I now know what it life under a police state would be like. A few days ago you may have heard in the new the increase in security status. Back home that mean little to nothing to most people. Here on the other hand was very much different. We had arm guards check our ID's every ware we went, To go to work, to go eat, or just walking down the road.
The true reasons are out of my pay grade but one of the big targets was the few thousand people on the base that should not be here, there workers who for many reasons do not have correct ID. That may sound strange that a military base in the middle of a desert would have illegal immigrates problems but we do. We had rumors that there were suicide bombers in the camp but this proved to be just a manifest of peoples worries when the security went up so fast.
It doesn't help that for the last few days we been hit with rockets attack each day. My place of work got hit on off hours. Its strange the physics of ballistics, they don't follow common scene as we perceive it. The 500 pound shell that hit went threw a steel container door and then bounced landing about a kilometer away but the divot in the ground from the bounce was no bigger then soup bowl.
It's not all doom and gloom here. As of last Friday we have a T.G.I.Friday, I have yet to go my self and you need to stand in line for a hour to get in but that can be said about most places here.
We also had our “gators” replaced with new ones. To remind people these are 6 wheel 2 seat mini tractors about the size of a large golf cart. The new ones have glass bubbles over the seats to protect you from the weather. What they don't come with is turn signals and break lights. Now we share the road with an assortment of large armored vehicles driven from people that learned to drive in dozen different countries. In the old Gators you could stick your arm out to indicate what your doing but the bubble prevents this on the new ones.
Each department been finding clever ways to manage until the lights kits show up. The Non-tacks use a flash light to shine in the back window, the linesmen accidentally smashed the driver side door off theirs. Us we made little mechanical arms that stick out each side when you pull different cords in the cabins. I'll try to get pictures first chance I get.
Sorry to say I have yet not received mail that was sent to me around new years. We are short planes as many are being sent to Haiti to help there, there is a small chance I wont get the mail till after I leave.
The fencing is doing well. Another Red belt has shown up from Ansteorra. Hes energetic but never used a rapier yet, I think hes just happy that some one out here can understand his jargon and he gets to swing a stick of some sort.
Any way see ever one in about a month and a half.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Golden Age ( And No its Not about the SCA )
One of my little project when I was here was helping out a co-work who has a large collection of “Golden Age Hollywood” and wanted them converted from DVD to computer files so she can send her collection home ware it be safe. Well safer. … ITS DONE … 130 Movies in total. Before any one ask the Golden Age for Hollywood is the 1930's to 1960's. Now I know a bunch of movies that are classics in the bunch like My Fair Lady, Sunset Boulevard, Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, and Citizen Kane. But most of them I never heard of, is there any other in the list below that people sagest watching?
A Farewell to Arms 1932, A Place in the Sun 1951, After the Fox 1966 (aka Caccia alla volpe), Algiers 1938, All About Eve 1950, An Affair to Remeber 1957, Barbaray Coast 1935, Blackmail 1929, Blood on the Sun 1945, Born to Kill 1947, Bus Stop 1956, Calamity Jane 1953, Casablanca 1942, Charade 1963, Citizen Kane 1941, Come and Get It 1936, Come Back Little Sheba 1952, Criss Cross 1949, Dancing Lady 1933, Dark Journey 1937, Dark Passage 1947, Dead End 1937, Designing Women 1957, DOA 1950, Doctor Faustus 1967, Don't Bother To Knock 1952, Double Indemnity 1944, Fallen Angle 1945, Fathers Little Dividend 1951, Fire Over England 1937, Flying down to Rio 1933, Funny thing Happend on the Way to the Forum 1966, Gaslight 1940, Gaslight 1944, Gentleman's Agreement 1947, GI Blues 1960, Gone with the Wind 1939, Grand Hotel 1932, High Sierra 1941, His Girl Friday 1940, How Green was My Valley 1941, How to Marry a Millionaire 1953, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte 1964, I Confess 1953, I Cover the Waterfront 1933, I Wake Up Screaming 1941, In the Good Old Summertime 1949, Lady From Shanghai 1947, Laura 1944, Leave her to Heaven 1945, Lost Weekend 1945, Marty 1954, Mr Deeds Goes to Town 1936, Mr Moto's Last Warning 1939, Murder 1930, Murder my Sweet 1945, Mutiny on the Bounty 1935, My Fair Lady 1964, Never on a Sunday 1960, Niagara 1953, North By Northwest 1959, Notorious 1946, Number Seventeen 1932, Of Human Bondage 1934, Penny Serenade 1941, Portrait of Jenny 1949, Psycho 1960, Rain 1932, Rich and Strange 1931, Roberta 1935, Roman Holiday 1953, Sabotage 1936, Scarlet Empress 1934, Scarlet Street 1945, Secret Agent 1936, Shadow of a Doubt 1943, Shall We Dance 1937, Sherlock Holmes, The Woman in Green 1945, Shot in the Dark 1964, Sidewalks of London 1938, Some Like it Hot 1959, Spellbound 1945, Stella Dallas 1937, Storm in a Tea Cup 1937, Strangers on a Train 1951, Sullivan's Travels 1941, Sundown 1941, SunSet Boulevard 1950, Swing Time 1936, Teachers Pet 1958, The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss 1936 (aka Amazing Adventure), The Apartment 1959, The Asphalt Jungle 1950, The Barefoot Contessa 1954, The Barkleys of Broadway 1949, The Bat 1959, The Gay Divorcee 1934, The Ghost and Mrs Muit 1947, The Grapes of Wrath 1940, The Heiress 1949, The Killing 1956, The Lady Vanishes 1938, The Last Time I Saw Paris 1954, The Letter 1940, The Little Foxes 1941, The Lodger, A Story of the London Fog 1927, The Lost Weekend 1945, The Man Who Knew too Much 1934, The Marrying Kind 1952, The Night of the Hunter 1955, The Pajama Game 1957, The Pied Piper of Hamelin 1957, The Pride of the Yankees 1942, The Private Life of Henry VIII 1932, The Red House 1947, The Rose Tattoo 1955, The Snake Pit 1948, The Spoilers 1942, The Stranger 1946, Thirty Nine Steps 1935, This is the Army 1943, Three Guys Named Mike 1951, To Have or Have Not 1944, To Kill a Mockingbird 1962, Top Hat 1935, Topkapi 1964, Viva Las Vegas 1964, Wife vs Secretary 1936, Without Honor 1949, Witness for the Prosecution 1957, Woman on the Run 1950
A Farewell to Arms 1932, A Place in the Sun 1951, After the Fox 1966 (aka Caccia alla volpe), Algiers 1938, All About Eve 1950, An Affair to Remeber 1957, Barbaray Coast 1935, Blackmail 1929, Blood on the Sun 1945, Born to Kill 1947, Bus Stop 1956, Calamity Jane 1953, Casablanca 1942, Charade 1963, Citizen Kane 1941, Come and Get It 1936, Come Back Little Sheba 1952, Criss Cross 1949, Dancing Lady 1933, Dark Journey 1937, Dark Passage 1947, Dead End 1937, Designing Women 1957, DOA 1950, Doctor Faustus 1967, Don't Bother To Knock 1952, Double Indemnity 1944, Fallen Angle 1945, Fathers Little Dividend 1951, Fire Over England 1937, Flying down to Rio 1933, Funny thing Happend on the Way to the Forum 1966, Gaslight 1940, Gaslight 1944, Gentleman's Agreement 1947, GI Blues 1960, Gone with the Wind 1939, Grand Hotel 1932, High Sierra 1941, His Girl Friday 1940, How Green was My Valley 1941, How to Marry a Millionaire 1953, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte 1964, I Confess 1953, I Cover the Waterfront 1933, I Wake Up Screaming 1941, In the Good Old Summertime 1949, Lady From Shanghai 1947, Laura 1944, Leave her to Heaven 1945, Lost Weekend 1945, Marty 1954, Mr Deeds Goes to Town 1936, Mr Moto's Last Warning 1939, Murder 1930, Murder my Sweet 1945, Mutiny on the Bounty 1935, My Fair Lady 1964, Never on a Sunday 1960, Niagara 1953, North By Northwest 1959, Notorious 1946, Number Seventeen 1932, Of Human Bondage 1934, Penny Serenade 1941, Portrait of Jenny 1949, Psycho 1960, Rain 1932, Rich and Strange 1931, Roberta 1935, Roman Holiday 1953, Sabotage 1936, Scarlet Empress 1934, Scarlet Street 1945, Secret Agent 1936, Shadow of a Doubt 1943, Shall We Dance 1937, Sherlock Holmes, The Woman in Green 1945, Shot in the Dark 1964, Sidewalks of London 1938, Some Like it Hot 1959, Spellbound 1945, Stella Dallas 1937, Storm in a Tea Cup 1937, Strangers on a Train 1951, Sullivan's Travels 1941, Sundown 1941, SunSet Boulevard 1950, Swing Time 1936, Teachers Pet 1958, The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss 1936 (aka Amazing Adventure), The Apartment 1959, The Asphalt Jungle 1950, The Barefoot Contessa 1954, The Barkleys of Broadway 1949, The Bat 1959, The Gay Divorcee 1934, The Ghost and Mrs Muit 1947, The Grapes of Wrath 1940, The Heiress 1949, The Killing 1956, The Lady Vanishes 1938, The Last Time I Saw Paris 1954, The Letter 1940, The Little Foxes 1941, The Lodger, A Story of the London Fog 1927, The Lost Weekend 1945, The Man Who Knew too Much 1934, The Marrying Kind 1952, The Night of the Hunter 1955, The Pajama Game 1957, The Pied Piper of Hamelin 1957, The Pride of the Yankees 1942, The Private Life of Henry VIII 1932, The Red House 1947, The Rose Tattoo 1955, The Snake Pit 1948, The Spoilers 1942, The Stranger 1946, Thirty Nine Steps 1935, This is the Army 1943, Three Guys Named Mike 1951, To Have or Have Not 1944, To Kill a Mockingbird 1962, Top Hat 1935, Topkapi 1964, Viva Las Vegas 1964, Wife vs Secretary 1936, Without Honor 1949, Witness for the Prosecution 1957, Woman on the Run 1950
Monday, January 18, 2010
Fist thing : DON”T SEND ME ANYTHING. It looks like the mail is running at 4 to 6 weeks and so anything sent now will not get to me before I leave.
We got the swords from Zen warrior, Got my self a sword and dagger set. Was going to take them out today and just after getting suited up we got hit by a rocket attack. It's probably part of the big fight happening up north. (please consult the news for more details)
Got a disturbing email and I may have to do the sad job of telling my mother that her driving days are numbered. This is made worst as how the situation at my mother house and ware its located would mean it be next to impossible for here to stay in North bay if she was not able to drive. Well I have time to deal with this when I get back...
Menken in a recent LJ post mentions how in the last 33 years he seen the rise, stagnation, and now the decline of the SCA. Its not the first time I've heard this. My first event was in 91 and I was 16 after seeing an ad about the event in the local newspaper. (Yes SCA use to advertise like that) Went with a fun fur tunic as an attempt at a Norse warrior. (yes I still have it too) When looking back at that event and compare to current events I remember that event being more jovial. People danced, watched and cheered on fighters, made a big show of feast.
I put the difference in perception of a bad case of nostalgia, but maybe there more then that. Now should I wonder at 34 that when I'm 54 will I be part of the SCA. I had a little demon in the back of my head tell me that there is a chance that between now and then I could be lured away by some “Living History” group yet to be invented or dread the thought just got bored of it.
People have given a thousand reasons why there is a decline. The old phrase is “How the middle ages ought to have been”. I call it the “old phrase” as you never hear this used by more current generation, some on that's joined in the last ten maybe 15 years. Many define them selves by what activities they do, events are done not because people want to organize them but because they did the same event the year before and the year before that and now its just expected.
We got the swords from Zen warrior, Got my self a sword and dagger set. Was going to take them out today and just after getting suited up we got hit by a rocket attack. It's probably part of the big fight happening up north. (please consult the news for more details)
Got a disturbing email and I may have to do the sad job of telling my mother that her driving days are numbered. This is made worst as how the situation at my mother house and ware its located would mean it be next to impossible for here to stay in North bay if she was not able to drive. Well I have time to deal with this when I get back...
Menken in a recent LJ post mentions how in the last 33 years he seen the rise, stagnation, and now the decline of the SCA. Its not the first time I've heard this. My first event was in 91 and I was 16 after seeing an ad about the event in the local newspaper. (Yes SCA use to advertise like that) Went with a fun fur tunic as an attempt at a Norse warrior. (yes I still have it too) When looking back at that event and compare to current events I remember that event being more jovial. People danced, watched and cheered on fighters, made a big show of feast.
I put the difference in perception of a bad case of nostalgia, but maybe there more then that. Now should I wonder at 34 that when I'm 54 will I be part of the SCA. I had a little demon in the back of my head tell me that there is a chance that between now and then I could be lured away by some “Living History” group yet to be invented or dread the thought just got bored of it.
People have given a thousand reasons why there is a decline. The old phrase is “How the middle ages ought to have been”. I call it the “old phrase” as you never hear this used by more current generation, some on that's joined in the last ten maybe 15 years. Many define them selves by what activities they do, events are done not because people want to organize them but because they did the same event the year before and the year before that and now its just expected.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
The following is a collection of stories, gossip that is running around about the people here. None am I author to.
A tool crib is ware the tool of the mechanics are stored. Like many shop there a young fellow hired to do the running around jobs. Well some tools that are quite expensive and are tracked other that are not. The young fellow was not described as the brightest of fellows decided that these items that the military decided not to track were gifts from the government and filled a tool box full of such bounties and mailed them back home. Not being the most brightest of fellows he mail his box at the same time his supervisor was send stuff home too. He asked the post office for the box back but they have to refuse so he contacted the MP who intercepted the box when it got home. The news was sent back here and he was told that he was being sent home. Now not wanting to arrive to a cold home he called to the attendant at the trailer park to turn on the water and gas to his trailer before he leaves KAF. So when he got home he found that his trailer had burn to the ground.
Company higher up have decided to have a Calender made for us to put on the wall with pics of the people around. It has been printed and ready to be handed out but sadly delayed as February has 29 days. Before you check 2010 is not a leap year.
A Manger and his girlfriend who also works here went on vacation together. On there return by random chance there flight was chosen to have a detailed inspection as part of a on going attempt to curb the bootleg material coming on to base. The man in front of him in line had all his stuff pulled out of his luggage by a US MP and then got chastised for having a pocket knife in his checked luggage. Fortunate for him the Next MP was a fellow Canadian but then came the problem as he was travailing with his girl friend back from vacation. You see not to promote a stereotype he had less to pack then his love and so volunteered some of his luggage space to her. So when the MP open his bag the first things he pulled out was a pare of nee high boots and three lovely summer dresses.
Oh and the linesmen with the pinched nerve in his spine is still in a hospital in Dubai considered unfit to fly.
A tool crib is ware the tool of the mechanics are stored. Like many shop there a young fellow hired to do the running around jobs. Well some tools that are quite expensive and are tracked other that are not. The young fellow was not described as the brightest of fellows decided that these items that the military decided not to track were gifts from the government and filled a tool box full of such bounties and mailed them back home. Not being the most brightest of fellows he mail his box at the same time his supervisor was send stuff home too. He asked the post office for the box back but they have to refuse so he contacted the MP who intercepted the box when it got home. The news was sent back here and he was told that he was being sent home. Now not wanting to arrive to a cold home he called to the attendant at the trailer park to turn on the water and gas to his trailer before he leaves KAF. So when he got home he found that his trailer had burn to the ground.
Company higher up have decided to have a Calender made for us to put on the wall with pics of the people around. It has been printed and ready to be handed out but sadly delayed as February has 29 days. Before you check 2010 is not a leap year.
A Manger and his girlfriend who also works here went on vacation together. On there return by random chance there flight was chosen to have a detailed inspection as part of a on going attempt to curb the bootleg material coming on to base. The man in front of him in line had all his stuff pulled out of his luggage by a US MP and then got chastised for having a pocket knife in his checked luggage. Fortunate for him the Next MP was a fellow Canadian but then came the problem as he was travailing with his girl friend back from vacation. You see not to promote a stereotype he had less to pack then his love and so volunteered some of his luggage space to her. So when the MP open his bag the first things he pulled out was a pare of nee high boots and three lovely summer dresses.
Oh and the linesmen with the pinched nerve in his spine is still in a hospital in Dubai considered unfit to fly.
Monday, January 11, 2010
The work is quite here, spend half my time on make work projects. I Have eight weeks left till I am home and the feeling they will be slow weeks. I'm trying to fill my spare time at work doing research but the internet there is slower yet then what I have in my tent space.
Speaking of research. I've got spit jacks on the brain. Yes this is like the third or fourth posting i've mentioned this but like a said, on the brain. I asked Kes if she mind reviewing my research, when she said yes I went digging threw the material I've collected, dig is the right word. It's a mess of over a hundred image and dozen of random text files cut and pasted from all over the web. Much of it overlaps and repeats and its not organized at all.
Now I'm spending my evenings combing threw it condensing all the key points down to a single point form document. I feel bad about this as I should have been done this before asking Kes to review it as I dare not send it to here in its current state. It has Help as it pointed out some major gaps that needed filling and motivated me to send out a wave of emails to museums and experts. Today one answered, Ivan Day is a well know food historian in England. He also collects and restores clock work spit jacks. He seems to be the only expert on the subject I have found.
In his email he mentioned that if I keep a good eye out on ebay France i can get one cheep. Even gave me 4 links for ones that are on sale now that are from the late 17th to early 18th century and mentioned that the odd 16th century ones come up every so often. It may be cheaper to buy a 400 year old original then make a new one. Don't get me wrong I'm going to make one so I can say I did and it not practical to take and use an original at camping events. It makes me think how common were they? When I started I thought they be a novelty but it seems by the beginning of the 17th century they were a must for any large kitchen, at least in France.
Today caught sight of my poke-a-roo in the form of a US Marine Osprey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-22_Osprey) lot's of people keep telling me they have seen the air craft but no one gotten a picture of it, a picture of it in the air is considered the holy grail shot for the local plane spotters. I was beginning to think it was just a rumor that they were flying them here at all. Walking back from work today saw one taking off, of course I didn't have a camera with me. I'll have to start carrying it around again.
Speaking of research. I've got spit jacks on the brain. Yes this is like the third or fourth posting i've mentioned this but like a said, on the brain. I asked Kes if she mind reviewing my research, when she said yes I went digging threw the material I've collected, dig is the right word. It's a mess of over a hundred image and dozen of random text files cut and pasted from all over the web. Much of it overlaps and repeats and its not organized at all.
Now I'm spending my evenings combing threw it condensing all the key points down to a single point form document. I feel bad about this as I should have been done this before asking Kes to review it as I dare not send it to here in its current state. It has Help as it pointed out some major gaps that needed filling and motivated me to send out a wave of emails to museums and experts. Today one answered, Ivan Day is a well know food historian in England. He also collects and restores clock work spit jacks. He seems to be the only expert on the subject I have found.
In his email he mentioned that if I keep a good eye out on ebay France i can get one cheep. Even gave me 4 links for ones that are on sale now that are from the late 17th to early 18th century and mentioned that the odd 16th century ones come up every so often. It may be cheaper to buy a 400 year old original then make a new one. Don't get me wrong I'm going to make one so I can say I did and it not practical to take and use an original at camping events. It makes me think how common were they? When I started I thought they be a novelty but it seems by the beginning of the 17th century they were a must for any large kitchen, at least in France.
Today caught sight of my poke-a-roo in the form of a US Marine Osprey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-22_Osprey) lot's of people keep telling me they have seen the air craft but no one gotten a picture of it, a picture of it in the air is considered the holy grail shot for the local plane spotters. I was beginning to think it was just a rumor that they were flying them here at all. Walking back from work today saw one taking off, of course I didn't have a camera with me. I'll have to start carrying it around again.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Warning: The first half is dark again
Well we lost another person from my department, a linesmen this time and they were short two from vacation and end of contracts. He pulled his back a bit last week and turns out he pinch a nerve in his spine and so his leg went numb over a period of a week. There is a little bit of worries on the status of the insurance as he did not fill out an incident report with in the required 24 hours of it happening.
Speaking of needing replacements. The replacement for the reporter killed has arrived. I have yet to meet him but the rumor is he is in his 60's chain smokes and meets the criteria for the cliche 70's cynical war zone vet reporter. Not to sound too dark and cynical my self but we theorize he was sent as no one would care if he got killed.
Spending my spare time fencing, board games, and researching SCA projects for when I'm home. Yesterday sent out a bunch of emails to place that have possible 16th century spit jacks. One is in Austria and another in Switzerland, I am hopeful for a answer but know that with out scholastic “cred” that my chance are low. The news now is there may be English examples and a expert in York on the subject, I'll email him tomorrow.
The fencing group here put a huge order with zen warrior armories and for my part pick up a sword and dagger. So its official I'm both a heavy and light fighter. I'll be fine as long as I don't miss a battle at Pennsic to go wire swishing, then my knight may have something to say...
Speaking of needing replacements. The replacement for the reporter killed has arrived. I have yet to meet him but the rumor is he is in his 60's chain smokes and meets the criteria for the cliche 70's cynical war zone vet reporter. Not to sound too dark and cynical my self but we theorize he was sent as no one would care if he got killed.
Spending my spare time fencing, board games, and researching SCA projects for when I'm home. Yesterday sent out a bunch of emails to place that have possible 16th century spit jacks. One is in Austria and another in Switzerland, I am hopeful for a answer but know that with out scholastic “cred” that my chance are low. The news now is there may be English examples and a expert in York on the subject, I'll email him tomorrow.
The fencing group here put a huge order with zen warrior armories and for my part pick up a sword and dagger. So its official I'm both a heavy and light fighter. I'll be fine as long as I don't miss a battle at Pennsic to go wire swishing, then my knight may have something to say...
Friday, January 1, 2010
New Year
It's a new year here, seems the LJ tradition is to cover what the plan for the year to come. To be honest not sure if I have the energy, at this point I should warn everyone now the first half of this post is going to be a bit dark.
Those who have not been keeping up with the news we lost 5 people the day before new year eve by a road side bomb not far from the base. One of the five was a civilian reporter from Calgary. She been here just two weeks and I feel a bit guilty as she worked in the same compound and I hardly recognized her pictures when they were flashed on the news. I'd probably walked by her a few times, just another face in the crowd here.
The place has not been feeling as safe as it was, not that anything tactical has changes. Steph one of my co-works that I mentioned before had his kidneys shut down here, well they finally sent him home today, more then a week from when he had his close call. The talk was him staying longer, they only told him he was leaving yesterday. We suspect the sudden change in plan corresponds to the return of Jack the department manager from his vacations. He is one of the few here willing to stick his neck out to get things done and such is one of the few that does get stuff done. It's made a lot of people worried here that it took so long to send him home, the long timers here just tell you “Don't Get Sick Here”. Its one of the mantras that you hear here too often.
Its not all doom and gloom, we have a dairy queen open here, well a very minimal one that only serves blizzards, shakes, sundays, and of coarse soft ice cream cones. I look forward to getting home It's only 60 days till the contract is up and I am on a plane out of here. I'll probably stop off at London for a few days to see some of the sights that I missed on the trip here. What I do when I get home? Whats my plan for the new year?
Hmm the first month will be lounge around a bit and visit friends, get my head back into Ottawa. Then get started on my SCA projects starting with the clock work spit.
I have enough research to produce a good reproduction example I think. The little research I have is pictures of the few surviving 16th and 17th century examples. It's not going to be an exact copy of any given example as I can't get my hands on one to dissect it to figure out all the details. What worries me and excites me at the same time is that I can't find much research in them at all, well not on the web anyway. And when I do find research by anyone what I find is a sentence in history book that states they existed and nothing more. The only reproduction I can find is a wooden example at a US museum about “Medieval Technology” and it has a number of things wrong with it that make it impossible to work. Have I actual stumbled on a Original SCA Project. So my goal this year is to Get one built by Baronial Muster for testing and working by Pennsic.
Those who have not been keeping up with the news we lost 5 people the day before new year eve by a road side bomb not far from the base. One of the five was a civilian reporter from Calgary. She been here just two weeks and I feel a bit guilty as she worked in the same compound and I hardly recognized her pictures when they were flashed on the news. I'd probably walked by her a few times, just another face in the crowd here.
The place has not been feeling as safe as it was, not that anything tactical has changes. Steph one of my co-works that I mentioned before had his kidneys shut down here, well they finally sent him home today, more then a week from when he had his close call. The talk was him staying longer, they only told him he was leaving yesterday. We suspect the sudden change in plan corresponds to the return of Jack the department manager from his vacations. He is one of the few here willing to stick his neck out to get things done and such is one of the few that does get stuff done. It's made a lot of people worried here that it took so long to send him home, the long timers here just tell you “Don't Get Sick Here”. Its one of the mantras that you hear here too often.
Its not all doom and gloom, we have a dairy queen open here, well a very minimal one that only serves blizzards, shakes, sundays, and of coarse soft ice cream cones. I look forward to getting home It's only 60 days till the contract is up and I am on a plane out of here. I'll probably stop off at London for a few days to see some of the sights that I missed on the trip here. What I do when I get home? Whats my plan for the new year?
Hmm the first month will be lounge around a bit and visit friends, get my head back into Ottawa. Then get started on my SCA projects starting with the clock work spit.
I have enough research to produce a good reproduction example I think. The little research I have is pictures of the few surviving 16th and 17th century examples. It's not going to be an exact copy of any given example as I can't get my hands on one to dissect it to figure out all the details. What worries me and excites me at the same time is that I can't find much research in them at all, well not on the web anyway. And when I do find research by anyone what I find is a sentence in history book that states they existed and nothing more. The only reproduction I can find is a wooden example at a US museum about “Medieval Technology” and it has a number of things wrong with it that make it impossible to work. Have I actual stumbled on a Original SCA Project. So my goal this year is to Get one built by Baronial Muster for testing and working by Pennsic.
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