Life in interesting times
Jan. 15th, 2007 06:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
herveusTwelfth Night and Twelfth Night have passed. I've been to one in the East and one in Atlantia.
East Kingdom Twelfth Night featured the joys of a van that Would Not Start. We put goods in our son's Ford Bronco and made our way there. The ride lives up to the name, and that's Not A Good Thing for a wife with fused vertebrae. Business was disappointing. The site seemed to be suitable, and the operation of the market place was fine. People just didn't buy as much stuff as thought ought to have been bought.
On the other hand, Gavan McBain was inducted into the Order of the Laurel. That's way cool. I met him at Alles Fair a year and a half ago when he won the kingdom A&S competition with his entry on the medieval sugar cane processing industry. I had a wonderful chat with him then on his work, and came away edumacated and impressed. I got to show off my weaving project to various folks and hear the ooos and aaahs. Good ego boo.
Still dear wife was in a mightily bad temper over the van problems. Fortunately, we were able to get it towed to the shop and retrieved on Monday with a new cap and rotor. Bleaugh.
Then came Atlantian Twelfth Night. Megan and Matthew picked me up at work (being about an hour down the road from home to the event) and we motored south. Just below Petersburg, the car started with the occasional hiccup, as if the engine were cutting out for a fraction of a second. The hiccups got progressively worse. Pondering the behavior, we thought that perhaps the fuel filter was dodgy. We found an auto parts store in Burlington, NC that was open and was willing to let us change the fuel filter in the parking lot. Aside from getting sprayed in the face with some gasoline (thank goodness for glasses), it went reasonably smoothly. Unfortunately, the problem reappeared down the road. We made it to the motel without too much incident, but not quite as quickly, as the van didn't like making full power up slopes.
Some whisky was consumed Friday night. This was good.
Twelfth Night went smoothly, although the merchant arrangements were not as we thought. The autocrat put us in the A&S room instead of the merchant hall, so that my reception could be near the booth. In the end, that gave us something like 50% more floor space than we would have had in the merchant hall, so it wasn't a raw deal.
I planned to receive people who would like to chat with me or congratulate me on my impending Laurel, particularly those who would not be able to make it up to Storvik for the elevation this weekend. Rorik and Janina generously provided an ample supply of smoked salmon. I picked up pickled herring at IKEA. Brienna made her asiago cheese bread and some cheesy mini-muffins. Bambi brought cookies. Crackers and cheese happened, along with some wine. I picked up a nice Chianti at Price Club that I'm going to see about getting more of. Food was consumed; people were schmoozed with. Business was a bit disappointing, but not too bad.
The feast was most excellent. Documentation for the feast was entered in the A&S competition. The head cook was Valharic -- Prince Valharic. After feast was done, court happened again. Valharic was made a Laurel. Adding to the coolness was the presence of his mother and of Dame Alys Katherine, both down from Cleveland. Dame Alys spoke for the Laurels, beginning in a clear and loud voice: "I am Alys Katherine, Laurel, Pelican, and Countess of the Midrealm by the hand of Valharic". Dame Alys ran the Pennsic University for a number of years. She said that she was going to stop when she got to 1000 classes in a single Pennsic. The year after doing that, she was Queen of the Midrealm at Pennsic.
After Laureling Valharic, their Majesties were not done. One of the kitchen crew was singled out for special attention. Sir Tojenarum (TJ) was served a writ summoning him to appear at Kingdom Arts and Science Festival to be received into the order of the Pelican. On top of that, Baroness Ysar was summoned. She is also to be made a Pelican, at an event of her choosing in this reign. King Ragnarr gave her a link of his knight's chain as a token of proof, as there had not been time to prepare a writ for her.
I was pointed to a Pep Boys near the motel that would be open on Sunday and that would do auto service. I arrived there bright and early Sunday morning. A little more than two hours later, they had diagnosed a failed Camshaft Position Sensor and replaced it. We were able to depart the motel well before noon. The ride home was suitably uneventful.
Now comes getting ready for the elevation Saturday. My father and his wife are coming (and they don't do the SCA thing). My best man is also coming for the event. My brother considered it, but the other things they have for Saturday don't give them space to come. Oh well. A Finn and a Finn symp are rumored to be showing up.
I did finish the band I've been working on. I'll try to update the web page with more pictures.
East Kingdom Twelfth Night featured the joys of a van that Would Not Start. We put goods in our son's Ford Bronco and made our way there. The ride lives up to the name, and that's Not A Good Thing for a wife with fused vertebrae. Business was disappointing. The site seemed to be suitable, and the operation of the market place was fine. People just didn't buy as much stuff as thought ought to have been bought.
On the other hand, Gavan McBain was inducted into the Order of the Laurel. That's way cool. I met him at Alles Fair a year and a half ago when he won the kingdom A&S competition with his entry on the medieval sugar cane processing industry. I had a wonderful chat with him then on his work, and came away edumacated and impressed. I got to show off my weaving project to various folks and hear the ooos and aaahs. Good ego boo.
Still dear wife was in a mightily bad temper over the van problems. Fortunately, we were able to get it towed to the shop and retrieved on Monday with a new cap and rotor. Bleaugh.
Then came Atlantian Twelfth Night. Megan and Matthew picked me up at work (being about an hour down the road from home to the event) and we motored south. Just below Petersburg, the car started with the occasional hiccup, as if the engine were cutting out for a fraction of a second. The hiccups got progressively worse. Pondering the behavior, we thought that perhaps the fuel filter was dodgy. We found an auto parts store in Burlington, NC that was open and was willing to let us change the fuel filter in the parking lot. Aside from getting sprayed in the face with some gasoline (thank goodness for glasses), it went reasonably smoothly. Unfortunately, the problem reappeared down the road. We made it to the motel without too much incident, but not quite as quickly, as the van didn't like making full power up slopes.
Some whisky was consumed Friday night. This was good.
Twelfth Night went smoothly, although the merchant arrangements were not as we thought. The autocrat put us in the A&S room instead of the merchant hall, so that my reception could be near the booth. In the end, that gave us something like 50% more floor space than we would have had in the merchant hall, so it wasn't a raw deal.
I planned to receive people who would like to chat with me or congratulate me on my impending Laurel, particularly those who would not be able to make it up to Storvik for the elevation this weekend. Rorik and Janina generously provided an ample supply of smoked salmon. I picked up pickled herring at IKEA. Brienna made her asiago cheese bread and some cheesy mini-muffins. Bambi brought cookies. Crackers and cheese happened, along with some wine. I picked up a nice Chianti at Price Club that I'm going to see about getting more of. Food was consumed; people were schmoozed with. Business was a bit disappointing, but not too bad.
The feast was most excellent. Documentation for the feast was entered in the A&S competition. The head cook was Valharic -- Prince Valharic. After feast was done, court happened again. Valharic was made a Laurel. Adding to the coolness was the presence of his mother and of Dame Alys Katherine, both down from Cleveland. Dame Alys spoke for the Laurels, beginning in a clear and loud voice: "I am Alys Katherine, Laurel, Pelican, and Countess of the Midrealm by the hand of Valharic". Dame Alys ran the Pennsic University for a number of years. She said that she was going to stop when she got to 1000 classes in a single Pennsic. The year after doing that, she was Queen of the Midrealm at Pennsic.
After Laureling Valharic, their Majesties were not done. One of the kitchen crew was singled out for special attention. Sir Tojenarum (TJ) was served a writ summoning him to appear at Kingdom Arts and Science Festival to be received into the order of the Pelican. On top of that, Baroness Ysar was summoned. She is also to be made a Pelican, at an event of her choosing in this reign. King Ragnarr gave her a link of his knight's chain as a token of proof, as there had not been time to prepare a writ for her.
I was pointed to a Pep Boys near the motel that would be open on Sunday and that would do auto service. I arrived there bright and early Sunday morning. A little more than two hours later, they had diagnosed a failed Camshaft Position Sensor and replaced it. We were able to depart the motel well before noon. The ride home was suitably uneventful.
Now comes getting ready for the elevation Saturday. My father and his wife are coming (and they don't do the SCA thing). My best man is also coming for the event. My brother considered it, but the other things they have for Saturday don't give them space to come. Oh well. A Finn and a Finn symp are rumored to be showing up.
I did finish the band I've been working on. I'll try to update the web page with more pictures.
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Date: 2007-01-16 02:42 am (UTC)