Daga asked me to warm up with her before the event. I haven't fenced for years. She doesn't overdo the warm-up and has a light hand, and I think was just doing it to move a little, so it was a lot of fun fencing her. I told her it had been forever, and she said, "I bet I was this tall," holding out her hand at waist level.

Pool was Jillian Rosamilia from Medeo, Alexis Jemal from Peter Westbrook, Katie Arden from MFC, Natasha Tonge from Swarthmore, and Amber Lachapelle from MOE in New England. Amber had done well in the Pomme UWS (bronze, I think). Natasha was making good actions (she was at the Amazon and the Sabre Khan, I think). Katie looked better than the last time I saw her, and indeed cleaned my clock with straight attacks. I got one touch on Alexis. Otherwise I did all right. Natasha and Amber are both solid fencers and therefore fall obligingly into my distance games. Jillian, whom I last fenced at the Bergen open, over-depends on a counter-time game, and I had her again for my first

I'm still happy with my second DE with Faizah Muhammad, who is left-handed. I was just thrilled to be ahead at the break, even if I messed up my right leg. I said to Ibti afterwards that Faizah was over-depending on being left-handed and Ibti said that it was good for her to fence me.

I tried to do a little stretching tonight and it was pretty darn painful. Nothing's torn--it's clearly just a strain--but I can't reach my toes easily even though usually I can put my palms flat on the floor. I was thinking earlier that I'm a dern fool to be fencing these events at 57, and may have to give it up when I get a bit older, but boy it was fun.