Robin Hood and Makers Fairs
So Dave and I went to see the new Robin Hood movie. It was kind of fun, and I liked the look of the thing. It was mud and grit, and this great scene of crossing the English channel on these horrid open boats with all the horses freaking out. I also loved that they had a theme other than "when Good King Richard comes home all will be put right" since THAT never made any sense historically. And I liked the idea of tying him into the Magna Carta, which is in the right time frame and works with the "justice for all" Robin Hood theme. HOWEVER, and I will try to refrain from big spoilers here, the plot was so incoherent, even David complained. (And David is MUCH better at suspending disbelief than I am.) And then there were these weird, wooden, D-Day boats.........
Anyhow, on a more interesting note, David and I also went this weekend to a "Makers Fair". This was the demo Ida roped me in to the first day she met me: she needed fighters and it was on top of crown tourney. And foolish me, I thought I was just volunteering to do some demo in a park. Then last Thursday David said, "NPR did a piece on that thing we're going to, and they're expecting 70,000 people." And it was crazy. And in fairness, Ida did try to explain it, but it's one of those things you can't really tell folks about. We had a huge display and got lots of really interested people, not like a regular demo at all. Everyone there was interested in making something, so even people who didn't want to play our game themselves would come by and ask very specific questions about metalworking, leather craft, spinning, etc. And then, when I had a chance to wander around myself, I saw: 1) a music driven laser show, 2) a giant 3 story rocket you could climb on, 3) cars with things growing on them, 4) multiple, large, pedal driven vehicles, 5) an mechanical dragon that shot flames, 6) a steam engine, 7) the beekeepers guild, 8) "Growing Algae for Fun, Food, and Fuel", 9) lots of handicrafts for sale of varying quality, 10) SteamPunk folks. It was the single best people watching I'd seen in years, because EVERYONE had given themselves permission to wear whatever their hearts desired. It was neat.
And yes, I had even managed to finish my outfit, including the sleeves. I looked pretty spiff, if I do say so myself. Didn't get the high necked shift done, but other than that I was satisfied. And amused to see that the dress that would have hooked up the front a few weeks ago, now required ties all the way up. (I figured I could still hook the top, but no.) Despite that, I actually looked less pregnant than in other garb, so go figure.
And Bobby spent the weekend sharing a babysitter with Eric, and having a fabulous time. So all in all, everyone was happy.
Anyhow, on a more interesting note, David and I also went this weekend to a "Makers Fair". This was the demo Ida roped me in to the first day she met me: she needed fighters and it was on top of crown tourney. And foolish me, I thought I was just volunteering to do some demo in a park. Then last Thursday David said, "NPR did a piece on that thing we're going to, and they're expecting 70,000 people." And it was crazy. And in fairness, Ida did try to explain it, but it's one of those things you can't really tell folks about. We had a huge display and got lots of really interested people, not like a regular demo at all. Everyone there was interested in making something, so even people who didn't want to play our game themselves would come by and ask very specific questions about metalworking, leather craft, spinning, etc. And then, when I had a chance to wander around myself, I saw: 1) a music driven laser show, 2) a giant 3 story rocket you could climb on, 3) cars with things growing on them, 4) multiple, large, pedal driven vehicles, 5) an mechanical dragon that shot flames, 6) a steam engine, 7) the beekeepers guild, 8) "Growing Algae for Fun, Food, and Fuel", 9) lots of handicrafts for sale of varying quality, 10) SteamPunk folks. It was the single best people watching I'd seen in years, because EVERYONE had given themselves permission to wear whatever their hearts desired. It was neat.
And yes, I had even managed to finish my outfit, including the sleeves. I looked pretty spiff, if I do say so myself. Didn't get the high necked shift done, but other than that I was satisfied. And amused to see that the dress that would have hooked up the front a few weeks ago, now required ties all the way up. (I figured I could still hook the top, but no.) Despite that, I actually looked less pregnant than in other garb, so go figure.
And Bobby spent the weekend sharing a babysitter with Eric, and having a fabulous time. So all in all, everyone was happy.