I must be getting old...

Because GWAR was fun, but not as fun as I remember it being. I still got soaked in fluid. I still got to jump around and be crazy and totally out-of-control. But I also was pissed off. And claustrophobic. And in pain.

Last year, when GWAR came around, I managed to get a spot at the very front of the crowd. I was right in front of the stage and all of the pressure and pushing was at my back. Granted, I got mashed into a wooden barrier and had massive bruising on my hips, but I could only go in one direction: forward. Last night, I didn't make it to the front, and instead was caught in the middle of a really violent mosh pit. Not something I really enjoy. I got pushed around, knocked to the floor and nearly trampled. I got elbowed in the face and my ankles got kicked and stepped on. They're severely bruised and a bit swollen this morning.

And being in the middle was really physically demanding. I got pushed from all sides. The crowd was tightly packed enough so that at times, my feet weren't even on the ground, yet I was still moving. I couldn't breathe and my arms were so tired that I couldn't push back.

The music was good. I mean, it's not something I listen to regularly, but in the right time and place, I love some good thrash metal. And they performed one of my favorite songs, "Bring Back the Bomb." In all, GWAR is a parody of violence, racism and hate. But I don't think everyone gets it. I think some people in the crowd really did mean "hell yeah" when the lead singer shouted out, "Let's get fucked up on crack." J started to wonder why all of the "jokes" revolved around Jewish people.

At the end of the show, J and I met up with our friends Paul and Samara to takes some post-gore pictures. Our clothes were dyed pink and blue from the "blood" and "semen" and J had some of the dye behind his contacts, which made him look like a zombie on acid. It was pretty ridiculous.

But it was also pretty fun, barring the pain and aggravation.

Polar stuff...

There's been a lot of media attention surrounding polar dinosaurs lately. Nature News recently featured an article called "Paleontology: Tunnel vision" about Thomas Rich's attempt to tunnel into the Alaska permafrost to access polar dinosaur fossils. The article, written by Alison Abbot, focuses mostly on the trials and tribulations of the field crew and film crew and reads more like a docu-diary than anything else. If you check out the comments at the end of the article, you'll notice a letter to the author by Roland Gangloff, rebuking her for giving his research and publications such little attention.

In other news, tonight is the long-awaited GWAR concert. I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow, though I have to rush from my Calculus class to the concert venue, so I'm sure I'll forget the camera. That, and it's freakin' cold outside, and I don't know how I'll feel at 1 a.m. when I'm drenched in fake blood and other body fluids and have to shower and get up in 6 hours. Oh, poor me.

Why I don't post on the weekends...

I don't have the Internet at home. Once I get a computer with a net connection, you .00022 million readers can enjoy a nice Saturday post.

Busy busy! This week I learned that I have an Aikido test in mid-November. I'll be testing for 4th kyu, which sounds like a big deal to non-aikidokai, but the ranks go from 5 to 1, so it's not as impressive as it sounds. Still, it means another advancement of sorts...which feels nice. I started training yesterday and things feel good...right where they should be. I'm a little worried because I have a lot of stuff to do and not much time, but I know I'm ready...

For those of you who have never seen Aikido before, you should watch this video. There's a lot of weapons work, and the whole thing is very beautiful. Enjoy.

Also, GWAR is coming to town again! I did a post about my first GWAR experience a while ago on my Myspace blog. Here's a snippet:

Saturday I went to see GWAR. Never having seen them before, I had NO sense of the extent of what I was getting myself into. The show was sold out and the venue packed...my post at the guardrail was painful...the crowd rushed the stage for two hours straight and I had the weight of the whole crowd grinding my hips and ribs into a wooden barrier. My neck is still sore...I have bruises on both hips, both knees...my ears are still ringing...I'm still finding red dye in strange orifices...IT WAS AWESOME!!! Since I could go on for hours about what GWAR is, I'll let Wikipedia summarize for me: "GWAR is a thrash metal, hardcore punk and shock rock band formed in 1985. The band is best known for their elaborate sci-fi/horror film inspired costumes; raunchy, obscene, politically incorrect lyrics; and graphic stage performances, which consist of humorous re-enactments of scatology, sadomasochism, necrophilia, pedophilia, bestiality, fire dancing, pagan rituals, executions, and other controversial violent and political themes."

I'm going to get my tickets after I post this...and I'll be sure to tell you all about it!