And more Pennsic...

So, Pennsic fighting. I must say, we're horridly spoiled out here. Regular brigade paractices, lots of quality time on the spear lines, a general acceptance of the uses of working together as an actual military unit. East coast and Central US are mostly a bunch of cowboys. Sure, there are exceptions to this, but generally, cowboys. They run around and pummel what they can find, barely hold a line and prefer to think of how many kills they get as opposed to actually winning the scenario.

The Town Battle (aka. How to get killed by Seige over and over and over again):
Well, I'm sure they thought it looked like a town. Unfortunately the scattering of haybales with colored tape strung between them was soon trashed into oblivion. The tape was supposed to be walls and water, but within a few minutes of start, it just didn't work anymore. Tape is kinda hard to see when you're busy trying to kill. And I did try to kill. But the general meat grinder that was our objective (ie. Hold the dock area) was more about lumping the dead bodies higher and higher and fighting over them until the marshalls called to clear them than anything else. It was a res battle, I think an hour long.

I did a lot of trudging back and forth until Asa pointed out that Easties don't lunge when they throw spear shots.. Hmm, hard to when you can barely see over the line, but good point. Sure enough, next time I stepped up to the line, they stood and threw like they had their spear up their butts. Good to know... But unfortunately the constant barrage of seige weapons, especially Shadow Clan's ballistas (we had 4 of them 10 feet from our position for the entire scenario, howdy neighbors!) finally just got annoying. We held that area, but I basically got killed by getting shot in the ass by a ballista. Ow. Triple Ow. My hamstrings were not amused...

But yeah, that was it. One battle. Heck, I was just getting warmed up!

Woods Battle (aka. Res points should not be uphill both ways):
Now this was a fun set of battles. Not only were there two, hour long res battles, but they're in real, honest to god woods. Trees, underbrush, sticks, mud - the whole shebang. And no chance of getting shot in the butt by seige. It's chaos in my opinion. I don't know the layout of the woods very well, but the objectives incoude 5 flags - two on each side and a mobile flag. Objective is capture more flags than your opponent. We marched in and started establishing our lines. Basically the whole battle was pushing back and forth through a mass of trees as if we all needed a good scrubbing. I hit my stride and just gacked the hell out of people all day. I was terribly amused when I was told once that I hit too hard. Apparently the standards are much different for face shots back east. So I tapped even more people on the face and they took it all day. Nice!

The res point for the first battle wasn't too bad - back up and over where we came from. But the second battle it involved heading up a ridge then down a somewhat steeper hill. You'd stop, get water, maybe pop your top and have to climb back up hill. If they ploy was to tire us out, it worked. I had to stop again after marching back uphill to catch my breath or I was pretty useless once I hit the line. So there was a lot of standing around waiting for the heart rate. And I wasn't terribly fond of the random guys who would stomp into the res point and yell at everyone to get back into battle if they were able. Sure you can inspire me with a speech, but I get a bit testy when tired and being yelled at. Lizard brain isn't amused...

But I got to finish the day playing with the Spartans and gacking Tuchucks through the trees. Sir Balin complemented my spear work - thanks Balin! I was tired, but satisfied when I was done.

More later....

Ahh Pennsic, such a complex experience~

So, I'm back. My laundry is almost done, my desk is shoveled off at work, I'm almost done with my homework for the week.

All I have to say is wow, crazy ass trip. I learned a lot about myself on this one. It turned out to be a kind of walkabout this year. Since it was just me visiting, I was social, yet had no one else connected to my schedule. It was terrifying and freeing all at once. I relaxed, I fought, I partied, I watched shooting stars, I shopped, I marvelled at the differences in the SCA, and I bemoaned the losses of experiences of years past.

There's more, but it's 5pm, and I'm outta here!

I'm soooo outta here!

Ok, enthusiasm restored, thanks to a dose of sexy man helping me out and such last night. He's such a joy. ...

I attempted to get to see Makoto's Soo Bak Do tourney fights today, but alas, I had to leave before he fought. Or something. What I did see was cool to watch(forms and choreo sparring), but you run a definite handicap knowing people through the SCA and not necessarily knowing their last names and other pertinent info. It wasn't that big, so I don't think I missed it. But I did have that amusing moment of "oh crap, what IS Koto's last name?" Fabulous, my geekdom is interfering with reality...

Wheeee! I'm off to see the Melissa! And the Molly! And the Irwin! And 10,000 of my other closest friends.. Right after I survive the red eye flight and 2 airports. Lovely...

If I don't survive the flight, know that I adore you all, and life is pretty damn good. And this just means that I won't have Evidence homework all winter long :-) See, silver lining I tell ya.

I'm off to enjoy one last shower, a real meal, and the last of the packing...

As I wander off to Pennsic, I leave you with Charlie Chaplin...

The Great Dictator - written by Sir Charles Chaplin

The Jewish Barber: I'm sorry but I don't want to be an emperor. That's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible; Jew, Gentile, black men, white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each others' happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men's souls; has barricaded the world with hate; has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge as made us cynical; our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost. The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these things cries out for the goodness in man; cries out for universal brotherhood; for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world, millions of despairing men, women, and little children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me, I say "Do not despair." The misery that has come upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish.

(In a passionate raging voice now)Soldiers! Don't give yourselves to these brutes who despise you, enslave you; who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel! Who drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle and use you as cannon fodder! Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men---machine men with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are men! With the love of humanity in your hearts! Don't hate! Only the unloved hate; the unloved and the unnatural. Soldiers! Don't fight for slavery! Fight for liberty! In the seventeenth chapter of St. Luke, it is written that the kingdom of God is within man, not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people, have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. Then in the name of democracy, let us use that power. Let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie! They do not fulfil that promise. They never will! Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people! Now let us fight to free the world! To do away with national barriers! To do away with greed, with hate and intolerance! Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to the happiness of us all. Soldiers, in the name of democracy, let us unite!

Tactical Packing Adjustments

I would just ilke to say a big fat thank you to all the nutjobs, terrorists, extremists, stupid joking idiots of the world who make packing for any flight into a comedy of grotesque proportions.

I was all ready, yes indeedy I was. Everything fit, I was under the weight limit as long as my scale was correct, and I had a plan for the last remaining bits of things to go in. And then, they thankfully caught a bunch of idiots in Great Britian.

Now, let's be clear. I'm glad they caught them. I truly am. Having worked on those crappy ass cases, I know what a wonder it is when you can actually make an arrest. But I pity any poor fool who actually thinks he can hijack a plane this weekend anywhere in America. Not sure about other countires, but I do know that for the next week or so, American based flights are bad places for terrorists. Not only can I not take my usual water on the plane, but I also can't keep my shampoo from exploding, bring eyedrops for when my eyes crust over on the red eye, nor bring home any delightful, liquid goodies from the East Coast without risking their integrity with the baggage handlers.

Why is this significant? Can't my pampered American ass handle a liquid-less environment for a few hours? In a word, No. Not only am I miserable without those tiny amenities, but I will likely have to wait in line for an extra 3-4 hours for the joy of dehydrating at 30,000 feet. And not only that, but the bastards have already taken my ability to sew, knit, crochet, and embroider on planes, thanks to the ban on sharp pointy objects. Yes, I know they've given in a tiny bit, but I still marvel at the concept of threatening someone with those tiny sewing scissors. They should get their own martial art developed around delivering tiny incisions and dealing maximum damage.. But I digress into dreams of obliterating those who make travelling quickly a nightmare. Next they'll limit the size and weight of the books and magazines you can take aboard - you might threaten someone with a paper cut!

So imagine with me, a flight not only of sight and sound, but of mind. The only limit to the ways of expressing your frustration is through your own imagination. Cross over with me into.... The Sammy Travel Twilight Zone (cue dramatic music here). I pity the fool who attempts to hijack my red eye flight. Not only do I hate red eyes, but I'm also cranky when woken before my time. Combine the two with the entertaining crap in my luggage, and you start to get a glimmer of my mind set should anything happen. While my books and clothes may not sound terribly dangerous, I think I could put up a wicked fight with a sari and a law book. Imagine me in the aisle of an airplane telling my fellow passengers to duck, twirling my wrapped treatise on land use over my head, while I clobber some fool into the next time zone. Now this, my friends, is why you work out!

So yeah, if you hear something entertaining on the news, pray it's not me. I'm definitely hoping for an uneventful trip!

Before I forget again in my fighter jock madness...

I'm in the throes of making a gorgeous tunic. Applique, paint bits, sewing, natural fibers, etc. It's going to be fancy schmancy....I'm not giving more details, but you'll know it when you see it.

Made a delicious ME outfit for E, it fit her like a glove and is shiiiiiiineeeeeyyyyy.... All green and gold and red with red silk dupioni pants. It would look like she was attacked by the circus unless done correctly. She's tiny, so it actually looks pretty adorable.

Brown chocolate chenille ghawazee didn't sell on eBay, the cheap gits. I might have to keep it or sell at Potrero. Shucky darn...

I's skirt is done, despite many efforts by the fabric to shred itself. Note to self, sari's are gorgeous, but require high maintenance to do anything other than drape with them. Ack...But she's got a flowy blue and silver skirt to die for. Now to wrestle the rest of the sari to become a coat, this should be entertaining. If there's a puff of silver and teal to the south-ish, it's me, finally beating the fabric into submission.

Overwhelmed!

So it's my, what?, 7th time to Pennsic, and I still get overwhelmed by looking at the schedule!!!

Just dug out the battlefield and class schedules, and by all that is party-like, there's a buttload of stuff to do, and that's not counting all the running arround and saying hello!

So it looks like I'll be fighting most days afterall, depending on how I'm holding up physically. I even found out that I just barely qualify as a Dwarf for the Dwarves v. Giants tourney :-) Everything looks like a ton of fun, and should be a blast. It'll be a nice send off for my crappy helmet as I scrape up the last of the cash to finally get a newer one. More eBay! More sewing stuff for people! Put more padding in the helmet in the meantime, it'll survive a bit longer..

So, technically I could fight about 6-8 hours per day most days, then dance all night and roam around partying. And that's not counting squeezing a class on "Medieval mustards" if I get the hankering to do so. I get the feeling I'm going to crave sitting down a lot :-)

And I'm packed. Thank goodness for hockey duffels! Nothing is tightly packed, so if it's somehow bigger on the way back, I should be fine. I think I packed about half of my garb. That's an achievement, considering I have something like 10 saris, 20 or so pieces of Middle Eastern, and a smattering of other bits and pieces. And I'll probably need it all. Now where is that damn pale green choli?! I think I need to make more cholis....

I'd better fly out soon before I cram more crap in my bags...

Heroes!

I was furiously pedaling along at the gym, reading a chick magazine when suddenly I read something terribly interesting. Someone famous (lord help me if I can remember who) said something like “Be your own hero in your life”. I continued pedaling and pondered that thought. It’s a pretty interesting one, and I kind of had an Ah-ha! moment with it. That’s kind of what I’ve been going for lately.

Now, believe me, I’m not really going to run around and save kittens, walk grandma’s across the street, and wear spandex tights. But there’s something to be said for saving yourself and doing bold things in your own universe. For some folks, that’s wearing a new color. For others, it’s jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. But there’s that rush of “I did it!” that’s so fantastic to have in your universe, why wouldn’t you strive to do it every day?

Well, because we’re human. We’re mediocre in our desire to relax, eat, sleep, procreate, etc. It takes conscious thought to not do what we always do and strive for something difficult, unique or remarkable in our universe. I find it humorous that most folks(including me) can go on and on about how they really need to relax, yet never spend any time figuring out what exactly it is that makes them relax. I had to do it – I had no idea how to relax. I’m still learning. It’s a life habit, like eating sensibly. Most of us can’t just sit there and automatically relax. We’re not wired for it. We’re used to being hunted by predators, like paying bills, loneliness, and large toothy woodland critters. Hooray for monkeydom! But I digress. The point of this paragraph – it’s hard to be anything more than the spanky monkeys we usually are. You might be a spanky monkey with a nice car, good job, and gorgeous mate. But you’re still a spanky monkey, hiding out from the predators of life and moseying along on the exercise bike.

Ahhh, but to be truly remarkable, both to yourself and others. How does that work? Well, it depends on who sets the bar. If you’re someone else’s hero, you have to spend the time figuring out what their standards are and living up to them. Or you can be your own hero and define your own hero-dom. Are you a hero because you didn’t devour the refrigerator? Got an A in calculus? Saved up for a trip to Uzbekistan? Learned to ride a camel? Sat and meditated? Wrote a book? Big and small, each thing could be a huge achievement.

But don’t heroes have goals? Villains to beat down? Spandex to proudly model? Sure, there’s that mediocrity again. You could give up, slap yourself back down on the couch, and watch other folks pretend like reality TV has anything to do with reality. Sure, you could spend your precious time “doing nothing”. I do it too, sometimes it’s what you need. But is that who you are? Therein lies the rub. If you are what you say and do and eat, what are you saying and doing and eating? If that’s the question, then I’m an overscheduled goofball who tries to be encouraging but sticks her foot in her mouth at times, works out and studies a lot, and eats lots of vegetables, hamburgers, and cheese. Not exactly hero quality yet. Sure I stand up at times, but I get beaten down just as much. I guess the hero-dom comes in the getting back up, going back to the gym, and getting back into class to finish this damn degree for me. Oh, and looking terribly sexy. That’s a nice side benefit to the gym. Hooray!
Or I could be a future attorney in real estate law with a tremendous background in 5 industries, a reputation for kicking ass and solving problems, excellent customer service, and a penchant for creative solutions. I’m a fire breathing, belly dancing future barrister with a sexy smart man in my life, a close knit family, tons of good people as my friends and an ability to have fun wherever I go. So there, I’m a hero!

Ahhh Monday- I think I'm underwater

Hmm, weird feeling today. Just can't wake up, and I've been feeling it for the past few days. Sure, I still head to the gym and walk or run, lift some weights, etc. I drink coffee, get at least 7 hours of sleep, and no dice. I'm sleepy sleepy sleepy!

Now, I know part of it is just stress - my parents, bless them, still stress me out when they visit. It's nice to see them, but they drive me nuts. It's easier when I get to visit them at my sister's house, but that doesn't always happen. So that could be part of it. And I'm still having "not prepared for Pennsic" dreams. Had one last night that I had forgotten one big duffle of stuff. It was amusing, because I packed one duffel over the weekend, and I have the rest of my crap piled on the other big bag, just waiting to get packed. But the airplane pilot was nice and told me to run home and get the bag, he would wait for me in the plane! Sheesh, I have crazy ass dreams sometimes. I can't wait for Pennsic, but I think I'm packing the other bag when I go home tonight, just so I can stop these dreams from happening!

So yeah, maybe I just need to wrap up the last of the stuff or Pennsic as early as possible so I can just enjoy my last week at home of freedom. Classes start right after I get back. Blah...

So, as I was saying....

Well, now that my boss's computer is in the land of broken toys, and the technicians with more knowledge than I are attempting to resuscitate it's broken husk, I have a spot of time...

So, my litany of things to think about involves the following:

• I do too much.
• I try to do even more.
• Multitasking should not be a lifestyle.
• Juggling while multitasking isn't either.
• Normal people consider a job stressful, much less a job and school and becoming debt free in 2 years. And I cannot consider myself in the normal people category. I'm not allowed :-)
• I'm apparently stresed out, although not as much as I technically should be. I'm a marvel of efficiency and coping skills.
• I need to spend more time doing nothing at all, apparently.
• There's a reason it drives people nuts when I can't just sit and watch a movie.
• It's all my mother's fault.
• Apparently I cope really well until the bucket is full. When it is full, I need to stop and empty the damn thing. Apparently school fills it up doubly quick. Better to empty it more often.
• I am vastly more relaxed about controlling my world, but I still have a ways to go.
• Bullet point lists are for type-A personalities. I have become one of them. Even more so if I also do an Excel spreadsheet analysis with graphs.
• I need to breathe more.
• I need to keep working out and bashing things with rattan.
• I need to get the hell out of school as fast as intellectually possible.
• I'm pretty fucking awesome, and some law firm is going to adore me. And pay me money to match when they realize all the things I can do.
• I am truly happy with my universe. It's pretty spiffy.
• I need to be kinder to myself. I'm a thirty something, uncoordinated goofball with a history of not exercising terribly much. I can't do everything, be everything, or be good at everything. I'll just have to deal with being as I am.

So yeah. I'm ok, you're ok. I just need to make sure I go to Pennsic, relax and unplug for a week. Sleep, fight, dance, drink, and take a real, actual vacation from the universe before I dive in. And I'll be ok. Everything will be just fine.

Revelation, well duh!

Ok, so I went and got my head back down to a relevantly normal size about school last night. For those who don't get it, I went to a shrink for my little panic episode at the career counselor.
The shrink was nice, and had a few good suggestions for my toolkit on dealing with the universe, especially law school.

But she kind of, gently kicked me in the head about a few things. I think I shall share them with you now. Imagine me strumming a guitar as we go through them. Feel free to shout Kumbaya if you feel the need. Ready kids?

Oh, but wait. My boss's harddrive just completely committed suicide. Blue screen of death, you have interrupted my creative process! Prepare to die!

I'll be back...

I Heart the Banterist...

He just summed up most of California in the most recent post about a party. Right down to the overcrowding and people pushing and shoving to get by.

And I'm not sure he even realizes his brilliance...

Enjoy!

http://www.banterist.com/

Whoah Sparky! Time to slow down?

Ok, it's official. I'm tired. Had some rest this weekend, but I have another action packed week ahead that I'm not feeling ready for. And, frankly, I feel like crap today. I feel bad about this in a way, but after the 47th time someone has asked me how I feel, I just get sick of saying "fine, thanks". I'm not terribly fine, but I'll survive and get home to relax and recoup. But in the meantime, I know I look like hell slightly warmed over, thanks for asking. And I don't want to be pissy, I truly don't. I just want to get through the mountain of paper on my desk, get everything done that needed to happen yesterday and just move on and go home and relax tonight. I'm so swamped that I don't even want to eat lunch or take a break.

I'm kind of wondering if I packed too much into these last few weeks before classes. I think I need to cancel the dance class I'm teaching indefinitely. Frankly, I just don't have the energy to do this right, and school comes first. Period. If you want to pay me $500 per class, I might change my mind. But otherwise, it's study time now. And I'm feeling a bit pulled and pushed around by the students. I do understand that they enjoy it and are learning. But while I enjoy the class while I'm doing it, I dread giving up that chunk of time each week during classes. Just too much demand on my fragile head to handle during school. Any added stress is just too much, and I'm not getting the benefit out of it that I was hoping too. Fun, yes. But it's not relaxing for me. I love to teach, but I don't think I can handle it. And it screws up my priority list for school to be first. It's really the only weight on my time that's not flexible and understanding. So, fun while it lasted, but it's over for now.

All in all, though I did have a lovely weekend. Got a chance to rest up since I didn't bother with war, and sold a pile of stuff on eBay. Now to clean the house for the parental visit...

Oh, and just so you know, I still have the most wonderful boyfriend on the planet. Just in case there was any question in anyone's mind. :-)

Thank goodness for eBay...

Well, I freaked out yesterday. Just lost it. Basically I found out that the combination of a tuition bill I didn't expect and talking to a career counselor at school is too much for me in one day. She was happily going over ways I could cram in an internship at night or on the weekends, and I just broke. The idea of giving up what little free time I had to do more law stuff at night, besides the hours of studying and such I already do, just made me miserable. Add to that all the sewing and stuff I'm doing to attempt to pay for stuff, and it leaves little time for me to actually enjoy myself.

Sure, it would be nice to have more law crap on my resume. But last I checked, thanks to my fantastically crappy semester in the Spring, I'm on probation. Granted, I am perfectly capable of getting myself off of probation, and my average is still quite good (top 1/3 of my class). But I'm thinking that I need to block out 2 nights a week, 3-4 hours a night just for homework, and have some time on the weekends to relax. My current job allows me a decent amount of real estate experience around lawyers who keep throwing as much as there is to throw at me. I'm going to look at the volunteer law clinics and see if there's one I can devote 3 hours a week to and still be able to claim it on my resume. But that's about all I'm willing to give up. She said that I'd still get a job without adding anything else, and there's always next summer to volunteer as well, even if I'm taking a class or two.

Oh, and I'd just like to say that I hate my fellow students who have it easy. Whose parents believe in helping you out with your Mercedes and tuition and spending money. Who buy your books and set you up with internships through your friends. I hate you. Personally. Yes, you, you spoiled little brat who probably has no concept of having to build your own connections, buying a car with your own hard earned cash from the job you had to scrabble to get. Yes, you'll probably get a better job than me, earn more money than me, and generally be annoyingly successful. But I still hate you. Deal. Most folks I'm fine with, and there are less of these at my school than if I had gone to USD. But you're still there. Feel my ire.

So, if I'm a little busy lately, it's because I'm attempting to make sure I have around 50 items on eBay at any given time for the next 6 weeks or so. I know I can come up with a good sized pile of cash, it just takes work. Now I wish I hadn't planned to go to Pennsic, but it's too late now. I've spent the money, I'm going.

And thank you to the folks ordering garb from me. You are very greatly appreciated, and I hope you adore what I make for you. If you don't, bring it back and we'll find a way to make it better.

Monday afternoon pondering...

I've had a few friends discontinue blogs because of the "blog-stalker syndrome". Basically what happens is that you write some stuff in your blog and suddenly everyone knows you. Or at least, they act like they do. They read every word you write, yet, barely if ever have interacted with you in person. And I'm sure the effect is compounded depending on how big your social interactions are. I've had random people do an "ah-ha! I've read your blog" when I've met them, but it really doesn't bug me that much. In reality, most of what's in my blogs isn't that unique to me. But some friends are really bugged by it.

Now, I suppose it is a bit creepy when someone starts talking to you about something you blogged recently. It gets even more amusing when they assume they know what they're talking about, yet don't seem to bother verifying if their assumptions are correct first. I've listened as someone has explained all the reasons why I'm right and wrong about something, only to stop them after that and simply state who or what the blog was actually about. Ahhh, communication.. Pesky thing requires both talking AND listening. And really effective communication involves knowing you might be assuming and then allowing room to compensate for it.

Granted, blogs in general are very new. Really they've only become popular in the last few years, and I suppose a whole new world of etiquitte has to grow around it. Is it polite to ask about a topic when you don't know anything about it? How about when you do know about it? How about when you're offended/upset/shocked about the situation? Are you sure the blog refers to what you think it does? And when is it ok to refer to your online stalking to the author of the missives?

Personally, I'm pretty open about this stuff. If I publish it on a website, I probably couldn't care less if it were broadcast on the evening news. I'd prefer it weren't, and usually these are rather boring, but I know what I prefer to be private about and what I don't. I'm ok with random people approaching me about things.

Just don't assume you know what you're talking about...

Con! Bruises! Hot hot hot!

So, I survived ComiCon yet again. Very entertaining as usual, despite overwhelming heat and the usual overload of visual stimulation. I think I want to hide under a rock for the rest of this week, my head about exploded. I actually turned off the TV and enjoyed the blessed silence last night once I emerged from my nap.

I fought in the demo Saturday and Sunday, and had a blast! We're definitely more entertaining while fighting at demos - we hammed it up big time. Lots of shield hits for big crashy noises, cheering, goofing around, etc. We had a good group of folks fighting both days, and pretty good crowds considering the crazy heat.

Fighting-wise, I have to say I'm happy with my performance. I still suck big time, but my arms weren't as tired as usual, I didn't get bruises all over the place, and I held my own better than last year. Considering this is the first time I fought with my sword and board since last year, not too shabby :-) But my whole right hip is tattooed purple and red and black. I have 3 huge welts as reminders of where I need to guard more. Damn heater shield! But not too terrible - it also means that I got in there and fought more. I was working more on paying attention and just throwing shot after shot. I sometimes have a tendancy to hold back a bit, mainly because a broken arm would make school extremely difficult. But I think I did better than I have, and I noticed what a huge difference the weight training is making. Time to start hitting practice faithfully, and getting outside to the pell every night.

I also have to fix my right leg and arm armor. Neither was working properly all day, and may have also contributed to my pain and suffering. I cranked my wrist mighty good Sunday because the padding was too tight in my arm armor. Safer with more padding, but not if I can't move my wrist. Blah. More fixing.

And hey - I got to wear my pretty new dress on Saturday! Apparently I clean up ok :-)

50-50 chance

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70179-0.html

For some reason, this amuses me greatly...

Or if you'd rather not hear me preach, listen to Tony Long from Wired.com...

http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,71379-0.html?tw=wn_index_18

Life, the universe, and meaning...

Ok, so I wax philosophical on a Friday afternoon. Must have been the ice cream cake. Or at least the cake that was supposed to be cream filled until it got left in the freezer too long, and now it's technically frozen. Still tasty, and somehow more satisfying for being frozen...

Life - oh hell. Life. Life to me is just a biological accident that ended up with us being able to tinker with the universe around us. I still think our awareness and potential is just some big cosmic joke on some entity who's still wandering around wondering what the hell happened. Just a little clay, some lightening, and a little something-something and WHAMMO! Lots of life. And we've happily turned it into consumer bliss, a Shivan dream of creating and consuming and destroying, over and over and over. When you think of stuff on those terms, what to have for dinner doesn't seem so terribly important, eh?

The universe. Wow. It's big. Nuff said...

Meaning.. Yeah, the big "what's my purpose here". Well, that's the fun of it. We've proven around here that given the freedom from scrabbling a living, we can extend ourselves to the extremes of what you can make a life. You can spend your days waiting for chances to save other people from harm and make a living from it. You can mooch off of those who let you, absorbing their money, time, and resources in return for whatever benefit they see in your company. You can crank out babies and raise them in the results of having that number of children in whatever your circumstances. You can devote yourself to saving the spinebacked, stilty owls of whatever place you find them in, chain yourself to construction equipment and use your death or injury as a statement of protest. Or you can quietly stay in your little routine of work, dinner, television, sleep. Wash, rinse, repeat.

So yeah, I guess the point of "searching for meaning" is kinda silly. You're more searching for something that tickles your fancy, makes you feel alive, important, loved, happy, exhilerated, etc. And my best thought on how to do that is to go out and experience everything you possibly can, while paying attention and not worrying so much on how comfortable you are in getting there. Sure, it's nice to have cool stuff and get there in style. But then do you still feel the wind in your hair, meet the cool people on the way, discover how creative you can be in your travels, and just see what happens....

But then that implies you're paying attention and getting over your self. Turn down the internal noise and just breathe.

Pre-Comicon.... A fighter/geek chick's view

I am excited for Comicon this weekend. Sure, I missed the first two days due to actually maintaining my day job, but I'm good with just two days of fun. The first year I went was overload for going more than 2 days, and last year's 12 hour long day, including Masquerade, was also a bit much. What's the problem? Two things: Pacing and overload.

First, my purpose in being there is to promote the SCA. Granted, I find that sort of thing fun. I need to get a bit more practice on promoting myself and that sort of skillset before I hit interview season next year. And, believe me, most of us suck at talking to folks unless you have some sort of schpiel prepared. It amuses the heck out of me to listen to other folks talk about the SCA at Comicon until I realize I'm not much better. We're all just geeks, but the key is to find the geeks who want a chance to live the medieval stuff. We're usually not going to convert the hard-core console gamer into a heavy fighter unless he's got physical activity on his mind to begin with. And having a range of folks there increases the chance of finding someone they can connect with. That connection is key in any sort of recruiting. You can't convince someone who doesn't like you to give up their happy routine to hang out with your annoying butt. It's an uphill battle, but then they may come out just for the chance to kick your ass...

And then there's the fun of the actual fighting part of the demo. On concrete. In the summertime heat. Yeah. It's a special kind of baked which makes you feel old by the end of the day. Last year, I went home and fell down. Luckily I fell next to a bottle of water, and was able to hydrate myself by tipping the bottle towards my mouth while laying there. About 6000 mg of ibuprophen later, I crawled into bed. Fun, but hard on the body. Add in the fun of walking the floor between demos, and wow! All day on your feet, fighting melees, and smiling for the unarmored masses. It's fun, and rather goofy. And there's nowhere else we can march around in all that armor and not look ridiculous. Well, we still look ridiculous, but comparatively we're pretty tame at Comicon.

And the walking around the floor is especially entertaining. Notwithstanding the huge game, movie, and comic displays, there's a boatload of crap to look at! For the geeky crowd smelling like cheetos and ass (thanks Shroud), it's gotta be Mecca. A wonderful place to visit and pay homage to the creativity in the geekdom universe. And then they toss in scrawny little girls running around in bikinis to promote whatever, costumed characters and sets, and there's photo ops galore. I have a ton of fun as the chick in armor. Much different sorts of looks I get depending on whether I'm in armor or the belly dance stuff. Cheesecake or kick ass babe.. You decide :-) Mikie and Justin and I had fun stalking the Corvus guys last year, since they were constantly stopped for pictures. And then we ran off to get a photo with the Toxic Avenger. Much entertainment. Nothing like it, hence why I'm back yet again....

So yeah, in my 3rd year, I'm finally learning from years past and just doing what makes me happy, heading to legal seminars on Intellictual property in my armor, and bringing a sandwich so I don't have to pay $37 for a slice of pizza. Learning is good!

eh...

Not inspired to write lately. Maybe I should get more sleep. This working out thing is tiring...

Teehee!

Apparently I'm the coolest girlfriend. I got my honey a pass to ComiCon this weekend :-)

It's good to have fantastic friends who are willing to give me nice things. I just pass on the goodness when I can....

And again...

Twice to the gym again today. I just keep thinking of getting back up during the Gauntlet :-)
Motivation comes easily. Time to polish up the armor for Comicon and clean up things so I can drop them off tomorrow night. Hopefully it'll be one of the last times I'll wear the Bucket of Doom on my head. New helmet on the way, much more spiffy!

Awwww yeah!

http://www.webundies.com/new.htm

I can have adult sized, Wonder Woman underoos :-)

More fun, more friends. Life is still good!

So, Magic Mountain. Yes, we went to Magic Mountain this weekend. Damn, it was hot. Fun, but hot! Probably 115 in the shade. Hooray for Valencia in the summer, this summer has just been hot hot hot! The lines were pretty long, considering it was drop dead, cook eggs on the sidewalks hot. I was rather surprised that there were that many people as crazy as us! It was so hot, you were sweating and gross all day, and yet, if you could sweat anymore, you would have to get additional relief. The misting thingies were all over the place, and we kept taking "shopping breaks" to dive into air conditioned stores. Fast rides were a relief, but brief...

We did get on some rides, although I am sad to say that I have officially become a wuss. I got off of the first bigger roller coaster and was shaking like a leaf. The look on my companion's face was priceless as I said, "No, really. I'm ok. I just need a minute so I don't pass out." Yeah, good times. So much for being bad ass, eh? But I was a good sport and waited with him for the new roller coaster, even though I didn't ride the silly thing. I would have lost my marbles with how high that one was, based on my reaction to a medium sized coaster earlier. Oy! So I dove off as he got close to the front of the line, and went and got my picture taken with Foghorn Leghorn. There are two chickens in this picture... And dammit! I never found WonderWoman to get a fun picture. Arrgh!

Also saw my nephew, got reacquainted, and discussed garbage, trucks, and geckos together. It was lovely! And my sister and brother in law have spawned again - they're expecting in the beginning of next year, hooray! More babies for me to be auntie to!

Saw my wonderful household folks up in LA, and got to invite the guys to watch me get the shit kicked out of me at the Gauntlet in October. They're probably going to come fight with us, then witness me surviving the bouts with the guys. Granted, I am thrilled to have them there. They're family. And it's also a ploy for me to get my ass in gear and train up some more. I have 2.5 months, and I haven't been in armor much. I have a lot more muscle, but I need more coordination. So, there's the pressure dial, time to turn up the heat. Don't want to let the family or the Orks down. Therefore, I must train and look cool :-) Off to the gym for the second time today....

How to clean up your universe in 2 years

Sooo, I sat down with the big numbers today. The scary ones. Now I know how much debt I'll be in after school. It's a bit terrifying, but handlable. Is handlable a word? I know I can handle it, that is. Ths good news is that I don't have much beyond my school debts. I've been hammering away at unnecessary stuff, like my credit card and car loan. All the little debts should be gone relatively soon. We'll see how many credits I can afford next summer - that's the real killer. I need to come up with basically $3000 out of pocket. And I have about 10 months to do it in. Gulp... And the problem with not coming up with that much money, is that then I can't graduate until the following spring. Not impossible, but really damn annoying. And I can't afford to go full time - that's another $8000 or so? For one semester. Blah. And I don't have the option of private loans or credit cards. Not that I want it - ewwww!

But I think I can get a chunk of it taken care of. There's lots of eBay coming, I can feel it. If I can come up with another $300 per month I can do it. That's only about $75 per week, give or take a few weeks where I can't put stuff up. Heck, that's a nice tunic per week if they sell. And I'll have a chance to shovel through the fabric stash. But ugh, it gets interesting when I'm down to the strange fabrics and trims. I'll have to go shopping once in a while and pick up more, there's always that material costs. But it's doable, and I still have buttons and other random stuff to put up as well. So I'm off to put pictures up of the stuff I have on hand. Wheee!

And hey - not counting my school debt, it's the lowest my debt's ever been. Take out the car loan, and it's almost nothing. Go me! How nice would it be to start paying my school loans while in school? Not sure it's going to happen, but I'm going to try!

Hahahahah...

I died in the Dungeon of Kottr

I was killed in a muddy fissure by Yesayelien the mind flayer, whilst carrying...

the Sceptre of Heavy Weapons, the Amulet of Grian Ruadh, the Crown of Divinite, the Wand of Vikings, the Amulet of Wheel Of Time, the Dagger of Dragonhearth and 45 gold pieces.

Score: 97

Explore the Dungeon of Kottr and try to beat this score,
or enter your username to generate and explore your own dungeon...

http://thesurrealist.co.uk/dungeon" method="get">http://stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) no-repeat scroll 0px 1px; padding-left: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 204); font-weight: bold;">

Call me the Slacker Queen :-)

Reviews of other multiplayer, turn based games:

http://www.nexuswar.com/

Nexus War - kind of a general good v. evil game, with the chance to become demons, paladins, angels, sorcerers, etc. You get one turn per 15 minutes and can have up to 3 characters at a time for free. I like it better than Urban Dead because of the more colorful maps, wider range of stuff to do. You die a lot, but it makes things amusing. Especially when you're trying to find your faction's stronghold and you keep dying and getting randomly placed on the map. *sigh* But I find it entertaining. I give it 4 out of 5 ZZZs

http://www.realmsofmayhem.com/main.aspx

Realms of Mayehm - more of a strategy based, build up your stronghold kinda game. You manage resources, build buildings. In theory, you can attack your neighbors with your armies, but I'm still pitiful and have militia thus far (ie. farmers with stabbity pitchforks). But you get a buttload of turns to start out building up, and it's a much more complex game than the run of the mill "wander about and get killed a lot" sort of games. I'm completley lost, but having fun figuring crap out. 3 out of 5 ZZZs

More to come. I'm such the slacker...

Happiness calling....pay attention.

Hi, Universe? Why is it that random people decide that I have the answer to everything, and latch onto me asking stupid questions? Now, I know my Voice of Authority is rather convincing and all, but I just human like everyone else. Sure, I cut most of the bullshit out of my life, but that was a long, expensive process with a therapist. I hand out her number regularly. Last I checked, she’s booked solid for a reason. But I digress.

Sure, I’ll talk to people, but I’m not fond of being called a bitch or other negative crap. I did the work. I stuffed all the stupid patterns and pain inflicting nastiness out of my operating program. Now, can I please just enjoy the results of that for a while? I’m really not into project people, and having been there myself, I know that you really just have to do the work. Period. No one else can really help you there. I can throw a few books at you, but you won’t get most of it until the 47th reading. You just won’t. If you’re open to the possibility, you might get a few points, hopefully realize them, and immediately try changing things to try them out. That’s all it is. Personal experimentation. There’s no big answer to the universe. There’s no answer to “How can I be happy?” You just are. Or you’re not because you’re too busy running around trying to be happy. Pay attention.

I can be happy in a paper bag. I was happy crashing with friends while I was homeless. I was hugely happy bankrupt but free from debt. Yes, all these things have had profound consequences. But I’m not sure I needed to go through all of it to get it. The process would have taken longer, but I got it. And really I just woke up one morning after fighting it all for months and decided to be happy. Eventually I would just be happy. I got help figuring out the patterns that were getting in the way, and voila! Happy.

So now I have a career brewing, I finally like Sandy Eggo. I adore where I live, and my friends are cool. I’m relatively healthy and I get along with my parents. I’m dating a fabulous, amazing, creative, fun guy and it’s a healthy thing. I’ve started playing with hobbies I used to love and didn’t have time for. And I’m enjoying a summer off before I go back for the rest of my degree. And I’m happy. Because I say I am.

Internet + boredom = new addiction

http://urbandead.com/

Lord help me... Thank goodness they limit the time you can spend on it.

bored

I hate days like this. I am so bored I can’t see straight. No major projects on my desk that aren’t already cranking along. No serious things to fix. I have to do filing. I want to eat pizza. I need a nap. I’m just not excited about anything other than going home. Heck, I’m not even jazzed for class tonight since I need to be there for the random people who show up that aren’t into the ME guild and don’t read MySpace for reminders. Heck, I can’t even tell when there’s supposed to be a ME guild meeting. It’s placed on random days of the month, and frankly, it’s too much work to worry about what week it is to figure out whether I should be somewhere else or not. Eh, meetings. Bleh. I’d rather sit home and watch TV.

But I’ll do class for whoever shows up tonight. But it’ll probably be a short class since we won’t have drummers and such. I may just do an hour with whoever is there and see what happens. And remind people to check MySpace for announcements about class. And find out whether I need to make announcements elsewhere so that when I do have a life, they don’t keep showing up.

Bleck, not excited and I’d really love a nap right now. Carpooled today, so no nap for me. I think I’ll go tanning or sit on a bike at the gym for a while. Oh the excitement…

Rights rights rights

In honor of Independence Day, I thought we’d play “what the hell are my rights?” So, in abridged format, here’s the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution with my commentary in all its glory. I'm not the best at this, other than First Amendment rights, but I figure some discussion is better than none!


Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Ok, so everyone seems to love this one. “I’ve got the right to say whatever I want dammit!” Well, no, not entirely. It’s still a bad thing to shout fire in a crowded public place, defame someone else in such a way that it affects their job or social status in a drastic way, and being a dick is still frowned upon. But the Founders wanted a healthy political discourse, a healthy range of opinions in the press, and a chance for a vast number of opinions to be heard without the fear of retribution from a government entity. You can’t have a peaceful change of government if you’re not allowed to talk about it without getting arrested. Hooray for freedom of speech!


Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Someone hand me my rifle. This country was started by a rabble of farmers and workmen getting cranky about being overtaxed. As many Texans from areas near the southern borders know, an armed society can be a peaceful society. There’s a certain level of respect that’s levied if everyone is armed. The concept supports the freedom of speech in that a government will be less inclined to ignore and abuse an armed populace. While I’m not big on a lot of people carrying guns on a daily basis (especially in our larger cities – eek!), I do believe that everyone should have to take one good rifle course in their lifetime. It’s not hard, and makes for a better educated populace on how guns work. Guns are tools, tools that are supposed to be well respected by our government based on this Amendment. Our right to those tools is protected, albeit in a limited manner, by this Amendment. Shouldn’t you know what you’re allowed?


Amendment III
No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Damn skippy I don’t want to be forced to quarter soldiers. Heck, with the areas in which they get housing, I want to be quartered with them at times! Again, another Amendment written by folks during a wartime situation. It’s a bad thing when someone says you have to provide food and shelter for a bunch of soldiers, and this one protects the need for a lawful process to make it possible. We like lawful, lawful is good.


Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Ahhh, search and seizure. A lawyer’s Amendment. This one is so chopped into little pieces, I spent half of my Criminal Procedure class on it. In theory it prevents fishing expeditions by the Police in finding incriminating evidence without a probable cause before they can get a warrant. It’s got a ton of exceptions, but it’s still holding up somewhat. This is going to get more and more entertaining as technology makes it harder and harder to have any privacy. But are you sure you have a problem with the Police and not the market research company tracking your every move? This one doesn’t apply to the market research company, how do you feel about that?

Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Due process and right to be represented – again, very important. This makes sure you don’t get stood up in front of a kangaroo court and just convicted outright for the most general reasons. Very popular tactic with dictators – makes it look like you went through the hoops without actually bothering. Now the challenge is in getting decently represented without putting your house in hock. And the government still can’t take your property without going through a procedure and adequately compensating you for your loss. Yes, you still have to pay taxes though, can’t get out of that.

Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

Hey, another kangaroo court avoidance! Needs to be public, conducted by the state’s officials, done quickly, and preferably in the same area where the crime was convicted. And you get to see who accuses you and supposedly witnessed it. All lovely things if you actually want to have a clue as to why you’re stuck going through this

Amendment VII
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Hooray – you can get a jury trial! Hooray for jury summons, now go do your civic duty.

Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Well, the bail should fit the crime and the punishment should fit the situation as well. We’re supposed to not be cruel or unusual either. Boy, is that hard to define at times! Especially when we don’t know whether something hurts or not once administered.

Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Hmm, kinda convoluted, but basically means that the people’s rights somewhat supercede other rights in the Constitution. The people get the benefit of the doubt in a lot of circumstances in determining what rights are theirs. And generally, when in doubt on whose rights they are, they go to the people. At least in theory. And you can’t diminish specific rights by using another section of the Constitution to do it. Kind of a hierarchy thing.

Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

Hey, this sounds familiar. There is a difference between 9 and 10, I suppose mainly in that it clearly states that anything not expressly reserved for the Feds or the States goes to the people. And those prohibited to the Feds go to the States or the people as well.

So Yeah, there you go. Your rights. There are a lot of better explanations out there, as well as more Amendments to the Constitution that I didn't discuss. But here's your basics, go out and practice :-)

Huh?

Does Broiled Goat Cheese with Pumpkin Seed Sauce sound good to anyone?

Me neither. Why the hell does Google keep popping up that linkfor the recipe then?
I'll never understand... But then I also don't understand why people have recipes for green salad. It's salad. You put the green stuff down, you put some stuff with protein and taste on top, maybe a spot of dressing, and voila! Salad.

Mrf...

I think I'm in love with this blog

http://anonymouslawyer.blogspot.com/

All the reasons why I will likely never be a big firm lawyer. Well, that, and my tendency to wear flip flops when I've spent the weeknights reading a book until ridiculous hours and can't function well enough to actually tie or buckle shoes in the morning. I am truly not a morning person. And they truly aren't fond of flip flops on lawyers. Just sayin'...

Shovelling past the bullshit!

So, I’m pondering my post from a few days ago on MySoace regarding a friend and ex who neglected to let me know he was moving to AZ with his new girlfriend, yet pumped me for info about my current life. It amused me that this pissed me off. It does, but now that my usual lava-for-feelings have cooled a bit I can examine the topography of the situation a bit more clearly.

Why does this bug me? Well, the biggest reason has to do with the dynamics of this particular friendship. He’s had a dominant pattern in our interactions of paternalistic assumptions. In English, he assumes constantly that he knows how I feel and what’s best for me because of it. That wasn’t such an issue during the times when we actually talked regularly, as I’m open about that stuff and generally don’t have a problem communicating what’s going on. But what annoys me in this instance is that we haven’t talked for almost 7 months. He forwards me interesting crap from the Internet, but no contact, no Hi-how-you-doings, no update on life the universe and everything. So I find it entertaining that he assumes that I would be hurt by him having a new girlfriend, assumed that I would be annoyed that it’s working out, and he’s being secretive and childish about not wanting his supposed “friend” (me) to know about the situation. In fact, I wouldn't have even known about it if another friend hadn't included me on the going away party invite.

Now, I own that I’m assuming here, but that’s pretty much been the pattern on the times we’ve been just friends and dating other people. He plays the high school game of “You’re my ex, and you don’t need to know who I’m serious about, but I’ll drop you crumbs about those I’m not serious about just so you know I’m dating”. Are you tired yet from reading this crap? I am….

So I went to the obvious places and did a systems check. I poked a stick in the dark spot that was my feelings for him. Not much there. A bit of “hope he’s doing ok?”, but none of the former longing and caring that I had when I actually dated him and had any sort of return from him of my actual feelings. Good good…

I poked a stick in the cave of resentment and saw what little monsters were clinging to that stick – it was mostly the friendship issues of “why doesn’t he talk to me?”, “dumbass professes to be my friend yet never tells me anything”, and “my other friends are more giving than him”. Hmm, not doing too shabby here. So I trundled over to the accounting table and tallied up what I would lose by just dumping him out of my life. Hmm, all I get from this person is random forwarded shit via email. While past gifts of knowledge have been generous, I can use Google just fine, thanks. Hmm, downsides? Hello, I said downsides? The only things I came up with were to do with other mutual friends who will likely still talk to him. I’m a big girl, we have plenty of other things to talk about. I don’t see the downside here…Total friendship loss calculation comes out positive for the dumping. Excellent.

So yeah, while I am pissy about being treated like a little animal in the menagerie that is his feelings (he’s a scientist, if he reduces the little monsters to specimens, he can poke at them and they’re not scary), I’m done. Finis. Sayonara! Have a nice life. Say Ciao as you drive by on your little motor scooter with your new chica. But no more responses to your shitty little emails. The net sum on our interactions has been less than satisfying, and while you have a great chick magnet in that huge black hole that has engulfed your heart, I don’t need any more projects, thank you. I spent a lot of money on therapy to be able to just say no to crazy men in my life, thanks. Time to actually use some of that crap.

So yeah, not as bad as I thought it was, but whew! Took a bit of asbestos underwear and patience to sort that mess out. I'm feeling better, how about you?

Fabulous! Time for a holiday weekend. Pass the Guiness!

Sadness

Big fat sigh....

My Samurai Sam's Teriyaki is gone.... Bwahahahahahha! No more crap puffs! I have to drive to get the little buggers now. How dreadful! And it's been replaced by a mediocre sushi place. How sad! I already have a sushi place - you couldn't be original? It's prime real estate, it should be a Jamba Juice or something that we don't have 47 of in the area. And crab puffs. No one on this coast sells crab puffs anymore! Yes, I know. They're little fried wonton things with cream cheese, crab, and scallions. Nothing huge. I can make them at home. But I don't want to - I want to walk down the street and buy a pack for $3 :-) Oh hello big butt, that's where you came from!

I will miss my Samurai Sam's. I did actually eat healthy food there too. Good crisp veggies in the teriyaki bowls, and you can't beat it for $7. But I suppose they'd rather make sushi. Personally I think we needed something more interesting. Granted, we're spoiled to death with everything from Tapas to Creole on the block, with fantastic Italian and pizza as well. But sheesh, the sushi place on the next block is clean and spiffy - why create another sushi place in a dingy little store?

Ugh, the inhumanity. And if you can't see my tongue in my cheek, you're not paying attention!

Happy Birthday Dubby!

Everyone go out and wish my fantastic brother, Jeff(ie. Dubby), a wonderful birthday!

Now, understand, I forgot it was his birthday. I'm terrible at birthdays. It's part of the reason why I don't celebrate birthdays too enthusiastically on the actual day. I have a terrible time remembering when they actually are. But I lucked out and actually called him on his real birthday like a good sister. Until he reminded me that it was his birthday - oops!

Luckily he loves me and I love him, and we're all good. I'll send over his present on Friday when the money magically shows up in my account.

So why is my brother so wonderful? Well, he's MY brother. And he's a character like me. He's fun and goofy and a kick ass salesman. His fiancee thinks he's a stud, and he's got too many houses at the moment. (anyone want to buy a nice 2 bedroom home in NOVA?) His new house is rockin and it's in one of those country club developments. Yet he still likes his cheap beer, football games, bocce ball tournaments on the holidays, and kicking back with the rest of us yahoos in the family. I'm proud of my brother, and dammit you should be too! Being my brother is a difficult job at times, and somehow he's stuck to it and created a good life for himself to boot.

Happy birthday Bro!

Thankful?

A word about life, the universe and having everything…

Well, yeah. At the end of the day we should all be “Oprah at the beginning of the day” thankful for everything. We should praise our lucky stars and jump up and down with peaceful joy and paint ourselves pink and do performance art in celebration. When you come back to Earth, Sparky, let me know. The reality is a bit more sobering. We live in a great place, don’t get me wrong. But the joy of being human is that you can be in the most beautiful, happy, restful place and you could screw it all to heck in a heartbeat because your drink isn’t cold enough. We’re fickle buggers. I remember being a child and being so wound up about something on Christmas that despite getting my #1 toy on the list (after the pony, never got the *&$%$ pony), that I would be miserable all day. Amazing what a certain perspective will do for whether you appreciate what’s around you.

So while we have nice places to live, food, clothing, TV, yadda yadda, most of us aren’t happy. Why? Perspective. I don’t care who you are or what you do every day – if you decide not to like something or someone, you’re gonna have a hard time changing that unless you fix your own head. That person can work their patootie off trying to impress you, and until you decide to change it, you won’t like them. The big problem is when you decide you don’t like anything. Ever. Except those little cheesy crackers in the Chex mix. But life can’t be made of those little cheesy crackers. Despite my many efforts to the contrary and supporting our Space program, I still can’t vote anyone off my planet. If wishes were spacecraft, lots of folks would be sucking vacuum. So in the meantime, I need to adjust my own attitude, all by myself.

Does this mean I have to be nice to everyone? No, but they do have to earn respect, otherwise I’m sticking with good old fashioned courtesy.

Does this mean I like everyone? What kind of crack are you smoking?! No, I don’t have to like everyone, but I respect their right to breathe in my vicinity until they prove they’re too obnoxious to be near me. And even then, I still have working feet and the ability to glare with the best of them.

Am I all Oprah about the wonderful blessings in my life? Hell no, I’m from NY. While appreciate the sheer luck the universe bestowed on me in plunking me down where I started, I’ve been driving this machine ever since. I have the responsibility to be happy, be nice, play nice, respect those who deserve, be courteous, and suck it up when crap doesn’t go my way. The flip side of that is to do, create, be fun, make fun, play nice, inspire others, and generally be an asset to the universe. See, look what you created!

So, let’s check the balance sheet – are you an asset or a liability?

Good concert!

Wow, I'm exhausted today, but saw a really fantastic show at the Fair last night. Heart was in concert! I've never seen them before, and figured I should get to it since I'm not sure how often they get to tour. And well, they're, um, getting up there.

We got cheap seats in the grandstand, but got there early enough to get decent seats. We had fun with our fellow fans in the row. The band came out, a bit late as most shows are, and just laid down the groove from note one! Ann Wilson just has the most amazing voice - she nailed it right off the bat, and blew my companion's socks off. I knew we were in for a treat, but it even exceeded my expectations!

They played a bunch of their hits: Alone, Kick it out, Crazy on you, These Dreams, etc. Everyone was dancing and singing along. Ann's birthday was a few days ago, so Nancy Wilson had us all sing happy birthday to her. Very cool! And then, they kicked it into overdrive...

They started playing Zeppelin tunes!

Now, I knew they're friends with what's left of Zeppelin - John Paul Jones plays on at least one of their albums. But towards the end of the show they attacked The Immigrant song and Misty Mountain Hop, and it was just fantastic. Time for my companion's jaw to drop yet again! And this is really the only place where you're gonna hear Zeppelin tunes done by folks who partied with Zeppelin way back when. Ann did justice to Plant's vocals, and the band just rocked out! More singing, more dancing, the crowd went nutso!

Great show, I can't beat the $20 tickets, and good times had by all!

But ugh, time for more coffee my friends! It's gonna be a looooong day, and I have movie tix tonight. Go me!

Flash from the past....

And it's not even Mercury retrograde...

I just got an email from an old high school buddy that I haven't talked to since, well, high school. Very cool to talk to someone who calls me JJ instead of Sammy. Not that I mind Sammy, it's just amusing!

I knew him way back when I first had a distinct clue on who I was, where I was going, and how fabulous it would be once I got there. I totally lost that when I went to college. Maybe it was the shock of starting over, maybe it was the frustration with how crappy my school was, maybe it was just not having friends like him around to remind me of who I was. Regardless, it is good to hear from him. Especially now that I have some of that assurance back, and I've begun to rebuild some of the cool parts that make me me. I've experienced some cool shit, survived my failures with a minimum of open wounds, and cut a lot of the bullshit out of my life. That was a cool thing to realize, as I wrote that response to "what have you been up to?" I am sorely tempted to post that summary here, but most of you know that crap from the horse's mouth, no need to reiterate...

And geez, I'm a character! I just realized what a soap opera my life is and has been. And I even left out some of the more colorful stuff, like the fire play, costumed events other than the SCA, some of my travels, etc.... I certainly didn't go to college, get a boring cubicle job, raise 2.5 kids and a dog, and buy a house. I meandered a bit more along the way. Who wants to meander with me a bit :-)

Ha! Footnote in the Sammy handbook...

I'm not being mysterious, I'm just bored.

That look on my face? That's me imagining all the things I would do to escape this meeting with your ass on a platter to serve up to some good old fashioned lions. Grrr...

Or I'm imagining the various piles of paperwork and crap I could be shoveling off my desk.

Or I could be playing a video game in my mind.

Or something just as scintillating. Oh the rapture....

Back on track

I had a fabulous weekend! Nothing like the county fair and an evening of drunken debauchery to relax one’s soul, eh? Buuut, all good things must come to an end. I’m not completely satisfied with my weight routine, and I was kind of letting myself go a bit on nutrition due to the pain and suffering of the weights. But now that I’m technically established in it, it’s time to get back to eating properly and all that. And hey, what fun is the county fair without fried everything? But I can definitely stop that for a bit. I feel like a whale, deep fried and rolled in sugar and coconut. Not attractive, despite being tasty. Funny part is that I’m still smaller overall, but all these muscles are in the way. Now I just want to be able to see the muscles. I paid for them, I want to see them!

Had my usual entertaining moment on Saturday evening dancing at Dan’s show. Now, I always have a good time dancing at these things. It’s funny with all the drunks, and usually a good crowd. I hadn’t realized how much we’ve come to take over the bar when we go to one of these things, it was really funny! But it still tickles me when random folks tell me they enjoy my dancing. I think of it as doodling most of the time, unless I’m competing or appearing with some really insanely good dancers. At SCA type stuff, I’m taking the time to work out the combos in my head or whatever strikes my fancy at the time. Work on decent facial expressions and not looking like a doofus. Kinda of practice, kind of a performance. I’m not comfortable blowing out the huge, big, look at me moves because it’s a group setting. No reason to run the other girls off the floor. And I have fun playing around with them too. But yeah, it does give me a pleasant surprise to get a compliment, it’s very sweet and I’m glad I’m still entertaining! Jeepers, if you like this, imagine if I dug out the good stuff…. Oh hell, maybe this is the good stuff, and my big, over the top stuff isn’t that great. Ack! Entirely possible I suppose.

Eh, I’d have to care. Dance is one thing I’m comfortable with, I speak my own language, and apparently it’s one that people like “hearing”. I know what my body is saying, how it’s saying it, and how I’m going to get from a-b in a phrase. Sure, I want to learn more parts and techniques and such, but I’m happy getting there in my time. Everyone seems to like the “joy” dance I’ve been working on for a year, and I’m finally starting to feel it. Fake it until you make it apparently does work, and since it’s hard to lie while dancing, I’m good with doing the happy dance. Literally. So, yeah, I’m rambling all over town in this one. Is it time to go back to the gym yet?

Pennsic Battles

Mass Battles - 8 points:
Town Battle
Allied Battle
Woods Battle (2 pts)
Field Battle (2 pts)
Broken Field Battle (2 pts)

Teehee – those are all the main battles we get to be part of at Pennsic. Not counting the special tourneys in the afternoons. I think I need to find the chicks tourney this year :-)

Fight fight fight!

Now, bear in mind that the battles at Pennsic are not the same as we do out here. Last year I had to laugh because Vlad was all ready for a full day of fighting, and the field battle was over in 3 tries. Now, they were shorter than normal due to some really crappy, unbalanced numbers. But the whole thing was over in less than 2 hours. Out here, two hours is a warm up battle :-)

The difference lies in the fighting. Things just move faster from what I remember. Your long res battle is only 90 minutes, not the 2-3 hour monster like we’ve done at Estrella. So units move much more quickly and decisively, charges happen fast, and I felt like I needed to be on my toes a bit more. Kinda like fighting with the Orkneys all the time!

Now, I felt doubly gypped last year because we marched across the field and presented our flank to 3 units just waiting to pounce on us! I was using sword and board and stood against their charge, but I got killed about 47 times due to the fact that I had no room to fall down, and none of them heard my “Good” screamed over and over. Bad game of wack a mole, but I bought time for Vlad to pick a bunch off with a spear. So 30 seconds into the battle, I trudged back to our staging point to wait for the next battle. The unit survived to do well, but me and another guy stood around feeling stupid for getting smoked as soon as the battle started. It was for a good cause, but not as much fun as it could have been.

So this year, I’m fighting with a range of folks. I’ll probably join Caid for a bit, go find my college buddies for some fun, and fight with Erwin’s crew again. We’ll see where I have the most fun, but I’m truly just looking forward to fighting alongside my friends and family from all over the country!

Stolen from Dorinda...

http://www.animepagoda.com/index.php?page=1&act=viewCat&catId=84

Dear God, I didn't know they had Secret Agent Cthulhu..

If you don't know who Cthulhu is, we need to set you up with the "Information Bases for Geeks, Volume 3: the Cult Classics"...

There will be a test :-)

I booked my flight, I booked my flight!

I booked my flight today, woohoo! Got a good deal by going directly through the airline, and flying home that final Friday instead of Saturday. Nice to have two days to recover over the weekend, too. I'll have to remember how to survive in real life again after a week without telephones or real schedules.

God, I can't wait for Pennsic! It's just fantastic! My watch is gone once I get on the plane. I turn off my phone once I'm on site. And I just go from cool thing to do to cool thing to do.... You end up meandering all over the place and just having a rocking good time. I meet a million peole every time I go, too! And I see people I haven't seen in years! It's just a great time, and now that I'm fighting again, it's yet another new experience! And now I've got the endurance to survive a few days of battles instead of taking breaks every other day. Just fun, whole different world, and good times...

Now, off to replenish on fabric and really start cranking out the clothes!

Delicious workout and Soup!

It's just amazing that I actually enjoy the kickboxing course on Wednesdays and Fridays. I usually look like an idiot through the whole thing. I just can't get footwork quickly - it's the single biggest skill I wished I had most of the time in dealing with sports and dance. I have to go through it really slowly, and if I think too hard, I screw it all up in a heartbeat and have to start over. So despite my inability to do half of the steps, my attempts at keeping up are enough to raise my heartbeat enough to keep up the svelteness work. I still have discombobulated moments where I just don't get where the hell we're going. But I pick it up in a few steps usually. And my punches are getting more impressive looking. Grrrrr, I'm fierce!

And then there's soup. Ode to homemade soup! I've been on a soup kick for a few months now, learning to cook a few different kinds of soups. But it seems my favorite is still a potato sausage soup with kale tossed in to cook at the end. It's creamy and sausage-y and has actual vegetable matter in it, and it all just satisfies so nicely! The tomato basil was good too, but I OD rather easily on it since it's kinda rich. I think I need to perfect beef stew next and maybe some chili. Trying to make sure I get enough protein so that my muscle building continues. Although I'd be surprised if it wasn't - my weight hasn't gone down, even while I've dropped a size or two! Apparently I get my own gravity well :-)

Soooo, feeling good despite the rough few weeks I've been having while fighting. Need to bang that damn ding out of my helmet and get back to practice.

Well crappy...

Seems that one vacation has been traded for another. I can't go to West An Tir afterall. It sucks being effective at what I do sometimes. My boss doesn't want the office to be without someone to handle tech support and facilities that weekend, so I'll have to go into the office and check on things. Blah. So no West An Tir for me.

What does that mean? More partying locally! Hooray! Well, maybe I'll finally get to the zoo or Marine Land or some of the 500 other places I haven't been to in SD yet. And I can't say I'm sad about not spending another $200 on a random road trip. All the more to have available for Pennsic.

So my apologies to the other intrepid travellers. I'll unfortunately have to check into work that weekend. But have a great time!

But...

I still went to the gym today and worked out with my trainer...

:-ppppppppppppt!

How's that for resiliance?

No cause for alarm..

So apparently my big blockhead is still good and solid. I got freight-trained at practice yesterday, and bounced off the concrete strip around the shrubbery in the park. I had a lovely moment of peace before everyone jumped on me asking if I was ok. Problem was I was attempting to run a systems check to see if I was ok. So I went with the voices and got out of the way of the fighting and peeled out of my bucket. I'm sitting over on the park bench, wondering if I'm a wuss when I look down at my helmet. It's dented. It used to be circular around the bottom, now it's got a flat part along the back. About where my head bounced off the concrete. Yeah, I've got a concussion, that's why my head's all throbby...

So just for reference's sake, here's what it felt like:

Imagine you have a fuzzy blanket shrouding your thoughts. It's not hard to think, it's just a bit slower. Your brain inside your skull feels like it's been shaken, not stirred, and throbs a bit. Things may not feel like they're sitting right in your skull. Your eyes may hurt from being thrown around in their sockets. You get little pains of headaches to counterpoint the general throbbing. And you get sleepy, despite any amount of caffeine you imbibe. Your pupils can be different sizes too, it's kinda cool. ut ice on the back of your neck, take an anti-inflammatory, and don't fall asleep!

I'm better today, if still a bit slow on the uptake. But I'll live, no need to amputate :-)

Gut says....

Yup, unsigned flowers are always bad news....

If you want me to accept flowers, sign the damn card.

Blerk? Um, err, thank you?

All right.. Whoever sent the flowers - thank you! What a lovely surprise!

Next time, sign the damn card.... Or fess up. How about smoke signals?
I love and hate surprises. And I adore flowers...

Ahh, Garrison Keillor.

For some reason, I find Garrison's response wise. (For those of you who don't have a clue who he is, Garrison Keillor hosts A Prairie Home Companion, a quirky radio show in the old radio variety show tradition. It's very middle America and makes me crave Grandma's cooking every time I listen to it.)

Dear Mr. Keillor,

I attended a screening of the PHC film tonight (as part of the Seattle International Film Festival) and it was a wild success, met with laughter, tears and applause. What a poignant, bittersweet reflection on how everything must end, and all we can do is be there for each other. I went in expecting to just see a movie about a radio show, and came out taking serious stock in how I'm spending (or wasting) my blip of time on this earth. Mr. Altman and yourself have created a gem of a film that is destined to become a classic, and I hope you are proud of this remarkable diamond in your career. Great performances all around as well—not the least of which from yourself! You have a stoic, natural acting ability and wonderful presence on screen, and I hope there's an occasion to see it again in the future. Congratulations and thank you for doing this movie.

Billy D.

Seattle

Glad you enjoyed the flick, Billy D.

You would've enjoyed the New York premiere on Sunday night at the Directors Guild theater on West 57th Street. A red carpet along the sidewalk, lined by thirty photogs and some TV cameras and radio reporters, so you walked from the limo up the line, people yelling at you, "This way! This way! To your right! Down here!" and you try to smile in a stoical way, as your wife clings to you as a branch in the storm, and then you look back and there is Virginia Madsen who is doing a real star turn in a red dress that is as low-cut as New York law permits, and the photographers are going bananas. And Lindsay Lohan behind her, who is similarly decked out, and Meryl Streep, and Kevin Kline. Had I walked up the sidewalk from Sixth Avenue, nobody would've paid any attention. But you walk on the red carpet (which is guarded by a man with a shaved head) and that makes you a star. And afterward the carpet is rolled up and we all become pedestrians ag ain. T hat's the lesson of life. All I can say is, it's different to experience this at the age of 63 than to grow up with it, as Miss Lohan has. So postpone your stardom, I say.

Garrison Keillor

Human Clay

Had another fun dance class last night. It still amazes me that folks keep coming back.

I really do enjoy the teaching parts. It's hard to explain things at times, but that's half the fun of it. I remember my teachers giving a little poke or prod to me to get my posture corrected, a bit more range of movement, or to stop an offending appendage from moving when it shouldn't be.

I've really been blessed by some fantastic dance teachers! Eugenia was my ballet teacher in college. I'd come to those classes with a sketchy knowledge of ballet cobbled together from what classes and training I could get as a kid without a car or parents willing to drive me to class. I started in her Beginning Ballet classes and just loved them. She had a steely grace about her - always soft spoken and calm. Yet she had a full body fitness and strength that illuminated her. She was well into her 60s, yet she had the most beautiful body I'd ever seen. All of 4'10", compact and defined as an artist's model. And she moved like silk over steel. Gorgeous strong arm movements, jumps that felt like she floated. And she would gently propel the class where she wanted it to go. Never demeaning, but she would push you through your frustration. One little touch, a small poke, and your movement would change just enough to work properly. It was wonderful discipline for me at an age where I had no direction, and no clue what a direction would look like if it hit me over the head.

I've had well over a dozen belly dance teachers in my life, but the ones that truly stand out are only two individuals. One was a teacher many, many years ago at Pennsic. I had just gotten dragged up around the fire to dance, the others insisting I could do it. I had no idea what I was doing, I was terrified! Liquid courage propelled me that evening, but the next day I headed off to the belly dance classes that were offered in the hopes of having a clue. One teacher, and I have no idea what her name was, was just gorgeously graceful. She looked Indian, and had obviously taken Indian dance and ballet. Her posture made her look 6' tall, despite her being about my height. She, like Eugenia, moved with grace and ease. I can't even remember what the subject matter was, yet I remember learning a lot in that 1 hour about the differences between a Middle Eastern dancer and a belly bunny. I came away from that class with a goal of how I wanted to look while dancing.

And then there was Ansuya. I'm sure you're all sick of me waxing poetic about Ansuya, but she really made me into the dancer I wanted to be. I came to Ansuya's classes with a friend who just wanted company and thought I'd enjoy them. Boy oh boy was she right. Every Thursday, we would drive over to the Santa Monica YWCA and dance for 3 hours at a time. I'd come out of there sweating and starving. I finally learned turns and facial expressions. I learned how a combination is put together. I learned to be comfortable with wherever my body wants to go and just flow. Whereas the other teachers I mentioned were more the quiet grace sort of dancers, Ansuya's a firecracker! Bam! And she's on the dance floor! I loved that you couldn't look away from whatever she was doing. She had intensity and fire that I could relate to. I love that about her dancing, and I try to bring that to mine. Dance should be visually interesting - that's the point! And she gave me a key to bringing my personality's intensity forward and present it in dancing. Granted, I usually use it to tell visual jokes, but sometimes that's just as surprising as a sharp move.

WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, best news I've had all month. I get to go to Pennsic for an entire week! Wheeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All the fighting, partying, dancing, and carousing with my college buddies and east coast family that I can handle! Happy Happy Happy Happy!

The big issue was whether my classes started (as the usually do) the second week of Pennsic. Since I really can't miss class, it usually means I have to fly home in the middle of the second week and jump right into classes. NOT THIS YEAR! Wheee! Classes don't start until the 23rd, Pennsic ends the 18th, it's sooooo good to be me!

And my bestest friend in the whole wide freaking world will be there and a boatload of other friends I rarely get to see and I'll have time to fight with everyone I adore... teehee, I'm babbling! Damn, this is good news. There is nothing worse in this world than leaving Pennsic, knowing the fighting and partying is still going on without you!

And since I'm finally full time, I can take off a full week and get paid for it and everything! No major hit to the financials this year.

Oh life is good! Oh yeah!

Shit - I need to go sew!

Online gaming

Hmm, it's been suggested (gee, thanks Makoto) that I should try online gaming as a way to fill some of my copious free time at the moment. Sure, and I'll try crack too, while I'm at it :-)

Actually I have tried online games. For the most part, I'm just not into it. I'll play Starcraft online with friends if I know they're online, but when it comes to connecting with actual strangers, I never meet anyone. Perhaps it's the way I play video games, but I rarely actually talk to anyone I don't know online. And I really don't get how you're supposed to interact with random people you don't know while doing 47 other things in the game. And if I want to stand around and talk, I'd rather go have a few drinks with friends, in person, at the local watering hole. I'm big on human contact. Rare thing these days, it seems. I even dislike calling folks on the phone. Email's my one exception to the personal contact rule, and based on miscommunications I've had even with email, it's still not as good as talking to someone in person.

And I like playing video games in a group setting. My Xbox has had some great evenings of a few of us playing Gauntlet or some other schlock and just having a ball. We yell at each other, curse, crack jokes, yadda yadda and generally have a good time. And there's nothing more fun than taking on a challenge. Sure, I could beat the computer, but I'd rather hear your lamentations as I thrash your butt in Mechwarrior's Gladiator setting :-) These precious moments cannot be had in the same way online, my friends...

So, no. I really don't want to create any addictions while I'm out of school for the summer, and luckily this is one of them that I don't find satisfying. I don't get nearly enough human contact on a daily basis to then go home and hide behind a computer screen all night. Sure, I'm the HR lady, but like many other folks, I can have days primarily spent creating paper at a computer all day long. So actually talking to people and interacting is a good thing. Having friends whom you've actually met in person is a good thing. Having friends mad at you because you thrashed them while drunk at a game you've never played before is, um, priceless :-) Not that I've ever done that, no, I'm not a gamer grrrrrl at all...

Finding my way (cue proper Rush tune)

So, I'm beginning to realize how little I actually get about myself lately. I've been spending a lot of time running around, having fun, travelling, blah blah blah. Generally filling my time and not spending a lot of time just dealing with my crap. Hence the nasty results this semester in school. And hence the complete frustration in a lot of little things lately. Blerk, as my cat would say...

Well, now that the thought of law stuff no longer makes me nauseous and bitter, I'm starting to plan some research that may begin the process of writing a few articles on water rights and similar topics. I need to do something law related, and frankly, I won't have time for much more than writing on top of my normal work. And now that I have a real job, I'll be able to get rid of all the other stupid part time jobs. Blerk.

I should have a funeral for my love life. It's well and truly dead. The people I'm interested in are generally not interested in me, and other people are just damn confusing. Hot, cold, hot, cold. If I were wool, I'd have felted by now... And if I'm not interested, it's not going to help to keep throwing yourself bodily at me. Really. Go read David DeAngelo's site and get his program (www.DoubleYourDatingProgram.com). Although I hate to admit this, it would totally work on me if I were even vaguely attracted to you. Sad to admit, but yeah. Of course, everything has its limits, and since I already know the ins and outs of that program, there's the whole question of whether it truly would work on me... ack, hell I don't know anything anymore. San Diego - land of the love drought. I think I need to move away just on this point. I have nooo problems with guys being afraid of me when I travel. Heck, I need a large stick, someone to schedule the flirting opportunities, and bouncers to keep them in line. So what the hell is up with San Diego? Pardon me while I go beat my head against the wall for a while. If this sort of thing hadn’t been such a huge part of my life in the past, I probably wouldn’t miss it so much. While I’m learning to enjoy being single, there are limits to how much I can really enjoy fishing around for someone to go to stuff with me. Blerk.

Well, me and my unknown self are scheduling a few walkabouts to go spend time alone yet again. Get to know each other. Remind me to send flowers and chocolate :-) Blerk…

Ugh

Note to self:

Get more sleep.

Ooops, I forgot something important....

Sherief fought for me again and made it to the 8th? round????

Damn, he's good :-)

oh yeah....

Question: What's long and hard on an Orkney?

Answer: Court...

So I survived Coronation and QC this weekend, and managed to have fun. I chased his Highness Eric around all weekend with drinks, and managed not to kill him when he hit my nerves wrong. Apparently he's more in danger than most when my blood sugar is low. We had some interesting moments while on the freeway at high speeds with him whistling "Feliz Navidad". Luckily, not inter-Kingdom incidents to report, all is well!

I'm not terribly big on Coronation. It's interesting to the little girl in me that loves pageantry and parades for abot an hour, then I'm ready for a nap and lunch. But is was cool to see Sven and Kitty (ahem) Kolfinna step up. Huge guard, big court, big cheers! Nice to see northern folks on the thrones. Us sounthies need a break for a bit ;-)

Queen's Champion was even more fun, despite Mother Nature's attempts at re-creating the humid South in Southern CA. It was hot! It was humid! But big, fun tourney and lots of good folks running around. I am utterly thrilled to report that my friend adored her fencing jacket and I can happily take that project off of my pending list. A few humdred more projects to go and it'll be an empty list. Yeah, right...

Moments...

Have I mentioned lately that I love my office?

Walking back from lunch on a freaking gorgeous summer day in SD, I saw one of the exchange girls from my office walkig towards me. I smiled and was about to say hello when she said, "Oh hi, I was just thinking what a pretty girl you were, and I realized it was you!" Yeah, this doesn't suck at all :-)

And there's a movie out this weekend I've been thinking about since I heard it was being made. Way of the Peaceful Warrior is based on the Dan Millman books. Kinda self help, kinda just about awareness, it could be absolute schlock. But I loved the books, and from all accounts, Dan Millman is a great guy. It was an interesting story to read. I'll go see it, but I'm really hoping it's good. I'll let you know, but I'll probably go see it the way some folks hide cookies in their bedroom drawers :-) Quiet and stealthy-like.. This way if it sucks, I haven't inflicted the pain on anyone else.

Spontinaiteeeeeeee

Hmm, just saw an email from one of my fun groups on Yahoo offering a last minute rafting trip spot. Small flight in a Cessna, pack a few light things, and meet 3 strangers for a weekend rafting. Kinda sounded like fun if I had the $$. It was a bit more than I have on hand at the moment.

But it did get me thinking... I plan too much. I think I need more spontaneous weekends. Granted, there have been a number of really cool planned events lately, like Gulenay's Laurelling and Mother's Day with my sis. But I think I'm going to resist the urge to book those open weekends in June and see where the universe takes me. Granted, normally when I do that, no one calls me to do stuff because they're so used to me being out of town or just damn busy. But I wouldn't mind a weekend lounging around the house, getting little stuff done, maybe a trip to the beach.

Heck, when I was dating a certain person in LA, we'd have spontaneous crap happen all the time. We didn't plan much (hell, with him I couldn't plan anything because he just wasn't sure about anything in his universe), so it did teach me to go with the flow more and just find cool things to do right in front of us. I think I actually did more cool stuff with him than anyone else.

But that relationship ended, and part of me misses the whole partner in crime aspect of it. We had a ball just trying to find cool shit to do on a Saturday afternoon with a full tank of gas and a bit of money. Or we'd run out to a cool restuarant, buy a pile of interesting looking food, and go exploring. Maybe hiking, maybe finding someplace cool, maybe just driving until we saw something interesting. And all of it comes with the "if a tree falls in the forest" problem - if you find something cool by yourself, is it as cool as having someone there to witness it and share in the amusement?

I think I'm going to have to go find out. Oh hell, this sounds like a pilot for a reality show. Single girl, will travel :-)

The last painful stitches.

There's this fencing jacket I've been working on for almost 2 years now. Yup, 2 years. I rarely take this long to work on one project like this, and the time span has just killed me. I want nothing more than to finish this thing, and I'm on the last bits of hand finishing to get the layers to sit properly.

Why 2 years? Because it is a fencing jacket. In their infinite wisdom, the SCA's standards for fencing jackets are more stringent than for heavy fighting, IMHO. Getting 3-4 layers of heavy fabric to line up and stay neat is a royal pain in the ass! And I always felt like I was in a snowsuit when wearing one of those things until I made my suede fencing jacket. A leather jacket is by far the way to go unless you're worried about bruising. Much lighter, and not as much bunching around the armpit, where they've required an additional 7 million layers as if your arteries are on the outside of your skin...

Yes, I'm being sarcastic. In my 6-7 years of fencing heavily, I had multiple blades broken on me. Not once did I get more than a scratch. Luck? Not entirely. Most folks had enough self control to break off the pressure once they realized what happened. What is it - something like 9 lbs of pressure just to break the skin? While that's easier to do the smaller the point involved, I never had it happen, despite doing many stuuupid things. So fencers basically suit up in our fantastic weather and trundle around in snowsuits to fence. I was tempted to put in an air conditioner. She probably would thank me for it!

And the jacket has some lovely couched thread work and cool trim and such. So while it's a lovely jacket, I'm rather happy to see it off my project list. So a few more stitches, and voila! It's, please God let it fit properly, done!

My work here is done...

Got a note from a friend who was at Potrero last night. I had wanted to drop by and say hi, but with my back feeling the way it was, a long trek was across the street to Drafn, much less a ramble across the park to look for him and the rest of my AZ buds.

But I had to laugh because he gave me a funny sort of compliment. He was in the redoubt battle and saw me. He was surprised because he'd forgotten I was a fighter. Apparently this was enough to distract him for Kevin to kill him with a spear shot. Teehee!

Now I know why the Orkneys recruited me. I'm bait! Distraction! Subterfuge!

Bwahahahaha! Thanks Mogy!