Gooner Thursday, May 8 2008

5 May 2008
This is one of many Arsenal branded items I own. It’s one way to saying to the world at large, "I’m a gooner, and I’m proud of it!"

Of course Arsenal broke my heart this year, as they have several years running. Poor exit from Carling Cup against the dreaded neighbours up at Shitehart Lane followed by an unceremonious drubbing in the FA Cup against ManU(re). Most recently a dip in form on the domestic front cost the Gunners far too many points allowing either Chel$ki or ManU(re) to take the EPL trophy again; while a strong Liverpudlian side kicked us squarely in the nobbies and dumped us from Champion’s League glory. Now, with one game left in the season (against Sunderland), the best Arsene and his squad can hope for is third place and no silverware for the cabinet. Now, of course, comes speculation time as the rabid English press start digging up dirt and causing massive amounts of unrest. We have already lost Matthieu Flamini to the Italian giants, AC Milan, and it looks like his on and off pitch chum, Hleb will be joining him in the city, but not on the pitch. The later being, at the moment, speculative rumour that I hope doesn’t come true. But, greed being the most fickle of the footballer’s love interest, Hleb will follow the money as Flamini did before him. Nonetheless, I’m a gooner ’til I die no matter the on and off pitch antics, hystrionics & rumours.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 7 May 200

Listening to:
Wax Paper by J - Live
from Moistworks : Fuck A War

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.5 sec (1/2)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

No Responses »

 

Squirrels Making Babies Wednesday, May 7 2008

5 May 2008

Sometimes, opportunity knocks and you just have to open the door!  I was minding my own business, sitting at my dining room table, working on my laptop, when there seemed to be movement outside the window, and I was lured by the commotion to pull back the curtain and take a peek.  And I got quite the eyeful!  These two squirrels were celebrating their fertility—racing up and down and around this tree trunk, for all they were worth. And from time to time, they’d stop and . . . do this! 

My photo seems hazy, ’cause I was shooting through the dining room window glass—not recently enough washed, it seems!

Monday Stuff ’til about 2 ‘clock.  Then, I scooped up Stephen and we ran some errands—did a little shopping, and banking and the like.  Then, later in the evening, after getting him home in time for Dancing with the Stars, and going home myself, Kyle walked in the door and as he kissed me hello, asked me where I wanted to go for my TexMex dinner to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!  Such a mind-reader!  We ended up at Mexican Inn—I think we’ve decided it’s the best value and the best margaritas at the most covenient distance from home.  And, we actually had decent service, again!

~MB

No Responses »

 

Self Portrait…again Monday, May 5 2008

4 May 2008
Somehow I managed only one photo in the 24 hours that made up Sunday. Not sure how, but it is what it is. This is me:

I have on a brand new, brilliantly black & yellow landsknecht chapeau (I will have to look up the proper time for the hat UPDATE: The hat is apparently called a tellerbarret ("platter hat")) and a new pair of green-tinted sunglasses with bronze rims. The sunglasses are reproductions of a pair of spectacles that date to the very early 18th century. I’ve been told that there is very little difference between this pair and the few pair that have been dated to the early-mid 16th century. Therefore, I feel fully vindicated in owning, wearing and selling them at a Renaissance festival that takes place, ostensibly, in 1538 England during the reign of HRM Henry VIII (although I feel pretty confident in saying that musketeers, frock-coat clad pirates in tricorns, and ninjas didn’t make their debut in England until much later).
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 5 May 2008 )

Listening to By-Tor and the Snow Dog by Rush
from Retrospective I (1974-1980)

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 80
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash fired, auto mode, red-eye reduction

7 Responses »

 

Draughts or Chess? Monday, May 5 2008

3 May 2008
Saturday. Week 5 of Scarborough Faire.
Happy Birthday Starr!
The day was phenomenal for a faire day. Temperature in the low 70’s with a slight breeze and sunshine. Can you ask for better? Here you see a family playing chess on my large chess table that I have set up in the front yard. In the foreground, next to a small garden is another table with a jumbo draughts (Americans call it Checkers) set.

I was taught to play draughts at an extremely early age, as are I think most American youth. I grew, quickly, to detest the game because I either won too quickly or lost too quickly. There was no challenge in the game. As the owner of a game store, I have found a new love for draughts, but not in the form I was taught. There are, literally, hundreds of draughts variations that enhance the game and make it much more challenging and oh, so much more fun. My favourite version is Irish Draughts and I sometimes play it to distraction.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 5 May 2008 )

Listening to:
We’ve Been Had by Walkmen
from The Walkmen

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire, auto mode

One Response »

 

Jewelry Stand Monday, May 5 2008

2 May 2008
A page from my woman’s playbook allows me to post this as a 2nd May photo. Although, technically, the photo was taken on 3 May, I was still awake and primarily vertical. So, having not dropped off to the Land of Nod just yet, I call it my Friday, 2nd of May photo.

It’s a Victorian Lady jewelry stand that, at the moment stands devoid of jewelry. I took it in a low-light environment with the lens almost touching the protruding arm of the stand. I sorta dig how it turned out.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 5 May 2008 )

Listening to:
Symphony No. 4 by Peter Tchaikovsky
from The Great Composers: Tchaikovsky (Disc 4)

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.167 sec (1/6)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

2 Responses »

 

Scottish Billiards Monday, May 5 2008

1 May 2008
Happy Beltane! Happy Mayday! Happy Birthday, Sis!

This photo was taken at my local haunt, Rob’s Billiards and Sports Bar.

I was writing an article about Scottish Billiards rules & scoring and needed to test the scoring system. So, after work, I went there and roped a couple of friends into playing with me. I like the game.
You can read the rules at the newly-launched East Wind Games blog.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 2 May 200

Listening to:
Les Trois Cavaliers by La Bottine Souriante
from Rock & Reel

No Responses »

 

Flushed Away Skeleton Monday, May 5 2008

30 April 2008
If you didn’t know, or had not guessed, I am a geek. I own a game store, I worked for years in the comic book & game industry. I watch every Disney movie and nearly all SF/Fantasy movies. I read (use to read voraciously…now I just read) any genre that lends itself to typical geekdom. I have more comic book t-shirts than I can count and many thousands of comic books all bagged & tagged. I play Middle-Earth play by mail games and I collect figurines. I think I qualify as dyed-in-the-wool (although there are many that can completely out-geek me - Klobe!). These two guys, along with many others, reside on the top of my filing cabinet in my office.

I have several others at various locations around & on the desk and other furniture. but I like this, because it appears that the Hooligan from Flushed Away is about to gobsmack the skeleton from Pirates of the Caribbean. Yeah. I’m a geek.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 1 May 2008 )

Listening to:
Sally MacLennane by Pogues
from The Ultimate Collection CD2 - Live At The Brixton Academy

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.067 sec (1/15)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

One Response »

 

More buttons, please? Monday, May 5 2008

4 May 2008

It’s pretty sad, when I’m surrounded all day by thousands of photo opportunities, and the best one I take all day is of a button.  <sigh>

I took a fun medium shot of Mary smiling prettily and leaning on the counter —a little bit blurry and a whole lot of cleavage!  I took what should have been fun photos of some of the fabric in the booth—but I was rushing, and they all came out badly.  No photos of customers; no photos of performers; no photos of cute children or pretty clothing, or silly actors.  Nothin’.  So, what we get today, is a photo of a button.  The customer purchased this garment from Nicole at Dragon Con, and wants more of the buttons that were used on it.  Exciting, I know.

In hindsight, what should have been the focus of my photography this day was our East Wind Games shoppe.  While we at Pendragon Costumes were having a weekend full of frustration and dealing with the first almost-too-warm-day of our season, East Wind Games was busily having its very best weekend ever! 

We know that the success is due mostly to the fact that we have a kick-butt manager in the shoppe, who really loves what we’re doing, and who cares.  We know that the success is due largely to the beloved friends who give of their time in return for nothing but a pass to faire, or a small discount, and spend their days talking to our customers, educating, and as a result, selling our products.  And we know that the success has been helped along immensely, by our expanding product lines.  When sales are good, there’s more money to spend on restocking, and on trying new games! 

And, we know we are very proud of our little business!  Our sincerest thanks to all those pirates and patrons and teachers and friends and family—to all who have helped, who have worked, and who have purchased!  We are blessed by you.

~MB

No Responses »

 

Happy Earl of Sussex Monday, May 5 2008

3 May 2008

Happy Birthday, Starr!

Seven hours of sleep was a wonderful thing.  The day dawned as perfectly as we could have ever hoped, and all day Saturday, the weather was a gift.  Light fleeting clouds, cool breezes, warm sunshine—it was truly one of those rare perfect days.  Unfortunately the crowd was disappointing—both in quantity and in quality!  There seemed to be a very high number of folks through our shoppe that just “didn’t get it.”

The highlight of my day, though, made all other negative aspects fade to the background—the results of my week’s toil was well-received and therefore worth every sleepless minute!  Joe—and birthday girl, Starr—both seemed very pleased with Joe’s new outfit.  They got to faire before noon, and I helped him get dressed in it for the first time.  Shirt, tights, breeches, boots.  Then, under-doublet, and finally outer doublet and sleeves.  It took a few minutes, but the end result was pretty spectacular.  I was very proud, and he nearly vibrated with excitement!  It is such a good feeling to know I have pleased my customer with my work. And that’s even more fun, when the customer is a good friend!

Joe has carefully chosen an historical character to portray when he plays at faire.  I must confess that I have forgotten the man’s name, once again, but I know he was the Earl of Sussex, and that although he was widowed, he did have two children of the same approximate ages as Troy and Alex!  We put Starr in a brand new chemise and bodice and I think she enjoyed the pseudo-role of companion/nursemaid as she accompanied Joe on his promenades through the faire.  He certainly blended in well visually with all the nobles, and I think he had a great time.  Starr got to have one of those fun “faire day birthdays” and we all enjoyed her birthday cake! 

It was a good day . . . Kyle and I had dinner with friends on site, and crashed by about 10:30 p.m. !  More sleep . . . yay!

~MB

No Responses »

 

One a.m. Monday, May 5 2008

2 May 2008

Finished.  One o’clock in the morning, upstairs in the booth at faire.  I finally sewed on the final of 33 buttons.  Four hours of sleep in the previous 48 hours (one of those hours stolen Friday morning at about 11 a.m. when I caught myself asleep for the third time, with the needle in my hand while hand-sewing the codpiece!) meant that I was mighty tired by the time we got to faire and got the truck all unloaded.  We did what unpacking we could and I headed upstairs to sew.  Mary visited with me for a while, and then after she wisely decided to go get some sleep, Kyle soon showed up and he sat with me while I finished the final dozen or so buttons.  I snapped this photo, and crawled in bed at 1:05 a.m.

The day went fairly smoothly.  No glitches or serious bumps in the road to completing Joe’s outfit.  I did pull yet one more all-nighter, but, I was mentally prepared for that, and it allowed for the perfect amount of time!  I even got a couple of alterations done for folks that weren’t necessarily expecting them this week!

I am pleased with Joe’s ensemble.  I had time to make his breeches (we just added that to his order on Wednesday night!) and attach the codpiece.  I even made time to add some sparkle to the under-doublet—six little black faceted rim sets, and five blue cabochon buttons with rhinestones, really added that extra bit of “oomph” that I wanted him to have. 

~MB

 

No Responses »