We found an exercise bike by the side of the road, perfectly functional so we took it home. I just put new batteries in the information screen and now it works just like new. Why do people throw these things out?

I have it pointed in the general direction of the TV so I can jump on for a little exercise when I'd otherwise be sitting there bored. Just now I hopped on the exercise bike and rode a kilometre in 2.53 minutes on full difficulty. I am quite proud of myself. Will continue doing random 1km bike sets whenever the impulse takes me, and this should yield interesting results. I can already do up my knee-high boots again, so I'm pleased. Too bad the seat's so damn uncomfortable.

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Supanova was... something. The second convention I'd ever been to, and the only non-furry convention at that, the con itself was a wondrous ball of shiny, bemusement and Twilight-based Tourettes Syndrome. Much to the amusement of  apocastasis I suspect. My reasonless twitching fury at Twilight is often quite comical.

The costumes did dazzle me though, in keeping with the Twilight theme in a vague way. So many fandoms and fabrics, bizarre short V's and elves and delightful tall androgynes in corsets. Shiny objects of all kinds, free lollies, disappearing comic-artist man-divas and other artists with an endearing absence of knowledge for the appearance of ferrets. Books and fabric bolts offered to sign and draw on, giant screened tablets to draw on (in green, to symbolise my own seething envy). And I amongst all this, a very lonely Graverobber with a keychain-overdosed manticore to escort and a pathetically modded foil-covered gluegun to wave around theatrically.

Such fun, indeed. I gained a small sack of swag in lieu of a conbag (I neglected to grab one), mainly containing stickers and a Lost Boys shirt of awe-inspiring niftyness. I aimed to get a Watchmen smiley badge, but of course they sold out rather fast. In my alone times, I struck up conversations with the constaff and the stallkeepers, occasionally commenting on the costumes of the more spectacular cosplayers. I refound a man who we found earlier, who had engaged us in poking with empty drink bottles, and chatted for a while, then left and realised I'd never asked his name. Other times I merely sat outside with a cigarette watching the people walk past in a child's kaleidoscope of colors, for once feeling completely comfortable in the crowd in the pure bizarreness of the thing.

But being alone was a rare thing, and I much preferred the time spent with Dorian. It is best to have a companion to be your co-conspirator in these group situations; someone to make laugh who will help make it the adventure it should be. Often I actually despise being alone in groups; the activity around me serves to isolate me more than it would if I were merely looking at the crowd. With the proper compay, I can actually feel I'm a part of the crowd, rather than being apart from it. And smiling with a good friend is much easier and gratifying than trying to smile alone.

More people need to learn about Repo, so I won't be the only Repo cosplayer. However, then I'd have to make my costume and makeup more impressive... the conundrum.

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And now, a little thing that will definitely make you laugh, and helped pull me from the homesick emotional void caused by his song, "White Wine In The Sun". That song, incidentally, is what caused me to call up my aunt, and decided to call the rest of my family tomorrow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lkt.....5&index=10