Happy Birthday, Kyle!

Hey, kid! Have a happy birthday! I'm sending you a link to the Birthday Dirge.

The Birthday Dirge is an old SCA tradition. I've heard that it was invented by the Tuchuks, but that might not be true. What is definitely true is that if you look around the internet, you'll probably find even more lyrics for it, and that new lyrics are being created all the time. I once heard a bard sing the Birthday Dirge for about 20 minutes without repeating lyrics the whole time.

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All this reminds me of Pennsic, which is going strong, even as I write this.

Yesterday was Moonlight Madness. And they had a real, full moon for it, too. Last night was the full moon!

Moonlight Madness is Wednesday of the second week of Pennsic, every year, and they stay open until midnight at the market.

There are so many different things to do there, and one of my favorites is shopping! There are also many different kinds of shopping. For instance, the kind that everybody thinks of is buying things. That's a lot of fun, but you can also go shopping for ideas, which is my favorite kind of shopping. Usually the ideas I get have little to do with what's for sale, except for inspiration. And then there's always shopping for new friends. Meeting people and meeting new people at the market is always fun.

Of course, there are always battles. Bridge battle, field battle, woods battle, melees, sieges, and more!

Then there are the A&S competitions. A&S stands for Arts and Sciences, and could be thought of as craft work. Scadians do just about everything that was done during the middle ages. We have blacksmiths, vitners, brewers, spinners, weavers, leatherworkers, fletchers and so much more. The crafters are the ones that make the fun possible. How could you compete in Archery without a proper bow and arrows? How could you compete in the battles without the proper weapon and armor? How could you even get dressed in the morning without the right clothes?

And A&S leads me right into the subject of classes. There are classes at Pennsic to learn to do almost anything that was done during the Middle Ages. These are one of my favorite things to do there. Learn to bellydance, lucet, brew beer, make jewelry and garb plus lots more.

Bardic circles are fun, too. People group together and tell stories, sing songs and generally entertain each other.

And then, there are the parties! They are loud, fun and last until really late. Where else could you have a drink called a flaming dragon?

There is also the experience of falling asleep every night with drums beating. There used to be the smell of campfires, but they've been having some dry weather lately, and there may not be many, or even any this year. I haven't checked the fire regulations this year.

And speaking of falling asleep and night time, this is the time of year when the Perseids Meteor Shower is happening. Since they moved Pennsic forward in time, they'll be missing the peak of the shower, but it's one of my favorite things there. Going out to the porta-castle in the middle of the night, and watching the stars streak across the sky!

Being at Pennsic is the best way to see it, too. You're up in the mountains, and out in the middle of nowhere, so you can really see the sky. There should be plenty to see near the end of Pennsic, although they'll miss the best part.

One thing they apparently have this year is low-flying choppers early in the morning. There was a big hassle a few years ago about somebody who wanted to do aerial filming of some of the battles. They did put some cameras in the air and film some of it, but there were quite a few people who felt it was not Medieval enough.

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Be sure to check the box in the sidebar from time to time. I'm updating it with info on what's happening at Pennsic, as well as all the other stuff I'm missing at the moment. And some of the retweets I'm putting up will have links to photos, like the one shown here.

Sock Summit is happening this week along with a fiberarts show. And lets not forget about WorldCon! If you miss anything in the Twitter box in the sidebar, you can catch up on it by following me at lostarts on Twitter.

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Burn Notice is showing all day on USA. There will be reruns all day today, and the season finale will be tonight!

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Well, the new computer has been bought and paid for, and now all I have to do is wait for it to arrive to find out how much I'm going to like it or not. I think I'm going to love it! If it works as advertised, I'll have internet access anywhere. And instant blogging, anytime, all the time. Plus the ability to write and draw more easily.

I'm beginning to worry that the problems I'm having with the mouse and keyboard on my desk computer may be in the USB ports of the computer itself rather than the mouse and keyboard. I'll have to get a new mouse and see how that goes. If it works perfectly, then I'm OK. If it has the same problems, then it's probably the computer. We'll see. But if there is a problem with the computer, then at least I'll have the other one to use for some things. I'm really excited about the new one.

Have a great Thursday!