Dear You, I traded some information (7th grade genetics) for a new blue Renaissance Crayon! Fair Warning*whispers*Good morning. And I really mean "good morning"! *beckons you closer* In fact, I feel it's my responsibility to warn you that I am a . . . um . . . morning person hope that's OK *crosses fingers* I know in some cases that can be a relationship-killer I mean . . . I'm relentlessly and ruthlessly cheerful & gabby in the mornings For example . . . *whispers excitedly* I am so stoked about having this lifeline of words and pictures with you (write me if I'm being too obnoxious) that all day yesterday I was planning this here e-mail wherein I now propose to take you around with me on . . . Rooster Duty!*still whispering*. . . which is where MPs (Morning People) like me roust> everyone and it gives me the opportunity to show you around the camp *tiptoeing; beckoning* C'mon! *hehehehehe* *hohohhohoho* *BWAHAHAHAHAHA!*Lay of the LandThis morning we're in a typical mountain field-camp set-upwhich means most of the knights are in these big stupid heavy wool tents with their squires and grooms sleeping outdoors nearby So . . . protocol, protocol . . . I have to give the knights a first call, like this . . . Hee-haw, Jamie! *laughs* This knight is Jamie-the-Bull a broker from Chicago and he is completely grumped out . . . But, protocol aside, the Lay of the Land in camp is essentially by cultural affinity group . . . for example, let's visit the . . . The Historical Re-enactment Crowd. . . who, from the first day,have always congregated in a clump despite their different re-enactment specialties: Medieval, Civil War, Renaissance Swordplay, etc. Their part of camp always feels like a traditional American family campsite (well, that's partially because one of them adopted a kid and Jr. is always tottering around the open fire making me want to run in and scoop him away from it) I didn't think about it before I got back here --- Q: Who would want to go back into the past? Q: Who would be good at it and get hired? A: Historical re-enactment buffs! Well, it makes sense, I suppose but it still caught me by surprise . . . Who are the most experienced jousters? People who used to work Renaissance Faires and Medieval Times restaurants! Fantasy becomes reality. It's like if there was a planet of cartoon characters people with theme park experience would be among the first to voyage there. My brain hurts. Five Civil War Buffs Under One BlanketRise and shine! It's amazing how fast you get used to sleeping outdoors Even in the mountains when its cold The Goth Kids"spawn of the dark""sprawled with drool" the sweet Heavy Metal Goth Kids awake hungover out of habit whether they've boozed or not Cock-a-doodle-god-damn-doo. Everyone's so sweet and vulnerable when they're just waking up The Goth Kids are the precise opposite of morning people The Goth Kids arguably take the prize for "Most Surprised by What It's Like Back Here" (the prize itself, incidentally, is a bronze statuette of a guy smacking himself on the forehead and going "Shoulda stayed awake in History class!") Regine and the Hard CorpsRegine, of course, is awake and sitting around alreadyalong with the hard corps (Skip, Julio, Superstar, some others) These are the people that (unofficially) run Blue Company (even though the Financial Types are supposed to call the shots) Regine really "Rides the Snake"--- She's here for very definite personal reasons . . . she keeps them private . . . but you can tell there's a spiritual component and her hobby is talking with midwives and collecting medical know-how which is so smart! Because the big crimes for us are: a) leaving objects in this time period, and b) taking objects from this time period . . .so she collects knowledge She's a great example of Job Survival Skills. Portfolio Analyst Assessing
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