FyreCrawling

2 new pieces up. More on the way.

So, how was your year?

The wedding kilt is here! To put it modestly, I look pretty damn good.

Before last night I hadn't been to fighter practice for 2 months. I'm aching today, but it's a good ache. The new site is fantastic. We had a good crowd, and it really looked like Owl's Nest. And yeah, Tom and Charles knocked me silly, but it sure felt good to be back in the game.

Clueless teen: Can you help me find "The Invisible Man"?

S.A.B. (i.e. me) Yes, but he's very hard to see.

A new piece on there; a nice rousing war song. Also, under gentle prodding from those who have an interest in me, I have updated the profile. So my ladies can put down the large cutlery, please.

It's time to get back to being a working bard. New pieces coming to the bardblog soon.

Yeah, so I've been busy!

Getting through Christmas, working the store, spending every night online, getting engaged. Yes, engaged. I asked. She said yes. I gave her a ring. Can't get any more engaged than that. The date is July 12, barring act of God. Now come the details. Planning a wedding, arranging her move, finding her a job, finding us a house. Convincing her son it's not the end of the world, planning a honeymoon. Whew. I may get around to postig again sometime in 2009.

Back from Castle Wars. Very tired, but mostly from taking Munchkin to School this morning. She had a good time. That $2 wooden flute was money well spent. I had fun firecrawling, fencing, hanging with my sword brothers. Sirona liked her prize piece. Her Excellency liked her piece. Despie the competition not coming off, I am experiencing more and more he rewards of being a true bard in the kingdom.

Looking ahead. My lady will not be with me this weekend. The pin-headed gods of air travel have her and her boys flying from fort Myers to Charlotte by way of Detroit.(?) Meanwhile, I've started Christmas shopping and other (significant pause) Shopping. With a very capitol S) The die is cast. Plans are going forward. No turning back now.

But clear your calendars for July 12. We are looking at sites, figuring out guest lists, and who we want to stand where. There's a whole lot of stuff to get over, but that's where we're headed. I haven't been this excited in years. I haven't been this alive in years. I'm still a little afraid some one will wake me up and tell me it was all in my head. I can't remember feeling so right about anything as I do about this. Surely I must have before, but that's all a distant memory. What's past is past. I'm looking forward, at leat to July 12.

Eggnog in my coffee. I love the holidays.

"The beaurocratic mindset is the only constant in the universe." Dr. L. H. McCoy

The DMV rejected the title transfer because a date was left off one of the forms. The dealership is walking the paperwork through, now.

Where are my swords. I seriously need to stab something right now.

Such tumultous times....

The Highland Games were wonderful, particularly because of my guest. I can't believe we have known each other less than a year. It seems like I've always known her. And knowing her makes me all the more aware of my own faults and weaknesses, and want to be better for her.

Monday was a special bonding time, driving her back to Florida. (Delta screwed us over. Don't use Delta) So much to think, so much to say, but not here.

But now back to the mundane world. Things to do, tasks to complete. Words to write. The DMV has apparently lost the material to register the truck and today is my deadline. I wonder how much this is going to cost me.

Caledonia!

Last night at fighter practice Tom and I were going at it hammer and tongs while Cillian taught a class of new people, when suddenly it hit me. I called Tom over and asked him, "Do you remember last year when we were standing in a line going through drills while watching the authorized fighters having fun, and thinking how cool they were because they were fighting?"

A few zillion fire ants aside, it was a good weekend. And all the better for having Munchkin along. The site is gorgeous, normall used for civil war re-enactors. The facilities were a little on the primitive side, but that didn't matter too much to me. I think a lady would prefer something a little more substantial than port-a-privies. It was a comfortable ride downin the Albanach Express, music and AC being two keys to civilized travel. Camp set up easy enough, not too far from anything necessary. And the Travller's Fare was a very good Chili.

Saturday morning began with the aforementioned fire ants making an extreme nuisance of themselves, etting into things she were supposed to not be able to get into. Some things were lost, some had to be de-ant-ified, but they were not enough to spoil the weekend. The fencing went very well. Randalin in Kyrra was fighting her prize for the Argent Rapier, and I led her parade around the grounds, drumming and announcing her prize fight. We paused while I performed a piece written for the fight, (see the bardblog), and then we fought. For my turn, she defeated me with sword and dagger, but I managed to defeat her with sword and cloak. Then she marshalled a round Robin tournament where everyone got to fight everyone else. I did well against strangers, but my sword brothers know me too well, since they fight me every week.

Feast was a pleasant outdoor affair lit by candles and stars. Munchkin played her viola, sounding not bad for only six weeks of practice. Maybe we have a bardic dynasty going here. Afterwards the Circle was a big success. We combined the bardic circle with the hafla instead of competing against each other so I would sing something, a guitarist would play something, and then we would have the drummers and the dancers for a while. Randalin got to hear the music I put to the poem I wrote for her back for that Owl's Nest raid on Talmere last winter, and I got a lot of good comments on it. But I thoroughly screwed up trying to perform Garnet's Home Made Beer. I should stick to my own material. I stayed up way too late, and was a little foggy all the way home, and I'm sure, not completely coherent talking to Lorelei last night.

My next SCA event will be Castle Wars. Sure to be cold. I'm working up some ideas for the bardic competition I've been asked to conduct. And I want to get more bards firecrawling, so I want to do a most hospitable camp competition at Castle Wars since there is no formal feast there. We'll see how it goes.

Packing for Pillage on the Plains. It's going to be fun having Munchkin along for this one. I have a peice written for Randalin's prize, and a few ideas kicking round my head for other things to write. I am bringing Munchkin's bow. As long as she does exactly what Tom tells her, I'll let her take it to the archery field. It also sounds like my circle is going to get full support from the event staff instead of being..."oh yeah, there's a circle over there, too." Throughout our period, the primary form of entertainment was the bard, the minstrel, the jongleur, and the troubadour. But our modern sensibilities are deadened by overstimulation. And modern attitudes towrd poetry prevail, even in our society. Me, I would just like to free the evenings from the tyranny of the drum circle. Haflas are nice, and I enjoy them. But Our game is centered on western Europe, not Persia. In period, our modern haflas would have gotten a lot of people burned as heretics.

Other news. I have been asked to conduct a bardic competition at Castle Wars. This shall be a new experience for me. I'll of course, also shoehorn a circle onto the official schedule. My plan to be the defacto bard of the kingdom is proceeding apace. No matter who holds the official regalia, if I am the one who first comes to mind when people think bardic in the kingdom, then for all intents and purposes, I am the kingdom bard. Ego, I know, and utterly meaningless to anyone else besides me, but I like the conceit of it.

And the best news of all, she has her ticket, and will be here in two weeks.

jigety jigg.

It was a good shakedown cruise for the Albanach Express. 4 hours out and 4 back. A sweet easy ride, even with a full cargo, with AC and music again.

Highlights of the weekend:

Singing Shoulders of Giants for the Queen, and the children of the populace.
The Lady, who gave me a necklace of beads in appreciation for my song.
Finally getting my red scabbard, (even if it needs work.)
Holding the torches for the court on the field.
Performing Sword Brothers for the Royalty at the celebration buffet
The bardic circle back in camp that lasted till nearly 2
A guilty pleasure--getting out of restroom duty because the event needed a replacement herald.
The new people I met, like Wesley, and Celeste, (no, a different Celeste, Sister), and Conor, and Amicia.
The fun and comraderie of the camp that happens whenever Red Sword gathers.

Our circle was well attended by new faces even if there were few willing to perform, and we were competing for warm bodies with the open bar the Chivalry was hosting on the field. I am hoping for more event support for the circle next week at Pillage. My sword Brothers did everything I could have asked and then some. The event stewards had their own priorities and treated it more as an afterthought. That rankles some, as the event stewards were of my own Shire. Is it egotistical of me to think that I am an asset they should have wanted to make more of?

I only wish my Lady could have been with us. I do look forward to her joining us for events. Being the only single among a company of couples makes me more than a bit wistful. When I see everyone else going off to their tents together, I become acutely aware that my Love is 600 miles away.

Over all I enjoyed MGT. But it will be nice to go to Pillage next week just as a attendee. All I have to do there is fight and sing. Sounds like a plan.

So somewhere in the middle of Red Tower, my old Beastie started making a tapping noise down in the engine--a sure sign of a rod seeking the freedom of open air. Not a good thing. Fortunately I had already decided the Beast was going to be replaced, and had set in motion my plans for new wheels. The engine slowly dying just added a little un-needed excitement to the process.

But now the deed is done. My new wheels are a 2000 Ford Ranger, black, extended cab, stepsides, 5-speed. Only 59k on the clock for being 7 years old. I give up power windows, and door locks, (no big), the pass through window in the back, (also no big), and a little cargo space. (Might be a little big) The stepesides on the bed mean I have a narrower box, without the extra space around the wheels. But I gain some extra tie-downs and bungee hooks in return. Stack em High! And I gain those neat half doors for easier access behind the seats.

What I also no longer have is:

A crack across the entire front windshield
A front bumper held on by bungee cords
A passenger side door in a different color
A dome light that stays on for an hour after I get out
A constantly on check engine light
2/45 air conditioning. (that's 2 windows down, at 45 miles per hour)
A center console that won't close
A headliner that looks like two cats sharpened their claws on it
A radiator that loses coolant
A schizophrenic oil pressure guage
An untrustworthy gas guage
A dinged up rear bumper
Multitudinous scratches dents, and unidentifiable stains
That unmistakeable "old car smell"
And the "improper engine noise", as the dealer's evaluation described it.
("ticking time bomb" is how I described it)

So, the Beastie is gone. Long live the new Albanoch Express. (please?)

Enjoyable weekend. Caravanned out with my Red Sword Bretheren, and with a side trip to Museum Replicas to look at all kinds of nice toys I can't afford. (That early Scots dirk comes quickly to mind). Then arrived at camp and set up. I didn't spend as much time in camp as I was sent on a shopping trip, but that did get me 3 hours with the Baroness, who seemed to thoroughly enjoy escorting a fully kilted highlander through the local Walmart.

Saturday I bypassed Jean-Michel's Cut and Thrust class to assist in heralding the Red Tower Tourney for the Heavy Fighters. I would have liked to have taken the class, but I've had similar ones, and opportunities will come again. Besides, this was a chance to remind all those guys in hard armor that us people with real swords are in the SCA too. There is not enough inter-action between the two groups, as the Baroness acknowledged when she insisted on no pavillions separating the two combat lists. As much as I njoy fencing, I go to events primarily to be a bard, and I will be a bard long after I am no longer able to lift a rapier. And as a bard, I am more concerned with KIngdom unity than my career as a bladesman.

Speaking of bardic activities, it was a mixed weekend. I believe Baron Cathal liked the piece I wrote for him. He observed that in all the years he has been writing poems for other people, no one has ever writen one for him. As I was off with the Baroness Friday night, I didn't do any camp singing, and there wasn't much interest in it Saturday, either. The two short pieces I wrote for the rapier tourneys didn't get used due to a change of format, but I closed out the rapier tourney with my Salute to Meridian Rapier that got a good cheer. The pieces that didn't get used will still go on the bardblog.

Late Saturday, after the others crashed in our camp, I headed out and wandered a bit, mainly just looking for conversations to fit into. A bard learns to hear, to see, to listen, but not to tell all he knows.

I enjoyed myself. Past-times with good company. I would that my Lady had been with me, but that day will come.

Watch the bardblog folks. The summer slump is over and the drought is at an end. www.owlsnestbard.blogspot.com

Saturday I was stuck in Music at work for most of the morning. The usual lack of customers back there lest me uninterrupted for several hours, with assignments on my mind. Knocked out about 5 short pieces for upcoming events. Plus a few other things for my own enjoyment. Not only that, I've got some melodies for some of my recent pieces. Now I need to get them memorized. I also need to go back over my older stuff and make sure I haven't forgotten anything.

I've got a couple pieces written for Red Tower, a couple items for MGT, and an item or two I can use at Pillage. And a couple very items for the Highland games. But that's a more private matter (grin)

Is screaming to be fed. Time to get back to being a working bard. I've got a couple pieces in the works for Red Tower, and some ideas for MGT and Pillage, but I need to spend more time writing. The really good hooks haven't been coming of late, and I've been distracted to say the least.(But it's a good distracted, believe me)

I really need to think about trading in my truck. It's beat to hell and can't have much left in it. But do I do it now, or let it carry me through one more winter? Since this means tapping into my reserves, I have to look at what it will do to me tax-wise.

I'm some three weeks away from my birthday, and I haven't decided what I'm getting myself yet. Probably pommels for my blades, but I could also think about a scabbard, or maybe a new shirt to wear with the tartan. Surprise everyone with something other than the same red one. Why must I have such expensive hobbies?