At Long Last!!!!
I have wonderful news that, perhaps, some of you have already heard via the more active blogging of my lovely wife. After two years of toil, patience, and being screwed by the Armouries in various and sundry positions, I have been appointed as a Researcher. Basically I'll be working right beneath the curators, writing publications on behalf of the museum, presenting lectures and seminars, and sometimes getting to work with updating and altering exhibits. So, it's pretty much Curator-Light (great taste, less filling). It also means a significant pay raise, the ability to wear my own clothes to work, and free weekends that will finally allow me to start fighting and re-enacting again.
In short.... WOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What is very ironic about the whole situation is that, not three weeks before, I got a part-time position as an Interpreter (after all this time). I wouldn't be fighting or acting unfortunately, but I'd be doing more storytelling pieces, helping out with the horse shows, and other Johnny-on-the-spot kind of stuff. So I had the interesting opportunity to be awarded something vaguely resembling sort of but not quite my dream job, and then reject it in favor of an even more fulfilling situation all around.
So what else have I been up to since who knows when, you might ask? Well, A. and I have been on a few trips. A couple days in Dublin which, while quite rushed, were wonderful (ah, guinness in it's natural habitat, there's none finer). A week in New Mexico at a gathering of A.'s family, some of which I had never met and most of which I had only met briefly (as in, a few days before I married into their ranks). It was lovely and the mountains of NM are absolutely gorgeous. As per usual, photos can be found on A's facebook. Next on the books is a reenactment of the Fourth Crusade with my parents. Translation: a cruise through the Eastern Mediterranean. It sets out from Barcelona and stops at Messina (what self-respecting crusade wouldn't start there, I ask you?), followed by Thessaloniki, two days in Istanbul (ahem, I mean Constantinople), then curls back to Malta and then back. I am really looking forward to this trip, as this is a part of the world I have always wanted to visit. There will be loads of pictures and wonderful stories to bring back, so stay tuned. This year's travels will cap off with a couple day jaunt to Paris for A. and I. We've both been there before, but neither of us has spent enough time there to really do the place justice, so we're looking to remedy that a little bit. Phew, so it's been a busy year.
We have a lovely garden flourishing in the backyard in an assortment of terra cotta pots and the like. Mainly veggies and herbs. Also, brewing attempt #1 is maturing as we speak and is set to be ready for quaffing in early Sept. I decided to start ambitious and do a Belgian-style Tripel. We'll see how this one turned out before proceeding to another batch, just to make sure we did everything right. If all goes as planned, I want to set in a honey beer in early October so it'll be ready for Christmas. Our housemate L. has taken the mead brewing upon herself, but nothing has begun on that front yet. All in good time. So by the time more of you start trickling over to visit, we can give you lovely beverages to drink, from which you will consequently get silly and fall over.
Having seen it three times by now (once on IMax), I can conclude that The Dark Knight rocks. That's all I have to say about that really. You're homework assignment is to go see it.... a lot. This recent stint of really good comic to movie adaptations is making more of a graphic novel lover of me. I'm really looking forward to Watchmen, but I have to read the comic first. There's plenty of time.
In other scholarly news, I gave my first paper at the International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, MI this past May. I talked about my three fight manuals, and the paper was really well received. That, and this new researcher post, has given me a second wind to double my efforts on publishing them. It's coming along steadily, and I hope to have it done by next Spring. I have already pitched the idea to Chivalry Bookshelf, and I'm still waiting to hear from them. If they turn it down, I'll go straight to the Royal Armouries Press, who have already expressed interest. Any other ideas of places to try to pimp it to?
Well, that's enough for now. More later (though, I hope, not too much later). Cheers!
In short.... WOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What is very ironic about the whole situation is that, not three weeks before, I got a part-time position as an Interpreter (after all this time). I wouldn't be fighting or acting unfortunately, but I'd be doing more storytelling pieces, helping out with the horse shows, and other Johnny-on-the-spot kind of stuff. So I had the interesting opportunity to be awarded something vaguely resembling sort of but not quite my dream job, and then reject it in favor of an even more fulfilling situation all around.
So what else have I been up to since who knows when, you might ask? Well, A. and I have been on a few trips. A couple days in Dublin which, while quite rushed, were wonderful (ah, guinness in it's natural habitat, there's none finer). A week in New Mexico at a gathering of A.'s family, some of which I had never met and most of which I had only met briefly (as in, a few days before I married into their ranks). It was lovely and the mountains of NM are absolutely gorgeous. As per usual, photos can be found on A's facebook. Next on the books is a reenactment of the Fourth Crusade with my parents. Translation: a cruise through the Eastern Mediterranean. It sets out from Barcelona and stops at Messina (what self-respecting crusade wouldn't start there, I ask you?), followed by Thessaloniki, two days in Istanbul (ahem, I mean Constantinople), then curls back to Malta and then back. I am really looking forward to this trip, as this is a part of the world I have always wanted to visit. There will be loads of pictures and wonderful stories to bring back, so stay tuned. This year's travels will cap off with a couple day jaunt to Paris for A. and I. We've both been there before, but neither of us has spent enough time there to really do the place justice, so we're looking to remedy that a little bit. Phew, so it's been a busy year.
We have a lovely garden flourishing in the backyard in an assortment of terra cotta pots and the like. Mainly veggies and herbs. Also, brewing attempt #1 is maturing as we speak and is set to be ready for quaffing in early Sept. I decided to start ambitious and do a Belgian-style Tripel. We'll see how this one turned out before proceeding to another batch, just to make sure we did everything right. If all goes as planned, I want to set in a honey beer in early October so it'll be ready for Christmas. Our housemate L. has taken the mead brewing upon herself, but nothing has begun on that front yet. All in good time. So by the time more of you start trickling over to visit, we can give you lovely beverages to drink, from which you will consequently get silly and fall over.
Having seen it three times by now (once on IMax), I can conclude that The Dark Knight rocks. That's all I have to say about that really. You're homework assignment is to go see it.... a lot. This recent stint of really good comic to movie adaptations is making more of a graphic novel lover of me. I'm really looking forward to Watchmen, but I have to read the comic first. There's plenty of time.
In other scholarly news, I gave my first paper at the International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, MI this past May. I talked about my three fight manuals, and the paper was really well received. That, and this new researcher post, has given me a second wind to double my efforts on publishing them. It's coming along steadily, and I hope to have it done by next Spring. I have already pitched the idea to Chivalry Bookshelf, and I'm still waiting to hear from them. If they turn it down, I'll go straight to the Royal Armouries Press, who have already expressed interest. Any other ideas of places to try to pimp it to?
Well, that's enough for now. More later (though, I hope, not too much later). Cheers!