…in other words, completely out of the loop.

(sorry, this only makes sense if you’re from cincinnati.)  (and yes, i’m one of those people who has to be “in the loop,” literally speaking. figuratively speaking – meh, whatever.)

today, i learned something new, that is not new.  (thanks, for the umpteenth time, to feministe for bringing something to my attention that i am much happier and/or smarter for knowing about.)  i was reading a stellar review at feministe of mirror’s edge, a new female-protagonist video game that incorporates the use of parkour as means of transporting the character (named faith) through the game.  a few images:

i’m hardly a video game connoisseur, so i’ll leave the review of the game to those more suited to that role.  although i will say that the female protagonist is asian (or at least half-asian), which scores big points with me, and she also isn’t inordinately (and inaccurately) large-breasted* and is in fact rather tomboyish in appearance. no uber-tight tiny shorts with huge black boots here.  besides that, sam downloaded the demo, and even though gameplay takes a bit of practice, the graphics are phenomenal.

but i digress.

what i learned about today was parkour, which is a physical activity essentially using only your body to transport you from point A to point B in the most efficient way possible.  it’s a mix of martial arts and gymnastics that’s simply amazing to watch.  i first came across it when i watched a french film called “district b13” (or banlieue 13) a few years ago.  here’s a short clip from the movie:

the film isn’t exactly oscar material, but it’s entertaining to watch, and the plot isn’t exactly horrible, either.  i’ve watched it a few times since the first viewing and it’s no less entertaining each time i watch it.  plus…french thugs!  okay, i’m sure that they really exist, and they’re probably as dangerous as any other thugs, but when i hear Big Bad Guys speaking french, i just wanna pick ‘em up and put them in my pocket!  (patronizing? perhaps. but i find it rather amusing to hear such rough-looking men speaking such a beautiful and flowery language.)  after reading the aforementioned review of mirror’s edge, i then went into Research Mode about parkour, its history, who practices it, and lo and behold! the primary founder of parkour is one david belle, who is also, in fact, the main character in district b13!  who knew?

simply put, once again, my fascination with the human body renders me in awe of the things that people can make theirs do.  it makes me want to be a traceur!  maybe i can be a professional traceur when i live in iceland.  heh.

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*obviously i am not a typical asian woman. my *ahem* curves come from the european side of my family, okay?