tcpip | Health & Swords, Sydney ANZUUA, Animal Crackers, Equinox

Work provided health-checks for staff; for someone who is physically completely out-of-shape (let's say I fall into the very overweight category), my blood pressure is fine, my pulse-rate is fine, by cholesterol levels are fine and my blood sugars are fine. Apparently I am the rare creature, the healthy fat man. Nevertheless, I am now making some effort to rectify the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle; I have taken up fencing again at the local University club. Personally I prefer half-drunken swashbuckling in rural areas (which I used to do) to the more formal rules of competition fencing, but nevertheless it is a start back into using stabby-pointy things.

Next weekend coming

caseopaya are in Sydney. We'll be staying at The Centre in Randwick, attending the ANZUUA conference, seriously for me, probably more nominally for caseopaya, although some of the agenda makes me smile and shake my head; a workshop on postmodern prayer? Well, I suppose we are a broad church. Hoping to catch up with a range of Sydney-siders many of whom I haven't seen for years. We have later Friday evening free and Monday afternoon; probably the Zoo Bar (175 Oxford St, Bondi Junction on Friday), open to suggestions for Monday afternoon.

First bit of animal news is the discovery that naked mole rats don't get cancer. An entire species of male sharks are really dickheads. Finally, two sets from Cracked (who have done the transition to the Internet so much better than Mad); the truly weird weird animals, giant versions of disgusting critters and biggest assholes in the animal world. Finally local rodents, Trouble, Mischief and Calamity, celebrate their first birthday (making them about 30 in human years) with cheesecake and chocolate sauce.

Edit. Almost forgot to mention; great equinox dinner on Wednesday night at the Mooroccan Soup Bar followed by drinks at Deco, organised by

_nightflower with several guests including

horngirl and

alchemon. Great night, and special thanks to _nightflower_ for arranging it!

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Postmodern prayer is probably like experiencing a sort of happy schizophrenia to commune with the divine.

Heheh.. Well, I didn't go to the workshop, but that sounds so very appropriate!

Postmodern prayer? My mind is boggling.

I prefer the agnostic's prayer from Roger Zelazny's Creatures of Light and Darkness

Insofar as I may be heard by anything, which may or may not care what I say, I ask, if it matters, that you be forgiven for anything you may have done or failed to do which requires forgiveness. Conversely, if not forgiveness but something else may be required to insure any possible benefit for which you may be eligible after the destruction of your body, I ask that this, whatever it may be, be granted or withheld, as the case may be, in such a manner as to insure your receiving said benefit. I ask this in my capacity as your elected intermediary between yourself and that which may not be yourself, but which may have an interest in the matter of your receiving as much as it is possible for you to receive of this thing, and which may in some way be influenced by this ceremony. Amen.

That prayer needs Section 1.1.1 subclauses..

Hahaha - that's hilarious !
: D

uh dude, you could go swashbuckling with us

Thursday nights, at St Augustine's Parish Hall in Yarraville

I know, I know... But Thursday nights is when I roll dice and slay mythical dragons and the like. *sigh*

ah, damn, I know how that works. :)

I think we have an alternate training night, but I'll need to check with that particular instructor

Let's not forget that fencing is little more than a formalised sword/knife-fight in an alley or corridor. ;)

Sounds like fun...always wanted to give it a try but never had the time.

"That's not a knife"... Schning! "This is a knife"

LOL! Perfect sound-effect there. :D

Your rats are gorgeous. Damn, I shouldn't have looked - I want some now!

(Happy birthday, ratties!)

Well? Why not? I'm sure little rodents are a popular pet in the low countries..

They are popular here, but my mother-in-law is terrified of them. She'd be really uncomfortable coming round here if she knew rats were in the house somewhere (even inside a hutch). So I think the ratties will have to wait until we (eventually) come back to Australia.

We live in a farming area though, so I'm sure I'll see the occasional wild one!

Ah, so that was you folks we saw heading up St Georges Rd on Wednesday evening as we stood outside the Soup Bar. We were attempting dinner there, but given our group was too small to book for, we ended up elsewhere rather than brave the two-hour wait... Glad you folks enjoyed it, though. *smile*

And many happy returns to the ratties!

It was indeed very busy on said night, and very much so for a Wednesday. Pleasantly surprised to see that the price of the banquet had not changed since the last time I was there (

frou_frou's birthday gathering about... three years ago?

I know it is not in the consumer's interest but perhaps a price increase is in order.

Interesting - in the lead-up to arranging dinner there, I'd read that the price had gone up. I'm beginning to suspect that it varies a little depending on how much they like you!

I don't know about a price increase, but I wonder about whether it would be feasible to see them expand into other venues, as Lentil As Anything has?

I cannot recommend fencing and swordplay in general enough for the purpose of improving the body. I practiced a light form of kenjutsu for a few years off-and-on amidst other martial arts, and I noticed it strongly when I stopped.

Another friend of mine studied fencing intensely for a few years and came out of it with a physique something like Bruce Lee's, with no additional effort.

Like Bruce Lee? Wot, dead? ;)

Seriously though, I can understand what you mean. It's a very fast paced activity and undertaken regularly enough it is highly aerobic.

I think healthy fat people are a lot less rare than the diet industry would like us to believe.

Definitely agree with that. There are even a lot of very fit fat people around too. I used to see them out jogging long distances around the park (back when I was doing more walking) and I'd get puffed just watching them.

Oh most certainly. As soon as there's profit to be made any science becomes highly distorted. After all, a properly funded health and nutrition person receives their paycheck whether or not a person is unhealthy. A profit-based nutritionist... well, they require people to be unhealthy, or at least to think they are.

Witness the delightful distortions that occur once there is private prisons.

If you prefer a more swashbuckling style of fencing then have you tried the Melbourne Swordplay Guild ??

http://msg.swordplay.org.au/

We are a group of western martial art enthusiasts and we meet every Thursday in Yarraville. This year we are studying the English Broadsword as taught by George Silver. We previously have studied German Longsword, Italian Rapier and French Small sword. The group is small but dedicated and from a firm IT, Geek, Goth background :-)

We use steel weapons in a controlled environment and consider ourselves primarily swordsmen (although there are some re-enactors represented as well)

Alas, see my response to kits_the_dm above... Thursday nights is dice-rolling and slaying mythical dragons time.

we lose to RPGs... as has always been the case in "sword vs RPG".

And you forget, we have people who hold equity cards (so we're not just IT geeks, but also "creative" types) :)

Health & Swords, Sydney ANZUUA, Animal Crackers, Equinox

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