Estrella War - The Slumber Party

This past February was one of our big local SCA events Estrella War. This is the highlight of every year for most of us that play this game.

For the first time I attended this event as a "gypsy". Just a traveling nomad with only clothes to wear for the duration of my stay. In true SCA style I was offered shelter with some friends. My troupe mates actually. I got to curl up on the floor of the tent and rest for a couple of hours between the parties and the work that goes on at this event.

We didn't think anything of this arrangement until one of our Camp mates (Ms. DT) commented that we were having a slumber party and she just knew that the three of us would keep everyone up with our giggling. We of course did not believe her. Furthermore, we insisted that because we would be up until the wee hours dancing around a fire when we got back to camp we would fall into our "beds" and pass out.

Who would have known that the drummers on my first night of War would poop out relatively early and that we would be in that strange state of being tired but unable to stop talking when we got into the tent? Oh wait. Ms. DT that's who! When we realized that she had predicted this state of affairs uncontrollable bouts of giggling ensued. We did TRY to subdue the giggling fits, but that only made things worse. So we did what we could and just tried to keep the giggling too quiet for others to hear.

(I know you have ALL been there. At a friend's house for a sleepover and it's lights out. Everything is funny and you can't let anyone hear the giggling for fear of being separated.)

Truly it ended up being the girls' slumber party. Half asleep talking, giggling and warning each other to be quiet or else Ms. DT was going to have words with us.

As hysterical as that thought was to us at 3am, we were a bit disappointed when only 2 of our Camp mates admitted to hearing the quiet giggles.

Was one of them Ms. DT you ask?

Most assuredly not. She just smiled at us as we relayed our late evening. A smile of the well rested all too knowing person who is not in dire need of caffeine.

We were in DIRE need that morning.

Didn't see that one coming...

I noticed today that my protagonist's name is the same, (or very similar), as my favorite childhood villain-ess.

Sometimes my thoughts get so churned up with the frantic pace of life that it takes a bit for them to settle and leave clarity behind. Much like sediment in a lake when you stand still after walking in from the edge.

A couple of weeks ago my friends and I were talking about our favorite childhood cartoons. Naturally most of mine were the "boy" type cartoons. Lots of action and violence! Typically the writers had to modify them as to not alienate female viewers. This then gave us girls strong females to associate with. Which probably explains my mother's strange habit of getting me the male sidekicks of the popular girl's dolls. Yuck!

Let's try and forget that. Again.

I was pretty into Thundercats, He-Man, Transformers and okay I will admit it, The Smurfs. Gargamel was fun. There was also this Amazon Jungle super hero chick with a cool necklace/weapon thing. But I digress.

These action filled and sometimes dark animated series gave me much more to chew on. They made great fodder for my wildly overactive imagination. (Ask me about the wooden lion sometime.) The action was a lot of fun, we were always happy that the hero won BUT the villains were awesome. Villains by definition should be strong. This strength is very prominently displayed. Female villains couldn't be buff so they had to be smart, sassy, independent and did I mention smart? This is the most consistent place you will find a truly unique and independent female character.

After many intervening years I cannot remember storylines or most of these character's specialties. I remember most vividly, however, trading stickers and toys so I could have everything with Evil-Lyn. I still want her costume!

Yet after working on this story for a couple of years and talking about these cartoons a couple of weeks ago, TODAY is the day I realize this irony. Today I realized that my nerve-wracked, smart ass, fiercely protective, very smart and very in love Human Female lead has the same name as the villain I loved as a child.

Evelynn is bugging me to stop admiring how my mind works and get back to her story. So back to the notebook.

Speaking of Time

It has been way, way too long since my last post. I looked back wondering what the heck happened and why so much time flew by. That Trickster Time did it to me again! I am telling you he is in for it now!

As I take my time and start to sort out the mess my life became I realize that I do have quite a bit to share. Once again I will have a short series. Because once again I got in over my head and have now resurfaced to discover that while most of what I needed to do got accomplished, there is always much more to do.

Our local ReCreation group has an annual event whose theme is basically a Barroom Brawl. It's great family fun! I volunteered, with three of my friends, to coordinate this event. At the end I must say that I learned a lot. One of the things I learned was that I still have no clue what I am doing most of the time. Another thing I learned is that I don't effectively communicate with men anymore. It is a skill I used to have and apparently have lost. Darn the fact that I actually have fabulous female friends nowadays! I also learned that folks in general have a really difficult time with change. I mean really just because something is always done one way does NOT mean that this is a good argument against doing it another way. Seriously folks. It's called progress. However, I also learned, most importantly, that I am surrounded by some pretty awesome people.

Mind you that while trying to coordinate this event I was also trying to help a friend move, failed in that by the way, trying to put together a lesson plan for a poetry section to teach at my son's school, got sick so had to reschedule that, write up a flyer and send in a contract for the dance class I want to teach come January (so close with that one), tried to do the NaNoWriMo contest, yeah so did not even get close and of course be the Nanny and Mommy that is always my job. Wife and Animal caregiver have to fit in there as well. Oh and herald, friend, troupe performance coordinator and general information finder. Yes I am crazy, busy and can't find my own behind wi.... well anyway it's a bit mad around here. I have also had a cold or more than one that have had me unable to breathe or sleep well for the last three weeks. I forgot to take my Vitamin D. Whoops!

Looking at the list my feeling is that I succeeded in one of my projects but failed in the rest. Yes this is how we learn and what I have learned is that I took on way too much at once. What do I do about that? I can't not do the things I love and that interest me. So I need to fix this somehow.

At the moment I have convinced myself that I need to take on only two projects per week. This week is getting my contract to whom it needs to go to AND try to coordinate a date to teach that Poetry class. I have help coordinating the next Troupe Performance so that one doesn't really count. Maybe I don't need NaNo to try to do something of the scale.... maybe I can do it on my own in an off month like say..... well I will get back to you on that because I can't think of a non-busy month off the top of my head. I know there is at least one!

Now back to the Nanny gig and later the Mommy one while I try to wrangle my life into some semblance of order.