I double book a lot. Especially around the holidays. I think it is mostly because I rarely have just one thing going on - when it comes to planning a weekend, it is feast or famine. Same thing for last weekend - I had a company Xmas party that I felt compelled to go to, and my club had its December tournament that next morning. I just joined a new company, and skipping the party just seemed like a bad move. I had an excuse (my date dropped out, and finding another one was difficult at best), but honestly I need every advantage at work. I didn't want to miss the Southern Star either - after all, fencing is my favorite thing to do.
So, I did both. And just like my bright idea of visiting my fraternity brothers in Saint Louis AND partying with a flaky girl I knew - I had fun, but the experience would have been much richer if I chose one event and stuck with it.
Saturday morning I woke up at 8am - still feeling it from the night before. I sleep again until 11am, throw on some clothes, grab my gig bag and head to Dunwoody. My pool bouts were a disaster. I hate to think what I looked like out there - it was as though my opponents were thinking, "He's good, but he isn't taking me down. If I lunge, I will beat him." And I got killed.
I woke up for my first DE - and manage to get up 6-2 with a lot of straight lunges. I was tired, and I didn't have any more in me. Instead of hanging back and letting him come to me, I still brought the battle to him - I was just less scary, and therefore easier to hit. After the third double touch with the score now 14-13, I knew I was in trouble - because he only has to hit me twice to catch up, and I haven't made a single in a few touches now. So I lost that one 15-14, and my opponent's daughter was actually sad I lost.
If this was really all in fun - it wouldn't have mattered. But I did honestly want to do well. I really need to get much more serious about this stuff. The ironic thing is most of my friends think I am fanatical about it already.
