LA, Day #2

[bjarvis]

The morning started with a trip to Denny's for (a) breakfast and (b) free wireless access. E-mail is fully read and LJ updated... life is good.

Returning to the hotel, we obtained our rental car and headed up to the La Brea Tar Pits and the associated Page Museum where we met up with rexsteed. Much fun & merriment was had --photos to follow--- and the four of us had a delightful lunch at Marie Callendar's.



While eating lunch, jearbear65oh telephoned and reminded that today was his 43rd birthday. Putting my cell phone on speakerphone, the four of us sang happy birthday to him and received a round of applause from the surrounding booths and tables. LA is the place to be discovered apparently.

We were back at the hotel in time for the convention reception & kick-off. I had receiving lines and meet-and-greets in general but we were pleasantly surprised to know nearly all of the bigwigs in the receiving line. Indeed, while we might already know 10% of the convention attendees from various fly-ins, IAGSDC conventions, caller schools and such, we apparently know a huge percentage of the board of governors, executive committee and various committee chairs. Does that make us a power couple trio?

The orientation session went a little long... it's in the nature of most callers that they like a spotlight and the sound of their own voice but it would go a little better if they remembered the purpose of the orientation: telling us what to expect for this convention. While the prior 34 conventions I'm sure were very nice, I really didn't need a recap of them. What's truly needed is a published historical document of the first conventions so we don't need to preach it repeatedly to the choir.

Tired and a little sore from a lot of walk & standing, we retreated to our room after the orientation. HBO is showing a miniseries "John Adams," a biography of one of the US founding fathers. It's very well done but a shame that we don't get HBO at home 'cause now I'd like to know how the whole US revolutionary war thing worked out for them.

Comments

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

Hi Brian! :) I'm sitting here (in bed no less) with David Goldberg - who is an LJ virgin. :) no longer though - ha! anyhoos - - I was telling him about you and Kent meeting Michael and of course, your blog presents an ideal photo of the three of you. Big happy contented smiles - and Michael's tshirt is perfection personified. Mr. Goldberg says HI (waves)....

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

David wonders if you really do know who he is by name - so -
for photo reference:



he dances "challenge" which apparently is the perfect dancing level for a math prodigy with the cutest eyes in the whole universe. (at least from my p.o.v.) Curtis dr_scott earlier described dancing 'challenge' as sadism for square dancers where all the calls are learned telepathically with none of it written down. apparently by that level you ascend and transform into a new kind of human being.

What level do you guys dance?

Moi? I'm still a square dance virgin.

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

I didn't know him by name but he does look very familiar... I'm sure our paths have crossed at the IAGSDC conventions in prior years. Is he coming to Cleveland for the convention in July?

Challenge level dancing can be sadism: it's definitely aimed at dancers who are primarily interested in the intellectual problem-solving aspects of that level. Many folks make a conscious decision to go no higher
than Advanced because the Challenge levels don't appeal to them.

Mainstream: A limited set of figures with a simplified call list.
Plus: Add on thirty extra calls, some hard but all are logical extensions of Mainstream. There's a few more figures but nothing particularly difficult. Most folks dance up to this level by feel rather than intellectual pondering of the official definitions of the calls.

Advanced: Another 60+ calls, several additional figures. Definitions become more important as we start dancing from more intricate & unusual formations. In light of the focus on definitions, even calls learned in Mainstream & Plus have to be rethought. Square dancing starts to be intellectual at this point. Most square dancers are in this level. (Technically, Advanced is composed of the A1 and A2 levels but nearly every class teaches them as a single unit. I do occasionally call A1 dances for those who haven't yet completed the full A2 list, but it's rare.)

Challenge: There are five increasing levels within the challenge family (C1, C2, C3A, C3B and C4), each with weirder formations, new lists of calls, stricter interpretations of definitions and a heavier mental burden. You have to be fanatical about self-improvement, self-guided study and intensive practice to survive much past C1.

kent4str and I both dance C1; cuyahogarvr dances to A2 but plans to take C1 in mid-April.

We've watched C4 (the highest level) dancing... it's freaking nuts. I swear the caller drones on for 30 seconds in some mystical incantation, the dancers ponder & mull over the call while muttering to themselves and looking at the various positions on the floor, then all move in a single blur of motion. To a comparative novice like myself, it might as well be telepathy and/or smoke & mirrors. apparentparadox dances this level; his hubby dances A2.

So, when are you going to join up with the Western Stars? :-)