One Step Up, Two Steps Back

OK, not really, but several things have changed since the last update here.

The lady friend, for various reasons, has ended up being more of a platonic soulmate than a girlfriend. Think Modesty Blaise and Willy Garvin. She's probably the best friend I've ever had, but despite what I thought for a while she's just not going to be the great romance of my life. So, various things in my life that were changing because of that relationship are back to pretty much being where they were before.

For one thing, I'm jumping back into the SCA with both feet. I made the first steps toward doing that last year, and got sidetracked by a number of things - some real life issues, the several months that the lady friend and myself were trying the dating thing, the very low level of participation in the local shire. As well, I ran into a small but unpleasant bit of bad feelings related to old issues from ten years ago and backed off for a while to give myself time to think things through. Now, though, I'm taking that part of my life back. I love being Friar Thomas - he brings out the best parts of me. I love the other people in the SCA - from the most quiet and "normal" to the...well, to the folks at the other end of the spectrum...it's a big extended family of kindred spirits that I always love my time with. And I love the Current Middle Ages. I love my mundane life, too, especially doing PI work and spending time with my wonderful family, but there's nothing like pavilions and heraldry and mighty battles and feasts and bonfire revels on weekends. Besides, how else will I ever become the most dangerous swordsman in Auburn? So away I go, starting with Crossroads of Jerusalem next weekend. I plan to help out with anything that needs helping with and serve feast and have a great time meeting people and watching the rapier combat. My last bit of rapier gear gets ordered next week, and the group over in Montgomery has practice most Sundays. Soon enough I'll have fighting to look forward to at events....finally, the chance to cross blades with worthy opponents. After Crossroads I have a day trip to Fools' War to look forward to, and Dreamstone, and Lusty Month of May...I might even make it to Border Raids this year if a couple of things work out.

Yeah, there are a few people out there with a serious dislike of me from the problems back in 2000. But there are a lot more who either still love me or don't care one way or the other. I'm not going to let a less-than-handful of dislikers dissuade me. Friar Thomas is back, and he's back for good.

Related to the SCA, the vardo project is definitely back on effective immediately. It's probably going to take me all spring and into the summer to get it built and finished; even if I can get the end panels and bed supports cut by someone who knows what they're doing cutting the rest of it and drilling everything is probably going to take several full days - then there's putting it together, and caulking, and sanding, and priming, and painting, and working on the trim, and LOTS of working on the interior... But this is good. It'll keep me busy, give me something to work on besides school and World of bloody Warcraft, and at the end of it I'll have one of the (if not THE) best event vehicles in the Kingdom.