carthew

Have you guys seen this year's extreme pumpkin entries? A few of these entries make me wonder if they cam from a few of you!
http://www.extremepumpkins.com/pumpkin-carving-contest-winners.html

Approach to catching up on the ever-growing pile of exchequer-ness.
Step 1: dig out desk, sorting / filing until a) you can see the desk and b) know what needs to be done.
Step 2: Hope there is time after the sorting and filing to do step 3.

I got Step 1 done; but only some of step 3. Alas, I think I picked up some crud at the event yesterday. It started as alergies, but it never takes long to morph. blech. And I have a busy week planned this week too.

For those of you who never saw it, Josselyne has posted some vid of the Chartres Cathedral project: the Pennsic choir sang a program of music that was recorded as having been sung at a particular time in the cathedral, or could have been, and the "architectural guild" turned the barn into the cathedral.
We processed in singing an alleluia; sang the program (audience was asked to not applaud during the performance); recessed back out singing the alleluia; and then let the alleluia just gradually fade out. The barn was hushed for several heartbeats, and then exploded in applause, because it truly was an awesome performance. It included the 24-part Qui Habitat by Josquin Des Prez. I was just one of the chorus, but it was still one of the most moving experiences I've had.
Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajcLIngcPFU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt1MyYyxZJs

I am getting SO far behind on so many things. I need some serious catch-up time, as I see some deadlines leaping (not creeping) up Really Fast now. Last weekend was full - family things, with the kids up visiting and two-dozen or so people for the family cookout; and then a few house projects on Monday (with trying to recover).

With music things restarted on Tuesday and Wednesday, I can't believe it's Wednesday night now and I still have all this stuff to do and SO many emails unanswered. Oy.

Tomorrow night. No play time for me - it will be all work.

It was a really good pennsic for us. The camp looked reasonably good: not all projects got done - or started! - this year for improvements, but a nice long street of all-period pavilions still looks good. The household worked very well together, with no drama. (Although we certainly MISSED a few people!) I spent all my time in either care-and-feeding-of-trolls or cooking for the camp, and didn't really go out to any parties, visiting, or do as many troll shifts myself, but I think all was good. I spent most of my time in camp (with a few notable and entertaining exceptions!), although I enjoyed a few "medieval moments" of going out to the markets to buy spice for the evening meal. Having one person do all the food prep/planning significantly reduced the over-buying of food that we've done in previous years, and I didn't mind doing the cooking, although there were times when I needed a few other hands - and I'm not sure I'd want to do it every year! The weather was cool enough that I slept in (past 8) several mornings, and took afternoon naps most days. The cold nights were wonderful (in my opinion).

The rain the first week was annoying - in fact, I recall being "really done" before it finally cleared up. Still, despite being annoyed that it happened before we had all the nice camp stuff up and the rain delayed us, I spent most of the days that were totally washed out just sitting back reading. Not a bad way to spend a vacation.

We broke down most of the common property and stored it away on Friday; so yesterday was just the last of that stuff and people's personal tents. We were done and ready for the truck by 11am. Certainly the earliest we've ever managed, and happily it was before any rain. (I think there was some later yesterday there.) We had a few casualties: the gate was significantly cracked when we took it down yesterday, so that didn't go back to storage. We also finally disposed of the walls from the old pavilion, because they are now REALLY old and no one has used them for anything (like floors) for a while. We had no injuries, other that the fact that I hadn't warned GMT that at the last minute I had cushioned the remaining margarita bottle into a tablecloth and tucked it up into the van - and didn't catch him before, at home, he yanked out said tablecloth and the bottle crashed onto driveway. Nicked his shin, of course, because if there is any accident to happen, it will happen to GMT's legs.

So now the van is clean, the laundry almost done (just a few blankets and such left), clean garb is piled in the basement to await being put away or hung up; we've cleaned the floor canvas from our tent and the dorm, and cleaned and put away our walls. Just some cleaning on the roof, and its all away again. I've even got my car back into the garage already. (Himself worked a LOT today, bless him.)

Hope y'all had a good time too. A few more hours, and its back to the normal grind.

Ok, I don't really HATE pennsic. How could I, when this will be my --- ok, I can't even do the math that high any more --- year in a row? Gack, but we're out of our minds.

We leave tomorrow. ("One day more..." hmm, music for the ride.) I'm almost ready, but only because I totally freaked this morning realizing how much more was to be done (something about acorn letters and quarterly reports) and took today off. I can't really afford yet another day off, but I decided I really wanted to get to the war alive.

So much got done and packed, only a few last things to gather and cram in. And my goodness will it be crammed. I'm down to deciding "do I really take a plastic recorder with me..." I'm just telling myself that there isn't much I can forget that can't be fixed with a credit card.

I really need vacation. I hope I don't come back needing a vacation from my vacation.

I've hit one of those I-don't-want-to moods. Surely, its just being tired.

Yesterday I went to Sacred Stone's "unevent" gathering. Didn't want to drive to North Carolina for a 3rd time this month, so I flew down in the morning, flew back in the evening. I thought that the almost-3-hour gathering we had of exchequers and seneschals rocked: lots of good interaction and questions. I hope we were helpful to them. I was somewhat disappointed that we only had 3 exchequers there, but talking through some of the exchequer-things with the seneschals was a Good Thing too and worth the effort. I REALLY want to have more small gatherings like this.

So today I took stuff back to the storage unit. Last weekend I had taken several boxes out that had anything of fabric. Through the past week everything has been washed, ironed, sorted, and repacked. Now, for example, rather than having napkins or table clothes in five different tubs, they are all in the same one. (Drying four wool cloaks was a pain in the butt. Just saying.) Now the job is DONE. YAY. Ok, maybe not completely done: must still update the web page.

Beyond that, just a little housecleaning/mopping, a few exchequer tasks. Never enough...the list goes on. But I think I'm done (in) now. Last week was incredibly busy at work - this week will be too. Looking forward to a holiday weekend!!

Our lawn service came at 8am this morning. Happily, they got a Clue and didn't try mowing in the area I taped off. This spring I had them re-sod an area of the yard after lack of sun and heavy mowers caused ruts that wouldn't grow grass anymore. And after last weeks mowing service, I saw similar signs starting, so I taped it off. And they understood and didn't mow it.

But they DID mow the rest of the yard. At 8am, after a week with 5.5 inches of rain, a good bit of which came last night. After they left, I went out for my chore of the day. When walking in my pennsic muck-lucks gives that spurch sound, it might have been a hint that it was way too wet to mow with their big heavy machines. And that is as evidenced by the ruts in the REST of the back yard. I took photos that I'm going to send to their boss. harumph.

So I did my chore: trimmed the cyprus trees that we have along the back fence. I trimmed them a lot. I am sooo sore. It looks good, but I got carried away. When we dragged the trimmings into a pile, it was huge indeed - more than our trash guys would ever take. I was going to have to call someone to haul it away.

But now I am confused. Our lawn service guys are back, and they are loading up the mound of tree trimmings. We didn't call them yet. What strange things will they do next?

A took a few photos yesterday:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38004276@N07/sets/72157617644546414/

Enjoy

Just wanna say that a holiday brunch at the westfields marriott is wonderful. It might have been pricey to take the several of the in-laws to (GMT sort of gasped when he got the check...I guess I hadn't warned him sufficiently), but the food was good, piano and violin music was soothing, the champagne kept flowing. And we could come home to a clean house for an afternoon nap with no dishes to do.

I tied right into the champagne when we got there after a little more excitement at church this morning. We sang at two services, the 930 and 11. Except for some painful feedback in the sound system at the very beginning, the 930 service was going very well: the brass choir had gotten their cues down after the early service, our soprano descants soared nicely, the anthem went well. Then, during one of the communion hymns, Alice collapsed. She's the 80-year-old mother of our organist, who was visiting from out of town and sat in with us in the choir. She revived some - but was unsteady to day the least. I'm betting that because she was sort of behind the organ and people were moving around for communion, that most of the congregation had no clue what was going on. But we got 911 called immediately, the parish nurse was to her side in seconds, we cleared some chairs and got an usher to bring up the wheelchair. Thankfully, the emergency crew arrived quickly and without any siren to add to the drama. Marsha, bless her, despite her obvious anxiety, kept playing until a break in the hymn and someone else nudged her off the bench and took over the accompaniment. I understand that Alice has been admitted for observation with an irregular heartbeat.

At the end of the service, Pastor noted that we had had a medical emergency, and kept us all in until the ambulance could leave, adding another hymn or two to the service. And so the drama was over.

Except for the drama of having one service ending very late...and people for the next service arriving with no place to park. We delayed the 11am service until the congestion could clear. Oh, and except we have no accompanist for the 11am service since Marsha naturally left with her mom. Happily, the congregation has a wealth of talent, and other musicians stepping in to play the service. Still, playing arrangements "live" that you've never seen, picking up cues on a service you've never done. Bless them for their support! I hope no one grouses about the few missed notes, because they probably just don't understand how stressful it probably was. But what an adventure - and better than I would of thought possible.

Time for that nap.

Yes, I've been reading all your posts about having a snow day off. I'm quite jealous.

I LOVE snow and would have much enjoyed staying home and playing in it - snuggling in, then making a big pancake breakfast perhaps. But we only got six inches of snow so that's not much of an excuse, so off I went.

Alas, trying to clear the driveway at 730 this morning was a challenge, since that is when the worst was coming down, by the time we got a pass done, it was covered again. But GMT and I managed it. The roads were still really pretty sucky, as the plows hadn't gotten to any of the roads I commute on, but some rush hour traffic WAS out. There was the choice of which sets of tracks to consider a "lane." And there was the match up of the car with the flashers on driving down the middle of the road at 15mph, and the SUV trying to pass everyone doing 45mph. And the emergency equipment at the accident on Centerville road. Thrills.

But my biggest excitement came in the parking lot of my building. Maintenance was out plowing, so I paused by one corner of the lot to await them finishing a section - hey, might as well get a spot that is already plowed, right? The plow guy apparently decided to start working on a different section - backing up, quickly. But he wasn't looking in his mirror. idiot. I kept thinking "he's going to stop, right?" Then I added the horn to alert him of my presence...then I threw into reverse to back up quickly too...the guys shoveling the walk starting waving and running... and I was finally out of the way when he blew past without stopping. No crunches happened, but WTF? Thus I also had an adrenaline rush to start the day.

And then it turned out to be a rather full day at work.

So I'm jealous of the rest of you. Still, I saved a day of leave for the great beach trip. HA!

Anyone here want a freezer? It is free, just the cost of taking-away.

When GMT started preparing for 12th night feast, we became nervous that the freezer wouldn't make it. Nervous for no particular reason, just because it is getting old and we tend to be risk-adverse people Didn't want hundreds of dollars of SCA food at risk. So we decided it was time to buy a new freezer. It was good: it turns out we needed BOTH for all that food.

So, twelfth night is over, and we have one freezer with a few things in it (but not many – we cleared out personal stuff pretty well) and one that is empty. Time to make the old one go away. It comes with no guarantees, as it IS getting old, but we also have no reason to think it is on its last legs either.

If anyone wants it, let me know and we'll work out specifics.

hee hee. The weather.com says it is 36 degrees with only a 6% chance of precipitation right now.

But it's snowing.

Maybe that snow dance is finally working.

Now that everyone else has long since posted their twelfth-night reports, I can do mine! It took until last Wednesday before I woke up in the morning thinking "maybe I finally got enough rest." I was describing all our adventures to a coworker who commented "it sounds like running a wedding." I replied that, in fact, that's exactly what it was like, being mother-of-the-bride (clothes! special foods! ceremonies! music! special guests!); except that the bride will be surprised and you're married to the caterer. No wonder I was tired.

Thank you, God, for answering my prayers and keeping the temperature down before 12th night, so that the produce we were gathering that week could stay cold in the garage. We actually had more trouble getting food defrosted than keeping stuff cold, which was a good problem to have. I think the kitchen crew did an awesome job of cooking, particularly given the lack of basic kitchen equipment (Burners!). Alas, serving that many people, nothing actually got to our table hot, but I know the kitchen tried. It is also too bad that things ran late before feast, as I think we were so hungry that we stuffed ourselves in the first removed and then couldn't appreciate the rest. I was among those who were saying "food...make it stop" long before the last dishes came out. It was very sad, because I know I love those spiced pears, but couldn't eat a bite more to even try them.

Cassandra and I met for dinner last night to do a re-cap, and so I could give her MY vigil-speech. ("The five things you hear while in vigil are...now pick one and develop your own speech for the NEXT person being added to an order.") She was so ready for this - she's a great addition to the order.

I apologize to any who we had to turn away from the vigil without talking to Cassie. There just wasn't enough time; in the end, she was really on vigil to talk with people foru about an hour and a half, when I took her away so she could get some private time to re-group before the ceremony. I hope I wasn't too rude reminding people with my little bell after they'd been talking about five minutes, but with such a compressed schedule I think it was necessary.

To all the rest of you who helped make it a great day for her, THANKS!

According to the TWC, it 35 degrees here now, and feels like 26 with wind chill. How balmy.

At least by comparison. It was -6 this morning in Chicago when we got up with blustery winds that made it feel...ok, just damn cold. Something like -26. At the airport, when they opened up the jet way doors, I went all the way out the hallway, with my parka all zipped up and hood on, and it still felt like the wind was biting in.

Our plans today changed: D & W and the kids were going to drive down and we had activities planned, but while it wasn't snowing anymore, the roads between Madison and Chicago were in almost in almost blizzard conditions from blowing and drifting snow. It was not a good day for them to drive to meet us. Other Ideas GMT and I had for the day also involved being outside more than we wanted, so we checked and were able to get an earlier flight home. Probably a Really Good Idea as the evidence of many cancelled and re-routed flights were everywhere at both airports, and things would probably back up more as the day went on.

But the weekend was otherwise awesome. Not quite so cold on Saturday, though there was certainly snow on the ground and we watched more come down. (yay!) To begin with, flying first class on a 777 is truly THE way to travel. We enjoyed the art museum tremendously. Added two new gluwein mugs to our collection, ate bratwurst, and enjoyed shopping at the christkindlmarket. Isn't it kinda silly to go all that way to stand in the cold drinking hot wine and eating bratwurst? The christmas market was indeed a lot like Nuernberg's, although we agreed we'd rather be at the real one: certainly in germany you don't have guards at gates making sure you don't wander out with alcohol. Then, to add in a variation of cultures for the weekend, we spent last evening in an irish pub.

And now we are home. Let the final frenzy of Christmas preparations commence!

Happy at the result. Delighted our local precinct had the turnout it did. (83.5%)

Absolutely exhausted and practically in pain from the work today. Got there at 5:30am, took a few 10-20 minute breaks, left at 12:30am. 19 hours. Opened and processed 1191 absentee ballot envelopes. Didn't get my first paper cut unti 8:30pm. But helping make democracy work at the most basic level: priceless.

I'm checking mail now just to work off how keyed-up we are before crashing into bed. Alas, tomorrow (ack! Today!) is a work day.

g'night.

Nothing. I did absolutely nothing over the weekend. And I am very annoyed about it.

I thought I'd been avoiding the cold/laryngitis that had been making the round of our office, but I woke up on Friday and thought "hmmm...throat is a little scratchy. Damn." During an 11am meeting I started feeling feverish, and by the time I got home at 1 I was blech indeed. So I went to bed, and except for forays to mindlessly click at the TV or surf on the web, thats where I've been since.

I probably could have pushed harder and gotten into work today, but decided not to. Besides the facts that the nation will not fall if I'm not at the office today and I didn't sleep well last night, my main consideration is not wanting to pass this to my co-worker/brain-twin. Or anyone else, for that matter, but her in particular as she is 7 weeks preggers. (I'm the only one beside her hubby and mom who know. She figured she couldn't fool me too long with her repeated doctor appointments.) This is her fourth pregnancy and she doesn't have a baby yet, so I'm not adding towards any risk.

I'm really disappointed to have missed university. I love university. But "yay" for Psallite for picking up my class handouts and trying to give the class in my absence. I really appreciate her efforts, and certainly the students' indulgence.

Catching up...
Our little vacation to the beach was awesome. We started later than originally planned, of course, since we really didn't want to drive through Hanna the entire way. By 2pm on Saturday, Virginia Beach was apparently clear, and the kids called to ask if it was ok if they headed down before us. "Sure!" So they spent Saturday night there. We left early-early on Sunday morning on clear, dry!, traffic-less roads, and I somehow made it to the bridge to Kitty Hawk in a record 4 hours. wow. The rest of the week was restful and uneventful, dozing and walking on the beach, swimming in the pool, playing with the grandson, reading. GMT and I even spent some time playing backgammon together - something not done in years, although it was once a favorite pastime back in the days of dating. We had only one rainy day, and that was Wednesday. Other days were threatened with rain, but we happily sat under blue skies and literally watched the thunderheads to the north and south of us. And, even better, son-in-law and I found an interest in common (genealogy), discovered as he visited an outer-banks historic house donated by a branch of his family. For once he and I had real lengthy conversations together, as I (evilly) introduced him to ancestry.com.

GMT and I had planned to leave sometime on Friday so that he could stop by work to re-verify his upcoming travel arrangements and so that we'd be at the event on Saturday. But we left even earlier on Friday than we might have because of the one quirk to the week, provided by step-daughter-#2. She had Friday off of work and drove down Thursday night from Va Beach in time for supper. And she brought her mom with her. We so love socializing with GMT's X - not. What WAS she thinking? So, as soon as the Little Man was awake and rousing everyone on Friday morning we said our farewells and hit the road.

The event was wonderful, though outrageously hot. The quality of the performance competition has definitely cranked up a notch. It's too bad more people didn't witness some of these performances, because there were some VERY good ones. It is fun to see how some performers have evolved and improved from a few years ago. I was actually told by one competitor that she still had the comments I wrote from a couple years ago, and used them preparing her performance this time. [lesson to people who judge: your words may live on, so make them good!] Fortunately, this performer seemed to be saying this as a positive thing. ;)

We had hoped to provide some period muzak (background music) during the feast, but by feast time, our brains had melted and were dripping out of our ears. As feast ended, I knew I had to get GMT out of the kitchen and home as soon as possible. He was clearly overheated and getting dehydrated - that kitchen hit like 110 working over those ovens! By then it was dark and raining heavily. I think ahead: I had a flashlight in my basket. But I didn't think far enough to realize that it might be jostled and turned on, draining the batteries before I needed it. Quite an interesting walk through such darkness and rain by light of my cell phone! One will make do.

Many kudos to Bel for pulling off the event-that-grew and surviving with grace despite heat and other issues-that-try-your-patience. I'll have one or two pieces of advice for later. One will certainly be to make sure the "site closes" time in the announcement is an hour or so earlier than the park expects us off site. If my brain hadn't again melted during our clean-up yesterday morning, I might have given a pleasant nudge to those-who-lingered all the way to 11am. We had all the bath houses and halls and fields and cabins cleaned and secured before 10am, except for one; but had to wait for the last people to leave, and then deal with stuff left behind. (er...Bel had to deal with. I left at 10:15! But I'm annoyed FOR her.)

Today was back-to-work, happily without any unmanageable drama waiting. I heard from GMT, and he has arrived safely at his destination. So all is well.

Did I happen to mention that we're only a week and two days from being at the beach? The summer-vacation-that-isn't-pennsic?

oh crap:


Ike and Josephine. You are NOT welcome to pay a visit to Corolla.

Now, for your amusement, here it is August and we haven't gone on our summer vacation yet...and last weekend we made reservations for a mini-winter vacation. A long weekend, just before Christmas, with air fare and hotel all from frequent-flyer points. Cool!

So, after attending 16 straight pennsics and that really awful one last year, we decided not to go to war this year. We're taking the kids and grandbaby to the beach in September instead.

Yes, I know some of you thought that you saw us at landgrab, working a dozen or so hours at troll and setting up the Ravenstreet camp. But really, that wasn't us. We didn't go to war.

Also, I know some of you thought you saw us at Ponte Alto court, specifically so we could see HER EXCELLENCY, Baroness Celia, receive a CB. But no, we did not arrive back that day.

We didn't spend Friday doing some shopping and visiting, nor did we spend last Saturday pulling down the Ravenstreet encampment and helping our friends pack up their tents. Really, we skipped the war this year.

If we had been there, it would clearly have been one of the most fun two-days of war that we'd ever had, with much laughter and comfortable time with our chosen family. Having a clean/dry hotel room with room service (long island iced teas!) was a nice touch too. If we'd been there.

Really. You must have a good imagination.