The Good, The Bad and The Cacophony
Oct. 7th, 2007 09:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gurdymonkeyMy Thursday began at 4:00 AM PDT. Woke up. Could not roll over and go back to sleep. (I later hear on the news that there was a baby earthquake in Hayward around 4:00 AM, which might or might not have had something to do with it.) I stagger into work fifteen minutes early so I can go through the package of paychecks that have been messengered to us from the Glendale office overnight for hand delivery to the spoiled union babies who must have checks in their hands instead of trusting to direct deposit - only to find an email from Payroll telling me that they had a problem with the check run, missed Tricor and send the checks via FedEx. In other words, I started my day being thrown into a hole two hours deep and it never stopped, right up until the call at 3:14 PM from a foreman who needed me to cut a layoff check for pickup the following morning: on a hire so new his paperwork hadn't been entered into the system yet.
FINALLY, I got out of the office on time, crawled out 580 which always turns into a parking lot in Dublin, made it onto I-5 and was cruising along in the left lane trying to pass a semi somewhere just north of Westley when the directional kami decided to lob a large, dark, hard object into the path of the motorcycle ahead of me. He veered alarmingly and managed to miss the thing, whatever it was. I had NOWHERE to go but over the object. Tire dying to the sound of semi horns honking "Hey, lady, your tire is dying." Poor tire, you weren't even a year old. You were too young to be murdered that way.
FINALLY, I got out of the office on time, crawled out 580 which always turns into a parking lot in Dublin, made it onto I-5 and was cruising along in the left lane trying to pass a semi somewhere just north of Westley when the directional kami decided to lob a large, dark, hard object into the path of the motorcycle ahead of me. He veered alarmingly and managed to miss the thing, whatever it was. I had NOWHERE to go but over the object. Tire dying to the sound of semi horns honking "Hey, lady, your tire is dying." Poor tire, you weren't even a year old. You were too young to be murdered that way.
The good news is that I had just pulled the jack out from behind the front seat and was trying to get the crank handle threaded through the hole under the truck bed when a white pick-up came flying up behind me and stopped. Paco from San Jose. That's all I know. He asked if I was OK, then dived under the back of my truck and helped me guide the crank into place and get the tire down. Thanks to Paco I was back on the road within 15 minutes of the original incident.
I drove for awhile without the radio on so I could listen and feel for anything that might be wrong, but Blanche seemed to be running just fine on the spare. Tiring of the metal stations on the way down the Central Valley, I stumbled on a station out of Visalia (KZPO 103.3 Nostalgia Radio!) that played hits from the 40's, 50's and early 60's, which was actually kind of fun. Fit gas, McDeathburger and pee break into a single stop and rolled into the park in Taft some time around 8:30 or so.
Found the West strewn along both sides of one of the camp roads. I asked Ysabella where I could pitch my tent and she pointed out a few different viable spots. I chose one down along the lake shore. It was back away from the Spartan Partay Zone by a few yards and I liked the idea of being on the lake.
Got set up and unloaded in a reasonable amount of time, threw on a tunic and wandered over to the Spartan sunshade to see who was around and what was up as there were a bunch of folks milling around drinking cyser and beer under the torches. Very shortly I found myself face to face with a fellow Tousando-ite who had promised to look me up. Tatsuya-dono may be the only SCA Nihonjin I have ever met who is actually of Japanese extraction. He introduced me to his friends, explained that two of them were being squired Friday night so he'd probably be late, but that he definitely wanted to try to make my sake party.
The view from my pavilion turned out to be spectacularly lovely when I awoke in the morning. I dressed, ate some fruit, finished setting up in and around my pavilion to my satisfaction, posted some party announcements on privy doors, and explored a little. Went back to camp, tuned the hurdy gurdy and then George and I decended upon the Merchant Village to create a public disturbance as only we can, especially asacanthusleaf always says she enjoys having us play near her shop. Eirny and Henry were up with their booth of lampworked beads, Aurelia and Bennett of the Hooded Hare were nearby.
Now I don't normally put out a bowl at SCA events. It's my playtime as much as anyone else's. I figure that if someone is sufficiently pleased by what I'm doing to come over and put something in my hand, great, but why guilt them into it with a visual cue? On the other hand, I was going to have to buy a new tire this week. Over the course of the weekend, I netted enough to cover a tank of gas for the drive home. It probably didn't hurt that I was the only musician busking - at least during the times I was down on Merchant's Row, I didn't see or hear anyone else.
While busking, I was accosted by a young lady who recognized me, cried "I have something for you," vanished and returned several minutes later with a Mason jar of fruit infused shoju from Luiseach, a lady on the sca-jml list who I met a couple of Estrellas ago.
Had just the right turn-out for my sake tasting on Friday. Mostly friends and friends of friends, though one couple did show up in response to the privy post. The Choya plum liqueur was a winner and has completely turned me around on my assessment of most plum wines, being sweet with a tart finish. The plums at the bottom of the bottle are a religious experience. The Moonstone Asian Pear is always well received, particularly by those new to the whole sake concept. Berkeley's own Takara Sho Chiku Bai brand nigori (unfiltered) sake also went over well, as it was sweeter than the pear with a very silky consistency on the tongue. I like this better than Takara's Creme de Sake. Thanks toallergicone, gottasing, joycebre, ldyanna, momstable, sasha_khan, Cristobal, Yukiko-hime, Katayama-dono and his lady, and the folks whose names have been lost in the alcoholic giggles for attending.
It was elegant, it was civilized, it was attended by two mommies with underage boys, it broke up a little after 10. I cleaned up and put things away, made a brief foray over into Spartan territory and chatted with a few folks, then crawled into my tent because my feet were getting cold and it had been a long day. Not five minutes later, I hear a discreet, "Saionji-hime?" outside my tent. It was Tatsuya-dono, finally free from the squiring party. I went out, assured him he had not woken me. "I have something for you." Elegantly wrapped in an indigo and white furoshiki, it was a beautiful lacquer jubako - stacked boxes with a set of serving dishes set in the lid. It was full of food for the party. Beautiful, colorful pastries in one tray, munchable wasabi peas, nuts and rice crackers in the other. I was utterly stunned by this thoughtful and extravagant gift - and very sad I didn't get to serve these goodies to my guests. (I will have to take it to work instead so that they do not go to waste.)
More tomorrow. It's late. I'm tired....I drove for awhile without the radio on so I could listen and feel for anything that might be wrong, but Blanche seemed to be running just fine on the spare. Tiring of the metal stations on the way down the Central Valley, I stumbled on a station out of Visalia (KZPO 103.3 Nostalgia Radio!) that played hits from the 40's, 50's and early 60's, which was actually kind of fun. Fit gas, McDeathburger and pee break into a single stop and rolled into the park in Taft some time around 8:30 or so.
Found the West strewn along both sides of one of the camp roads. I asked Ysabella where I could pitch my tent and she pointed out a few different viable spots. I chose one down along the lake shore. It was back away from the Spartan Partay Zone by a few yards and I liked the idea of being on the lake.
Got set up and unloaded in a reasonable amount of time, threw on a tunic and wandered over to the Spartan sunshade to see who was around and what was up as there were a bunch of folks milling around drinking cyser and beer under the torches. Very shortly I found myself face to face with a fellow Tousando-ite who had promised to look me up. Tatsuya-dono may be the only SCA Nihonjin I have ever met who is actually of Japanese extraction. He introduced me to his friends, explained that two of them were being squired Friday night so he'd probably be late, but that he definitely wanted to try to make my sake party.
The view from my pavilion turned out to be spectacularly lovely when I awoke in the morning. I dressed, ate some fruit, finished setting up in and around my pavilion to my satisfaction, posted some party announcements on privy doors, and explored a little. Went back to camp, tuned the hurdy gurdy and then George and I decended upon the Merchant Village to create a public disturbance as only we can, especially as
acanthusleaf always says she enjoys having us play near her shop. Eirny and Henry were up with their booth of lampworked beads, Aurelia and Bennett of the Hooded Hare were nearby.Now I don't normally put out a bowl at SCA events. It's my playtime as much as anyone else's. I figure that if someone is sufficiently pleased by what I'm doing to come over and put something in my hand, great, but why guilt them into it with a visual cue? On the other hand, I was going to have to buy a new tire this week. Over the course of the weekend, I netted enough to cover a tank of gas for the drive home. It probably didn't hurt that I was the only musician busking - at least during the times I was down on Merchant's Row, I didn't see or hear anyone else.
While busking, I was accosted by a young lady who recognized me, cried "I have something for you," vanished and returned several minutes later with a Mason jar of fruit infused shoju from Luiseach, a lady on the sca-jml list who I met a couple of Estrellas ago.
Had just the right turn-out for my sake tasting on Friday. Mostly friends and friends of friends, though one couple did show up in response to the privy post. The Choya plum liqueur was a winner and has completely turned me around on my assessment of most plum wines, being sweet with a tart finish. The plums at the bottom of the bottle are a religious experience. The Moonstone Asian Pear is always well received, particularly by those new to the whole sake concept. Berkeley's own Takara Sho Chiku Bai brand nigori (unfiltered) sake also went over well, as it was sweeter than the pear with a very silky consistency on the tongue. I like this better than Takara's Creme de Sake. Thanks to
allergicone, gottasing, joycebre, ldyanna, momstable, sasha_khan, Cristobal, Yukiko-hime, Katayama-dono and his lady, and the folks whose names have been lost in the alcoholic giggles for attending. It was elegant, it was civilized, it was attended by two mommies with underage boys, it broke up a little after 10. I cleaned up and put things away, made a brief foray over into Spartan territory and chatted with a few folks, then crawled into my tent because my feet were getting cold and it had been a long day. Not five minutes later, I hear a discreet, "Saionji-hime?" outside my tent. It was Tatsuya-dono, finally free from the squiring party. I went out, assured him he had not woken me. "I have something for you." Elegantly wrapped in an indigo and white furoshiki, it was a beautiful lacquer jubako - stacked boxes with a set of serving dishes set in the lid. It was full of food for the party. Beautiful, colorful pastries in one tray, munchable wasabi peas, nuts and rice crackers in the other. I was utterly stunned by this thoughtful and extravagant gift - and very sad I didn't get to serve these goodies to my guests. (I will have to take it to work instead so that they do not go to waste.)
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no subject
Date: 2007-10-08 01:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-08 05:53 pm (UTC)I enjoyed your gathering, and will definitely be picking up some of the plum wine.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-09 02:44 am (UTC)Dublin parking lot
Date: 2007-10-08 07:44 pm (UTC)This detour bypasses the 580/680 interchange and the worst of the commuters getting on the freeway.
Re: Dublin parking lot
Date: 2007-10-08 08:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-10 04:24 pm (UTC)Unfortunately, once I got him settled, it was too late to come back. I did swing by about 6:30 am while on my constable patrol. Everything looked quiet and serene. You picked an absolutely lovely spot for your camp. It lent a great deal of atomosphere to the party, and I'm sure, to your morning.
Thanks for doing this. It was fun. And I love being able to have my son exposed to many different cultural exchanges.