Friday, July 10th, 2009

Time	Event
12:25a	I wanna skill. :( Went to surprise baby shower for Stephanie-the-Former-Coworker, daughter of Diane-the-Coworker. Gave little pink plush snail (because a) it's a girl and b) snails are cool) and box of baby wipes. Turns out nearly every single guest also gave baby wipes. Expect child will have enough baby wipes to last her through college. Stephanie surprised us in turn by revealing that her boyfriend had proposed to her just that morning. I told her about the traditional Norse gift of a cat as a wedding present to new couples (pest control for the household, doncha know), and assured her that she was fully within her rights to demand the kitten for which she yearns. :D Am feeling rather guilty right now regarding SCA stuff, because in the year or so that I have been attending, I haven't really picked up any skills outside of dances and making a single dish (rugula). Meanwhile Shade is ridiculously crafty and has made a belt pouch, several tablet-woven belts, and a whole freaking shirt. And that's all just in the last few weeks. I dunno, I feel like I ought to develop a skill, but I have no idea where to start. That and I'm wavering on my persona...I started out determined to do 15th-16th century German based purely on the clothing, but I'm peering over to the English side of the fence, roughly 11th-13th centuries (a pretty wide umbrella, I'll admit). On top of everything, I'm fairly certain my SCA name (Hilde*) isn't period for either one! I'm so confused. :( Current Mood: inadequate. (2 Comments | Comment on this)
11:59p	So I'm kind of in love with a new series. A couple Christmases ago, Mom gave me a little paperback titled The Haunted Abbot by Peter Tremayne, subtitled "A Mystery of Ancient Ireland." Not being much into historical fiction or mysteries at the time, I pretty much ignored it. Since my involvement in the SCA I have acquired an interest in things medieval, and, remembering the book, started reading it last night. HOLY SHIT. IT IS ALL FLAVOURS OF WIN. It's set in the middle of the seventh century A.D., and the main character is a lawyer nun who solves mysteries and fights crime with the help of a monk sidekick. And it's ALL BASED IN FACT. Apparently the Dark Ages of Europe was a golden period of enlightenment in Ireland, with universities and all kinds of advances, and women were afforded a lot of power in both government and the Christian church (which was brand-spanking new), even serving in high-ranking positions as judges and bishops. So the main character, Sister Fidelma, is super-educated and highly respected in her field. The author is a real-life authority on medieval history and old Irish languages (among other things), so pretty much everything is 100% factual, aside from the characters and plots. I'm now a little over halfway through it (and I do NOT finish books this quickly, my attention span rarely allows it), and bought two more at the little half-price bookstore in the mall: Act of Mercy and Smoke in the Wind. It's extremely entertaining and goes down very easily, plus with all the little factoids on Irish history that invariably crop up, it's educational, too! Current Mood: dude, crime-fighting nun! (Comment on this)

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