Trent the Uncatchable

Coffee and Cherry Pie Forever

Last night we had leftovers for dinner, and I watched some tv while Laura rested. I recently picked up some Twin Peaks special edition stuff, and finally watched the Saturday Night Live sketch, and some other behind-the-scenes and extras. And I watched more James May Toy Stories. And we went to bed early.

Today I was going to participate in O-Fest, but it was cancelled due to the weather. (Technically rescheduled for tomorrow.) But tonight is still fighter's practice, and we've moved to the indoor (Marquette) location. Tomorrow - after O-Fest - no plans. Saturday also, other than mowing and raking and generally trying to clean up the lawn. Sunday is Faire, and Monday might be more Faire. And then it's a new week.

And now, end of line.

The place by the thing where we met that time.

Last night I did some grocery shopping (which required a jaunt through some decidedly odd weather), then we settled in for some tv - a James May Toy Story, and the beginning of an old Laurel and Hardy movie. At some point we paused that and called Ben to discuss his new iPhone, but - poor kid - the wireless in the house wasn't working, so he couldn't fully configure it. As the conversation turned to books I retired to the bedroom to sort through the most recent box from my dad. (I started by hunting for the Hitchhiker's Guide, so I could participate in the conversation, but couldn't find it and got sucked into the process of making order from chaos.) And then to bed.

Tonight we have no plans. I intend to pull together a few things for tomorrow's O-Fest, and perhaps we'll relax. Or something. I don't even know. I'm suddenly all kerfuzzled.

End of line.

Fweep! Fweep! Fweep!

Last night we went home and had dinner, then I went to a meeting of the Marquette Medieval Society (or Medieval Society of Marquette, or something). This was their first meeting of the semester, and they discussed their plans and hopes for the school year. They also discussed Thursday's "O-Fest", a chance for Marquette's organizations and clubs to show off what they have to offer and attract new members. I offered to help with that - to loan them some things to display, and to put on armor or garb or sit at the table or whatever.

Tonight we're going to sit at home and spend some together. I think. Perhaps I'll try my hand at carving horn, if Laura is doing some sort of handcraft thing. Tomorrow night too. Thursday afternoon is O-Fest, followed by fighter's practice. Friday should be relaxing too. And Saturday. And - wow, we look all relaxed here. Sunday, though, Faire. Which is hardly relaxing. And Monday is up in the air - Ginger will decide as the weekend goes on.

Last night I finished 'Under the Dome', a Stephen King audio book I had begun on the way to Pennsic. It wrapped up about the way I expected, with death, blood, doom, and destruction. You go, Mr. King. (Raul Esparza did a good job of voicing everyone differently, but almost nobody in town had Maine accents. And a few had California accents that I couldn't quite accept.) I also finished 'The Court of the Air' yesterday, which I enjoyed enough that I'll look for the sequel. Good steam-punk-inspired fantasy. And I started 'Dies the Fire', by Stirling.

Right. Lunchtime. End of line.

Tarzan couldn't take this kind of hot.

Friday night I took the generator home and muscled it out of the car. Laura and I watched some tv, and generally relaxed. Also, Ben called, and it was good to talk to him.

Saturday morning I had breakfast with Todd at Frank's Diner, which was fantastic. I dropped him off, then did some grocery shopping. Dropped that off and hit Walker Brothers to pick up some frozen apple pancakes. And wrapped up the evening by mowing the lawn until I ran out of gas, then watching some tv.

Sunday was Faire, and it was hot and humid. I mean, stupid hot. Africa hot. And we wrapped up the day with a nice dinner at Mulligan's.

Tonight I'm going to the Marquette Medieval Society meeting, to discuss their plans for O-Fest. Thursday is O-Fest itself, and fighter's practice. And as far as I have written down, that's our plan for the week. (I expect the plan to change. The plan always changes.)

And now, more work. End of line!

Between error messages...

Last night I went to fighter's practice while Laura joined Ginger at the pub. Magnus, Gilchrist and I fought, while Murdoch, Valerius, Albrecht, Alexander, and Jean didn't have their armor, so mostly talked about Fiore vs other historical swordmasters. After fighting I went home, watched some tv, and went to bed early.

Tonight is fighter's practice at Leif's - if I ever fix this error and go home. Tomorrow I'll run some errands. Sunday is Faire.

I picked up the generator today. No idea how to install it yet...

Pizza and Beer Pong

Last night I ran some errands, then picked up pizza for dinner. We ate and watched America's Got Talent, and I went to bed at about 9:30. End of story.

Tonight I'm going to fighter's practice and Laura's going out with Ginger. Tomorrow night is another night in, and Saturday will be another hodge-podge day. (Breakfast with Todd, mowing and raking as the day goes on, Rescu in the evening. I believe.) Sunday is Faire.

And now, back to work. Work work work. End of line.

McGinty

Last night we went home and changed, then met Ginger and Scott at Mulligan's Pub for dinner. The food was really, really tasty - Laura's shephard's pie was meaty and yummy, my McGinty burger (a burger with corned beef, swiss cheese, 1000 Island dressing, on a kaiser roll) was fabulous, Scott's steak looked perfect, and Ginger's salmon had a glaze on it which made me hungry just to smell it. After we ate we talked to the manager about the possibility of bringing in a large group after Faire - it's a distance, for post-Faire food, but they said they could accomodate a group of 20 on a Saturday or Sunday night without effort. And tasty.

After dinner, we hit the mall area. Laura and Ginger went to a shoe store while Scott and I visited Half Price Books. The girls picked us up there, and we headed home to watch some Father Ted. And kicked them out around 11, and went to bed.

Tonight is D&D at Dahrien's, though I haven't gotten much sleep lately and might opt out in favor of an early bedtime. Tomorrow night is fighter's practice. Friday night is open. Saturday is also relatively open.

I talked to the roofer today, finally. I have to sign something and mail it to him, and he estimates that he can start in about three weeks. And then I can hook my computer back up, and then I can install and play Starcraft 2. And kill zombies. And do the other things I like to do in order to relieve stress.

And now, plenty of work. Good times.

End of line.

Green Boots

Last night I made a quick grocery run, then went out to mow the lawn. It's been a few weeks since I mowed the back yard, and the grass has grown so thick that it hadn't dried yet from the morning dew. As a result, the mower choked and coughed and complained the whole time - the feed chute which connects the blade chamber and the bag clogged so fast that the bag was nearly empty every time I emptied it. And, of course, I left mulch spread over the entire lawn. And I didn't finish before the sun set. So, two hours of mowing and the front yard still needs to be done... and someone has to rake the back yard.

Tonight we're getting together with Ginger and Scott for dinner. Tomorrow night is D&D at Dahrien's. Thursday night is fighter's practice. Friday night and Saturday are currently open for negotiation. And Sunday is Faire.

And now, more work.

End of line!

Bruises

On Friday night we skipped Irish Fest and instead puttered around the house in the rain. And watched some tv, and sewed and did some craft things.

Saturday we overslept. I went to the moot a little late and Laura decided to stay home. I fought in the tournament, tying for second place, and Magnus won. (Interesting note: I got through five days of fighting at Pennsic and got only one bruise. I fought six fights on Saturday and got three, nice and deep.) I stayed for the Meet the Baronial Candidates session and the brewing and vintning tastings, then went home. And stopped on the way for groceries.

Sunday was Faire, followed by a nice dinner at Charcoal Grille.

Tonight we have no plans ... and if the weather cooperates, I might try to mow. Tomorrow night we're getting together with Ginger and Scott. Wednesday night is gaming at Dahrien's. Thursday night is fighter's practice. Friday night is ... open, as far as I know. Saturday is the Rescu Rally, and Sunday is Faire.

And now, work beckons. End of line.

Armor Repair Imminent!

Last night I picked up Fiona and Uthyr and we headed up to fighter's practice. We met up with Gilchrist, who started suiting up, and Valerius, Adeliz, and Murdoch who didn't put on armor. Eva reported that Albrecht wouldn't be able to make it. (She was there to shoot archery.) I put on all of my stuff and got to my helmet, and the strap broke as I forced it over my chin.

At Pennsic the chin strap broke on Thursday during the last bridge battle - the King of Northshield used me as a backstop as he was forced over the edge of the bridge, and I went over the haybales. When I hit the ground, the strap broke and I scrambled out of harm's way clutching it to my head. I fought on Friday with the strap one hole tighter, which was painful but better than getting my head ripped off. And I forgot about it until I packed my armor into the car last night.

So, I warned both of my opponents that I didn't have a chin strap and that they shouldn't throw hard face thrusts and maybe they might consider avoiding head shots. And I was nervous the whole time, and the helmet fits *differently* without the chin strap.

I warmed up against Gilchrist, half-speed, and then we turned up to full. When I stepped out he fought Fiona for a little while, but her sword broke when she switched to fighting me. So I fought him some more. And nothing horrible happened (except that I broke an elbow strap when I was taking my armor off), but I don't plan to go through that again.

Tonight we're playing our plans by ear depending on the weather. We're thinking we might drop in at Irish Fest for a little while and then head home, but if it's too hot or humid or horrid we'll head home to the air conditioner. Tomorrow is the moot at Alice's house, and Sunday I'm working the Faire.

Whee! Plenty to do now. End of line!

Trudge, trudge, trudge

Last night I made a quick grocery run, then we spent most of the evening catching up on recorded tv. Laura went to bed after America demonstrated that they had Talent but not Taste, and I joined her after giving up on the late-night drek. Then I got up again and did some server work.

Tonight is fighter's practice (unless the heavens open). Tomorrow night is Irish Fest, attendance of which we're playing by ear. (The folks from Faire are meeting to tailgate in the parking lot, admission is free between 4 and 5:30 PM, and we'll make the call based on the heat.) Saturday is the moot, starting at noon, which includes a tournament. Sunday I'm working Faire all day. And Monday it all begins again.

I'm suddenly tired. I hate when that happens. End of line.

Blonde Hair and a Tan

Last night was Curia. I gave Fiona a ride, since she and her husband now live just south of us. Afterwards a few people went to a bar around the corner from the meeting place, and I went along to get pie from the Sendiks across the street - but Sendiks was closed, so we joined the group. And, hence, got home a bit late.

Tonight we have nothing planned. (There's a fighter's practice, but I don't plan to go.) I'm looking forward to an evening at home, where I expect we'll discuss things like roofs and basements. Tomorrow night is fighter's practice again, Friday night the Faire folks are heading to Irish Fest, and the weekend is a moot and Faire.

Quick Week

Last night, errands and dinner and tv. Tonight, Curia. Tomorrow, probably rest. Thursday fighting. Friday Irish Fest. Saturday relax. Sunday work. We go zoom!

End of line.

Pennsic Summary

So. A week ago Saturday I worked Faire, then went home and finished packing the car. I slept for about an hour, showered, and left home around midnight. The drive was booooring, and I wrapped up 'Changes' and started on 'Under the Dome'. I pulled into a parking space at Pennsic at about 11 local time and unpacked the car; set up my pavilion, and changed into garb. Tristan and I went to the battlefield to set up for the Lost Boys battle.

Our campsite at Pennsic was nicknamed 'Thunder Keep', and housed the Lost Boys (six of us this year - me, Tristan, Chickenhawk, Trev, Oscad, and Crystal - plus Green Jenny as our guest to make seven), the Hrogn, and House Galbraith. (The current King and Queen of Ealdormere happen to be in House Galbraith and the Prince and Princess are Hrogn, so we were unofficially Ealdormere Royal.) All told there were around 25 people in camp, plus visitors. Walking into camp across the bridge brought a person to an aisle leading past the Donnertal Embassy on the left and the Hrogn common tent on the right, then to the fire pit and tents. The Lost Boys tents were clustered around the Embassy while everyone else spread out to fill up the space. The entrance to my tent was just past the bar, and I walked past the water jug every time I entered or departed. Which reminded me to stay hydrated. Which was good, since the heat and humidity were beastly.

I slept on Ben's old futon bed, which I put on top of a tarp (which was on top of the pavilion floor, which was on top of a tarp, which was on the ground), using my old, old sleeping bag. I had Laura's camping table, a comfy camp chair, and a stool. (With just me, I didn't figure I needed any more furniture, and since I spent most of my tent-time on the floor that turned out to be sufficient.) I also used the tops of my two rubbermaid tubs as table-tops. I rented a battery-powered CPAP every night to prevent snoring, which needed to be recharged almost every day; while Pennsic provides a place for people to recharge such things, I didn't feel safe leaving it out where someone might take it. So I spent at least an hour per day in the car.

My schedule was pretty consistent. Rise at about 7, put on armor underthings, grab some food if any was available (grilled cheese and bacon - yum!), and walk to Northshield camp for morning briefing. Back to camp to put on the rest of my armor, then a slow slog to the battlefield. Join the rest of the army, fight fight fight, back to camp to strip and collapse. A shower or a trip to the lake, clean clothes, and a trip to town to recharge the CPAP. Back to camp for dinner, then relax and enjoy the Pennsic nightlife.

Tuesday morning I got up a little early so that I could also attend a morning court, and Wednesday I didn't fight. (Instead I watched some of the Champion's battles, then got breakfast at the food court.) Friday I packed before heading to the briefing to expedite my departure.

The Pennsic nightlife mostly consisted of hanging around camp, visiting people in Northshield camp, shopping, or walking around with friends. I didn't attend any official parties this year, opting instead to rest my feet and head.

The fighting was top notch. I did fairly well, for a shieldman - I killed more people than killed me, and survived as many battles as not. (I lived through two out of three field battles, two out of three bridge battles, and both castle siege battles, and made it to the end of the woods battle without resting for more than five minutes between resurrections.) I even had a few moments of glory, tapped for duty by the King of Ealdormere a couple times to lead charges which were glorious and bloody. Or at least had high body counts. And I was pretty tired after all of them.

After Friday's field battles I packed everything up, loaded the car, and drove home without incident. I left at 1:30 local and got home around 10 local, unpacked, and took a nice long shower. And really, really enjoyed the bed.

Saturday I worked Faire until about 3, then went home early to celebrate our anniversary with an Outback steak dinner. (I also mowed the lawn.) Sunday I also worked Faire.

Next year we're hoping that both of us can attend. And I don't think I'll do another back-to-back three-week marathon. (Work five days, Faire one day, overnight drive to Pennsic, fight for five days, Faire two days, work five days, rest.) Because ... well. Just because.