The Transmogrification of a Geek

Once upon a time there was a queer, geeky kid who hated playing sports.

He was too short for basketball, plus he hated the cultural expectation that he should love and play the sport.

He was too lightweight for football, he didn’t have enough upper body strength for baseball, he found wrestling and gymnastics and swimming far too emotionally dangerous.

Additionally, even at the tender age of 13, he saw in his parents the germ, the possibility of becoming THOSE kind of sports parents.  Adding pressures to exceed in a sport on top of the already barely endurable pressures for exemplary academic performance would have been disastrous.

So, p.e. was endured through elementary and junior high school, except for 7th grade when his p.e. teacher was a 20-something blond bodybuilder (think late 60’s Aquaman), and avoided in high school.

Fast forward 32 years.

I’ve been snowboarding for over 8 years, a recreational mountain biker for much longer, and while I still have no affinity for playing the aforementioned team sports (I’ll watch college football), I’ve developed a hankering for Rugby.

Yes Rugby.

I don’t just want to watch, I want to play. A team sport.

And so, on this coming Tuesday, I’ll attend my first practice with the Boston Ironsides, a member of the International Gay Rugby Association and Board (IGRAB (yeah, i know)).   I bought a practice ball (above left) & mouth guard & practice shoes yesterday.  I still need to buy boots.  I have more kit pieces arriving Monday or Tuesday.

Gods above and below, what have I become.

Illuminated Snowboarding

Illuminati Pentagon Snowboard

Are you a snowboarder?

Do you have a taste for the esoteric, the obscured, the hermetic, the occluded? Do you see the fnords?

Do you love a great bargain?

I love my Illuminati Pentagon snowboard (look left) and I thought I’d never have the chance for another Illuminati board, until now.

Lance Pitman of Illuminati Snowboards has a groupon like deal: If he can get 50 pre-orders @ $50, he’ll do a limited 2011 run of grand spankin’ new custom snowboards boards.

Just in case you don’t know, Illuminati Snowboards was famous for creating insanely great boards.  Boards that, if sold by a major manufacturer, and if sold in a chain, would cost huge dinero.   They, however, sold direct to the public at excellent prices.

Then they would sell planks with minor cosmetic errors (mine has a tiny printing error) mid-summer, for crazy prices. That’s how I got my Pentagon.

More orders = lower $, starting @ $325.
Direct sale to you + no store = great pricing.

Yes, I’ve already pre-ordered.  Yes I want my riding friends to have one of these and not only because I’ll get to order one too.

Look around online for reviews of Illuminati boards.  Then, Sign Up – http://bit.ly/eKgHfq

Please Note, You will have to sign in, but don’t worry. Lance is a Good Guy

You Want To Work on an Original Science Fiction Musical!

Greetings Everyone:

My friend orawnzva, a.k.a Ben Newman is building a creative team for his intriguing and highly original science fiction, action adventure musical, Walk In The Day – http://orawnzva.livejournal.com/66594.html – You can read the specifics of his request here.  Basically, he’s looking for an assistant production manager, cast members, musicians, composers, etc, etc.

Ben is an incredibly intelligent and creative gentleman. If I were you, I’d contact him.

Contact him directly for more info.

Arisia 2011 – My Panel Schedule

So, this coming January, I will once again be a program participant in Arisia 2011 – http://2011.arisia.org, self described as, “New England’s largest and most diverse science fiction and fantasy convention”.  In my humble opinion, the “most diverse” part of the descriptor could easily be expanded to nationwide.  But I digress.
I will be participating in 4 panels:

• Introduction to SF Criticism – What is it, what is it for, and what is its terminology? Where do we find it? How do we apply it? And, ultimately, how do we contribute to it?
• Queer SF&F – Queer topics and characters are becoming more common in science fiction and fantasy–or are they? Do modern authors really do a better job addressing these concerns than in the past? How has the field changed? And what effect has it had on the fans?
• I Married a Non-Fan – She/he is only at Arisia because I’m here. How can we make the con a better experience for those who aren’t part of fan culture? Is conversion possible? If so, what’s the best approach? Mixed relationships can be difficult, so let’s share some ways to make them work. And how will we raise the kids–as fans, or not?
• Age and Treachery: The Older Fan – How does growing older impact one’s experiences as a member of fandom? How do our experiences color how we enjoy the ideas, the stories, and the media? Did we think, a decade (or three) ago, we’d still be going to conventions and seeing the same friends? Are we worried about the future of fandom?

What else will I be doing there?  Perhaps some live streaming video of an event or two. Perhaps taking lots of pictures. Perhaps a blog post or two.  Definitely lots of reconnecting with friends, old and new.

Fanac, lots of fanac.

As usual, this will be a whole lot of fun, but in a different way than conventions were fun when I was 1/2 my current age.

Who knew?

Outryders 2010 – 2011 On-Mountain Schedule (New England Locations)

Here’s the New England portion of the Outryders 2010-2011 on-mountain schedule

Awesomeness