Feel free to cross post at will and as needed.

Here is the revised copy per Lord Godric von Appenzell, Minister of Sciences
Populace of the West! Pay Heed! Their Majesties challenge all subjects to compete in an Arts and Sciences Championship to be held at October Crown.

The Champion will hold this position for one year and serve Their Majesties by encouraging participation in the Arts and Sciences throughout Their Realm. The Champion will be determined as the competitor with the greatest combined score of all competitions entered at October Crown.

In addition to the previously published competitions of:
• Period instrumental piece
• Armor, for people or animals

The following categories have been added for the Championship:
• Research Paper (no more than 10 pages) – can be any subject that is of particular interest to you: a battle, shoes, fortifications, jewelry, migrational patterns of Viking raiders, etc. You know there is something that you have been itching to research.
• Textiles – can be: clothing, a favor, a loom, period tie-dye (if you can document it).
• Ballistics – Might be: arrows, catapult, throw in your own ideas!
• Period Private Parts – Etchings, underwear, you have a naughty mind. Make it work!

You can enter as few as one or as many as all of the competitions. As normal, documentation will be required for all entries. The Champion will be decided upon at Crown and announced in Court.

( ... and here's my old version behind the cut )

Maestro Allesandro agreed to play for me for my stuff for Queen's Artisans. Now all I have to do is write a book on the stuff I'm researching. *LOL*

Started my ceramics class last night. Looks like a good bunch of folks - it's actually two classes taught in the same class period, so we've got folks with varying levels of experience. Our group got the fun task of starting the process to recycle used clay. In other words, take this messy clay glop, and spread it on these plaster slabs to dry, then we'll be beating it back into shape. *LOL* I'd done it before so I knew what to expect - mess, and dirty clothes.

Speaking of clothes, I need to finish sorting through A's clothes this week to get her ready for school. We have to pull out all the stuff that doesn't fit, and sort the worn stuff into the "play clothes" pile. Call VTC so they can pick up any donations we have in the next couple weeks - toys included. I've been trying to get to this for ages, and now it looks like it will just have to be my gig, sorting through the toys and giving a good quantity of them away. She's got WAY too many.

That also makes me think of the Toys for Tots challenge going on in the kingdom - I still have never seen what the rules are for those of us out in the hinterlands that aren't in a principality. I guess I'll just have to ask the PTB where to turn them in... Maybe I can drag them to October Crown or something...

Last, but not least, I've got an appointment with the endocrinologist today. We'll see what he has to say. He probably won't be thrilled with me. I haven't been tracing my blood sugar, and he didn't order any tests for it, either. Just another hormone test. We'll see if he even has the results by the time I get there. They didn't send them in time last appointment. *sigh* What I would give to not have to see doctors several times a year...

Title says it all. I've got A and her grandfather here at the house, for a week. A starts kindergarten next Monday, and we're still sorting out when her grandpa can move back to his house. The doctor originally told us he needed to stay with us two weeks... he only wants to be here until next weekend, from the noises he's making. We're asking him to stay longer, since he can't drive, and he needs someone around to help keep him toeing the line, taking all his medication and doing the breathing stuff, etc. *sigh* So, more cooking, washing, etc. to keep the troops happy.

Meanwhile, after loosing my temper with the last rant (which has been met with a resounding silence on here *LOL*), I decided to not beat around the bush, and just go straight to the source, now, and not wait until we see each other at an event. I asked politely for the other party to explain what happened. We'll see if I get an answer (via email). I can't change what's gone on, but maybe I can learn something from the discussion. I would really like to be wrong about what went on... it would make me feel perhaps a bit less jaded, to be wrong...

Git 'er done is what I need to stick to - to just get things sorted and out of the way. My life is too busy to let things sit for long, in the SCA, or otherwise. I'm also starting back to ceramics class tonight, and that's going to take time to deal with, too. I have to be there by 6:30, so I have to feed the family and get out the door by 6, so I can make it through the parking and find a seat in class by 6:30. I've got to get a locker lined up tonight, too...

A 40 question long thing about personal involvement in the SCA

( My answers )

This past weekend was good. We were at the Protectorate / Captain of the Guard all day Saturday. It was a good event, despite very light attendance. Sometimes I wish we lived somewhere closer to the rest of the kingdom, and in some principality, so we would have less calendar foo. Getting people to come down here is hard enough, without winding up having to book our events against investiture and other things... Oh well.

HL Nightshade came down to be RMIC, and was absolutely wonderful. Worked with me on possible re-authorization, which I didn't really think I was ready for, and I was right. Not much more work needed, though, to get up to snuff. I felt really bad that there was no one for him to play with, aside from the 3 of us in the barony, and one person who came to visit (Zanaida). Friedrich and I took him out to dinner as a thank you for coming all that way, and it was cool to get to just hang out. We're usually all so busy...

Sunday, Autumn was invited to sunday school with one of her friends from preschool (they're Baha'i). Let me start this with telling you that we don't go to church. I don't have a real love of organized religion. I do believe in having spiritual values, and communing in some way of your choosing with the divine, in whatever form you believe it to hold, but I don't go in big for sitting in a big church to talk about it. Been there, done that. There are some things about certain churches that I find comforting - the music, for instance. But I could pass on the people, 90% of the time...

It was a riot. The lesson was on "truthfulness." Those who know me well know that honesty is one of my favorite virtues to strive for. The kids had a good time, but then, it's a 5 year old, my 4 year old, and the other girl's older brother, who's like 9 at the most. The kids were mostly getting it. The adults had a nice chat after the kids ran off to play, but it really struck me funny that, when it comes down to it, regardless of what "religion" people profess, they're all after some of the same basic behaviors, and these virtues, like honesty, are always present, one way or the other.

Too bad folks have to get into such nasty arguments about it all...

OK, let's see:
Finished two pouches for my prize contribution for this weekend's tournament. ( more about those )

Still have to finish Autumn's new camicia. Man, am I dumb. I made it too big, so I'm trying to gather it down a TON. ( more about fixing that )

I have some SCA related angst that I would like to sort out, but I wish to tread gently. ( more about that )

I saw an ad for peaches that sounded like a good deal. 55 cents a pound, for a 20 pound lug. That sounds like a good amount for jam or something. Maybe Sunday I can go get some. Thursday night I may hit Farmer's Market in SLO and try to get some other things. I need to make some more sorbet, so maybe more strawberries?

Well, I finally finished Friedrich's new t-tunic last night. Not the most fabulous sewing job in history, but it will do. I'm not a costuming laurel. *LOL* Started on Autumn's new camicia, using a new layout. I need to move the sleeves... which sucks, since I've got them all sewn in... I goofed the new layout, and sewed the sleeves too far out - they're only held on by the gussets. So, I've got to fix that. Regardless, it means I also have to do the gathers (no drawstring in the neck this time!), and decide about how the sleeves are going to be, if I'm going to close them with drawstrings, or make them open, which I'm wanting to do on a new one for me, but it's always easier to experiment on the little version first! *LOL*

I'm also working on some new pouches for this weekend's tournament. Again, new design... *LOL* I always decide to tackle some new something - can't make the same thing more than a couple times, I guess. Well, I'd better get cracking if I'm going to FINISH these things by the weekend...

OK, the house is nearly clean. I say nearly because I've done what I could manage on my own, and the house cleaners have finally arrived. ( Maundering about people being late, followed by sewing and fabric concerns, and oh, yeah, pictures on Flickr... )

... was good. We BBQed (tri tip and Apple Brined Smoked Chicken!), and had friends over. We ate, we gamed (2nd ed. D&D!) - a good time was had by all. We discovered that the bottle of Limoncello that I bought is dang near deadly - we only served it in the little tiny less than a shot glasses and people were DONE. *LOL* Well, some of the folks had had some beer already, two of us (including me) are diabetic and thus total light weights due to drugs (yeah, we know we're bad, but one drink once in a great while isn't going to kill us, just make us REALLY cheap dates!)...

Best BBQ with our friends we've had in a while. We all talked about how busy we are compared to when we all met years ago - this month, most of us have something planned for every single weekend, and more things that we wanted to get to, but couldn't because we can't be two or three places at once. Talked about friends we don't see much anymore, for various reasons. Did the usual bitching about the usual things... it was just good.

So, this weekend is an SCA cooking workshop with j_i_m_r, the weekend after that is Borderwinds' Protectorate AND Baronial Captain of the Guard, the weekend after that is SLO Faire, then we have West Kingdom A&S... Wheew! Oh, and then there is getting Autumn ready for kindergarden. When the school district is going to get around to telling us when school starts, what time she needs to be there, etc, we'll be in better shape...

First of all, in response to the last conversation about vigils, I wrote this big rant. You see, I deleted it. It comes down to this: I don't see things the way a lot of folks do, and I just have to learn to let it go. If the time comes, and I'm asked to join a peerage, I'll do what I think is appropriate. I don't have to follow the herd. My, that sounded grown up, coming from me. My first instinct has always been to yell and argue. hmmmm...

Hubby is pretty convinced now about getting a period tent. Heck, I'm more convinced. ldyanna has us help with their new round, and it was worlds cooler than our cabin tent. So, maybe next year I'll get the spiff new pavilion. We're pretty well decided on something that I've only seen from one tent company - Panther. It's an oval, but it's set up with spokes from the poles in the middle, so it only has the two center poles and the ridge pole, and then the ends are held out by the half wheels. Lots of floor space and very few poles to bash into.

In other news, I've got a week to whip my house into shape before j_i_m_r and her hubby come to stay for the workshop. Oh, and I've got to squeeze a trip to Bakersfield in, while my sister is down this way with her kids. *sigh* I love my family, but they make me look really organized. *LOL*

Last of all, I should be painting - I've got scrolls to finish! Better quit procrastinating (it's what I do best!) and get things done, before I have to go get Autumn from school...