach me helped him figure out how to simplify things. Then there was the part of class called "Lefties Give Everyone Problems," in which I had to do the plays with several people, so they could all have the experience of fighting the solo obnoxious one in the group. I'm getting better at trying stuff from both sides, which is good, I guess. 

Still Wallerstein-ing. Oberhaus to scales, scales parried aside, pommel strikes to the face... I'm really bad at that one. It's that hitting people thing again. I can't help apologizing, which gets me whacked every time. Anyway, it was a lot of scales to hangen, scales to pflug, oberlauffen at some point, a bunch of others... I need to just go look these things up so I have a reference. I've got the wiktenauer as my home page at work now, which threw off the tech lady when she borrowed my computer for a demo. I guess we've done nine different plays or so. I have to admit my favorite was one of the last we learned- I'm calling it the Bugs Bunny play.

It's one of those Wallerstein plays, plate 11 says the Professor. If I remember rightly, it starts off with one going into the scales, winding high, then sort of bullrushing forward the second the other guy tries to do anything. The raised arms end up pushing the other guy's sword behind his head and you kind of just mow him down. I'd been paired with the Professor for this set of plays, so when he did the rush forward, he thankfully stopped short of sending me to the floor, but ended up with his arms around me and my own sword far out of the way where it could do no damage. I tend to panic in these bullrush-y moments, as happened at Longpoint when I tried to turn into a turtle with Odin. This time though, I had a total Bugs Bunny moment. You remember in Bugs' cartoons, when he'd get into some kind of trouble with Porky Pig or Yosemite Sam, end up right close to them, and then grab them by the ears and plant a great big smacking kiss right on their surprised faces? Ya, that was me. Totally wasn't thinking anything sketchy, honest, but that was my immediate reaction. I turned to the Professor, but he apparently was reading my mind, because he kinda growled "don't you dare!" and let go. I tried to stifle my laughs, but ended up choking on them instead. My new favorite play. Definitely.

Week 34 & 35 - Pepperoni or Supreme?

I'd been having withdrawal symptoms. I haven't written in ages, but I'm not slacking, honestly! I just haven't been able to play for weeks! It's been awful. First it was the week of Christmas, and I was on party-duty during practice, so I missed that week. New Guy saw me looking forlornly out the window at everybody practicing at one point, and sent me a sympathetic look, but the boys all stayed outside to play. (It worked out though, because we got all the party stuffs set up and had a lovely time after practice.) The practice after Christmas, I drove back from visiting family so that I'd make it in time for practice... only for the Professor to end practice early that day. Missed another. Then two weeks ago, I made it a bit early, only to find that nobody was there. We'd apparently gotten indoor quarters for winter (YAY! no more frozen nose & toes), but nobody'd thought to mention it to me until I got there. Grr. So I headed over to the new place, but practice had already started and I couldn't get hold of anyone to come open the door. After 20 minutes of standing around in the cold wind, I gave up and went to the movie theatre next door. (That new "Night at the Museum" movie is cute, by the way.)

But finally, I got to practice again. And cripes, the new people! We have got to start renaming these people, because I think we're up to New Guy to the 6th power or something. Anyway, the Professor posted the group on MeetUp around Christmas time, and we've been getting new folk every week since. First was one of the high school kids Deadpool's been substitute teaching for, then came another, and another. Another too, I think. And one came last week to check us out too. I'm collectively calling them the 'New Kids in the Ochs' until we find better names. The Scout came first the week of the party too- a visitor checking out the scene for himself and his pal. I got to talk to him briefly in between bouts of setting up for the party. He brought a friend, who is Mr. Enthusiasm all over. Then there's the fellow with the magnificent Moustache. And another girl too! Though she missed last week due to work. We actually had so many newbies that the Professor had to split the class. Now we have two, beginners in the early afternoon, intermediates just after that. We've got barely enough swords for everyone in the beginner group, but some are so gung-ho that they've already ordered their own feders or bought their own synthetics, so that problem won't last.

We've been doing plays from the Codex Wallerstein since Christmas. I asked why all the different books, and was told it's all about having options, apparently. We learn the individual pieces, then use them in applications and different plays so that we'll have a repertoire to pull from when we need them. Or to show off in those paired forms competitions that unnerve me so. We learn all the basics (Liechtenauer), then can fancy them up with the Wallersteins and Psuedo-Peters and even spice it with Meyerish stuff. Like pizza. The base is all the same, but the way you put it together can make all the difference, can even make it seem like something entirely new. Unfortunately, I like my pizzas relatively plain. This doesn't bode well for my fighting technique.