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Tournament Report: National Indoors
Mar. 4th, 2007 06:21 pmTwo-day indoor FITA: 120 arrows, 18 meters
Coming into this tournament, it felt like a milestone for me. It's far from my first, but in the last few months I've gotten much more serious about shooting, had some honest coaching, and added "archer" to the list of nowns that identify me, so it's the first in which I'm competing in for competing's sake, not just for shooting's sake.
Not for winning's sake, not even close. One thing at a time.
Sleep and practice? Check. I've been all over both of those. I was starting out yesterday well, too, averaging 27 on my first five ends. Then there was the unthinkable.
Either I nocked the arrow low, or it was on top of the button instead of in front of it, but I became acquainted with that one letter that all archers fear: the dreaded M. It wasn't even on the paper. Apparently, though, I'm getting better at shaking that kind of thing off, because I held on and pulled a 261 for the round. After the break, I was understandably tired, but finished the day at 524 - just one point behind where I feel like I should be shooting.
Today I went down a bit later and did less warmup, hoping to be less tired by the end. Even still, my shoulders were starting to get sore in weird places, so a 265 at the half worked out only to 525 at the end of the day. Final score: 1049. It'd be a lie to say that I'm happy with that, but it does feel like it correctly represents my current skill level. More worriesome is the strange soreness that was creeping into my shoulders at the end, but hopefully resting tomorrow will ease that.
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Coming into this tournament, it felt like a milestone for me. It's far from my first, but in the last few months I've gotten much more serious about shooting, had some honest coaching, and added "archer" to the list of nowns that identify me, so it's the first in which I'm competing in for competing's sake, not just for shooting's sake.
Not for winning's sake, not even close. One thing at a time.
Sleep and practice? Check. I've been all over both of those. I was starting out yesterday well, too, averaging 27 on my first five ends. Then there was the unthinkable.
Either I nocked the arrow low, or it was on top of the button instead of in front of it, but I became acquainted with that one letter that all archers fear: the dreaded M. It wasn't even on the paper. Apparently, though, I'm getting better at shaking that kind of thing off, because I held on and pulled a 261 for the round. After the break, I was understandably tired, but finished the day at 524 - just one point behind where I feel like I should be shooting.
Today I went down a bit later and did less warmup, hoping to be less tired by the end. Even still, my shoulders were starting to get sore in weird places, so a 265 at the half worked out only to 525 at the end of the day. Final score: 1049. It'd be a lie to say that I'm happy with that, but it does feel like it correctly represents my current skill level. More worriesome is the strange soreness that was creeping into my shoulders at the end, but hopefully resting tomorrow will ease that.
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Sheer, sheer genius
Mar. 2nd, 2007 08:14 amOk, raise your hand if today's xkcd hits just a little too close to home.
I know I'm not the only one, people.
I seriously laughed so hard I cried.
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I know I'm not the only one, people.
I seriously laughed so hard I cried.
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Physical self-consciousness
Feb. 28th, 2007 09:58 pmBack when I was a wee lad, my dad got an exercise machine to but in our basement. It mostly just sat there collecting dust, even though he spent several hours (over the course of a few years) trying to get the three men in the family (including himself) to make a habit out of using it. Needless to say, none of us ever did, but I distinctly remember that I had significantly better lower body strength than upper. I could do probably twice to three times as much weight on leg lifts than I could basically anywhere else.
Tonight, I went down to my complex's (complice's?) Fitness Center to poke around, after a good experience with a free day pass to The Front on Monday. After discovering that no, treadmills don't like me, and I don't exactly have a runner's aerobic endurance, I threw myself upon the mercy of themodern torture device weight machine.
Funny how things change. Either this machine's weights were inaccurate, or my father's machine's weights were innacurate (neither possibility one I'd discount), or I've managed to lose leg strength since I was eleven years old. That's right, my lazy-ass prepubescent self may have had better legs than my current self that walks nearly two miles each day.
Or maybe I'm just misremembering.
In any case, it's time for me to lock down the things I need to focus on for the weekend. If I can keep myself from getting sloppy, and shoot at peak performance all weekend, I'll be looking at a placement that people will notice. To that end, I have a list.
For those in the area that think of archery as a spectator sport, Salt Lake Archery is at 1130 E. Wilmington, across from the Wild Oats in Sugarhouse. Scoring starts at 2:00 Saturday and Sunday, and will probably go until 5 or 6; I'll probably be there by 12:30 or 1:00.
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Tonight, I went down to my complex's (complice's?) Fitness Center to poke around, after a good experience with a free day pass to The Front on Monday. After discovering that no, treadmills don't like me, and I don't exactly have a runner's aerobic endurance, I threw myself upon the mercy of the
Funny how things change. Either this machine's weights were inaccurate, or my father's machine's weights were innacurate (neither possibility one I'd discount), or I've managed to lose leg strength since I was eleven years old. That's right, my lazy-ass prepubescent self may have had better legs than my current self that walks nearly two miles each day.
Or maybe I'm just misremembering.
In any case, it's time for me to lock down the things I need to focus on for the weekend. If I can keep myself from getting sloppy, and shoot at peak performance all weekend, I'll be looking at a placement that people will notice. To that end, I have a list.
- Breathing. Long, deep, and steady - in as I lift the bow, out as I draw.
- Posture. Keep my chest straight, and my shoulders directly above my hips. The more I drift left, the uglier things get.
- Balance. My feet should be supporting equal weight.
- Correct muscle use. If I feel the pull in my back at full draw, my release will be straight and clean and my hand will go toward my ear instead of my collarbone.
For those in the area that think of archery as a spectator sport, Salt Lake Archery is at 1130 E. Wilmington, across from the Wild Oats in Sugarhouse. Scoring starts at 2:00 Saturday and Sunday, and will probably go until 5 or 6; I'll probably be there by 12:30 or 1:00.
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It's open letter time!
Feb. 27th, 2007 01:21 pmDear University of Utah,
While I appreciate the snow day, I'd like to point out that I leave for the bus at 8:30 in the morning. I'm also not the only person that gets in this early; many come from much farther away than I do. By noon, the snow had stopped, and I can only assume the roads will get better as the day goes on. As such, closing at noon doesn't in fact protect anyone from the snow, it just makes us feel like we wasted a trip. Please close at 8 next time.
Dear Utah Transit Authority,
You people are crazy. While I admit surprise that the busses were running at all, when it gets too snowy to drive the last three blocks up to the hospital, I don't think the best thing to do is make people get out and walk those three blocks in the snow.
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While I appreciate the snow day, I'd like to point out that I leave for the bus at 8:30 in the morning. I'm also not the only person that gets in this early; many come from much farther away than I do. By noon, the snow had stopped, and I can only assume the roads will get better as the day goes on. As such, closing at noon doesn't in fact protect anyone from the snow, it just makes us feel like we wasted a trip. Please close at 8 next time.
Dear Utah Transit Authority,
You people are crazy. While I admit surprise that the busses were running at all, when it gets too snowy to drive the last three blocks up to the hospital, I don't think the best thing to do is make people get out and walk those three blocks in the snow.
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The alternative definition of productive
Feb. 21st, 2007 10:26 pmWould whoever ran away with all the "theory" parts of my brain please return them? I have a GompGeo assignment due on Tuesday. It'd be nice to be able to start it this weekend.
Also, in lieu of working on anything, I got off my ass and sent out two reumes tonight: Pixar and Rhythm and Hues. (Dreamworks didn't have any obvious Software Engineering internships, and I don't think now's the time to be applying for full-time work.) I may have managed to screw myself re. Pixar, though; Monster has this lovely "feature" that when you submit an application that lets you write a cover letter if you haven't already. If you pick it, it pops open TWO windows; one you can write in, one that has a warning about what information it's ready to send about you. If you pick ok on the latter (the obvious PAY ATTENTION TO ME NOW!! kind of box), it decides you're done writing and sends stuff off.
So I submitted a resume with a blank cover letter. Crap. I also can't resubmit.
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Also, in lieu of working on anything, I got off my ass and sent out two reumes tonight: Pixar and Rhythm and Hues. (Dreamworks didn't have any obvious Software Engineering internships, and I don't think now's the time to be applying for full-time work.) I may have managed to screw myself re. Pixar, though; Monster has this lovely "feature" that when you submit an application that lets you write a cover letter if you haven't already. If you pick it, it pops open TWO windows; one you can write in, one that has a warning about what information it's ready to send about you. If you pick ok on the latter (the obvious PAY ATTENTION TO ME NOW!! kind of box), it decides you're done writing and sends stuff off.
So I submitted a resume with a blank cover letter. Crap. I also can't resubmit.
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Long weekend todo
Feb. 17th, 2007 11:38 amIn roughly this order.
-Image Processing
-Grading
- Graphics (required stuff mostly done, now to do the cool stuff)
- Applications (Pixar internship needs a cover letter; SigGraph student volunteers needs everything)
- Archery (the perma-todo)
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- Graphics (required stuff mostly done, now to do the cool stuff)
- Applications (Pixar internship needs a cover letter; SigGraph student volunteers needs everything)
- Archery (the perma-todo)
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Tournament Report: Golden Chalice
Feb. 13th, 2007 08:23 am(Posted a bit late)
One-day indoor FITA: 18m, 60 arrows
Sponsored shootoff for prizes
I've made a lot of changes to my shooting in the last few months. My form has cleaned up, many things I once considered only an afterthought are now at the top of my mind when I'm on the line, and I have a lot more confidence. It definitely shows. For the first half, I was on the ball. I was consistently shooting 26s and 27s, with hardly any variation, and reached the break with a solid 266 - the best shooting of my life.
Despite my habit of shooting 150 (or even 180) arrows at each practice session, though, I was apparently getting tired. My scores started slipping in the second half, with 25s and 23s appearing. I'd managed to have no particularly bad shots until a 6 on the 17th end, but by then it was looking grim, and for the last end I somehow shot a 17, ending up with 512.
That end will haunt me for weeks. I landed in fourth place. First was 540-some (no contest from me), but second and third were 518 and 517.
I also took a chance and entered the shootoff for a new bowcase (this one with wheels). Despite that poor showing, I shot decently enough, staying in until the 10s round, when I dropped out with an 8, so no new case for me.
I'm writing this from the airport, even if I'll post it elsewhere (Ontario's free wireless doesn't like me, and the pay wireless likes me too much for my tastes) and feel like a complete idiot. I got to the desk and the system couldn't find my reservation - it turned out that I'd made it for March 12th instead of February 12th. As much as I'd love to spend an extra month in Claremont, it'd just not work out. So of course I had to pay for the $50 schedule change that I've had to use far, far too often recently.
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One-day indoor FITA: 18m, 60 arrows
Sponsored shootoff for prizes
I've made a lot of changes to my shooting in the last few months. My form has cleaned up, many things I once considered only an afterthought are now at the top of my mind when I'm on the line, and I have a lot more confidence. It definitely shows. For the first half, I was on the ball. I was consistently shooting 26s and 27s, with hardly any variation, and reached the break with a solid 266 - the best shooting of my life.
Despite my habit of shooting 150 (or even 180) arrows at each practice session, though, I was apparently getting tired. My scores started slipping in the second half, with 25s and 23s appearing. I'd managed to have no particularly bad shots until a 6 on the 17th end, but by then it was looking grim, and for the last end I somehow shot a 17, ending up with 512.
That end will haunt me for weeks. I landed in fourth place. First was 540-some (no contest from me), but second and third were 518 and 517.
I also took a chance and entered the shootoff for a new bowcase (this one with wheels). Despite that poor showing, I shot decently enough, staying in until the 10s round, when I dropped out with an 8, so no new case for me.
I'm writing this from the airport, even if I'll post it elsewhere (Ontario's free wireless doesn't like me, and the pay wireless likes me too much for my tastes) and feel like a complete idiot. I got to the desk and the system couldn't find my reservation - it turned out that I'd made it for March 12th instead of February 12th. As much as I'd love to spend an extra month in Claremont, it'd just not work out. So of course I had to pay for the $50 schedule change that I've had to use far, far too often recently.
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(no subject)
Feb. 9th, 2007 08:17 amOi. I've not been functioning properly for much of this week, have I? Illness always has the worst timing... and I have to go run a lab. Suck.
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I now have something I haven't had in over four years.
No, not angsty makeouts with near-strangers. Nothing that exciting.
I have freshly-ironed clothes. Some articles were really beginning to need it, and I found an iron on sale for $20 and figured what the hell.
Unfortunately, I also have something I've had more often than I'd like, which is a vaguely sore throat and swollen nodes.
I also have a U archery club, it'd seem, which will be good. It's approaching paperwork deadline, but we should still be ok.
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No, not angsty makeouts with near-strangers. Nothing that exciting.
I have freshly-ironed clothes. Some articles were really beginning to need it, and I found an iron on sale for $20 and figured what the hell.
Unfortunately, I also have something I've had more often than I'd like, which is a vaguely sore throat and swollen nodes.
I also have a U archery club, it'd seem, which will be good. It's approaching paperwork deadline, but we should still be ok.
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Linux issues
Jan. 30th, 2007 04:18 pmDoes anyone know how to clear the DNS/IP cache in Linux (Fedora Core 5, specifically)? My computer is inexplicably convinced that mail.google.com is 212.58.240.135, which is actually newsrss.bbc.co.uk...
Sometimes running a whois fixes this, but not often.
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Sometimes running a whois fixes this, but not often.
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Sudden realization
Jan. 27th, 2007 11:03 amHey, look! It's a Fetish Night that I'm actually in town for! How weird is that?
For those that care about the theme, this month's is "Cyber". I'm trying to decide if I do... and if I can successfully fashion a collar from the ribbon cable that I seem to have lying around.
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For those that care about the theme, this month's is "Cyber". I'm trying to decide if I do... and if I can successfully fashion a collar from the ribbon cable that I seem to have lying around.
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There's finally a date available for the Golden Chalice: February 11th. That's three weeks from now, a Sunday, at 1 pm (at least, the line I'll be shooting). Registration forms aren't up, yet, but have you ever known me to miss a chance to come down to Claremont and shoot? No. I'll be there. Still no word on the LA Indoor.
Claremont people, can I ask a favor? Could you find out if anyone's planning on going, and put them in touch with me so I can negotiate for a ride? My going rate is a batch of cookies, and I take requests.
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Claremont people, can I ask a favor? Could you find out if anyone's planning on going, and put them in touch with me so I can negotiate for a ride? My going rate is a batch of cookies, and I take requests.
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So, acoording to NewEgg, there is no such thing as a monitor with both DVI and video (any kind) input for a reasonable price. Am I missing something, or is my definiton of reasonable price (~$250) just too low?
EDIT: This is my current target, and I kinda want a new screen soon.
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EDIT: This is my current target, and I kinda want a new screen soon.
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Not that I have time, but...
Jan. 20th, 2007 01:49 pmEveryone else has got more Wii than me. :(
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Unicycle sighting
Jan. 17th, 2007 11:51 amAs I left Mudd, I thought the days were over in which I would see people using unicyclse for the purpose of transportation, but then this morning as I froze my ass off at the bus stop, what did I see but a suited gentleman rolling down the hill past me on one wheel, briefcase in hand. I was quite impressed at his bravery - the roads can't be said to be entirely clear of ice, and the stretch of First Avenue he was descending has quite the decent slope to it. Even as I watched, though, he made it to the sidewalk and disappeared around the corner.
I learned in the last week or two that I can add weather to my Google Calendar. This lets me put numbers on just how cold it is - in Farenheit, mid-twenties for highs, nearly single-digit lows, projected for the rest of the week. It is clear, however, and I realize that this gives Utah a significant advantage over the rest of the country (also because there's no crops here that can't take sub-freezing temperatures in January) but it's still annoying. My apartment is drafty and expensive to heat, and I haven't changed the wiper fluid in my car since summer in California.
My wiper fluid tank is three-quarters full and a solid blue block. I have a jug of "all-weather" wiper fluid (it's purple!) but I suspect that pouring it in on top of the ice won't help anything. I need at least a few hours of super-freezing weather to melt the ice, and then I should be able to siphon out the blue and replace it with purple. Until then, I'm going easy on the driving, especially after dark.
Ok, so I'm not doing anything differently than I normally would be.
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I learned in the last week or two that I can add weather to my Google Calendar. This lets me put numbers on just how cold it is - in Farenheit, mid-twenties for highs, nearly single-digit lows, projected for the rest of the week. It is clear, however, and I realize that this gives Utah a significant advantage over the rest of the country (also because there's no crops here that can't take sub-freezing temperatures in January) but it's still annoying. My apartment is drafty and expensive to heat, and I haven't changed the wiper fluid in my car since summer in California.
My wiper fluid tank is three-quarters full and a solid blue block. I have a jug of "all-weather" wiper fluid (it's purple!) but I suspect that pouring it in on top of the ice won't help anything. I need at least a few hours of super-freezing weather to melt the ice, and then I should be able to siphon out the blue and replace it with purple. Until then, I'm going easy on the driving, especially after dark.
Ok, so I'm not doing anything differently than I normally would be.
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That bizarre nervous energy is back. This time, though, I feel like I could actually use it, actually channel it into work, or into reading the n things I have to read, but none of my books have arrived yet and my professors are being slow about posting actual assignments. I can only program so much (which is actually kinda a lot, but I got in the zone on Friday and Saturday and hammered a bunch of it out) before the actual specs for the assignment are posted along with the promised architecture hints/strong suggestions.
An interesting side effect of this energy is that my writing, though perhaps not gaining any more content, becomes more flowery and I get less fastidious about removing things that may sound melodramatic, sappy, or otherwise better suited to pretentious 'zines or high-school diaries than the moderated output of a supposed adult. I've been growing increasingly unfond of words, especially for the purpose of expressing feelings - as I've grown more conscious of the connotations and implications of various turns of phrase, I realize that damn near anything I write could be more easily misconstrued and misinterpreted to say something I don't really mean. That includes this very paragraph, and this entire entry.
I went skiing, this morning, with boots that actually fit this time. The snow was better, and since I remembered to check the bindings the night before I managed to get to the slopes by 10 or so this time. (Okay, so I had to turn around twice, once for my pass, once for sunscreen.) I found a few extremely hot and near-empty cruisers - I could ski those all day, except it was cold and they were serviced by a long, slow lift - and pussyfooted my way down a couple steeps that were still a bit rocky. I turned in for lunch, then looking at the bright red stripe across my nose and cheeks, decided my sunscreen must be broken and headed home.
When I got back here my face was normal-colored again, not sunburnt after all. I feel like a pansy for skiing a grand total of under three hours before quitting, but that might be the part of me speaking that always had to drive two hours to the slopes and had a father that was utterly determined to make the most of each day. It's easier to justify to myself here, so long as I remember to take half-days whenever I get the chance. I suspect this actually has something to do with the energy, and if I can keep it up (perhaps replace it with climbing or something once it gets warmer, though that's harder to get out and do alone) through the semester I might do well for myself.
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An interesting side effect of this energy is that my writing, though perhaps not gaining any more content, becomes more flowery and I get less fastidious about removing things that may sound melodramatic, sappy, or otherwise better suited to pretentious 'zines or high-school diaries than the moderated output of a supposed adult. I've been growing increasingly unfond of words, especially for the purpose of expressing feelings - as I've grown more conscious of the connotations and implications of various turns of phrase, I realize that damn near anything I write could be more easily misconstrued and misinterpreted to say something I don't really mean. That includes this very paragraph, and this entire entry.
I went skiing, this morning, with boots that actually fit this time. The snow was better, and since I remembered to check the bindings the night before I managed to get to the slopes by 10 or so this time. (Okay, so I had to turn around twice, once for my pass, once for sunscreen.) I found a few extremely hot and near-empty cruisers - I could ski those all day, except it was cold and they were serviced by a long, slow lift - and pussyfooted my way down a couple steeps that were still a bit rocky. I turned in for lunch, then looking at the bright red stripe across my nose and cheeks, decided my sunscreen must be broken and headed home.
When I got back here my face was normal-colored again, not sunburnt after all. I feel like a pansy for skiing a grand total of under three hours before quitting, but that might be the part of me speaking that always had to drive two hours to the slopes and had a father that was utterly determined to make the most of each day. It's easier to justify to myself here, so long as I remember to take half-days whenever I get the chance. I suspect this actually has something to do with the energy, and if I can keep it up (perhaps replace it with climbing or something once it gets warmer, though that's harder to get out and do alone) through the semester I might do well for myself.
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Like I never left
Jan. 10th, 2007 10:08 pmNew Years plans went as expected, and now I'm back in Utah and back to taking classes. Classes themselves look to be better than last semester - TAing will be interesting at best though. We'll see. The homeworks will be due Thursday nights, though, and the prof wants me to have office hours from 6 pm to 9 pm when they're due. This isn't just a spanner in the works, it's a spanner in the spanner that was already there. I might be able to beg out of it, but it'd be difficult.
I find it a bit disturbing that when I said I prefer to have Thurdsay nights set aside for other things, the immediate response was a laugh and "Oh, just set the VCR." It bothers me that the obvious thing to set a weekday evening aside for is a television program... and what I really do want to set it aside for isn't something I can just mention in a prof's office. So I muttered something about archery practice, but that can be rescheduled.
Ugh. Now that Frances has been sent home, it's time to buckle down - I'm wondering if I can keep a decent sleep schedule this semester. I'm not optimistic, but since I have no classes mondays (heh heh heh) I'll be trying to get skiing once a week. It'll be another incentive.
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I find it a bit disturbing that when I said I prefer to have Thurdsay nights set aside for other things, the immediate response was a laugh and "Oh, just set the VCR." It bothers me that the obvious thing to set a weekday evening aside for is a television program... and what I really do want to set it aside for isn't something I can just mention in a prof's office. So I muttered something about archery practice, but that can be rescheduled.
Ugh. Now that Frances has been sent home, it's time to buckle down - I'm wondering if I can keep a decent sleep schedule this semester. I'm not optimistic, but since I have no classes mondays (heh heh heh) I'll be trying to get skiing once a week. It'll be another incentive.
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