August update
It's a bit late now for just a Pennsic update, so I'll roll in all the other fun stuff this month too:
-Pennsic was great. I was really anxious about the parking lots never drying out and my teeny "war horse" being sucked down into the Swamp of Despair (noooo! Artax!!), but the weather cleared out nicely, the parking lots dried up and all was well. I had such a good time doing a little of everything I like that I didn't even mind (much) having to go off site for the mid-week groceries. Living near the archery range has always been nice, but it's *particularly* nice since they moved it over the border into Ohio (well, mostly). It was nice to have uphill ranges there, such that the clout can actually be seen by those of us who are vertically challenged. I learned some very practical things in classes (quill-cutting, whipcord-making, and pouch construction), had some good discussions, shopped alot but didn't spend too much, danced, caught a couple of performances, ate smores and BLTs and ice-cold chocolate pudding and CheezWhiz, slept in, stayed out late... I think that's everything, and it was just about all good.
-Visited a good friend in Ithaca on the way home. Caught a very mild plague on the drive, which was kindly nursed and which didn't endanger me while driving. Didn't visit everyone I wanted to, but saw video of them :) Had dinner with the parents on both the trip out and back.
-Slooowly cleaned up after Pennsic. Sometimes I like to just get it done, but this year I felt better with hacking at a chunk every night.
-Successfully made a prize scroll for Queen of Hearts. Somewhat mild response, as far as I can tell (it's just black & white), but considering that I basically started a whole new style on Monday night and had something that didn't make my eyes bleed by Saturday morning (with a light-box for liberal cheating and the judicious application of an exacto blade), I'm satisfied.
-Ran the live archery and thrown weapons tourneys for Queen of Hearts, and despite being cooped up in the loft of a barn on a scorching day, had a great time. Such a good time, in fact, that I ran out of time and had to pass off marshaling for the next day to finish it. I hope someone will tell me if the archery tourney design was well-received. It was... novel.
-Ran an unofficial archery practice on Sunday, also had a great time. I wasn't expecting to really run it, so I kind of flubbed it to start (it seemed awkward to be commanding a group of friends), but it ran much smoother if I just pretended I was the official marshal and kept everyone on the same page. Yes, I've been a marshal-in-training and yes, I do want to be a full marshal as soon as can be managed.
-Work continues to be low-stress while I have very long deadlines. My coworkers hooked up a system on my hplc, while I was gone, that I didn't even know I would need when I got back. And, the pharmacology folks said I can use the solvent I want, so I am much happier for that.
That about covers it. Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who made Pennsic great, or kept things running during Pennsic, or was patient waiting for me to be done with Pennsic. And thanks for reading :)
-Pennsic was great. I was really anxious about the parking lots never drying out and my teeny "war horse" being sucked down into the Swamp of Despair (noooo! Artax!!), but the weather cleared out nicely, the parking lots dried up and all was well. I had such a good time doing a little of everything I like that I didn't even mind (much) having to go off site for the mid-week groceries. Living near the archery range has always been nice, but it's *particularly* nice since they moved it over the border into Ohio (well, mostly). It was nice to have uphill ranges there, such that the clout can actually be seen by those of us who are vertically challenged. I learned some very practical things in classes (quill-cutting, whipcord-making, and pouch construction), had some good discussions, shopped alot but didn't spend too much, danced, caught a couple of performances, ate smores and BLTs and ice-cold chocolate pudding and CheezWhiz, slept in, stayed out late... I think that's everything, and it was just about all good.
-Visited a good friend in Ithaca on the way home. Caught a very mild plague on the drive, which was kindly nursed and which didn't endanger me while driving. Didn't visit everyone I wanted to, but saw video of them :) Had dinner with the parents on both the trip out and back.
-Slooowly cleaned up after Pennsic. Sometimes I like to just get it done, but this year I felt better with hacking at a chunk every night.
-Successfully made a prize scroll for Queen of Hearts. Somewhat mild response, as far as I can tell (it's just black & white), but considering that I basically started a whole new style on Monday night and had something that didn't make my eyes bleed by Saturday morning (with a light-box for liberal cheating and the judicious application of an exacto blade), I'm satisfied.
-Ran the live archery and thrown weapons tourneys for Queen of Hearts, and despite being cooped up in the loft of a barn on a scorching day, had a great time. Such a good time, in fact, that I ran out of time and had to pass off marshaling for the next day to finish it. I hope someone will tell me if the archery tourney design was well-received. It was... novel.
-Ran an unofficial archery practice on Sunday, also had a great time. I wasn't expecting to really run it, so I kind of flubbed it to start (it seemed awkward to be commanding a group of friends), but it ran much smoother if I just pretended I was the official marshal and kept everyone on the same page. Yes, I've been a marshal-in-training and yes, I do want to be a full marshal as soon as can be managed.
-Work continues to be low-stress while I have very long deadlines. My coworkers hooked up a system on my hplc, while I was gone, that I didn't even know I would need when I got back. And, the pharmacology folks said I can use the solvent I want, so I am much happier for that.
That about covers it. Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who made Pennsic great, or kept things running during Pennsic, or was patient waiting for me to be done with Pennsic. And thanks for reading :)