The Midrealm's Friends

so_zanie

6:39AM

Happy Birthday, draconisregina!

You're beginning your big adventure. What a gift!

mseuphrates

6:38AM - Oh well...

Thought maybe this would help.
Not really. Got a start on gathering stuff for LOLCat Monday, though.
But here, maybe it will lift somebody else's spirits.

Current mood: drained

Current music: Better Than Me - Hinder

newperspectives

4:21AM

We had a Moot!

I think we lost a few people due to the weather being rather soggy, but generally it went quite well. We had a few complete and total newbies, a few friends of current members, and a couple of "old timers" who hadn't been out to play in ages due to SCA-political issues (but who now seem willing to come enjoy the hobby again).

Setup felt a bit frantic to me, but we got food in and organized, tables out, tablecloths on, and fruit/cheese/bread baskets on each table, along with honey butter (yum), cups, and pitchers of water.

The fighting demo happened first, and was appropriately showy and loud. Fun stuff. People seemed interested, but I don't think we had many newbies in the "I just want to be a stick jock" category this time. Archery, though, may have gotten some new recruits. *crosses fingers*.

After the fighting came the feasting! whymc  had made the bread and honey butter that were on the tables, and I spent today making quite a bit of stew. We had a fabulous chicken and plum pie (I want that recipe!), some vegetable dishes, hummus and pitas, a savory cheesecake, and several desserts. We had too much food (of course), but leftovers got dispersed pretty well at the end of the night. I only have about a gallon of extra stew, and that's safely in the freezer for another time.

People ate and socialized, and then we had a few folks talk about various topics. I whisked away at some point during this to make sure the violins got in tune. After a bit of discussion about goings-on and ways to get involved, we got to go play, and I'll say loudly and publicly that I'm very proud of my musicians!!
We did a short set of four tunes: John Tallow's Canon, Carolingian Pavane, Ce fu en Mai, and the Cantiga de Santa Maria #166- Como Poden.  There were subtleties that we would like to improve on, but only one hiccup that might have been noticable, and even it wasn't bad. We were basically in tune, kept the tempos from running away with us, and had a great time of it. They all seemed to go over well, especially the last two, which featured our wonderful vocalist.

Then there was talk of heraldry, Arts and Sciences, and what to expect at an Event, how to get to one, and which ones are coming up. It seemed to go well. whymc  seemed to be in his element throughout and got to be quite funny.
He's been stressing this a fair bit the last few days, as this all turned into more of a Production than he'd expected/wanted (sorry!), but it went really quite well. I have a potential few recruits for the music guild, and a couple of people interested in fiber arts (yay). Some people actually looked at the A&S display I put out (mostly made up of stuff I kind of hastily grabbed from around the house), and I'm glad I decided to put out some of my better books - several of them were commented on and browsed through.

We ended the evening with dancing - just 3 songs, but that was enough to put a sweet end on the evening. People seemed to enjoy it, and since we'd switched to the recorded music, I got to dance!

After that, it was time for teardown. Leftovers were dished up, items packed away, and the van loaded. I barely saw most of it happen -- I was chatting up some newbies while putting away the A&S stuff, and answering questions as people had them. By the time I was actually helping load stuff in, most of it had been done. I felt like a slacker, but I also know that a lot of my job is in making the personal connection with people.

It was a good night. We are all tired. Came home, brought in only what would spoil if left out overnight, put it away. Peeled off rain-soggy garb, put on a warm tunic, and nearly fell asleep during the news. Went up to bed.
And why I'm awake only a few hours later I simply don't know, but I am. For the moment. I hope to read for a moment and go crash again.

So glad that I have tomorrow off to recover. It was a great night, though. Last year had 15-20 people and was fun, but more chaotic. This was somewhat chaotic, too, but not terribly, given that the event had more than doubled in attendance and complexity! I didn't get a final head count, but given that we lost a few people and gained a few people, I'm guessing we were around 45 folks.

Feeling generally quite good about all this.

Current mood: accomplished

mseuphrates

3:54AM - Reposted from my Wellness Blog

Didn't managed to make myself get up early today.
*sigh*

Of course, the eating is totally on track, so I can't be too upset with myself. If I'm successfully making *one* change, I should be good with that. Still, I need the exercise.
*sigh*

I tried to explain how I'm feeling to 'Yote tonight before he drove me to work. Just...wrung out.
Part of that was having to tell a dear friend that I couldn't afford the trip to Alabama for her wedding. I hated disappointing her (and she took it incredibly well). But it took a lot out of me, just coming to the decision (particularly since it involved sorting out all the medical bills I've amassed from the kidney stone and trying to make heads or tails of who is owed what, on top of getting the bills together that have to be paid on today's paycheck). Facing and dealing with finances is probably my least favorite thing in the world. Quite possibly because there is math involved, but more because it involves limits and having to say no to myself and those I love. I've *never* been good at that. We'll be okay - we've got everything important covered. Just tighter than I like (and it means I can't splurge on Alexander's birthday present like I wanted to, either...sigh...I so wanted to get him and the kids that train table). :(

So, there's that vague stress going on (not severe, and I'm not worried, but just being aware has me tense). And of course, my empathy is in high gear, so I'm picking up on everyone else's worries, and having trouble differentiating between what's mine and what isn't. I usually "have enough" for everyone else (and before anyone starts - I *like* it that way, being able to Pay Attention makes me feel alive and useful and I wouldn't trade it for anything), but when I have my own stuff going on - even if it's not anything catastrophic - I get worn down way too easily. And unfortunately, sometimes people take it wrong. *sigh*

This is when that whole "I need to learn to shield" and "But I don't want to shield because I'm afraid I won't be able to Pay Attention and *feel* the way I want to" internal argument happens. There's a balance there, but I've yet to find it. The fact is, when I get overwhelmed I wall off anyway (or I just sleep a lot). Balance. Definitely need to work on balance.

Not that any of that has anything to do with *this* blog (reference to blogspot), except that a) I'm pretty pleased with myself that I haven't started stress eating, and b) being worn down in spirit makes me more tired on the physical plane, thus making getting up early to exercise pretty rough.

So - lesson for the week ahead?
Balance. Find it.
*nods*

Current mood: tired of feeling drained

Current music: Better Than Me - Hinder

bruinson

2:08AM - Geek Hierarchy

http://www.brunching.com/images/geekchartbig.gif

I hit it about the same level in 4-5 places.

mseuphrates

1:22AM - One Word?

Snagged from bodhifox (who I labeled "determined")

Can you describe me in one word? Try and then post this in your own LJ for some descriptors of your own.

Current mood: curious

Current music: Be Like This - Ellery

mseuphrates

12:58AM - Teeth and Claws baby! Oh HELL yeah!

No, this one is NO surprise at all.

 

Your result for Fantasy Seduction Quiz: What type of fantasy senario would you like to experience in bed? What type of creature would be most likely to seduce you?...

Werewolf

Raw Passion

Take Fantasy Seduction Quiz: What type of fantasy senario would you like to experience in bed? What type of creature would be most likely to seduce you? at HelloQuizzy

Current mood: naughty

Current music: So Hott - Kid Rock

wolfger

12:06AM - Twitterpated

• 09:58 @kitschikat: Happy Birthday! #
• 18:03 @strawpoll: Vista? Is that a new Linux distribution? #

frrom

10:22PM - Upcoming movies

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

ladyfeathers

9:14PM - There and back again...

Current mood: crazy

liamstliam

10:28PM - Thursday night: Starting off with the princess' favor.

1. Huge thanks to all involved! Alethea's favor.  Pass it on!

2. Thanks to  crosslet, we can all watch a jousting report, mostly in Swedish, that includes Sir Angus explaining the point of jousting is "to not die" and "We don't want to put anything rational into this irrational act," or words to that effect.

3. Sarah Palin has a sense of humor! I will give her that.

"What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull?"

"Lipstick."

Oh,  alethea_eastrid brought an Alaskan cookbook home, and the first page I opened to had a recipe for moose.

4. I got interviewed by an Albany Times-Union reporter about people who do fund-raising that involves doing something athletic. I told him how great my friends were. We kind of agreed that people donate more when you're gonna do something a little painful, like a three-day walk or diving into a lake during the winter.

5. I know there are folks in Vancouver here. I had a friend who just moved out there and is looking for an apartment/roommate situation. Please send me a note, and I will connect your two.

6. jenphalian and lbitw are two of the most wondrous people in the world.

liamstliam

9:13PM - First run-through of Barleycorn Auction Items

Corrections and additions appreciated.

It will be a silent auction and will close 15 minutes after court (as decided by the vicerine of the Royal Province of Ostgardr).

( Under here )

gunnar_redboar

8:37PM - What a Frakkin Day !

So up early and out the door. I moved my oldest daughter to Athens Ohio today, to her dorm room at Ohio university. It was bitter sweet, but very exciting for her at the same time. She had me move the room furniture to her liking and we unpacked a bit, then we had to run out toWal-Mart for needed supplies. It was sad driving away from her, knowing she is that far away on campus without a car. But this is part of it, her growing up, taking flight and leaving us behind. I accept it, and am happy for her, but it is quiet pain inside, one I choose not to show her.

While there my job exploded with business ridiculousness that needed to be done "in 2 hours , 5 hours ago". I informed them I was busy and it would just have to wait. So, now that I have been home 3 hours I am just now finsihing my days labors and averting the crisis.

I am looking forward to TOC and the chance to beat on someone.

Current mood: stressed

loadhan

6:17PM - The Mercenary of Venice

I mentioned this in my last post... the idea came up when brainstorming Shakespeare parodies.

When i Verdi Confusi did Vikings in Venice! I giggled at the fact that Pantalone would be a merchant of Venice but not the Merchant of Venice.

So I recently dabbled with the idea of The Miser of Venice where Pantalone is against the whole "pound of flesh" because "What can you buy with that?!" Then I thought of a title that sounds better: The Mercenary of Venice - possibly influenced by seeing commercials with a catchy jingle of the video game Mercenaries 2.

Pantalone gets disgruntle over a business deal. He feels (rightfully so or not) someone (probably the amaroso love of his daughter) has wronged him. Someone (Brighella?) suggests extracting the "pound of flesh" ("I read it in a play once"). Pantalone hires the self-described mercenary Capitano to do this - but Capitano is terrified of bloodshed and keeps finding excuses why this is not happening (possible joke: "I just want the pound of flesh, not the blood!" which would only be funny to those familiar with how the original play ends).

No more ideas than that - well, 'cept I'm sure Pulcinella would eagerly want to see such violence happen and might complicate the plot. Maybe I should re-read the original - or at least skim the summary.

loadhan

6:10PM - Play vs. Troupe

I was discussing the plays The Confused Greenies and i Verdi Confusi want to do and about how doing parodies of well recognized plays could get us some more attention.

And I realized something... Most theatrical plays work based off the play itself. The title and how it makes people want to know more - especially for new plays / new playwrights. Established playwrights or producers can attract an audience by name only. To a lesser extent (it seems) do actors names get attention - unless the actor is also a TV or film celebrity. It is true that some troupe names or projects get noticed - like the Great Lakes Theatre Festival here in Cleveland but I imagine which plays they do still has a higher drawing power.

But that's not quite the same for commedia troupes - and I'm sure other troupes as well. My widest experience with commedia is in the SCA so my view might be a bit narrow. However, at Pennsic (for example) several troupes perform and audiences (sometimes more than a hundred) show up. Most do not even know what play the troupe is doing, do not know it's title, and wouldn't know much about it even if they did (not even counting if the troupe just created the scenario themselves). They're on the schedule just by their troupe name and that they are performing - not what play. At other SCA events I've seen it's usually the same. There might be a tiny blurb (and not always) with the play title and short plot description but most audiences wouldn't know much about that. People come because they know the troupe or they want to see commedia - they come from the troupe and whatever they will do not for something specific.

That's one problem our fledgling troupe has. We don't have the name recognition to get people to come see us for us. So they instead look at what we're doing - and they don't recognize it and they might not devote their attention then. This is especially a problem at CWRU. It was brought up that neither The Horoscope nor BedSwerver mean much to people. They've hadn't heard of these plays before - because we just made them up. The names mean little to them. It's a bit easier to get an audience in the SCA because of several reasons - probably biggest of all because they're already there. They don't have to come for us. It helps that people at SCA events already want to see more Period theatre. Still, they don't come because of a particular play we are doing.

Until people want to see us for us or want to see commedia dell'arte for the sake of commedia, we'll have it rough. Perhaps our best strategy is doing plays with titles that will at least make the average passerby seeing our posters think: "Oh, I see what they did there." Not that we should limit ourselves to parodies but we can't trust our potential audience to read the finer print on our advertisements and even know it's a farce or it's original or it's about peppermints. "Hamlettio" might work. "A Commedia of Errors" or "The Mercenary of Venice" might not even be noticed as not the real title at first. "The Rocky Horror Commedia Show" is very recognizable (maybe too much - gotta look into that whole copyright issue).

Heck, most of our audience still has no clue what commedia is so it's not a drawing power either.

Maybe maybe someday our name will be known and people will come to see us, no matter what we are doing. It's good to have goals.

Current mood: hopeful

lady_tease

4:22PM - I forgot how pretty this song was.

the paths that I once tread have all but gone. only embers now
smoulder where bridges once burned. I feel alive and yet I fear what may
happen now. I know I can't return. and I hear me say again oh let me
not return. damn the illusions of redemption and the hopes that held me
here. I will oppose all that would befall me. with this rage inside of me I'll
defy what I would become. the solitude and anger that do battle
inside me will always guide me to the answers that I know I may not see. they
are the bonds that hold me tighter. they are the chains that weigh on me.
one day I know they will be gone. can I start again and erase this pain
by casting doubts into the waters. asking judgement of the sea. though
fortune may guide the fools I have no wish to be free until I am gone

elusivecallie

2:29PM

It feels like fall.

jedimomma

2:03PM - Zeitgeist

After numerous sets of people have attempted to cajole us to see the movie Zeitgeist, finally one of my students loaned it to us, and we got some free time to watch it last night. 

Um.

Ugh.

That movie makes me feel sick.  Really sick.  I'm actually not a big conspiracy theory wonk, as it's just too damned easy to construct "plausible-sounding" stories that are persuasive.  I usually dismiss them more or less out of hand, unless there's some damned good evidence in there (like the Kennedy bullet that would've had to make several right-turns to accomplish its malevolent goals).

Zeitgeist has damned good evidence in abundance.  In fact, it's got two specific sorts of damned good evidence.  It has lots of things which jibe together well--which many conspiracy theories do, this is not particularly remarkable.  But it has lots of this, not just a couple of disjointed "huh?" moments.  Second, and far more damning, it has several bits of evidence that are essentially impossible to explain away in a manner consistent with the "established story".  Totally impossible.  You could explain away all of the other pieces, but there are a handful that, all by themselves, constitute pure "motherfucker we've been had".

No, I'm not going to tell you much about what was actually in the movie.  Watch it yourself.  Yes, there are plenty of places where the movie overstretches it's claims, and I could quibble at them all day long.  Unfortunately, those places do not undermine at all the core bits of ghastly damning evidence.  I am stunned stunned stunned.  And sickened.  It makes me want to cry.

gwacie

1:54PM - In London!

We arrived safe and sound despite all my fears; in the end it does seem rather ridiculous to be so afraid of flying. How can anything so boring be frightening? ;)

Bronwen was on our flight out of Cleveland to Newark, yay! It's silly but having her on the plane made me feel so much better! Nothing could go wrong, Bronwen wouldn't let it! And Clairiel drove us to the airport and gave us some of the fresh cider they pressed to drink before hand, and a swig of wiskey for me to calm my nerves ;) My poor friends and family having to deal with my fears! You'd think as many times as I've flown I'd get over it! Oh; and my mother called before we left Cleveland to say how mad she is that we're going instead of visiting her and also that she wanted us to get life insurance so that when the plane crashes she'd get money. Oy. Somehow her insane ranting made me feel better too, silly.

Speaking of silly, I'm fairly brain fried so if this doesn't make sense, I apologize :)

I like the new touch-screen entertainment monitors on the international flight; was fun playing sudoku when I couldn't sleep and I ran a language tutorial on counting in Manderin (I'll have to see if I remember any of it for the flight home, hee hee... yee aur san suu woo... ) and I got to pick the movie I wanted to watch. Watched Miss Pickwell Lives for a Day and enjoyed it thoroughly. :)

There's a lovely cafe near our hotel and we're so close to the British Library! We ran through the treasures while we were waiting to be able to check in to the hotel. Absolutely fabulous. This is my third visit and it's still breathtaking. Saw a 1470-1480s Persian manuscript page with a black background! (So fun that it's the same time period as the Burgundian Black Hours fad. I wonder if its just a coincidence?)

Okay enough babbling, got to delete some spam so my email account doesn't fill up and head out and see some sights before we collapse! Tomorrow we've got the Guildhall Library tour bright and early :)

Current mood: chipper

lucretiasheart

9:03AM - Article #1 Final Draft Completed

My final draft of the article has been accepted and so that's a done deal. I still don't have the bio and photo together yet, but-- luckily-- with a quarterly magazine that JUST came out with it's latest issue, there's no gigantic hurry on that. I'll get it done and soon, but dividing my attention between bio and article was a bit much for my nervous disposition here!

Meanwhile, I submitted an idea for a second article and the editorial board went apeshit! They want me to write it! Very exciting. Of course, that article won't come out until the following issue, because they want a variety of views each issue, but they're saying that if I keep coming up with ideas like this I'll be a regularly featured writer. Awesomeness! So, even if I don't make the cut to the editorial board, I'll still be a regularly contributing member of the magazine, and that's excellent.

But... I still need more money that this part-time job will provide, and how! I'm sick, sick, sick of sitting around all day so I'm applying to a bunch of retail jobs in places I'd like to hang out, hoping to get a jump on the seasonal hiring. Border's and other book stores have been approached, as well as Michael's Arts & Crafts and similar fun shops. Gerick's trying for some part-time evening/weekend stuff to augment the ol' kiddy... We're so close to being able to pay off our debts (personal and otherwise) that even just a little extra for a few months would put us over the top. I think we're also wanting to travel more, but can't afford to, so taking on some extra jobs would assist that goal as well.

I'll just take on a retail gig for a few months and look for an office job while I do so. In the meantime, I'll get out of the apartment, make some money, and quench the frustrating boredom of these past few months.

Current mood: proud