Archery 103

Last night was my last archery class. We ended the term with a scored shoot: 10 ends, three arrows per end, at 18 meters. I scored 277 out of a possible 300 points, with seven X’s (not worth any extra points, but used in tie breakers). I feel like I’m ready to get involved in competition, at least at a basic level. I learned a few things in 103 that weren’t covered in 101 or 102 and that I hadn’t picked up on my own. I’ve logged over 5,200 arrows fired to date, so I’ve had ample practice. It would be nice to get out more, which competing would allow me to do. I’ve been looking into joining USA Archery, so that may be the next step in my archery journey. Wherever I choose to take it, I know I still have plenty of room for improvement.

Not my best end. Not my worst end. Just my last end.

The Bow

I do not use a target bow. I use a compound hunting bow. It is not designed to deliver arrows consistently to the same point on a target when fired in a consistent manner. It is designed to provide a compact, quiet, lightweight means to deliver a broadhead point into the body of a large animal in order to maim said animal so that it cannot get away when the hunter closes the distance to finish it off. That said, I do not hunt. I only shoot targets. Which means, my choice of bow actually puts me at a disadvantage compared to someone who uses a target compound bow. I’m okay with that, though. Any competition I enter will be to measure my own improvement in skill, so I don’t expect to win anything. Also, I really like my bow. It fits in a backpack that I can wear when riding my bike, allowing me to get to the range without carrying my bow onto public transit. It also looks amazing. At least, I think it does. Target compounds tend to be tall and aluminum with stabilizers extending all over the place. I’m not a fan of that look. I prefer the compact, bat wing form common with hunting compounds.

Hoyt Carbon RX-7 Cameron Hanes Keep Hammering Signature Edition

The draw force (usually called “draw weight,” but that term is inaccurate) is a bit high for target shooting. I have it set to 56 lbs now. The limbs are rated up to 65 lbs. I opted for 4 mm arrows over 6 mm because they feel substantially less bulky. Aside from the usual attachments, you can see a couple “whiskers” extending from the front of the base. That is a bipod attachment I added so that the bow can freely stand on its own. The one thing I would like to change on this bow is to replace the green sight ring and level with red to stay in keeping with the overall color scheme. Other than that, this is everything that I want in a bow.

The Story

I haven’t been active in archery for very long. Just about two years now. Early in the pandemic, when everything was locked down, I left my job and decided to take some time to detox from my former employer’s malignant culture before looking for new work. That left me with a lot of time stuck in my apartment with no obligations. Naturally, I spent all that newfound free time watching movies and shows, and playing video games. Lots of video games. In particular, I spent many hours on the 2013 reboot of “Tomb Raider,” now that I finally had time to get to that. That is the first game in the franchise where bows are a significant component of Lara’s arsenal. The competition bow, especially, is a powerful weapon and immediately became my preferred weapon for most situations. This is how the stage was set for my first steps into archer.

Lara always carried that competition bow on her back when she wasn’t using it, which means that I spent many hours looking at this beautiful compound bow resting just above her hips. After awhile, I got to thinking, “I’d like to have a bow like that.” That turned into, “I really want that bow.” Eventually, it became, “I’ve got to have that bow!” After awhile, I realized that my desire for this thing from a video game, for which I had no use, was becoming unreasonable. I began to introspect on what it was that I actually wanted and why this bow triggered that yearning. Somewhat surprisingly, something did surface.

I suddenly had a memory from when I was quite young. My father would take me out to the edge of our property near an old tree stump. He would then use a tall, green compound bow to fire aluminum arrows at that stump. I was much too little to use the bow, but, being an energetic youth, I was delighted to run out to that stump and retrieve the arrows that I could get free so that I could watch my dad fire them again. It was a fond memory and I don’t know how much time had passed since I had last thought back on it. I never saw the bow after my family moved from that property. I suspect my dad had borrowed it from a friend. Thinking back to this time in my childhood made me realize that my desire to own a compound bow was not entirely unfounded. Whether this memory had manifested as a seemingly unreasonable desire, or the desire was unreasonable until it triggered the memory, I decided that I had sufficient justification to obtain a bow of my own. But first, I needed to learn to shoot.

That summer, most businesses were still locked down. There were some exceptions for essential services and classes, since remote learning had yet to be figured out. Fortunately, since many bow hunters make their living out here, pro shops that provide hunting supplies are considered essential. Also, the closest non-profit that offers archery lessons stayed open, just with smaller class sizes. So, I enrolled in Archery 101 and learned to shoot a recurve bow. After that, I went straight into 102, where I learned to use a sight and shoot a compound bow. Upon completion, I felt ready to get my own bow. It was late in the season, but I decided not to wait for the next model year. I got the compact edition of the current carbon fiber flagship bow, the Hoyt Carbon RX-4 Alpha. It had an unusual color scheme, with a stone gray riser and whiteout limbs. It also had a higher draw force that I probably should have started with. But, it matched my draw length and was in stock, so I went for it. It took some time to get used to shooting it. Eventually, I got the hang of sighting it in and drawing through the force curve. After awhile, I even got decently accurate and turned in the limb bolts to increase the draw force. I made it a point to get out to the range whenever I could, which was made difficult by about 2.5 hours of bicycling required for the round trip. It was worth it though. I finally had a hobby that didn’t involve staring at a computer screen.

Hoyt Carbon RX-4 Alpha. Don’t try this at home…like I did.

Earlier this year, I noticed that the RX-7 bows had been released. After looking over the specs, I decided it was time to upgrade. First, after learning more about compound bows, I had learned that I really wanted a dual-cam bow, which the RX-7 is and the RX-4 is not. The RX-7 also has the picatinny inline sight mount introduced with the RX-5, which is another feature that I like, partly because the sight no longer covers the serial number. Upgrading also gave me the opportunity to customize the aspects that I had simply accepted in my first bow. I chose black with red highlights and matching arrows for the color scheme, picked a lower draw force that is better suited for me, and had an inline rest installed, as opposed to the side rest that was already in place on my first bow. With these customizations, my new bow feels like a much better fit. I didn’t have my first bow long enough for it to hold strong sentimental value, so I had the string and cables replaced and I sold it. I was a little sad to part with it, but it should have plenty of life left for whoever ends up with it.

In honor of the game that inspired me to get a bow, I based the names of my bows on names from the game series. I am also fascinated by Japanese culture. I named my first bow 星 (Hoshi – star) after my favorite character from the 2013 game. You never meet or see Hoshi, but you do find pages from a journal she left behind hundreds of years earlier. When you find them, the pages are read aloud in her voice. My new bow is named 竜の呼吸 (Ryuu no Kokyuu – dragon’s breath). The name is derived from a DLC bow from the 2016 game that has a somewhat similar look, Death’s Breath. It was my favorite bow in that game, but I never got used to the name. I always think of death as involving a lack of breath, so associating breath with the personification of death is not something that I can readily do. I always called the bow the Dragon’s Breath by mistake. The Japanese sounds better for that, as well, so I went with 竜の呼吸 and simply acknowledge that the name is merely inspired by “Tomb Raider.”

There you have it. My archery story, so far. What started as an indescribable yearning from a video game has turned into a rewarding pastime. Someday, I hope to own some property where I can shoot whenever I want without having to ride my bike 20 km to a range. I also hope that I’m able to share this hobby with others, particularly now that I’m getting back out into the world. Whatever may come of it, I look forward to honing my skills and continuing to enjoy every opportunity I get to draw my bow. It feels good to have passion for something. Fare thee well!

The Woman King

This movie feels much more mainstream than I had expected, which is to its detriment. I wasn’t expecting “Amistad,” but I did expect it to be more emotionally taxing. As it is, there are a few elements to evoke sorrow or anger, but nothing that really impresses the suffering and hardship of injustice onto the audience. Given the events surrounding the story, that perplexes me.

Despite feeling watered down for broader audience appeal, the movie has strong characters portrayed by a talented cast. Davis, in particular, conveys the pain of her character with genuine, sometime heart wrenching, passion. The Agojie represent the intersection of two historically oppressed groups who, here, are in a position where they have the respect of their king, the adoration of their kingdom, and no equal in battle. The female warriors are fierce and, at times, terrifying. Many of the challenges they face seem relegated to a regrettable past, but many others feel far too familiar today. Perhaps it is to leave the audience with a sense of hope that these challenges can eventually be overcome that the movie avoids placing the heavy emotional burden that I had expected.

As is my custom, I will distract from this review with a reflection on something that happened on the way to the theater. I was on my bike, creeping into an intersection on a green light in preparation to make a left turn. An oncoming vehicle preparing to make a right turn came to a stop and the driver signaled to me that I could go first. This may sound like a nice gesture to you and I’m sure that is how the driver intended it. But, it absolutely infuriated me, to the point where I shouted an expletive. Not specifically at the driver, but I’m certain somebody heard it.

First, the action wreaked of disrespect. I often see drivers make effectively illegal stops in the presence of a bicycle because they assume the cyclist will do something reckless. Granted, this is often a safe assumption. But, when the cyclist uses legal hand signals to convey their intentions, then that person knows what they are doing. Yielding when the bicycle clearly does not have the right-of-way just shows that you don’t see the cyclist as an equal on the road because they don’t wield the might of an internal combustion engine.

Second, although minor, the action did violate traffic law. These laws, particularly concerning right-of-way, are largely in place so that vehicle operators can reasonably predict the actions of nearby vehicles without needing to be in communication with the other operators. In my case, I had gauged the distance between the oncoming vehicle and those behind it, determining that I would be able to make a turn as soon as the other vehicle finished its right turn. By coming to a stop at a green light with an empty crosswalk, the driver completely threw off my timing and I had to make a panic judgement whether to accept the unexpected invitation, or to wait for the following vehicles to pass, as the gap I had anticipated quickly diminished. In short, the yielding driver put me at greater risk.

My call to action is that drivers treat bicycles as they would any other slow moving vehicle on the road. If you don’t see any indication that the cyclist will flagrantly disregard traffic rules, then don’t come to a full stop and turn on your four way lights while waiting for the bicycle to pass. If you need to pass a bicycle in a traffic lane, then slow down and match speed until it is safe to pass, then pass safely, just as you would a slow moving semi truck. There is no need to honk. There is no need to shout. There is no need to wave us through the intersection when you clearly have right-of-way. Please, just stick to the rules of the road with which we should all be familiar.

Mystery Gift

Today, I went to Toys "R" Us for a Manaphy giveaway event. I brought along my Nintendo DS and my copy of Pokémon Pearl, my roommate’s DS and Pokémon game, and a friend’s DS and Pokémon game, since I was the only one of us who was able to get the day off from work. It only took about an hour to bike there this time because, even though I didn’t really know the best roads to take, I knew from the Mew event which roads not to take. Upon my noon arrival, I was a little concerned to see scaffolding covering the entire front of the building. It looked like the store may be closed for renovation, but the full parking lot led me to believe otherwise. I chained up my bike at a neighboring store and walked over to Toys "R" Us which, sure enough, was open, although the fire alarm was buzzing when I walked in. Fortunately, that didn’t last too long. I headed to the electronics section and prepared to get in line to receive my Manaphy.

Getting Manaphy was remarkably simple. I stayed to the side of the line until I could get the three handhelds out of my backpack, then I fired up my game. From the main menu, I selected the Mystery Gift option and the Manaphy download appeared without me even having to progress in the line. So, I stayed out of everyone’s way while I retrieved the three Manaphy. As I did that, I was greeted by Corsair from the Mew event. He had, unfortunately, succumbed to using Action Replay. He also had a DS dev unit, his use of which was of questionable legality. It was intriguing, though, that he had the English version and the Japanese version of the game on the same card. We mixed records and swapped Friend Codes, then he had to leave to take care of his dog. I stayed until the end of the event at 3:00, mostly hanging out in the Union Room. I mixed records, checked out some of the attendee’s teams and exchanged a few Friend Codes. The name of my Blissey, NurseFatty, was rather popular with the younger crowd. Shortly after the event, I managed to take part in my very first Pokémon battle against another person.

I had just traded Spiritomb to this youngster when another kid approached and requested a battle. The youngster with which I had traded hastily accepted. His team of Level 100 Ubers easily felled the challenger’s team of Level 50 to Level 70 Pokémon without taking a single hit in their Double Battle. I then asked if he would like to have a Single Battle with me and he agreed, at which point he changed up his team since I had seen his two leading Pokémon. He opened with Dialga and I opened with Ninjask. I used Protect to see what he would do and he used Dragon Claw. Since I couldn’t safely switch Garchomp into that, I immediately Baton Passed my speed boost to Forretress, taking a little damage from Dragon Claw on the switch. He then switched to Groudon for some bug killing while I got off Toxic Spikes. I sensed the end was near for Forretress, so I used Explosion, which was preempted by Groudon‘s Flamethrower. Thanks to my Occa Berry, Forretress survived, barely, then Exploded in Groudon‘s face, taking it below 40% health. I then sent my Ninjask back out and immediately did a Swords Dance. Groudon used Flamethrower again, but my Ninjask held on with Focus Sash. Unfortunately, it got Burned and fainted at the end of the turn, before I could Baton Pass to Garchomp. So, I sent out my Timid Gardevoir and finished off Groudon with Energy Ball. He sent out Mewtwo, which got Poisoned by Toxic Spikes. I had to use Energy Ball again because of Choice Specs and, as a result, took a Shadow Ball from Mewtwo. My Gardevoir survived the hit, but she couldn’t take another one. So, I switched in Blissey, which made Shadow Ball useless. I finished off Mewtwo with Seismic Toss as it dealt negligible damage with Psychic. He then sent out Rayquaza, which wasn’t affected by the Toxic Spikes. It used Dragon Claw, taking about half of Blissey‘s HP, and Blissey used Thunder Wave, ensuring it would then be faster than Rayquaza. He started using Outrage, which would take Blissey down to about 30% HP, and I would use Softboiled which, combined with my Leftovers, nearly healed Blissey completely each turn. As that went on, I took advantage of Rayquaza occasionally being frozen by its Paralysis to get off a couple of Seismic Tosses. He eventually switched back to Dialga, which also was not affected by Toxic Spikes. I Thunder Waved it and Seismic Tossed it to death, taking some damage from Roar of Time and Earth Power. He sent out Speed Form Deoxys, which was Poisoned by Toxic Spikes. It got off Psycho Boost and Psychic as I Seismic Tossed it. Since he kept using Recover, and there was no longer anything to fear from Dialga or Rayquaza, I sent out my Garchomp, taking a weakened Psycho Boost and Psychic, after which I got off Crunch, finishing off Deoxys. He then sent out Kyogre, which I feared may know Ice Beam, so I switched in my Milotic. Milotic was hit instead by a powered-up Surf, which did less than 40% damage. I began to use Surf while my opponent started using Sheer Cold. He missed three times and I KO’ed his Kyogre. He then sent out his Paralyzed Rayquaza and I finished the battle with Ice Beam. It wasn’t flawless, but it sure was a satisfying victory.

The giveaway this year went very smoothly, leaving more time to interact with the other fans. Everyone was able to get their Manaphy so quickly that the line wasn’t even necessary. That and my intense battle at the end made the trip well worthwhile. I look forward to the next local Pokémon event, though I hope I’ll be able to get a ride, then. Fare thee well!

Piece by Piece

I have once again thoroughly cleaned my bike (read: bicycle). This time was even more meticulous than the last, by a significant measure. Rather than spending hours scrubbing my bike and scraping grime out of the multitude of crevices, I decided to dismantle the whole thing and clean each piece indivudually.

I started by removing the extra attachments I’d installed – the fenders, rear rack and panniers, water bottle cage, side pump and mount, and the rear safety light. Nothing on the handlebars needed to be cleaned – since I’d replaced the shifters and cleaned the bars up, then – so I left them assembled. I then removed the wheels and chain, then the brakes, then the dérailleurs, then the chainwheel. I wanted to remove the and axle and arms, but I don’t have the tools for that task. It didn’t actually matter, though, as I was able to reach enough of the axle to get it and the bottom bracket sufficiently cleaned.

Once the bike was in pieces, I filled a plastic tub with water and degreaser, and I set the smaller components, accompanied by their matching screws, into the tub to soak overnight. I cleaned the larger components – the frame set, wheels, and fenders – outside with a heavy-duty scrubbing pad and some Simple Green. It was bitterly cold that day, so I didn’t spend as much time scrubbing as I would have liked. I let my bike dry before bringing it back inside. The next day, I pulled each component out of the degreaser solution and scrubbed them down until I was satisfied by their sheen. I let the pieces dry for a few hours, then I began to reassemble my bike. Fortunately, I remembered where everything went. But, not wanting to temp fate, I believe that the next time I dismantle my bike, I will diagram the location and position of each component. The hardest thing to replace was the front dérailleur. I hadn’t left much slack on the cable when I’d replaced the shifters, so getting the cable to reach was difficult. Also, adjusting the dérailleurs to shift properly isn’t an easy task. I did, however, get my bike back together and in working order. In fact, it hasn’t ridden that smoothly in years. It was a task well worth the effort. Fare thee well!

Scrolled Walls

I own a few wall scrolls (like posters, but made of cloth) which I had neglected to put up since moving into my current abode over three years ago. I finally got around to putting them up. But, after so much time, I’d forgotten what some of them looked like. As I unrolled each one and gazed upon the anime scene depicted thereon, I was filled with fond memories of the stories represented by each – stories I have on video, as each scroll I own is from one of my favorite anime titles that I own. My mood changed slightly when I unraveled my scroll of Record of Lodoss War. At that time, I was painfully reminded of how much of a nerd I am. Yes, wall scrolls are the domain of nerds and anime geeks. Seeing the Tolkienesque band of adventurers from Lodoss War, and remembering how much I liked the show, it was clear to me once again that I fall within the aforementioned categories. But, I’m okay with that. Afterall, there are much worse things I could be, like a drunkard or a smoker. As long as I’m in good shape, being a loser is fine by me. Fare thee well!

Digital Versatile Disorganization

Using Ubuntu, I came across a nifty program – Griffith – that allows you to easily create a database of your movie collection. I’d been meaning to catalog my DVD library for years now, so this gave me the opportunity to finally undertake that task.

Griffith is compact and well-organized. A scrollable list of entries is available on the left of the main window. The bulk of standard information about the selected title is presented in a large preview window, with topics that tend to be fairly long – such as cast lists – kept in a tabbed area at the bottom. The program is able to retrieve movie information from IMDB and a set of other websites, and it can pull cover art from Amazon.com, although it sometimes requires a bit of finagling to get the right image. Cover images can also be loaded from disk, perfect for those who have a scanner and the original DVD inserts. One standout feature is the loan tracker, which allows you to keep a list of contacts and select to whom you have loaned a movie. When the movie is returned, you tell the loan tracker and it logs the date and time of the loan and subsequent return. I haven’t had the opportunity to push the limits of the database, since I only have about 80 entries, but I read on the Griffith forums that it can handle around 5,000 entries before it bogs down.

While going through my collection, I noticed some odd things about it. First, I only have two live-action movies: Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park. Everything else is animated. The next thing I noticed was the organization. I have my Pokémon movies right next to Todd McFarlane’s Spawn – the uncut version intended for mature audiences. Since there are no children living with me, I suppose separating the whimsical cartoons from the grotesquely violent animation isn’t really an issue. The last odd thing I noticed was the quantity of material I haven’t watched. I have two seasons of The Slayers and three seasons of Sailor Moon that I never got around to viewing, and I have several movies that I either haven’t seen or just didn’t watch once I got them on DVD. Perhaps, when I have the time, I’ll get around to watching them, just as I finally got around to cataloging them. Fare thee well!

Dark Porpoise

Well, bludgeon!  It has been much too long since I last posted anything.  I’ve been inundated with self-imposed business, but today I shall update!  The question, mayhap be, “with what?”  Since I have already discoursed unto you my displeasure with the workings of things, my rampant pessimism and my impending academic failure, I will discuss, this evening, a matter of frivolous temperament.

Have you ever tried to mod a GameCube?  Answer truthfully now.  I confess, this is something I, myself, have attempted.  It’s a pain in the nether regions.  I managed to procure a copy of Phantasy Star Online some time ago at a very generous price along with a Nintendo Broadband Adapter for the GameCube, also at a rather generous price.  But, I have not, until recently, really endeavored to accomplish anything with these items.

Some time ago, my GameCube stopped reading discs.  Since the reliably of the unit deteriorated with great haste, I decided to purchase a tool to open up the GameCube and, in preparation for the worst, a replacement laser assembly.  I opened up the case, found the potentiometer that controls power to the unit’s laser and adjusted the little beggar for all its worth.  This led to a marginally more-reliable reading of a couple of discs, so I faced the harsh truth of my predicament and replaced the laser assembly.  I then turned the potentiometer up as high as I could and still have discs reliable read, to increase the lifespan of the new laser.  It may be too high, as I still have some trouble reading discs, but it is a different trouble than before.  What does all this have to do with the previously mentioned paraphernalia?  I’ll tell you.

All of this tinkering with the GameCube hardware resurrected a desire in me to make my GameCube perform tasks it was never intended to perform.  So, I decided a few weeks ago that I would attempt to run some homebrew applications on it.  I found the necessary utilities, properly adjusted my network settings and prepared to exploit Phantasy Star Online’s remote connection mechanism.  After trying a few different applications, I finally figured out what would work best for me and began the devious process of streaming GameCube executable files over my network to the little black box.  I now have several programs of dubious nature that I can run on it.

Unfortunately, each program must be loading separately, from the Phantasy Star Online internet connection screen.  This flaw, however, will be overcome!  I’m not sure how, nor when.  But, someday, I will be able to browse my computer from my GameCube and select any program I want to stream over to it.  Whether the program works will, of course, depend on the program itself.  But, this increased functionality will ensure that my GameCube has a home even long after the Revolution is released.

New Tires

Since today is the first Saturday of the month, that usually means that today would be the day I thoroughly wash my bike.  Regardless of the frigid air, I would take my bike outside, rinse off any major debris, and scrub the little beggar down with diluted Simple Green until there remained naught but shining metal and smooth plastic.  I would then degrease the chain and, finally, rinse and let dry.  Normally I would have done this, but today I had other bicycular concerns.

Yesterday, whilst I was riding home, a spoke on the rear wheel broke.  Riding with a broken spoke, even if it’s only for a couple of miles, is not good for the wheel.  Doing so throws off the wheel’s alignment.  Fortunately, it is a problem that is easily remedied.  Unfortunately, this is the fourth time in recent memory that I have had a spoke break on that rear wheel.  That is quite bothersome, since having four spokes replaced is nearly as costly as replacing the wheel itself.  And riding with the broken spoke, as I did, no doubt weakened the remaining spokes, making it all the more likely that one of them would break before long.  This, and a problem of which a repair tech informed me concerning the hub, lead me to make the decision to replace the entire wheel.

I used the opportunity to start fresh with the rear wheel.  During my last tune-up, the rear tread had been discarded due to wear and the less-worn front tread was placed on the rear wheel while a new tread was placed on the front wheel.  Since the front wheel had a relatively new tread, and the rear wheel was using a tread that had already been worn, I decided to get a new tread fitted on my new rear wheel.  And since it has already snowed this year, I selected a tread that would function on the snowy roads.  I even had a new intertube installed, for good measure.  Now, all I need to do is wash and tune up my bike tomorrow and it should be ready to last me through the winter.  If only I could figure out what’s wrong with that worthless headlamp…