Dwelling in Possibility

I've gotten really bad at posting updates... Too busy, too stressed, too everything. Anyway, here's quick catch up...

I've had a really good Eastercon this year. Partly it was because I now know more people in the community so there's always someone to hang out with. The other part was that somehow this convention seemed smaller than last year, at least in terms of the number of pros present, so it was easier to meet new people. I'm not sure if point two really was true or an illusion due to point one, but either way, it worked out well.

Highlights included:

Codex Writers lunch, finally meeting some UK-based Codexians as well as some visitors. (Why didn't we take any pictures?)

The panel I moderated on The Future of Space Opera with John Scalzi, Aliette de Bodard and Zoe Sumra:


(Here I am, looking all in control, hehe)


And post BSFA awards party, where some of us did our best to embarrass Gareth Powell in every possible way:

(I'm the one on the right)




Now, this would probably merit a separate post, but since it happened just after the con, I'll put it here: I've decided to part ways with my agent. It was a difficult decision as he is a great person and I honestly like him and respect him a lot as a person. Still, I don't think he's the best agent for me at this stage. We parted ways amicably, with mutual agreement. Now I'm bracing myself for a new chapter.  

I've been peeking over here every now and then but not as much as I used to, for various reasons. One of them has been that the beginning of the year has been crazy busy with writing and study. My study is part-time, and so far I've kept it at a conservative pace, but then I figured I could sign up for another course that would run over Feb-September, which'd give me only three months when both courses overlap; something I thought I could manage. Well, the second course has proven much more time consuming than advertised. Also, I'm not making things easier on myself by learning Latex (a program for mathematical typesetting), which is not required at my level but typing math in Word gets on my nerves, and I have to learn sooner or later so it might as well be now.

I've had some decisions to make on the writing front, which also resulted in changes of plans, and more work. But that will have to be another post.

I got to have a break earlier this month when I went on a week's holiday to the Canaries. It was very relaxed, and I got to spend time with good friends, but the whole thing was overshadowed by the mess happening her in the UK. We managed to apply, and get, the "settled status" last month, though, so at least we're hoping nobody's going to knock at our door to tell us we need to pack up and leave… I hope!

And then I got home and immediately fell sick with a cold. Yay!

Anyway, here are some Fuerteventura pictures:

Lost on Tatooine...
 


Did I say it was windy:


Cool volcanic landscape (and me!):




Dreaming of summer:

I've been having a really bad time sleeping. I'm never good, ever since I was a kid, but sometimes it gets worse. It's partially my own fault, as I got myself into a really late rhythm while finishing the novel draft, but that was already a while ago and I'm only getting worse. Lat night I went to bed at 4 am, which is by not means early but not super late for me. I lay in bed, not sleeping, till 8 am. Lucky I didn't have to be anywhere and could just sleep till the afternoon but it's so much wasted time and so tiering to just lay there and wait for sleep. And getting up after the sun has set again, missing daylight completely only makes it worse... :/

Major Tom, my senior cat, is poorly... Stopped eating and is getting increasingly frail. He's 17.5 and we thought he had arthritis but it now seems it may be bone cancer. We're waiting to hear if there's anything that can still be done, but given his age, it's unlikely. I just want to make him comfortable at the end...

This is just to say that my order of Fence volume one arrived today. I read it. And then I saw I could buy more immediately on the Kindle. Not the best reading experience but I. Could. Not. Wait.

I bought another one. And another one. And another one.

And now I'm disappointed to find out there are only 12 issues out. 

Reader, I read them all tonight. And what now?

It's all yhlee 's fault! :D

P.S. I need to figure out an épée icon...

I did it. spent a small fortune and got my kit. Yay!



SO of course there were shenanigans, and showing off moves...



 I'm glad to report that the drying rack survived the assault...

The bib of the mask is a bib stiff, but everyone said it will "break." I really hope so, because I know that the size is right and yet it pushes up as if it were too small.

And here's an incorrect sixte, for yhlee 's amusement:

 

Now I have to make sure I don't put on any weight... The breeches are tight as they are...



Now at least I look the part in my group. As to the skills... They all have a couple of years on me, so I guess that's a good excuse?

 Had a great fencing session today. First was a private lesson with Kate, the epee coach--a bit short because I got stuck in traffic and came in late. Still, this was more than enough for what I could take. I told Kate I wanted to try epee, and maybe join her group, if she'll have me. She was delighted, because she actually wants to have more women. And even though all the others in the group are more advanced than me, at least some are closer to my age group. Fencing against teenagers is really not my thing.

I'm not quite sure what we did in during the lesson--she spent some time correcting my posture and movements, as I was too excited and messing up. Also, I don't think I learned my "sixte" correctly, or maybe it's a bit different for epee. Then I did some attacks on her wrist and chest. The wrist part was quite a change from foil!

Mostly, I really like the way she teaches. She spends time explaining and seems to care if you get it,. vs just ticking a box of, "that's done, on to the next one."

So after the lesson I asked her advice--I want to continue with epee, but I'd always thought that it was more physically demanding than foil. Kate totally disagreed. She said epee is more tactical, and so the bouts tend to be less energetic, and so requiring less overall stamina. She said that's the reason seniors' games are thriving for epee, much more so than the other weapons. And she said she knows a woman who started fencing in her sixties, and is now doing world championships in her age group. At that point, I was totally sold.

The actual session had six epeeists, three men and three women, me included. I was with the women group, with a young woman whose name I forgot, and Andrea, a lovely Austrian woman who's about my age and really happy that I joined the group. We did electric sparring, with Kate watching and commenting. It worked really well, because with the three of us, one could always be resting. Obviously, I got beaten squarely, but did manage to score some points, so yay! 

For now, I can't say for sure that I really prefer epee as a weapon (or not-prefer it), but I definitely like working with Kate, and general atmosphere in the epee group. I was a bit sorry as all the others from my beginners' group were there today, doing foil... Still, I wasn't sorry enough to want to change back. 

The hardest part now is that I have to get my kit. All the other epeeists have it, and it was rather embarrassing as I was still using the club gear, without breeches, and so without a pocket to hold the transmitter (we've moved to wireless for epee), and had to ask my partners to hook it into the back of my very sweaty tracksuit pants... So yeah, I have to buy kit -- and I've just had a glance at Leon Paul, quality British brand, and the epee starter it is... £450... Gulp! Could probably find something a bit cheaper but half the quality... I've got the money, but it was earmarked for something else... I need to sleep on it. 

And in the meantime, here's a great brief video I found that shows the differences between the three weapons. Really neat visuals!

 Today's fencing was rather shambolic--but it may have pushed me in a new direction.