Tanka challenge 4/17/10

Pine boughs gently shade
The women with their hand work
As fighters compete.
The clack of their mock battles
Seem a ritual of spring.

Mostly a nice day.

(Except for the part where I woke up late, realized I had no business cards left, realized I had to load new ink cartridges into my printer, ran out of the house without breakfast, went to McHell, figuring an Egg McMuffin was a mere venial sin and squirted egg yolk down my brand new tee shirt when I took a bite. Damn thing was undercooked and runny and ended up not being eaten anyway.)

Newcomer's Tourney was relaxed and relaxing. I got a bit more handwork done on the new under-kosode. I hung out with Katira, who I hadn't seen in a bit, under a lovely huge pine at the edge of the list field. The weather was about as close to perfect as one could wish.

Got a good turnout for the persona class. I gave out most of my handouts, then instructed them not to read them until they got home. These people are all pretty new, they didn't need intimidating brain overload. They did need to know where to get started and that persona is each person's individual journey. Special thanks to callistotoni  for bringing a nice selection of books with her and coming to my class to tell people to come look at them, including a couple of titles from Greenwood's Daily Life series. (I was suitably impressed by the Daily Life In Chaucer's England volume when I came over to have a look. Unfortunately, their only Japan volume is two centuries too late for the SCA!)

Lots of local passers by came over to check out the tourney and other activities going on. I dragged out a practice drum and noodled around under a tree near the parking area, attracting a lady who lived across the street and her shy but curious toddler. Duke Fabian came over on his way to get something out of his car, pronounced it "cool." Not the same as playing with my class though. 

Wandered over to say hello to the small contingent of rapier folks on my way back from the rest room. Hadn't seen Staffan in ages, so it was nice to catch up with him. Kevin (the one I'd lent a needle and thread to at March Crown) admired my shibori kosode.

And then Ximon pulled a ring off one finger and said, "Is this something you like?" Does anyone remember spoon rings? This one was clearly stainless rather than silver, and it had a gingko leaf design. I said yes, of course. It was way too big for me, of course. He told me he'd thought immediately of me when he found it, asked for my ring size and said he'd take tools to it at home to make it fit me. Wow. 

That's right up there with getting a rose delivered by a fighter from Her Highness for teaching and getting my hand kissed by His Highness, who I need to remind if he is reading this that to me he is very definitely That Guy.

 

We all live in a yellow Volvo wagon....

As I was driving past the Oakland Coliseum this evening on the way home, I saw an ad for an upcoming concert with Carole King and James Taylor. All I could think was, "What, no Elton?"

Some time around 1972 or so, my father bought a used Volvo station wagon.  Rather like this one, only with three kids and all our accumulated crap instead of the dogs, designer hunting togs and shotguns.  The headrests were more primitive, but the paint color is identical.

It also had our very first in-dash cassette player, with speakers mounted in the doors that we were routinely commanded not to slam too hard because the one on the passenger side had a tendency to fall out at random, inconvenient moments that often had nothing to do with slammed doors. We had four albums on cassette and for some reason I think one or more of them may have come with the car, but I can't remember for sure. I do remember that we listened to King's "Tapestry," Taylor's "Sweet Baby James," "Abbey Road" and "Tumbleweed Connection" by Elton John that year. Constantly. Not long after we got the Volvo I saved up money to buy a cheap cassette recorder of my own and began buying albums on cassette myself because when it finally occurred to my Dad that he could acquire more cassettes to listen to in the car, he'd be more likely to pick the Deller Consort doing Purcell's "Come Ye Sons of Art," than The Who "Live At Leeds." 

And of course, Dad picked this: