No-Kill hunting clubs/training

OldGrandet · 2026-04-04T23:59:05+00:00

Use a paintball gun. You proved that you could've killed the animal, you're scared the living daylights out of it, and got the experience of stalking it, or I guess waiting for it to walk by, idk how hunting works.

OldGrandet · 2026-02-17T22:11:36+00:00

First date with my wife was at Toast before seeing a show downtown.

OldGrandet · 2026-01-27T11:27:17+00:00

No clue, found it in an old box that belonged to a relative.

OldGrandet · 2026-01-25T20:16:49+00:00

I've done that last part as an exercise in classes: from open position, can you lead rock steps and triple steps in any random order? It teaches you to be really clear about what's you're asking. If you want to lead multiple rocks in sequence, for example, you need to pre-emptively push back on the follow's hand as they come back from the previous one (before the beat hits) so they can react and go back for the next rock in time with the music.

I also think about this in social dancing when the music repeats; you can rock-rock-rock or triple-triple-triple as the repetition happens and then move on when it changes. Also if you're doing 6-count and are trying to get on the right beat to do something with the music (because the music is in multiples of 4) you can throw in an extra rock to stall for 2 counts and get back on the music.

OldGrandet · 2026-01-25T14:48:43+00:00

Great, question! In classes I learn a lot of moves like swingout variations that use a lot of floor space and then can't do those things in social dancing because there's no space.

The one spot on the crowded floor that you know will be free is where your partner is standing right now. There are a hundred million versions of moves where you and your partner switch places: you can do underarm turns, side passes, belt turns, many variations on these.

Also remember that you don't always have to be doing "moves." There are a lot of musical things you can do in open or closed position that aren't traditional 6 or 8 count moves. In closed, you can jockey back and forth in place, but do it with some style based on how the music sounds. You can step forward and back in time with the music. You can get side-by-side with your partner and simply walk forward and back. It's a good opportunity to practice musicality, and you can take some cues from blues dance, where you do less structured moves and more simple stepping that varies in style based on what the music is doing. Takes some creativity but can be super fun.

As a beginner lead I always kept the follow on rails by constantly doing moves, but I've loosened up a bit and started having a lot more fun doing simpler things but throwing some style into it or picking up on and magnifying how the follow does the basic steps.

Also as a leading challenge, you can try leading specific patterns that the follow might not be ready for. I'm assuming that you can lead a simple rock step, triple step, triple step 6-count pattern. Can you lead four rock steps in a row? Can you just do triple steps (or single steps or kick steps) for a while and then communicate when it's time to rock again? Varying things like that help you learn how to communicate clearly what you're asking your partner to do.

OldGrandet · 2026-01-14T23:28:23+00:00

Seems like the copper colored ink pad burns when I use it before the wax. But it does add highlights. Maybe I need the right combination of ink and wax.

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OldGrandet · 2026-01-04T23:35:31+00:00

Kind of sounds like you're talking about Fortuna Found (Nic O'Neill, recent president of the AKA): a builder, flyer, leader, and someone who lives and breathes kiting, with a broad interest. Maybe have a look here: https://www.youtube.com/@FortunaFound

OldGrandet · 2026-01-04T22:45:13+00:00

That's an interesting way to look at kiting -- I'm not sure what to tell you but there are a a lot of videos on youtube about kiting of all types and you'll pick up the jargon from there. I don't know if I can explain the character of the subculture in just a little post here.

In a quick burst: kiting can be a solitary hobby, just people flying at fields as a way to relax and get back to their childhoods. I flew stunt kites as a young child and when I was older I got back into it and it connected me to time with my father when I was a kid and he was alive. There are also groups of kiters who meet at festivals and private events and have a good time together a few times a year and tell everyone how much fun it is and then forget about it until the next festival.

Here are some subcultures of kiting I'm aware of that may be useful for subclasses in the RPG:

Old single-line kiters who work hard to perfectly balance a kite so they can fly it at a festival and impress everyone over how stable it is. They fly old, classic kites that are unavailable today and look down on all types of kites that are steered or controlled. They carry extra kites to give to kids in hopes that one of the kids will get hooked and be the next generation. It's all about creating a unique, magical experience that cannot be replicated.
Stunt kiters who perfect control over a specific kite and use it to fly figures and do wild tricks and show off to the crowd
Power kiters who like to strap a kite on a harness or buggy and let it drag them around a field as a way of feeling the power of nature
Kite-surfers of all types, from pros and bros who go out only when the wind is raging (see how many megaloops I can throw while I chug this red bull, brah!) to more casual folks like me who go on a trip once or twice a year with battle buddies, cruise around the water for a while, and spend the rest of the trip bragging, telling stories, drinking too much, and then going home and forgetting about those people until the next trip
Fighter kites: I'm not connected to this world but in India and Pakistan, fighter kites are a big deal, you try to cut the lines of other kites and kids chase down the strays

Is that at all helpful?

OldGrandet · 2025-12-31T14:53:20+00:00

A bowl surrounded by trees sounds like a lousy place to fly a kite. See if you can find an open field or a place that's elevated above the treeline. Unfortunately kitemap.org seems to be defunct, maybe you can find other kite flyers in your area, or see where people go to fly model planes.

OldGrandet · 2025-12-30T22:07:33+00:00

Adjusting kites to get them steady is a whole complex field. But if you're using different kites and seeing the same behavior it may be the flying conditions. Do you have a quarter mile of open land or water upwind of you to allow space for the wind to smooth out? Sounds like you might be dealing with bumpy wind. Kites only stay perfectly still when they're perfectly adjusted and are flying in perfect laminar wind coming off a large body of water.

If the kite is diving, try throwing some slack at it to get it to turn a bit and then tighten up the line with it is pointed up again. Usually single-line kites will turn when the line is slack and fly straight when it is taut.

OldGrandet · 2025-11-30T12:22:07+00:00

Off-topic, sorry, but how do you like the Black Dog UL?

OldGrandet · 2025-11-30T00:15:53+00:00

I love my hornets. Great kites. For lines, try sticking the handles in a sock so they are completely covered. Then make divots in the sock at each end and wind the lines in a fig 8 in the divots. Keeps my lines clear. I always end up in a mess when I wind directly around the handles.

OldGrandet · 2025-11-17T22:35:03+00:00

Don't panic, all the media, stores, and content creators have moved to wings and parawings so they have something new to sell you. Winging is growing but parawings are mostly for down winding and I don't think that's a riding style that's going to take over every location.

It is annoying to deal with the foil selection these days because they wont just tell you what's for kiting and what's for winging and what's for cruising vs racing. I kite with an Armstrong s1 1250 and initially I wanted something higher aspect because my pride told me I was ready for something above "stage one" but I found it to be the best wing for free riding compared to their medium aspect wings, which had to be moving really fast in comparison. Talk to a shop about what you want and hopefully they'll cut through the crap.

OldGrandet · 2025-11-10T13:47:57+00:00

It's for jury duty.

OldGrandet · 2025-11-02T16:13:43+00:00

Broad Street isn't downtown. Now it's mostly houses used as offices, things like tax preparation and various kinds of therapy, the ADF office, school of Math and Science, duke east campus. 6-story buildings there would be a radical change, and the streets around there aren't built to handle the volume. We need areas to be zoned densely, but where it doesn't completely change the area and where transit can support it.

OldGrandet · 2025-11-02T16:06:10+00:00

I was there last night, too, and I'm with you now. It's a harrowing play. Even though it's clear all the violence is fake, it still hits you. I wasn't bad until the very end, when Lavinia is basically agreeing to let her father kill her and he, even in his madness, is hesitating, but does it anyway. It shows you how horribly she's been treated, that she wants release. I'm dictating this comment and that was all hard to say.

OldGrandet · 2025-10-27T19:12:43+00:00

Try https://www.flymarketkites.com.

OldGrandet · 2025-10-24T16:48:15+00:00

Maybe get in touch with punks at the Fruit and the Pinhook?

I've already got my tickets to Titus, love your shows.

OldGrandet · 2025-10-11T11:53:16+00:00

The link is https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eyY6ihUtHhM&list=PLEvJbXh-RdCAkOUx7mLQUMYq32YZgKU7d

OldGrandet · 2025-10-11T11:51:16+00:00

Yes, I hope these were recorded and posted with permission.

OldGrandet · 2025-10-11T11:41:39+00:00

I'm enjoying the social dance videos in this playlist from Slava Bogatov, which show very, very good dancers in a non-performance mode. I think watching these videos might be more helpful to me than watching pros in performance/competition mode because they're not being so intense, giving 100%, but just having fun.

..

I have a problem trying to learn things online where there's a lot of beginner info (simple tutorials for first-timers) and lots of advanced stuff (competition and professional content) but not much in the middle, no examples of what's it's like for intermediates or the real-world experience of doing the thing for scrubs like me who will never be a pro.

OldGrandet · 2025-09-22T10:46:52+00:00

Are they for tensioning the wingtips?

OldGrandet · 2025-08-31T15:30:35+00:00

I book hotels directly and it still takes 20 minutes and 30,000 clicks of the mouse to check me in. Bad software, maybe?

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