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Gamelan Sekar Jaya's angklung ensemble (which i'm in) and the giant bamboo Joged ("marimba") ensemble - one of the very few outside Bali - have a show including three dances - a temple dance, a masked dance, and a new choreography.

THIS SUNDAY, Nov 15
@ 7 PM
ODC Dance Commons
351 Shotwell Street
San Francisco

Here's a code so friends can get a discount ($15): "friendsofsekarjaya"

Admission: $18 General/ $15 Students & seniors / $12 kids 12 and under
Buy Tickets
-- Online http://www.odcdance.org/event_view.php?param=75
-- By phone: (415) 863-9834
-- At the Box Office: Wed-Fri: 5-9pm / Sat: 9:30am-1:30pm / Sun: 5-8pm

For more info, on the Gamelan Sekar Jaya site:
http://www.gsj.org/node/58

Be there or be rectangular!

Nonsense!

  • Nov. 11th, 2009 at 8:29 PM
Especially for [info]acanthusleaf , who is collecting silly words and phrases, a reading from Carolyn Wells A Nonsense Anthology, one of the formative tomes of this writer's childhood.

The Rollicking Mastodon

A rollicking Mastodon lived in Spain,
     In the trunk of a Tranquil Tree.
His face was plain, but his jocular vein
     Was a burst of the wildest glee.
His voice was strong and his laugh so long
     That people came many a mile,
And offered to pay a guinea a day
     For the fractional part of a smile.

The Rollicking Mastodon's laugh was wide--
       Indeed, 't was a matter of family pride;
     And oh! so proud of his jocular vein
       Was the Rollicking Mastodon over in Spain.

The Rollicking Mastodon said one day,
     "I feel that I need some air,
For a little ozone's a tonic for bones,
     As well as a gloss for the hair."
So he skipped along and warbled a song
     In his own triumphulant way.
His smile was bright and his skip was light
     As he chirruped his roundelay.

The Rollicking Mastodon tripped along,
       And sang what Mastodons call a song;
     But every note of it seemed to pain
       The Rollicking Mastodon over in Spain.

A Little Peetookle came over the hill,
     Dressed up in a bollitant coat;
And he said, "You need some harroway seed,
     And a little advice for your throat."
The Mastodon smiled and said, "My child,
     There's a chance for your taste to grow.
If you polish your mind, you'll certainly find
     How little, how little you know."

The Little Peetookle, his teeth he ground
     At the Mastodon's singular sense of sound;
For he felt it a sort of a musical stain
     On the Rollicking Mastodon over in Spain.
"Alas! and alas! has it come to this pass?"
     Said the Little Peetookle. "Dear me!
It certainly seems your horrible screams
     Intended for music must be!"

The Mastodon stopped, his ditty he dropped,
     And murmured, "Good morning, my dear!
I never will sing to a sensitive thing
     That shatters a song with a sneer!"
The Rollicking Mastodon bade him "adieu."
     Of course 't was a sensible thing to do;
For Little Peetookle is spared the strain
     Of the Rollicking Mastodon over in Spain.

      -Arthur Macy



More nonsense verse can be found here.




Raptor War 2009 photos online

  • Nov. 12th, 2009 at 2:05 AM
Darius reports that he has created a large album of photos taken by himself and others from Raptor War 2009, which took place recently in the Kingdom of Artemisia.

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Gulf Wars Needs Teachers!

  • Nov. 12th, 2009 at 12:08 AM
Lady Charmayne D'aix-la-Chapelle reports that teachers and artisans are needed for the 2010 Gulf Wars.

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Tanka challenge 11/11/09

  • Nov. 11th, 2009 at 3:21 PM
Milky bay mimics
A sky leached of all color,
Waves a dull shimmer.
The only sounds are the cries
Of sea birds and lapping waves.

'Tis the season

  • Nov. 11th, 2009 at 12:14 PM
We've gotten enough of the clutter cleared from flat surfaces that I've been able to light some candles in the evenings. I find it primally satisfying to light the darkness.

The Good and the Bad ...

  • Nov. 11th, 2009 at 9:43 AM
The Good: Security patches and bug fixes being "pushed" to computers by Microsoft and other software vendors. This is really a good idea, and it does work.

The Bad: Nearly EVERY software package I use daily is getting patched and updated at least once a week. On two different computers. ARGH.

It makes it frustrating to have to halt everything while the darn software updates and restarts the computer and ... grumble, mutter ...

Facing My Artistic Demons

  • Nov. 11th, 2009 at 8:25 AM

Now, we ALL know that I have a horrible habit of biting off way more than I can chew in projects, which leaves me hanging in the "oh shit this will take years if at all" wind...  or I hit a complication wall, understand that I can't make it perfect and thus loose the drive to finish a less than perfect piece.

Because everything is ALWAYS more complicated than it looks, and I ALWAYS have to reach too high (sigh).  On occasion I do dream longingly of the early happy t-tunics
J

So my over all pattern for years now is that it only gets done if it's for someone else or a service project.  If it's for me? ouch.  Comes to a screeching halt at the test piece…

Not this time.  Just this once, I'm working very hard at being realistic.

After my usual grandiose "I want to make (insert way too labor intensive project here)... I came back down to earth.
I picked out the embroidered stockings from the new  "janet arnold" book.   The actual stitching techniques here are straight forward and understood, no cutting edge 'did they really do it that way' let's spend a year or two on a project only to have people still argue it's wrong...  No.  The goal here is start to finish display piece in a given period of time that will give me my 'okay I feel good about this' feeling.  That's all.  The "Controllable Project"

So I drew out the design straight from the photos of the original piece.  I measured what length I think I will need for the stocking to fit my own calf (because I intend to wear them someday), folded over a garter with the extra couple of gathers at the back as shown in the photo.  Taking measurements from the photo (vertical and horizontal) and that measurement for me (horizontal and 'X"), it was a simple algebra solve for X  and the use of my happy grid paper to bring the pattern up to a real world will fit me size.  Had to use a magnifying glass to get all the details, but I'm rather confident of the design as a faithful reproduction.

I've a good solid high quality linen (can't remember the thread count off the top of my head but it's higher than the 30s... I bought it years ago from Lacis  - I'll need to do a final check on that thread count).  I'm confident that the linen weight is appropriate for the piece (which has been a stumbling block for me for embroidered chemises up till now - the correct materials are just so important to achieve the correct end result). 

I then transferred the pattern onto the linen by placing the linen over the pattern over a light source.  We have period sources showing the use of candles below the design transfer - me?  I used the window on a bright shinny day :-)  So by the end of that day I had two strips of pattern drawn out on one large piece of linen.

I was going to mount it onto one large frame, following the period sources that we have.  In the end I borrowed a wonderfully convenient little frame from Aldith that I can carry with me, which allows me much more freedom regarding where and when I can work on this... after all, I work full time and commute for several hours a day;  I have very little time to get this done.  So she helped me mount the first strip on to this clever little frame and I'm off and rolling :-)

A trip to Lacis for the silk was a bit of a disappointment as I couldn't find the stranded silk I really wanted to use... but they had Eterna, and I was already resolved that I would probably have to used that for the padded satin stitch anyway, simply due to availability issues.  Color wise there are also some compromises due to availability issues - I will not set this project aside because a color or a material cannot be found... not this time.  So compromise will be had.  I chose to use the color photos from both the embroidered breeches from the same book and/or my original project's photos as the source for color choices.  They are contemporary pieces of the same style.  I am confident that if a color or material was available for one of the pieces it would have been for use on the other.  I can do little about color variations from time or photography and I can't afford to go visit the original pieces, so I'm going with the sources that I have.  Between my trip to Lacis and my stash at home (all hail the stash!!!) I feel good about all but one of the colors... I need a brighter more acid yellow than what I have but I'm working on that.  As for the couched gold and silver, I plan to use what I have in my stash for this too.  I still have rolls of the stuff from our Benson & Johnson order years ago in several sizes.  I haven't decided on if I'm going to use the real silver yet, as it tarnished.  I've been successful at cleaning it, but hey... it will tarnish again, and this time on my finished piece??? not so sure I like that... so we shall see.

The project has reached the enjoyable "working" stage (Yay!!!!).  This is that wonderful stage that you take it everywhere with you, curl up on couches to movie marathons etc... and stitch stitch stitch...


Step one is to lay down the white cotton "padding" stitches to the areas that will be finished with the stranded silk padded satin stitch.  Step two will be the silk layer, then step three will be to couch down the gold & silver for the vines.  

 I have enough of the linen in the end to make the full set of stockings, but my focus is on one for 12th night.  I am now willing to admit that my wild ambition to make the bobbin lace to go with it will have to wait a bit, so I'll have to find something comparable for now...

Anyway, that's the status report for the 12th night project.  Now on to the stitch stitch stitch... :-)

A history of alcoholic beverages in Russia

  • Nov. 11th, 2009 at 2:32 PM
Russians are known for their love of vodka, but in the Middle Ages, the Russians displayed great talent at creating other alcoholic beverages including mead. Later, in the early 16th century, monks developed the first recipe for vodka.

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Veteran's Day ...

  • Nov. 11th, 2009 at 6:00 AM
Have a great holiday, but while you do, don't forget what it's about. Too many people do.

I told my students about it both Monday and Tuesday. I basically told them something like this (I didn't work off a script, and it wasn't something mandated by the school):

First, this is not self-serving -- I am not a veteran, my spouse is not a veteran (although her brother is, and her father was; come to think of it, my brother and his two older children served as well ...).

Remember that there's a reason for the holiday, and it's not the sales, or the sleeping in, or ...

There are people out there who volunteer to serve the country in the military. This means that they are putting their lives on the line. For you. If they served in a war, whether or not you agree with the reason for their being sent to war, they did this as a service for you, the American Citizen. They did this knowing they could die in a war-time situation.

The reason for this holiday is to remember these veterans, and to thank them for their service.

If you know a veteran, or see one, be sure to thank them for their service to you and to this country. If you see someone in uniform today, thank them as well, because they are currently serving, voluntarily putting their lives on the line for you and this country.

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Nature Photo of the Week

  • Nov. 11th, 2009 at 7:25 AM


Cullman - 2009

Having such a nice week so far...

  • Nov. 10th, 2009 at 4:52 PM
Ellie and I hit Perbacco for lunch today. She was helping me get an introduction to the Chef/Owner to talk about my internship and... well... a combination of riveting conversation... delicious food...

Ellie's coworker worked long ago with the Chef (Steffan) and was going to join us and introduce me. Of course, I have an amusing back and forth with Ellie via email as to whether it would be appropriate for me to bring some of the cured pig tongue (which I am very proud of)... so yes I had a baggie of meat in my purse when I left the house.

I got there a little early, it is only a couple blocks from the Embarcadero BART and the city was clear and cool and smelling of wood fired pizza ovens and the ocean. It was about 11:30 when I walked in the restaurant, a gorgeous modern building that filled quickly with men in expensive suits and women wearing tweedy wools. Ellie and Thomas showed up and we were seated and perused the yummy menu.

The Chef came up to say hi and asked me if I'd used #1 salt, I said no, the tongue was #2 salt, then we chatted about the stuff I'd done. He was so... chill, interested and knowledgeable. I can see why it would be a dream to work for a Chef like that. I bet he doesn't yell at people, or throw things.

Thomas does small batch wine making and he talked animatedly about the 500 case bottling he is in the process of and knew so much about wine! It was really... that lunch could have gone on for a week and I would have been ok with that. I am inviting Thomas to Saturnalia.

The Chef gave me his card and asked me to send him my resume (YAY!) which I've already done.

Elsie and I made some amazing sausage on Monday and I got to geek out about sausage all day, which I love. Plus one of the most profound weekends of my life up in Quincy with Ariah and her family.

Tomorrow I am looking forward to hitting a new trattoria with Vittoria, Syele and Etaine (and hopefully Hanna) in Berkeley and making a giant Greek style leg of goat with home made flat bread and minted yogurt for fighter practice. This means I need to get up early and marinate the goat, and make the bread dough and let it proof while I am out at lunch. I put together the yogurt tonight to sit over night.

Tonight is date-night and Bri and I are watching our show. I made candied hazelnuts to go in the salad, some garlic and truffle oil potatoes and minted lamb chops (to grill up in a few minutes.

It's been one of the nicest weeks I've had in a while (albeit I had a super awesome weekend at [info]evilviscountess house a few weeks back!) and I am very grateful for it. I hope everyone else is having a wonderful week as well!
Toshikage reports that the Memorial of the Practice of the Montante by Diogo Gomes de Figueyredo (1651), translated by Eric Myers, is available to download in PDF format on the Oakeshott Institute website.

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Brought to you by the letter "H."

  • Nov. 10th, 2009 at 5:44 PM
As in "harassment."

And "hazing."

As mentioned in a previous post, I recently had to deal with some stalker-like behavior. That the party in question is probably harmless and that the situation was dealt with in a safe and reasonably polite manner is not the point. The point is that I had to deal with it at all in an environment which is supposed to be "safe."

Anyone ever been touched without your permission by someone whose only excuse for doing so is that we're all SCA and you therefore should hold still for their friendly little back rub being groped? One party who tried it with me was told by me in embarrassingly loud and public tones to cease and desist.

Ever tell someone to stop doing something and have them persist because they think it's funny? Like the guy who decided to find out if I was ticklish and no amount of verbal protest or physical resistance short of whipping off one of my Birkenstocks and whaling him across the forearm with it as hard as I could was going to stop him. He had the nerve to be shocked and hurt too.  

I'm willing to bet that the people who don't see what all the fuss is about on the alleged lifting incident reported this week on SCA-West have never been in a like position, regardless of gender.

Cherry Quest

  • Nov. 10th, 2009 at 3:41 PM
For a good long while, I have been searching for real Marasca cherries, also known as real maraschino cherries. The bright-red candied artificial ones leave me cold. Well, I finally found them at The Pasta Shop on 4th Street in Berkeley. For $24.99/jar. I hear that Monterey Liquors also has them, at the more-reasonable-yet-still-exorbitant $16/jar. Considering there are about 50 cherries/jar, you can understand why I haven't bought them yet.

And while I could make my own brandied cherries, with my small kitchen canning fruit is an unholy business. I've seen recommendations for other brands, and also for soaking dried sour cherries in liquors - has anyone tried either? Recommendations from the cocktail hive-mind gratefully accepted.


(I need a cocktail icon, I really do. Somebody help?)

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Tanka challenge 11/10/09

  • Nov. 10th, 2009 at 3:40 PM
Merciless shears clack,
Lopping helpless branches off
In verdant carnage.
Had I such gardeners, it
Would be they who would suffer.

(The so-called landscape "design" firm our company uses are butchers. What they do is not pruning.)



Three Queens A&S photos online

  • Nov. 10th, 2009 at 10:52 PM
Mistress Hanna von Dahl has created an album of photos from the Arts & Sciences display at the recent Three Queens event in the Kingdom of Ansteorra. They have been posted on her Flickr website.

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Where Did I Go Wrong??

  • Nov. 10th, 2009 at 2:55 PM

By my count I have sewn no less that five blue houpplandes since joining the SCA... yet I have nothing to wear to Mists Investiture!
You know, I may just dive into gold key myself...
(sheesh)

500 years of astronomy at Texas museum

  • Nov. 10th, 2009 at 7:24 PM
The Harry Ransom Center, a humanities research library and museum at The University of Texas at Austin, will present Other Worlds: Rare Astronomical Works through January 3, 2010. The exhibit will showcase "some of the most important astronomical discoveries of the last 500 years."

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