And bonks you over the head at the last minute. Which is exactly what happened with Bob's (Coenwulf's) coat. I've been noodling around for weeks now and getting nowhere, though the pattern has been done for ages. Construction is simple, you see, it's the decoration that's difficult. The problem with doing early period kaftans, IMHO, is that there is only one embroidered Rus coat/kaftan that I have seen in my admittedly shallow research into viking era textiles. And the aesthetic in the West has developed in such a way that many people want highly-decorated and embroidered stuff. (There are certainly fragments of highly-decorated and embroidered pieces, but they are time/cost-prohibitive for commission work. Someday I'll do a post about commissions and budgets and the shortcuts one takes.)

Last week I went shopping for silk to trim the coat with, and found a red/green shot shantung that looks stunning with the grey-blue. I added some black and a little silver (the buttons are silver,) and got the color combo I wanted. But I still didn't have the motif. It took two hours of verbal processing yesterday to figure it out. But I have it now, and the coat construction is trundling right along. I spent a few hours making wool braid for the buttons today, even... if this looks half as good as I think it will, I'll be satisfied.

Ghislaine's silk cotte was finished yesterday, and all that's left on Heinrich's houppe is to set the sleeves and front closures. That can be done tomorrow night at the hotel if I'm in a pinch - we'll see how the rest of the coat goes tonight.

India Foxtrot Yankee Oscar Uniform Charlie Alpha November Uniform November Delta Echo Romeo Sierra Tango Alpha November Delta Tango Hotel India Sierra, Charlie Oscar Papa Yankee Alpha November Delta Papa Alpha Sierra Tango Echo India Tango Tango Oscar Yankee Oscar Uniform Romeo Lima India Victor Echo Juliet Oscar Uniform Romeo November Alpha Lima.

Ever wonder why I don't like eggplant?
( I have my reasons. )

What I'm reading: Cory Doctorow, Makers

Last night I came home to find cathyn in the kitchen with a spoonful of batter for me to try. I dutifully licked it and it was delicious. "It's cream puff batter," he said. Sure enough, there was a cookie sheet covered with cream puffs in the oven. I made an attempt at being a grown up and ate a bowl full of steamed broccoli while I waited for them to cook, but after that it was all cream puffs.

Something about the gown I've been making for misagillian hadn't been right so I set about trying to fix it. I decided it was the belt, so I scrapped the belt I'd already made, pulled some different fabric out of my stash and made a new one - instant improvement! It's so good now, I just want to stare at it whenever we're in the same room. But then it was only 9pm so I decided to make a hat to go with it. Oh the hat is SO GOOD! And of course then I needed a veil, because we're talking about 15th Century Burgundian conical hat, so it needs a nice transparent silk veil, with a nice disappearing hem on the edge. I got the hem half finished before I was too sleepy to go on. If only I can get the whole construction to stay in place on her head Saturday, it's going to be spectacular.

So, epically pleased with myself about the evening's work, this morning I got up and went for a run after checking the scale and finding that, miraculously, gorging myself on cream puffs for dinner had done no damage whatsoever, mostly due to the fact that I control my intake very meticulously during the day at work and partly because my body is no longer beholden to the nasty chemicals that were keeping it from metabolizing normally before. (wow, holy run-on sentence batman!)

And then I went to the DMV. I still need to get my car smog-checked, but after a couple of hours there everything else is in order.

So, I've been very productive, I'm mostly ready for 12th Night and my merry little crew's Saturday evening dinner plans have come together beautifully.

allergicone, maybe you should offer to buy drinks for all A&S ministers who bring you a complete report on time!

The Allyshian "Blind Tom," Tom Stolberg, died today. I don't have the right words.

Tom joined the SCA while working on his Biology degree at Humboldt State University. Tom found that combining his loves of photography and cordial brewing, he could not only bring smiles of delight to our kingdom, but could leave us all with tangible memories.

Tom was one of four in a helicopter that went down in Madera County. Information about services will be posted to SCA West once we have permission from his family.

I will miss his smile most of all.

...like a giant, looming thing.

I will be looking forward to it more when I have more of a grasp of what-all I need to be doing, and in what order.

I think I'll stick to sewing. Good thing it's sewing night tonight!

Ghislaine's silk dress is ready for the final fitting - that's one large project almost finished.

I just went back through my posts from October/November and guess what? My dieting plateau exactly corresponds to my starting to take propranalol, a beta blocker, for migraine prevention.

Quick google search and...

Beta blockers appear to list weight gain as a very common and expected side effect.

Since I've been off the migraine-prevention drugs, I've been able to eat normally without gaining weight, whereas for the 2 months I was on them I couldn't lose weight no matter how strictly I was controlling my intake and working out, and appeared to be slowly gaining. *MASSIVE FACEPALM* I really should have connected the dots sooner.

The good news, though, is that I haven't been taking them since the ER incident the week of Christmas, I've held steady through the holidays, and I haven't had any migraines other than one self-inflicted through drinking too much wine. This I believe is due to the Egoscue exercises I've been doing to relieve back pain, which seem to be working on my entire spinal column including my neck, where most of my migraines were starting.

A week or three ago, aastg asked me why I continued to hand-sew most of my garb, even though the RA makes it a painful and slow process. There are many reasons, of course, but the foremost is that I am almost entirely lacking in machine-sewing skills. I just don't have the chops for those nice, fancy, machine-crisp and flawless tailoring jobs. Nor do I really have the patience to try and acquire them.

( Gather about, children, and I'll tell you a story. )

“Living La Vida Loca” came on the radio this morning as I was on my way to work. It’s a song that has a very strong mental association for me. When I hear it, I immediately think of waking up in the back room of the house that rachaelfleury and I shared in Oakland in the late ‘90s, my big malamute on a papason pad on the floor next to the bed. That room was lovely, floor to ceiling windows out to a balcony and trees, but that year was emotional turmoil. I would wake up in that lovely room furnished with borrowed and thrift-store furniture, shower in the pass-through bathroom without worrying about waking anyone because Rachael had already left for work at 5AM, look through my walk-in closet full of size 24s, and head off to my very first data modeling job at Providian.

There is no way I can not think of that time, and that setting, when I hear that song because almost every morning as I was waking and preparing for work that song was on the clock radio keeping me company. The other thing it reminds me of is the companion song that came right before or right after that one, which was “Mambo No 5” by Lou Bega. The lyrics and content of those songs are completely irrelevant to my memories, and I honestly have no idea what they are.

This morning it got me musing on the strong mental associations I have that I will apparently never shake.

The Body Shop used to sell a line of shower gel, soap and body spray called “Oceana” or something similar. I don’t think they sell it anymore, but the last time I used it my mind was immediately, forcefully shoved back to the bathroom in my little house in San Leandro, and one of the deepest depressions of my life. If you cry in the shower enough times with the same scent in the air, eventually all you can think of when you smell it is anguish and conflict.

And finally, when I vacuum stairs, I think of therobbergirl and palecur. The line of logic on this one is long and convoluted if you don’t live in my head, but unwavering. If I’m vacuuming stairs, I’m musing and thinking of those two. So it’s actually kind of nice, this one, because I get to think about long friendships and the changing nature of association over a lifetime. It’s weird to think that the first time this association was set I was vacuuming so hard that I’d never forget it, but these associations don’t get set without emotional hooks to hang them on.

/harumph

I turned my house upside down looking for the gold and red trim that's been in "that one" box for the last 5 years. I just realized.. I think I donated it to Ducal this year. /facepalm

Well off to store to buy trim for 12th night garb.

My laptop wouldn't boot this morning. It's not drawing any juice when plugged in.
The wife did some research and thinks the motherboard needs repair/replacement. The laptop's about two years old and this is apparently a relatively common (but not cheap) thing. She's got a call in already.

The timing would never be good, but just before school re-starts with papers due, is certainly less than ideal. Thanks, Murphy.

Edited to add: I don't think the power connection is the primary problem. The laptop was off last night and fully charged when I unplugged it. It will not boot when plugged or un-. I noted that it was not drawing juice as an indicator that something is Deeply Wrong with the system.

Come on, people - 1 post in the last 4 hours? It's like you all are busy or something. Some of us are stuck here with only the internet to entertain us today!

Ok, so here's what I've got on my mind this afternoon:

Last night we watched "Julie and Julia". It was pretty good, the Julia Child parts were awesome, the modern Julie parts were, er, ok I guess. Nevertheless, it has inspired cathyn to make the last dish in the movie - the duck in pastry. He's out buying a duck and other ingredients as we speak! I suspect this is for us to have something to munch on at 12th Night this weekend throughout the day.

Speaking of 12th Night, well, never mind. I'm sick of thinking about it. I try not to let my feelings get hurt easily, and they've been hurt now. Fucking awesome!

And finally - next week I have to travel to LA for work. I got cathyn a cheap ticket on the same flight ($59! Southwest FTW!), because we're totally like that. I'm hoping he'll get a chance to see his brother while we're down there, maybe while I'm working, because it's been a while. Tomorrow I'll get to find out which days I go to Texas the week after.

The Gourmet Wake party was fabulous. Lots of good chattage and of course, food made from recipes of the final issue. I've never been one to subscribe to food magazines, but this was fun. And it prompted -

This week's Resolution Recipe: Scarlet Carrot Soup.
( Read more... )

Come to a party that's truly EPIC! 

Please join us (co-hostesses Vittoria Aureli and Aleit Pietersdochter [allison_is ], with special guests) for an evening of poetry readings and lively entertainments on Saturday evening of West Kingdom Twelfth Night.

Aleit will be reading selections from The Battle of Maldon (Anglo-Saxon, composed sometime after 991) and Im Frauwenzimmer Wirt Vermeldt Von Allerley Schonen Kleidungen Unnd Trachten (German, 1586), with English translations.

Moshe Avenicmel will be reading something awesome and medieval TBD.

Vittoria will be reading selections from the romance Orlando Furioso (Italian, 1532) as well poems in Latin and French, with English translations.

We also welcome additional readers!  If you would like to join us, please feel free to leave a comment or message. :-)

The festivities will be hosted in Vittoria's room (we will publicize the room number after check-in on Friday).  We plan to gather around 9:00 p.m. and the party will continue late into the evening, so that those who wish may be able to attend the Duchesses' Ball first.  Light refreshments will be provided; guests are welcome to bring beverages to share.

Hope to see many of you there!  Vivat poesis.


Vittoria & Aleit

Let's see, lovely weekend. First off, a fabulous fondue party, then a rockin' NYE party at trystbat's house, then games day party on New Year's Day, and in amongst all that I finished the dress I've been making for Her Highness of the Mists to wear at 12th Night next Saturday. I also did a fix on Cathyn's basse and got my dress into shape to wear (you know, the usual mending and upgrades) where some quick research showed that I should just take the partlet off an old dress and put it on THIS dress and call it a day instead of making a whole new one. I was filled with an indescribable joy when I saw a painting showing the exact partlet I already made years ago with the exact dress I'm planning to wear on Saturday! Kismet! Laziness, not Necessity, is the Mother of Invention yet again.

So, here we are a week before 12th Night and I'm all set - no significant sewing left to do, room is booked, and all that's left is figuring out where we're going to eat Saturday night, the restaurant options within in walking distance are somewhat limited, but with good company any obstacle is merely fodder for future comedy! I have felt a slight twinge of guilt about not having any gifts for anyone this year, but I'm fairly certain everybody who knows me knows I've been broke, broke, broke since we got here and scrambling to get a job and a house while supporting a spouse and cat, so hopefully I won't lose any friends over it.

Let's see, what else...

Yesterday I went to Paul and Sue's for some fine-tuning of my Egoscue menu, apparently my back pain is quite tenacious and I needed some new moves to reduce the pain again. He is very kind about helping me, and claims that my rather challenging issues are helping him to improve his skills as a practitioner. I'm a helper.

Oh, and finally: I didn't gain any weight over the holidays. Not through any diligence on my part, strictly due to the several days my appetite was out of the game owing to emergency medical shenanigans. Dude, whatever works...

The Saluminati

I finally remembered to change the date on my watch today. It no longer says today is the 34th.

Last night I went into our (dark) garage to get a plastic bag. I forgot I had a wooden hanger on the pantry shelves, and walked straight into it. I don't have a black eye this morning, but it's still a little swollen. So that's why I wasn't at any parties last night ;) Dave and I had a quiet evening with crab, West Wing, and each other, which was lovely (even if it was a bit squinty on my part.)

I started the new year - as one should - with chocolate. My mommy taught me that chocolate should always be the first thing you taste when you wake up January 1.* Then there was standard breakfast, a little fabric surfing and a little research, as well as...
The Best Breakfast Cocktail Ever:

1 sugar cube (raw is sugar best, if you can get it)
2-3 dashes blood orange bitters
1 oz bourbon
4 oz prosecco

Drop the sugar cube in a champagne flute and use the dashes of bitters to saturate it. Add the bourbon, then top with the prosecco. (If you don't have the right ingredients on hand, you can substitute Agnostura or Peychaud's bitters for the blood orange bitters, or champagne for the prosecco. I personally think the prosecco is key with the bourbon, though.)

The recipe is an attempt to copy the now-discontinued 1935 Cocktail at T-Rex. They'll still make you one if you ask, but they have some new yummy ones on the menu.

Happy New Year!


* Both mommies, actually. Mama Juana also thinks this is a Very Good Idea.