Spring rambling

Neil Gaiman has lost some weight, and kindly blogged about it.  I can't say I'd necessarily opt for Dickens, but I like the general idea.  Of course, what he's doing is probably very close to what I'm doing... exercising, and trying to find ways to engage the mind in something else entirely while so doing.  I heartily approve.  I'm glad to see him taking care of himself, as he's one of those people I'd like to see around for a good long while, cranking out new and wondrous things for me to read.

I'm still plugging away, but took several days off last week after a rather ill-advised encounter with lugging and assembling nearly 200 lbs of IKEA merchandise.   I spent the week rehabilitating my aggravated back, and trying not to go utterly bonkers.  I had to skip YogaQuest last week as a result, but was back in action this week, and was there for the final installment of that quest.  Next week, a whole new quest starts, and I'm eager to see what new adventures lie ahead in May.

Another new activity for me in May will be Bokken Aikido, in which I will be given a wooden practice sword (which will be mine, all mine! and I will love it,  and squeeze it, and call it George!).  I'll learn the appropriate Aikido moves, and generally go all warrior princess on my classmates.  I'm very excited about that prospect... yiyiyiyiyi!

One other thing I'm contemplating is archery.  There isn't anything offered through the nerd group that hosts these other activities, but I'm thinking I will look into my options in the area.  I know there are some archery ranges at some of the parks around here, so I'm thinking I may just get a practice bow and arrows, and go out and play around for a bit.  I took an archery class in high school, and loved it, but haven't done anything with it since then.  It's a completely nerdy thing for me to want to pursue, and yes, I think it's part of my tendency to pick Ranger personae in RPGs, but obviously, I've outed myself as a gigantic geek already, so it's not like I can make it worse by going there, right?

I leave you with this, as I struggle to remind myself that I love trees.  It's their pollen I detest.  The trees themselves are lovely... they've just made my sinuses very, very miserable this week.

Where many paths and errands meet...

I'm spending a bit of the day with this Tolkien Ensemble album of songs and poems from the Lord of the Rings.  If you haven't heard it before, it's well worth checking out -- very pretty arrangements of beloved and familiar words.



Sundays are lovely days for catching up on things, and for letting things slide.  Today is exactly such a day... a day to do a few neglected tasks, ride my bike while spending a bit of time with a warrior princess, and perhaps finish reading Gentlemen of the Road.  It's not a terribly lofty plan, but it is eminently appealing.  I spent my entire Saturday playing D&D, so a bit of manual labor and exertion followed by quiet, solitary pursuits is just what I need, to make this weekend feel truly weekendish.