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Dec. 17th, 2009

  • 6:02 AM

  • 22:00 Surprisingly, I am following the masses and pretending Big Top was just a bad dream. I hope it's not one of those repetitious dreams tho. #

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To do Thursday:

- Pick up [info]beard5 for gym
- Write Compare/Contrast Essay
- Write Persuasive Essay
- Birka Merchants Reservations
- Write final Journal entry

Compare/Contrast Essay - comparing the family Christmas traditions of now and the 1950s.
Persuasive Essay - why the new mammogram guidelines will result in more deaths of younger women.

Bleah. So much for a day off. Ah well, I can do most of this in my pjs.

Dinner - panfried salmon with roasted brussel sprouts and blue potatos.

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How horribly wrong would it be...?

  • Dec. 16th, 2009 at 9:43 PM
To sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar on the medieval gingerbread I just made for work tomorrow? It tastes a slight bit too peppery to me. Good, but just a hint too much pepper....

...I should probably go to Safeway and get normal people gingerbread cookies as a back up...

In keeping with the tradition of new and exciting ways to raise money for the Royal Travel Fund, we’d like to announce the “By Our Own Hands” exhibition and silent auction, which will be held at the Marketplace at Birka, Jan. 30, in Manchester, NH.

Synopsis: All residents of the kingdom are invited to use their arts & sciences skills to create something to be raffled off to benefit the Royal Travel Fund. These can be items you have already made, something you might make between now and then or promissory notes for items such as scrolls or clothing you will make at a future date. (If you are offering a promissory, it would be great if you could include a picture or examples of something similar you have done. Bards are welcome to donate promissories for songs, poems or similar pieces.

In all cases, we would like the item to have an information sheet, with some documentation about it and its creator.

I think we can really have some fun with this.

Please contact me privately if you would like to donate, and let me know the logistics as well.

Please forward judiciously.

In service,

 Master Liam St. Liam
East Kingdom Travel Fund Guy

EK Bardic Championship, Competition Rules

  • Dec. 16th, 2009 at 7:12 PM
Greetings, and apologies to anyone receiving multiple postings.

The rules for King's and Queen's Bardic Championships have been posted to the following page of the event website:     http://www.avigne.org/sca/ekbardic/rules.html  
(Event website:  http://www.avigne.org/sca/ekbardic/  )  

Thanks to the creativity and forethought of Their Majesties and Master Toki Redbeard, the King's Skald, the competition has several new features this year.     
We've tried to include as much useful data as possible, to welcome new competitors as well as familiar faces. Please check out the page, and we hope to see some of you in February!  

Respectfully submitted,
Lady Judith Fitzhenry the Uncertain, CoM 
Minstrel of Queens
Wise Woman of Gotham

(advent) December 16

  • Dec. 16th, 2009 at 6:25 PM
It's a tradition in our house to watch the Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Family Christmas every year. I can't imagine NOT watching them (yes, seen both already this year - Christmas Carol twice!) and am pleased the Pumpkin enjoys them as well.

Here's a bit (okay, not really a CAROL, but a holiday song) about that old skinflint himself - Mr. Scrooge.


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from the captain's chair

  • Dec. 17th, 2009 at 12:21 AM
Captain's log stardate 161209.... Read more... )

Dec. 16th, 2009

  • 3:28 PM
Just added a new article to ProShopper about complusive shopping http://ping.fm/MHfBB

Cranach gown and underdresses

  • Dec. 16th, 2009 at 8:43 PM
Thanks for your encouraging remarks about the gown.
[info]maryf and [info]kirieldp commented about the undergown. I'll be honest, I don't know if German noble ladies wore undergowns as a matter of course.
The idea developed with milady Anne of Wokyngham's help, as she was the more knowledgeable of the two of us about 16th c. clothing, but she's the first to say she knows English, not German, clothes.
But there's a good argument based on her research. 16th c. English folk very reliably wear linen underclothes, and then two layers of clothing. The terminology isn't consistent, but 'kirtles' (underneath) and 'gowns' (over top) are used by the Tudor Tailor authors.
The kirtles tend to provide the support and shaping, the gowns provide lush layers to display. This convention goes back to previous periods, at least in England.
Looking at paintings, 99% of women wearing this style had a white underlayer, that showed up the lacing across the stomach. (There's one portrait where it's black.)
So what is the visible white bit? The options are:
- a chemise: in which case there's only one layer of gown providing support and shape, and the German ladies are exposing their tummies to the elements covered only with linen or silk.
This struck me as unlikely. For one thing, chemises are puffy and ruffly, and these ladies tums are uniformly smooth, whereas the puffy and pleated parts of their chemises are clearly illustrated quite beautifully. If you wore an ordinary chemise under a gown that had an open space around the tum, surely it would puff out between the lacings?
- a kirtle or petticoat with a white bodice, possibly with the heavy cartridge-pleat skirts attached. Lady Anneke suggested this option to me, and it makes a lot of sense. A doublet over it, with the odd bust-band, would then be decorative, not supportive.
If I did this gown over, I think I might go this route - though then I'd have to find a way to keep the doublet from riding up, because it's cut quite short and snug.
- a kirtle or petticoat of any colour, with a white 'stomacher' pinned in - like mine. English ladies wore assorted parts of their gowns pinned together (stomachers, partlets, sleeves, skirts), so the pinning is quite plausible.

What clinched it for me is some paintings by Cranach featuring the woman caught in adultery, dated around 1540s. There are several, with the same basic composition, and the woman is always wearing a peach or vermilion gown that is unlaced, though the details vary - sometimes the angry crowd around her are in armour, sometimes in civilian clothing.
(Notes from the Met Museum say there are over 15 versions - must have been the hit of his corner of Germany.)
Christ and the adulteress, detail, Cranach elder, 1532
Same image, full image
ETA: found one source, it's in the Met.
Christ and the adulteress, Cranach the elder, 1540s accession no. 1982.60.35
(small copy is in my scrapbook, but go look at the Met Museum site, you can zoom brilliantly! Very cool). woman taken in adultery
The adulteress has presumeably been hustled straight from the offending bed, with no time to even lace up her gown.
Her chemise is, I think, showing as a ruffled layer across her bust, and then there's a white triangular space between the two sides of the gown, that has loose lacing over it. I'm not certain if the line around her neck is a dark necklace, or possibly a finished edge of an extremely fine translucent chemise or partlet, as fine and see-through as her veil.
But if that's the chemise, what's the ruffly bit over the boobs?
In the Met zoomed version, you can clearly see boobs through the ruffled shirt.
AND you can see that the white bit extends around her shoulders, just short of the black edge of the outer gown.
(You can also see the beautiful delicate blackwork in her veil - it must have looked like it was just floating free over her face, unattached to anything, the linen is so fine.)
This white line, to me, suggests that the white bit between the two 'lapels' of the doublet isn't just chemise, but is a layer of gown, one that continues under the orange one. So increasingly, the white kirtle is looking like a good option.
This adulteress' gown doesn't seem to include a bust band - either styles had moved on from the Saxon princess era, or the lady was swept from her room before she could grab it. Not certain!

So: that's why I'm wearing an underdress for this outfit. YMMV.

mid-week update

  • Dec. 16th, 2009 at 11:51 AM
Today is the first day since arriving at the confrence that I haven't been running about frantically trying to solve a crisis. Monday was the registration complications, Tuesday was the poster debacle, but today is quiet and mellow. (note, I've posted more geo-blogs than just those two since arriving at the confrence.) Sure, it was raining this morning, but I enjoyed the walk nonetheless, and I can happily report that my light weight winter dress coat in progress is very water resistant--46 minutes in the rain and the silk lining didn't get wet (nor did any parts of my body covered by the coat, which is most of me). I look forward to finishing it--pity that many of the presentations I wish to see are posters rather than talks--it is easier to stitch during talks than walking about looking at posters.

Since today is a quiet day in terms of what I want to learn at the confrence, with only posters on my schedule, I'm making it a social day. I'll be heading off to a free lunch for geobloggers in half an hour, followed by a desert date with the beautiful [info]emma7926, and this evening I'm meeting my step-sister and her husband for dinner.

Yesterday I had planned a lunch date with [info]inner_kitten, but had to cancel due to trying to get the poster back (see link above), so instead walked out to her office and met her as she got off of work. She didn't have much time to visit (she's in her final year of law school), but she drove me back to the home of [info]j_i_m_r and [info]tafelspitz, so we had a good 20 minutes to chat. She also gave me a couple of avocados from her boss's tree. Yum! In the evening I helped [info]j_i_m_r make her holiday Rum Balls, whcih were quite fun to make, if a bit messy. Not something I'd enjoy eating because of the coco powder, but for those of you who like chocolate it would be a hit. As we rolled them I couldn't help but wonder if I could used these as an inspiration to make something similar but chocolate-free that I would enjoy.

Tomorrow I present my poster, and Friday morning early I fly out to Seattle, where I'll help my mother celebrate her birthday before heading on to Alaska for more holidays.

Now I'm turning the computer off in anticipation of lunch, which isn't actually on the schedule for another 40 minutes, but I can start making my way slowly over to the hotel nonetheless.

good idea, bad idea

  • Dec. 16th, 2009 at 8:00 PM

This pre-arranged taxi to bring us to the gym thing is simultaneously the best and worst idea I’ve implemented lately.

The alarm caught me deep in the midst of REM sleep this morning. There is *no way* I would have gotten up if there wasn’t a taxi already on its way. Ted apparently thought, “What the hell is that noise? Why are people talking?” when it went off, so it doesn’t seem likely he’d have gotten up either. But we both did, and I swam (marginally faster than yesterday and Monday) and Ted worked out. So yay us. And after tomorrow we get 3 days off, I said pathetically. :) Though on Friday we’re theoretically getting up at the same time to go into Dublin to go to Ikea first thing in the morning when it opens. Ted questions the necessity of this action (the first thing when it opens part). He may have a point.

As it gets closer to Christmas and my self-allotted one mad batch of candy making I have been wanting to just GO AHEAD AND MAKE AND EAT IT OM NOM NOM…but I realized today that we got back from America and basically went cold turkey on sweets 11 days ago, and it’s my observation that days 1-3 and 10-12 are the hardest for that, so that’s almost certainly part of the ZOMG WANT GOODIES I’m suffering. *snivel* But hopefully this awareness will make it easier to stay good, rather than saying “oh to hell with it, Christmas is next week anyway”. :)

miles to Minas Tirith: 105.2
ytd km swum: 47
ytd wordcount: 263,800

(x-posted from the essential kit)

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I don't know how this is happening, but no sooner did 3 things come off the lost & found list, than 3 more took their place. Harrumph!

Please read on for the updated list. The items that have been claimed (or owners identified) have been removed from the list.

- one burgundy napkin
- one ivory ceramic tavern mug (with handle)
- one navy blue patterned fitted sheet (was used as a tablecloth at some point during the day)
- one blue & white ceramic mug with "White" signed on the bottom (from KWAR)
- 2 metal plates, one decorated and fluted, the other plain (from KWAR)
- one small metal goblet
- one large metal goblet
- one large wooden mug (light and dark wood pattern)
- one length of white linen, perhaps a towel (from K&Q Bardic)
- one wooden ball, brown

Please contact me at SODTIGGER AT GMAIL DOT COM to make arrangements to pick up > your stuff (before Christmas, please!). Anything not claimed before Christmas will be brought to Bhakail's January Barony Meeting.

Another gem

  • Dec. 16th, 2009 at 11:41 AM
A physician says to a psychiatrist: "Heal the body, heal the mind."
The psychiatrist rejoins: "No, it's heal the mind, heal the body!"

Which one is right?

Answer: Neither. It's just a paradox.










(ba-da-bump.)

German 16th c. gown - the final stretch

  • Dec. 16th, 2009 at 3:49 PM
I'm finally coming close to finishing a late-period clothing project that has dragged on for years. As much as I'm pleased with it, I don't think I'm making something like this again any time soon! Cote hardies are sufficiently complex for me.

Robert agreed to take pics of the several layers of this gown. Please ignore somewhat grumpy expression: I thought my face was more neutral than that!

Also, unfortunately this isn't a true representation of the bold red colour in the skirt - it seems very variable depending on the light source.

The slashed 1520s style shoes are from a reenactor merchant - very reasonably priced, and very cute.

Items remaining to complete outfit:
- hooks to hang skirt to bodice
- fitting again, to decide how to attach bustband to bodice (hooks & eyes, or stitch one side and pin/hook & eye)
- hem about 15 miles of skirt
- make a beaded snood
- possibly make a fine pleated partlet to fill the neckline
- find plied cord to lace sleeves to bodice, or ply more
- reshape hat 1.0 so it actually stays put

smock, hose and shoessmock, hose and shoes with turban to retain my modesty
undergown, with lacing on each sideundergown, with lacing on each side Linen, lined with calico and linen in bodice.
underdress side viewunderdress side view
underdress back viewunderdress back view cartridge pleating at back, wide knife pleats in front
adding white linen facingadding white linen facing This is a sort of flat 'stomacher' pinned in place, to give a smooth white front to go under the gown and lacing. The vast majority of the gowns appear to have smooth white surface under the top layer.
added skirtadded skirt This is the cartridge pleated velvet skirt, lined with linen. It actually sits above my natural waist, and will hang from the doublet by hooks and eyes, to keep the doublet in place. It's very heavy.
laced bodice and separate lower sleeveslaced bodice and separate lower sleeves Bodice hooks to the skirt. Lower sleeves are separate, and slide on, loosely laced over puffy linen chemise. Have to find the lacing cord I plied up for this purpose.
side view of bodice and sleevesside view of bodice and sleeves The cartridge pleating actually forces the skirt out from my waist quite sharply, as you can see.
bustband pinned into doubletbustband pinned into doublet Requires fitting, after finishing skirt+doublet
hat and chokerhat and choker Hat 1.0 is too small and requires work. Choker is by thorngrove, gold trim mounted on silk velvet, and beaded with pearls and garnets.

...and the Mouse Police never sleeps...

  • Dec. 16th, 2009 at 3:41 PM
So in a fit of ‘Insufficient Reluctance’ I am the new Seneschal of the Barony of Knights Crossing. :D It was an interesting meeting. Eventually it came down to Graf Maximillian and myself as the final candidates. We kept singing each other’s praises and finally had to resort to the most impartial method of all for choosing. No, we didn’t go fight in the parking lot, though we did consider it. We flipped a coin. Best 3 out of 5. I won/lost. :D I am still not sure I’m happy about it, but will do the best I can for the position. The up side to this is I am no longer Marshal!

We have Mormon ‘Home Teachers’ coming over tonight. This is starting to get problematic. They can’t come over unless I am there (Church rules about visits, etc) and I really don’t want to hear about it once a month (the home teaching schedule) whether I need to or not. I like most of ‘em as individuals. They are nice people, don’t get me wrong, but as Heinlein put it, “One man’s religion is another man’s belly laugh.” But I’ll put up with it for Malinda’s sake. :D

I do plan on working on armour tonight. Hopefully I get more done so that I can start using it. Gotta make some swords and finish up the strapping on the shields as well… Hmmm… How did I get so far behind…. :D

I went to the APO today (for those non-military it is the Overseas Army Post Office -Hence APO) and Malinda got a package so big I could NOT fit it in the car. It was the corner desk she had ordered from JC Penny several weeks ago. I had to take the stuff out of the box and piece it into the car. Guess I may be putting together a desk sometime soon...

And dat’s all from de village of Skagnir. Yah, Shure, Youbetcha!

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It's that time of year...

  • Dec. 16th, 2009 at 3:28 PM
...to do the year in review. The way I like doing it I got, I think, from [info]hrj, which is to put all the sentences together into one paragraph to see if they make a (semi-)coherent story. So, here's the first sentences of the first posts of each month of 2009:
I think the fireworks have just about died down now...though every time I've thought that over the last half hour or so, they start up again in one direction or another. Remember how I had a cultural experience last spring? Sunday I woke up feeling OK, but about an hour later came down with a bad ache in the head (I don't want to call it a headache, because that's usually higher up or further back; this was sitting right around the cheeks and sinuses, even though my sinuses have been pretty much perfectly clear), and I've been pretty much incapacitated since Sunday evening. This entire week has been truly gorgeous -- sunny days, pleasant weather, and what with daylight savings happening on Sunday, all of a sudden it's light out past 8pm. Last night I found out that the first grant proposal that I was the primary person responsible for (it went in in my supervisor's name, but I did all the prepping and writing) has been accepted. Like last year, Winchester Pilgrimage this year was awesome. I've been on a C&I kick the last couple of days. Arrived on site around midnight on Wednesday. Boy, I'm glad that's over. The windows in the offices of the new building have external blinds on them which raise and lower automatically on the basis of how light it is outside. Last weekend Ælfwynn and I spent some time flipping through the Visconti Hours, picking out our favorite plates and pointing to some of the bits and pieces we'd copied ourselves. The illumination was done by [info]mbroidress; it is based on a grant of Elizabeth I.

Hmmm, not much of a story there. But I think this year's theme was definitely C&I (three posts), beating out academia (two posts) and SCA events (two posts). Unless you count my complaining about the blinds in the office and getting sick after giving my dissertation MS to my supervisor, in which case academia wins.

Morning Mistle Thrush

  • Dec. 16th, 2009 at 11:39 AM

I should’ve been at work by now, but I was talking with Mom and a fat mistle thrush came to sit in the tree outside our window for a while. :)

(x-posted from the essential kit)

Torchwood rumours

  • Dec. 16th, 2009 at 7:12 PM
Some info on possible season 4 of Torchwood...

http://www.roddenberry.com/community/index/detail?id=570

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What I did on a very hot summer's day

  • Dec. 16th, 2009 at 6:41 PM
It got to 41 dec C today. We are still 37 deg C, 6.40pm.
Thank goodness for airconditioning!

Today [info]skyemaroc and I did part 1 of a 'Trinny and Susanna'. I went through my clothes wardrobe and managed to empty the equivalent of one whole drawer, and well over 1/3 of my hanging space.
Skye managed to gain a bag's worth of clothes and the rest is going to charity, except for 2 skirts and a purple wool double breasted jacket, that are to be sold, most likely on ebay.
I am excited! I have room in my cupboard again!

ASS-PLOSION Deux

  • Dec. 15th, 2009 at 10:12 PM
Oh fuck, apparently, she's not done. HAhahahahahahahHAHAHAHAahahahaha!

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