| My medieval soul |
[27 Feb 2007|10:13am] |
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mood |
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 energetic |
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music |
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the works of John Dowland (1563-1626) |
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Well it would seem that even after five years, my medieval soul still yearns to return.
My dear lady wife Rowena and myself made attendance on EK King and Queen's Bardic / Noisemakers this past weekend. It was such a pleasure to see so many people that I know and some new friends there.
While there I was overwhelmed by the change in the Society over the past five years. At least with those in attendance there, the level of scholarship and knowlege was truly impressive.
For a short while I was able to speak with a number of the cooks preparing the sideboard. Very quickly it was evident that what I pridefully took to be a decent grasp on medieval cooking was in fact just a taste of the skill and knowlege of the people around me. Unlike my time in AEthelmearc, I, a stranger, was greeted with open arms and comraderie. It is amusing to think of what my peers in AEthelmearc though of the Eastern Kingdom, labeling them as cliqueish and aloof. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I think being immersed in the arts and skill of this past weekend has awakened dormant interests in myself. Over the past couple of days I have found myself no longer content to just play MMORPG's at night (though I do still check in to train skills). And, as is often the case with this HoneyBaron, I want to do everything at once! I want to cook! I want to make music! I want to allow my helium hand to get me into many services, needed by the populace! But where to start...
Well I have begun by joining the Bhakail list, and a few cooking lists. I plan on attending the next business meeting and even escorting my lady to dance practice when next practical. (I can hear her gasp at that one from here). I hope to assist Lady Sabine as she has indicated an interest and I hope to speak to Grainne about another need that I understand the Barony may need.
But lest I forget, I also have a Con to get off the ground this month. MEPaCon is set to happen on March 30th. Two thirds of the interactive have been completed, and we are working on running slot 0's for the judges. A lot of gaming to happen in a short period of time. This is fun right? We'll see.
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| Transmitting on ULF |
[28 Nov 2006|10:52am] |
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mood |
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 geeky |
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music |
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Kitaro |
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Heh,
So one of my favourite online comics, PVP is going animated. (http://www.pvponline.com/blog)
Scott Kurtz has made a good place for himself in this world of corporate dominated businesses and seems to be living the American Dream (tm) by keeping control over his product. If you have not seen the comic, I suggest you do so. It can be found at www.pvponline.com. Trust your inner geek and check it out.
Well I am pretty sure that I am fully recovered from MEPaCon by now. Of course, that means it is time to start writing for the next one. My goal is to have everything written, playtested and back out to the judges a good two weeks ahead of time. So, once I get some more ideas on paper, I'll assemble the staff and see what we can work up.
The holidays have everyone worked up again. Now having been down in Philly for almost 5 years, I just cannot figure out where all the snow is. I can only hope we'll have a white Christmas this year.
-Barro out
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| White and Nerdy |
[21 Sep 2006|09:44am] |
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White and Nerdy - Wierd Al |
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For those of you who have known me for many, many years; you will know that I am rabid Wierd Al fan. Ever since I heard him first on an obscure NJ college radio station back in the early 80's I have been collecting his songs and parodies.
So, to better spread the love (no there is no shot for this kind of love) here is his latest video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6566230463793540146&q=white+nerdy
Give it a look and listen.
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| And the rest is silence... |
[07 Sep 2006|01:54pm] |
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mood |
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 sad |
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music |
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Go To Sea No More - Ian Giles |
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They buried a good man today. The old adage of you don't know what you have until it's gone could not hit closer to the mark than it has today. John was a friend to all and I am shamed by the fact that I did not return that friendship in kind. His was always the helping hand, the clever quip, the thought of you when you did not even think of yourself. He was a scholar, a warrior, a fine vintner and a better man than I.
Funerals are tough for everyone for different reasons, whether they remember the passing of a loved one, have their own issues with death or are just squeamish when it comes to dead bodies, each has their own limits. Myself, I just don't know how to relate to people when death comes to one of us. To me it is the inevitable conclusion to our lives here. Our choices shape the state of our lives and the outcome is death. At these times, I look back on the impact that this person has had on my life and the lives around them and decide the best way to memorialize them is to adopt some or all of the best qualities of that person. With Lucy it was her love of her family and her zest for life. Trying to emulate her is difficult, but a noble goal.
Grandpa John was a hard man, but smart and active in his community. He was the rock that his family stood upon. In trying to start my own family, I hope to be that rock.
And now John, or Ragnar as he was known in the SCA. How can I continue his place in the world? Shall I work on creating a wonderful apple brandy to share whenever two or more are gathered in his name? That is the question to be answered, hopefully in communion with John.
Goodbye John, I miss you.
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| Sailing on the Seas of Cheese |
[24 Jul 2006|02:11pm] |
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mood |
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 okay |
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You know... I have always liked that album (Primus for you Philistines out there).
So it's Monday, and I am back at my desk here at Unisource. The mood around here is about the same that it always is... get the work done, so you can go home on time. Not the most dynamic or fulfilling environment, but it pays the bills for now. Still thinking about that store...
Got a note from a friend today that made me smile. I hope that she keeps doing what she needs to do to make her life better.
Tonight is going to be filled with final menu prep for Pennsic (hmmm.... butter beans) and then some final fitting work on the new chairs. Come this weekend, I want to have them ready for stain while I make up the new camp bed.
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| Periodic Musing |
[23 Jul 2006|06:09pm] |
To hear my wife talk about it, LJ is the glue that holds the world together. Being a relatively private man, I have found it hard in the past to just open up. TOo much ridicule has come from that in my formative years, but as I mellow (if 33 is a ripe old age for this cheese) I find that people do not trust those that are overly resistant to expressing themselves.
So here we are again, our merry band of players. I'll apologize in advance for the rambling nature of my post(s). For those that know me well, I am very much an "air sign" as thoughts and musings breeze through my head; often changing by the nano-second. Mesh this with the fact that I live with my own little soundtrack in my head and you may begin to see why I often seem disinterested by things. Often, it is not that I am disinterested, just that I am blinded by the static in my own head.
+++
Of late, there are a goodly number of my friends that are in difficulty of one way or another. A respected man has found that his illness, serious in its own right, was just the simptom of a larger issue. Of course John is in good care now, and with luck, will have a full recovery from his soon to come operation. My thoughts are blended with many others in the hopes that he'll be back among us soon, and better than ever.
And there is Daffyd, with his liver cancer. For someone so reserved and careful in his life to exhibit such a disease there is no wonder on why I do not want to go to the doctor.
In the world of relationships, I am seeing new love bloom at the same time others are drifting apart, or just pushing off. In all cases, I cannot pass judgement on anyone. It has been a rare occurance where I have seen a marriage dissolve due to the actions of one of the pair. Hell, having seen mixed pairs of many genders, odd arrangements involving multiple partners, all with their own ranking... man I can see why people get confused. I do wonder though why, when we are sorting out our worldly possessions, do we feel the need to divide up our other relationships (friends, family etc) as well? I am not one for taking sides (unless one side is clearly in the wrong or grossly dangerous) and am not one for taking offense easily. Hopefully we can all get along.
... more later.
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| Stormy seas and shifting tides |
[14 Apr 2006|01:14pm] |
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Adrift |
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music |
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Oush The Limits - Enigma |
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(Warning, spring and a full moon may cause me to drift from one topic to another)
You know,
For the longest time I have realized that I have many and vaired interests. Yes, more of an understatement could not have been made. I am very much a Rennaisance Man in jeans.
But now, I am realizing just how much time hobbies can take up in one's life. My darling wife (who has just celebrated another birthday by the way) is very supportive of my interests as long as they do not detract from our relationship. I try really hard not to let them but I thought I would catalog all the things that are working in my life right now in the persuit of finding the time to do them all. Man what a list has that turned out to be.
It's the little victories though that make things worthwhile. Sue has done a wonderful job painting the kitchen, and once the holidays are over, I'll take over remodeling the dining room. We rearranged a bit in the basement last night, so now everyone has their own little nooks to gain comfort from (even Sammy).
I've been playing a good deal of Eve (www.eve-online.com) lately. The corporation that I am in has had a flux of outgoing members, so now some of us younger pilots are having to pick up the slack. I spent some time last night working for this virtual group of people, and I have to wonder the value of doing so.
A similar thought occured to me when I was extremely involved in the SCA. Towards the end of that stint (as burnout was setting in) I realized that all the work and money and time that I had put into the Society had no bearing on the rest of the world. Hell, going into another kingdom where people did not know you evaporated any "equity" that you had built up.
So why do it? Well I have a need to do something and to help out, generally belonging. I get confused and lost without something to do. A good example of this was EK 12th Night. Not having any entries in the A&S competition, nor any responsibilities, left me drinking port and shopping for things I really did not need. Perhaps I need to take up knitting or dwarf tossing or something. In the end, I helped a few of our friends pack up their shops, helped reset the hall for dinner and only then did I feel the trip had been justified. Wierd eh?
Best to stop this rambling now... perhaps I will post more often to give you all some insight to my scary thought processes.
-Barro
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| Lost at Sea |
[18 Mar 2006|11:24pm] |
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 contemplative |
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Alan Parsons soundtrack to Ladyhawke |
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So,
I have been told that my absence from this forum has been noticed.
So, I guess that means that I should come up with something to say. What is happening now?
Well work progresses. It is not the best of environments, and I feel that I am trying to prove myself to people who will then let me keep a job that I am not fond of. Makes you wonder what the point is eh? But what is the alternative. In my case I have a few, and each is a leap of faith. I could open a gaming store of my own, preferably here in Roxborough. The inital outlay of cash would be daunting and would mean a good risk to the family, but it would allow me to realize a dream that has been brewing for the past couple of years.
Another idea would be to go back to school to get my teaching credentials. I love kids (especially with ketchup) and know that I could make a good teacher. This would mean though heading back to school at least part time to build up my math and science skills in the hopes to become a physics/natural science teacher at the secondary level. Again, an expenditure of time and money, though in this case the opportunities for employment are better.
The third option is to find yet another office job, which will provide stability for the family, and yet is personally unfullfilling. Is that a word?
So, enough of that...
The rest of my time of late has been spent between playing MMORPG's (Eve-Online and DDO) and doing some good old pen and paper roleplaying (Living Greyawk and Ebberon). These things have taken me to the point of being on staff for MEPACon this April. I am confident that I can pull of the weekend, as long as the rest of the staff can keep their end up. I suppose we'll find out in the next month or so.
After then, it is time to get back to work on the house. The backyard needs a good amount of work, and we have some painting to finish inside. The kitchen should be done sometime next week and I hope to get the dining room done by Easter.
So... that is what is happening around here lately. I suppose more will come along as I reach critical mass with news.
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| The fine line between madness and greatness |
[30 Dec 2005|09:25am] |
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working |
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Mr. Knowitall - Primus |
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Well,
I have taken the plunge and thrown my hat into the ring (hmmm how many more metaphors can I sling) and offered to organize and run the RPGA slots at MEPACon this spring. The previous staff member is going off to law school and there were no takers to getting the whole thing together.
So, that leaves me, the retainer addicted to needy causes to step in. On the plus side, I get free admission and food to a con I was already planning on going to. I am going to waive the 1/4 share in a room though as since my schedule will be odd (Midnight Madness) I'll want the freedom to sleep, shower et al when I want.
Now I need to get in touch with those people in the area who have worked on the staff of this Con in the past and learn what I can from them in the coming weeks.
Sorry honey, I promise not to turn you into a gaming widow... really.
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| Christmas means Carnage |
[27 Dec 2005|12:02pm] |
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mood |
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melancholy |
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music |
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"Optimissed" - Skinny Puppy |
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Well I got to break in the new kitchen yesterday. The menu was as follows:
Baked Country Ham
Standing Rib Roast with Stilton Sauce or Horseradish/Mustard Sauce
Buttered Cabbage
Chipolte/Honey Sweet Potatoes
Mashed Red Potatoes
Sauteed Green Beans with Crispy Shallots
All in all it worked out well. One thing I am sure of now though is that Sue and I cannot do a sit down dinner for more than eight people. Even with the card table, people were crammed in and that does not make for good dining. So the future will mean more in the way of open seating throughout the house; or smaller crowds.
The kitchen itself though worked out well. Sue and I need to do more about choreographing plates and things, but all in all we did well with the new set-up. I hope the new year will allow me to experiment more with sauces and perhaps even get into spun sugar. We'll see.
It was good to see the family though. I hope that we'll be able to see more of Tim, Sam and little Charlie in the future. He has always had his stuff together and now that he has started up his family I can feel the pressure even more. Hopefully Sue and I will catch up soon.
Getting up for work today was difficult. I need a vacation from my vacation. Another long weekend is coming up, and though we'll not be up with the Campbells again this year, we'll be with friends and will toast them all come the new year.
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| Happy Holidays |
[25 Dec 2005|12:16pm] |
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mood |
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happy |
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music |
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Merchants, Looters and Ghosts |
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I would like to send my best wishes to my friends and family out there. I hope that your holiday is as blessed as mine has been and that the love and life of the season fills your coming days.
-Barro
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| Setting sail |
[22 Dec 2005|09:29am] |
Herein shall be contained the journal of the vessel Retribution. While simply a metephor for the travels that I will be going through for the rest of my time here, I thought it appropriate.
The past months have had me becomming more interested in nautical themes, especially those involving or emulating the Royal Navy under Nelson. Couple this with my interest in space, physics and especially space combat... well you can see where this is going.
I look forward to sharing my rutters with those that are interested and trading broadsides with those of differing opinion.
This former gypsy has set sail and is becomming captain of his own desitny.
-C
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rombarro's journal