Slug Crossings

And now one of my better efforts

2011-11-01T00:29:00.000-07:00

(A picture of Abelard's brother Preacher, Dominic, at left)

To make up for the last lugubrious posting, I decided to post some of my better writing.

Some time in 2002, then-Majesties of An Tir, Nicholaus and Alyssia, for reasons known only to God decided that they would expand the sumptuary laws of An Tir to include some that they were familiar with. (That is to say, they'd moved in from another kingdom and thought we needed a dose of the other kingdom's laws.)

I was, as they say, nonplussed.

However, there is a side of me that comes out every once in awhile, who will pick apart something like that, and strip the flesh of a matter until the bare bones are exposed. His name is Abelard the Lesser.

Father Abelard sat down, and with the aid of a number of texts, including Gratian's Decretum, examined the issue carefully. This document is the result.

*****

Unto Their Most Royal Majesties of An Tir; Nicholaus, our Undoubted King, and His Most Gracious and Renowned Queen, Alyssia:

Come now these Greetings from the humble Abelard, known as the Lesser, Clerk and Lawyer in the Order of Preachers (Dominican). God grant His Grace to Your Thrones, and long may Your names be heard in the Halls Of Valor and Good Remembrance. Greetings also, in Courtesy, to Their Royal Highnesses, Davin and Groa, that they may also see and ponder the words I offer to Their Majesties. And to Yourselves I offer: Peace, Wisdom, and Humility be granted to you, in remembrance that to wear the Crown is to be the servant of all the Kingdom, and indeed the most humble of all portions.

And now, to the business of this letter.

I have read the proposed changes to the Sumptuary customs and have spent much time pondering these matters, weighing them carefully, and reading books and treatises such as that have bearing on the matter. First, I must apprise you that though I have nearly 14 years experience in the Society, I have modern education and credentials in medieval history and law customs. I can best give information and advice from my studies. I do hope that they count for something in a historical recreation group such as the Society. Also, I am neither on the 'Steps' nor the 'Cathedral'. Friends will on occasion tell me bits of things, but I have no direct knowledge of the conversations therein, nor of what other members of the populace have to say on the matter.

There is, it would appear to me, to be two issues presented by the proposed changes, these issues being: Custom, and Purpose. I will attempt to address these in turn, for while they can be related and at times entangled, they are- at least in the light of medieval law- separate issues.

As to Custom-

The issue of Custom is to my mind raised by the wording of the proposed 'Sumptuary Customs', in the Introduction thereof, a portion:
"These Customs are a compilation of the traditional sumptuary customs, practices, and restrictions of the Kingdom of An Tir. They are presented here in writing, to preserve the traditions of Our realm, and to serve as a source of information for the people of An Tir."

Having read through the rest of the document, particularly noting the newer additions, I must argue that these are neither Customs, nor An Tirian.

Allow me to explain: Custom, in general, means a long-standing, habitual practice. In particular, it has a very specific meaning in Common Law, and when discussing sumptuary matters, the more specific meaning cannot be ignored. The Common Law consists of two parts- the Lex Scripta, or written law, which is created as statute by rulers, and Leges non Scriptae- Customary Law.

Leges non Scriptae are authoritative and original institutions that are not created by a ruling body setting them to writing, but are grown into use and thereby acquire the force of law. Within these Leges non Scriptae are laws made by Custom and Usages.

Custom as Law is subject to certain qualifications. It is not simply unwritten custom, or an oral tradition. Custom is a long-standing usage that has the force of ordinance (Lex Scripta) where none exists. What constitutes long-standing varies by place and situation. For an act, three repetitions may suffice. In other circumstances, it must be a Custom that goes beyond the remembrances of man- i.e. you might remember your grandfather speaking of observing the custom. In some places there are specific times "Before the reign of the Normans" "Before the ascension of King Richard (I)", etc. I have understood for some time that a 'generation' in the Society is about five years- in which case establishment of true Custom can happen in as little as five to ten years.

As well as length, there must be continuity. For a new custom to abrogate (invalidate) the current one, it must be practiced for at least ten years, without break. And the word 'practiced' brings up the next test:

Intention. For a practice to be a Custom, and have the force of Law as Leges non Scriptae, it must be intended to become a Custom. One does not suddenly wake up one day and find that something they did without thought is now a law. As an example, the modern practice of common law marriage- one of the proofs, should it ever go to court for some reason, is Did the Couple Intend to be Married? Were they living together with the intent of it becoming legal vis-a-vis the Common Law? (In fact this holds true in period Marriage Law as well.)

And lastly, Custom that affects all must be approved by the majority. This is not to say that there is something of democratic process, but that the people have to want to practice the thing, with intention and continuity, for it to become Custom. So it is implicit then that they consent.
If a Custom is written down such as to enlighten newcomers, etc., it must be understood that the strength of the Law is not in the writing- the obliging force and power stems directly from the long custom and use.

Now: the Sumptuary standards under discussion. Are they Custom? I believe not. As to length and continuity of practice, they do not reflect the general current practice. And the additions of course cannot be called Custom, as they are new and externally applied. And lack of current practice would either indicate that they have not been accepted, or that they have been abrogated through lack of observance. As to intention? I do not believe there has been a general intention to establish custom. And there are reasons for this which I will go into later. And the same with general acceptance. And if they are not Custom, they are not likely An Tirian.

And so to Purpose.

The basics of medieval Civil Law (that is Lex Scripta) are generally built upon Roman Civil Law. When there is no ordinance regarding something, the matter falls back up the Customs, or Leges non Scriptae. Having established that the proposed Sumptuary standards are not Custom, they must therefor be ordinance, or Civil Law. According to Isidore's Etymologies, as further recorded in Dicta Gratiani, the creation and nature of Ordinance should be as follows: proper, just, possible, in accordance with nature, in accord with the Custom of the country, suitable to the place and time, necessary, useful, clear so as to not contain hidden deception, and not accommodated to some private individuals, but composed for the common utility of the citizens. Ordinances are instituted when they are promulgated, but they are only confirmed when they have been approved by the usage of those who observe them. Ordinances are abrogated- that is, cancelled and rendered void- by consistent and persistent usages contrary to the ordinance. In light of the requirements of Ordinance and the circumstances of acceptance or abrogation, I must concluded that the proposed Sumptuary standards will not pass these tests and are likely to be abrogated.

Referring back to the Introduction of the aforementioned 'Sumptuary Customs', we find this statement:

"This information is designed to assist the populace in the preparation and use of personal regalia items. These guidelines are intended to further enhance the dignity, estate, and appearance of the people of An Tir, and should be consulted when preparing new items of regalia."

There are records of sumptuary standards in many places and times in SCA period, and they have one overriding thing in common: They are meant to discourage sartorial display, and to further broaden the visual gaps between the social classes. Sumptuary laws by their nature are restrictive, and do not encourage the populace towards the use of regalia, but instead away from it.

To explain a bit- sumptuary laws came about (and persisted) for several purposes. First, they were designed to create a visual distinction between the social orders. Heraldry in its early forms was a part of this, and in part because of that, the various Colleges of Heralds have had the responsibility for creating and maintaining the rules and standards of regalia.

Besides a visual distinction, there is an economic one. Most of the sumptuary standards that we can point to come from the time period after the Black Plague, at a time when the social orders are severely disrupted simply because of the vast numbers of dead. The economy was volatile, there was something of social 'upward mobility' happening, and merchants and townsmen were suddenly behaving and dressing like their betters. A number of laws were passed to try to control this, such as the Ordinance and Statutes of Laborers, in 1349 and 1351 in England. Both were intended to keep the lower orders where they belonged, and to restrict their ability to demand higher wages or to move about seeking a better situation. After this was a Sumptuary Statute Of Edward III, in 1363. It was a direct descendant of the statutory provisions that spawned the earlier labor statutes. The idea of this statute was not only to keep people from looking like their betters, but to keep them from spending too much money doing so- which was diverting money from more productive investments that might help the kingdom get back on its feet, and funneling it into clothing and fripperies, and not inconsequentially, into the weavers and merchants not of England, but of Lille, Bruges, Arras, Venice, etc. There was also more than a little of a sense that the People would spend far too much on frivolous things if they weren't prevented from doing so, and must be prevented by their betters.

Many of the more complicated sumptuary laws (such as those in Renaissance Italy) are distinctly economic- only someone with such-and-such an income may wear this kind of fabric from Lucca, or the number of pearls on an woman's gown may not exceed X unless her husband holds a certain position in the town. One could know one's economic (and by extension, social) class simply by 'reading' their dress. This went of course all the way down into the underclass, where prostitutes were required to wear striped hoods or bells on their tippets- and if they attempted to dress like a higher, more respectable woman (this seems to have involved wearing the veils of a proper married woman), the offender was beaten severely in the public square.

There is a sideline of sumptuary standards that may actually have more to do with the Society than rules about a prostitute's red shoes or pearls of a Roman matron's headdress; and that would be rules for regalia. The regalia guidelines are not meant for daily wear, or festival, or even attendance on a king on a hunt. Regalia are emblems- outward tokens of merit and achievement. They appear to be specifically designed to control what is worn in Royal Court occasions- Coronations, royal weddings, royal baptisms, elevations, the opening of Parliament- not necessarily where one wears the highest fashion, but where the rigid, codified formal attire is worn. (Even today, when you see the robes and chaplet worn as they were 300 years ago- no longer fashion, but now costume.) In this context- and only there- the rules are very specific and detailed.

So, this is known: sumptuary rules prevent people from dressing as their betters, thus reinforcing the social order, and redirecting the economy to more useful things, and it serves a visual cue for specific roles at court.

Now perhaps to look back at An Tir.

Do we actually have a problem with people dressing as their betters? I have not seen behavior that appears that way. And because of the balance of Society awards and individual personae, it would be very difficult to ascertain if there genuinely was a problem. Are people outspending themselves and ruining the kingdom's economy? I dare say that is between their checkbooks and themselves. Indeed, there are a number of clothing and fabric merchants in An Tir who would be glad of the business. So if is not social or economic, the crux must be ceremonial. And there we find it our matter.

The proposed sumptuary standards are not necessarily about sumptuary matters, but are specifically about regalia. And we must examine it with these questions in mind: Is there a problem which must be addressed by this document? Are these matters important? How will they change the visual and social aspect of An Tir? Are these rules An Tirian, and if not, what do they accomplish? To whit: do they follow the precepts of Ordinance?

The section addressing crowns, coronets, and circlets, is standard, with only minor modifications.

The section regarding chains also appears to be standard and unchanged.

The section on Collars of Estate is new, so we ask- is there a problem with these collars that must be addressed? .Having only seen a couple of them, I was not aware that they were an issue. They would be appropriate only with a fairly narrow band of personae. Is it truly important to create guidelines? Does anyone really need a rule? Does making a rule encourage people to make a Collar, and how does it do so? If they want one, why haven't they made one already? And not having seen anything like this in An Tir, where does it come from and how does it benefit us?

The section on chaplets has similar concerns, even more so. Chaplets of fur (of any sort) are specifically ceremonial regalia. You don't wear them to dinner at your Auntie's. They are worn in court, when receiving foreign dignitaries, etc. If anyone in An Tir had them, they would wear them twice a year- at both coronations. There really is not another appropriate time and place. However, that is a very big if. Does anyone in An Tir have a chaplet of fur, much less ermine? I have never seen one. And the only ermine I've ever seen was on Mistress Tessella's tippets. This bit of regalia would be very self-limiting due to expense. And it is not appropriate to wear one if the king is not doing so. Also, like the collars, it is appropriate for a very narrow time and place. The chaplets do eventually freeze and become a 'costume' regalia, but they were worn by the actual court during a very short period of time. This happened also to a particular sort of sideless surcoat, which turns up on portraits of queens long after they were fashionable. Shall we add them to the list of things to regulate?

The chaplets are also not native to An Tir- the notion has been imported from somewhere else. Since it is not in use, and not likely to be in common use (I know it is in the sumptuary laws in other kingdoms, but I asked around- it is not in use there) so why create a rule regarding something that is not used? How will we be benefitted by doing so?

As to spurs, I seem to remember that at one point the specific rule had been that knights may have spurs with rowels, leaving pick spurs to the populace. I being a man of the church, have no particular opinion.

About belts. Here is one item of regalia that has a special problem. It is also a necessary item of clothing. Belts of white have been reserved since time immemorial (and yes, white belts for knights are period- as per careful study, I have concluded that not all knights wore white belts, but if you find a period picture of a man wearing a white belt, chances a very good that he's a knight!). Red belts have, by Custom (and I do mean Custom in the legal sense) been set apart for squires. But the green and yellow belts have been only intermittently used in other kingdoms, and while they have been introduced here, they have not really been accepted in general use. My guesses at why are these- knights and squires both wear belts as part of their ensemble anyway. Laurels and Pelicans may or may not wear belts, and are more likely to have very elaborate clothes that require special waist-wear. An apprentice or protege may not wear a plain leather belt for similar reasons. Many Laurels and Pelicans have their own favors or livery to make note of their students with. Is it truly necessary to mark people with belts in this manner? What does it accomplish? It is my firm belief that if this was meant to be, it will grow into Custom. If not, it will not. In the meantime, do we wish to restrict the clothing options of those of the populace who are not of the Chivalry or in a specific relationship with a peer?

Now back to Purpose.

I have been given to understand that it was Your Majesties' intent to encourage sartorial display, to encourage creation and regular use of regalia, to enhance our experience in the Current Middle Ages through pomp and panoply. I understand and applaud that intent, if that was indeed your meaning. But I cannot believe that the way to best encourage something is to regulate it. I believe that the best way to encourage something is to do it- and do it well. Put your household in livery, have banners and gonfalons made. Think about how to encourage the populace to research the regalia that would be appropriate for their persona, perhaps by the creation of an award, not specifically for persona, but for display of such. I, for instance, may not wear regalia- it would be most inappropriate for a Dominican canon. But I know a woman who has taken her award medallions and mounted them on a fine baldric with gauds and bells, as is appropriate to her early 15th c persona.

It is of course entirely Your Majesties' prerogative to consider my words or to disregard them. But I must add this: As they stand now, the 'Sumptuary Customs of An Tir', being neither Custom nor An Tirian, and specifically noted as not statutory, are quite likely to be received with a most time-honored Custom of An Tir- that is, being ignored. And I do not think that would be any benefit either to Your Majesties, or to An Tir.

Written on this the feast day of St John the Evangelist with the assistance of my scribe, Arundel, but signed by mine own hand,
In all Honesty and Reverence, I remain,

Father Abelard the Lesser, Order of Preachers (Dominican)
*****

They decided not to implement the laws after all. I'm sure this is just a coincidence.

The worst paper I ever wrote.

2011-10-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've mentioned it in a number of places, so I am offering it up here, so others may view it's full horror. And sorry, but the footnotes can't be copied. I don't know why.

***

Bite Me:

Female mystics, Eucharistic Devotion, and the Corporeal Christ

Woman is to man as body is to soul- in one phrase the sum of much of the philosophy and theology of the Middle Ages. Men were largely seen as linked to the mind and spirit, able to transcend the physical and think creatively or meditate; to worship and interact with God on purely spiritual level. Women on the other hand, not only inhabit but are imprisoned by their bodily nature. They are only a little above the animals, having souls but mostly unable to reach beyond the body, and so trapped in the bodies they inhabit, are by their very nature unable to grasp the supernatural. The divine is invisible, ineffable, ephemeral, and cannot be touched in the bodily sense; so a creature with such a thoroughly grounded bodily nature, with its corresponding desire and need for the physical connection will be denied the desired interaction: for the un-bodied God cannot be reached, be touched, or be connected with by a bodied female.
Given that impasse, with the gulf between the world of the body and of the spirit, visions of God and interactions with Him would then remain in the realm of the symbolic, containing something of the unknowable. However, with some of the female mystics it is their bodily nature, the very thing that holds them back from the realm of the spiritual and therefore from complete union with God, i.e., the body, becomes the vehicle by which they can attain it. In the same way that one who cannot climb up a tree with an armload of lumber, could build a ladder with the lumber, so to scale the tree and reach its branches, so that very nature which distanced them from God became their means of communing with Him.
In the Genesis account, God walked in the garden in the cool of the evening, with the man and woman that he had created. They could commune easily and experience pleasure from this time because there was yet no gulf, no breach in the relationship of spirit and body. When Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, it was a reach for knowledge, which is in the realm of the spirit. Eve's attempt to grasp something of the spiritual through an act of the physical severed the two worlds, and created the division between them.
The phrase "Woman is to man as body is to soul" can also be read as "Woman is to man as humanity is to God". This separation of body and soul and of humanity and God was created by a bodily act, the physical act of Eve. Thus, the act of reparation must of necessity be a bodily one, an extrinsic act of salvation.
The person of Christ , by his very nature and existence, is the bridge between the two worlds, a curious inhabitant of both the liminal and the substantial. While fully God, he is given a body and takes on a cloak of humanity through the woman Mary; through her female body he is given a part of Mary's femaleness, and deep connection with the bodily nature. Thus , as the female body provided the agent of separation of body and soul, or of humanity and God, it is a female body that is the agent through which is provided the means of salvation.
A female mystic might see Christ as that ladder- as the tangible body used to bridge the gap between God and humanity, and indeed the Church saw him in that capacity. From his conception, which moved his existence from solely in the spiritual into one where he fully inhabited both spiritual and physical worlds at once; to the Passion, where he hung between those two worlds until the weight of them pulled him asunder and separated again the spirit from the body; he is that sole link and only connection between the earthly and the holy. Because it is particularly the bodily nature of this link that makes it efficacious, the body itself becomes particularly important. Every member is a rung on that ladder, and every wound or drop of blood imbued with meaning.
In the world of the medieval mystic, the corporeal presence of the risen Christ was embodied in the Holy Eucharist, that small wafer given to the communicant at Communion. The wafer was not just a physical representation of Christ's body, but it was Christ's body; and because Christ was not just a link to God but was also fully God, the eucharist was doubly important. It was sustenance, both physical and spiritual; it could feed the body while it nourished the soul.
Many of the female mystics of the medieval era showed great devotion to the eucharist, and quite a few reached a point in their devotion where they abstained from all other foods. Some reported it melting and tasting like honey in their mouths, others that it turned to blood or to meat that they needed to chew. Others, denied communion for any number of reasons, found that communion was given to them through miraculous means. Still others found their mouths suddenly filling up with the desired wafer, so that they were given their communion without the hand of the priest bestowing it.
The act of communion- that blend of communication and union (it is by no mistake that the recipient is known as the communicant) is central to the mystical experience. In the receiving of the eucharist, that link is established that crosses that liminal space between the earthly and the divine. The physical body of Christ is present in the wafer as is the divine presence, so that when the recipient eats the eucharist, her body and Christ's body become one; she has achieved a brief moment of true union of the corporeal and the spiritual. That the incorporation of Christ into self and self into Christ could be repeated was a mystery, but because of that it was sought repeatedly. The obvious metaphor of sexual union is however only workable on one level- that of the physical, of the wafer mixing with the communicant's body. The total union of the body to the spiritual belongs to the realm of the ineffable.
The bodily nature of the female was in the medieval view of a double nature: more than simply partaking of nourishment and excreting the excess, it could also excrete food. A woman producing breast milk became both eater and the eaten- taking in food and then becoming it herself. Breast milk was also thought to be made of blood, some sort of distillation or by-product of it. Perhaps in part because of this, the close associations of women's bodies with blood via menstruation, and of the production of milk, women were seen as intrinsically linked through their bodily natures to food, to milk, and to blood. It is then not surprising to find so many female mystics to be preoccupied with Christ's bodily nature, or that their preoccupation would be with his body as food, his blood as drink, and the wound in his side as like a breast to nurse from. Indeed as women were linked to the bodily by their excretory and reproductive functions, Christ is linked to the bodily through its salvific function.
It is not only Christ's body that they are preoccupied with, however. Frequently we see the female mystic not only appropriating Christ's body as that connector or touch-point to reach a union with God, but we see her using her own body as an extension; in her own devotional experience, or as part of another woman's devotion, as an adjunct to Christ, an intercessory link to yet another body. Catherine of Siena is well known not only for abstaining from food and sustaining herself only on the eucharist as part of her devotion to Christ, but also for licking the open wounds and sucking the pus from lepers, and sucking at the infected breast of one afflicted woman. In this she becomes not an agent of the bodily, reaching towards the spiritual; but the spiritual reaches through her, using her as an agent to connect with the bodily, much in the way that Christ provides that bridge. This is one expression of the imitatio Christi; not simply in the imitation of his sufferings, or of his life, but of his very existence as agent of reconciliation.
These women are also seen as becoming instruments of their own salvation, as intercessory agents for themselves. This is seen in instances where the particular sin to be expiated was particularly identified in or with a portion of the body, the penitent would administer punishment to that member, such as fasting to remedy the sin of gluttony, or self-administered beatings or mutilations to erase former pleasures. Through this sort of purchase, the mystic is again extending her body towards God, using the same body that sinned as the agent of the remission of that sin.
Whatever body it is that reaches across to bridge that space between the physical and the spiritual, the greatest emphasis remains on the point of contact. Like Michelangelo's hand of God touching man, it is that contact that makes the connection, that allows the communication. Both portions, the physical and the spiritual, are needed for a successful connection to be made between the two worlds. As an electrical current needs a contact to complete a circuit, so the heavenly needs the bodily to contact: hand to hand, mouth to mouth, mouth to breast, flesh to spirit. Through the bodily nature of Christ, the ineffable nature of God can be known to humanity. Humanity, through that union with Christ gained by the eating of the eucharist, can communicate with and be known to God.
***

And this pile of bovine exhaust... got an A.

I lost a great deal of respect for academia after that.

Am I still on planet Earth?

2011-10-22T14:46:00.001-07:00

These have got to be the strangest flowers I've ever seen. Thick, waxy magenta petals, and a hard teal ball in the center. They grow on a tree that is a few blocks down from me, on 26th, and I'm told that it is a 'clerodendrum'. Very strange looking plant. Pretty, in it's own strange way, but it is the sort of thing that you have to stop and look at, because it looks so unreal!

I've been walking regularly, which is why I've seen these flowers. I found that from here to the T at Dekum, and back, is one mile. So I've been walking a mile. If I pop a tape into my Walkman (old-school, I know) and walk to music, I can keep going and not think so much about what hurts while I'm doing it. I have been ahving some problems with shin splints off and on, and the bad knee, but at least I'm out of the house for a half hour or so, and moving about.

Life continues to be unreal. I'm still feeling lousy. The sleeping thing is off and on better- the new sleeping pills help some. I'm having problems again with the twitching thing, so I'm upping the gabapentin for a bit to see if it calms down. (But no levo-dopa. I have no desire to puke on a duke again!) My doctor says that considering the stress I'm under, I'm doing pretty well. Well, that's an awfully big 'considering'...

The situation down south is still not resolved and the babies are still not home where they belong. I have made some careful contacts that may result in some movement on this, but we don't know what may or may not happen. In the meantime the kids are having problems with Support Enforcement. That I can't help with. The whole mess is just so frustrating and makes me so angry, and all I can do is sit up here and worry. And pray. It's frustrating, because I'm still so very angry about it, especially towards one person, and I'm still having a hard time dealing with it. Someone suggested that i pray for that person. And I just can't. And I feel guilty for being so angry, and I find myself sitting in church, during the Prayers for the People, and the general Confession, and the tears slop over... How do you forgive someone who continues to hurt you, and deliberately so? How do you pray for someone you've come to hate? I haven't found anything in Alcuin that can direct me, and Aquinas is like wading through waist-deep mud lookig for a lost tricycle- I might stumble across something, or I may simply have to wait until the mud ebbs away...but I need some resolution before the mud ebbs.

In the meantime, I bought a rocking horse for the girls, and hope to have it done for their birthday. It's currently on my work table upstairs. The room smells of stripper and paint, but I can run the fan. It's kind of nice to do something different for a bit.

I'm working on a tunic for James, and embroidering the yoke and cuffs, in a style similar to the pattern on Queen Arnegunde's gown. The tunic is a lovely teal blue, and the embroidery is in a dull mustard gold, a cranberry, and some warm sage green. It's looking really nice so far. I've mostly been working on it on Tuesdays, at the ladies group at church. I love going- it's informal, I can chat and get to know people, and it is just a nice time. We're also holding Evening Prayer on Thursdays, and I've been going to that too- a nice break mid-week. Last week a bunch of us went out to dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant afterwards, and that was a lot of fun.

Still working my way through a bunch of Carolingian theology (pre-destination!) and more modern stuff in The New Yorker. Sometimes I'm reading because I can't sleep, and sometimes I fall asleep reading! Wish my body could make up it's mind!

Oh Sleeper, where art thou?

2011-09-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

So this has pretty much become my sleep: I sleep for three or four hours, then I wake up and can't get back to sleep. I'm not quite among the living, but I'm not asleep either. Eventually I wake up a bit and can do stuff, but after a few hours, maybe three or four or five, I crash. Bang. I fell asleep sitting at the table at an event the other day- during court, including the hurrahs. I can fall asleep sitting here at the computer. I suddenly nod off in odd places (no, I am very careful to not be driving when this is happening). But not in my own bed, when I want to.

Obviously I have become a house cat.

Boring reading sometimes help, though it doesn't help with staying awake- just with drifting off. Sometimes I can put on my headphones and put in a tape and go to sleep (Sting's 'Soul Cages' seems to do the trick lately), but there's a click when the tape ends and sometimes that wakes me up.

I've tried staying up all night to try to 'reset'. Well, I fall over at about 6 pm, sleep for four hours, and then wake up in a daze, not sure where I am or when I am. A couple of weeks ago I woke up about 6, and couldn't figure out if it was am or pm. I had to bump the little day/time thing on the computer to find out. It's really disorienting.

I'm drinking very little caffeine these days, only Saturday and Sunday morning, so that isn't the problem. I'm not up watching violent or stimulating tv, because I don't watch tv.

I do have plenty to worry about though. Worried about David and Lydia with the the babies. Worried for Annie and her job situation. Worried about Stephen and school (or not) and his overall life frustrations. Worried about James and his job and finances and finishing school. Worried about Wanda's health. Worried about Fjorlief's health. Worried about my own health. Worried about politics and the economy...

My doctor's solution of course is sleeping pills, and the suggestion of a support group. Support for what? Is there a support group for worried grandmothers of children in foster care? Or for people who want to find funding for a loved one's schooling? Or for frustrated Democrats who don't see anything good at the end of this tunnel?

Disrupted sleep is a common hallmark of Fibromyalgia, so I'm trying to reassure myself that this is not uncommon, and that others have felt this way. Doesn't help me sleep though.

Camomile? No. And it tastes like weeds. Lavender? Nope- I'm allergic, and the headache and nausea is not likely to help. Valerian? Nope, not a good combo with my meds. Ball peen hammer? Hmmm... there's s a thought. Well, probably would give me a headache.

But talking about it makes me want to nap...

My computer ate my life.

2011-09-22T03:29:00.000-07:00

Yeah. Between email and Facebook, my hours have sort of been sucked away. Working on revamping my habits, but it's a lot harder than one would think, especially since so much on my research and such is online. It's way too easy to think "I'd better check my Facebook while I'm here", and six hours later I'm hungry and haven't showered and other things I needed to do (phone calls and such) have slipped off. On the other hand, there's quite a few people I've gotten to know better because of it. Like everything in life, it's a trade-off.

In the meantime, stuff happens. I was sick and missed most of Sport of Kings. I managed to get there Saturday night, saw Eleanor de Sackville's Pelican elevation, and got to seen Korwyn, which was really nice. (I don't get to see him but every year or two.) Caught up with Raph and Kerie-je (a lot of 'organ recital'!) and schmoozed with Amalric, who is cute as ever. :-)

September Crown was kind of fun, even though it was way too bloody hot. I went out for the Laurel meeting on Sunday and stayed for court. We elevated Keeva (the correct spelling for her name I'm not even sort of going to attempt- it's Gaelic-something), put someone on vigil whose name escapes me at the moment, and put Khalja on vigil, with one of the best deer-in-headlights response I've seen yet. She's going to be elevated at Summits Eleventh Night, which I was planning to go to. Should be cool.

Getting home from Crown was a challenge, as Wanda and I both forgot that she had a new locking gas cap. So I found myself in beautiful downtown Kalama, Washington, with cash in hand and no key to the gas tank. I tried the payphone, with my debit card- don't EVER EVER EVER do that- they charged me $29 and some change for the call, and it didn't actually go through- I could hear Wanda, she could not hear me. In full panic, I walked over to the Chinese restaurant next door, explained my situation, and the lady there pulled out her own cell phone and let me call home. (If you're even in Kalama, eat at the Lucky Dragon! They have nice staff, and according to the online review, outstanding food!) Wanda and Dan came up to rescue me, and Wanda and I drove home feeling rather silly. There is now a key to the gas cap on the ring of spare keys.

The guy who won Summits Coronet is from Corvaria and I don't know him at all. Not royal garb to make! Yay! I am taking some time off from other people's stuff (except the last of Gabriel and Sumayya's) and doing some for James and myself. I made myself a new Frankish gown in black and sort of an olive-y gold, and I'm really happy with it. Just finished an olive tunic for James with a subtle black and gold trim. Have more to finish for us, and then I think I'll make some clothes for Teh Babieez.

Teh Babieez are still with David's mother. This has gone on way too long, and I am mulling steps to affect this. Carefully, as I don't want it to look like a pissing war between Cindi and I. But she recently apparently (I've had no actual notification, just word from the kids) that my visitation has been restricted. If she thinks she can push me out of the picture, she is wrong.

The BIG NEWS in life lately is that Phil and Annie have decided to get married! I am very excited about this as I like Phil. They are planning to have a simple civil ceremony in New York, then come out here to Oregon for a BIG party/reception. No date set yet, but probably Summerish next year. Good, because we need time to make a pretty dress. :-) I told her she could have some of my silk. :-) And maybe I'll have time to make a proper Mother of the Bride dress this time.

Things at church are still wonderful, with one exception- Father Lin accepted an interim position in San Francisco. It has been a bit hard for me, as I had finally come to trust him, and I have a hard time with that. Our new rector is Carolyn Litzenberger. James says she's cool, and he had pretty good judgement about that sort of thing. She's a History Professor in her day job, and does Church history and Early Modern. We had a delightful talk Sunday after service and I think I'm going to like her.

Tuesday morning knitting circle at church was bordering on the absurd. Most everyone was missing, partly because one of the ladies passed away Tuesday morning and some of the others were helping with the family stuff. So Elinor and Marla and I went downstairs and poked through some of the little rooms and closets and such. We hit paydirt when we found the closet full of weird craft stuff. More beads and sequins than you can imagine. After that we had a little potluck. There was leftovers from Sunday, and I'd made a mushroom tart, and Gary cut up a bunch of melons and we had just sat down when this... guy, came to the door. Tallest black man I've seen outside of a basketball game (I'm guessing 6'5", 6'6"). Now things veer off into the Twilight Zone: He had a shofar and he wanted to come blow it for us. (Marla says he wandered in about this time last year- seems he fancies he's preparing us for Rosh Hashanah.) So he loped down to the front of the pews, where the sound is sweetest, and blew the horn. It was actually kind of cool. He sang some stuff in Hebrew. He stayed for lunch, and said the very strangest things... and even funnier, he was sitting next to Bill See who is mostly deaf and not necessarily all there, and the complete misses in cross-talk was hysterical. I was laughing so hard I got coughing and had to get up and stagger off for a bit. I ducked out not long after that, because I was feeling pretty crummy and needed meds. But all day long I was like What the hell was that?

I guess it was Life telling me to have fun and enjoy the unexpected. :-)

On the beach!

2011-07-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

Annie and Phil were out for a few days' vacation on the west coast, so last Wednesday I left the house at 6:15 am (really!) and drove to Eugene, were I filled the car with Minnicks (all three of them!) and one Cohen. Then we drove out to Florence, to the Oregon Dunes.

This isn't one of the pictures they took (because they haven't uploaded them yet) but this is were we were, and that is what it looked like. The sky was clear blue, and it was GORGEOUS.

We spent most of the day there, mostly laying around and playing in the sand, grilling sausages and eating chips, and drinking IBC root beer, and some hard cider. Was a good day.

Only bad part for me was getting up and down the dunes from the car, and the sunburn. I shouldn't have gotten burnt, as I was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved shirt and a big straw hat. But I fell asleep , and the rolled-up hem of my jeans pulled up while I was sleeping, and I got burned on the ankles, left one worse than the right. (More on this later...)

We eventually went back to Eugene, dropped off Stephen and Lydia, picked up the rest of Phil and Annie's luggage, and headed north. We got to Albany just in time to get burgers and onion rings and shakes at Burgerville. Then we went to Portland and took our sunburnt and sandy selves to bed.

The next couple of days we did the whirlwind tour of Portland- mostly eating our way through. We went to the Cameo for breakfast, then to Powell's, where Phil seemed nonplussed that they had a map to get around in the store. (Really, you need one the first few times.) Then we went to Voodoo Donuts and got bacon maple bars. Then we did some thrift shopping, and went home for a bit. That evening we went to McMenamin's Kennedy School for dinner with Karl and Linda (AKA Malcolm and Morwyn) which was yummy yummy. Friday we went to the Cup & Saucer for brunch, more thrift shopping, a trip to the Powell's on Hawthorne, and then back to pack up. I was not happy to have to take them to the airport (they even less so, because the weather was nice here but 102 degrees in NYC) but was very glad to have seen them. (And Phil is a peach, BTW. Teh Girleez were right. :-) He's cute, too.)

However, the sunburn on my left ankle didn't get better. In fact, it got worse. It got darker, almost fuschia, and was really, really sore. Tuesday it suddenly blistered up (I could practically watch the blisters forming), and the blebs were looking really nasty. I called the doctor and went in Wednesday, a full week after I got the burn.

Well, it wasn't just a sunburn. Apparently some opportunistic bacteria saw its chance, and now I have a lovely case of cellulitis. The area is pretty big, too. So we're throwing big antibiotics at it, keeping it propped up as much as possible, and watching it carefully.

Like I needed another thing, right?

I did manage to pass on a rush costume job. It was an area I'm not familiar with, and doing a short-notice job on something I don't know isn't a good idea. And I need a break. I have a couple of things left to do for Gabriel and Sumayya, and some stuff for James and I, and a couple of small things on the list, but nothing pressing. So I'm going to take some time off and just do... mostly nothing for a bit. I can't sew with my foot in the air anyway.

A few notes on the 'recent unpleasantness'-

2011-07-11T22:50:00.000-07:00

Otherwise known as AN TIR-WEST WAR!

(psst- the title is a joke. I could have called it the 'War of Southern Aggression'!)

I got down there Thursday evening, after a six-hour drive, most of it in the Coast Range. The drive is lovely, but Zippy doesn't like it much, and ate a lot more fuel than she should have. In her defense, she was heavily loaded.

It was actually still light when I got there, but it took awhile to get Amalric to make a decision (bwahahahahahahaaa!!!), so it was pretty dark by the time the worst of the set-up was done. I did have help (thankyouthankyouthankyou Tristan!) getting set up, which was a very good thing, as my back was still very unhappy at that point.

James got in later Friday than I'd anticipated, but we managed to break all speed records and got the bath up and running quickly. It actually fell together beautifully. Tadhg served as Gabriel's herald/narrator, music was provided by Galeran and Rhi, and Karyn helped with the roses/rosewater and a bunch of the fetching and toting. I'm not sure who all carried water, but it got done.

I really wish I'd had the presence of mind to ask someone to take pictures, but I was busy, you know? So picture in your heads- the pavilion, lit with candles, the curtained bath enclosure inside, and in there, a small table with candles and a statue of the Virgin, a small chair, and the tub, which is draped inside with white cloths, and strewn with rose petals and herbs. Inhale deeply- rosemary, sage, lemon balm, mint, and rose water. Mmm... on the other side of the pavilion from the bath enclosure is a small altar, with a crucifix and candles, and a small pre-dieu (kneeling bench).

The site had been mowed, but not raked, and I don't know how many times I went through with the whisk broom, trying to keep things neat. (There's still hay all over inside my car!)

When Gabriel and his friends arrived, they stopped outside the pavilion, and I passed out the ceremony handouts. They had the ceremony itself, as well as the Latin parts written out for those who don't know them. Tadhg led us in the recitation of the Nicene Creed (in Latin), and then read:

"Before you is the Bath of Courtesy and Bounty. As you enter and dwell therein, reflect on your need to cleanse your body henceforth, from impurities of sin, and any dishonorable ways of life~ you shall leave any such impurities in the water, and as recalling the baptism of infants, you will come out of the water with clean conscience, emerging clean and pure as an infant from the font."

Then Gabriel came inside, knelt and recited/read the Pater Noster, then stepped inside the enclosure, knelt and recited/read the Ave Maria. Then he undressed and got into the bath, with the help of a friend who was his attendant.

While he bathed, Tadhg read:

"Think on these things as you ready yourself for the vigil before you.

As a Peer of the realm, you must be freed from wickedness, so to win a place in Paradise.
You must be willing to shed your blood in defense of God, and of the Crown you serve.
You must often contemplate your own death, and thereby avoid pride.
You must keep your body pure and avoid liscentiousness.
You must hasten to action with the love of God and the honor of the Crown in your heart.
You must preserve this inseperable pair of virtues~ Justice and loyalty.
And always be ready to return your soul to God, rendering fair account for your deeds."

(The mention of liscentiousness evoked giggles from the rabble waiting outside. And guys- I will GET YOU for that! :-P)

Then we read a Psalm- 61, to be exact. Then while Gabriel was dressing, Tadhg read:

"Hold close these virtues: hardinesse or courage, loyalty, and prowess. Be always courteous and generous; be of fair speech. Ferocious shall you be against evil, while frank and debonair to friends."

Closely followed by: "And now remember this: Every new peer should make a good beginning. Remember these words here tonight, and Godspeed you to your new life."

When Gabriel was dressed and ready to leave, he knelt for the last Pater Noster, and while I don't have a photograph, I remember it the rest of my life: a handsome young man, dressed in his layers of white tunics, with the black hose and brown shoes, and red mantle (as is specified in the texts), kneeling with his chaplet in his hands, reciting the Pater Noster. My knees went wobbly. Awesome in the fullest sense of the word.

(The ceremony is crafted from portions of Geoffery de Charnay, Le Livre de Chevalerie; the anonymous Ordene de Chevalerie; and portions of Ouevres de Froissart and Li Romans de Durmant le Galois. It was not easy to put together something that was meaningful but acceptable for SCA- albeit very unofficial- use. Every time I come away with something to tweak for the next...)

After he left to go to the rest of his vigil (all the way across the street!) and try to stay up all night, those of us left then emptied the bathtub and put the bed back up so James and I could get some sleep!

The next afternoon was the court that Gabriel was knighted in. Here's some photos of the proceedings:

Coming in to court-

Poor kid looked like death warmed over (he actually was ill, not just tired). There was a bit of sniffling when he said good-bye to his knight:

He received his chain, and then the white belt and spurs. And then swore his oath- and to his surprise, our King bade the other Kings present to witness by laying their swords on him also. It was an epic moment, very epic:

Gabriel said that made him shake all over, and not just because there was that much live steel at his neck!

Of course the last thing...

I of course had to high-tail it out of court as soon as that was done, because we had to do the prep for Mathilde's bath! Having just done one, the process went even quicker. Well, not the heating of the water- that depends on physics. But moving stuff around and the other prep went quickly. The script was the same, Mathilde's friend Rhi, who actually has some training in liturgical chant, did the readings, and chanted the Psalm instead of reading it. It was pretty spiffy!

Court the next day was pretty special. I was asked to speak for her during the ceremony, which is quite an honor. There's a picture of me talking:

The only picture I have of her (sorry Mathilde! Blame your friends who didn't take pictures!) is this one, which is lovely nonetheless:

After that was done I hopped out quickly (actually James was waiting to help me up the hill, because he's a sweetie that way) and went back to camp, because it was Sunday night and there was company coming for dinner! I was worried about how much time court was going to take, so I left Kelly with detailed notes and she cooked while I was gone. When I got back, it was nearly done! (Kelly is TEH AWESOME!!!) We ate dinner and I tormented Amalric some more (tip: he won't doze off at the table if he's worried that you'll stick something in his ear ;-).

Monday of course meant breaking camp (just when I was getting comfortable!) and packing it all up and hauling it back out. James and I went in to Gold Beach and got a late lunch (food that I didn't have to make or clean up after! Woo-hoo!) before we left. We seriously considered going down to play on the beach but it was already getting fairly late and we both had a long drive ahead of us.

On the way home I passed the Paul Bunyan statue at the Logging Museum in Myrtle Point, midway through the mountains:

And then it was pull in the coolers, throw the laundry downstairs, and fall over. Done.

Until Sport of Kings, of course. :-D

Three Things!

2011-07-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

1. I has a new desk chair! Well, new to me. And mostly new. Found it at Goodwill- it had been a return at Target, why it was at Goodwill, I don't know. But it is mine now! Fairly stripped down, no padding, VERY low back. I have to sit up- can't lean back. I figure this is actually likely to be good for my back. It was a little more than I wanted to pay, but it was still in the box, unassembled, basically brand new.

The box said it was *koff* orange, and I will admit that was a selling point. Turns out to be more of a Chinese Red than orange, but I like that too, so we're cool. :-)

And if it helps my back, we're waaaaay ahead of the game...

2. I also found a pitcher- pumpkin orange, of course, and it caught my eye. But I stopped dead in my tracks when I realized the pattern on the side was A Laurel Wreath. O.M.G. And then I picked it up and saw that inside the Laurel wreath was- Thea will like this- a Bee. One was Nifty, the second was Oh Yes!, and the third... FATE! It went home with me. ;-)

3. Today was Father Lin's last Sunday- he is leaving to take an interim position in San Francisco. Apparently this sort of dropped in his lap and the timing and everything was just right. I however... he and Marla are the first clerics I've trusted in years. Decades even. (Father Augustine doesn't count- he was my Professor, not my pastor.) It takes a long time for me to feel comfortable and supported, and now I have to get used to someone else. Mother Alcena will be filling in for a bit, and I'm getting to know her a bit, but still, this is really hard. I cried my way through the service and then cried some in the parking lot before I left for brunch.

So I expect to feel a bit discombobulated for a bit. I hate change, and this one is going to be hard.

I have stuff about the War, which I will write up later, maybe after I've had something to eat...

Oh, my aching back!

2011-06-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

I once read that it is the duty of Time to keep everything from happening at once.

Well, Time is a slacker.

I'm trying to get Gabriels' gown done for his knighting, as well as two linen tunics, some braies and two sets of hose. Before the 30th. I also need to prep for two vigil baths and get myself packed for An Tir-West War.

Is that enough to deal with?

Apparently the Universe says no.

My back has been bothering me a bit over the past couple of months, possibly because of time upstairs sewing and too much time in this desk chair. And then I went to Egils, which necessitated packing my garb, wrestling all of the kitchen gear out of the basement, packing and loading all of the various boxes, wrestling all of the bed parts and tables up onto the roof of the car, doing it all in reverse to set up camp, doing the camping thing including teaching two classes and hosting a dinner party, and then undoing all of that, loading the car again, and driving home.

By the time I got home I was in so much pain it was all I could do to shove the laundry sacks out of the car and down the stairs, the coolers into the living room, and with superhuman (for me) effort, unloading the roof stuff into the garage.

I spent the next few days with heat or cold packs, ibuprofen or Aleve, stretching, alternating my shoes every day, changing position frequently here at my desk... everything I could think of. The pain is at the waistline on the left, and slightly above, right where a Barbie is jointed at the waist. But by the 2nd I could hardly move and went to the doctor.

Well, she thought it was muscle strain, which would make some sense, and sent me home with muscle relaxants, some more stretching exercises, and instructions to do what I'd already doing.

So I did. The muscle relaxants knock me out- I slept and slept and slept. (This is of course at the expense of time in the sewing room). I tried moving carefully, and occasionally would feel a little better, and try to make up for it- by doing laundry, seriously vacuuming my room, trying to unload more of the car... which was stupid. So this Monday (the 20th) I called in and went in that afternoon. It had been 2 1/2 weeks and I really wasn't getting better. Well, we poked and prodded, and bent me around, And then she said "You know, the area where it hurts the worst is more ligaments than muscle. I think you have here an actual sprain."

Oh. Joy.

So we're trying different muscle relaxants, I'm not supposed to lift anything more than a pound or two. PERIOD. And they're going to try to schedule some physical therapy.

In the mean time, one week from tomorrow, I need to be in the car, headed to Gold Beach, with all of my tourney gear and a pile of clothes for Gabriel.

I'm doomed. I need another month at least. But I don't have it. So as soon as I can get something to drink and my shoes on (a task, as bending over is verboten), I'm headed upstairs to work on the elevation tunic.

Wish me luck.

Five Things in Two Hours!

2011-06-09T18:43:00.000-07:00

1) I drove down to Goodwill on Grand, hoping to find a red cardigan (for church Sunday- if I have it, the weather will be nice. If I don't, it will rain, and rain on the Rose Festival will be My Fault and the torches and pitchforks will soon be coming down the street...) AND... found the cardigan I wanted ($7) AND... A PAIR OF BLACK AND WHITE SLINGBACKS!!!! Not necessarily classic 'spectators', but definitely in the ballpark, in fact probably better for the clothes I want to wear them with. After months, finally! And $7. Can't beat that with a stick!

2) On the way there- I was on MLK, heading south, and just before you get to the Morrison bridge, the left lane merges with the center, and the lane off of the bridge merges into where the left lane should have been. I was in the center lane already so I wouldn't have to change lanes. And suddenly, off of the bridge lane pops a bicycle, AND IT TURNS THE WRONG WAY! I hit the brakes and laid on the horn- girl on the bike looks about 20, wearing a very short dress, flip-flops, and no helmet, GETS OFF THE BIKE, PICKS IT UP, and then proceeds to dart back and forth between my lane and the left lane. She finally saw a break (I hope) in traffic and crossed the two right lanes and headed off to wherever she was going. In the meantime, I'd swallowed my gum.

3) Coming back- it's just after 4, it's hot, the rest of the ships came into town today, and the Rose Festival traffic is definitely kicking in. So I'm heading north on Grand, second lane from the right, and I remember all of the construction happening around Burnside/84/the Max lines. So I think I will change lanes to the right and take Hawthorne (well, Belmont, in the one-way grid) east and skip the traffic. I turn to look and find that no, there's a car right there in my blind spot. I speed up slightly and put on my blinker. Now, I must explain the nature of the other car. It is red. It is a convertible. Its top is down. At its highest point it is maybe waist high on me. And it is being driven by a guy in sunglasses with a comb-over that you could spot from Mars. He and The Donald clearly share hairdressers. At any rate, seeing my blinker gives him an idea! Suddenly he must pass me on the right! He zooms forward, and his hair goes WHOOF! as he passes me. (He needed sunscreen up there...) But perhaps because his car was so low and that he was too busy trying to get one car-length ahead of me in heavy traffic, he failed to see... the motorcycle cop ahead of me. Heh heh heh. Zippy heads east while Mr. Comb-over gets a talking to. :-D

4) Took Belmont to 20th, and headed north again. was waiting at a signal at... Burnside? Anyway, there was a gas station on the right. There was several cars in the queue at the red light, and there was a guy in a pickup trying to get out, so I left room so he could go out after the guy in front of me. But no good deed goes unpunished, right? An absolutely HUGE black Cadillac Escalade comes up behind him in the driveway. stops, and then pulls out and around (basically taking cuts in line) the pickup, pulls out in front of me, and then stops. Because he is making a left turn and the traffic on the other side is not clear. I laid on the horn for the second time of the day. The traffic ahead of me at the light has now gone, but the pickup and I are trapped by the idiot in the SUV. He finally sees a break and pulls through, and the pickup and I get to pull up to a new red light. :-P

5) On 33rd, just south of Alberta. Nearly home. A row of bicyclists is on my right, and I'm very aware of them. However, they earned the third horn blow by pulling up to the intersection, hitting the little 'WALK' button vigorously, and then TURNING LEFT IN FRONT OF ME! Idiots! Firstly, those signal things are not instantaneous- you have to wait for them to cycle through the signal. And second, bicyclists are not pedestrians! WTF!!! They want to use the bike lanes but then use the sidewalks and crosswalks when it suits them! ARGH!!!!

It may be just Stupid Bicyclist Day in Portland- a bike rear-ended the Mayor today, when he stopped (legally so) for a pedestrian. Maybe it's the weather. Anyway, I don't want it to look like I'm really dumping on bicyclists. In general I find Portland bicyclists to be decent, law-abiding, safe folks. I just found the idiots today I guess.

And that was my adventures today!

Celebrating?

2011-05-12T10:04:00.000-07:00

First a couple of links:

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/11/my-take-poll-on-bin-ladens-death-reveals-a-disposable-jesus/?hpt=Sbin

http://blog.beliefnet.com/activistfaith/2011/05/have-we-become-christians-of-convenience.html

They're both basically discussing the same issues, with perhaps a slightly different twist.

I've been thinking about this quite a bit over the past few days, and actually over the past few years, come to think of it. The swiftness of some self-describe 'Christians' to dispose of some of the most fundamental teachings of Christ for the sake of political expedience or just plain vengeance is alarming. In particular the 'fundagelicals' willingness to support cruelty, torture and murder to support secular and partisan political goals is deeply disturbing- particularly in the light of their clamor to be the public face of Christianity.

I am very uncomfortable with the killing of bin Laden. Part of me wants to say that it was an ugly thing but had to be done. But the idea of sweeping in and murdering a man in front of his family is abhorrent. And as I pointed out to Wanda (we had a, uh, vigorous argument on the issue) the other day, we think of ourselves and present ourselves to the rest of the world as a nation of laws. But there was nothing legal about what happened, by our laws or anyone else's. Either we are a nation of laws, or we are not. And expedience does not overrule this concept.

I don't think that Jesus meant for us to be killing people, and certainly not in his name. The quickness of some people to suggest that this was a triumph of Christianity over Islam is sickening. I have to wonder, given Jesus' words to Peter after he was so quick to whip out a sword and use it in the garden, what he might have said about the matter. And thinking back to the early Christians, wondering if they would have responded with violence? Violence didn't seem to be a hallmark of the early church. In fact, I don't think you really see any until Constantine and his vision of In Hoc Signo Vinces. (One of the many idiotic things that Constantine did, in my view.)

I don't know what alternatives may or may not have been available. I understand that the President wrestled over the decision for some time (much to the irritation of the Joint Chiefs), and I am glad that he gave such consideration to it. I just wish that, even in this fallen world, there had been a different outcome. At this point, I don't think the killing will ever stop. As the Dalai Lama once said, an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. Well, I think we'd best be learning braille.

Not again...

2011-04-07T06:50:00.000-07:00

So the past few weeks I've been feeling really 'off', and week before last I was really dragging. That Thursday I felt like I was moving through a swimming pool- my limbs felt really heavy and it required a serious effort to do anything. I spent several days in bed, figuring that if I was that tired, I must need the rest, right? Over that weekend I felt worse, and was having some of what felt like atrial fibrillation episodes. Sunday at brunch after church, one of the ladies leaned over the table and said "You look like you don't feel well." I admitted that I didn't. She looked at me a bit sternly and said "I think you should go to the doctor tomorrow." Well, I'd been thinking about calling the doctor, and maybe depending on how I feel tomorrow... "No, you go to the doctor tomorrow. Promise me you'll go."

So Monday I called to make an appointment. The woman at the appointment desk said "You know, I don't feel good about this. I think I want you to talk to the triage nurse." Ok, so I talked to the triage nurse. And she said "You know, I don't feel good about this. I want you to go to ER." I was hesitant- was she sure? I would feel really stupid if it turned out to be nothing. "Better to feel stupid that to not go if there's a real problem" Ok. So I went.

And being as how I was not thinking so straight, I drove myself to the ER.

They were packed, as usual. I sat in the waiting room and dozed. I really wanted to lie down, but they didn't have benches, just chairs. And I waited. I don't know how long it took to get me in to see the triage nurse, because there was no clock in the waiting room and I don't wear a watch, but it was a long time. I felt really crummy and _really_ wanted to lie down and was a little nauseated when they finally called me in. I had to recite the whole thing to the nurse, and she pulled up my history and took my vitals, and then instead to sending me back out to the waiting room, she walked me back to a room. Ah, finally a table- I could lie down! I had to put on a gown, but then she gave me a blanket and I curled up and dozed off.

I wasn't comfy for very long though. Someone came in with a cart, glued a bunch of wires to me and ran an EKG, and took my vitals again, and left.

Finally a doctor came in with a chart, and said, "Well, you've had an MI." All I could say was "Shit."

He said that it didn't seem to be a big one and I wasn't really in a whole lot of pain (though I had to qualify that, since the fibro has really messed put my pain perception), but when he asked if I was feeling any pressure I had to admit that I felt like I had a large cat sitting on my chest. He decided to admit me for observation.

So they wheeled me into the cardiac unit, which appeared to be pretty full, and into a room. I had to drag my sandbagged limbs off of the gurney and onto the bed. They took another EKG and brought me a snack, as it was now 8pm (there was a clock in my room) and I hadn't eaten since breakfast. And then they glued more leads to me, plugged me in so they could watch me on the machines all night.

You know, a hospital is not a place to get any rest. It's noisy (especially the guy down the hall who was pissed off that he'd had a heart attack and wanted everyone to know it), they kept coming in to take my vitals (and at one point I had just dozed off when a nurse came in- to offer me a sleeping pill), and I couldn't figure out how to turn all of the lights off. I watch tv for awhile (gave that up as a losing proposition- nothing worth watching) then tried to get some sleep.

They did an echocardiogram in the morning (while Marla was visiting me), and a doctor (not the same one) came in and told told me that the bloodwork had come back and my potassium levels had cratered. Hmm. That may have triggered whatever happened, but as my heart had behaved itself all night, they were going to let me go. So I took the script for some potassium and went home.

And went back to bed. I went to my doctor the next day, and to church, but other than that I pretty much stayed in bed for a week. Was sooo tired. Still tired. Sleeping 11, 12 hours, and still sleepy. And stupid- I'm finding huge blanks in my memory. It's coming back, but there for a few days I was having a really hard time remembering anything, which is very annoying.

I'm already pretty careful with my diet, but my doctor said that given the stress I've been under, none of this surprised her. I've got to mellow out a bit. How, I don't yet know...

So that was the end of March. So much for going out like a lamb! But April is beginning to look up. And James will be here tomorrow. And- the big news is- the parenting trainer who is working with Lydia and David let Lydia spend Tuesday in her own home, with the babies. By herself. And today David has the day off, and they're bringing the babies home for the day again. They want to see how they do at home, without Cindi. Lydia is beyond happy about this. Things are beginning to look up there too. :-)

Now if only those goons in DC would pass a budget...

Play that funky music, white boy!

2011-03-28T02:10:00.000-07:00

(A musician playing a cythara in the Stuttgart Psalter, c 830)

He needs more hair and some leather and studs, don't you think?

So I started another writing project the other night. For some background, Charlemagne had five wives. The first, with a Frankish woman named Himeltrude, was sort of legal and sort of not- there seems to have been some sort of informal Germanic marriage, but it hadn't gone through the church, so it was only quasi official. Then it came to pass shortly after Charles became king that he needed to make some diplomatic arrangements, so wife #1 was disposed of- forced into a convent so that Charles could marry again.

The second marriage was with the daughter of the Lombard king, Desiderius, who had been doing some spear shaking (and a bit of raiding and city capturing) towards the papal states, essentially threatening the pope himself. Charles, who was bound by an oath to protect the pope, married Desiderius' daughter in an attempt to neutralize the threat.

Except it didn't work. Desiderius continued his expansionist activity and soon it became obvious that Charles would have to go to war against his father-in-law. This was, in the family-relations sense, somewhat bad form. So Charles sent wife #2, a woman who name was possibly Gerberga or Gerperga, away. At that point details become muddy. Accounts vary considerably. She might have been sent to a convent in the Frankish lands (likely to Chelles, which had ties to the royal family- Charles' sister was the abbess). Or she might have been sent to a convent in Lombardy. Or she simply was sent home to Daddy.

(Wives # 3, 4, and 5 were Frankish noblewomen- Charles did not make another diplomatic matrimonial arrangement for himself.)

Desiderius lost the war with Charles, and he himself was sent to a monastery (Charles favorite way to dispose of inconvenient persons), specifically to the monastery at Corbie, another house with ties to the royal family (a later abbot, Adalhard, was Charles' cousin). His wife Ansa, and the rest of the household was also given unto the arms of the church. Corbie was not a double house, with both men and women, so Ansa and any other women in the party (and her daughter Gerberga, if she was with her family) went elsewhere, most likely to Chelles.

I found one account (the reference to I cannot relocate, annoyingly) that remarked that a few months after she was put away, Gerberga died in the convent, *in childbirth*.

Well now!

I've not found anywhere any suggestion at all that she had been unfaithful, so if it is the case that this happened, the child was Charles'. So what happened to it?

Well, obviously the child might have died. And that would be the end of that story. But if the child lived?

Charles had a son with Himeltrude, a boy who came to be known as Pepin the Hunchback. He was excluded from the inheritance, possibly because of the irregular nature of his parents' marriage, but he was at court, and there's some indication that he was put to work in the kitchens. This situation tells me that if a possible baby of Gerberga's was a son, he would have been sent to court to be raised, and since he would have been legitimate, would have been in the line of inheritance. But we have no record of any such boy.

So if there was a live child, it was a girl.

What happened to her? My best guess is that she would have been left at Chelles to be raised, and it was possible that they didn't even tell Charles about her existence. Why would they? Her mother having been put away, there was likely no emotional ties to her father, and she would have been somewhat tainted as a marriage prospect. So she might well have stayed there, been raised, and become a nun. It is possible that she herself never knew who her parents were. Or she might have known, and not had any options but to stay at Chelles.

This situation of course is ripe for a fictional account. :-)

I've only just started, and still in the initial plotting stage, and beginning to set up her situation, her history, and a taste of her emotional makeup. And I'm trying something I've never done before- writing in the first person. Oddly, it feels right. I think it is going to work. And just for a taste:
____
I don’t remember anything of my early childhood, only a blur of images. The sky seemed always to be pale and thin, and the wind bit as we walked from the chapel to the cloister. It was only as I was old enough to be schooled that I remember things distinctly– the sound of the bronze bells, the rough wool of my blanket in the dormitory and the cold hands of a sister pulling my gown over my head. Sometimes we had to break the ice in the basin before washing in the morning, and on Saturdays when I washed my limbs, my flesh rose in bumps like the skin of a plucked chicken.
Don’t look at yourself child!
Why can I not look, sister? It is my own body.
It is flesh, and the flesh is sinful. Only the soul can be pure.
She scrubbed at my knees until they were raw and the tears stung my eyes. I did not look at my knees to see if they were bleeding.
Was I happy? I don’t really remember. I hated Sundays, spending most of it kneeling through the long Mass and a sermon I could barely understand. Only a little less did I hate the Hours, up in the night and in the early morning as the first fingers of pink dawn crept above the horizon. I hated the grey porridge and hunks of brown bread. But what else was there? I knew only the life I had; I had no understanding or aspirations of the world outside the grey walls.
I was treated as well as any other child at Chelles; clothed, fed, taught my letters and Latin grammar. Sister Aethelberga told us stories from the Holy Scriptures, Sister Ansa beat us if we made a mistake in recitation. Occasionally the Abbess would pat my shoulder and slip me sweetmeats.
Ermengarde, You are well-born. Someday you might be great in God’s work.
Yes, Mother.
Somehow I doubted this, as I suspected that would require me to be better at Latin than I was. But these thoughts I kept to myself. I was too fond of the sweets to disappoint her.

___
It feels... bleak. Which is what I want at this point.

In other news, I'm not feeling well, which in a way isn't news, but there it is, I'm planning to call my doctor tomorrow.

David and Lydia don't have their babies back from the state yet. There's enough pain there to smear over half the state. At the last hearing the judge directed that they both have psychiatric exams. This is ok with them, but it took three weeks before they were even scheduled, and the appointments aren't until the end of April. They also have to meet with a parent trainer, where the babies are at David's mother's home. Lydia is a bit apprehensive still, but is beginning to feel more comfortable with the trainer.

At the moment they're having difficulties with David's mother. There are issues with visitation, which is particularly hard on Lydia. And apparently the girls are being fed more and more formula, supposedly because it is 'easier' for David's mother, who apparently hasn't got enough room in her freezer. She's also convinced that Lydia can't provide enough milk for twins. We are not agreeing with this- When Lydia is away from the girls she's pumping her milk and storing it in her freezer. She has a half-size chest freezer (about the size of a washer or dryer) that is half full of milk for her babies.

All of this is just killing me, mostly I think because there's really nothing I can actually do to help them. Lydia is trying to be strong, but she so aches to have her babies home that it is hard for her to keep the rest of her life on an even keel. And David is still so angry that he's having stomach problems. And there's nothing I can do. And it seems to be my mantra these days- "I don't know what to do..."

But I am happy at church. I haven't been able to get over whatever barrier it is that I can't get past to take communion, and I still occasionally have the urge to bolt. But that is becoming less frequent. So I'm taking the step and on April 10 will be formally received as a member.

I'm beginning to get back into sewing, and I'm working on getting my new SCA name and a badge registered. I'll really be Liutgard, which feels good.

And the violets are blooming! Spring is here!

I haz teh angry...

2011-01-20T02:48:00.000-08:00

Ok, first the good stuff: Lydia had her babies, December 1. Anastasia Marie was born first, and was 4 lbs 1 oz. Ilyana Rose was 4 lbs 3 oz. They're beautiful, no problems except that they were small. And they are beautiful. Well, as beautiful as one might be when one looks like Winston Churchill. :-)

The not-so-good stuff is VERY not-so-good. I can't go into the whole mess here, but the thumbnail sketch that through a variety of things (including what appears to be some inappropriate collusion between two parties), David and Lydia lost custody of the girls. They were made wards of the court, and are now in foster care- specifically in the care of David's mom. We had to turn the girls over one Christmas day, from the hospital. They have not yet even been to their home.

I cannot express how heartsick the kids and I are about this. But after the initial shock and numbness, I've found myself dealing with some serious anger. Angry at the situation and the things that contributed to it. Angry at several people who I felt were very unfair. Angry at the two who I feel are playing dirty.

I don't like feeling angry- it makes me very uncomfortable. And I certainly don't think of myself as a violent person, yet I find myself wanting to strike out. I'm very protective of my friends and family, and here's something so devastating, that strikes at the very heart of my immediate family. I've joked about 'opening up a can of Molly Weasley Whup-Ass', and 'reaching for my can opener'... but it is only partly a joke.

I don't know how to deal with anger. I've spent most of my life suppressing it, feeling like I can't express it, until I explode- sometimes on the person who deserves it, but frequently not. At 46, I still don't know how to deal with anger in a healthy way. And I don't have the faintest idea how to change that.

It's the sort of thing that one would think can't be settled through one's faith. That presents me with some problems. I've been attending an Episcopal parish near home since May. I started going because James is so active in the ECUSA- I figure I'd better get used to it and feel more comfortable in church, or it will cause problems between us. I am feeling more comfortable- for years I could not stand being in church, the memories were so negative. But the services are different enough that I only occasionally have to grip the pew because the urge to bolt for the door is welling up.

The problem is, I'm still feeling... wobbly on issues of faith. I'm teetering on the edge of a militant agnosticism ('I don't know, and you don't either'), and as I sit during the prayers of the people and confession, I don't know if anyone hears me, or cares, or if saying 'I'm angry, and I feel it's wrong, and I want to stop, but I need help' is what I should say. I mean, I've always thought that true repentance requires an intention to stop doing whatever it is that you're repenting of. And I'm not sure that's what I'm doing. Especially when I'm angry at someone who is not likely to stop what they're doing, and probably intends to continue pissing me off. How do I forgive someone who knowingly hurts me and my loved ones?

So that is what I'm grappling with- me and my stomach lining against my anger. Here's to hoping I can resolve this soon. In the meantime, if anyone has any ideas for me, drop a line in the comments, or email me (address is in left column). I'd appreciate the input.

About 'partying'...

2011-01-13T05:35:00.000-08:00

An Tir's Twelfth Night Coronation was last weekend, conveniently enough here in Eugene. I went, though I only made it for the Laurel meeting and the butt-numbing court. (Honestly, I think an hour or two break between last court and coronation is a good idea- especially for those of us who really can't go for six hours without food.) After court, James and I took off. Changed our clothes, got dinner at McMenamin's High Street Cafe, and saw a movie. ('The King's Speech'- and it was GOOD. Colin Firth richly deserves the Oscar that he's going to get.) And then we went back to our room, feeling rather Garbo-like ("I vant to be left alone.")

There's a lot of people I would have liked to have seen and visited with, and I was a dork and didn't make it down to the A&S room as I'd planned. I was tired and considering the past few weeks' stress, crashing really was not unexpected.

The strange thing was though, is one of my friends told me this week that she'd tried to find me in the evening after court, and after asking around, was told by several people that they 'didn't know where she was partying at'.

Huh?

This really has me thinking about events and what we expect is enjoyable. I didn't think that I had any sort of reputation for partying, and it occurs to me that that was why no one had any idea where I was at- precisely because I don't have a reputation for partying.

My idea of a nice evening at an event (mostly camping) is throwing a big dinner party (period food, natch), with plenty of food, some carefully chosen wine, and ypocras and maybe some sherry with the dessert course. Besides the usual group of friends, I like to invite new people, some simply grabbed earlier in the day, to mix things up a bit and expand my circle of friends. I've been told that invitations to my dinner parties are prized.

There's no 'partying' at my parties. no tequila shots, no boozewhacker and iced drinks, no 'tiki viking' or 'toga' themes, and no throwing up in the bushes. There is, however, stories, discussions on research and theories and ideals, and sometimes conversations about what we do as a Society, why we play, what we think about peerage, and what it means to us to play this game.

To me, this is a Good Time. What alcohol is consumed enhances the food and our enjoyment of it. It may be something of a 'lubricant' to the conversations, but the booze is not the point of the party.

Is this why people didn't know where I was? Because they couldn't imagine where I would be and who with, because I don't 'party' per se?

Made me think. And I thought the rest of you would be interested in what I think. (I may be overestimating myself in this, but hey...)

GOOOOOOO DUCKS!

2010-11-28T02:40:00.000-08:00

<---- This of course should be self-explanatory, with the Civil War coming up and all. The Ducks are undefeated and if they beat the Beavers (AND THEY CAN!) they go to the BCS championship. And Eternal Glory and all that. ;-)

I didn't watch/listen to the game Friday. When I do, they lose. Not worth the risk.

I spent the week with David and Lydia and her Amazing Expanding Belly. The twins are getting pretty big and she is getting tired of being pregnant. She's into week 33 though, and getting close. And except for the fact that at the moment they're presenting breech, everything's cool. We keep telling them to turn over...

Their @%^&$@ roommate finally started moving his crap out. He left about a month ago but didn't start getting his stuff out until Saturday. David showed me... oh.my.god. The walls are absolutely filthy. But we have to get it clean so the baby stuff can be moved in there. Big job ahead though.

Dinner was nice- James was up and Stephen came over (something about 'Mom Food') and after dinner we played Dominoes. Stephen is Evil at board games. That is all I'll say about that. :-P

Last week I went to the 12:01 showing of the new Harry Potter film, and Wednesday I took David and Lydia (probably the last time they get out before the babies are here). I thought it was really good. The scenes right at the beginning were powerful- I was in tears before the title board came up. And I sobbed through the ending. Harry burying Dobby was too much. I knew it was going to happen (who didn't?) but it was still hard.

People watching is great though- there was a group of kids who came as the Potter Puppet Pals, in costumes made of craft felt. They were really well done. There was the usual assortment of kids in school uniforms, a girl who wanted a picture of herself with me (several, actually) and at the last moment pulled up her sleeve to expose her Dark Mark- I jumped back and whipped out my wand before I realized what I was doing. The resulting picture was great- I wish I'd had the presence of mind to ask them to send me a copy! There was also a girl in black leather with a mound of black hair who ran through the halls screaming "I killed Sirius Black! I killed Sirius Black! EEEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEE!" just like Bellatrix. It was pretty cool. :-)

And the last film isn't out until July. ARRRGGGHHH!!!

A couple of notes on the economy-

2010-11-08T02:48:00.000-08:00

I just read a very interesting blog post by David Friedman on the current economy and the differing approaches of the US and the UK (http://daviddfriedman.blogspot.com/2010/11/most-expensive-research-project-ever.html). I haven't decided how much I agree or disagree with, but I thought it would be interesting to post my remarks here:

An interesting observation. However, something I think we seem to be overlooking here (and which was not an issue during the Roosevelt Administration), is the vast increase in outsourcing. How does that affect (or not) the GDP? Also, the outsourcing and automation of many jobs that formerly supported a significant portion of the working population has changed not just the employment rate, but the nature of consumption. Why pay an American a decent wage when you can buy cheap crap from China? Something that I have noticed in the past decade is that we all want jobs that will support an upper middle income (or higher) lifestyle, but we don't want to pay the costs of goods and services that support the jobs that support that lifestyle. It becomes a downward spiral- the more we demand low prices, the more goods are imported and jobs are sent overseas. No jobs or lower-wage jobs increase the demand for lower prices of goods... I think it's the economic version of the saying "Everyone wants to get to heaven, but nobody wants to die".

Of course, I don't have any brilliant ideas for stopping that spiral, or reversing it. And it appears that no one in the Treasury Department or the Federal Reserve has any bright ideas either.

And soggy Autumn is upon us...

2010-10-30T04:19:00.000-07:00

We had about two weeks of lovely weather, with sun and impossibly blue skies. and the leaves beginning to turn. Ainsworth Blvd was especially lovely- so many trees there were brilliant yellow or an orange-red. There is one that grows around a streetlight, so at night the whole tree is lit up. An oak down the street from there always has multi-colored leaves, mostly a brilliant red- it makes me think of an aging bawd, throwing open her clothes to show the ancient glories in all of their decay...

And now the rains are here in earnest. The leaves are about halfway down, and the streets and sidewalks are slick with their slime. I have to be careful even crossing the sidewalk between the car and the house. We've been having a lot of thunderstorms, and the sky is always dark grey. The sort of skies that make you think of depressing poetry. Dylan Thomas maybe, or Sylvia Plath.

I've had some good times though. I went down to Lydia's and spent a few days. Mostly cleaning, but we did go to her doctor appointment, and to the shower that the ladies at her dad's church threw for her. She got some very nice things, much of it with monkeys on them. I think we have a theme. :-) I found some cute fabric with monkeys on it several weeks back, and we made some buntings out of it. We also made some out of some polar fleece- it was striped like tiger stripes, only in two tones of pink. They came out really cute. I also have some flannel with tiny purple and pink flowers on it that will be made into several different things. We're kind of having fun making tiny clothes.

She's due January 15, but I suspect that we'll have little girls by Christmas. Lydia is very big already- at least as big as I was when he sister was born, and put together, the babies weigh as much as Annie did. Lydia is at about 29 weeks and we have a ways to go yet.

David doesn't have a job yet, but there is a good prospect, and we are all holding our collective breath.

Also in the news- I am no longer speaking to my father. Things have been rocky for some time- I was the last of the kids to be in contact with him, and I had been holding on mostly out of a sense of duty. I'm the oldest and all, the 'good girl', so this has been hard. He'd been rather nasty for some time, mostly about my political leanings. Condescending even. But a few weeks back, he said something on my Facebook page- in public- that went beyond condescending and into contempt. I'd been out for a few hours and came back to find that my page had sort of exploded. My siblings came out in my defense- even the brother who is quiet and never says anything to anyone. All of us kids had a Private Message conversation, and I 'unfriended' and blocked my dad. It was very hard, but I'd just come to the realization that I'm 45 years old, and I don't have to take this. He made my childhood a nightmare, and I don't have to let him do that to me as an adult.

Strangely, I feel really free.

In other news, I have become more active at church (St. Matthew's Episcopal)- I've been the lector twice, been helping in the kitchen and with potlucks, and have been going to the sewing circle on Tuesday morning. I'm getting to know other people a little better, and that is kind of cool. The parish is really small right now, but it's beginning to grow a bit- we ran out of bulletins last Sunday, which was a good thing.

I think it is time to go back to bed. I have to be up at 7:30 to get out the door for an event. I have a new gown to wear, and I'm taking my friend Judy with me. It should be a good time. :-)

My letter to the President.

2010-09-26T23:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, I haven't posted for awhile. Been sick, been busy, been sucked into Facebook. Anyway, I wrote a letter to President Obama today. It's going in the mail tomorrow. And it's one of my better efforts, I think.
*********************************************

Dear Mr. President,

I come to you today to tell you the stories of some of the people who voted for you two years ago.

My son-in-law is a 99er. His job went to India. The job market in Eugene is worse than it is here in Portland, but they can’t afford to move. My daughter is in the middle of an unplanned pregnancy- and carrying twins. They have gone through their savings and have nothing left. They are facing eviction, and I cannot help them. What have you done for them?

My roommate and I have a young couple living in our basement (if not, David and Lydia would be there) who came out here from Indianapolis. Dan managed to get a job after about four months. He is an engineer and physicist and had been out of work for about a year. His wife Ellen is doing temp work. She is a librarian, and due to funding cuts all over, the libraries are cutting staff, not adding it. What have you done for them?

My son is hanging on desperately to a minimum-wage job because it is all he can find. He’d like to go back to school, but student aid packages are really slim these days, and he can’t figure out how to make up the difference from his current paycheck. What have you done for him?

My fiancé is an Instructional Aide in a middle school. Budget cuts there have cut his hours back to half time. He lives in a college town and at 46 cannot hope to compete in the market for part-time jobs. He had been working on a teaching certificate, and has one term left to go– the student teaching. But he has run out of money. He can’t take out more student loans due to current outstanding ones. He can’t find the money for the tuition, much less the living expenses for a semester while he teaches. At the moment, he is lurching from month-to-month scarcely keeping the rent paid and the lights on. What have you done for him?

My oldest daughter ran from her second job and stood in line for two hours, dirty and smelly from work, to vote for you. She’s a college graduate, bright, skilled, and juggling two, three, sometimes four part-time jobs so she can keep her apartment in Brooklyn. She would like to go back to school for her Master’s, but as she says, she has this filthy habit of eating, and she just can’t give it up. She’s the hardest working human I know, and she’s still skating on the thin edge of ruin. What have you done for her?

My roommate works for the federal government, and she’s 63 and nearing retirement. She crossed party lines to vote for you. She’s scrimped and saved and made careful investments and in the past two years she’s seen her retirement money cut in half. She owns her house, but thanks to the housing market, it is worth more than she can sell it for, and she must pay taxes on the higher value. She is facing the future with no small amount of fear and trepidation. What have you done for her?

I have friends who unemployed, underemployed, or hanging on to jobs they hate because there’s nothing else out there. Friends are losing their homes, have lost their homes, have gone from nice family-sized homes to seedy apartments in an attempt to stay afloat financially. I can think of three people who would be living in our basement were it not already occupied. We don’t have room for any more. I have friends who are hard workers, skilled, conscientious, who are on food stamps because they can’t pick up enough contracts.

Mr. President, what are you doing for us?

We’re out here, struggling, meanwhile the top 2% have the unmitigated gall to demand more tax cuts. People are homeless, and hungry, and yet the rich have the audacity to demand more. How dare they! Mr. President, we thought that you were there in Washington to change the world– for us. Right now we aren’t seeing any change. Making speeches about fighting for the middle class does nothing if you don’t take that fight to Capitol Hill. The Republicans have made it clear that they care for no one but those who can line their pockets. They don’t care about my daughter, who wonders if her babies will have a home to live in. They don’t care about her husband, who they’ve labeled a deadbeat though he lost his job through not fault of his own. They don’t care about anyone, so long as they can get fat checks for their re-election efforts.

Mr President, it is time– no, *past time*– for you to stand up for the people who put their faith, the money, their time into you and what you said you would do. It is time to you to tell the Party of No that you say Yes. It is time to walk up the hill and tell them you are there for the people, not for the corporations. It is time for you to tell them that you have a responsibility to protect the interests of the 98%.

Mr. President, it is time that you started doing– for us.

Sincerely,

Laura Minnick

Why do I do this to myself?

2010-08-06T02:04:00.000-07:00

So I need to make a new dress for the SLUG Queen Coronation next Friday (the 13th!), because nothing I have fits. Not even sorta. I got this pattern last year (http://www.folkwear.com/140.html), thinking that the Flamenco Dance Dress would suit Queen Carmen Slugana.

Oy.

I spent more than three hours just cutting it out. My hand hurts. And this is the most complicated pattern I've ever used. I'm really feeling intimidated by it. I sure hope I can get it done on time.

In other news, Wanda is in New Orleans this week, and I am on kitty duty. I finished putting the ermines on Sumayya's blue and violet wool brocade gown, and she picked it up. The two polka-dotted bliauts are painted- I just have to heat-set the dots and sew up the gowns. And I got a couple of patterns for wee babies, and some fleece and fake fur to make Thing 1 and Thing 2 outfits. Heh.

And now I think sleep would be good...

Yeeee-Haaaaaww!!!

2010-07-15T04:27:00.000-07:00

Alright, I know it's been six weeks. I've been busy. So there.

First there was the BIG NEWS! Lydia and David are expecting! And not only that- there's two of the little buggers! Twins! Oy! So there is much fussing to be done. They are getting married on Monday, at the courthouse. Here's to hoping things look up for them soon. They sure need it. She hasn't told her dad yet about the babies. Not sure how he's going to take the news.

So I've been busy this last week making a wedding dress for her. She came up with me on my way home from spending the 4thof July weekend with James, and spent about a week while we goofed off and sewed. Then I took her home and we spent a day cleaning at her house (it needs it). I still have to put the hem in her dress, but that shouldn't take long. Dunno what I'm going to wear though...

Also been busy (still) with making clothes for Gabriel and Sumayya. I'm behind where I wanted to be, but the wedding dress kinda shifted the schedule. Life happens. Bethany knows what is happening so we're all cool. I've been up there busting my rear for weeks, and I really need a few days off. My body kinda decided to shut down for the past couple of days- I guess I needed it.

I actually bought myself some new makeup the other day- some lip stain. Stays on better than lipstick and isn't sticky. I can add a bit of lipstick over to gloss it up again if I want, but I don't have to. I kinda like it.

Aaaand the SLUG Queen Coronation is in a couple of weeks- I'm hoping to make it this year. Maybe I'll even get my dress done!

Oohhh... I'm in love...

2010-06-05T16:01:00.000-07:00

The concert was... oh my god. I already had an incredibly high opinion of Sting, but I confess I spent a fair amount of the first set with tears running down my face. Here's a bunch of music I love, and a musician I adore, there in the flesh, and he wrote and arranged all of the orchestral parts to go with his music. It was jaw-dropping. The man is a genius. We were in the upper nosebleed seats and I couldn't see as well as I'd have liked, and the sound was probably better farther down, but I was there. It was something I'll never forget.

And he's funny! You would have laughed- he did 'Wild About You', which was based on the story of David and Bathsheba. He gave a brief rundown of the story, with the reference from Samuel, and then turned the page on his score and said "Thus endeth the lesson" just before launching into the song. The lady in front of me turned around- she clearly didn't know why I was laughing and I couldn't stop laughing to tell her... (He's RC, BTW.)

In other news- Egils was lovely, the dinners went off very well, the fitting of Gabriel for hose went off well with a bit of harrumph!Manlyman! stuff. It was very amusing. And Annie has one of Gabriel and Sumayya's guards in love with her, I think. And the rain held off until... packup, naturally. So the back of the car is still wet. :-P

Still sewing, sewing, and sewing. I have two weeks. Oy.

Think I'll go upstairs, listen to Sting, and get some work done...

Some thoughts on persona development–

2010-05-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

Since I’ve been in the SCA (21 years next month. I’m getting old!) I’ve been interested in persona development. And since I’ve recently created a new persona to fit with new interests, I thought that others might be interested in some basic guidelines for building one. So here goes...

Place, Time, and Clothes

First off, look at places and times that you might be interested in. Don’t hesitate to look at something off the beaten path, like Eastern Europe, the Iberian peninsula, or the Crusader States, or time period a bit out of the ordinary, such as 10th century France or Germany, or 15th century Spain. You can also go for something more common, like 14th century England– there’s a wealth of information there, and you can go in depth quite easily.

But before you go further, take a basic look at the clothes. Don’t put your persona in a time and place where the clothes would be difficult to wear. Don’t choose a persona in 16th c England if you are not comfortable in a corset and hoops and would rather wear t-tunics! And if you are allergic to wool, Viking-era Scandinavia is not a good idea! So look for a place and time that you can be comfortable in physically as well as socially.

Your Name

A name can be rather tricky, or it might be easy. Will the Potter would be good for a 12th century Englishman who is a potter by trade. But a long Gaelic name that no one can pronounce might not be best for him. And Will Potter doesn’t really suit a Polish nobleman.

The Heralds can actually be a good resource to start looking for a suitable name. They can tell you the rules of submission and what will or will not work for registering a name in the SCA. They also have a great many historical resources for names, including books, articles, and computer resources. There are all sorts of sources for names– more than history books. There are names on charters and cartularies. There are names on inventories and wills. There are names in tax records and chronicles. Don’t be afraid to explore!

There may or may not be an “Aha!” moment. You may find a name quickly, or your may be “John For-now” for awhile. And both are good.

Test your name out. Say it out loud, see if you like the sound. Read it and try to imagine every way that a herald could possibly mangle it (because they will). Think about how someone might shorten it or make a nickname from it. Are they ok or will they irritate you? If you don’t like Beth or Bess or Liz, the name Elizabeth may not be for you.

If there are already two or three or more Svens in your area, choosing Sven may not be the best idea. You run the risk of someone saying “You know Sven, tall guy with a beard, wears glasses...” and there are three of you that answer to that description. Sigurd might be a better choice.

Class and Social Life

Think about what sort of life you would like to lead in the SCA. Are you interested in the life of a working-class Englishman in the 14th century? Or do you think that the life of a Frankish noble is for you? Again, take a look at the clothes you would be wearing. Could you live in them for a long weekend camping event? What would your camp look like? How might you react to being called in court? Would an 5th century Irishman kneel to the Crown?

Your own interests may influence your choices. Do you enjoy making Viking-era glass beads? 9th century Denmark might be a good place for you. Do you enjoy calligraphy and are particularly adept at Blackletter hands? A 15th century German persona might be a good fit. Are you really interested in medieval Medicine? A persona based in Palermo, Sicily could be just the thing. Or do you really want to bash some Saracen heads? A Frenchman on Crusade could give you that opportunity! If you are very interested in higher learning or theology, you could have a religious person– a monk, or perhaps a canon at one of the cathedrals, or a member of one of the teaching orders.

And what would you like to accomplish in the SCA? If you are interested in fighting and really want to be a knight someday, a 16th century Anabaptist in Germany will not be a good fit for your persona. But a Landsknecht would be! If gentler arts are your thing, and you really want to perfect your blackwork embroidery, a English Tudor persona would give you a good setting for your work. If you really want to get into administration and you have a knack for organizing things, the persona of an English civil servant in the 14th or 15th century would give you unfussy clothes a great deal of opportunities for research into medieval civil administration. For instance, did you know that Chaucer was in civil service? He worked for the Royal customs, and was even sent on a number of diplomatic missions. This could be just the life for you!

All of these are just suggestion– there are many avenues open, and many different lives you can pursue. Don’t be afraid to try on different hats (perhaps literally!) Before you settle into something you are comfortable in.

As to comfort, think about who you are now, in the modern world. It may be easier for you to form your persona around a medieval version of your modern self. Suppose you work in retail- there’s no reason why you couldn’t be a shopkeeper for your person. You don’t have to actually merchant (though you could!) in the SCA, but you could dress as one, accumulate the objects a shopkeeper might have in his home. Your own temperament matters too. If you are very shy, being a Herald might be uncomfortable. (Or it might not be- many shy people are fine in public when they have a script.) On the other hand, some people want to be something very different from their modern lives. A computer programmer might find that being a blacksmith on weekends is fun. Or a grad student might have fun being the king’s Fool.

Wearing your persona in the SCA
Once you have figured out who you are, the next step is to figure out how to use your persona. Some people don’t- they simply construct the framework, and leave it at that. And that’s perfectly ok. Others want to submerge themselves a bit more. And this is the tricky part.

Usually the first thing people do when trying to be ‘in persona’ is to affect ‘forsooth’ speech. I recommend against it. For one thing, it usually ends us as a bad imitation of Shakespearean-era speech– unless your persona is actually Elizabethan English, and you actually have a grasp of the grammar and vocabulary. Otherwise it is generally just irritating. Don’t do it.

If you’re interested in talking more like you would if you were in your time and place, here’s some pointers:

Formalize your speech a bit. Do not use contractions. Drop the slang. (For me, the difficult one is dropping the Daffy Duck “Whoo-hoo!”)

Don’t try to use another language, perhaps beyond a greeting. Wishing someone good morning in your persona’s language can be a nice touch. But more than that can be problematic, particularly if the person you’re speaking to is not fluent in your language. (For instance, the only time I’ve ever heard Anglo-Saxon used conversationally was in the elevator at the Medieval Congress in Kalamazoo. I thought it was quite funny, frankly.)

Learn some of your persona’s oaths, even swear words. A Crusader might use “God’s teeth!” or “God’s Blood!” (All of God’s body parts seen to be fair game here.) An Elizabethan version of this sort of oath is “‘Zwounds!”, which is a shortened version of “God’s wounds!”, referring to the wounds Christ received at the Crucifixion. A 15th century Frenchman might say “Jesu Maria!” when swearing. A “Viking” might swear by Odin’s hand, a 14th century Englishman by Heaven. In general, basic histories or biographies will give you some clues.

It may take a little getting used to. On the other hand, if you are feeling really self conscious doing it, it’s not working. Speak as you would normally and don’t worry about it.

Inter-cultural relations

And here comes the hard part: being ‘in persona’ around others.

When someone is acting as though their ‘personal space’ is 15th century Italy, it can be very difficult for an 8th century Saxon to chat with them as they work on redacting a 14th century English recipe. And sometimes this can be quite annoying.
The most elegant solution I have found for this is to remember that you are currently in An Tir (or Atlantia or Meridies or wherever). You can say “At home in Verona they like to cook pork like this–“ or “I have a wonderful recipe from the King Richard’s cooks in London. Would you like to see it?” Everyone is a visitor for immigrant from Somewhere Else, and currently living in Myrtleholt, or Corvaria, or Three Mountains. You might be a scholar in Louis VII of France’s court, and a Baron to the Court of An Tir.

Talking about “current events” can be dicey, but it can be done. You might say something like “When last I heard from my brother in London, he said that Master Chaucer died recently. I was quite saddened by the news. Have you read any of his poetry?” It could be a nice way to introduce a topic of conversation. But political talk about an ongoing Crusade might not be a good topic in front of a Persian Prince. But you might ask if he has read the work of Omar Khayyam.

A lot of “accidental learning” can happen while you’re developing a persona. When I was working on a late 14th- early 15Th century persona, I learned a great deal about literature, particularly women’s literature, about religious practice and affective piety, and about the Hundred Years’ War. Now that I am working on a late 8th century Frankish persona, I’m learning a lot about the development of governmental structures, about the beginnings of courtliness, laws from several cultures, literacy and calligraphic changes, even what was in Charlemagne’s gardens.

The Point of all of this...

Relax. Be yourself. Be your medieval self. Remember that you’re supposed to enjoy yourself. Learn, but be sure to have fun along the way.

___________________________________________________________________

the former Elaine de Montgris is now know as Liutgard of Luxeuil. Liutgard is a late 8th century noblewoman of Alemannic and Austrasian ancestry, who is a scholar and teacher in the court of Charles the Great. She spends a good deal of time arguing with Alcuin, mostly about St Augustine.

The Carolingian 4-H Club!

2010-05-06T11:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, not necessarily 4-H, but not far from it! I've been working from this text- http://www.le.ac.uk/hi/polyptyques/capitulare/latin2english.html, the Capitulare de Villis. It is an inventory and basic instructions for how the various estates belonging to the Emperor (e.g. Charlemagne) are to be managed. Animal husbandry, field and vineyard supervision, etc, with a long list of what things are to be planted in the gardens and orchards. Completely fascinating document- I've been busy with it now for a couple of weeks.

Other than that, mostly I've either been sleeping (not feeling so good), or sewing. So far I have two very formal black gowns done for Gabriel and Sumayya. They're modeled on German style from the 12th century, with heavy contrasting bands across the chest, upper arm, sleeve and hem. We found some silk with a patterned embroidery and knots, in an olive green taffeta with gold embroidery. It worked perfectly. I'm working on the undergowns now. His black one is done, and I'm busy hemming hers. Next I think is their chemises/undershirts. And I have some stuff to get done before Egils, so I can do some fitting, etc there. Also looking for a couple of clear days so I can re-waterproof the pavilion roof, but no luck so far. :-(

James is supposed to be coming up this weekend, and we're planning to go to the little event out in the Gorge (Hauksgaard). They have nice events, small and low-key. I just have to remember to bring the dayshade in case of rain!

I see... dead people...

2010-04-15T22:15:00.000-07:00

He's really in pretty good shape, seeing as how he was buried 1200, 1250 years ago, eh?

Been looking at lots of pictures of sarcophagai, reading records, etc etc etc . Even sat down with Morwyn for an afternoon and evening and read through portions of the Capitulare de Villis (a document Charlemagne had put out with instructions for how his estates should be run). Big long list of plants that were supposed to be planted. (I'm trying to figure out what the Franks were eating, among other things.)

Also decided that yes, I'm changing my name. As on May 1st (SCA New Year) I will be Liutgard of Luxeuil. I have already encountered a fair amount of resistance, and people who don't like the name, how I pronounce it, how I spell it, the construction, the period, yadda yadda yadda. Do they think I would do this sort of thing without doing the research? I am very annoyed. And then there's the people who just can't cope with me being anything but 'Lainie. 'Know what? Deal. Really, folks. Just deal.

Also very busy- I'm making clothes for the incoming Summits royals, so there's a huge pile of fabric in the sewing room. I cut a bunch of stuff out last night, and this evening I started piecing together a gown for Gabriel. So far it is turning out really nice. I think they're going to be happy with their clothes....

Also went to Eugene last weekend, and saw the installation of the new Episcopalian bishop here in Oregon. It was really quite amazing, and I came away from it realizing that the SCA knows NOTHING about ceremony. Or spiffy clothes. Wow.

Tax Day is almost over. Sheesh, maybe the Tea Party gang (bankrolled by Fox) will shut up for awhile. We can hope.

Franks but no beans.

2010-04-01T22:04:00.000-07:00

(The picture is of a 7th century Duke of Alsace, named Aldaric. Nice, nice clothes...)

So I've been really pretty busy lately, partly good, partly bad...

Sweet meat after sour sauce, they say, so here's the sour sauce:

The CAT scan in September showed a tumor about 5mm across. The scan in January showed it at a little more than 9mm, which is a significant increase. So they did a PET scan. The tumor was just a little too small to get a conclusive result, so they'll be doing another scan in June. They may decide to take a biopsy then, or maybe simply do surgery and get it out. It's not interefereing with my breathing at all- it's in the lower lobe of my left lung, and toward the outside. Hopefully will be fairly easy to get it out. What happens from them will depend on lab results. Very anxiety-making, but nothing I can do until June.

Sweet meat? I GOT STING TICKETS WOOOO-HOOOO!!!!

Think it's too early to lay my sleeping bag out front of the Schnitz? My tickets are for June 4th. Maybe a little early. :-)

I also have a ticket to see the formal installation of the new Episcopalian Bishop of Oregon. It should be interesting- I've never seen anything like it before, and they know how to put on a good show!

And I've been working some more on Frankish stuff. To the extent that I'm seriously considering changing my SCA name. Liutgard or Liutberga. From Luxeuil, which as it turns out, has a number of ties to the monastery at Corbie. Corbie... just can't seem to get away from that place...

School and children...

2010-03-02T02:04:00.000-08:00

I have become convinced that college is like having a baby: after a few years, you think about going back, and you've forgotten what a pain it was...

So this last weekend I went to Eugene. Unlike usual trips, I wasn't there for an event. This was (mostly) a fun trip. Well, I have to qualify the 'mostly' part. Get to that later.

Friday afternoon I drove down, checked into a little motel on 7th ave (not the absolute cheapest, but reasonable, and a lot less impersonal than the ordinary chain outfit. (In fact, the maid chased me down on my way out Sunday with something I forgot- how often does Motel 6 do that?)

Got down to the University in time to meet my all-time favorite professor for tea (Dr Louise Bishop). Oh, it was so good to see her! She was as warm and funny as usual (not that I expected that to have changed), was interested in what the kids and I have been up to, and best of all, I could 'talk shop' about some of the research I've been doing and not have to explain myself every other sentence! Oh, that alone is worth gold...

She had another appointment later or I could have talked for hours and hours. But after she left I turned to my second purpose for being on campus. I headed for the library. (No! I am NOT Hermione! Don't even think it!) And that is the 'mostly' part of the trip, because while it was rewarding, it was also work. But I ended up with three and a half pages of bibliographic notes, which gives me more opportunities to find the info I am looking for. Or maybe simply another turn down this rabbit hole. (Go ask Alice- she's the only one who knows for sure...)

James got in later that evening. He brought some of his reallyreally yummy red lentil soup, and we had soup and some beer and chatted (like we usually do on a Friday night that we're together). And watched the Olympics until much too late. I have a crush on Apolo Ohno. :-) Too cute for words. Watched some skiing too. Scary stuff.

Saturday James went off to his meeting (Diocese stuff) and I slept in. A lot- I had an incredible headache. (And no, two beers with a meal does not a headache make. I think it was unfamiliar pillows and driving. Most of the pain was in my neck and the back of my head.) After he got back we hung out for a bit and then did some thrift-shopping. I found some movies and some music and drooled over some antiques. I forget what he found. Then we picked up David and Lydia and met Stephen for dinner at the High Street Cafe. Was quite an experience to have dinner with adult children, sit there and have beer with them and chat. It was cool, really. And we made the waiter work for his tip. :-) Also have to say that the Black and Tan Brownie is just as good there as up here. Pretty amazing stuff.

And then we watched some more skiing, some skating exhibitions, and the American bobsled team 1 in the Night Train WIN THE GOLD!!! WOO-HOO!!!

James left early. (He had stuff in Ashland at 9.) I slept for a bit longer, checked out, and went back to the library for awhile. And then I drove home. Got lost in Salem trying to get back to the freeway after I stopped for a burger. Otherwise uneventful.

I really am suffering a bit from a jones to go back to school. But as I told Louise, there's no money, and even if there was, I don't think my health could take it. But I really miss being in classes, the discussion, the bit of a push to stretch myself. And checkout privileges (at the grad student level, especially) would be completely awesome. :-) Hmm. If only I could figure out some way to go to school (or teach even) and get them to pay me... yeah, and while I'm at it, I want a pony, and... *sigh*

This week: another ILL has arrived! I will pick it up in the morning (or what passes for morning for me). And maybe later in the week I will go upstairs and get some sewing done. The queue is still way too long.

Happy New Year!

2010-02-25T02:17:00.000-08:00

"May you live in interesting times" is said to be an old Chinese curse; I'm not sure I believe it is Chinese, but it does seem to be a curse.

So anyway, this month we celebrated Chinese New Year (ask Annie about New Year at Phil and Susan's! The FOOD!!!), or at least some of us celebrated it. I was busy throwing up that day, so there ya go...

Started out the month with Groundhog Day- two of my dearest friends had birthdays that day. It's always fun to give them a hard time about that. Apparently the groundhog did see his shadow back east, but here on the west coast he did not. Which may explain why we just have rain out here but my friends back east are still wondering if the mailman is under that pile of snow on the sidewalk... James' brother Geoff offered to let me shovel his driveway! He said he wouldn't make this offer to just anyone, but since I'm practically family... Riiight Geoff. I'm not falling for that one, family or no. Somehow there's a scent of whitewashed fence to that one!

A few days later I was sick again. (Still, yeah.) Was having chest pain that was oozing into my shoulders and upper arms, and short of breath too. But I didn't have the sense that the obvious was happening. So I called and got a same-day appointment with my dr, but didn't tell the nurse the whole story for fear she'd just tell me to hang up and call 911. We've been there, done that.

So I spent the week in and out of the clinic, while they poked and prodded and tested. EKG, was iffy but it was my normal iffy (stuff with the a-fib off and on), they sent it to my cardiologist but he said it was within my normal range, but to check all of my bloodwork. Potassium fine, sugars fine, the enzyme that would have said I was having a heart attack- negative. Thyroid was fine. Well, let's take more blood and test for other stuff. They put an oxygenation monitor on me and made me trot around the nurses' station (it's laid out in a giant donut, with exam rooms all around) with a nurse holding the monitor. Well, on my second turn around I sort of slid onto and slumped down the wall- not really passing out but not far from it. About eight people picked me up and walked me back in and onto the table. Was basically ok, just... sliding down a wall.

So about 6:30 that Friday evening, I get a call from Dr Becher's co-worker who was working that afternoon, she'd just gotten some of my labwork back, and did I know that my nortriptyline level was roughly four times what it should be? No, I was not aware of that! Turns out that some of the symptoms of approaching toxicity are... chest pains, shortness of breath, lightheadedness. Talking with her we determined that the best course would be to drop the nortriptyline I was on- NOW. None of the usual tapering it off over a month or so. So I dropped it. Felt not really good but ok Saturday, which was nice as James and I went for a long walk (there's a gazillion restaurants on Alberta!) and then out for Lebanese food. (Dolmas and lamb. Yummy!) Came home and had chocolate fondue with strawberries and pears and some Chilean red wine. Very tasty.

Sunday my body realized that something was wrong. James went to the early service at church, and I stayed in bed because I had a Very Bad Feeling. Very Bad got Worse an hour or so later, and I managed to get to my wastebasket before I lost it.

Dolmas and lamb and chocolate and red wine are tasty going down- separately- but not so tasty coming up together. It was pretty horrible.

Eventually I figured I was empty, and staggered into the bathroom to clean the wastebasket. And I slipped. So suddenly there I was, naked, upside-down in the bathtub, with the wastebasket upside-down on my chest. Yes kiddies, that was even more horrible.

By the time James got back I was in a pile of towels on the bed, sobbing and laughing at the same time.

I spent most of that week sleeping while I finished getting through withdrawal, felt better enough toward the end of the week that I finished Wanda's new Frankish outfit, and then dragged her off to a potluck that the new canton up the Gorge was throwing. Nice little event, quite enjoyable, decent potluck, and I met a young fellow who's also interested in Frankish stuff, so I had someone to talk at for a bit. This week is sleeping, more dr visits (and lab work- I think they should stop stabbing me and just install a tap), and some reading. I finally got through ILL several books, one of which has a LOT of the info I need on the abbey at Corbie.

This weekend I'm heading to Eugene- James has some meetings for the Diocese there, so I'm going to meet him there, spend some time with him and with the kids. And I'm also meeting with my all-time favorite prof for tea Friday. I'm so looking forward to seeing her- I haven't see her in years! And it will be nice to talk 'shop'.

Oh, and there will be a trip to the library. But don't you dare call me Hermione! I'm cuter. :-)

2010-01-25T11:50:00.000-08:00

I think that this must be a month for stooopid drivers. Well, a little more than that, since it was on the 31st that we got rear-ended. But since then it's like Zippy the Wonder Volvo has a target painted on her. I drove from here down the the Barley Mill pub the other night- maybe 4 miles?- and had to slam on my brakes at least three times. And no, it wasn't me- it was idiots changing lanes in front of me with just inches to spare, making left turns in front of me, etc. Sheesh. Maybe they should take the bus? (Not me though- getting anywhere but downtown from here is a pain- no matter where you want to go, you have to go downtown and the change buses, adding huge amounts of time to your trip...)

Not much in the news otherwise. Wanda is out of town this week, to Louisville, Kentucky. Shadow continues to be a dumbass. I still have sewing to do (probably head upstairs after a nap). And the Republicans continue to think that Republicans are the only ones who rate meaningful health coverage- the rest of us can go hang, apparently. Grr.

But the good news is- John Kitzhaber is running for Governor again! w00T! If he gets the nomination, I might have to volunteer again. :-)

Getting a CAT scan...

2010-01-18T22:32:00.000-08:00

So I get to go in for a CAT scan tomorrow- to see if the stuff in my lungs and liver has changed any. But I don't actually see the doctor for results until March. Grr. Y'all know how much I love waiting...

We finally got Zippy the Wonder Volvo home! She is back on the road with a replacement hatch and right-hand lights. The hatch is hunter green, but as the car is a dark brown it isn't really obvious. I'm slowly re-assembling the sticker collection. Bunch of Potterverse stickers, a Laurel wreath, a sticker that says Hwaet!, the SCA Emergency Roadside Assistance Program stickers (the SCA and An Tir stickers) and a new U of O sticker. Sadly, the ORYGUN sticker is out of print. I got a plain yellow and green Oregon sticker, and despite my efforts, it is off-centered which bugs me. (I don't know if I can take it off and re-center it- may have to buy another one.) I still have to replace my godless-baby-eating-granola liberal stickers. ;-) Think I'll start with 'What Would Jefferson Do'.

Went to Adiantum Midwinter's Feast. It was a nice time. I managed to sit next to Bera for the evening and neither of us got arrested! This may be a first. ;-) Lots of cool A&S displays, and the KEWL thing- Miriam won Adiantum A&S! Yes, our little Mermee! w00T! Ok y'all, she's setting the standard... :-)

I have stuff to sew for Rustam, and then the belated Christmas presents for Alannas and Wanda, and then some stuff for Malcolm, and then I need to make new chemises (I have a fitting problem with the ones I have, as in my middle-aged arms no longer fit in the upper-arm/armseye area) for myself. And Amalric wants into the queue too. I may surface sometime in May...

I've got my money on the guy with the pig-faced bascinet...

2010-01-10T21:46:00.000-08:00

Doesn't that just look like a lot of fun?

We're kind of spinning our wheels lately. Finding a hatch for Zippy proved a lot hard to do than one would think. Apparently getting any parts for Volvo 240 series is hard- people keep them and fix them rather than get rid of them. Parts are at a premium, and they aren't making any more of them. But we finally managed to get the hatch for Zippy, and she's down at Adam's being fixed (crossing my fingers that it will go smoothly and be done before Saturday). The hatch we got is hunter green. I think it will look nice with my stickers. I got online the other night and ordered replacements for most of them. Still have to get a new Obama sticker. And make the Jefferson and the '0 to 60 in 8 minutes' stickers again. But it appears that the 'ORYGUN' sticker is out-of-print. :-( I'm thinking to stop off at the UO bookstore when I'm in Eugene this Saturday and see what they've got these days.

The aftermath of the accident has been... interesting. The guy who hit us had let his insurance expire- which it did, the day before the accident. The phone number he gave us was no good, and Wanda has found that he has addresses in at least two states. Apparently he's an ER physician. Where we aren't sure. Wanda wants a piece of his posterior. She's been dealing with the various reports and all and it's been weird.

In other news... there ain't much other news. I've been either sleeping or trying to deal with car fu. Got some reading done (more on Frankish women and then a book on more general women's stuff). Pulled the ornaments off of the tree, took down the swag, which is getting kinda ratty. Need to do something different next year. I still need to pack up the nutcrackers and haul everything up to the attic. I'm thinking about getting some of the good Rubbermaid totes and getting stuff out of the misc boxes, which are also getting ratty.

Miss my Sweetie, miss my kids. :-( Miss my Zippy. :-((

Ending the year with a BANG!

2009-12-31T22:11:00.000-08:00

Proof that the universe hates me: I got rear-ended tonight. ON THE WAY TO CHURCH. Priceless, ain't it?

So Wanda and I were headed up to the service at Trinity Cathedral (their New Yea's Eve is wow. Seriously cool music), and about a half block east of Powell's, on Burnside, the car right in front of me put on their 4-way flashers. Not knowing why, I slowed down. Turns out they were picking someone up from the sidewalk in front of Powell's. I stopped behind them. The guy behind me wasn't paying attention- and according to a witness, was following way too closely. So we got the BANG!

We're ok, though Wanda is a bit sore. No damage to the other guy's pickup that I could see. My right hand rear lights are gone, and the back hatch is smooshed in a bit. Looks like he connected with the latch bar/handle. If it had been a car they would have hit the bumper and we'd be fine, but nooo, it had to be a pickup. So probably the first order of business Monday will be to call Adam and see if I can get Zippy in to get the lights fixed at the least. And find out if he can do anything with the hatch.

In other news, we had Christmas. Dan and Ellen and Carol and Chappie were here, and James made it up for a couple of days. Wanda and I have been down with Virus #267, and can't seem to shake it. Seems to be sort of cyclical- I'll miserable for several days, then I'll start to feel better- and then it knocks me down again.

And now it is after midnight, so- HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Let's hope that 2010 is the best ever!!

I really needed one of these:

2009-12-16T00:32:00.000-08:00

Friday night, on south-bound I-5. I got all the way to Albany without incident, and then suddenly traffic came to a grinding halt. The road was a solid sheet of ice- all the way to Creswell. About 25 miles of slick-as-glass roadway. We were crawling along at about 15mph through most of it. Didn't dare change lanes or take an exit. I thought about bailing and stopping at David and Lydia's, but then I remembered the exit to their place- very tight uphill curve. Not even.

I was actually ok- Zippy handles really well on bad surfaces. It was the people around me that I was afraid of, especially the epic idiot in front of me who kept hitting his brakes (yes Mr. 'I have an SUV so I am impervious to weather!', I'm looking at YOU!) and then fishtailing. I really wished I'd had a bullhorn- crank it up to 11 and yell "Stay off your brakes, you cretin!" Alas, I missed my chance.

Investiture was interesting. About half of the usual suspects made it- the rest were holed up and waiting for spring. HRM bailed and went home after a night in a motel. Rustam and Suvia were almost late to their own investiture! I was very glad I stayed up most of the night finishing Rustam's caftan- he wore it and it looked good. I was pretty much good for nothing though, and when they offered a very short fealty court so that those who needed to leave could- I did. James and I went back to Ashland where there was a pillow loudly calling my name. After I had a nap we went out for Chinese. The Kung Pao chicken failed to clear my nose though, and the next morning it was clear that I was too sick to drive 300 miles, so it was a good thing that I'd packed an extra dose of meds just in case.

Bera ran the peerage meeting again- she rocketh! I wish she would run the kingdom meetings too- we might actually get something done. :-/

The last Rivers council meeting was here at our house- Wanda had just recovered from the plague, and I was thankful for modern medicine (fought off a kidney infection), but the meeting was really good- talked a lot about theory and standards and the sort of thing we need to talk about occasionally, rather than just blowing through the candidate list.

Plan is to go get a tree tomorrow. Yay!

Gobble gobble!

2009-11-24T22:18:00.000-08:00

So we went shopping today, and came home with a turkey, among other things. It doesn't look like that one. It's wrapped in plastic and is sitting in the recycling bin outside because it needs to thaw out, being frozen solid. And there's no room in the refrigerator anyway.

The big dinner is Friday- should be 11. Maybe 12 if Larry shows up, but I haven't heard from him. Thursday it's just James and I, and David and Lydia. I got four cornish hens (three French hens, two turtledoves...) and some rice pilaf for that dinner. And some three-buck Chuck (inflation- used to be two-buck Chuck) to go with. (Some of which may lubricate the cook.)

Went to Goodwill Sunday after brunch. I found a new purse (which I needed- my orange one is really showing wear), a big bag of ribbons and trim and hot glue sticks. There is trim in there that is worth more than I paid for the whole bag. Also found some new nutcrackers, including two ballerinas, which is an interesting synchronicity. Found a couple of cartoon Christmas ties for James. And Wanda gave me the funniest thing- it's a plastic nutcracker ornament, which a seam ripper in the back. It's just... two things that one does not ordinarily think of together.

James will be up Wednesday night, and David and Lydia will be riding with him. Stephen will be coming in on the train sometimes Friday. Annie is cooking the Orphans' Thanksgiving on Thursday. I understand there will be pie. :-D

2009-11-15T06:35:00.000-08:00

I am an idiot.

Something that had been building up for awhile exploded yesterday, and I exploded. and worse (much worse!), I answered an email while I was angry. Incandescently angry.

Part of me is still angry. But most of me is horrified, and saying "What have I done?"

At this point all I can do really is wait for the unfortunate recipient to respond. I did make a phone call yesterday and made a clumsy attempt at apologizing. I don't know if it was accepted. There was a lot of silence on that end.

In the meantime I'm not keeping food down so well. I wish I could rewind and undo. About 24 hours would be enough. But my Time Turner seems to be on the fritz.

I don't know what to do.

2009-10-25T00:40:00.000-07:00

WESTMORELAND

O that we now had here
But one ten thousand of those men in England
That do no work to-day!

KING HENRY V What's he that wishes so?
My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin:
If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more...
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made
And crowns for convoy put into his purse:
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

(Happy St Crispin's Day!)

Vivat William!

2009-10-14T00:35:00.000-07:00

Just to annoy my Anglo-Saxon friends, I'd like to point out that it is now October 14th, which is a bad day if your name is Harold Godwinson, and a good day if you're a Norman bastard. Heh.

And I sooooo love this picture. It is such a classic anachronism. Yeah, like you've never done it? Why did I see every other person whip out their phone after the final blow fell at Summit Coronet? The name of the winner was on the Summits list before I could walk back to my car...

Not much otherwise to report. The meds are still kicking my ass and I'm not happy about it. I have an appt with Dr Becher next Thursday. Maybe we can figure something out then.

The sewing room has piles of shirt pieces all over it. Hopefully they will be shirts in the next couple of days or so. And then I can get to the wrapped gowns. I'll have to get ahold of Suvia and see if they wanted the fancy facings on those. I have some silk that would be just perfect...

A crash course in Persian clothing...

2009-10-08T02:51:00.000-07:00

So I'm madly reading everything I can on 14th-15th c Persian clothing, and there's a pile of fabric upstairs to be made into clothing for Rustam. Hey, keeps me out of trouble, right?

Other than that, I really haven't accomplished much- going through yet another medication adjustment (more levo-dopa! Yay! NOT!) so mostly I sleep. A lot. There's stuff I should be doing, but the sleepy is overpowering. So I muddle through. Sorta.

Had a culinary experiment that kinda didn't work. I tried substituting concentrated lemon juice for the vinegar in the standard sekanjabin recipe. Came out tasting like lemon candy- like a sucker. A bit too sweet, not tart enough. I might try it again, which a higher concentration of lemon juice. Maybe replace some or all of the water as well as the vinegar. Or I might not. I don't know. I like the raspberry vinegar version, but it's still... vinegar. There's only so much vinegar that I can take.

There's an event Saturday- Honor Feast. And this year they're fêteing Aleyn the Younger, who is one of my oldest and dearest friends. So it will be kinda cool. They're also holding the A&S Championship, and I'm judging, so I have to be awake and aware and get there on time! Arlys is going with me, so that should help keep me on task. Now I have to figure out what to take for my potluck contribution...

My Weekend,

2009-09-22T00:31:00.000-07:00

by "I think I may need to change my name now..."

Ok. I just got back from Summits Coronet Tourney. Some Saracen guy won, a Rustam Something-or-other ;-) , but that is not what the story is about...

I was feeling fine when I got up Saturday morning. Ate my yogurt, took my meds, grabbed my chair and hiked off to the peerage meeting. (Must note here that Summits has occasional combined peerage meetings.) Got there, sat down. Fine.

A little while later I wasn't feeling so hot. Not really _bad_, but that bare bit of grass behind the thrones was looking pretty good. I wonder if I could sneak over there and lie down? Oh, not feeling good at all. And 3...2...1 OMIGAWD!

The Amazing Exploding Laurel barely gets past the Duke she is sitting next to, and out of the pavilion and around the corner before the obvious happens. Then hmm. WTH? Feeling better, go back to the meeting.

The second time I get about 5 seconds warning. It is a good thing that the Duke is still very fast! (Not a good thing to puke on a Duke!) Rest of the meeting I'm ok. (Well yeah- nothing left in me!)

(I am doing better. Just got home this evening, and I'm tired of driving! Also saw Paul Bunyan in Myrtle Point.)

Now to the funny story! Saturday afternoon after the tournament was over I headed for Ashland (took 42 to 5, which was actually a pretty nice drive), and while I was winding around through the mountains, I suddenly craved mashed potatoes and gravy. Not just any mashed potatoes and gravy- it had to be KFC. (Normally- bleah!) I finally saw a KFC sign in Medford (and thanks to construction there I spent a half hour lost), and when I rolled up to the drive through, I suspect that I was not coherent. I intended to ask for a serving of potatoes with extra gravy. I don't know what I actually asked for, but the voice on the other end said "Large?" Uh, yeah. Large. I was tired and sick and didn't care.

I ended up buying ten dollars worth of mashed potatoes and gravy.

But wait! The punch line! I pull up to the window, hand over my money and get the sack of very yummy smells, and the kid leans out the window a bit, looks at me funny, and says: "Uh, have fun with your potatoes, lady."

I was back on the freeway before it occurred to me to wonder what he thought I was going to be doing with my mashed potatoes...

Exhausted.

2009-09-14T21:58:00.000-07:00

Well, eventing is (almost) over for the season. I have the boxes of dishes in the dining room, and they'll be run through the dishwasher before I put them away for the season. There's a pile of laundry on my bed- most of it is folded, and sometime tomorrow I'm going to get the tourney linens all put away. And hopefully I'll get the last of the stuff from the car and get it vacuumed. I have to leave the big stove in there (so I can return it to James) and my sleeping bag (for this weekend). Looking forward to some easier handling without the heavy load. And I can see out the back now! Rear-view mirror and all!

Crown was very nice. Ruland and Katrine found us a very nice place to camp that was very close to the water spigot. (Could have been closer to the privies, but oh well.) The kitchen worked, mostly- there were water problems. Drips where they were not welcome, etc. But the rug was wonderful- felt like a real kitchen, walking back and forth while working. The layout worked well. The food worked out well- the balance of dishes was nice. And I did a pretty good job of estimating how much of everything to buy. Brought home some leftovers, but not a lot.

The bath went pretty smoothly. Randal liked it, which was the big thing. The rest of the vigil went well too. And the elevation was wonderful. It had been raining, but as he knelt to make his oaths, the clouds parted, there was sunshine, and a huge double rainbow. I think it was blessed. :-)

Came home with very wet gear though (rained most of the weekend) hence the huge amount of laundry. And there's stuff laying around in the garage, hopefully getting dry. I haven't been feeling well (tiiiiired) so it has been very slow getting all put away. And I'm still digging myself out of the huge pile of email that accrued while I was at the event.

Thursday before the event, I saw the Pulmonary clinic. Turns out it's in the cancer center, which unnerved me a bit. Saw the doctor there.
I was right, it was mostly taking history, asking a million questions, etc. The dr went over my films again, and she says I have a nodule on my left lung that is about 5 mm. That's mm, not cm. So about the size of a pencil eraser. She said that the fluid at the bottom of the other lung is still there, and is a little wondering why it hasn't cleared up yet. And there's another nodule near that, about the size of a mustard seed.

She says that neither of them should be there, but at this point they want to watch them and see what happens. So in a couple of months, I get to so the scan again. In the meantime, I wait.

I HATE waiting.

Might as well sleep.

A bit stressed here-

2009-08-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

and there's people to choke but no one I dare lay hands on.

Ok, Wanda doesn't read this so I'll let a little of it out. She and Claire are not getting along. There's stuff on both sides, but Wanda is in the driver's seat. And it is getting ugly. And naturally I'm hearing it from both sides and I DON'T WANT TO BE IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS! I really don't! And the atmosphere here in the house is poisonous.

Wanda is under stress at work (NSTB stuff again) and I understand that colors her worldview. There's some other factors that I can't get into here. She's also grumpy that she isn't getting the attention that she thinks she deserves from SCA folk. Well, if she went to an event or a meeting once in awhile, I might say she has a point. Of course, on the rare occasion that she _does_ go to something, all she does is prattle on about the Good Old Days in Drachenwald. She's not done anything here to make Good Days, and I think that they are what you make. My Good Days are now- because I make them so. And I'm really tired of hearing how An Tir doesn't measure up.

So even Saturday breakfast or Sunday brunch have been a bit quiet- I try to talk about stuff that is happening and she isn't interested, except to criticize. A few weeks back several of us at the brunch table were busy talking about the upcoming elevation, and for once we didn't let her drag the conversation around to her. (There's been a lot of 'It's All About MEMEME!!!' going on lately.) She got really pissed off and actually sniffled all the way home. And I have to say, I honestly didn't feel like comforting her, because of the dozens of times that she's completely dominated the table and I can't get a word in edgewise.

I love Wanda, but she's been behaving like a spoiled brat for some time now, and I don't know what to do about it. If there is anything I can do about it. If I could leave, I would. And I can't. So I have to find some way of dealing with this. Something that does not involve violence, that is.

Sigh.

Am I completely whacked?

Getting near to being done with Randal's surcoat. I might have time to put together the Frankish coat I've planned. We'll see. In the meantime, I think it's more Marx Brothers and some loud rock music to get through.

Oh- forgot to add- stopped at Goodwill today and scored big time- I picked up two 8" Henckels knives for $1.99 EACH. Considering how awful the knives in my tourney kitchen are, this is a major improvement!

Revving up for next week...

2009-08-29T22:28:00.000-07:00

... and I'm tired already...

Gotta finish Randal's surcoat, which is actually going well. Need to wash and press the sheeting for the bath tub, and for that matter, I need to get outside and clean the bathtub, too! Randal will be picking it up Thursday, along with the pre-dieu. And soonish (like in the next day or so) I need to figure out the menu for the weekend and start shopping. Looking at Italian recipes at the moment.

And Thursday I see the guys in the pulmonary dept. Still very nervous about that.

And I'm fighting off what feels to be an old-fashioned migraine, which I haven't had for awhile. Eyestrain, I think. I've had my face up too close to the sewing because I seem to be getting old and can't see what I'm doing.

Hmm. I bet you couldn't fit much tourney gear in that fancy car...

@#$%^@$***&#!!

2009-08-17T22:37:00.000-07:00

There are times in life when a lot is happening at once. And there are times when you have to wait.

This is both of those times.

Ok. So I am waiting to see the pulmonary clinic. This happens September 3rd. At 4 in the afternoon. Which tells me that they will not be doing any procedures that day, but just a consult and scheduling me for something else. And more waiting.

But it's not like I don't have anything to do to keep busy, because I do. This weekend is Sport of Kings. It starts Thursday. Today is Monday. I have shopping to do, a menu to plan, goodies to make (for the Laurel meeting), have to fix the hinges on the bed, the lid of the new box, paint the light fixture and get chains to hang it with... and pack. And go to the event. And run a meeting. And throw a feast. And visit with friends.

Next week there's the full press to get things done for Randal. I'm making his surcoat for the ceremony. I also need to scrounge through my stuff and find linen for his vigil robes. And I need to wash and press the linens for the bath, and scrub the tourney tub. Find all of the papers, pull out the pre-dieu, get the candles and statuary ready. And I need to plan a menu for 12 for the weekend, do all of the shopping, etc.

In the meantime, there's the whole thing with the health care debate. I've written the Senators/Rep/President 3 times in 2 weeks. I'm sure they're tired of hearing from me (or at least whoever reads the mail). And I'm watching everything like a hawk, because the Public Option is probably the only chance that I'll have in the forseeable future to get off of Medicaid. I'm not insurable- I have too many pre-existing conditions. And I'm on too many drugs. And for now, I'm broke. But the fact is, without the Public Option, I can't change my financial situation, because I'll lose my healthcare. And that could be catastrophic. The healthcare situation as is is forcing me to remain poverty-striken. This system is sick.

I have decided that I cannot read Huffington Post anymore. It's way too histrionic, tabloid-like (makes dKos look like the Wall Street Journal), and the comments are so full of trolls the bile leaks out through my screen. I get so angry and there's nothing to do with it- I can't hit the poor idiot on the screen. So I think I will just leave them alone. Let someone else tell them what idiots they are. HuffPo will survive without me.

And I'm eating a lot less all of the sudden. Not sure what to think about it. Lost a couple of pounds though, according to the dr's charts. Not bad. Also been writing- I think I may have found my way through the whole thing with Henry being sick. Worth a shot.

And Bill finished my ring! It is flat out GORGEOUS. The stone is from a pendant that I had that had been my great-grandma's. Lovely, square-cut white stone- Bill said he thinks it's a white sapphire. Set it in silver, with a basic copy of a 7th c Frankish design. :-) It's big, and kinda gaudy, but I love it. And if I ever have to punch someone, they're gonna regret it. :-D

Not... to... Panic...

2009-08-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

I called in and someone else had just made a cancellation, so I was able to get in today instead of next Thursday.

Well, I just got back from the doctor, and we discussed the report from the angiogram. They said that they saw a nodule on my lung, and two cysts on my liver. I'm scheduled to be in the Pulmonary clinic at 4 on Sept 3. (I won't be able to make the SLUG Queen Coronation this year because of it, and that really makes me mad.) They want to do a PET scan and/or a bronchioscopy. The latter sounds like a lot of Not Fun. And then we will go from there.

We still don't know what happened last week. I'm continuing to push the matter because that was an incredible amount of pain and I don't want it to happen again. So we will see.

And it appears that I have traded the anxiety of Not Knowing for a different kind of Not Knowing. It is no improvement.

Just another thing to worry about...

2009-08-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm not about to be eaten by a robot. That I know of. At the moment.

Well, we have as yet not figured out what happened to me last Monday. But they sent me in for a angiogram on Friday, which was very interesting. All the equipment, and of course you have no idea what it is actually doing. It's magic, as far as I'm concerned. And there's times that I think if I opened that door that says 'Authorized Personnel Only', I'd find a witch doctor in there, counting the twists in the entrails of a sheep...

At any rate, I got a call from my doctor's office today. They want me to come in and discuss the results of the angiogram. Which now has me in knots. It if was nonremarkable, they wouldn't bother. It's not an emergency, since they made me an appointment for next Thursday. But still, important enough that they want to talk to me about it.

On the day that I'm packing out for Sport of Kings. * sigh *

Nothing else much to report. Still sleeping a lot. Trying to get things together for Sport of Kings and Crown, including everything for Team Randal. It's not like I'm not trying to keep busy.

So what happens when a giant robot eats you, anyway?

Got to go for a ride

2009-08-05T16:57:00.000-07:00

...In the truck with the flashy lights. It's not nearly as exciting as you'd think, because when you're that sick, you really don't care.

I'd started with a sharp pain in the upper left of my back about midnight. It got worse, and then wrapped around my ribs and into my chest. Couldn't sleep, was very painful to breathe. About 6:30 I called the advice nurse at my dr. She said "Please hang up and call 911." Wow, you sure? She was sure.

So I got a ride to the hospital. By the time I got there I could hardly see from the pain. When they rolled me off of the ambulance gurney onto the bed in ER I was screaming. And you know how when you're in Er getting stitches or whatever, and there's always someone down the hallway, howling? That was me. Especially when they were doing xrays. Moving- especially anything involving moving my ribcage- I kept hearing someone how sounded like a wounded dog. .And realized that was me. It was really weird.

After the xrays they shot me full of morphine. I was still in a lot of pain, but it was no longer the center of the universe. And they never did find out the source of the pain, but they did find a spot of pleural effusion that was apparently secondary to whatever was going on. So they sent me home with a Rx for vicodin and instructions to breath deeply (to clear up the effusion). Mostly I've been sleeping.

So that's what I've been up to the past few days. This kind of excitement I could do without.

This week's forecast:

2009-07-27T12:26:00.001-07:00

I hate hot weather. It's 12:30 in the afternoon, and already 88. Supposed to be around 100 today and tomorrow, and up to 105 on Weds. I think there will be a movie theater somewhere in my future. (Hello, Mr Potter!)

Not much happening, trying to not melt is my main plan these days. James was up for part of the weekend- he had a meeting Saturday. We set fire to the backyard (well, a grill-sized part of it), showed a picture of the fire to some cows, and ate them. They were mighty tasty.

In teh sewing room, I need to finish Korwyn's tunics, and then get my Queen Carmen dress done. Also will be working on Randall's stuff, fortunately that is kind of spread out amongst several people and I don't have to do it all.

And ice cream is still a Very Good Thing!

Polka dots!

2009-07-21T21:18:00.001-07:00

The polka-dot dress was a hit! Got lots of laughs and lots of compliments. And I found that I could actually work in the kitchen in it- I just tucked the sleeves into my belt to keep them out of the way.

The only big problem at Coronation was that it was so bloody hot. Mid- to upper-90s. My camp was back under the trees, but down on the field it was unbearable. I have no idea how the fighters manage it. TRMs moved court in under the trees, near the permanent pavilion, much to everyone's relief. I was only there for part of court- for Randal to be put on vigil. After that I went back to camp to deal with the chicken. Dinner turned out wonderfully, and the little dinner party was quite nice (even if I did accidentally call Countess Morag Countess Morwyn).

The switch to the gabapentin seems to be going well. Feeling better (well, except for the current lassitude from the heat) and not twitching so much. This is a serious improvement. And I get to see the new mental health person at my regular clinic, instead of heading down to see someone I don't trust. Definitely an improvement!

I put some of the hinges on wrong on the bed parts. Waiting for the weather to cool so I can try to fix it.

Starting to plan for Sport of Kings, and for September Crown. I'll be doing a Vigil Bath for Randal, and that will require a fair amount of planning.

Ice cream is a Good Thing.

And then the Dementors come...

2009-07-10T13:38:00.000-07:00

I read an interview once, with Joanne Rowling (she wrote the Harry Potter series), where she described the Dementors as sort of being a metaphor for depression and the havoc it wreaks on one's life. Well, she got that one right, I think.

Been a rough couple of weeks, dealing with both physical and mental issues. Saw the gal at Lifeworks- she was no help at all, was sort of 'well, what am I supposed to do about it?', which was irritating, as she is supposedly the professional. I left just as down as I'd arrived. And I had no cash on me so I couldn't stop for a milkshake. :-(

However, I saw Dr Becher this Weds, and things may be looking up. The levo-dopa is not doing it's job well enough, and the side effects- especially the somnolence and exacerbation of the depression, as well as the nausea- are a Problem. So we are adding in gabapentin (which I've had before and can tolerate) and gradually phasing out the levo-dopa. So far so good- The gabapentin takes a little getting used to- I was going to go to a rally downtown, but this morning, after a dose at bedtime, I am certain that I couldn't pass a roadside drunk test. I was having trouble staggering to the bathroom. It seems to dissipate in the late afternoon, so I can get out and go to the grocery, but mornings seem to be out for me until I get used to it. But I was feeling well enough to get upstairs and work for a bit last night, so I think I'm making progress.

Speaking of progress, I got the dots on my dress heat-set, and did up the side seams. Last light I got the seam in the maunch sleeve finished- did a false French seam. Have the other sleeve to do and the I get to put the pacing stuff on the side openings. After that it's just a hem to do. I also have the work to do on the bed- I got the moulding glued on the other day, still need to put a few nails into it, and then paint it and put on the hinges. Need to get the painting done this weekend, if it is to be dry enough to put the hinges on.

And I need to run by Burgerville- the new raspberry shakes are out!

Dots, dots, dots...

2009-06-29T22:32:00.001-07:00

I was going to post a picture of the current project in progress, but the camera decided to not play. (I changed out the batteries- it's definitely the camera and it's dead.) So here's a picture of what I started from- a pair of mid-twelfth century Limoges enamel boxes. On the front of both boxes is a woman wearing a dark blue dress that it polka-dotted all over, with maunch sleeves. (And on the box with the handle, the fellow next to her is wearing matching hose!) I decided that the presence of two different examples of this dress meant that I _had_ to make it, right? I had a good-sized chunk of dark blue sueded rayon. And I had a round paint pouncer sponge. A short trip to Michael's and I had gold fabric paint...

All of the dots are painted on. Tomorrow I get to heat-set the paint with the iron, and then I can do up the side seams. It'll be laced up on both sides, and I'm doing the loop thing instead of sewing eyelets. Mind you, I don't have a figure like the girls on the boxes, but I think it'll be a fun dress anyway. And certainly nothing like I've seen anyone do before!

In other news...

Past few weeks I've been feeling pretty crummy. Sleeping a lot. Having a hard time with pain management. And contributing to it (or maybe in consequence of) all I'm really having a hard time with the depression right now. I've sort of run out of options on the med front, but clearly what we're doing now is not working. And I really don't know what to do. The prospect of living like this for the indefinite future is... not a happy one.

When I can stay awake, I'm reading a lot. And I guess I've been doing other stuff. I caught up on some of my backlog in the sewing room. I'm running The Survey again here in An Tir and should be wrapping that up soon. I got the robes for Malia Obama done and mailed off, hopefully in time to be there for her birthday. And I'm planning to go to the midnight show of the new Potter movie.

It should keep me out of trouble. Maybe. ;-)

I iz sewing Wizard Robez!

2009-06-16T22:05:00.000-07:00

See, a certain First Daughter is having her 11th birthday on July 4th, and of course she'll be getting her letter, right? I figure that security concerns will keep her from going to Diagon Alley for her school things, and as 'Madam Elaine's Elegant Emporium' makes robes... ;-)

I'm madly trying to get them done so I can put them in the mail, leaving time for them to wend their way through security, and hopefully get there in time for Malia's birthday, and certainly in time for the next movie! (Less than a month now!)

I made a leap of faith and am making them Ravenclaw robes. I read what I could find about Malia online (which isn't much- her folks are doing a pretty good job of keeping her out of the limelight), and apparently she takes after her dad a lot. And her dad is soooo Ravenclaw it ain't funny. She's a bit bookish, a good student, and does her homework on Lincoln's desk. I figure Ravenclaw is a pretty safe bet. Now if I only knew if she's right or left-handed...

In other news... there ain't much. I went to 3M Defender's tourney Saturday, with Arlys. It was a nice, if smallish, event. Otherwise, just staying home. Haven't been feeling well. This weekend I'm headed south, and will be day-tripping Summits Investiture from James' place. TRMs will be there, which will be nice. And I finally finished up a bunch of my old to-do pile in the sewing room, so I can hand Bera her stuff and give James his Mickey-Mouse braies. Silly boy. :-)

Now isn't that Special...

2009-06-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

I wrote the author of that piece on bridal bouquets do correct her notions about medieval bathing habits. She wrote me back:

Hi Laura,

Thanks for writing an informative and interesting email about the origin of bridal bouquets.

While I appreciate everything you said, I'm a humorist, not an historian. You're the first reader in many years who thought otherwise.

If I ever write a serious piece about the subject, I'll know where to go for the facts.

Thanks again.

Cheers!

Maggie Van Ostrand

Well! So I went back to the article and found... that no, she did not edit it or add anything to it. I guess 'humor' is more important than facts...

HMPH!

Yes, Medieval folk were all wet!

2009-06-05T15:57:00.001-07:00

Yet again, someone online has resurrected that awful old viral email and published part of it- 'of course it's true! I saw it online!'

Here's the linky: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maggie-van-ostrand/common-scents-why-brides_b_209397.html#postComment

Yeah, sure. Brides carried flowers because they hadn't bathed in a month. Say again??? Supposedly this author is an award-winning columnist. No awards for her research in this direction, that's for certain!

I will admit that I was pretty cheezed still when I hit the 'comments'...

In other news:

Well, I didn't go to Crown, but I did go to Egils. The weather was GLORIOUS. The dinner parties went well. The only real problem I think was the terrain- we were camped on the end of the loop with all of the holes. Mike stepped in one Friday night and spent the rest of the weekend wincing and insisting that he was fine. (Men!) And it was clear and cold at night. James and I discovered that the slats on the bed don't insulate as well as the flat plywood surface- we were getting cold air from underneath. I need to figure out something to do about that. And I'm making a change to the poster bed- adding a board on one end so we have a headboard. Otherwise our pillows keep popping over the end of the bed all night. I got the lumber at Home Despot the other day, as well as a decorative moulding board to trim it with (the kind with the vines). Rich cut them to length for me when he was over to mow the lawn the other day. Some time this weekend I need to sand them and glue them together and then paint them and put the hinges on.

This week I've been upstairs sewing a lot. Got a whole bunch of things done that have been in the to-do pile for a looooong time. I plan to get started cutting out Wanda's pavilion soon. Also going to see if I can get Malia's Hogwart's robes done this week- need to get them done and sent off as the security goobers will be drooling on them for who knows how long and I want them to be there in time for her birthday.

Stephen's birthday was the 2nd. He's 23. Hard for me to fathom sometimes. I dream about the kids fairly often and they are usually little in my dreams. But he's six feet tall now, and not a little kid...

Just popped over to HuffPo and found that they borked my initial cranky post in the comments. I toned it down a bit- have to see if the moderators will let it through now.

EEEEEYYUUW!

2009-05-18T00:10:00.000-07:00

Wanda and I were out almost all day, came home to a house that smelled horrible. Like rotting garbage but with a chemical edge to it. Looked for burning peripherals, etc, the garbage went out yesterday, and Wanda went outside to see if someone was burning stuff outside (a NO-NO here). I went to use the bathroom and discovered the culprit. A very old can of aerosol spray burn ointment, iodine-based, had exploded, blowing the cabinet door open, the shelf off, and red-brown goo over everything. The mess is indescribable, and the goo is not cleaning up easily. Ok off of porcelain or tile, but not the walls, rug, vinyl tub and surround, the wood cabinetry, the shower curtain, everything else in the cabinet, etc etc etc. And given the mental state of the cats when we came in, I would guess that it was pretty exciting when it went off, too! The poor kitties!

We got most of it triaged, but I think we're going to be finding and cleaning up goo for some time. Festive. :-/

I saw the Pres's speech today. I'd gone to an ethnic grocery to get rose water and orange flower water for this coming weekend, and the tv was on in there- he was just coming on. So I stood in the deli seating area and watched along with a half-dozen or so lunching seniors. The man was AWESOME. I couldn't be prouder of my President. What a gift that we got to vote for him!

Well, I'm off to plan menu for the camping trip this coming weekend. Looks like the weather is going to be nice! Cross yer fingers!

2009-05-12T19:43:00.000-07:00

So here's the skinny on my trip (sorry for duplication for those of you who already heard- I'm doing cut-and-paste because I'm a lazy bum. :-)...

I'm nearly recovered. :-) Flew out Monday and home Friday night. Very busy- kinda tried to not do too much, but I hadn't counted on how long it takes just to get anywhere! We saw lots of subway stairs. And my knees haven't forgiven me yet. Goofed around Tuesday, went to Times Square and saw all the flashy-flashy. Dug through some stores in the fabric district (managed to not spend any money!), and went to see 'Mary Stuart'. It had only a passing acquaintance with the history, but it was a cool show. And they had rain! Onstage! I had no idea they could do that. Looked like the front row was getting a little damp, too. Was funny though- I recognized the woman who played Elizabeth I- she was Fanny in 'Sense and Sensibility'- I recognized her voice first. Annie said the house was the same place where Dan Radcliffe was in 'Equus' earlier this year- she went to see it and said he was _really_ good.

Weds we went to the Cloisters. Many stairs. Lots of keen stuff though. We were in the room with the ivories when they closed, so we saw almost all of it. The gardens were great- a lot of stuff was blooming. Rode the A train and saw some of the local wildlife ;-) I bought some new orange socks from The Sock Guy in St Mark's and we had lunch.

Thursday was the big day- we met up with Adamantius and went to the Met. Annie had to take off to work a half shift, so Phil and I wandered through and managed to not get into trouble (though he pointed out to me the David Friedman Memorial Electrical Outlet where Cariadoc decided to power up his laptop and nearly got them both arrested). It was overwhelmingly cool. Saw a lot of things that I have pictures of- but in real life! And quite a few of them are not the size I'd imagined! The armor exhibit was neat but almost all of it was late and post-period. Looked at lots of pictures, saw a piece of statuary I'd wanted to see and was frustrated to find out that it was not in the round- the back 1/4 was unfinished. I wanted to see the back of the headdress, but I was thwarted! Bah! We finally found the display of musical instruments upstairs- lots of neat stuff there, including a stack of early bassoons.

We had lunch out on the steps- official New York hotdogs from a vendor there. Spent another couple of hours in the museum, then I spent far too much money on books in the giftshop (the jewelry was out of my reach though, sadly). When they closed we went down and picked up Susan from work, and then took a cab to a German restaurant (no idea where we were) where we met up with Annie. The cab ride was... an experience. They mocked me for automatically putting on my seatbelt, but MY GOD! I aged five years in that cab! And Phil didn't even bat an eyelash. He was getting far too much amusement from this Oregon mouse, I think. And I have several new white hairs. =:-O

The food was great, though the place was noisy. We had a great time hassling Annie- Phil pointed out to her that she's nearly 25- a spinster! I leaned over and said "Thass whut yew git fer edjictin' wimmin!" Susan lost a mouthful of wine on that one. And the table next to us was full of good-looking well-dressed young men, which Annie noticed. When their desserts arrived, Phil leaned over and said "Oh! Are those the apple fritters?" Oh yeah, yeah, and did we want a taste? We said no but Annie said Yes! So a fork full was passed over, and then Phil said "Young lady! Didn't your mother teach you to not take apple fritters from strangers?" It was great. Annie was bright red but she had a mouthful of apple fritters and couldn't snark back at him!

Not a single New Yorker was rude to me. The one rude person was in New Jersey, at the airport (I was flying through Newark).

Annie's apartment in Brooklyn is huge. I was expecting a teeny little place. She has lovely wood floors and good-sized windows. Bugs in the kitchen though, which I expected. I went in in the night for a glass of water and they looked at me and said Feh! and went about their business. Annie's kitty Iso slept on me while I was there, though I wouldn't let her sleep on my face. I do have my limits.

I don't know if I could ever live there- very big and very noisy and getting anywhere is such a chore! But Annie is flourishing and that's what matters.

This Slug ain't made for walkin'...

2009-05-05T22:32:00.001-07:00

But a lot of walkin' was done. We took the subway to Times Square and negotiated our way through the crowds to the ticket place, and stood in line for awhile. After tickets were procured we walked some more, finally found a plate to get a bite to eat- some panini (which was yummy). Then we walked some more. Wandered into the fabric district and looked through a couple of stores until time for our show.

Went to see 'Mary Stuart', which was interesting. The gal who played Elizabeth I was the woman who played Fanny in 'Sense and Sensibility' I recognized the voice right off- it took me awhile to figure out where I knew it from. I kept hearing her say "He has a barouche". The play was interesting- the script played fast and loose with history (nah, really? Yes, really). The guy who played Lord Burleigh was very good. And their Dudley was very interesting

Since we weren't up and about early enough today, the Met and/or Cloisters will have to be Weds, maybe Thurs. Hopefully I'll feel better in the morning.

I is in New York!

2009-05-04T18:44:00.000-07:00

Here at Annie's- got in to Newark this afternoon, and after much walking and training and subwaying we arrived here at Annie's place! She fed me pasta and pesto and chocolate ice cream. And Iso had decided that I'm ok.

Tomorrow the plan is to go to the Met, and maybe the Cloisters Weds or Thurs.

And I may just crash early tonight- got up at 5:30 and didn't get much sleep on the plane.

Things not to do:

2009-04-26T03:34:00.000-07:00

1. Don't tug on Superman's cape
2. Don't spit into the wind
3. Don't pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger
4. Don't mess around with Slim

5. And never, never look up at the sky and yell "What next?!"

This has been the week of nausea. Here I am, at 3:30am, finishing off a bowl of yogurt in hopes that it will settle my stomach so I can sleep. So far no luck I think Monday I will break down and call Dr Becher and see about the anti-nausea drugs she mentioned. I hate nausea almost as much as I hate twitching, and I will do almost anything to not throw up.

So far I am not being successful in dealing with this.

In other news:

Saturday we had the work party here. I draped a cotehardie pattern for Liadan and cut out a bunch of stuff for Helena. Then I made pizza while Wanda helped Cat with her bodice. Too many hours on my feet- it was pretty exciting when I finally got my shoes off.

I spent the rest of the week not really getting much done but sleeping, except for printing out a pile of pool info for the other ladies at the pool--

This was the last week at the pool. Pretty depressing. I think I'm going to check into the Providence program further, but probably not until after I get home from---

New York! Yup, I'm going to see Annie, the 4th thru the 8th of May. Looking forward to goofing off, maybe eating pie, seeing some museums, visitng people, and maybe eating some pie... and did I mention pie?

I've seen the new Harry Potter trailer several times- looks like the sixth movie is going to be really good. And I've also seen some shots from on-location shoots for the first part of the seventh movie- so far, so good! The dress that they have Hermione wear for Bill and Fleur's wedding is really nice. I want one!

Off for another try at the sleeping thing...

This looks familiar...

2009-04-17T00:42:00.000-07:00

Wish I had some of that Instant Pain Annihilator, but I would bet that it's components are no longer legal, and I'm too cheap to buy them on the street. So I guess it's another handful of ibuprofen.

So what's been up lately? Not much. I picked up another ILL today- chronicles from the reigns of Stephen through Richard I. However, they didn't arrive in the facing-page translation I wanted- the library said there wasn't a copy in the system. Grr. And yes, my Latin skillz are feeble, but I know enough to poke through the period I'm looking at, and see that what I need to know isn't there. ARGH!

However, the last two ILL requests came in right, in translation, and I took them down to the local cheap copy place (5 cents a page still!) and copied them and put them in ring-binders. So I now have a copy of the _Gesta Normannorum Ducem_ And the _Gesta Stephani_. They're a little earlier than the time period I'm looking for, but way cool sources nonetheless.

I'm planning to go see Annie the first week in May- really looking forward to it and hoping she'll make some pie for me, since she's gotten so famous for it. Hoping to get to see the Cloisters, and the Met. And maybe eat lunch at one of the famed street vendors. :-) And I'll get to see her nifty rent-controlled apartment, and hassle the Iso kitty!

The big bad news is that the pool I've been going to is closing, a week from Monday. They are having financial problems keeping it open, especially now since the babies' classes have left, and apparently it needs some renovation to keep up with operating requirements. Don't know if/where we're going to go somewhere else- I found some stuff on line about the Arthritis Foundation's pool programs, I need to make some phone calls and check out the various locations here in town.

Larry found a new job, but the scheduling really sucks, and he's not very happy. But in the economy, maybe happy isn't as important as it once was. But we don't get to see him very often, which is a pain.

Been alternating laughing my head off and being really cheezed at the protests this week. Allegedly a tax protest, somehow there was an awful lot of really icky anti-Obama signs, which made it look like a bunch of sore losers rather than grumpy taxpayers. And the funny thing is, they aren't paying attention to _reality_ (as usual) because 95% of us are getting a tax cut! So why are they protesting? Well, it might be related to this (which I posted on Facebook earlier today): in the Eugene paper- "The Springfield rally was one of 20 held around the state by the national anti-tax group Americans for Prosperity, which is run by the owners of Koch Industries, the largest privately owned business in the United States." This isn't grass-roots- this is astroturf. By Big Business. And Fox News.

The reason to laugh at them? Because they fancy themselves a modern-day 'Boston Tea Party', and have been calling themselves 'tea-baggers'. And if you look up the term 'tea-baggers' in the Urban Dictionary (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=teabagger ) you'll see why. (Not Safe For Work!)

Of course, when pressed, most of them will insist that the protest is non-partisan, and that they were angry at the taxes and spending under the Bush Administration too. To which I have to say: "Where were you last year?"

Heeeeeeellpp!!!!!

2009-04-02T15:36:00.001-07:00

I always swore I wouldn't get into the social-networking sites, because they're a time sink and I don't need that.

Famous last words.

I'm up to 61 'friends' now, friends, family, etc. And spending too much time reading and commenting and taking silly quizzes. How can it be that 'What Looney Tunes character are you?' turns out to be Daffy Duck (woo-hoo!) but 'What Muppet are you?' was Sam Eagle? (Even Karl and Linda said I was definitely Sam Eagle. Pout.)

In other news, the pool was c-c-c-c-old Weds and those of us who stayed only lasted about 40 minutes. And the locker room was cold too, which is in the 'insult-on-injury' range for me. I came home and went back to bed just to get warm. And it's been cold and rainy a lot the past couple of weeks, which makes it even easier to pull the covers over my head.

A little more than a week until Lent is over. I can hardly wait. Think I'll celebrate at Burgerville.

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!

2009-03-25T21:44:00.000-07:00

* pant pant *

Ok, the scary part is over, but my knuckles are still white. James and I (with Vanyev in the back seat) went to Coronet last Saturday. The event was nice, a fellow named Brogan from Corvaria won, beating Alail in three. Their Majesties were there and gave out quite a few awards, and got lots of cool-looking gifties. The A&S displays were pretty keen (Brizio rocks!) and there were plenty of people to chat with. A nice day all around.

But then we tried to go home...

First off, a flat tire. About 8 miles out of Klamath Falls, there was a FFFFSSSHSHH!!! followed by DUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUD. I managed to pull over into what appeared to be the only wide spot on the shoulder for some distance. There was some interesting rummaging around digging out the spare, the jack, and the lug wrench, but they were all located, and James had the spare on in record time. (And mind you, it was sleeting the whole time.) But it was Veeeeeery Loooooow. Too low to risk limping back into town. So we called AAA, and they came out and put air in it, and we were good to go. Or so we thought.

Less than ten minutes later the sleet turned to snow, and almost immediately we were in near whiteout conditions. At this point I was VERY glad that we'd chosen to go back over hwy 140 instead of 66. 140 is a little longer, but mostly straight. 66 is hairpin turns the whole way. Of course, it was quickly a case of 'I don't care how straight it is, it's still scary!' It was dark, and the snow was soming down really thickly, and the glare from the headlights was pretty bad. And there was enough snow on the road that I could not see the lines. Vanyev could sort of see the fog line from where he was sitting, and I could sort of find the center line if I squinted. So we crept over the hill at 20-25mph. It took forever. We finally got over the ridge and down to the other side, where it was clear and dry. Got back in to Ashland about 11 oclock.

I've never had a drive that frightening, and I hope I never have to do it again!

That was the exciting part of the last week. James and I are spending most of spring break goofing off, though he's been doing some work on church business. Today was the Feast of the Annuniciation, so we went to Kennedy School for dinner. I'm feeling very round at the moment!

Went to a little event today-

2009-03-14T21:16:00.000-07:00

At a castle up in the Columbia Gorge! There's a canton forming out in Hood River, and they held a little potluck at Husum Castle. An interesting place- kinda small (very small with the number of small children in attendance!), but cool! We were using one room on the main floor, and the kitchen. The stairs were scary tiny, circular stairs set into the walls. The windows were all 'gothic' shaped, and the doors all had the rounded tops. Wood floors, and a nice wide hearth. There was a deck just off of the main room, and it had a lovely view of a river. Was quite pretty.

I was smart and brought my own food, which was good because there wasn't much one could eat on a Lenten fast- just a glazed carrot dish and the Canisiones (pastry rolled up with ground almonds, sugar, and rosewater inside) that I brought. But it looked like everyone else got enough to eat and they were happy.

They had several bardic presentations, including a little kid who read a (sanitized) version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. I left earlier than I'd planned (had a BAD headache) but it seemed that everyone was still having a good time.

Had some trouble driving home- the levo-dopa wore off and my legs started doing their thing. Very hard to drive that way. I was really glad to get home and get some drugs!

This week I'm hoping to get some more work done on Elfreda's gown, before I leave Thursday. And I have to remember to clean out the car before then, as we have a passenger (Vanyev) on the way to Coronet. Somehow I don't think he would care to ride with my trash collection. :-)

w00000000t!!!!

2009-03-08T16:04:00.000-07:00

A HAPPY DANCE!!!

I just got back from the library, where I picked up my latest ILL:

_Gesta Normannorum_- chronicles of the 11th and 12th century by William of Jumiges, Orderic Vitalis, and Robert of Torigny-

IN FACING-PAGE TRANSLATION!!!

My pitiful lack of Latin skillz will no longer hold me back (in this place at least) ! I may finally be able to find out where Henry Plantagenet was in August and September of 1154, and what he was up to!

Can we say Kinko's? Yes, we can! (Actually, probably my favorite local copy guy- he's cheaper than Kinko's.)

I may finally be able to move on and get the research and writing going again! Yay!

And I had a German Pancake with blueberries and raspberry couleé for breakfast. Yummy! I like feast days...

UPDATE:

FAIL! AARRGHH! The Chronicle ends just before the time period I need! There's got to be more somewhere, but not in this copy! I am SOOOOOOOO frustrated!

Still dancing...

2009-03-02T17:06:00.000-08:00

... problem is, I'm dancing when I'd rather be sleeping...

Still having serious problems with the restless legs problem- and not just at night. It's plaguing me during the day, too, which is very annoying. The Rx that Dr Becher gave me does quiet it down- for four or five hours. And when I take it during the day, the nausea and light-headedness are a real problem. So I made an appt to see her again (first opening is next Weds. Bah!) and I guess we'll go from there. In the meantime, I'm sleeping erratically and pretty cranky. * sigh * But I got weighed today and supposedly lost just a smidgen of weight. Just not enough.

Let's see, what else... Judith (Claire) has moved most of her stuff into the basement, but she is also house-sitting for someone else so she isn't actually here at the moment. I haven't been down to see the basement yet, but we expect to be re-arranging stuff for awhile, mostly so she can live while I can still get to the stuff I need.

Annie and I are thinking about my visiting her sometime this spring, maybe May or June. The weather is pretty nice then and it's not really high tourist season yet. Something to think about in the next month or so.

I have sewing to do much I'm not feeling up to crawlin gupstairs to work just now. I really need a nap, but guess why I'm not sleeping? When I'm a bit more awake, maybe I'll get moving. I got Elfreda's gown cut out the other day and it should run up fairly quickly once I get started.

Think I'll give the nap thing another try...

That noise you heard

2009-02-22T20:35:00.000-08:00

... about 4 this afternoon was me, in the dressing room, trying on jeans. I was down to one pair that I could get on, so buy some more I must. Tried on 6 pairs- 5 in the size I've been wearing, and one in the next size up. Guess which one fit? Yeah, and insult on injury- they're 'relaxed fit', too.

I really wanted to throw myself on the floor and have a good wail about it, but the floor was filthy. And crying wouldn't really help and it might attract attention that I don't want. So I put the too-small jeans away and headed for the fabric section...

I'm really extra frustrated because I've really really really been working on the diet, and I've been hitting the pool 2-3 times a week, and working hard while I'm there. It would be reasonable to expect the size to go down, not up, right? Well, I guess I live in Backwards Land.

Did score a really nice piece of what I'm pretty sure is linen, maybe hemp, in a lettuce green, and a black and white tweed wool. I need to get some of my backlog caught up, and then make myself some new tourney wear, hopefully before Egils.

Still having medication issues. The Sinemet (the Levo-Dopa stuff) is holding down the restless legs stuff- barely. When it's near time for the next dose I'm usually twitching again. And it really lays me out- just want to stay in bed. And the nausea is a problem too. But I can't stand the twitching, so laying off the meds is not an option.

And Lent starts this week. And I do not care for fish.

The world conspires against me.

The Little Volvo That Could!

2009-02-17T20:21:00.001-08:00

Well, I went to Ashland for the long weekend, and Zippy the Wonder Volvo was very good! For some reason the overdrive decided to work properly the whole way, and I managed to get a head start on all of the passes- didn't have to shift down any farther than 4th gear, which is pretty amazing. And she got really good mileage too. Now if only _I_ got that good of mileage!

I was not feeling well the whole weekend, and James let me sleep a lot, which was very kind of him but I felt bad- I didn't drive 300 miles to sleep the whole time! Argh! But he made a very nice Valentine's dinner, and I got lots of cuddle time, which I sorely needed.

But I slept all day today, which I wasn't happy about. I had forgotten why I don't make the trip very often- because it completely wipes me out. But I'm headed down next month, for March Coronet. And planning to spend Spring Break with James- whether we spend most of it here or there I don't know yet.

I stopped in Eugene to visit a little with Stephen. He was at work but took a short break to chat with Mom. He's sick, with whatever Plague is going around down there, sore throat and a bad cough. He might be up to visit a little more often now, being as how he's got a girlfriend, and she lives in Portland. Her name is Meredith and she's as tall as he is. I'm hoping to get to meet her sometime...

I stopped to see Lydia on my way down. Didn't stay too long because I was running a little bit late (and I wanted to get through the passes in daylight if I could). They are doing about the same as usual. And traffic there by Gateway Mall was crazed as usual. I hate that interchange.

Shadow is not speaking to me. He's been shunning me since I got back. I guess he's mad that I went away and closed my bedroom door so he couldn't come in and steal things off my desk. Silly cat!

WANT!!!

2009-02-05T15:43:00.000-08:00

If one must be a Cranky Pants, one must dress the part!

Yes, I'm still cranky. Been taking the new drugs for the restless legs thing- and getting a good solid 5 hours of unbroken sleep before I start twitching again. Catching up during the daytime isn't cutting it either, as I'm twitching during the day now too. This makes me cranky. So I called the Dr back and she upped the dosage on the meds. We'll have to see how that goes. I would really like to get some decent sleep...

Zippy went to the shop and got her clutch adjusted, which was a good thing as I was having to arm-wrestle the stick to shift. Seems to be ok now though.

I've been cleaning my room- went through the huge pile on my desk and I can actually see the surface in places. There's still piles of stuff on the floor, but I'm making progress with that (much of it involves putting SCA stuff away). What to do with the dresser top I don't know- just is no place to put things! If I could find another place for my winged pig, that would help, but it's fragile and I don't want to put it where it might get knocked over. And why is there a pair of champagne flutes on the dresser? I have no idea.

I think I need Dudley's second bedroom!

Truth in advertising and all...

2009-01-30T16:46:00.000-08:00

I've got a good crabby going on. And I think I've earned it!

1) the DSL line went down *again*, about 3 this morning. I got up this morning and found no mail, and it wouldn't connect. Went downstairs grumbling, reset the modem, came back up. Still no connection. Repeat. So I called Qwest, waited through the menu (is it just me or do others feel really stupid yelling 'representative!' at the top of their lungs, trying to get the voice recognition system to get it right?), finally got a human. Who immediately said "It's not our fault." That was BS and I told her so. I explained that when this happens they fart around until I lose my temper and yell at them and then they suddenly fix the problem, and that this time I was willing to skip the farting around part and go straight to my yelling. Got the 'one moment please'. She eventually came back on and said that yes, there did seem to be a problem, it would be a couple of minutes while she worked with the other department to track it down and get it fixed. Fine, I can wait.

And then their phone system dumped me.

One would think that the phone company would have a system that didn't hang up on people that they're supposedly helping, but I guess that's to much to ask. So I had to call and go through the whole thing all over again. Got put on hold again, eventually they put through a 'trouble ticket' and sent it off to another department, and it would be an hour or so.

Luckily, it was only about 40 minutes, and suddenly the email dumped into the inbox. Of course by this time I'd

2) missed my swim class, so I started the day double cranky.

3) To top if off, a fair amount of this phone stuff involved me going up and down the stairs, saying "No, there's the correct row of lights on the box", "No, there's still no connection at the computer", etc etc etc. Being as how I hadn't yet dressed for the day, I did not have the ankle brace on.

Can we see where this is going?

Just wrenched it good- really hardly moved but it's still really touchy and BOY did it hurt! So it's strapped up again and I'm popping the ibuprofen and cussing under my breath.

4) Oh- and yesterday I got a bill in the mail for $67066.29. Who doesn't love opening up one of those, eh? Can I pay it? HAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!!!!!

5) I have no chocolate. Homeland Security may want to bump the warning up to red...

Bleah.

2009-01-28T18:44:00.000-08:00

Nothing much happening, so there's not been much to say. I saw Dr Fickle last Thursday, we upped the anti-depressants a little, but that's about it. Saw Dr Becher on Monday, she says that the ankle may just take awhile to heal up- partly because I'm getting older (noooooo!) and partly because of my weight. Which actually went down by 8 pounds (YAY!). Talked with her about the restless legs stuff, she wrote a scrip for a med for it- it's something that they usually use for Parkinson's, but has been getting good reviews for the restless legs. So far I'm getting about 5 or 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep before the jumping starts. It's a good start, hope that as the blood levels go up I'll get something more like real sleep.

We've had snow a couple of times this past week. Doesn't last very long, but it sure looks nice while it's here.

Still been reading Frankish stuff, much of it Merovinian because there's more artifacts to look at. The Merovingians buried folks with grave goods, which is great for those of us who like to look at that sort of thing. But the Carolingians were more Christianized, and didn't bury with grave goods, so we don't have as much in material culture to look at. Very frustrating.

I really should be upstairs, finishing cleaning the sewing room. But I'm sleep and I don't want to. Maybe if I start getting better sleep I'll be a little more motivated to do stuff...

Underneath all of that clothing...

2009-01-22T00:54:00.000-08:00

... is daughter Annie, who like a crazy person went on a road trip and was at the Inauguration! She went with a bunch of friends, they drove all night, had to walk several miles, and ended up in the shadow of the Washington Monument- but they were THERE! w00T!!!!

Second picture is Marine One, taking W away.

Just savor that for a moment...

... ahhh! That's better!

YES WE DID!

2009-01-20T16:06:00.000-08:00

Yes indeedy, we have a new President! (And he knew his lines, even if the Chief Justice did not...)

The excitement around here was not just watching the Inauguration on the tv- Today was extra exciting for us because Annie and a bunch of her friends in NYC borrowed a car and drove to DC for the Inauguration! She said they made it- had to walk about three miles and they were in the shadow of the Washington monument, but they were there! She said the crowd was AMAZING and she'll post as soon as she can get somewhere to use an iPhone or something- they're booking on home now because they all have to work tomorrow.

So why am I crying? Wow.

What a beautiful land this is! And a beautiful, brand new day! And such fortune to start it with a President such as this!

(And I can hardly wait to see Michelle's dress! :-)

I'm tired of being cold.

2009-01-17T17:01:00.000-08:00

I know that I'll feel differently, say, late August when my brain has been baking, but I'm really tired of winter already! We really have it easy here- we had our annual snowstorm and that's done, and now it's just clear and cold. Whole days go by where the urge to stay in bed and pile on the blankets is overwhelming. (Hence the bed piled over with blankets and the collection of books and magazines on James' side of the bed.)

Nothing much interesting happening. I managed to get myself out to the pool yesterday. And I got my laundry done. And I read the Royal Frankish Annals, Nithard's Histories, Einhard's Life of Charlemagne, and Notker the Stammerer's accounts. And I still haven't found that little tidbit about where Desiderius' daughter went after Charles ended their marriage- somewhere in the past year I have a very clear memory of reading something that said what monastery she retired to. And I can't remember where! And I have this huge pile of Frankish sources that I have to go back through. That'll show me for now marking it or writing it down somewhere. I guess that the days of simply remembering are over. Bother.

Sometime in the next few days we hope to get Zippy the Wonder Volvo down to see Adam and get her clutch fixed, which is needful. And maybe have the window switch fixed so they'll go up and down again. Hopefully the other Volvo will be done, so I'd have access to wheels while they're working on Zippy. I need to get to the pool, and I have an appt with the shrink on Thursday that I'm NOT going to miss- I need to to walk in and tell him that I am NOT THRIVING. To say the least.

Maybe later tonight I'll head upstairs and try to finish the last little bit of work on my coat. Maybe having a new coat would make winter a little more bearable...

Today's self-portrait...

2009-01-14T13:48:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm feeling mighty slug-like. Have been all week- came home from 12th Night and crashed, and not done much since. I did get out for a little bit yesterday, went to pick up my med refills, and before I came home, I went to Burgerville. Heh. It required digging in my purse for change, but I had a Chocolate-Hazelnut milkshake. And it was delicious. :-)

My dress was a hit at 12th Night- the mantle and coat worked perfectly too. I skipped out on morning court and cruised the merchants' room. Lots of keen stuff, but I kept my wallet firmly in my bag. Did chat with Wm. Bjornson about fixing my ring, and if I'm a good girl and save my pennies, I might be able to afford to have that done this summer.

The ankle is still a bit touchy- I was on my feet too much at 12th Night and felt it. And I'm having a really hard time with the restless legs thing at night. Dear Abby said that putting a bar of soap in bed with me would fix it, but I guess I don't have enough faith, because it really hasn't helped. Makes the sheets smell nice though.

And if we can get Zippy's clutch issues sorted out, I'm planning to go visit James for Valentine's weekend, just to spend some alone time together. Things are looking grim on the student-teaching front, and we haven't quite figured out what to do next. * Sigh * Can never seem to catch an even break...

Nearly there-

2009-01-07T23:01:00.000-08:00

Well, here's the progress so far. I have yet to do the hem, a little bit of finish work on the cuffs, and the beadwork. I think I can breathe a little easier now. :-) Tomorrow I need to go to the grocery, get my pre-cook done (I'm taking some hand-held pies among other things), and pack. I figure I can leave the beadwork to last, since it's sort of optional (the gown is pretty shiny without). And tomorrow is Thursday, so I might even get to do beadwork during Project Night, depending on what other stuff I'm helping folks finish.

In not-so-good news, I-5 is closed between here and Olympia, due to flooding. If the water doesn't recede, it could be a smallish event!

Short progress report-

2009-01-04T20:40:00.000-08:00

Since I've actually been working on my 12th Night stuff...

I have the front and back pieced together, and next I need to do the shoulder seam so I can line up the neckline and put the front stripe down. Adding in the extra embroidered motifs on the center stripe worked well- it looks great, and will look better when I have some beadwork done. The colors in the photo don't even sort of do justice to it- the red is actually a vivid orange-red, the stuff that shows pink is really a pretty cappuccino beige, and the embroidery is gold. I need to dig through my makeup- I _know_ I have a lipstick that is just the right color. ;-) I also have the coat blocked out. Due to the tricks of making it from a sari, it is basically an aba, and I'm not sure if I want to change that or not. I think I will finish the main gown and see what I think then.

In other news- my ankle still hurts and I'm still having trouble with the nausea. James went home Saturday (BOO!). Christene and Victoria came over Sunday afternoon and we got quite a bit done on their stuff, including a hat for Christene- the little black velvet 'flowerpot' hennin. It will look cool. :-) I still need to figure out the camera that Ellen gave me so I can take it to the event and get pictures.

Oh- and the vitamin industry is really digging into us- I decided to do the supplement route for the restless legs I've been having, since yet more drugs is not a good idea. I was shocked at the prices! Shocked, I say! Since when should a bottle of vitamins cost more than the Rx I'm trying to avoid?!?

Got the fancy new medical ID card in the mail the other day- but of course they can't get it right the first time- they arrived without name or ID # or anything- but XXXXXXX where those things ought to be. So this card could belong to Charlie Manson for all anyone knows- certainly nothing on them links them to me! I tried to call Friday to find out what to do, and of course the lines were busy and the state phone system hung up on me. Three times. And this is an improvement how?

And dammit- it's snowing again. So much for hitting the pool in the morning...

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T13:26:00.000-08:00

Dance dance dance my kitties! It's a new year!

(And good riddance to the old one!)

I got my cast off Tuesday, which was a relief! No more crutches! They did another set of xrays, and it still wasn't broken but instead they think I'd just torn the @#%$^& out of the Superior Extensor Retinaculum (i.e. the horizontal band of tissue just above the ankle in the front). They decided that the cast was more trouble than it was worth. So I have a spiffy new brace, and I can manage with just the cane, thankyouverymuch.

I was on my feet for a little too long yesterday though- and I'm feeling it today! We went to Powells (I got a copy of _Beedle the Bard_ and a book for Lydia)

James and I went to the New Year's Eve
concert at the cathedral (he was ushering so I got in early- which was
good- the line was off the campus and down the block when we got there
30 min before the doors opened) and it was spectacular as usual.  :-) 
Complete with bagpipes playing 'Auld Lang Syne'. We came home and James
made a big pot of black-eyed peas with smoked turkey and cornbread, and
I made mustard greens to go with. And we opened a bottle of champagne at
midnight. It was all very tasty.  :-)

I made my usual resolutions (lose weight, finish writing projects, etc) so I guess I'll see how that goes. So far, so good- I haven't eaten myself into a stupor yet! (But then the day is young...;-)

It's not broken! But...

2008-12-26T21:34:00.001-08:00

Since most of you already knew I've been laid up, thought I'd drop a note, as we just got back from the ER. Week before Sunday, Wanda and I were walking to Kennedy School and I fell on the ice about halfway there. I thought it was just a sprain, and I know how to take care of a sprain, so I didn't think much of it. By the time I realized that it wasn't 'just' a sprain, we were snowed in! Argh!. Finally got the truck out today and went to ER for xrays. Not broken- just a *really* bad sprain, tendon damage, etc. I have a half-cast sorta splint and crutches and I get to follow up with the orthopedist next week. Looking at 4-6 weeks recovery. :-P But I'll be at 12th Night! Just be a little less mobile than usual, that's all...

And that's pretty much it! We've been in the house, mostly curled up with books and kitties (though Wanda hogs the kitties) and trying to stay warm. I haven't cut out my 12th Night gown yet because I haven't been up to dragging myself up the stairs to the sewing room. Maybe later this weekend I can do that. Need to get some stuff done around here- James will be up sometime Sunday to spend the rest of winter break with me, since I couldn't come down. Hoping we can find some time to spend just goofing off... not that I don't goof off a lot already, but usually when he's here we get busy and then I get overtired and crash...

And hopefully I can get some cookies made, so that James can drop some cookies off with the kids on his way home!

Bah! Humbug!

2008-12-20T13:36:00.001-08:00

It's cold (25 degrees), it's windy, and it's snowing. Again. I have errands to run but no one has ventured out on our street yet. So Wanda and I have voted to stay under the covers again, at least until a little later in the afternoon. Need baking ingredients (must have fudge! And pfeffernuisse!) and I'm not walking anywhere. Bah!

I got some more work done on the bound buttonholes on my coat- I'd forgotten what a pain they are. I still have to cut the openings on the inside lining and tack them into the buttonhole, and then hem the darn thing. And I have to get it done because I want to get my 12th Night gown cut out before I leave for Ashland. I think I figured out how to do the embellishment down the front- Wanda bought some of the same embroidered fabric in a latte color, some I'm doing the center strip and yoke with that. And bead the embroidery. :-) Haven't quite figured out the coat cut yet though.

I'm getting tired of this weather. Just sayin'.

LOOK OUT!

2008-12-16T16:12:00.001-08:00

Yup, there's more snow supposedly arriving sometime tonight. Snow, freezing rain, and/or some combination thereof. I went out today and ran errands, figuring that I might not be able to get Zippy out for another few days. I managed to get her start without too much trouble, which was good. 26th here is still about 40% ice, so it's slow getting out, but Killingsworth is clear. The packing lot at Walgreens was pretty icky though. But I got the necessities- Susitna's meds, milk/bread/eggs, and a bottle of Bailey's to spike our cocoa. (Definitely a necessity!) Also went to the US Postal Highway Robbery and mailed Annie's box. (Cost almost twice what I'd estimated.)

So I got the errands done, and the last of the prezzies came in the mail today. But I've been on my feet way too much today, and my leg really hurts. I'm beginning to wonder if it's more than a sprain. On the other hand, it's only been since Sunday- I'll wait a few more days before I get really worried about it. Right now it's just annoying. And Painful.

I'm hoping that the weather clears out a bit for the weekend- Gemma and I really need to get some more done on her bliaut- I'm leaving a week from today and won't be home until about the 2nd. That's awfully close to 12th Night, and I really want her to be able to wear the bliaut at the event. And I haven't even cut mine out! Yikes! I'd better get moving!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

2008-12-14T17:21:00.000-08:00

Yoinks! Our weather is pretty frightful- they closed I-5 mid-morning and declared a chain requirement here in town. _That_ I've never seen. Wanda thought we could still go to breakfast, but I pointed out that I don't have chains for Zippy (which will probably be remedied before I head south, I hope) so we walked to Kennedy School instead. About halfway there she allowed as that it probably was a good thing we weren't driving- heavy wind, snow/ice mix on the ground, ice blowing in our faces. I had ice-frosted eyebrows by the time we got there. I fell about halfway there- sprained an ankle and wrenched my knee. Wanda fell just inside the doors but she seems to be ok (she made some comment about Weebles...). We had french toast and cocoa and it was yummy. And spent most of the rest of the day in bed. Heater's running and all but the wind is so high it's only 54 in Wanda's room and 60 in here- it's slamming right into those back windows. And she's hogging the kitties. :-(

It's supposed to be even colder tomorrow- highs around 25, wind chill of 13. I don't think I'm going to the pool in the morning.

Nothing much this week...

2008-12-14T00:58:00.000-08:00

and I haven't been especially inspired. Seems like I spent the week either sleeping, or in the bathroom being violently ill. (I so hate IBS...) Been trying to get the Christmas shopping done though, and I'm expecting some of it in the mail in the next few days.

The one neat thing this week- my nails are actually growing out. Several of them are doing that weird thing where they flatten and then curl down, which looks a little weird, but they aren't bitten off, and I can actually wear polish and look halfway decent. Hooray for small victories!

Ahh, Bach!

2008-12-07T00:25:00.000-08:00

Ahh...

Three hours of Bach.

On period instruments.

In the Cathedral.

WOW.

James got tickets for tonight's concert but couldn't make it himself, so I took Claire. It was wonderful. Bach's Christmas Oratorio, with soloists, choir, and orchestra. The oboes were especially outstanding, and I was having a blast watching the organist- he was really 'into' the music. The soprano soloist looked alot like Annie, and oddly enough, is about the same age. The contralto was awesome. What a voice!

And then we came back here and made hot fudge sundaes, which seemed a fitting end to the evening. :-)

Not much else happening. The leftovers are gone. I'm slowly amassing Christmas presents. Got an especially good one for Wanda. James already know what I'm getting him, but I'm wrapping it anyway. :-) Shadow is still fluffy and dumb as a brick, and I still feel like crap most of the time. :-P Bleh.

I ran into (nearly literally) Paul the other day and had lunch with him to catch up. He's still planning to move to Thailand as soon as he can put together a job there. I has one on the line now but it needs a resolution to the latest coup, so he's still waiting on that. Apparently he and the girl over there are no longer an item, but he didn't say what happened. Was a nice enough lunch, but a little disconcerting. I saw brief flashes of the Paul I used to know, but not much. Mostly he's angry and bitter and almost hateful. He complains that he doesn't have friends here in Portland but the friends he's had he's shoved away. Last time I pointed that out he said I was mean and didn't speak to me for several months. I still haven't figured out what was mean about telling the truth. At any rate, it was odd to see what he's become and know that there's not a damn thing I can do for him. Someone that angry has got to be in a lot of pain, but rather like a wounded animal, he has a knack for biting someone who tries to help. Very, very sad.

Also made me very, very glad to have James. Goofball that he is, he is an amazing man. Basically happy with himself and the world, and it is truly amazing just how much that does to color your life.

Hot fudge helps too. :-)

Leftovers!

2008-11-29T20:19:00.000-08:00

The potatoes are gone and the gravy is gone and the pumpkin pie is long gone, but there's still lots of turkey and heretical (cornbread) stuffing, and a little cranberry sauce and lots of the vegetable dishes. No reason to go hungry in this house!

We had 12 at dinner Thursday and 16 on Friday- house has been very busy place! I made the pies (which came out brilliantly!) and the cranberry sauce and completely slacked off on everything else, which meant that I didn't totally collapse (yay for me!) and I'm even vaguely human here on Saturday. James and I went for a walk this afternoon, stopped at a local resale shop (I spent a little moneys there) and then went to McMenamin's for drinks and just some time by ourselves. It was nice. Then we walked back home and had more turkey. :-)

David and Lydia are here, and Stephen got here yesterday afternoon- they've been playing games (though David has been working on some homework too) and in general behaving themselves. Dan and Ellen and her folks have been in and out- shopping etc. Most everyone goes home tomorrow- it will be very quiet when they're all gone!

And Monday is time to seriously cut back the eating- I have no clothes that fit anymore!

Food food food!

2008-11-25T14:40:00.000-08:00

So _how_ many groceries can be brought home? Well, enough that the garage is being used as an auxilliary refrigerator!

We're well into prep for Thanksgiving weekend, been grocery shopping and cleaning the house. I finally finished playing tetris with my camp dishes and got the two boxes re-packed and back downstairs. I have two stacks of serving bowls to put away yet, and then my junk is out of the dining room. I still have to clean my room though, and re-make the bed and all. I did take an enormous stack of cardboard boxes out to the recycling bin, so that's something.

My sister Merrie is having drama in her life at the moment. Not much I can do from Oregon (she's in Las Vegas). But I did put out a couple of feelers to friends there, and if there's anything they can do, that might help. I do wish that she were closer though.

Stephen called last night, and he has to work Thursday but he will be up for the rest of the weekend. Yay! David and Lydia are coming up with James. Annie is hosting an 'Orphans Thanksgiving' there in Brooklyn, and she's really excited about it- she says she's going to make a BIG turkey this year, and there will be pumpkin pies and cranberries. :-) Guess I raised her right.

Well, off to fold laundry...

I haz frog in mai froat...

2008-11-19T02:54:00.000-08:00

Actually, the voice is pretty much ok- it's just that the throat is scratchy and sore. And to make it worse, one of my bedtime pills got stuck and even though I managed to finally get it down, the throat is even scratchier now. Bother.

Saturday Victoria and Christene came over and we went fabric shopping. Yay! I love spending other peoples' money. :-) We went to Fabric Depot, looking for something for Victoria to make into a Byzantine gown for 12th Night. Well, we found a lovely taffeta, in a rich coffee brown, with embroidered gold quatrefoils. It was in the sale section for $9.99/yd, which was pretty good, and then we found the 50% off tag on it! That was such a great price I went and got some too, in a red/gold shot with the gold quatrefoils. It'll make a spiffy Frankish gown, and I won't have to embroider the bejeezus out of it.

I slept most of Sunday and Monday, and Tuesday Ilonka came over and we worked on her 12th Night gown, which was mostly me putting the pieces up and her pinning and sewing them. While she was working, I worked on my new coat. The sleeves are in and part of the lining is tacked in. I still have the front opening, the collar and the hems to do yet. But I'm closer than I was a few days ago. Maybe I'll have it done by the weekend. Happy Birthday to me...

Think I'll go get some herb tea for this throat.

YAAAWN!!!

2008-11-14T12:30:00.000-08:00

No really, I'm just about that tired! I'd crawl back into bed, but there's a cat on it, and I hate to disturb him. Sleeping kids and kitties are so cute, they make you forget how rotten they are when they're awake...

Saturday I hosted a weekend workparty. At one point I counted 9 of us, and we really got a lot done. I cut stuff out for Aleyn and Helena, Claire worked some more on her blue gown, Regina and Matilda worked on drafting a new doublet for Regina, Honoria hung out while I cut out a Burgundian gown for Agnes, and Ursel dropped by later in the evening. I made pizzas for dinner and Aleyn brought two huge cream pies (Mmmm... pie!). We hung out chatting and eating until about midnight. Was fun!

Sunday Agnes and Matilda and Claire were back, and we got a LOT done on the Burgundian gown. But man, by the time everyone left I was barely moving. More than a little overdrawn at the energy bank!

I actually got some stuff done for myself- slowly but surely the nutmeg-colored wool is becoming a new coat. I'm lining and interlining it, so it should be warm. And the color is sooo nice and warm! Looks like pumpkin pie! I have the main body put together, and the sleeves are together. I have to finish the front opening and put a collar on it, then I can do the side seams and put the sleeves on, and then hem it. Maybe I'll finish it this weekend.

Regina is at the ATC this weekend, so I'm on kitty duty. Susitna needs extra meds and such, and she's not being especially cooperative about it. And she's so skittish about being near someone, much less touched or held, it's been a chore to get them down her. Silly cat.

I actually ordered myself some- *gasp!*- new clothes! Not much- just some new black leggings, as the last of mine died. I also ordered some music- one of my Sting tapes is dying from overuse, so I ordered a CD to replace it. And I ordered some of James' Christmas present. Heh heh heh. :-) Now I have to wait for more money to come in to get more shopping done.

Ehhhh... move over, cat. I need a nap.

About the echocardiogram-

2008-11-07T16:39:00.000-08:00

Wednesday I had the echocardiogram, and it was a very interesting experience. It's basically an ultrasound, specifically one of the heart. The other ultrasounds I've had were obstetric, so it was interesting to not be watching a kid on the screen. It was also interesting to watch my heart beat on the screen, especially as they looked ast different parts.

Well, they didn't really see anything that would necessarily explain the atrial fibrillation episodes. They did say that my left atrium is slightly enlarged. And there's evidence to suggest that I had a mild heart attack at some time in the last few years. I think I know when it was, and at the time I'd thought it was a bad med reaction. Well, now I know better. Anyway, basically it's a wait and see sort of thing. If I have another bad episode with the a-fib they want to see me, otherwise I get to kind of muddle through myself.

In other news, I finally finished the verger's robes, at about 4am Thursday. I ran down to Salem and delivered them Thursday evening, and James (who was there for a church conference) thought they were wonderful. Yay. I was so tired I didn't care. And now I have to clean the sewing room- I'm hosting a sewing work weekend this weekend, and the sewing room looks like a bomb went off. A bomb of black velvet floof and wool scraps and threads...

YES WE DID!

2008-11-05T01:06:00.000-08:00

Aren't those just the cutest little girls? And they get to go to Washington with a new puppy!

The votes aren't completely counted everywhere- I understand that Nebraska isn't done counting yet, and the margin is razor thin, as is Missouri with a 338 vote margin. You could just about shave with that! But we opened the champagne when CNN called it for Obama, and my, but it was good!

Now comes the hard part, of course- putting the country back to rights. So many things, so much to do! But having seen the energy people put into the campaign, if Obama can get that kind of support after the inauguration, there's almost nothing we can't accomplish. I think that we are on the verge of big things.

Speaking of _verge_, the chevrons are on the second sleeve, and they are halfway corded. I should be able to finish them up and get the lining put in to both sleeves, and start pleating them in. Time is tight, but I think I can do it.

One day to go!

2008-11-03T01:14:00.001-08:00

The excitement is palpable... I bought a bottle of champagne to open Tuesday night, and the checker asked what I was celebrating. I said "Tomorrow's election day! And it sure looks like Obama's going to win!" She grinned, and said "Good plan!"

If I can shake free the time tomorrow I think I'll bake some brownies and take them down to the Obama office on Killingsworth. They were out there collecting ballots last night, in the rain. I suspect that some warm chocolate love would be a good thing.

I've worn a grove in my finger, working on the verger's robes. I was going to post some more pictures but the photos are really grainy and you really can't see anything. (If anyone wants to know what to get for me for Christmas, a decent digital camera would be a Very Good Thing.) The work has gone slow but is speeding up, mostly of necessity. I have the chevrons tacked down on one of the sleeves, and the embroidered cord is done on one chevron. That will go fairly quickly though. After both sleeves are chevroned, I have to pleat them up and put them on the body of the gown. After that, they're done. It's just getting the other sleeve done that is going to take time... I have to deliver them Thursday, so I'm on the line here.

Busy week besides- Monday afternoon it's time for the yearly mammogram (oh, such fun! Not.), Tuesday is Election Day, and we'll be watching the returns, And Wednesday is the echocardiogram. Sleep? What is this thing you call sleep?

Update:
Just put the brownies in the oven. Now if I could just get the 'Witchita Lineman' song out of my head, it'd be a halfway decent day...

Getting down to the wire...

2008-10-29T00:31:00.000-07:00

A week from now we should have the election results, and if things go like they're looking, the Democrats will be celebrating. In the meantime though, there's plenty of what hits the fan about, and the noise to content ratio is getting pretty high. Ah, for the calm of November 5th!

(Would that be calm, or just a hangover?)

Still working on the verger's robes, and encountering glitches. I'd ordered some twisted cord from Fabric Depot, to finish the lapel edges and around the chevrons on the sleeves. Made the order nearly three months ago and waited, and waited, and waited. Finally Saturday I told them to cancel the order. They called me back Monday to explain what had happened. Apparently Heritage Trims, the company that makes the braid, has merged with another company, and is now working out of China (of course). There's been problems filling orders since this happened, and the guy who called me says that when things come in- if they come in- the quality isn't that great. Fabric Depot is now phasing out that product line, as it's too much trouble. Which doesn't help me much, but it was good to finally find out why the cord was not coming in.

No one else in town seems to have it either, so I'm going with plan B and embroidering the braid myself. It isn't that hard- just time consuming. But it looks good and it's getting done, slowly but surely.

The other glitch has been figuring out the folded section in the lapels. The book with the patterning sketches doesn't come with construction instructions, so I've been doing a lot of fiddling trying to figure out how the pieces work. This slows me down and gives me extra headaches, which I have anyway- working black on black is really hard on the eyes. Gotta get it done though- they need it before the 6th, so I need to finish it up this weekend. Hey- the work keeps me out of trouble, right?

Actually, it's rather anti-climactic...

2008-10-24T00:32:00.000-07:00

...since here in Oregon we vote by mail. The ballot comes in the mail- you open it up, mark the little ovals (rather like the scantron forms in college exams) and put it in the envelope provided, sign it, stamp it, and put it back in the mail. Wanda and I both did ours tonight- two votes for Obama for the record. The hardest part is reading all the little tiny type on the sheet that explained all of the ballot measures.

Voting used to be mysterious. I can remember going into the voting booth with my dad once, when he pulled the lever for Richard Nixon. (I'm not certain but I think mom voted for Humphrey.) And the day I turned 18 I went down and registered to vote, at my brothers' elementary school. My first vote was for Ronald Reagan (I'm sorry! I got over it!), down at the fire station in Puyallup. I had Annie in the Snugli when I did it (and she was terribly scarred, I'm sure ;-)

In '88 it was clear from the pulpit who we were supposed to vote for- Bush Sr, of course. But I didn't. I'd been paying attention during the Iran Contra scandal, and was appalled when Bush claimed he hadn't known what was going on. I couldn't vote for him, because either he was lying, or he'd been the stupidest vp ever; either way, I didn't want him in the Oval Office. So I voted for Dukakis. My first 'protest' vote, I suppose...

Voted for Clinton twice, voted for Gore, voted for Kerry. Heck, I even did a little volunteer work for Kerry. Been volunteering for Obama too. Bought the yard sign, so we look like all over the other neighbors. (I love this neighborhood!)

Coloring in the little oval for Obama, I almost felt like some stirring anthem should be playing in the background- if it had been a movie, there would have been dramatic lighting and French horns. Instead it was just my desk lamp and the hum of my computer. But I filled in the ballot and it's stamped and sitting in front of the printer, waiting to go into the mail tomorrow. No band, no purple finger. Just the sense of a job well done. :-)

Ah, my favorite time of year...

2008-10-21T23:32:00.000-07:00

The leaves are turning and the nights are getting chilly and I can wear my sweaters again! And soon there will be Thanksgiving! This evening at McMenamin's I had a bowl of 'Steak and Ale Stew' which was much too yummy. And two cups of cocoa. It was just that sort of an evening.

Tonight Larry worked on his coif while I worked on the verger's robes. I got both of the welt pockets in the lining done, and the side pocket in the outer layer. Next I need to do the velvet facings and such. Haven't figured out exactly _how_, however, so I may need to sleep on it. Maybe I'll work it out in my dreams- I usually do.

I found David a coat for his birthday, a nice one at Ross, microfiber suede, very water-repellent and really nice looking. Need to get it into the mail soon, along with Lydia's presents. I don't think that I can afford to head down there on Sunday though. I may just send David some money to take Lydia out for her birthday.

Two weeks left in the campaign. Bleh.

Current status of the ticker...

2008-10-17T18:18:00.000-07:00

I got back from the cardiologist's about an hour ago- spent all afternoon being poked and prodded and such, and they did another EKG. Upshot is, that I apparently had an episode of atrial fibrillation. It has passed, and the EKG came out clear today. But they're going to go an echocardiogram next week to get a good look, and then go from there. In the meantime, no marathons. :-)

Been a fairly quiet week, outside of the dr appts. Wanda and I watched the debate Wednesday and spent a lot of time yelling at the tv. Didn't bother with any of the drinking games though- neither of us needed to get that drunk on a weeknight. :-) We had a full house for Project Night- Claire was here, Jen and Mike were here, and Victoria and Christene were here, working on masks for the Masque on Saturday. I got materials this morning for my potluck entry, and I'll probably put that together tonight. James will be up sometime later this evening (I have cleared off his side of the bed, except for a couple of books) and I am really looking forward to seeing him- haven't seen him since July.

18 days to Election Day! Boy, I sure wish it were over with...

@#$%^&*! Cartridge pleats...

2008-10-12T14:19:00.000-07:00

My fingers are sore and no, I can't work with a thimble. And the verger's robes I'm working on have cartridge pleats across the back and over both shoulders. I have the back pleated up:

And the front pattern piece is cut out- not easy, as it's a weird shape:

I'm taking a couple of hours to do other stuff- I'm working from a schematic in an 1895 book on making scholars' and clerical robes, and it is not the clearest source to work from. My brain is tired.

I borrowed a copy of the remake of _Lion in Winter_ from Mike and Jen, and watched it the other night. I didn't care for it. The dialogue didn't work as well- parts were really rushed, and I would have missed several really good lines had I not already known where they were. Patrick Stewart didn't seem to grasp Henry's nature, the quirky, impulsive, unpredictable, manic nature, and so much of the play is driven by that nature, it didn't have the energy it needed to propel it along. The guy that played the Marshal was good. Glenn Close's Eleanor wasn't too bad, but lacking the right Henry to play off of, kind of fell flat. The guys playing the boys... at times I liked their Richard, but mostly didn't. (Same with Alys.) Geoffery was ok. John was horrible. Not even close. And Phillip lacked the strength to make him really work.

Of course, matching or superceding Hepburn and O'Toole is next to impossible...

I see Dr Becher tomorrow morning, and maybe we'll know more about the pre-authorizations for the cardiologist, etc. I'm glad to have any coverage at all, but man, the hoops to jump through are a real annoyance!

Thumpata-thump!

2008-10-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

Well Bobs and Bobbettes, here's the latest news: I'm sick.

Yeah, yeah, I know that's kind of a given, but this is new and different and kinda scary. Starts out with my not feeling good since Saturday- and not the normal 'not feeling well'. I feel like I've had WAAAAAAAAAAAYYY too much caffeine, but I haven't had any since breakfast Saturday. Hammering heart, basically, enough that my neck is pounding too. And not episodic- continuous- since Saturday. This morning I decided that Something is Wrong and called the doctor. Dr Becher wasn't in today, but when I used the H word they fit me in with someone else. So I saw Dr. Henriques. Anyway, the EKG came out abnormal- atrial fibrillation with slow ventricular response (that's right from the sheet, which I kept). They took a bunch of labs to check blood chemistry, etc. Dr said that my heart is not beating too fast, but irregularly. They sent me for a chest x-ray, and when they can get authorization through I'm supposed to go for an echocardiogram and to see a cardiologist. In the meantime, there's not much I can do, other than avoid caffeine etc. And I feel like crap and then slightest movement leaves me really winded (yesterday in the pool was less than fun. I'm going tomorrow anyway).

Bother, said Pooh.

Other interesting stuff this week: I was down at the Democratic Party office on Wednesday, and had a surprise. Leaning over tho get something out of the bottom shelves, I heard a RIIIIIIPPP!! Yes indeedy, it was my jeans. A sudden catastrophic fabric failure, in the back between the pocket and the center seam. Not a thin spot or a stress point- it just blew out. An 8" split. I spent the rest of the afternoon sitting down, alternately wanting to crawl under a rock somewhere and laughing my a$$ off. It really was pretty funny...

Went to an event Saturday, small local event here put on by the Barony's incipient Canton, Kaldor. It was in a teeny grange hall on Sauvie Island. Very nice and relaxing, terrific potluck (two words that don't normally go together) . I finished resetting the sleeves on the brown linen gown and watched Ilonka knit on teeeeeny knitting needles, and visited and generally passed a nice afternoon and evening.

Tonight is the second debate- Go Obama! Widen that lead!

Ok, so I was wrong...

2008-09-30T23:59:00.000-07:00

...And they had the debate Friday after all. I listened to it on the radio here at home (instead of going to one of the debate parties or such) and refrained from drinking- if I'd done one of the drinking games I saw online (certain number of swallows per certain words, etc) I'd still be just now sobering up.

I was pleased with Obama's performance- a fine orator and he spoke like an adult. It was clear that he was very well prepared. Can't say the same for McCain though- with all of his rambling and sputtering and searching for words, it made me wonder if he'd wanted to postpone the debate simply because he wasn't prepared. As it was his performance was kind of embarrassing.

In other news...

Saw Dr. Fickle last Thursday. Explained how I am NOT THRIVING without the nortriptyline, and we decided to add it back in, to try at least. It would be nice if I wasn't feeling like I'm choking back tears all the time. Part of the problem may be that we've passed the equinox, and autumn is here, with winter not far behind. Needs me some more light!

Speaking of light, Larry and I were over this evening to see Robert and Ilonka's new place. Very spiffy! 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, with a full basement. Lots and lots of room, and quite a few windows. Funny thing was that whoever painted it couldn't make up thier minds what color to use, and seemed to have 1/2 gallon of everything, mostly in shades of yellow, excepting the hunter green and such in the kitchen. It was truly strange. I think I could have gotten used to it- I like having yellow around, if it's the right shade. Anyway, they are next door to Kateline and much closer to Robert's work. A serious improvement over the teeny little place they have now. I'm seriously jealous though- I was looking around and thinking "This would be a great place for James and I..." Sewing space, shop space, space for the computers and our books... only drawback is the kitchen is kind of small. But doable. *sigh* Maybe this time next year we'll be in a place as nice.

And I'm contemplating cutting my hair. Just can't decide...

**UPDATE** I got my hair cut- took 5" of ratty split ends off of it. It's still pretty long and looks a lot better than it did. Chickened out on the chin-length bob though. I'd love to, but couldn't figure out what to do for my hair at 12th Night if I did...

There was Sights See'n...

2008-09-24T18:39:00.000-07:00

So over the weekend I got to drive to scenic Central Oregon, to attend Summit's September Coronet Tourney, in Culver. Gemma and I left after she got off work (5:00) and it took us quite some time to get out of town, thanks to the traffic. (Gresham. Yikes.) Over the mountain wasn't too bad, and it was full dark before we got into Warm Springs. The fun began after we got into Madras. The directions from Madras to Culver were somewhat sketchy and heading out of Madras I was basically looking for a sign. A Sign! We saw an SCA sign, pointing left, so we turned and trundled off into the desert. After a few minutes I determined that we were not getting into Culver, nor were we likely to do so at the direction we were heading. So we turned and looped up with the main highway (97) again, and shortly found ourselves in Terrebonne. Hmm. Too far. So we turned around again and went all the way back to Madras. I stopped for directions, took a good look at a map and got an idea of where our turnoff would be, and hopped back in the car. We drove back out of town. This time the SCA sign wasn't there at all, but we founf the sign to Culver, pointing right. Picked up that road and shortly were in Culver. After a few minutes looking for the park (the sign was visible from only one direction, natch), we finally pulled in, at 20 to 11, having spent an extra 50 miles wandering around. Grr.

Event was nice and fairly low key. Laurel meeting was... a Laurel meeting. ('Nuff said.) Tourney was clean and Brian of Ledbury won, for his lady Acacia, having beaten Johannes von Langental. VESTA CAME IN 3RD!!! WOO HOO!!! Dinner was nice, dessert was yummy, we partied for Bera's birthday. I was so worn out though thatI went to bed about 10:30. Really.

Drive home Sunday was pretty- we got to see the stuff in the daylight that we'd missed in the dark. Lots of sage. Lots of cows. Gorgeous canyons going through near Warm Springs. And the mountain was pretty too. We stopped in Rhodedendron for something to eat which was nice as I was completely sapped of energy. I got home about 7 and pretty much fell over.

Today I spent two hours at the Democratic Party main office, selling Obama schwag tofolks and answering the phones. Couple of weird/funny calls and a couple of people just wanted to bend my ear about how awful things are and how Obama _has_ to win. Hey, no argument with me there!

I just got a note from my sister saying that she's filed for divorce. Hit me pretty hard. Wow. I hope her boys are ok.

So, think there'll be a debate Friday? 50 cents there won't be...

Introducing Caribou Barbie!

2008-09-17T23:37:00.000-07:00

She snowmobiles! She hunts! She cooks mooseburgers! She fires staff! She has weird hair!

Just the sort of woman you want your little girls to emulate, right?

Not much really happening here, sewing, swimming, getting ready for Coronet. James is not going after all, so I've been amending plans to be camping with Gemma. Gotta keep her warm- she gets cold too easily. (Water bottle. Hot.) Planning menu, etc. And making myself some new garb to keep warm in- I don't have alot that I can wear still.

Annie is busy visiting Kelly in the Virgin Islands. Apparently there is rum there. And snorkeling.

And Friday is International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Don't forget, eh matey?

A word to the wise-

2008-09-13T20:52:00.000-07:00

Beverages and keyboards don't mix! * sigh *

Was startled by the doorbell and knocked over my glass of icewater into the keyboard. I turned it upsidedown and drained it and let it dry. And let it dry. And let it dry. Roughly 18 hours later it still wasn't working right, so I went down to Office Despot and spent $13 for a new keyboard. Old one was getting pretty grungy anyway, and last time I cleaned the keys a couple of the little clips on the underside of the big ones broke. (Yes, I am trying to justify the expense...) But the new one fits a little differently (a built-in wrist thingie is both ineffective and in the way) and will take getting used to.

Out shopping today I got:

* a copy of _Remains of the Day_ with Anthony Hopkins,
* tacks and glue to fix the velcro thing on the tourney bed slats,
* 2 pairs of jeans (Goodwill, not retail)
* an autumn wreath for the front door,
* and a keen thing that it a three-legged stand and big salad bowl on a lazy susan- I'm going to use it as a wash stand and ditch the folding stand, which is heavy to move and bulky to transport. Now just to figure out place to put my jewelry boxes, etc.
* a cheap halloween wig to play with. A shade or so lighter than my hair, but I can play and make braids from it, etc.

Wanda came home with a bunch of stuff, including a storage rack thingie that I found- perfect for sewing things- brightly colored bins on it. We'll find something to do with it, I'm sure.

I'm busy trying to clean up projects in the sewing room and get some work done, partly just to catch up and partly to get room to work on the verger's robes. Almost done with a gown that I'd cut out for James some time ago but I don't remember. I'd put a tag on it though, so I knew what it was. Moss green twill, very lovely fabric, Frankish cut. Just finishing an embroidered bit on the hem (hides the machine hemming). Getting stuff done so I can fix the tourney bed, though I have to go get another pair of hinges to fix the poster frame- the pair I got have non-removable hinges, and well, I need to be able to remove the hinges- that's sort of the point.

Next weekend is Summits Coronet, and Gemma is going with me. Should be fun, if chilly. :-)

I do NOT have too much stuff!

2008-09-09T17:23:00.000-07:00

Soooooome people (hi Amalric!) seem to think that I pack too much stuff for eventing. I do not! I do think that I manage to pack a heckuva lot of quality into Zippy the Wonder Volvo (TM) however, and I don't hear anyone complaining about eating feast-quality food or being served on dishes that look like they're from illuminations. Besides, they have no idea how much I used to bring, back when I had the van...

So I went to Acorn, spent the day in the kitchen, which was ok. Nice dinner with just me, Arlys, Guiliana, and Claire. And then we had more people over for the dessert and brainstorming about the kingdom session (or, what Amalric calls my 'rabble-rousing'). The wafers I got at Trader Joe's were really good- just perfect to go with the ypocras. The almond cookies were happy too, and we had a great time sucking air through the meringues (guess you'da had ta been there). It was waaaay too much fun (and I drank too much but I was eating at the same time and was ok, though slightly tipsy. Some good conversation with Helena and Aleyn, also from Arlys. Amalric showed up later and argued with me (which I knew he would- we disagree on the matter and are very frank about it). Cutest Duke I know but also stubborn, and listens but I sometimes feel like he doesn't _hear_, if that makes any sense. However, as long as he continues to clean the grill with his shirt off, I'll smile and be nice. :-)

Have not as of yet (Tues evening) unpacked the car. Just flat exhausted. I'm tempted to leave as much of it as I can there until after Coronet, which will be the last camping event for the season. And it looks like my sweetie might make it to Coronet! Yay!!! Much more fun with him than without. :-)

And as it's Tuesday, Larry will be over shortly. Wanda is asleep (home sick with headache) so we'll go and quietly grab dinner somewhere else. And hopefully get some work done upstairs- I need to start blocking out the verger's robes. Maybe we'll pop in a movie while we're at it.