I don’t usually discuss…

Ok, I don’t usually discuss mundane politics, but these were just to good to pass up……

 

and …..

see Sarah Palin pictures

Busy Times Are Coming

Ah, Friday. Another work week is over, and I have survived. Thank all gods for small favors. With the way the economy is tanking, and with the changes in the Guaranteed Student Loan industry, the last few months have been particularly unpleasant in my office. The forcast for the coming months is for more of the same. Wonderful. 

But, I’m not at work now, and I won’t be back at work until Monday, so I don’t really feel like thinking about my job. That leaves a small problem; I’m not sure what I do want to think about tonight. As always there are several subjects on my mind: politics (modern world and SCA politics), personal history, plans and projects I’m working on, and the things I want to change in my life, my home, my barony….. I’ve got a lot on my mind. 

I normally write about SCA topics on Friday, so I guess that will be the subject for the evening. Fall is a very busy time in the Kingdom of Gleann Abhann; lots of important events between now and the end of the year; events I have to attend due to either my commitments as a kingdom officer, my commitments as a member  and officer of my barony, and my commitments as a friend to the event staff. 

Later this month I’ll be attending Kingdom A&S down at the Utica MS site (quite possibly the best SCA site I’ve ever seen; pity the  site management jacked the prices so high we won’t be able to use it in the future). This KA&S is being hosted by the Shire of Rookshaven, and the autocrat is a very good friend of mine, Ld Gordun. His wife, Ceridwen, is the feastocrat, and from what I’ve been told is planning a magnificent feast. Both Gordun and Ceridwen are not only good friends, they are also members of my household; House of 3 Dragons. No way in Hell I’m going to miss that event. I’ll be there to help work troll Friday night, and to help Gordo with anything he needs. 

In October I have to travel to the wilds of Lousianna for Coronation. That trip is necessary because of my commitements as a friend and by my commitments as the Kingdom Chamberlaine. We’ll have to do the changeover of kingdom property once the current Highnesses become Majesties. Coronations are always fun; busy, but fun. That particular trip will be particularly fun because I’ll be traveling with a crew of people that I don’t usually travel with. I enjoy long road trips; they are a great opportunity to talk, and to get to know people. Many a long, thought provoking, occasionaly strange, and often hilarious conversations are had by people traveling together.

I’ll have to miss Diamond Wars again this year, and that really annoys me. Diamonds was the first non-Grey Niche event I ever attended, and it has a special place in my heart. Unfortunately, due to mundane concerns I’ve not been able to attend since it was moved to the new site. I will get up there one day, but it won’t be this year. I will be attending Samhain at the end of October. I’m handling the reservations for Dame Brenna, and I never, ever, miss a Grey Niche event. I will be interested in seeing how the new site works out. 

November brings both Fall Crown list, in Arkansas, an Quest for the Holy Pail, another Rookshaven event. I’ll be going to both of those. The SCA year will end with Christmas Revel in December, and I will not miss that event again. I’ve not been able to attend the last two years, but I don’t intend to ever miss another one. 

Yeah, the rest of the year is going to be busy; just the way I like it. 

 

C,

Small things…

It looks like Hurricane Gustav didn’t harm any of my friends. Thank god for small favors. Now if they can just make it through the other three hurricanes currently winding their way across the Gulf, I’ll be happy.

So far this has been a good week; much better than I had expected to be honest. Normally the work week following a holiday is unusually hectic, and that pattern is holding true. What is different this week is that it has been both hectic and productive. That combination doesn’t happen often.

Last night’s SCA Business meeting was a pleasant surprise. Usually our business meetings are long, unproductive, and somewhat argumentative. We meet at Southwest State Tech, and this semester there are classes meeting in the rooms on either side of the room we use, and that has proven to be a good thing; it means we have to keep the meetings relatively quiet. We can’t get involved in loud, vociferous, pointless arguments over minor issues; unfortunately we can get involved in quiet, vociferous, pointless arguments over minor issues. That didn’t happen last night. Somehow we managed to stay on track, focussed, and the discussions were productive. I live for the day when all of our meetings could be described in that manner.

After the meeting the Dragons had dinner at the new Lonestar restaurant. As usual, there were about nine of us, and as usual, we had a pretty good time. We always have a good time when we are together. The unusual part was the fact that we had both good service, and a good meal.

We go out for dinner after every meeting, and it is not all unusual for there to be 8-10 of us. We know that no restaurant staff wants to see such a large group come in, and because we know that we go out of our way to make things as easy as possible for the waiter or waitress that has to serve us. Unfortunately, all to often we get service that could best be described as incompetant. Sometimes we get service that is just bad: meals given to the wrong customer, not prepared as requested, long wait times between drinks being refilled, etc. etc.

None of that happened last night. The place had only been opened for a couple of weeks, but you would have thought it had been opened for years. Our waitress, Jen,  was professional, knowledgable, and, most important, friendly. She got all the orders to the right customers, the  food was prepared exactly as ordered, and she kept all of our drinks filled.

At one point the Manager came by the table to check that everything was ok, and all nine of us made a point of telling her what an excellent job the waitress was doing and how pleased we all were. It was quite apparent that the manager was not used to people going out of their way to compliment her staff, and she took great delight in telling her waitress that we had complimented her professionalism and friendliness. It’s amazing how such a small thing, just telling someone they are doing a good job, can mean so much to people. As we were leaving Jenn came by and said, “If you guys ever come back, ask for my section, I’d love to be your server again. You guys made my day”.

No one thinks twice about complaining when they receive bad service, however, we often forget to give compliments when the service is good, and I personally think that is more important. Managers are used to hearing complaints – some justified, some not- but it has been my experience that very few are used to hearing compliments. When they do, it surprises them, and they are always eager to pass it on to their staff. Such a small thing can really make somebody’s day.

C

Labor Day Weekend.

I sincerely hope that all of my friends had as much fun this past weekend as I did. Of course, with Gustav threatening the gulf coast I know that many of my friends did not have a good weekend at all.

I have lived through more tornadoes than I can count, but the thing with tornadoes is that they are sudden; the conditions that spawn them exist for 12 hours at most. If a tornado does actually form it might last an hour or two. It does not lake a leisurely cruise through the Gulf Of Mexico before finally arriving at your home. You don’t have to watch them come for you for a week or more. I cannot begin to imagine what that must be like. I can only pray that all of the people down south come through this; that none of my friends have to go through what so many  of them went through three years ago.

Enough; let’s talk about the good parts of the weekend.

Saturday Gerald and I drove to Ripley Mississippi. Every month on the weekend before the first Monday in a month there is a huge flea market on the outskirt of Ripley. Gordon met us there, and three of us spent a couple of hours exploring the merchant’s wares. I wish I’d had some money to spend because there was a lot of neat stuff hidden among the typical flea market crap: antique tools, antique cast iron pots and pans, lots of other collectibles, and lots of animals. I had a problem with the animals.

There were dozens of peope selling puppies, rabits, chickens, guinea fowl, doves, etc. The poultry I tend to see as livestock, not pets, so it didn’t really bother me to see those animals in wire bottom cages. However, it bugged the hell out of me to see the kittens (and I don’t even like cats) and dogs in the same kind of cage. Bugged me a lot.

Of course, it bugged me even more to see people actually buying pets in that kind of market. If you want a pet, either adopt one from an animal shelter, or, if you must have a registered purebred, go to a reputable breeder. For the love of all gods, do not get one from a man selling a litter of underfed puppies in a wire cage at a flea market. Most of the people with animals for sale didn’t even bother to put a water container in the cage. No way in hell I’d buy an animal from a person that didn’t care enough about them to provide water.

Despite what I viewed as mistreatment of the animals on sale, Idid enjoy wandering around the flea market. I always try to imagine where merchants at those markets get all the items they have for sale. One guy had dozens of heavy cast iron cauldron, several of them big enough to boil a pig in. Those are not items that people come across every day. Another guy had hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Hot Wheels cars, all of them in original packaging.

Sunday morning was spent doing my weekly review and planning for the coming week. That project took all of an hour, but it has become an important ritual for me. Helps me to know what I have accomplished, and more importantly, what I need to accomplish in the upcoming week.

Sunday afternoon and evening was spent with good friends, having good conversation, and eating way to much good fun. In other words, The House of Three Dragons had a cookout at Gresch and Chiere’s house.  There were ten of us there, and as always when we get together, there was good conversation, good advice, a bit of plotting and planning, but mostly there was laughter.  We can’t seem to spend ten minutes in each other’s company without something making us laugh. Not a bad way to spend a day at all.

Cormac