Renaissance

I’ve got a very strong temptation to try to catch up with the past… oh… four months of blog silence.  When you line it all up, I feel like I’ve been enjoying my very own renaissance… if only it were that grand, but it’s still pretty nice.

  • Skiing: OMG fun.  And having invested a small fortune in gear, it had better be.  But being this close to pretty good snow and really, really good snow it would be unacceptable not to take advantage of it.  I wasn’t half bad for a guy raised in the midwest when the season started, but after a lot of practice and a weekend enjoying the best. powder. ever. in Whistler I’m feel’n pretty damn good.  I’m glad I’ve found people to ski with… in particular, people who push me to try new things and get better.
  • Lifting: while it’s been going well, it’s been boring boring boring not power lifting anymore.  I miss Illini Powerlifting.  I miss the camaraderie.  I need goals and to be pushed, which leads me to…
  • Boxing : it’s a new thing that I’m not sure I’m going to stick with, but for now, it’s really damn exciting.  I’ve found an awesome boxing gym close to home and went for my first lesson this weekend.  Is it wrong to enjoy getting hit?  Does that say something about me?  One thing’s for damn sure, I need to learn how to jump rope…  I haven’t done that since I was 7 and my coordination hasn’t improved much since then.
  • Opera : by far, one of the coolest new things I’ve experienced as of late.  We (a handful of friends) went to see Tosca.  Everyone dies.  Sorry for the spoiler.  I have to say that there are some great lines that came out of it… one of the best ones, delivered by the skeeziest of all evil characters ever crafted (Scarpia) as he tries to seduce (essentially, rape) the heroine… “you make me forget God”.  Somehow the setting and the pure evil that flowed from the man just made that line so laced with crazed-obsession in the guise of love that it was almost laughable.  But nothing compares with the heroine’s declaration “Questo è il bacio di Tosca” – “This is Tosca’s kiss” as she repeatedly stabs the evil Scarpia.  Ah, tragedy.
  • Valentine’s Bash: what do you get when you get an audience of angstful, scorned lovers with objects of affection that have lost their meaning?  And let’s say you add in some liquid nitrogen, a sledge hammer, a machete, tar & feathers, and a blow torch??  You get an evening of entertainment wallowing in the pain and suffering of others that is much worse than anything you’ve ever been though!  The basic premise is to get on stage, tell your harrowing story, and summarily destroy your (hopefully) last reminder of your love lost.  The things that were destroyed, and the stories that were told, were unreal.  For example, imagine your boyfriend leaving for Africa and bringing you back a wonderful lil trinket of his love… and the clap! Letters were burned, pictures were pissed on (yes, literally), dildos were frozen and shattered… the list goes on and on.  Best damn Valentine’s day ever.  And, no, I didn’t bring anything of my own…

I’m sure there’s more that I’m forgetting, but those are some of the more interesting snippits.

Oh… and I’ve posted new pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/kmwoley

One thought on “Renaissance”

  1. Glad to see a post again. ;-)

    When I saw the boxing stuff I remember that Charle, Jame’s brother, once told us about picking up boxing. He stopped after he got punched in the face a couple of times by the instructor, LOL. But if you can stand being hit, I suppose the odds of you keeping w/ it are probably much better.

    As for enjoying being hit, I hear ya. Just tell yourself that the person is showing you what you’re doing wrong by hitting you, and therefore giving you a chance to improve. At least that’s the explanation in kendo. Of course, it’s also said that you should execute your strike in an efficient manner that doesn’t destroy your opponent, not try to knock him out. ^_~

    Valentine’s day… Emotions suck. One sided affection sucks double time. :-(

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