Random Ramblings

Bardic circle tonight was a small but rousing success! We had six performers, including two new-to-the-SCA francophones who both brought (French) songs with lyrics. So now I know new French songs! (Whether I remember them tomorrow is a different issue entirely.) The circle went around about a half-dozen times, give or take, with lots of chatting in between. I got to share some of my favorites, though I didn't break out *any* of the bawdy songs. That'll have to wait until next time. I was sad that (other than Cynan, my co-organizer) none of the established IDD bards came out. Hopefully that'll happen next time too.

Anyway... now to clean up and prep to host breakfast tomorrow morning, and game tomorrow evening. So much hosting! Whew!

Hi everyone. I realize in looking back through my recent entries that although I've been posting quite a bit, I haven't actually written anything about how my life's been going in a while. I figured I owed you. (And if you figure differently, you can always click away from this post. The internet is nice that way.)

1. Job hunting: After a very, very long period of procrastination, I sent out seven CVs last week. (To Davids Tea, McGill, Concordia, and the Côte St-Luc library.) Seven isn't great, but it's better than nothing. Now I just need to keep the momentum going and remember to follow up on the ones I sent. Also, at some point I should really figure out what I want to do when I grow up.

2. Roleplaying: Lots of gaming, as you can probably tell from all my "lines of the night" posts. Enjoying it muchly, and worry that when I get a new job, I'll have to cut back. Four games at a time (including two that are weekly or almost-weekly) take up a lot of time. Oh, and I may be co-GMing a one-shot game at the end of December.

3. Apartment: I've now been in my "new" apartment for slightly over a year, and I've mostly adjusted to its little quirks. We're getting some tiny ants in the living room and a bit of a resurgence of bugs in the pantry (despite everything being in sealed containers), but I attribute that mostly to the season. I may be getting a new sofa soon to replace the ratty, ripped one, which would be very nice.

4. Relationship: It's been a tough few weeks. Marc's been dealing with some Stuff (tm) that it's not my place to talk about, but it looks like he's finally made a decision and hopefully will be less stressed in the coming weeks. I've been dealing with my own stress, mostly from psyching myself up for job hunting. I think our "date night" once a week is a great idea, and we'll keep that going.

5. Cooking: I'm pleased that I've progressed to the point where I can make a recipe and 85% of the time it will be not only edible but relatively tasty. I was not at this point a year and a half go. That's progress! (And bloody-minded stubbornness, of course.)

6. SCA: My SCA participation recently has been sporadic. I very much enjoyed Winter Nights in Albany and have taken a few tentative steps towards starting up bardic more regularly here, but it hasn't really gotten off the ground yet. The truth is that with so much of the rest of my week scheduled (2-3 nights gaming, 1 night with Marc, 1 night with family), I don't want to give up a weeknight for the SCA unless I know there are going to be people attending who want to do bardic. And people won't show up unless I make it a more regular event. So I'm sort of stuck in a catch-22 here.

7. Weight: Less good. Sometime between late 2008 (when I started working for Softitler full-time) and this summer, I managed to gain back almost all the weight I lost in 2006-7. I haven't been doing karate (see: lack of free evenings), and while I've been trying to eat better and do more walking, I keep finding myself gifted with unexpected baked goods, or going out for dinner, or a million other little things that sabotage me. I've managed to lose 2-3 pounds since the summer, but that's not much, especially with holiday season approaching.

8. Writing: I continue to write short stories for my various roleplaying games. I'm probably up to around 25,000 words for the year, which is nowhere near the 161,000 I wrote last year (85% of which were for one particular character), but there were special circumstances last year that I doubt I'll ever have again. No new bardic works lately; I really need to stop procrastinating and start in on that.

9. Other people in my life: My family is well, my step-sister is returning from her honeymoon, and Marc's family is well too. Friends seem to be in varying states of "stressed" and "okay" -- let me know if you need to come over for tea. The stuffed animals all seem to be very happy, especially since Grunty and Sheepie just got washed not too long ago.

10. Parties: The next party is probably going to be in late November or early December, and I have yet to decide if it's going to be another chocolate fondue party or a Channukah party with latkas. Any thoughts?

Current infatuations: Right now, I'm completely in love with Davids Tea (their winter teas come out today!), the book Mindset by Carol S. Dweck (review to come as soon as I finish the last chapter), and Echo Bazaar (highly addictive -- don't say I didn't warn you).

The people down here in Concordia of the Snows (aka Albany) have been trying to get me down to Winter Nights for years. This year, the stars finally aligned and I was able to come.

The short version: I didn't win, but I had lots of fun. Also, my allergies were affected by something at the site and now I'm all congested and asthmatic.

( The long version, in tedious detail )

For those not in the know, Heather Dale will be playing the Yellow Door Cafe next Friday, October 15. And -- shh! -- there may be a special on-stage cameo by everyone's favourite Pocket Bard!

Hope to see you all there!

For the last few years, I've been a very active bard abroad (Pennsic, Concordia of the Snows, etc.) but particularly inactive on the home front. Since Pennsic -- particularly since being taken on as Mistress Marian of Heatherdale's student -- I've wanted to launch back into the local scene, and I decided tonight was as good a night as any to start.

I arrived at the church (where the fencers practice, and where I had advertised the circle as happening) around 7. It was raining; I was wet. For about an hour, I was alone with two fencers, flipping through my books and occasionally humming to myself, but not doing very much bardic. More people started showing up around 8, but most of them were there for the fencing.

Around 8:30, I had my breakthrough. Singling out the only other person there who wasn't fencing, I asked if she wanted to do any bardic. She's francophone, but we flipped through my bardic book, and I would sing songs that looked interesting. Once I started singing, other people stopped by between bouts and listened, so I had a rotating audience. That was a good start.

Around 9:15, Xavier (the marshal of fencing) made the excellent point that the next time I announce a bardic circle, I should make it clear that I'll just be hanging out with my books and I'd be happy to teach songs. Well, said I, can I teach some songs now! My first audience member (the francophone) expressed an interest in learning some songs, so I started teaching her "Never Set the Cat on Fire."

Around this time, we got another performer! Yay! Adi, one of the fencers who used to be a professional singer (or at least professionally trained), did a bit of singing, and for a while we even had a decently-sized group sitting around as the fencing broke up. I never did get to record myself (that'll have to wait for another day), but we had some good bardic camaraderie towards the end of the evening. It wasn't anywhere near as formal as the stuff you get down at Concordia, but it was a good first baby-step.

For next time, I must remember to structure the announcement to be even more newbie-friendly. I've been hanging out with self-proclaimed bards for so long that I've forgotten that most people don't actually know most of the common SCAdian songs that I take for granted. Still, though, a good start. Here's looking forward to next time.

For those who have been anxiously awaiting the posting of my behemoth Pennsic diary, it's online. Final count is somewhere around 18,000 words. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Pennsic 39 (2010) Diary: The Pocket Bard Gets Owned

Enjoy! (By the way, if you see your name misspelled or a link that isn't working properly, please let me know.)

Tonight I was invited to be a guest storyteller at jdhobbes' CD launch. This was certainly one of the first times I've done storytelling bardic in front of a non-SCA audience, and perhaps the very first time. The acoustics were horrible (outside with a noisy fan), but we thankfully had a microphone that I was able to use. It took a little while for me to get used to it, but I eventually hit my groove. I told a story I learned from Master Cariadoc of the Bow, about a king who tries to cheat the bards of his kingdom and who eventually gets his comeuppance from a clever poet. The moral is that you should always pay your entertainers what they're worth, which I thought was appropriate for a CD launch.

Anyway, I think it went over well. People laughed in the right places and applauded at the end, and a few people I trust to give me honest feedback said they liked it. So altogether an auspicious warm-up for Pennsic. I spent the rest of today re-memorizing poems that had begun to slip from my mind but that I know are going to be requested (stuff I wrote for specific groups, etc.) and otherwise priming my bardic brain.

Tomorrow, lots of errands to run for Pennsic: last-minute stuff to buy, money to be exchanged, etc. For now, sleep.

Wow. Seems like I may have ruffled some feathers. It's amazing how much of my foot will fit in my mouth if you slather it in ketchup first. (Okay, that's an image absolutely no one needed. Sorry.)

First: While I may have disagreed with the pieces some of the other performers chose to perform at Crown Tournament feast, I give huge, huge applause to them for having the courage to stand up and sing. (Or do jester routines. Whatever.) Performing in front of a feast hall is probably the hardest thing a bard in the SCA will do, and that includes performing before court. (At least at court, people are theoretically paying attention.) So kudos to Dannicus, Connogan, and Ursion for stepping up to the plate, especially since I asked most of them to do it at the last minute.

Second: I may have misjudged the circle after feast. I was tired, cold, and cranky, and I made a snap judgement about what was going on. I was wrong, and I admit it. Next time, I'll listen longer and join in. Doesn't change the fact that I desperately miss doing bardic, but at least I know where to find it... *grin*

In short, if it was your feathers I ruffled, I apologize. Bad Pocket Bard, no cookie for you.

The short version: I was expecting the weather to be horrible and was pleasantly surprised to find it only bad. And I enjoyed seeing all my friends.

( The long version )

In short: had a wonderful time.

After leaving at Far Too Early O'Clock and getting a bit lost in the back roads of the Eastern Townships, I arrived on-site with Jeanne and Xavier at about 11:00. A few highlights:

- Buying a pound of cookies and sharing it with my friends. (Aoife, I want your recipe for the cranberry-white chocolate ones!)

- Attending Liam's "favourite SCA songs" class. Now I'm gonna have to make up a list like that for myself. (Liam, I want the Calontiri teaching CDs. Heck, bring it to me on a USB key sometime and tell me who to send the money to.)

- Being part of the "bardic improv amoeba," aka "the bardic gong show." Did a number of very successful games of "pass the tale," and one not-so-successful one. Note to self: never ask King Konrad to choose the subject of the story. (Konrad: "Yeah, tell me a story about an obsessive-compulsive dwarf and a hyperactive, talking carrot." Bards: "...")

- Dipping fruits in a chocolate fountain.

- Hugs. Many, many hugs.

Bonus: One of the easiest border crossings I've ever experienced, in both directions. Gotta love teeny-tiny border crossings.

And that's it for now. Time for much sleep.