Stamford Bridge

My kit for this weekend is darn near finished. With the progress that I have made, I should be able to fight in it at Crapaud tomorrow night. In the spirit of these two coming events, I am going to write about The Battle of Stamford Bridge, and the inspiration I found in reading the tale. These are the words that I will speak at the opening of Crapaud. For those who don't know, Stamford Bridge was where the Saxons beat the Vikings days before the Battle of Hastings between the Saxons and Normans.

"With the battle of Hastings upon us this weekend, I come prepared today as I will be this Saturday, in the semblance of a Norman persona (as best as I could with minimal time and resources). Many, if not all of you know the history of the battle, as well as the battle only days before. The battle at Stamford Bridge. As I did research to complete this kit I became inspired by a tale of this earlier battle.

So the story goes, a lone Norseman and his axe stood on the bridge to delay the Saxon army from crossing. The unnamed Norseman was said to have bested 40 Saxons before being cut down from beneath the bridge, by a spear. Weather this tale is true or not is unknown, but it is stories like this that draw me closer to this hobby of ours. Sacrificing his life, in a feat of heroics, so that his Viking brothers could organize, and have a possibility of defeating the Saxons.

Despite the outcome of the battle, I toast such heroics. May the coming battle bring us closer to our ancient brothers in arms, that we may have the chance to celebrate the heroes of history, that they may be remembered for all time."

Cheers!

One Gallon in a 16oz Glass

So, Monday practice ended up not happening for me. A little bit of mis-communication lead me to leave 5 minutes before the guys from out of area showed up, after waiting about 40 minutes. Shit happens I guess. I ended up doing some spear work, and pell work with the sword at home for a while. This week has been up and down for me as far as working out goes, its been difficult to do anything too extensive since the wife has been working closing shifts since Wednesday. No worries though, I am having a couple poeple over tomorrow to do some work to get ready for Hastings. Then Monday practice, Thursday Crapaud, Saturday Hastings. I need to remember that I can only do so much right now, and that my focus is fun, not martial perfection. I'll do what I can when I can, and I'm hoping that next year's tourney and war season will be more active for me, depending on our situation of course.

On a lighter note, I had my first EMT class on Tuesday. A packed lecture class in the afternoon, contrasted with a 14 (out of 16) person lab class that evening was actually kinda fun. It looks like its going to be a challenging class, but I think it will go well. Its funny watching the kids just out of highschool that are treating this class like all their others, not paying attention, texting durring lecture, hoping to just pass to get their cert. Makes me glad that there is a 50% drop rate. News flash, skills for saving lives are a bit more important to learn than skills for writing a book report. Get a 75% on your english paper, you still pass. Get a 75% in EMT, yeah, you might get your cert, but not knowing 25% of your practical skills might get a patient killed, or compromise your or your coworkers safety. Anyway, its a long overdue class for me. At this point, if I get work because of it, 3 days a week or so, and the wife finds a 9-5, life with a child will become much easier. And we should have more time to spend doing the things we like to do (SCA being one of those).

Today is my dad's birthday (happy b-day dad, even though you most likely won't see this part of the WWW), gonna spend some time with him and my mom tonight. We may bbq on most every special occasion, but its damn worth it every time, good food never gets old. Hope he enjoys his day, and his gifts, and I hope I am in as good of shape as him at 56. Many more to come, old man.


Cheers.

Progress

Thursday I decided not to workout, partially because I didn't have a bunch of spare time, so that made it convenient to take a day of rest. Friday I was stuck at my parents house when it was 100 outside, and I didn't go home because my truck has no AC, I don't want to subject my kid to that. Saturday I hit 1000 spear thrusts in a day, and tried a recipe for a drink to keep my muscles from being too sore. Today, I feel tons better than I did on Tuesday. I need to perfect the drink recipe, but it works.
I'm thinking leg work and 250+ with the spear, maybe a little sword work on the pell. Practice tomorrow night, so I don't want to go too crazy.
Must find time to work on garb and gauntlets.

The Workout

So far so good. Hit 500+ tonight. I put the plus in there because sometimes I loose track, or I work on combos to try something. Really, I do more than the number I put up there, but those are the ones I track. I am getting a serious workout, and hopefully this new style works out for the upcoming event. It is a lot of fun right now, but I have yet to actually fight someone like this. We will see next monday.
Until monday I will add a little bit of armor here and there to get used to the feel, and the weight. I am actually going to try to wear my chain shirt for this. I'm freakin crazy, the thing is 16g galvanized round ring, buted, it weighs about 30lbs. I need a flat ring, welded shirt to fight in, but don't have the $500 to buy one. It's hard to drop that kind of cash on armor that doesn't really provide any protection in the SCA.
Plans for the workout? 500+ spear thrusts every other day, 250+ and a leg workout on the off days, no workout on practice nights. I really want to hit 1000 per day on the last few workout days before the event, It would be nice to know that I made some progress in 3 weeks.
Stretch, food, shower, beer, bed... peace!

Heraldry Revisited

I like this, simple, effective. It gets the point across I think. I think I got to complex before, I'm a simple kinda guy, ya know?

What to do...

What do I do when there is no practice? Well, most of the time, not much. The past few days however have been quite busy.

There is an event coming up that is based on the battle of Hastings, 1066ce, and a few of us are working on accurate kits to attend. I've got a workable "cover" for the stuff that is not period, and have been working on garb and armor. I really hope I can get this low profile coat of plates done in time, I think it will work much better that what I am currently wearing. The other thing I have been doing is toying with the idea of fighting the Hastings battles with a more period weapon style, spear and shield.

While not as much an effective style of fighting in the SCA, it looks way cool and period. Also, since I have been playing with the 5 1/2 foot spear I made, it feels like its going to be a very fun style. That could change when I actually get on the field though. I don't think I'm going to kill too many people with it, I think I'm gonna get killed a lot, but I don't really care.

I have about three weeks to get my spear arm in to battle ready condition. That in mind, I am going to take it to practice on monday nights, and I set a goal for myself to do 100 spear thrusts a day minimum so that I might be ready. Funny enough, I just got done with about 100+ tonight and I am feeling soreness in areas of my body that I didn't know could be sore. Who knew that I used the upper half of my left butt cheek when I fight like this...

With hope that my prowess will honor my inspiration on the battlefield. Time for a beer, and to watch Troy. Cheers.

**Edit**
I'm adding this, after I have done another 100 spear thrusts. After 200, my arm feels a little burn, I can feel it in my delts, and my upper left glut is getting used to the soreness. I think this is just the begining, I need to push myself more if I want to get better. I will aim high, to 1000, and see where I and up. What's the big deal? It's only one more 0, right?

**Edit**
After 500, my heart rate is up a bit more, to the level of fighting at practice. My arm is beginning to feel tired, like "gonna be sore tomorrow" tired. My shoulder is getting a workout for sure. The inside of my thighs is starting to feel it, once I figured out how to switch muscle groups for the thrust (which is going to help me a ton on the field). My hand is starting to feel a hot spot on the outside, where the spear rests on full extension (and I am figuring out how to switch the spot on the hand that it rests, so I don't end up with a blister). And yeah, I know I can do more, I have had a few beers by now, and not really in the best condition to finish the full 1000. But I know I can, within a few days I will. I have to, it is what I need.

From Monday

I don't know if I have written about this, but I'm not going to go back and look at all my blogs to check. Our local practice is a small one. Myself and two other guys are the regular locals, the ones that show up fairly regularly. We have a handful of people who show up now and again, a few of them local, and some of them from outside the area. I am very grateful to those who drive a distance just to hang out and play with us, as the price of gas right now makes it hard for anyone to want to drive anywhere. This is all better than not having a local practice at all, but I want more. Honestly, we are lucky to have the monthly tournament, Crapaud, at our local practice spot.

Maybe its because I am feeling very motivated to learn to fight better. I am excited at the possibility of going to events and not looking like a stooge, having a lot of fun in armor, and just playing the game in general. I would love to have more time to go to other practices, and a better gas mileage car so it wasn't so darned expensive. The more I fight, the more I want to fight with new people. And I think the past two practices I have been to has really brought that out in me.

This week, I thought it was just going to be the three of us, but we had two visiting fighters from Vinhold (a nearby barony) show up as well. Something just made the night so much fun, and I don't know how it was different than too many other nights, other than I got to fight someone I hadn't before. I was even having breathing problems, and overheating issues, but I didn't let that get me down. Another guy got hit in a bad spot on the inside of the elbow, and he shook it off and went right back at it. This really is just good 'ol clean fun (maybe not clean, but fun for sure).

So, I have spent time reflecting this week, and working on my upcoming 1200 Danish baltic crusader kit. I got a pell set up in the garage tonight, and working on it for a bit really made me see the light, I need to make that a habbit. Oh, a pell is a stationary object that we hit to practice on, usualy not in armor, mostly a workout thing. I might hit a practice tomorrow in Vinhold, not sure yet, making it to next payday is going to be a pain and gas still sucks. The Hastings event is coming up in a few weeks and it is nearby, I really should go, it's going to be fun.

Next Crapaud I think I'm going to make it a point to meet more of the other fighters. I'm not good at that because I'm usually nervous about fighting in the actual tournament. The pick up fights after I get knocked out are really fun though, that's mostly the reason I go. Maybe eventually I'll get over my anti-social side that seems to reveal itself when I am around more than 2 or 3 people I don't know. Ten years later and my highschool mentality is still f@#king me up.

Anyway, back to drinking a beer, and waiting for more people to post videos and pics of this year's Pennsic. Cheers.

Bad Blogger

Ok, so Im not a good blogger. I'm a lot better at reading the few that I do read. But, in my defense I haven't been fighting recently. I took a nice shot on my unarmored shoulder blade at the principality war and got to thinking that it might not be a good idea to fight without medical insurance.

I'm better now though. It only took about two weeks to heal back to normal, but I still didn't have insurance for another month or so after that. Coupled with low attendance at monday practice and not a whole lot of extra cash for gas, and there we have a recipe for "slacker." I think I'm discovering the ever evolving, never ending quest for better armor too. Which means I'm slightly dissatisfied with my current kit setup. Part of that has to do with lack of time and money to make the changes.

Last week though, I went to practice. We had a gentleman out from the east kingdom that was looking for a practice during his visit. It wasn't a huge turnout, but the fighting was fun. I pushed myself decently, and ended up with sore leggs at the end of the night. It was a good workout overall, and a good time.

So, to make up for my interwebs slackyness, I decided to show everyone how my kid is doing. His current lessons include pillage and plunder. He has two swords that he loves to play with, and his faitful steed. I need to make him a shield soon, even if it ends up hanging on the wall for a while. He's a brute, every day a new bump or briuse. We are getting close enough to the terrible two's that he has begun the tantrums, which seem more dramatic since he flails about on a hardwood floor.

I need a job, to bad the economy sucks right now. Oh well, hopefully I'll blog again before next month.

cheers

A month without...

Yes, you may have noticed (most will not have, as I think I have somewhere between 3 to 6 readers) I have not blogged in an entire month. Thats four practices, Crapaud, and the Newcomers Tourney that I have not shared my thoughts on. Week by week I go from feeling good about my progress, to feeling like I should be spending time doing other things. Mostly because I want to be at a certain level of training, and I just don't have the time to spend to be where I want to be. For as much fun as I have fighting, I'm honestly not sure that I have the meddle to bring my "A Game" when the cards are on the table. There is a mental block that I just can't get around right now, and no amount of advice or teaching from people is going to help. I have to figure this out on my own.

Now, to change gears a bit (for the first time I think, on this blog), life as a stay at home dad is... starting to get to me I think. I love my son more than anything, but I really want to be working. I really, really need to find a job. We are getting in to a very important point in his life, where he is learning how to be the man he will become, and I don't want him learning that daddy is a consistently frustrated man. There are options to change our situation, and they lay before us, waiting for us to choose one of them. This may be one of those "grass is always greener" choices too, but we just don't know till we make a decision.

I don't think we have the money, time, or sanity for me to do anything constructive with school...

This is becoming a vent session, I'm going to go have another beer...

Another Monday

Let me just start by saying, I have a nice tender bruise on my ass, and it has a nice deep purple color to it. I think this week I am going to add a little bit of armor to the lower back side of my coat of plates...

Anyway, I had fun last night. I had a hard time getting in to a grove though, and it really frustrated me for the first half hour or so. I think it takes me longer to warm up, or loosen up (which I think was a bit more the case) than I think it does. After a while though, it came easier for me. What I need to do is get back to being more active between practices, like how it was before we moved. After I get a pell (a big stick in the ground to hit, when there aren't people to hit) hopefully I will be more active. In the back of my mind, I have it stuck in there that I need to do pell work to help me take my fighting to the next level. Also to keep it there every week.

We had 5 people in armor, a nice little practice (for our shire's standards anyway). I didn't think that the two "homies" were going to be there, but they decided to show up. Practicing with them makes being out there, in armor, that much more fun. And after words, we go for a beer.

So, I am happy with my progress. Last week I did something without thinking about it, and I didn't realize it till after. It's one of those things that I had seen other people do, but figured I would work on it next year, after I get better. But I did it without thinking, I blocked the shield side of my head with my sword. I know, it sounds silly right now, unless you've done it, but it makes more sense when its in context. Lets just put it this way, to try to do it, and make it work, isn't easy at my level. Last night, during the second half of practice, I decided to start trying it. I made the conscious effort to block with my sword on the off side, and it worked. More than just "it worked" as well, it helped me win. I think it threw off my opponent, who I've fought quite a bit, since he's never seen me do it before. It is a small thing really, but it's exciting to think that I tried a new move, and it worked. Incorporating it in to my "toolbox" of moves shouldn't be too hard, with a little bit more practice though.

I'm going to a newcomers tourney this saturday, hopefully I can relax and have fun. Hopefully I am not too focused on beating people, that I end up loosing myself. Stay tuned.

Post Monday Stuff

Since I didn't blog about Crapaud last thursday, I think I might include a word or two about that, as well as last night's fun. Thursday was good, I think the turnout was 12 people. The fighting went fast, and I lost both my bouts, but I still had a good time. I think it was during Crapaud that I came to the decision that I need to step up my mentality about fighting. Up to now, I have been fighting just to fight. Which isn't a bad thing, at all. What I want to do is decide now and again to win, because going in to a fight with a "want to win" mentality changes how I fight. I think that at some point I forgot that I wanted to win.

Also at Crapaud, instead of doing pick up fights at the back of the arena while the tourney continued, I decided I wanted to watch the fighting. I should have done pick ups, but for some reason I was hoping to gain some insight from watching. I think I may have, at least a little. Next time, its all about pick ups though.

Last night's practice was fun. There were four of us, I was hoping for more, but four is still good. We had a visiting fighter from the Elk Grove area. It was kind of nice to fight someone different for a change. Which brings me to a side note about Crapaud, somehow I got matched with two guys that I have fought before, which was fun, but I like fighting new people.

Funny thing about last night, before I get there, I try to decide what I want to focus on. Weather its footwork, or targeting, or whatever. For some reason, when I get in there and fight, I forget what I wanted to work on. Something I get in to my head every week that I need to focus on, following through. Focusing on the basic shots, and following through with them, should improve my game in the long run. I have had a hard time getting shots to stick, I think that has been a problem for a long time (even before, when I fought 5+ years ago). I just don't have as much arm as most people do to get those sneaky shots to hit hard enough, and the sneaky shots are all I end up hitting with.

I got my shield made, the curved heater blank that has been sitting around for a while. I was going to paint it up all nice, make it look like a serious tourney shield, but I decided I just wanted to fight with it. I think I might still add some paint to it at some point, maybe before the big war in July. And darn it, I need to finish my leg armor, its halfway done and just sitting there.

Happy April, I was thinking about telling everyone we were pregnant again for fools day, but I think I will spare everyone.

St. Pats Day Mayhem Pics

Not a whole lot of words to put with these pics. If you need more commentary, feel free to ask =D


My landlord, believe it or not...

The crowd... can you find the butt paste?



More beer (bars) in more places...
The evil leprechaun strikes...

Crown Weekend

We went to the West Kingdom Crown Tournament this past weekend. It was to be a pivotal and decisive weekend for us, as it was our first camping event with the kid. The outcome of this event was to lay the groundwork for our entire event season this year, because if we can't handle the kid at a camping event, we wouldn't be going to many. Also, while I wasn't going to be fighting in the Crown Tournament, I did want to fight in the Tournament of Roses, more on that in a bit.

So, a weekend with the three of us, really just saturday morning to sunday morning. Really, it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it was still not as relaxing and fun as events used to be. One of us has to chase the kid around all day, and try to fight him to keep a hat on his head when he is in the sun. Not a big deal really, just a lot of work, as kids tend to be. Really, the part that I didn't like was that there weren't many opportunities for us to enjoy the event as a family. I believe that will come in time, as he gets older.

Watching the fighting was cool, there were a lot of really good fights. I am also a big fan of watching court too, the formalities of our game make it that much more fun imho. Next season I am going to fight in about everything that I can, even the crown tournaments that I know I can't win (nor are we ready for me to).

The Tournament of Roses. This is an informal combat, where you can just walk up and challenge anyone who wants to fight, and you fight the best of 3. The winner then would select someone for his opponent to deliver a rose to. Not a huge deal, but it is kind of fun to do. I really wanted to win my wife a rose, but seeing as how I am still new, the chances were slim. My first fight I lost to a knight, but I didn't know he was a knight because his belt wasn't very visible. It was fun though, I learned a little, and was complimented on my skill level compared to my newbishness (my new word for the day). Then comes the rose, he asked me to deliver one to the Princess of the Mists. Cool, not only was I nervous about fighting in the first place, now I have to go hunt down royalty. As I took off my helm, and prepared to start the delivery process I looked around to see where I get the rose from. To my surprise, I realised that I have to request a rose from the Queen to make the delivery... oi, really? Can we make this any more nerve racking for the newbie that doesn't want to make a fool of himself?

So, I find myself standing in front of the royal pavilion, in a short line of fighters waiting for their turn to request a rose from the Queen. Standing just at the edge of the large tent, in front of a series of finely carved wooden thrones, I come to a realization. I have read about this, in The Once and Future King. Knights would travel to many places, besting opponents, and sending them back to the Queen to tell her who had bested them and how. I find myself surrounded by fighters, and royals, in the middle of an Arthurian legend, about to tell the tale of my first battle for a rose to the Queen herself. For some reason that was my swift spiritual kick to the head, my shakabuku, if you will (props to the one who names that movie reference).

My nerves were now still, my spirit calm and unwavering. When it is my turn to approach, I do so with the standard formal politeness that is required of the situation. I kneel before a handful of royal women, the most prominent of which is the Queen, but also I now notice that the Princess of the Mists is there as well, seated in her own throne a few feet away (at least I don't have to walk too far). Then, without even noticing, my first words create a slight faux pas as I address the Queen as "Your Highness" instead of "Your Majesty" a small detail, but one that she noticed and corrected me on. It was a short meeting, but one that I had fun with. Queen Mari was very nice, and apparently impressed enough with our conversation that she handed me two roses and told me to bring one to my lady as well. I wanted to hug the woman. I thanked her and stepped away, took a side step then delivered a rose to her highness *cough* with utmost humility.

Then came the highlight of the weekend. I got to deliver a rose to my wife. The icing on the cake to an already shining moment in a newbie SCA day. I only wish I had someone to take a picture of that moment. At least we have a rose, I should take a picture of that. That afternoon was covered in awesomesauce.

I think I am going to take a moment to touch on one of my social insecurities in regards to the SCA. Its a club, a clique if you will. In some ways it reminds me of high school, and brings me back to the mode of not talking, and not being social. And that really gets me in to trouble, because it makes people think that I don't like them. Which isn't the case at all. A lot of the time I look up to the people I meet in the SCA, cause they are where I want to be. They have a certain amount vested in the society, and have made it a part of their life. Something I want to do. Slowly I am trying to break that shell, the Tournament of Roses was a big step for me. I missed opportunities to say hi to people I had met briefly before, just because I figure they wouldn't remember me. I need to stop doing that shit. I mean, I'm almost 30 and I'm acting like I'm 15 again, what the crap is that?

Enough rambling for me. Though, I do need to blog more...

Erin Go Bragh!

Happy St. Pats day! I would have posted earlier, but I have been doing a ton of stuff around here to get ready (along with handling a monster child). I was slacking this year, my first beer of the day didn't happen till 11:30am. Got more stuff to get done, have fun everyone.



May you reach heaven's gates a half hour
before the devil knows your dead.

Cheers!

A Taste Of Things To Come

I like St. Patrick's day. It is one of those days that my wife and I really like to celebrate. To the point where we have at least one legendary story resulting from an evening's celebration a few years ago. We like the day even though we are not religious, and only slightly Irish, my wife being slightly Scottish, and not Irish at all. So, I guess I should say that it is the one commercialized, consumerized, Americanized holiday that we buy in to. We like to drink, so we buy in to it a lot. This year will be no exception.

Why, you ask, am I making it a point to share the simple fact that we are going to be eating corned beef, and drinking Guiness on monday? Simply for the fact that it falls on a monday. Fighter practice is usually on mondays. Two to three of the participants of the evenings traditional festivities are going to be people who I would usually see at fighter practice. Are we putting two and two together yet? Yes, that's right. Not only will monday night be a night for erin go bragh, but we will start off the evening with a round of battle.

This should be a particularly fun evening, considering that my landlords and my parents should be there for the opening events. Also, I think my sister and a friend of hers may be there, faire geeks making fun of SCA geeks, should be fun. I'm hoping that someone brings a camera. But I'm also kinda hoping that someone doesn't bring a camera lol.

Anyway, I'm excited. Just thought I'd share.

What are you doing for St. Pat's day? Don't make me tag my two readers! Oh wait! Don't I owe Mie a topic of my choice?

Mondayness

I'm not sure if Mondayness is a word, Firefox says no, but I'm going to use it anyway. If "everydayness" is listed as an alternative spelling for Mondayness, then Mondayness should be a word.

I haven't fought in two weeks, well, I missed two weeks, so I guess that means that I haven't fought in three weeks. Between the move, and well... the move, I just didn't have the time. Priorities, ya know? Not fighting for that long, there should be some impact on my progression of skill, or so I hear. I wasn't concerned about my skill level tonight though, and I think that made all the difference. I feel like I did well. I am noticing timing openings that I wasn't seeing so much before. Maybe since its been three weeks, I don't remember seeing the openings before. Regardless, it is progress from the beginning of the year that I notice.

We had four fighters on the field tonight, and a new fighter from out of the area that stopped by to check things out. Nice guy, hope he gets his armor from wherever it is stored right now and comes out to play. I tried to focus on my stance more than anything, after the Sac practice a few weeks ago when I worked with Ragnar a little bit. It really seems to make a difference, it's a no brainer that it makes me more mobile, but it makes me think more offensively too (which is something I need more of).

Two of the fighters left a little early, and I spent about an hour just fighting with my Samurai friend (I don't feel like calling him a newb anymore). We had a blast, just messin around fighting, doing stupid shit that we wouldn't normally do. Just really good old school fun. Sucks that he has to be at work at 4am. Bleh.

I was in such a good mood on the way home, that I had to stop and pick up a rose for my darling wife. I wanted to make sure that she was in a good mood too when I got home. Spread the love ya know?

Time for a shower, and bed.

------'--{@

I'm Back

i can haz internetz again...

Move

So, here we are at the last few days of Fit February, and I almost feel like I'm slacking off. This past monday, there was no fighter practice, and I have been packing/moving since friday(ish). Saturday and Sunday it was raining so we didn't get as much moved over to the house as we would have liked, but we did get some over. Despite not taking time to run, or to do workout specific things, moving boxes down to the truck all day has periodically made me sweat, and my leggs burn (we live on the second floor). All is not lost.
Crapaud is thursday, and I have stuck to my guns on my oath to not drink for the month. I don't have a scale, and I didn't take any measurements before or after, but I do feel like it has made at least a little difference. I'm sure that if I did put in the numbers, I would get scoffs left and right, I'm not particularly heavy. Five years ago though, I was 40 pounds lighter. I spent about 20 years being the featherweight bean pole, and now I finally have something to build on. So, Fit February, for me, has been about strength and endurance training, and focusing on being active, more than it has been about loosing weight. So, I am getting closer to where I want to be, in regards to my beer gut and love handles. Also, fighting 7 guys in a row, in what has come to be known at practice as "fight the line" has become easier to handle.
Here I am, in the last few days of february, feeling better than I did a month ago. With moving in to a house this week, I hope to be able to focus more time on staying improving on my healthy state. It will be much easier to focus on my training when I have enough room to swing a sword, and work on my armor. Fit March anyone?

I've Been Tagged

I'll make it short and simple...

1. Pick up the nearest book ( of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people & post a comment on your taggers blog so they can go see.


Ugh, gotta love school books...

"In the Classified method, color transitions are less subtle, but you can see exactly which value ranges correspond to which shades. In the Unique Values method, a different color is assigned to every data value in the raster. This method is available as long as the raster has no more than 2,048 unique data values."
-Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop

You asked for it, thanks Cami. ;p

Hail the Victorious Dead

Estrella, a week long SCA war in Arizona, just ended over the weekend. Some day I hope to make it down there, it's supposed to be tons of fun, a real west coast Pennsic. A real reality check for our sport, a newer fighter (this Estrella was his first war) died of a heart attack on the battle field. I don't have too many details about the incident, I did hear that he was given an award at the grand court after words, so that he would always be remembered. So, in honor of that, I salute you and yours, and hope you found the gates of Valhalla well. Farewell brave warrior.

A Case of the Mondays

Not really. That title was just all I could come up with. It was a basic night, three of us in armor, one new guy (very first time), and a handful of bystanders. The newbs run the practice! Anyway, things went decently, that is, until my elbow decided to crap out on me. No worries though, I was able to do some left handed work for once, that was kinda fun. I think next time I want to stress focus on the basics, slowing down and just throwing a good shot. I think we (as newbs) tend to incorporate just a bit of mayhem in to our style, and it might be causing some small injuries. Well, I hate to call them injuries, rather they are "bites" I guess.
Ah well, I pushed myself, I had fun, and there was some workout type stuff going on. All in all a good night, except now I'm up waiting for the advil to kick in so I can get some sleep...

Sunday Afternoons

The ADHD Viking and I, went up to the sunday afternoon practice in Sac today. This is really the first time I've been out of the area to get beat on, and honestly, doing stuff like that is out of my comfort zone usually. It was nice not going alone though, it made things easier. The whole practice was really good though. Despite the fact that it took me a while to relax and get in to a comfort zone around people I've never fought before, I eventually got in to a zone, and things worked out nicely. Now I'm not saying that I dominated the field or anything, 'cause I didn't, I got beat down quite well. It was nice because I was able to hold my ground, throw a few good kill shots, and give people a run for their money when they got me.

Anyway, it was a nice bit of exercise, and a really big leap for me socially. I no longer feel stuck within the confines of the small local area. The world of the SCA is slowly opening up for me, as I take the steps to open it. I'm having fun, and that's what counts.

Pain Displacement

I think that's what it's called. Well, my quad is almost fully recovered from the bruising, just in time for my to hit a sunday and monday practice duo. But, as happens sometimes, my leg feels better enough so that I notice how much my knee hurts, ugh. The bruising on my knee is very close to the bone, so either the bone is bruised, or the tendon/cartilage is bruised. Either way, it sucks. I'm not running right now, so it will hopefully heal. In place of that, I am substituting a homemade abs and arms workout, to keep up with fit February as well as targeting muscles that help me fight.

On a good note, we are going to be moving in to a house. I wish we were in a position to buy, but that just aint gonna happen till I finish school and get a real job. So, yeah. Lots to do the last two weeks of this month. Heck, lots to do the next month and a half. Sunday monday practice this week, wednesday class, saturday is a champions tourney in Sac, monday practice, wednesday class, thrusday Crapaud, pack, move, more practice, more class (not to mention the online class work I have to do), take care of the kid, drive the wife to work, buy a new car, buy a new bed, more practice, march crown in woodland... lots to do...

By the by, just thought I'd mention that at the March Crown tourney the princess is going to put me on her guard. A very cool honor, that will be a lot of fun, and I get to wear a baldric, yay me! Hopefully I don't make a fool out of myself.

WW

Monday Type Stuff

So, I spend a lot of the day making a new shield, which I think came out very nice IMHO. It is not a terribly difficult or time consuming project, usually. After several hours of cut, drill, split hose, hammer in the fabric staples, etc. I finish with a resounding pain in my shoulder and my elbow. Well, ok, it wasn't that big of a deal right off the bat, but it got worse as the afternoon wore on. To the point that I actually considered not going to practice. But I went anyway, and before leaving I told the wife that I may not fight, to which her response was "Ha! Yeah you will." And she was right. I didn't last very long though.

So, after a couple warm up fights with the ADD Viking, I had to stop. Which sucks cause it takes a decent amount of effort to get all my gear on. So I missed out on a decent night of fighting, with three people from Sac showing up, and four local fighters (including me). I'm not sure if I am going to count it as a workout day, as far as Fit February is concerned. Yeah, I put some effort in to it, and yeah it was more exercise than I would have gotten if I sat around at home, but just barely.

Funny bit of info though. I was talking to the knight that showed up from Sac, the arm, fighting lefty, him and I not getting the chance to fight again this week. When I said that I probably shouldn't have even gotten in to armor, he said something to the effect of "In no book anywhere does it list Intelligence as a Knightly Virtue. We fighters are not known for our brains." And he has a very valid point. Sometimes I think stubbornness, or bull headed should be on that list though, 'cause we do what we're going to do, when it comes to fighting, and its hard to sway that frame of mind.

Today sounds like a good day to run.

Sunday Fight

I put together a fighting get together this afternoon. I hesitate to call it a practice, cause it was just the three of us newbs throwing down some shots in a park. A practice it may not have been, but it was a workout and it was fun. Being that it was the middle of the day, we were able to go until we were basically exhausted. Which is good, I am trying to push myself so that I improve, and I am trying to push Samurai Newb and ADD Viking so that they improve as well. It is nice to enjoy a hobby with friends. Not to say that the other people I have fought with at monday night practice are not friends, but I was friends with these two well before we got in to SCA fighting. I mean, after we were done at the park, we went to get dinner together (the women folk came as well) and finished off the day with some Rock Band. Despite the fact that I had to watch as everyone else had a beer at "Burgers & Brews" I still had a blast.

Kind of a fun little side note, we drew a small crowd at the park. Kids and parents stopping to watch the "sword fighting" was kinda cool. Hearing "Go! Go! Silver knight!" or "Go! Go! Black knight!" was a different level of encouragement. Fun times, fun times. Well, tomorrow nights practice should be fun now lol.

Nerd Alert!

So, I have my first badge for Fit February, but now, I have a Nerdy award! I personally prefer the term geek, but I like it none the less. I was bequeathed this award from Mielikki, one of my two readers, and blog friend. Since my other reader already has one of these awards, I guess I have to some up with my own, new award, so I can fling some bling. Thanks Mie!

Clarification

I didn't give up alcohol for lent. I am not religious. My motivation was Fit February, "A Knights Own Book Of Chivalry," my son, my wife, a little bit of family history, etc. You won't see me with dirt on my face on a specific wednesday this month. That is all...

WW

Feeling (Black and) Blue

Good turn out this week. 8 on the field, well, 8 1/2 anyway. Two dropped a little early, but there was plenty of fighting to be had.

I do have a problem though. I know I'm new and all, but the bruising on my left leg is getting to be a bit much. After Crapaud last thursday, I had a little bit of the blue/purple, but now I have bruises on top of bruises, and it kind of hurts. Ya, it really is an indicator that I need to block that spot, but I also think I should upgrade my armor a bit to prevent some of it. I need to figure out what I'm going to do with my helmet too, for some reason, it just isn't snug enough.

On a good note, I think my skill level is improving. Not by leaps and bounds mind you, I'm not ready to go out and take the whole kingdom on, but I did notice a few small improvements over a month ago. If only I could find a way to get a few more new people, beating up on newbs makes me actually look like I know what I'm doing lol.

R&R today. More thoughts later maybe.

Walking Among The Valorous

Crapaud... there was a lot about the night that was just so amazing. It is hard to believe that I was a part of it honestly. I have given this blog quite a bit of thought since I got home, and I just can't put it in to words, the feeling of being there. What it boils down to, is that I got to fight some great fighters. Not just great, honestly some of the best fighters in the whole of the SCA world (which is very big BTW). After all these years of being on (or just barely off) the sidelines, it is hard to believe I took the field with these gentlemen. I am beaten and bruised, and I'm not sure I won a single fight, but damn if I don't feel like I gained so much more.


It is too much to put in to words, but I reserve the right to come back and add ramblings later.

Fit February, and then some...

So, I am making the commitment to Fir February with CamiKaos and friends. Seeing as how I am making a commitment to myself to fight seriously, and be a part of the 14th century persona I portray, I think I am going to take it a step further. I don't want to start a waterfall trend or anything, or try to be better than anyone else making their FF goals. I am making myself take another step for many reasons, only a few of which I will list here.

What is this step I am taking starting first thing in the morning you ask? For the month of February, I am giving up all alcohol. **GASP!** Yes, that is correct, no beer, no honey wine, no whiskey. Things which I partake in far too often. Tonight I am fighting at a small tournament called Crapaud (VIVA LA CRAPAUD!) and will toast with the other fighters, as is tradition at Crapaud, then I will be done for the next 29 days. **Edited to add, that since next month's Crapaud is on the 28th I will go to the next toast, instead of going one extra day.**

I have been reading Geoffroi DeCharny's A Knight's Own Book Of Chivalry recently and came across a section that I have let take hold in my heart as part of my training as a fighter. Deeds of arms are serious business, and to take it seriously I have to live parts of it, not just fight one night a week. Yeah, I am getting in to this whole 14th century thing a bit, but the romantic values of chivalry are good guidelines to live by, no? If I can become a better man, I may be able to teach my son to be a better man.

"In addition, the above mentioned good men-at-arms teach that those who want to achieve this honor should not set their mind on pleasures of the palate, neither on very good wine nor on delicious food, for these delights are very out of place at a time when they are not to be had nor to be found at will, as is usually the case for those who want to seek such honor; and desire for such things makes it more difficult for them to endure, and their hearts and bodies find it less easy to bear the lean fare in food and drink which the quest for such honor requires. A man will be reluctant to risk death who has not learned this, and also a man is reluctant to abstain from such pleasures of eating and drinking who has become accustomed to them."

-Geoffroi DeCharny, A Knight's Own Book Of Chivalry
section 19, lines 43-53


So, cheers this evening, and I will see you on the other side of the month!

WW

STFU and Fight

That is what I came away with last night. I think too much and I pause to analyze the shots too much. All I should be doing is fighting, and the only things I should be saying are "light" or "good" that's it. I really annoy myself that I can't quiet my mind very much while I fight, even though I know that it is going to take some time till I can accomplish this.

We had 5 fighters, a decent turn out for here. All in all it was an ok practice, I guess. The Samurai Newb was fighting a cold, and I was fighting my armor. So there was a lot of fighting going on. I know this is kind of a journal type deal, but since it's public, I feel like I'm whining... Too much didn't feel right. I had a previous worry about a vulnerable spot on my hand, and it got hit (not hard, but hard enough). That didn't make it any better when I finally came to the conclusion that my neck wasn't safe either. So, I stopped early, erring on the side of safety. I know it was a smart decision, but I still feel like I cheated myself. This kind of leads in to my next thought.

I want to do more than 1 practice a week. This is a good thing, right? Yeah, playing more is a good thing on many levels. I think that might be pushing things a bit at this point though. I just don't have a ton of time to spare right now, so trying to make concessions for two practices a week just might be too much. I almost feel defeated, held back somehow, but really I may just want too much all at once.

My hand hurts, I think I'm going to try to get some more sleep.

I got a new tree

Missing Deadlines

I really wanted to go to winter investiture today. I was kind of gung ho about going to fight in the tourney really. Technically I am all set to fight, but I don't have an authorization card required to fight at events, and my non fighting garb is not done (I don't have pants lol).

**continued**

Well, thats not true, I do have pants, but they are the complete opposite of what would be period for me. I could have gone in my generic setup (some of which doesn't fit me anymore) but that would be contrary to what I want to do this time around. It is important to me to look the part. I got a recommendation for using some leftover material I have, but the piece that was in question is about 50 years off from my persona. That would be like wearing a disco outfit to a sports bar today.
I guess I am really just rolling this all around in my mind. Should I have gone anyway, just to be there? Am I setting my goals incorrectly? I want to play, but I want to do it with a greater sense of accuracy than I had years ago. Maybe I just need to relax, work on stuff as I can, and make the events as I can.
There was a possibility that I would have been part of the Princesses Guard, in which case I would have had to be there. But since I'm not doing that, I realize that its better this way. Instead of going to events out of obligation to my position, now I am going to events to be a geek with my other geek friends. That is what this year is about. Regardless of the small details that I am missing out of my kit, I will still make an effort to have fun with my friends. So far, it looks like we might have four fighters going to events together. That is damn near our own fighting unit.


Thus ends this stream of consciousness ramble post...

Profile

I updated my profile. I am no longer an accountant from Afghanistan...

In other news, I got my greaves done and my surcoat started. Also, we made the beginning progress on Mrs. Pale's overdress, and the under dress will probably be done this weekend. So, within a week or two, my lovely lady will have her garb (circa 1325-1350). It's funny how the little details that seem so trivial tend to make so much difference in our gear. I think I still look like a schmo (despite people telling me it looks good before it's done) but it's coming together nicely. The friend of mine who has a hand full of pics needs a nickname for reference... I think I will call him, The ADD Viking... He is supposed to be fighting as well, but his leg armor has been troublesome recently (the past 2 years). That should change soon.

2 beers, and a lack of sleep and I begin to ramble... I guess I should stop before it gets worse...

WW

Heraldry Again

Any thoughts on this? I think I'm almost partial to the tree over the acorn. The tree being more symbolic of my family, instead of the symbol suggesting my son (and mildly suggesting phallus apparently). Keep in mind that the tree will look a lot better in reality, this one is only a representation of the general shape.

Monday Night Review

My goal this week was to get there a bit early and go gangbusters right out of the gate. Samurai newb was supposed to have all his armor finished by the time practice rolled around. Despite working on it all weekend, we were working on it in my apartment up to the time we should have already been on the field. No worries though, we got him out there.

So, another night with only three of us on the field. Not a big deal, with the rain I'm sure some people just weren't up for it. It was nice to finally hit Samurai newb full force, and let him see what being in armor is like. It wasn't a hardcore night, but we did some good fighting. Apart from beating the newb, I got to use my pole hammer for a bit (its going to take some getting used to), and I worked with one of my friends out of armor (i.e. he hit me while I worked on my defense).

I tried to focus on the basics, getting my form correct so that I didn't hit flat as much. It felt good. I need to remember that I am still at the beginning, and that at practice I'm playing to learn, not to win. Combos and trick shots are going to be on the wayside for a while. Well, on the wayside for next practice, but next thursday is Crapaud... it's on then.

I've got the new padding in my helm, it feels good, but I won't be sure till next week. And dammit, I need to remember to fix the buckle on my knee. A new gorget is in order since I have new foam now. Hopefully the greaves and shield basket will be here this week so I can get them strapped up by next practice. Bleh, and the surcoat still isn't finished. Project night is tonight, but I'm taking the wife's material for her outer dress, I don't think taking more than one project piece is a good idea...

Pictures later...

In the process...

This is my kit so far. I need a surcoat still, I have the material so I'm just slacking. The shield is temporary as well, my new one is in the works, 2" wider, curved and 2" shorter (not to mention the paint job I have in mind). I also don't like how the mail looks curved on the top section, makes my posture look wrong. Its not.

And don't even ask to see below my knees. You don't need to see my bare shins, it will be done soon...

Fighter Practice Reflections

I used to not like the fact that when I went to practice (4+ years ago) there would only be 2 or 3 of us in armor. Fighting the same two people over and over got old. Tonight, there were three of us in armor (and three out, but I'll get to that). One of them I had never fought, he's from Golden Rivers. The other, I fought on a regular basis before. I had a TON of fun tonight. The three of us did a cycle type rotation, two fights, rotate out. There were some good fights, and I really had to push myself.

It was nice hitting my physical limit, I know its going to happen more at the beginning, but at least I know that I'm pushing myself so that I get better. Sweat a bunch, get winded but keep going, arms tired from blocking that damn snap, throw a kill shot or get killed. Good times. Good times.

I need to work on WAY too much to list. Really it comes down to the basics though, shield work, watch for openings, commit to throwing a good shot. I'm thinking too much really, but I think I can't really avoid that. I don't have enough muscle memory to "no mind" and go with the flow. Back to basics I guess, throw out the complex combos and trick shots, and just commit to throwing a solid, good shot.

The three out of armor that were there, I made them come cause I told them they could hit me if they showed up. It's motivation for the new guys that are not in armor. It gets them pumped if they can at least swing a sword, and throw a good shot. I can't wait till I can hit them back lol. Hopefully the pic from last week will be in my in box tomorrow, it was sent to a way old email account of mine that had been inactive for so long. Had to reactivate it, but nothing in the inbox. I even had a camera tonight but ran out of time to snap a pic. Maybe tomorrow, I should be working on the Samurai Newb's gear. So I could have him take one, even though my kit is really unfinished...

Revision

Here's a newer revision of the second device. I'm still not sure if the acorn should be flipped so that the nut is down and the leaves are on top. I really like the voided bears, I can't stay away from it.









Bottoms up! ;p

Heraldry

I've been working on my heraldry for the SCA, so that I can have a registered device to display on my shield. I've got it narrowed down pretty good, but I'm gonna post a couple of them to look at and decide which one I like best. Voting is allowed (for the one person who will look at them).

The first one is the one I am leaning towards. Keep in mind that some of the images will not be exactly the same on my shield. Specifically the oak tree. The heraldic "bear rampant" is almost the exact style I am going to use.


The second one I was looking for a balanced way to add the acorn. The acorn being representative of my son. If I went with the acorn it would most likely have oak leaves with it.









This one I like but the bear would be bigger.











This is my first attempt with voiding (black on black etc.). I like it but its missing something. This is the first step that led to the top one.











Just basic colors and pale bears...












I think I'm done working with the divisions and charges. Hopefully I won't have to add any more to the list.

First Practice of the New Year

originally posted tuesday, Jan 8th 2008

First practice of the New Year, and I was in full swing. My armor is only about 85% done or so, but the important parts are finished. It was nice getting out there and taking a few shots, the Vinhold crew got to use me as a mobile pell lol.

I felt clunky though, and I think I should have. After not being in armor for 5 years, its like I am starting over. Well, kind of. It's not starting over because I know how to throw a decent shot. I think I might have even surprised one or two of the guys with a decent hit. More than starting over, I think I just have to remind my body what it was like to move like this. Flat shots (not too many), crappy form, thinking too much about what I am trying to do... these are the things that held me back.

It was really nice to go all out so that I can feel out my armor. I am happy to find that there are only a couple small things that I need to fix before next practice. Adjust the padding in my helm, move my right spaulder up a link on my hauberk, re-tape the top part of my hilt to the stick (so it doesn't pop off in the middle of a fight *cough*). I need to replace my gorget, finish my greaves, and get some gauntlets. As far as the look, the rest of the soft parts of the kit, I need my surcoat, braes, and coif. Also, it would be really nice to finish my new shield, but I need to figure out what I am doing for a hand guard on that before I can move to the next step.

All in all, it was a good night. We went till 10, but I could have gone longer. I think I'm so stoked to be out there right now that I could fight for a full day before I really need a break. Or it could have been the monster I drank right before I got there...

'gotta get the pic from the iPhone to post...

I think I will try to make blogging after each fighting event a regular thing. Documenting my progress should be nice to look back and see how much I have improved mentally. I am a bit sore; I think I need a run and a shower...

Adventures in blogdom...

I finally decide to jump off in to the world of the blog. As if MySpace wasn't enough, I have to shed the popularity contest of making my page look like a personal ad. This is the next level. My decision to blog about my return to SCA fighting brought me here. Not to mention two other bloggers that I try to keep up with via this whole blog thing, AND the fact that I really should be blogging about my experience as a stay at home dad. Really, I just need a journal, but a digital journal is easier for me, and its held to public scrutiny... which is really all I need right now... really.

So, I've made a personal commitment to blog about each fighter practice I go to, which is every monday. I think I'll include my weekend trips to fighting events as well. Mostly its for myself, I want to keep an eye on my improvement, and hopefully blogging will help my discipline as well as remind me why I am doing what I am doing.

What am I doing? Pretending to be a man at arms from the early 14th century, ya? Well, yes. But there is more to it than that. Part of the reason I bring up the fact that I am a new dad, and a stay at home dad is the fact that in this hobby of SCA heavy combat, I am trying to see myself as a role model for my son. With the prowess and renown I achieve just by fighting in armor, I am also committed to emulate the values of chivalry. I want to bring what I learn from the game I play in to my life at home, to become a better person, and a better father. Not to mention my opinions of the lack of basic values that many of the younger generations (including mine) lack. That, however, is a blog for another time...

So, here it is. I will cross post my first fighting blog (since I fought last monday) from MySpace.
Hopefully I will have the pic from last practice soon, gotta call that fugger...