Wow, I did a thing!

I got the scroll done before the event! It hasn't been given yet, so I won't post a picture of it until later. Happy happy it is done, though.

At the event I spoke with a friend of mine about becoming his protege. I will not ever be a pelican-- I have a greater chance of becoming a laurel, honestly-- but it is wonderful to have my efforts acknowledged!

And I am hoping to bring my armor to our next Baronial meeting. I need more strength, more stamina, more activity...I need to be doing more. Harumph. So I will.

Why do I say yes to these things?

Our lovely Baronial Destroyer, Briana, asked me last night at our Barony's meeting if I could create a scroll blank by Saturday. I said yes. What was I thinking? Nevertheless, I think I have found an exemplar/tutorial I can use that will result in something simple enough that I can make it look decent, but pretty enough to fit the award it will represent. I hope!

"I'm not a musician!" but...

I'm not. I'm not a musician. I have no sense of rhythm, I have difficulty sticking to anything, and I hate performing in front of people. But a variety of circumstances have compelled me to pick up my cheap, impulse-buy ukulele and start practicing on it.

Its origins are medieval, though its distinctive sound places it firmly out of period; but the lingering thought remains that with a minor (no pun intended, I swear) string swap, it can pass relatively well within the SCA setting. I have no idea if I will ever be comfortable playing it in front of the real musicians in our local groups, but it is a fun notion. As with so many of my endeavors, I will just have to push forward and see what happens!

Far too long

It has clearly been far too long since I posted. I don't have much of an update, but I have been working on a research paper. I added a bit more to it today and was struck by how long it's been since I wrote a research paper. And how much I disliked them. Annotations make me nervous; I'm always afraid I'll mess something up.

Translating titles

Many of us who portray non-English personae in the SCA like to translate our titles into our persona's native language. I've tried this in the past, but the more "obscure" (at least to English speakers) the language, the more likely people will misinterpret the name-- I tried Sayyidah for awhile as the Arabic translation of Lady, and a few thought it was my name. I finally stopped using it.

Now that I'm a Lancer, though, and that title in particular carries more meaning for me, I'm looking into a translation for it. What I have found so far is "Ramaha." Again, if I use it without explanation it's liable to be mistaken for my name, but it's still fun to do the research and mentally try to project myself back to the time and place where, in an ideal circumstance, I might have been styled as such....

Post-Chamfron recovery :)

Another Crystal Chamfron has come and gone. Highlights for me were my beloved, Wylle, receiving a Baronial award for service and contribution, and myself being named Baronial archery champion. Don't get too excited-- I was the only Baronial member who participated in the tournament and therefore the only one eligible for champion. However, while I wasn't the best shooter, we were shooting tic-tac-toe and I did achieve three in a row, so...at least I didn't have to search for more arrows than hit the target. That's always a good feeling.

I also received my blue man-at-arms belt from Sir Seto. It was lovely hanging out with him, and I'm more determined than ever to get my endurance built up so I can authorize heavy.

Right now, though, I'm just recovering from a weekend-long event. It'll be a few days before I'm full speed again, but that's all right. It's the price I pay for a good time with good friends and family. :)

Wow the projects

It's possible I've over-extended myself. Again.

Crystal Chamfron, our Barony's annual equestrian event, is coming up in a few short days. I'm co-autocratting, casting the site tokens, helping make signs, and illuminating four scrolls for the Baronial champs and one tourney winner. Craziness!

Even crazier, I'm hoping to try out for Baronial archery champion. I'll be going up against some VERY accomplished archers, and I've gotten to practice once since last summer. And I wasn't much good then. ;D  Still, it'll be fun, and any excuse to ping arrows at a target is a good excuse. I really enjoy archery, and I look forward to the day I feel competent enough to do it from horseback. And being able to shoot well at a canter? That's a dream. Not quite the level of dream as having a horse again, but it's up there. And that starts with standing on the ground, pinging arrows at a target. :)

Overdue update!

I've been meaning to post about this for awhile. Back at Festival of Maidens, Sir Seto Gesshuko took me as a man-at-arms. He understands that I'm never going to be a knight or even a competent fighter, but we had a great discussion about what it means to be a squire before he offered to take me as a student. I'll never be good, but I do hope to at least learn more than I know now, and I'm very eager to see where this new relationship leads!

Oh, and I got my quiver done. :D

Archery, Pt. II

I think I have material for my first attempt at a belt quiver. Whoo!

Archery

I think I'd like to name my bows. I haven't yet come across anything showing that Bedouins did so, but I've just dusted the surface of my archery research. At this point I just think it's a fun idea and I want to do it. (I'm not alone in this:  I asked the SCA Target Archery community on facebook, and a lot of people are responding with their bows' names. It's been very entertaining (and encouraging).

I have an idea in mind for a belt quiver based on one I saw at Mounted War Games last year that incorporates a piece of tack hardware. I also have a lovely short sword I've had for decades that I was told was based on a Persian design; unfortunately, its scabbard has no hardware for hanging. If I can figure out how to attach straps or rings without damaging the scabbard, that might be a fun project, as well. Because I need more projects. Because the SCA.