You Can't Go Back to the Theatre Again

Some movies I liked when I was a kid, but would be cringe-worthy now that I'm a grown-up:

1. The Cat From Outer Space. I bugged my parents for months to see this movie. I saw bits of it a couple years ago and it was dull dull dull in a way that only 1970's live-action Disney films can be.
   
2. Xanadu. Great (but cheesy) soundtrack featuring Olivia Newton-John and ELO. Awful story, acting and wardrobe. as stephtopia said, it's a movie where ONJ teaches Gene Kelly how to dance. That's a way to break your suspension of disbelief!
   
3. Super Fuzz. I watched this at the old Studio 82, back before it was a dance hall and before it was a bikini bar. Terrence Hill as a cop who gets superpowers, but his "kryptonite" is the colour red. Spaghetti movie making at it's cheesiest!
   
4. Popeye. The only Robert Altman film I've ever liked. It's a musical, so I might still be able to watch this without getting that whole-body sour-ball feeling.
   
5. Foul Play. Soundtrack turned me into the Barry Manilow fan that I am today. Plus, kinky sex, midgets and the Pope!

Weirdly, two of these movies are from 1978 and the other three are from 1980. Things that make you say "Hmmm".

Confidence or Gastral Distress - You Be the Judge

stephtopia gave me a look as she left my house yesterday that indicated "you didn't fuck up - in fact, you're doing a fantastic job". That's exactly the sort of positive reinforcement I need.

Or possibly she just had gas.

Belonging

Avacal's June Coronet was this weekend. Saturday I took a day trip down.

My company during the trip was RM and hislittlekitty, we all got up bright and early and met near K's house then immediately hit the highway. Driving was fun as there was hardly any traffic. We got to the site, in beautiful Hays Alberta, at 11:00.

Took some practice shots at the archery range and discovered that, while poofy shirts look great with a kilt, they absolutely suck when it comes to firing a bow. The damn fabric gets in the way of the string, making it both slower and less accurate. Good thing I brought a sleeveless tee. In other news, I can now take my shirt off in public without feeling the urge to take a knife to my great heaping handfuls of fat - they're largely gone now!

The crown tournament was next and everything took a back seat to it. It was the whole reason for the event after all. I sat under a canopy and watched the stick jocks beat each other. Good show and good company - it was the most fun I've had watching heavy fighters. Sadly, none of the fighters I know personally (Khai, whackychick, madeileen) got very far. I thought Khai got far, but I was confusing him with a fighter with a similar name. This became apparent when I had the odd sensation of seeing Khai, watching himself fight. Of course, it wasn't him. A fellow from Borealis (long red hair, beard, looks like a viking - Aiden?) got to the finals. I was rooting for him because I've met him briefly and he seemed like a nice guy. However, meeting me and seeming like a nice guy is not what wins principality tournaments. The other guy won.

We had an archery tournament afterwards and it was fun. It was an outdoor shoot and I've only had a few of those. This was nice because the range behind the targets pretty much went on forever. I shot an arrow into the air purely to see how far it would go. I estimate it was between 120 and 150 meters, which is pretty good. It hung in the air a good long time before finally coming down. Afterwards, RM and JD helped me go look for it. Being an outdoor range, we ended up looking for a lot of arrows. I lost one permanently during the actual competition.

I didn't win, but I had a lot of fun shooting. It ended up being between AA and JM. AA won.

Afterwards I met DT and LB and there group for dinner. As DT is the (IMHO) the best cook in Avacal, it was a treat. Barbecued salmon and roast veggies/potatoes. Desert was angel food cake and fruit with whipped cream. Did I mention that she managed to make angel food cake over a camp fire. Yummy.

I sat with wendy_licious and whackynephews, as well as the aforementioned fighters and just had a nice roundtable (or round-brazier-fire in this case) discussion that was casual and enjoyable.

Court was short and sweet. The highlight for me was EJ receiving her much deserved Award of Arms. EJ is getting old and is not the healthiest person around. Among other things she has arthritis and mobility problems. The King and Queen actually went to her to present the award and the wouldn't let her get down on her knees to receive it. I'm happy to see that chivalry extends to the very top of the SCA. Of course, we may end up giving EJ a heart attack if we keep surprising her with stuff like this.

I wasn't even the one who recommended her for an AoA. I'll be recommending others for it though. Some of them may even get it by Quad War (which I'm thinking about going to - it involves not showering for three days though, which could be a deal-breaker).

There was much running around trying to get organized after court. Eventually K, RM and I all got our act together and headed back to Cowtown. I was feeling a little punchy though, but pounding back a can of Diet Coke took care of that and I managed to not drive into oncoming traffic.

I also had my first real conversation with RM. Turns out he's actually a pretty decent guy. I was reluctant to give him the ride in the first place because he's always given me a Whistler sort of vibe and Whistler, despite being a nice guy, always got my back up. I suspect because he's always had an effortless time flirting with girls and I never will. Anyway, I had RM all wrong and I'm glad I got to know him.

During the festivities, I had an epiphany. I realized that this was the first time in years that I've felt like I've truly belonged somewhere. It was a warm sense of acceptance combined with the knowledge that I could talk to anyone there and be comfortable doing so. I didn't once feel like I was riding on someone's coat tails. I like that feeling - I hope I get more of it.