Last day of 2007

Can you believe tomorrow is 2008? I surely can't. Time marches on. I never get to excited to celebrate New Years. Just another day really. I will be glad to have it off. Tomorrow is suppose to be bitterly cold so I will probably hibernate at home. I should work on a few projects and get stuff ready for this weekend's trip to Calontir.

Here is another pointless but timefilling meme for you.

1) Where did you begin 2007?
At home on the couch getting adicted to Ugly Betty and watching movies

2) What was your status by Valentine's Day?
same as always

3) Favorite movie of 07?
Several actually but the one I am sure most people didn't see and should is Sweet Land

4) How did you earn your money?
working at the Lib

5) Did you have to go to the hospital this year?
no thankfully

6) Did you have any encounters with the police?
No unless you count talking to Thunderbunny at an event.

7) Where did you go on holidays?
visited the parental units

8) What did you purchase that was over $1,000?
I didn't have any large purchases this year

9) Did you know anybody who got married?
Merideth and Bron

10) Did you know anybody who passed away?
yes

11) Did you lose any friends?
Not yet but Jess is moving to Wyoming :-(

12) Did you move anywhere?
I moved around a lot this year but my stuff stayed at home

13) What concerts/shows did you go to?
none

14) Are you registered to vote?
yes

15) Who did you want to win Big Brother?
I don't watch that

16) Where do you live now?
In my apato

17) What's something you thought you'd never do but did in 2007?
become SCA Royalty

18) What has been your favorite moment(s)?
There has been too many to put here

19) Where did you go on vacation?
vacation, whats that?

20) Any new additions to your family?
nope

21) What was your favorite month?
September

22) How much have you partied?
some

23) Made new friends?
yes

24) What did you do for 4th of July?

Stayed at Nailz's and went to Khans for supper

25) Favorite Night out?
too many to remember

26) Name the instance in which you had most to drink:
Kaia's birthday

27) Are you in a relationship with someone you met this year?
i have lots of relationships but i really don't have time for romance right now

Every day looks like a picture postcard

All the snow and constant fog has covered everything in a beautiful frost. I should get out and take some pictures. Its quite lovely although driving and walking around is still slippery. I almost wiped out leaving work yesterday but somehow I managed to keep up right. Thank you snow boots. Also took a little skid in the car while going to the bank. Nothing happened but it was one of those oh crap -hey that was fun-lets do that again moments.

Andrew stopped by work yesterday to say hello and to see when would be a good time to go out to dinner this week. He seemed to be doing well. Didn't get a chance to talk to him much. We will be meeting up tonight for dinner.

Rachel also came by in the afternoon. We decided we were hungry for Mexico Viejo so we called Kaia to get out of bed and join us. We called Hagan too but he wasn't quite home yet from his trip to the cities but he would be home in time to go to the movies if we were interested in going. Dinner was muy delicioso. After dinner we went back to my apato and hung out until Hagan got back to town. Around 7 it was getting super foggy so he didn't get back in time to see the early show which was fine since I wanted to chat with Rachel more than I wanted to go to the movies. I can go sit in a dark room and not talk to anyone any time I want.

I didn't know if I felt up to going to the late show but when it was time to go I had decided it would be fun. We went to see National Treasure 2. It was fun but not overly great. I think all of us had it figured out half way through. I was kind of bothered that they never really explained the bad guys motivation. At least not overly well so that was lame. I think we were all deeply amused that the climax takes place in South Dakota.

When we got out of the movie the fog had taken over the town. You could see down the block and not any further. I didn't envy Rachel having to drive back out to her parents.

Why does every day feel like its Sunday

Seems like everyday is a Sunday. I guess thats what you get when a holiday is on a Tuesday. I am thinking that they should make a law that holidays have to fall on a Monday or a Friday. Or if they fall on a Tuesday/Thursday you get that Monday/Friday off and if it falls on a Wednesday total week off bonus.

Christmas was nothing grand but nice. The gifts I gave were happily received. mission success. My niece especially liked her pink hat. She immediately plonked it on her head and ran around showing everyone.

Christmas Day it snowed and looked very pretty up until it was time for me to get out on the road. It wasn't too bad, just wet and slushy but I was glad I headed out when I did. Verm hadn't gotten very much snow by the time I got back home but by the time I went to bed we had about 2-3 inches. If there would have been anyone around to throw snow at it would have been prime snowball weather.

The day before the night before Christmas

The presents are wrapped, bags packed and last minute details are finished. Now all I have to do is make it through the Monday workday. Luckily it hasn't been too bad. Thank you BBC Radio 2 the greatest Radio station in the world. It would be better if we didn't have to be open but if wishes were fishes we would all be sick of fish.

All of Christmas will be spent at the 'rents this year. A little bit different but it has kind of been that way every since my gran moved into her apartment. It should be fun. I asked my niece if she was ready to open presents and her response was "OH Yes!" She didn't know about the whole Santa thing but she was all ready for the presents.

I am sure we will also watch some if not all of The Christmas Story like we always do and my dad will sigh and ask if we have that memorized yet. How can you not get a kick out of Ralphie's quest for a red ryder b-b gun. Its family tradition. And there will be lefse.

I hope everyone has a Happy Christmas!!!!

Oh, crystal ball, crystal ball, Save us all, tell me life is beautiful

I recently got Keane's latest album Under the Iron Sea. It is rockin! I have been playing it non stop. It will probably be the first thing I put on my Mp3 player.

I got my Sandisk Clip yesterday. I read a lot of good things about it. There was even an article about it in Smart Computing in Plain English so it made me happy with my choice. When I ordered it I didn't realize it has a record option on it. That will be fun to play with. The FM tuner works pretty well too. I got a blue one and its tiny. Its about the same size as an ipod shuffle but it has a screen and is cheaper.

So Friday before Christmas. I have finally finished with my shopping. I need to wrap up my parents gifts and then that should all be finished. Yay. I haven't been overly excited for Christmas this week but I also haven't felt overly well either. I either had a mild case of the flu or food poisoning. I finally got some medicine and that has helped greatly along with going to bed early. I am hoping I will feel more perky next week when everyone will be home for Christmas.

Christmas countdown status

The countdown to Christmas is on and I think I am almost ready. I have one more present to get for my mom and I should be done. Huzzah. Then let the wrapping commence.

I have been looking at Mp3 players as a gift for myself but haven't really decided on any one brand. Then I think do I really need one? Although it would be nice to have on long car trips. Maybe I will wait until the after Christmas sales.

Apparently 4 batches of my easy make choc-peanut butter cookies is enough for 10 student workers and still have plenty leftover to give to Hagan.

Another meme

Do you get distracted easily?
what did you say? I was distracted.

When is your next vacation and where?
Gulf Wars in March

Do you ride roller coasters?
Can't say I like them much

Who was the last person you yelled at?
I can't remember. I tend to rant in general than at one person

Are you wearing a necklace?
not right now

What family member do you look like?
My mom and dad. My brothers and I have the same chin and lips. Tough sharing.

Do you take any daily vitamins or pills?
nope

Where does your grandma live?
wakonda

Are you friends with your neighbors?
not really

Where have you lived throughout your life?
Irene, SD, Sioux Falls, Vermillion gah thats depressing

Do you have a routine before going to bed?
not really but I try to go to bed about the same time

Have you ever tee-peed someone's house?
no

Have you ever had a crush on your sister's/brother's friend?
oh yes. Still think about him. I wonder where he ended up.

When was the last time you drove more than 30 minutes?
Sunday

Do you have any enemies?
I have an Arch enemy. Does that count?

What is your usual breakfast?
granola bars or a scone

What are you doing tonight?
finishing christmas shopping

Would you date the person who posted this?
shes cute and all but not really my type. Besides shes taken

What's for dinner?
Who knows. Want to come over and make me something?

Anyone close to you ever died?
yes

Who's always there for you unconditionally?
my parents, my friends

Are you ashamed of your past?
Don't live in regret, esse

When was the last time you saw your best friend?
Saturday

Do you use lyrics to express how you feel?
of course

When was the last time you cried?
sunday

Do you swear often?
Depends on how mad I am.

Who is the last person you had a sleepover with?
sleepover? what am I, 8?

Do you like messages or comments better?
I like it when people talk to me so keep those cards and letters coming.

Do you still talk to the person you LAST kissed?
of course

What is the last thing you ate?
granola bar

Last doctors appointment or hospital visit?
I went to my bone cracker before thanksgiving

Do you know anyone in the military?
Clare, Danny, Iggy, Mouse

Is there anything silver near you?
my favorite pen

Where was your default picture taken?
Anime Detour

What do you like on your pizza?
sausage

What bill do you dread paying?
they are all equally dreadful

Did you ever go through an awkward stage?
I think I am still there

Have you had braces?
no

Do you have a green thumb?
no its normal colored but plants are not friendly to me or is it the other way around.

Ever tied a ribbon on your finger to remember something?
thats what notes in my pockets are for

Last video game you played?
freecell

Do you want another pet?
no

Whats so great about being an 80s kids?
All the great 80's songs

Yule Tide

It was lovely to drive to an event only an hour away. So nice. Headed up to the big city to have breakfast with John and Caillie at Panera. I had never been there before so that was fun. Panera is a bit too fru fru yuppie for me but the food is good and we had a nice visit. I also got a giant popcorn tin full of chocolates and other goodies. Thanks Caillie (and John)!!!

Site opened at ten and we got there not long after that. There were only a few people there. Got all my stuff in and settled. John and Caillie stayed for a bit but since they work nights they headed home around lunch time. More people came and I finished my latest hat. I helped Rue fix her viking brooch strings and Svienn fixed my necklace that broke at Boars Head.

Site has some nice couches so in late afternoon I took a little nap probably longer than I planned but it was nice to catch a little siesta. When I got up Kaia and Jess had arrived and not long after that we ate turkey and all the fixings. All was very good and I had a hard time eating all my pie. I forgot about the pumpkin cheesecake Ruth made but I got to take some home.

Everyone was glad I could come. I had fun. I was glad to go to a nice little event.

If excuses were money, I would be rich

Gah I hate finals week. Its hella hard to schedule people to work during it. If I had money for every excuse I have heard this week I could easily pay for my recent car repairs, all my Christmas presents, pay for the rest of my coronet that Jurgen is making(I can't wait to see it) and probably have some kicking around cash. Okay maybe not that many but it has felt like it. Yeesh. I would love to tell everyone to go get your tests done and enjoy the week but we have jobs that need doing. The semester isn't over yet.

Sometimes I miss having the few weeks off in between Christmas and New Years but its also nice to go to work and have it ultra quiet.

Anyway its Friday and that is awesome. I am looking forward to hanging out with the Border Downs gang this weekend. It will be nice to go to a low key event. I need to fix my necklace that broke and maybe make a few beads.

End of the Saga

The end of the door saga has come to a close. As I mentioned the other day my driver's window would not stay up. The Thursday night before we drove to Wisconsin I was running errands and tried to roll the window down. It protested so I put it back up but the damage was done. Every time you pushed the button it would do nothing and you could hear the motor going round. Craptacular.
I spent Friday morning going to shop to shop to find someone who could look at it that morning. Third times the charm. Unfortunately they needed to order a part and all they could do was tape it. So we drove to Wisconsin with the window taped up. Monday they got the part in which was awesome since I had that day off and could easily drop it off. But then they broke the part. They had trouble with the door panel so they left it off. I was wondering how long I would have to drive around all getto style. Tape on the outside, stripped metal door on the inside with the power controls taped to the door which didn't stay taped for long. I decided I didn't care and just let it hang there. Wednesday came, They got the part and I am back in business. So nice to have that working. What a pain. Merry Christmas to me.

Boar's Head

We had a good trip to Boar's Head despite the cold, the forecast for snow and driver's side window losing ability to stay up without tape. (The stupid track broke and is still broken since they broke the new part while trying to replace it yesterday) sigh.

Anyway got the window taped up in time to leave town and pick up Svienn and Deva. Katsumoto also rode along so we were filled to the gills with gear and people. When Hagan got knighted a few years ago there were 6 of us in the van with 4 sets of armor so we knew we could fit it all in. It helps that Hagan can bend space and time with his master packing skills. The trip out was uneventful. I didn't have to drive too much which was good since I hate driving at night. So need to go to the eye doctor. Sveinn played us some advance tracks of the Skaldheim album that was partial recorded at WW. I can't wait to get my copy. We got to the hotel around 10:30 and I just crashed. Everyone else went out for food but I had no desire to crawl back into the van. The bed was too comfortable.

It so nice to be at a hotel that has hot breakfast. Pancakes, french toast, sausage and eggs and the usual breakfast stuff. So nice. We loaded up and headed to site which was the next exit up the road.

We got set up and dressed and then waited around for Astrid to get there so we could spring our surprise on her. Finally everything was set and we opened court. It was so fun to watch her face go from Hurrah, to huh, oh no.

After that got squared away spent sometime visiting with people and checking out the merchants, stopped by the Princess Sleeve tourney. Everyone there seemed to be having a good time. Then it was time for peerage meetings.

My Aunt Mary who lives in Sheboygan (about an hour from site) came out to visit and was there when our meetings were done. It was fun to show her what I do during my spare time.

Court was a lot of fun but the longest one we have had. Two hours. But with fealties, and baronial court what can you do. During the middle Hagan noticed that he was losing everyone so we had a seventh inning stretch which did a lot of good. Everyone stood up except for all the people behind the throne sat down. Never heard such happy sighs. ;-)

Feast was fun too there were a several illusion foods and they the feasters played Agincourt the game. Hagan and I mostly doled out gems and loot although we decided that there were a surprising amount of poor peasants and poisonings.

Next up: Yule Tide in Border Downs and 12th Night in Calontir.

This blogs for Clare

In an effort to provide entertainment for the troops overseas, yes I mean Clare sitting in her office in Kuwait, I plan to blog a bit more. Did I hear a redhead give a little cheer? Yeah I thought so.

Today's blog brings you a Christmas meme. Feel free to fill it out and post it on your blog.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bag? Both, gift bags are much easier to deal with and reusable

2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial

3. When do you put up your tree? when I feel like it but never before thanksgiving. Not sure if its going up this year.

4. Do you like eggnog? yes

5. Favorite gift received as a child? Princess Leia Doll

6. Hardest person to buy for? mom

7. Easiest person to buy for? dad

8. Worst Christmas gift you've ever received? Sadly I have received many but the worst is crappy Queen Anne Chocolate covered cherries. belch. And the little ceramic Santa with a digital clock in its tummy from my brother Brian. What was he thinking? He was in the Army at the time but come on. Cash and gift cards are highly acceptable .

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? A little of both but not every year

10. Favorite Christmas movie? The Snowman http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Snowman

11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Depends but usually toward the end of the shopping season

12. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes

13. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? lefse, peanut butter cup cookies

14. White or colored lights? colored

5. Favorite Christmas song? Christmas time is here

16. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Sure but I have to sing the song

17. Angel or Star on top of tree? Star

18. Open presents Christmas Eve or Morning? Eve

19. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Crowds

20. What I love most about Christmas? how pretty everything is and spending time with my friends and family

Harry Potter Myers Briggs test

Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

In the last year or so we have been doing a lot of personality test like Myers-Briggs and StrengthQuest. I figure this Harry Potter version is just as good.

Day of the Ninja

Dec 5 is the Day of the Ninja

In true form it snuck up on me. ;-) Here are my library ninjas at work. I love my minions.

too right

KWAR

KWAR was a lot of fun but it sure went in a hurry. We got up to the Cities about 10:30 -11. We had a good drive up. It was cold but nice drive. Got the hotel and unloaded. Ran into Super Dave right away who helped us unload. Turned out he was in the room right next to ours. He was sharing a room with Uncle Dave, Julio and Bron. Got settled and headed down to the party that was kind of winding down. Lots of people didn't recognize Hagan and I right away without our hats and garb so that was kind of funny to see their reactions. I can't remember what time hotel security came to tell us to break it up but at that point I needed to go to bed.

Saturday morning we got ready and headed down. Nailz showed up when we were signing in at troll so went back to the room with her so she could change. Milled about a bit and visited and then the day was absconded by baronial meetings. We are deciding who gets to be the next Baronage of Nordskogen so we got a whole lot of information on that and met will all the candidates. I think it went pretty well. My brain was pretty full by the end of it and I probably could have used a nap before court but there wasn't time. Sir Tom was kind enough to go out in the snow and get us lunch. As Hagan says Sir Tom is the bomb.

Court was a rather impromptu affair but everyone was enthusiastic about the awards we gave out.

That got over and I hung out and let my brain absorb all the info of the day. Visited with people a bit too. Around 6 the Oakshott Collection was about to open but I was too tired to really enjoy it so went back to the room to change since we were going out to dinner after everyone saw it.

Got changed and everyone was back. There was a big line so they decided to wait until after dinner. So headed out to dinner. The snow was very light at the time but we did have to spend about 20 minutes digging out the van and trying to get the side door to open. It freezes shut rather easily. But we got everyone in and headed off to the Atlantic Chinese Buffet. V. good. mmmm.

Made it back with no fender benders. Yay and then hung out in the room for awhile while the boys went to the hot tub. Went down for Rigo's birthday party. Much silliness was had. Not as much as they had in Rigo's room, which was broken up by hotel security.

Sunday we headed out. I-35 was somewhat icy. We passed about 3 accidents and there were various cars in ditches and tracks that showed where previous cars had gone in the ditch. 90 was better in some spots but someone cranked the wind up and it was bitter cold when we stopped. Was glad to make it home with little trouble.

Hopefully we will have good weather traveling to Boar's Head.

Dudes!

Hey its been a while since I blogged. Thanksgiving was good. Filled with food and friends. No lefse but there will be some for Christmas. Yay!

Would write more but no time lately. Both jobs have me running, running. Might write later this week to talk about KWAR.

In the meantime enjoy this Doctor Who Web comic. Its awesome. It has all the Doctors in it.

Turkey thoughts

Ah the blessed time for turkey and all the trimmings. Cannot wait. The only thing that would make it perfect would be a batch of lefse but I know my mom didn't have time to make any. :-( I am sure she will make some for Christmas. Something to look forward to.

I hope everyone has a good holiday. I plan to spend time with friends and not think about work or SCA. Angi is going to be in town so I can't wait to see her. Saturday I am planning on going to SF to see Enchanted with Rue and her daughter. She is not usually up for girlie movies so that should be fun. Maybe hit Coldstone. mmmm

Its odd what you find on the internet. Check out this doofy hat. You can buy them from some boutique in NY for 135 bucks. I am sure you could make one, if you are into figuring out patterns, for much cheaper.

TOC

TOC was a rousing success. I think there must have been at least 30-40 some fighters there. Maybe more. I didn't really count but it was nice to see such a large turn out. Everyone seemed to be having a great time teaching and/or learning.

I drove up by myself on Saturday morning. Its only a two hour drive to Mitchell and not like I needed to be there early. Felt really strange going to an event by myself. Its been awhile since I have done that.

Spent most of the day visiting, hanging out and watching some of the fighting. Tom made extra good onion pottage for lunch. I think it is the best he has ever made. So yummy. Late in the afternoon we had court and a round table chiv meeting. I think many positive things came out of this event.

After everyone got packed up and site cleaned up, a bunch of us headed off to Chef Louis Steak House. My steak was awesome but much bigger than I could finish. Not a big problem since Hagan was happy to finish it for me.

After that we went back to the hotel to relax and have fun. I spent some of the night opening beers for Steelbender since he had some trouble with the twist tops. ;-) We stayed up way to late and got up too early. Curse my internal clock. It was nice to get home early so I could nap on the couch the rest of the afternoon.

Three days

Three days off! Can you believe it! Three days where I can do what I want. Or not do which is the nice part. Yay! Which is good cuz things have been hell on wheels this week. Ai ya. Irritation levels have reached critical mass. All of this work related. meh. Thankfully I don't have to take work home with me. Work stays at work. To bad the crankiness does not. Its getting better tho.

Not sure what is on the agenda for the weekend. Should pick up and organize stuff, clean and maybe do some sewing. Also need to do some SCA paperwork. I wish there was something good playing at the movies. Would be nice to go see something. Haven't done that in ages.

Happy Birthday to His Maj!

Today is Hagan's birthday! Happy Birthday Majesty!

St. Kates

Saturday was St. Kates. I tend to go to it every year but I think the events you usually go to are the ones where it seems the strangest to be royalty. I had a good time tho. We loaded up on Saturday and headed out. We stopped at Medb's to pick up a scroll and then eat breakfast. Breakfast at Grandma Max's - mission status...failed. It was okay but I think we will give it a miss next time. I don't understand because when I ate dinner there it was good. I guess I should have ordered the egg special like Sarah.

Made it to Volga around 11 and found out that they weren't having it at the usual place. Instead it was at the auditorium which I thought was torn down. Apparently not. Felt kind of strange being back there but good too. Got unloaded and dressed. All the fighters were getting geared up to go outside to do their thing. Tarrach was teaching a weaving class so I sat in on that. I think I could handle the c-clamp loom. Warping it seems easy. You just go round and round and leave a card every time you go around. The main thing that keeps me from weaving anything is the warping process. I am not sure if I have the patience to warp.

After that tried to watch the fighting but the wind was just too cold to sit out there so went back in. Lu had another one of her seconds yarn that needed unraveling so that took up most of the afternoon. By the time we got done with that it was time to get ready for Court. We had fun giving Chuck his Lord cubed award before giving him his Tyr. Lu had made some little femo tacos to give out so I got to give out tacos for the first time. Thought it would be okay since Hagan wasn't there.

Feast was good as usual. Everything was really tasty especially the dates with cream cheese. Every year at St. Kates they hand out rondels which are notes that ask to tell a story or do something funny. Storm's puppet show was the highlight. I hope the guys post it online soon. So funny. After feast they set up the plague rat shoot. Everyone had fun with that.

Next up: TOC.

Happy Halloween!

The highlight of the Fall season is upon us. Lets rejoice, shall we? *tosses candy in air*

Huzzah to the best holiday ever. Which makes me a bit sad since it is the middle of the week and I am not doing anything special tonight. If I am lucky, Jessica will come over and we will eat the mystery Eastern European chocolates that Caillie sent me. (none of it has labels I can read so who knows what in there)

If not, I will probably continue the struggle against the disorder in my apato. Last night, the battle vs. clothes was a clear victory. Everything got put away, rearranged and items that need to go away have been bagged up for delivery to the civic council. Ta ta ta! I think I might actually be able to fit all my storage bins in my closet! I suppose it is a bit silly to get excited about such things but hey it makes me happy! Now if I could convince my retainers that they should do stuff for me in my mundane life. Then my evil plans would be complete!!

Have a good Halloween!!!!! Enjoy Homestarrunner's Halloween special!

Halloween - Glitter Graphics

Glitter Graphics for Orkut, Myspace, Friendster

The blog post about the trip to Nord dakota and Halloween's quick arrival

First of all, HOLY CRAP, tomorrow is Halloween! I have been so distracted by SCA stuff it has snuck up on me. Wow. Its not like I do anything special anyway. Nobody ever comes to my door for candy so I end up eating it myself. I haven't really bought any extra candy this year but I do have some in case I need it. Usually a bunch of us go out to dinner dressed up. I will never forget last year when Jessica and Sam taped their legs together so they could be Siamese twins. It was quite the show watching them get in and out of the van. Not sure if I will dress up tomorrow or not. I usually dress up for work but not sure if I will do it this year. Maybe Her Majesty will go to work for me and I can stay at home.

Vivant for the Shire of Dreibrucken! We had a good time elevating them to full status. Everyone seemed to be having a good time at the event.

We left home Friday night and headed up ol' 29 after picking Morton up in SF. Didn't have any problems but we did see a lot of bloodstained highway and random bits of things. It is the season for that. Thankfully Hagan's good karma is in tact and we had Princess Yue light our way. The moon was gorgeous!

We got to Hrodir's around 11 and got settled it. Saturday morning came rather early but everyone got ready in time and we headed out. More dead deer and blood along the highway. We made it to site about the time Hagan had projected. Pretty good considering we left Fargo a little later than we had planned. A lot of people were there already. Other people unloaded the van since I am not allowed. Got dressed and visited. I mostly visited with people all day. I had a bit of a sinus headache so it was hard to focus. The impromptu A&S display was fun to watch snowball. It never fails to amuse when someone sparks an idea and then everyone runs with it.

Fiona brought her indulgences cards with her and I think all were sold. It helped that we had two pretty girls run around and sell them. I think the cookies helped too. We will be selling them at Boars Head so that should be fun. On the way home, We came up with a whole bunch of terms and conditions to put on the back of the cards. The money raised from the indulgences are going to go to the Northshield endowment fund. If anyone has any good indulgences that we should add to our list, feel free to email me.

In the afternoon, most of the fighters spend the afternoon playing with combat archery and inside they danced.

Around 4:30 we had court and that went well. Hagan gave out more tacos to everyones amusement. The scroll for Dreibrucken Charter turned out quite well. There wasn't a whole lot of business so court was short and sweet. We brought along the Northsheild Horn and Thunderbunny and Hrodir had a good time taking turns sounding it.


Feast was yummy especially the chicken gravy. mmmm. At the end I was very full and not willing to move very fast. Dishes got washed, we packed up, site was cleaned and then we went off to Mark's to relax, visit and sleep. I met Mark or Wulfhere ages ago at my first trip to Lilies. It was good to see him again.

Sunday we headed south. It was a long windy drive home. Somewhere around Watertown we got hit by a microburst that about blew us off the highway. Crikey. Thankfully there were no deer met on the way home.

This Saturday is the Feast of St. Kates.

No spring, nor summer beauty hath such grace, As I have seen in one autumnal face

This weekend had not one but two perfect Autumn days. One bright and sunny with glorious color and the other dark and moody that made me happy to curl up on the couch and long for a good bowl of soup. Both days had weather that makes me love fall. So glorious.

My weekend was good. Not as good as those who went to Otsukimi but good. It was nice to rest up. Didn't get as much cleaning done as I wanted to. Okay I got very little done but my junk mail pile is no more but it was nice to relax and just be.

Sexie

Nailz and I saw Eddie's Sexie show a few years back. I can't wait til it comes out on DVD in the States.

Fall Crown

I haven't had any time lately to update my blog. Meh. But that's life.

We had a smashing good time at Crown. I almost didn't want to go home which is funny since the week before I had felt like craptar. Somehow I managed to strain something in the middle of my back right below my right shoulder blade. While I was a wake I felt okay, little sore but okay but when I tried to lay down OMG the pain. Ai ya. So needless to say I got very little sleep that week. I did go to my bone cracker and that helped but not completely. I was feeling somewhat better by the time we headed out to the Hills.

We had a good trip out. Went fast and no problems driving. We got to Lead about 7ish MST and Rachel met us there. We dumped off out stuff and quickly headed back to Deadwood for the Crab legs/Prime Rib buffet at the Silverado. We were super hungry. They buffet was pretty good. It was hot and lots of it so no one went hungry. After supper we headed back up the mountain and everyone had gotten there by that time. There were lots of SCA people staying at the hotel so it was good to visit with everyone. With my back being stupid I was in no hurry to go to bed so stayed up late with the insomnia club.

The morning came rather quickly when you go to bed about 2am but didn't feel to bad in the morning. Got duded up and headed over to site to get set up. Activity was in full swing and people were busy setting up. Before I knew it it was time for Court and the introductions of all the combatants and consorts. It felt a little weird since less than six months before I had been one of the people presented into court and given flowers. After that there was a little break while everyone got ready and prepared for battle!

The tourney went by very quickly. Much fast than the one Hagan won. That seemed to last all day. There were many good bouts and all were well fought. In the end it came down to Lars vs. Geoffrey and Lars was victorious. Vivant Lars and Mary Heirs of Northshield!!!
Here is a video of the final bout. Thanks to Anora for taking pictures.


The rest of the day was spent visiting and meetings. I also got a back massage (thanks Devon) and a bone cracking session from the Saucy Frenchmen. Cracking the bones never felt so good. Ahhhhhh. It really helped too. I am on the mend.

Feast was fun and yummy but like last Crown I was exhausted and not overly hungry. It was a good feeling that Crown was over and we had accomplished that task.

The rest of the night was spent running around the Hotel with Kol looking for fun. Hagan and his knights were having a good time torturing Evan. Much fun was had. I got a box of clothes from Nordskogen. Everything fit beautifully. Its amazing how people can do that. Not one of my skills. I need the person there. All very beautiful and I can't wait to wear them. I made a new viking apron dress for the weekend. I think it turned out nice. I got several complements and that made me happy.

Next up: Trip to Bismark to make them a shire.

Trek across the State

This weekend is Crown Tourney so that means a trek across SD to Lead. Hopefully it will be an good trip. I am looking forward to seeing everyone out there. I am also hoping that all the leaves haven't abandoned the trees yet and it is a beautiful fall weekend.

Pete and repeat

This week is almost identical to last week except the numbers and names have been changed to protect the guilty.

I wish I had something interesting to say but sadly I don't. The only news I have is that they are discontinuing my peanut phone and I have to get an upgrade. sigh I like my peanut phone although it has been acting up.

One good thing is that we have a three day weekend!!

love this song

OMG EMD!!!!!

The only good part of a really bad day is that it makes time go fast.

Long week

This week has been rather low key which I think is why it has seemed so long. Each day seems to last an age but then when I have free time that slips through my fingers. Typical I guess.

This was the week I had designated to clean out my closet but its already Thursday and have I even started? Not at all. Sometimes I think it would be more useful to me to have retainers in my mundane life. At least to have someone to clean when I don't want to.

I have done a lot of knitting this week so I can say I have accomplished something. A small something but it is better than saying I have done nothing at all.

Capiton this photo

I love this photo of Hagan but it is begging for a funny caption. Any ideas??????

The seige or who took my warm weather

This last weekend was the third Cecil's Siege. I had no idea last year when I was sitting in Court that only a short year later I would be Queen of Northshield. Life is full of surprises.

The siege started Thursday night but I had many chores that I needed to get done not to mention I had to work half a day on Friday so I stayed home to get those things done. Rue and Mouse came into town for a little visit and to ask if they could come take showers at my place on Friday since site showers weren't up and running yet.

Friday I got off work at noon and then waited for the shower crew to show up. Not long after they showed up Nailz did too with Mr. Yuki. It was to be his first camping adventure. Everyone got cleaned up and dressed and we headed out to site. There were a fair amount of people there already. The sun was out but the wind was cold. I had put on one of my knitted hats and I got lots of complements and lots of requests for one too once people found out that I had made it myself. I probably would have handed it over but it was too cold for that.

Friday night is the hamburger BBQ and torchlight tourney in honor of Ian MacTawisch. Katsuo was the victor and I gave him one of hats for winning the tourney. After that we hung out for awhile until I decided that I had had enough of the cold and it was time for bed. Deva came along too since she had no desire to camp and I had offered the use of my couch.

When we got up on Saturday morning it was nice and sunny, a little chilly but sunny. By the time we got out to site that had gone away and it became wet and dreary. Mr Yuki had not faired too well during the night so we took him back to town.

In my opinion it was too cold to do much of anything so sat in on classes, visited and knitted. My cousin Lou came out for a visit to see what all this SCA stuff is all about. She was quiet impressed. Before court my Mom, Dad and Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Charlie showed up. My parents have come to a few events but never stayed for long so it was nice that they could see court and know what that was all about. We had a lot of court business and everyone seemed pleased and surprised!! Hagan finally gave out tacos at court. There were a lot happy faces because of that.

After court the sun came out, typical, and then we had a lovely feast. There was way too much food and I couldn't eat everything on my plate. After feast there was bardic which I enjoyed and then more visiting.

All in all I think the Siege went pretty well despite getting sick this week. I suppose it was bound to happen with so much going on and the crazy up and down temps.

I got to see lots of people I haven't seen in forever and I was glad they got to see Hagan and I as King and Queen.

Coronation

I want to know who took my summer. It seems like yesterday that Hagan and I were crowned Prince and Princess and this whole adventure started. And now it is time for us to be crowned King and Queen. Ai ya where does the time go.

We left for Wisconsin Friday hoping that everything was packed and remembered. I probably drove everyone crazy by asking the same questions over and over. I just needed to make sure I didn't forget everything. The trip out was pretty pleasant except for that part where I got turned around in Minn looking for a gas station. *sigh* That and the last leg always seems so long after you get off the interstate. But we made it to the hotel when I thought we would. Got checked and poked around checking out the site and such. After a bunch of us got there we headed to get food. By the time we got back the rest of the crew had shown up. We hung out for a bit but I knew I needed to go to bed if I was going to make it through the next day.

Saturday the big day! I woke up with a few nerves but the quickly went away. Thank goodness for that. We had breakfast and then did a run through of what the ceremony would be. Then it was time to get ready and wait. I thought the ceremony went off very well. I got rather hot since the room they had court in was small and there were a lot of people in there.

After we were proclaimed King and Queen there was many meetings, running around greeting people, judging the A&S and a few moments to take it all in. That day is still a little blurry. Evening Court and feast went well and then it was finally time to relax and celebrate with friends.

It was really a great day and it will live long in my memory

Getting sugared up in Canada

Over the Labor Day Holiday I decided I needed a little trip to escape the preparations for Coroantion. I knew if I stayed home I would just stew about things and that would not be good. Kaia, Sarah, and I drove up to Fargo to stay with Hrodir and then Nailz met up with us Friday morning. The drive up was rather uneventful and not to exciting since the landscape is flat as flat can be. It gets flatter by the mile the more north you get. We got to the little town of Gimli around 8 and then we began the quest for Canadian cash. Mission status....well some of us were successful and others not. But between the success and the failure we got enough money to cover site.

After that we drove through the woods and found site. Site was very nice camp ground with plentiful cabins and flushy toilets. Yeah! Friday night people were just relaxing and hanging out. We did that for awhile but I was tired and kind of wanted to go to bed but before that could happen they had War Court. Since I was the ranking person there at the time, the King hadn't arrived yet, they wanted me to preside over it. This was the first time I held court by myself. It went okay tho since all I had to do was give my permission for them to do the baronial business.

Saturday was a beautiful day and after breakfast of pancakes and bacon mmm bacon, we basically relaxed in the cool weather while people did stuff. That evening we had court and I didn't have to do much then either except look good. That night we had a wonderful feast. After it was over I could hardly move.

Sunday was another beautiful day. They had the milk carton shoot which was lots of fun to watch and the Ice Cream social. We would have probably stayed another day but the girls needed to be back before classes started so we left site that afternoon. Before leaving Canada we bought a bunch of snacks because in Canada they use real sugar and not corn syrup in everything.

We stopped in Winnipeg for supper but when we got out we all smelled something burning. Nailz thought it was the forest fires in Idaho but it was really my front tire! Ai ya. We decided to eat and then see if anything could be done. After supper we looked for a garage to have it checked but nothing was open considering it was a Sunday and after 7pm. We checked it a few times and it seemed to be okay so we rolled on. I later learned that it was probably a rock caught in the tire boot. But we made it back to Fargo and then the rest of the way home on Monday with little problems. Seems like there is no trip without a little adventure.

Gimli is a fun trip and I hope to go back someday and up my Canada trips to three.

SCA videos

Hey all. Been a bit busy becoming Queen and all so will write about it soon. Here are some vids from Gimli and Coronation to keep you busy.

Almost there

Very little time is left before my name changes again from Your Highness to Your Majesty. People have been asking me if I am nervous, excited, etc. Really I have been too busy to even think about it. Maybe on the drive there. I am sure it will be good just a few more hurdles to jump before I can enjoy it.

Gimli

Hey All. Made it back from Gimli. It was a nice relaxing trip despite the smoking tire incident in Winnipeg. I don't have a lot of time today to write about it. Maybe later this week but don't count on it.
In the meantime, you can check out my pictures from the event.

Best picture ever

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNz1LQ0uaq3_Am1vhrVbQ1p-VUJq3RSsHAScYG5aI9BDhY97vlPbQCaX_aVHsGp3nE29X2XC2bwNsCKEe3tMqJW0tii1nY6BCIscgCnkFlLE-BmrYtNEaK57HW4DhRoDFZgMXwkIVZ/s1600-h/Exterminate2.jpg

Time is running out

11 days and counting. Things are getting done tho so that makes me happy. A lot of the big stuff is completed or getting there. Our coronation garb is finished. You can't imagine what a relief it is to have someone else do the sewing for you. I suppose I could have done it but I know it turned out better than anything I could have sewed. Thanks Charlene. Everything looks great.

So now on to getting accessories picked out and arranged. As well as any last minute details and decided who is riding with whom.

Long week

Hey All. This has been a really long week. Lots of coronation planning and bead hunting. Biscuit Minion was home for a little while and it was fun to hangout with you!

This weekend there is more work to do but hopefully some fun too.

Happy birthday to Samala Brown!!!! Happy 21st!

Weekend update

I had a pretty good weekend. Got a few chores at home done which is good because it will be about a month until I have another full weekend at home.
Saturday there was a work day for siege site. Charlene came down with Storm and Hagan and I tried on some of our coronation garb. I can't wait to see the finished product. Charlene is an awesome seamstress. After that we decided to run to In-weave. Hagan wanted me to see if they had any of his favorite trim left and I had been meaning to go look for wool anyway. So we went and I found the trim and a whole bunch of other trim on the discount shelf. I got almost 50 yards of trim, 10 yards of wool and a yard of this organza
for less than 50 dollars. A good haul if I say so myself.

In the evening a bunch of us went to Sioux City for dinner at the Olive Garden and to see The Last Legion. Dinner was good but the movie ehh. It could have been so much better.

25 days left

Can you believe that I only have 25 days left to be Princess and then I will be Queen of Northshield???? Can you believe that? Ai ya where has the summer gone.

So what did the Queen-to-be do on her weekend off? Ran around trying to find the right socket wrench so I could remove my broken toilet seat and put a new one on. Never, never, never, never buy a molded wood seat from Wal-mart. I wish I would have paid more attention to what I was buying. What a piece of crap. Ehhh. Anyway. Its in the dumpster now and I have a nicer newer model installed. I did it myself which always give that certain sense of accomplishment. Silly I know but I still feel good about it.

Everybody got back from Pennsic okay, tired but okay. They bought me some cool brooches and trim.

Now I need to gear up for Coronation. Crikey 25 days.

Doldrums of summer

Wait wait wait. There are several things I would like to be doing now but I have to wait. Most of the things are work things and I hate to wait. ugg. But there is nothing to be done but wait so wait I must.

I had planned to spend Saturday shopping with Rue but she remembered the SCA demo at the Sioux Empire Fair and will be going to that instead. Meh. It is suppose to be hot this weekend so that doesn't sound too exciting. Maybe I will invade Calontir and shop down there instead. With the fair on there will be tons of people in SF. We shall see.

Besides waiting I have been catching up with my movie watching. In the last week I have seen The Simpsons Movie, Bourne Ultimatum, Hot Fuzz and The Fountain. I also got the first disc of Extras. So funny. I never got into The Office but I am enjoying this series.

Humid and dreary days always bring me down

Would it be too much to ask if the moisture could come in liquid form instead of just hang there suspended in the air? I do not have gills and it makes it really hard to breath. Call me picky but I don't care. Meh summer weather is horrid. Bring forth the lovely cool days of Autumn.

August seems like the no man's land of time anyway just like the weeks after Christmas. Ehhh. I need to work on projects but the weather just sucks all the ambition away.

But besides the weather bringing me down, I had a pretty good weekend. I got some much needed rest, celebrated my Gram's 91st birthday and did a few chores.

I should do some sewing this week now that I got my foot petal for my sewing machine back.

Write to me this week, with everyone gone this week it is super boring.

Everyone will soon be at war

People are getting geared up and ready for Pennsic. I am glad I am not going because things have been mental enough for me in the last week or so without adding getting ready to go camping for a week. I am sure everyone will have fun tho. It is the getting ready and planning that is a pain.

I did finish Harry Potter last week. I enjoyed it and if anyone wants to dish, feel free to contact me. I don't want to say anything here because Clare hasn't given the all clear that she has finished it and I promised not to spoil it for her.

Crabtacular

I am crabby today. here is another cartoon.

toothpastefordinner.com

Wednesday funny

toothpastefordinner.com

Rabid Yale

Friday after work we loaded up the van and headed off to Sioux Falls to pick up Del. We also stopped in Mitchell to pick up a few things at Walmart and look around at Cabelas. I bought a new camp chair since mine old Cabelas chair is about shot. The frame is still hanging in there so I think I will make new canvas parts and see how many more years I can get out of it. I have had it for 8 years and it has seen a lot of action. My new chair is very simialar except it sits higher and has a handy side table. We probably stayed longer in Mitchell than we had planned so we hiked it down the highway on to Murdo where we had a hotel room for the night. We got to Mudro about 11:30 and got settled in. I went to bed right away but Hagan and Del worked on some projects.

Saturday we got up and headed to site. The Princess Sleeve Tourney was scheduled to start at 9 so we could avoid the heat. We got there just a bit before 9 but most people were still eating breakfast so not a big deal. We got set up and got the tourney going.

There was about twenty rapier fighters there to fight for the sleeve. Each of the fighters introduced themselves to me and then I gave a little speech and the tourney got going. Sven and Hagan faced each combatant to prove their worth. Everyone fought valiantly. Hagan suggested we have a free for all in the middle and that was a lot of fun. The tourney resumed and Don Simon Morcar and Lord Martin MacKeegan battled in finals in which Lord Martin proved victorious. Huzzah!!!

After the tourney there were a few pickup bouts and we got ready to have court after lunch. Hagan and I thought it best to do it before the heat of the afternoon got to us all.

That got done and it was beginning to be monstrously hot so we all huddled in the shade and visited. I got to see many people I had not talked to in a long time. We discussed what I wanted to have bought for me at Pennsic and came up with many good ideas. Now we will see if I can afford it all. We also met with people from Noiregarde to talk about Crown Tourney. They are working very hard and it sounds like that will be a fun event.

The afternoon kept getting hotter and hotter and we all melted. I didn't feel the greatest but I think it was because I didn't eat much. I need to remember to bring more snacks along. Julio moved feast up to 5pm and most people said they didn't think they would be hungry but I was very glad we ate then. I felt much better after we had eaten. Feast wasn't fancy, just steaks, potatoes, corn and bread but it was very good none the less.

After feast I was ready to go home but Hagan wanted to jump in the creek for awhile. Cecilia had promised us a foot bath so she brought that out for me and that felt really good.

The heavy weapons fighters were now itchy to fight so they started their gladiator tourney. They made Foacault the Roman Senator to judge who lived and died. Fiona, Deva and I were sitting behind giving our comments. Katsuo was brought up to be introduced and it was told that he was a fisherman's son from a far off eastern land. I wasn't totally paying attention but I thought they said he was going to use a fish as a weapon. I told them he couldn't use a fish but then Fiona thought he should and things escalated from there and everyone thought the fish idea was great. We got a little hand towel wet and said that was the fish. Insert crazy SCA hilarity here. There are a few videos of it on my YouTube account. Some of the fighters weren't too crazy about the fish idea but Katuso ran with it. We had too much fun.

By the time that was all over Hagan was back and we loaded up and headed home. We left much later than we planned and got home in the wee hours but made it home safe and sound.

Next up for me is to make preparations for our Coronation. Hagan will be going to Pennsic in August but I can't due to work.

AV of Rabid Yale

I have posted photos of Rabid Yale on my flickr and videos on my YouTube accounts. Links to both are on the right. I will write more about the event when I have finished reading Harry Potter.

This weekend

This weekend Hagan and I are off to the open ranges of Northshield to seek the Rabid Yale and to find a Princess Sleeve Champion. I am hoping it won't be too hot but it is not looking good. Well as long as it isn't oppressively humid.

When I get back HP and the Deathly Hallows will be waiting for me. I can't wait to read it!!!!

Have a good weekend.

That Potter Boy

Hagan and I went to see Harry Potter& OP. We enjoyed it very much. We really enjoyed that the theatre was not packed, we got to buy tickets at the last minute and find good seats. I love going to the movies in Sioux City despite that they have raised matinee prices. Oh well. It is still a good deal. The movie did a good job of condensing the story and moving the story right along.
Now all I have to do is sit tight until the last book comes out on Saturday.

Scary Sesame Street Skits

Boing Boing had an article about Sesame Street Skits that scared them when they were kids. I admit some were pretty freaky. The yipp yipp monsters was a channel changer for me. But there were also a lot of skits that I really enjoyed and remember still like the ladybug 12.


And the letter Q.

There are a lot of fun clips on You Tube. Too bad there aren't any from Once Upon a Time. I loved that show.

Baby News

Congrats to Curley Tom and Jen! They are going to have a baby in December!!! Hurrah.

Mischief managed

I finally made up my mind and ordered my copy of Harry Potter 7. It probably helped when Hagan told me they were only getting 30 copies at the book store. I do not want to wait any extra time to get my copy. So its been ordered and will be waiting for me when I get home from Rabid Yale.

WW

I am still a bit worn out from WW but we had a very good time. So here is what went down. Tuesday Hagan, Kaia and left town. We had a pretty uneventful trip up. We stopped in Jackson for supper and had giant pieces of streusel cake that was very tasty. mmmm streusel
We got to Nailz's apato about 10:30 or so. I was glad to get out of the car and relax.

Wednesday we got up and had breakfast/brunch at Baker's Square. Mission Status...mildly successful. We were just glad to have somewhere to eat on a holiday but the service was a bit poor. After that we bummed at the mall and went to see if the Source was open. They were not. Barry and Hagan wanted to go see Transformers but Nailz, Kaia, and I didn't feel like going. So the boys went to the movies and we went to B&N and I bought too much manga. After that we went back to the apato to chillax. The boys came back later that day and we went out to your usual 4th supper...Mongolian BBQ. That was very tasty. It had been a long time since I had been to Khan's. mmmm.

Thursday we got up and out of the Cities and headed to the WW site. We got there about noon. It was very nice to get there only after a two hour drive instead of seven. Found Royalty camp and got set up. Rue and Mouse showed up not too long after we did. I camped with them since they brought their huge family pavilion. I had my very own room. ;-)

Along with the royals there was the Gnome-world Encampment from Nordskogen. Needless to say there were gnomes all over the place. But they had a lovely shade fly and kept much appreciated ice in their water cooler.

Thursday night Dannr brought over the pieces to make my throne larger. It was much more than I expected but much appreciated. Now I have more of a royal bench. It is very nice.

In the evening we all went down to Camp Grey Fox for their Thursday Night Stoop night. The stoop and the company was very good. Astrid was kind enough to give Kaia and I a ride back to camp. Royalty camp was all the way on the other side of site and it was a long way. I was glad to not have to walk back.

Friday morning was the pancake breakfast. mmm pancakes. Very good. The nice thing about being royal is that someone gets your pancakes for you. After breakfast and getting dressed, Hagan and I met with the Autocrats for our Coronation. Plans are well in hand and it is going to be a rocking good time. I can't wait. After lunch we walked up the hill to the fighting and watched the children's tourney. That was a lot of fun and the kids seemed to have a good time. After that I had another meeting with our historical advisor's that are helping with our Irish coronation.

After supper it was time to hike back up the hill for the Bad Baronesses Torchlight Tourney. I got to drive up the hill this time because we needed the thrones and they were all in the back of my van.

The tourney was very fun and the Baronesses were very bad with their candy cigarettes and pomp-pomps etc. I was made an honorary Baroness for the evening and had three fighters fight for me, Svein, Mouse and Arbon. Sadly each of them lost in the first round. After the tourney people went out to parties but I went to bed since I knew that Saturday was going to be a big day.

Saturday morning we hiked up the hill yet again for the Baronesses Whim. Every year the Baroness from Nordskogen and Jara host the rapier tourney. This year they had an Alice in Wonderland theme and everything from the fighting to the food had little AiW touches, drink me bottles and eat me signs in the food, flamingo croquet mallets etc. You don't get to see much rapier melee in Western Northshield so that was new to me. The tourney was full of joy and silliness and I enjoyed it very much.

For lunch we went down to the Float the Heirs benefit and had a brat and a float. It was very hot on Saturday so it was nice to have some ice cream. After that we wandered back down to Camp Grey Fox for the Scribal get-together. I got to meet a few more scribes and see what they were up to. We stayed there for a little while until we wandered back to camp.
By the time we got back to camp I felt a bit sun fried crispy so it felt good to relax and put my feet in cold water.

By evening it was time to get ready for court and hike back up the hill again. Thankfully Katuso came along with the van and I got a ride up. I was glad of that because it was super hot then and I was a bit tired. Court was good and wasn't horribly long although I was super ready for something to eat once we got back to camp.

After super we were invited to listen to Svein's household record their newest CD. I enjoyed that very much and a bunch of us got to do some audience participation on it so I can't wait for the CD to come out. Then after that Nailz and I went to bardic where we got a pink flamingo from Don Mateo and Cassandra.

The stars were especially beautiful that night. Nailz and I had a good time star gazing.

So all and all, WW was a good time despite my sunburn, the heat and the humidity, rocky roads and the hikes up the hill.

Think Geek toys.

I would love to get these toys but I really shouldn't. Although they would be fun to use at an event.

Ready or not

I was very good this weekend and spent my whole Saturday sewing new garb for WW. Mission status...success. I think. I am never confident that it looks good since my sewing skills are very basic but I have clothes and thats good enough for now.

Now I am in the stage of ahhh I hope I don't forget to pack something. We will be leaving tomorrow, I think, if plans have not changed and I am not sure if I am ready. Oh well. I am sure we will have fun at WW all the same. If we don't melt first.

Harry Potter Hysteria

I have held off my excitement for Harry Potter, mostly because I have been busy with SCA stuff, but now that it is almost July I can hardly wait!

Has anyone seen the boxed set that you can get? I would almost get it just for the box!

I am in a bit of a state about the last book since I will be at an event and won't have time to start reading like the rest of the world. I also haven't pre-ordered a copy yet and I can't decide if I should or not. Its not like you won't be able to find one. When the last book came out they were sold everywhere. If I don't pre-order it, I will be stopping somewhere on the way home to get a copy. Or sending one of the minions out to buy one.

Mad Dogs

Mad Dogs was this weekend and it was a lot of fun. Thanks to everyone who made it so!

The morning was much cooler than I had anticipated so I wore my new viking dress instead of the peplos. It looked really nice with the new jewelry Caillie gave me. Thanks Caillie!!!

We left home about 8 and got to site around 9. Most people were just getting up when we got there. After the squires got the royal presence set up we all just visited until the fencers decided it was time to start fencing.

The sun came out just in time for everyone to start fighting and it became hot very quickly. Luckily Medb had made a bunch of neck coolers. You wouldn't think that a little cooling band around your neck would help lessen the heat but it really works!

In the afternoon, Meagan dyed some cloth for me in the indigo dye. The cloth turned out like a blue sky with wispy clouds. Now I have to decided what I am going to make with it. The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying Lynnette's cookies and visiting.

Around three we had a battlefield court for our Fighters getting awards and then not long after that we held the rest of court.

This was our first regency court and most of the retainers were court newbies like us but we didn't have too many problems and it was fun giving out awards to people we know. I think most people who got awards were quite surprised.

In the evening we had feast and it was. There was a ton of food. It just kept coming and it was all so tasty. After that we sat around and visited until we decided to head home.
In all and all a fun little event. Next up a big huge event, WW.

My online photos

Hey All,
I recently moved all my online pictures to Flickr. You can check them out at http://www.flickr.com/photos/blancmange/

Welcome to the new site

Welcome to the new site. Blog-city was good to me but it is time to move one. So here I am at blogger. Let the blogging continue.

Movies

Here is a list of movies I have watched. For simplicity sake I am using Netflix star rating. Makes life easier for me.

2007

2008

2009

January

The Visitor ****
P.S. I Love You **1/2
Nana 2 ***
Inkheart ***

February

Pizza **1/2
Smart People *
House Bunny *
Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist **1/2
Slumdog Millionaire ****
Man on Wire ***
Vicki Christina Barcelona **1/2
Holy Smoke **

March

21***
Redbelt ***1/2
The Reader ****
The Savages **1/2
There will be blood **
Milk ****
Appaloosa ****
Watchmen ***1/2
Delta Farce **1/2
Bottle Shock ***
Better than Sex **1/2
RocknRolla ***
Australia ***

April

Origin **
Fast and Furious **1/2
The Fast and the Furious **1/2
The Rocker ****
Death Race ****

May

Wolverine **1/2
Lost in Austen **1/2
August Rush **
Star Trek *****
Night at the Muesum 2 ***
Quantum of solace ***
Hideous Kinky **
UP *****
Love in the time of Cholera **

June
Underworld 3 ***
How about You ***
The Hangover ***1/2
Henry Poole is Here ***
Tale of Despareaux **1/2
The December Boys **

July
The Ramen Girl **1/2
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button **1/2
Public Enimies **
I hate Valentines Day **1/2
Man of La Mancha ****
The Wrestler ***
Coraline ***
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince ****
Swing Vote **

August

I love you, man ***
Inglorious Bastards ***1/2
Next ****
The Children of Huang Shi **

September

The boy in the Stripped Pajamas **1/2
Surrogate ***
Cadillac Records **1/2
Taken ****
Away we go ***

October

Valkyrie **
Zombieland ***
Rumor Has it **
Paul Blart Mall Cop **1/2
Monsters vs. Aliens ***
This is it ***

November

Where The Wild Things Are **
That Hamilton Woman ***

Manga Reads

Here is my list of manga I have read. I am still working on this list. I know there are some titles I have read and can't remember them. I will be posting my thoughts about each one eventually. (own)=I own it. (loan)=I borrowed it from someone. Most likely Nailz or Clare.

Absolute Boyfriend (own) v.1-5
Ai Yori Aoshi (own) v.1-17 (finished series)
Alice 19th (own) v. 1-7 (finished series)
Angel Sanctuary (loan) v.1-4
Antique Bakery (loan) v. 1-4 (finished series)
Beautiful People (loan)
Bizenghast (loan) v. 1-2
Bleach (own) v. 1-21
Cafe Kichijouji (loan) v. 1-3
Ceres (own) v.1-14 (finished series)
Chobits (loan) v. 1-3, 8 Actually I can't remember how many volumes I have read of this.
Chrono Crusade (own) v.1-8 (finished series)
Comic Party (loan) v. 1-4
Cromartie High School (loan) v.1-2
Densha Otoko (loan) v. 1-3 (finished series)
D. N. Angel (loan) v. 1-2
Death Note (loan) v. 1-3
Descendents of Darkness (own) v. 1-2
Doubt (loan) v. 1-6 (finished series)
Duck Prince (loan) v. 1-3
Eerie Queerie (loan) v.1-4 (finished series)
Excel Saga v. 1-5
Fake (loan) v.1-7 (finished series)
Flowers & Bees (loan) v.1-7 (finished series)
Forbidden Dance (loan) v.1-4 (finished series)
Fruits Basket (loan) 1-17
Full Metal Alchemist (own) v. 1-14
Fushigi Yugi (own) v. 1-18 (finished series)
Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden (own) v.1-7
Get Backers (loan) v.1-2, 3?
Genshiken (loan) v. 1-7
Goong (loan) v.1
Gravitation (loan) v.1-12
Gunslinger Girl (loan) v. 1-2
Hana Kimi (loan) v. 1-23 (finished series)
Hands Off (loan) v. 1-8 (finished series)
Happy Hustle High (loan) v. 1-5 (finished series)
Happy Mania (loan) v. 1-11 (finished series)
Hikaru no Go (loan) v. 1
Hot Gimmick (own) v. 1-12 (finished series)
Imadoki (own) v.1-5 (finished series)
Kagetora (own) v.1-3
Kurogane (own) v.1
Kamikaze Girls
Legal Drug (loan) v. 1-4
Legend of Chun Huang
Love or Money (loan) v. 1-5 (finished series)
Loveless (loan) v. 1-5
Mars (loan) v.1-16 (finished series)
Meru Puri (own) v. 1-4 (finished series)
Nana (own) v.1-14
Naurto (loan) v. 1-5
Nodame Cantable (own) v. 1-6
Neck and Neck (loan) v. 1-7
Ouran High School Host Club (loan) v. 1-8
Otogi Zoshi (loan) v.1
Paradise Kiss (own) v.1-5 (finished series)
Passion (loan) v.1-2
Penguin Revolution (loan) v.1-4
Princess Princess (loan) v. 1-3
Princess Tutu (own) v.1-2 (finished series)
Rahxephon 1-3 (finished series)
Read or Die (own) v. 1-4 (finished series)
Read or Dream (own) v. 1-4 (finished series)
Red River (own) v. 1-4
Rurouni Kenshin (own) v. 1-28 (finished series)
Saikano v. 1-7 (finished series)
Scrapped Princess (own) v. 1-3 (finished series)
Saiyuki (loan) v. 1, 4, 8-9
Samurai Deeper Kyo (loan) v. 1
Shaman King (own) v. 1-10
The Devil does Exist (loan) v. 1-11 (finished series)
Toyko Boys and Girls (loan) v. 1-5 (finished Series)
Tramps Like Us (loan) v. 1-13
Threads of Time (loan) v.1-3
Trigun v.1
Tsubasa (loan) v. 1-12
Vampire Game v. 1-3
Wallflower (loan) v.1-13
XXXholic (own) v. 1-10
Yellow (loan) v. 1-4
Your and My Secret (loan) v.1
Yubisaki Milk Tea (loan) v.1

Anime List

I decided I should make a list of the Anime I have watched. I haven't listed anything that I have seen a few episodes of.

Series Watched:

2007

Shaman King: SK is a good show with fun characters but since it isn't on TV anymore I have stopped watching it. I am never too excited about tournament shows. They tend to go on and on and never go anywhere. I am still reading the manga however and I feel it is better than the show.

Loveless *** Its not overly great. I would have to say if you are interested in this series at all to read the manga. The anime is more of a intro to the story and never really goes too far but what can you expect from 12 episodes.

Princess Tutu ***** PT is about a duck who falls in love with a prince so the maniacal Drosselmeyer gives her a pendant so she can become a girl and Princess Tutu. Princess Tutu has the power to restore the prince's heart. The prince shattered his heart in order to seal away the evil raven. The story is kind of your typical magic girl show but there are several twists that I wasn't expecting. I loved the story within a story, the fairytale aspects and all the wonderful music. I have never been a ballet fan but I think I might go sometime just because of this show. You know it is good when you get all worked up and worried about the heroes and wish you could drop kick the villain into the next country. Gah I am still mad at Drosselmeyer! Such things he says. It makes me so mad!

PT is such a great show and oh what an ending. Its one of those shows that is deep and always leaves me with a sad feeling that is over but a happy feeling too. Do you know what I mean? Definitely a show that deserves repeat viewings. I could go on and on about this show but I don't want to spoil it for any of you who haven't seen it. Go check it out!

Paradise Kiss*** ParaKiss is about a young girl who has no idea what she wants until she meets a group of fashion students and falls in love with not so easy to love designer George. The anime is good but I think I prefer the manga. The show seemed a bit rushed and at first I really didn't like it but then I watched it in Japanese and it was much better.

Trinity Blood *** Trinity Blood is set in the future where Vampires and Humans are at war. The human realm is ruled by the vatican. I am not sure I really liked this show but it wasn't horrible either. It has a slow start but there are some good action scenes and if you are into political dramas then you might like it. There is definitally a lot of story that doesn't get told in the anime. Maybe its in the manga. If I was curious I would check it out but I don't think I will.

Super Gals **** Fifty some episodes of shopping, GL Guy chasing, ramen eating, criminal chasing action. Super Gals is a lot of fun but it does tend to get repeative. It doesn't really matter because the plot for the series is nothing but fluff. The biggest problems they face are boyfriend/girlfriend stuff and who is going to pay for snacks. (everyone is always broke except for Yuya). If you like silly shows about high school kids having fun then check this out. My favorite things in this series are the boomerang high heeled boot attacks, Odiaba Cop and the Junior Detectives! Datchu!

Boys Be *** I caught the first three episode of this show at Anime Detour 2007 and thought it was worth watching This light fluffy show about boy/girl relationships is pretty funny. Typical high school romance show except that most of the stories is told from a male perspective. It would be a typical shojo except there are way too many panty shots for that. Its enjoyable if you are looking for some light entertainment. I think if it had gone on longer than 13 episodes it might have been a bore.

Eureka 7 ***** When I first started watching Eureka 7 I quickly became uninterested in the whole mecha thing and I think I really didn't get it. I gave up on it for awhile but then picked it back up again and I am glad I did. This show has a lot of dept, heart and enjoyable despite some dark story lines. I highly recommend this show even if you don't like mecha. It is a little slow to start with but once the story gets rolling you can't help but be sucked in.

This Ugly and yet Beautiful World ** This is a very weird little show. I probably would have stopped watching it except it is only 12 episodes. This is one of those end of the world type shows with cute girls. I can't recommend it.

My Hime **1/2 This show is an interesting girl/princess with powers show. The fighting is good but I can't overly recommend it since the story line is moderately lame. It probably didn't help that I watched the last 3 episodes about 4 months after watching the rest of the series.

Ergo Proxy ***1/2 Its hard to say how I feel about this show since I watched it over a long period of time. On the whole it is good. All about identity and where you fit into society. It wasn't as mysterious as I thought it was going to be and the ended is a nice surprise.

2008

Blood + **1/2 Much better than the movie but it moves pretty slow. I got bored and only marginally kept up with it. Vampire mutants usual stuff.

Beck *** I enjoyed this show but didn't really get into it as some other anime shows. Don't know what it is. Probably the pete and repeat of songs and not really getting to hear the whole thing occasionally drove me nuts. What was nice tho it was the realistic development of the band and people's relationships. Not really sure that the stolen guitar storyline was necessary but on the whole its worth watching.

Black Lagoon **** Kick ass shoot em up show. Enjoyed it a lot.

Full Metal Panic ** I don't understand the appeal of this show. Aside from the cute guys, I found it boring. Second series even more so. snore city.

Revolutionary Girl Utena **1/2 Okay show. Kind of interesting ideas but it could be a lot shorter if they cut out all the repetitiveness.

Utawarerumono *** I liked the characters but the story is rather weird. Considering its source its not a bad show.

Story of Saiunkoku ***** I haven't finished watching this show but I love it. Love love.

Emma *** This is the anime equivalent of arranging matches. Very slow moving but had to watch it all to see how it ends. I wonder if the manga would be better.

Tsubasa * I love the manga but can't really stand to watch the anime. Not sure why. Dull for some reason.

Kyo Kara Maoh**** Strange little show that I loved. Its gets drawn out at the end but still good. I hear there is a third series but it sounds like filler to me. I think I am going not watch any more.

Bleach*** Anime is good but the manga is better. Kind of lost interst in the show and manga but worth watching if you like action.

Le Chevalier D'Eon

2009

Watching:

Hung it up or watching it occasionally

Tenhjo Tenge probably never get to see the end of these shows since they are hung up in limbo. TT was just getting good too. Bummer

Naruto: I had such high hopes for this show. Everyone I know who watches anime was totally engrossed by it. Me, not so much. I like it but I don't think I have the staying power to watch tons of filler episodes considering the main storyline shows move so slow. Maybe someday I will borrow Clare's DVDs and have a supersize marathon. Until then I will occasionally watch it on CN. Update: I am back to watching this. The action has gotten kicked up but they are still talky talky too much. I have this sneaking suspision that Naruto will never end just go on and on. At least I don't have to worry about missing episodes. The story moves along so slow you can miss a couple and still have a good idea what is going on. I like this show but do the writers know anything about pacing??? come on.

movies 2007

2007
January

Akeelah and the Bee *****
The Cat Returns ***
Real Women have Curves ***
The Queen ****
The Promise ***

Feburary

Pan's Labyrinth *****
Little Miss Sunshine *****
Dreamgirls ***
Ghost Rider ***
Bridge to Terabithia ****
The Illusionist ****

March

Wild Hogs**
Nana ****
A Good Woman ***
Babel ***
Thank You for Smoking ****
Stranger than Fiction ****
300 ****
The Departed ***

April

Children of Men ***1/2
Curse of the Golden Flower **
The Choir ****
Happy Feet **
The Bone Collector ***

May

King of Masks ****
Shrek 3 ***
Shop Girl **
Pirates of the Caribbean 3 ****
Catch and Release **
Letters from Iwo Jima ****

June

Sky High ***
Glory Road ***
Rent *
Lords of Dogtown ****
Winter Passing **
Music and Lyrics ****
Knocked up **
Flyboys **
Flags of our Fathers *****

July

Confetti **
Driving Lessons ****
Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont ***
Slither **1/2
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix****

August

Sweet Land *****
Derailed ***
Hot Fuzz ***
The Fountain **
The Last Legion **1/2
Pathfinder *
Stardust ****
Superbad ***

September
The Painted Veil **1/2

October

Miss Potter ****
Pursuit of Happines ***
Blades of Glory ***

November

Black Snake Moan *****
Densha Otoko ****
Vanity Fair ***1/2
Accepted ****
Offside **
Evening **
Water ***
Enchanted ***1/2
Invincible ***1/2
Beowulf ***

December

Waitress ***
Black Book ****
The Valet ****
Lagaan ***
National Treasure 2 **1/2