Category: General

Just the random, everyday stuff.

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Adventures in French Hoods – part 1

So, I’ve gotten everything I need for this French Hood.  Yay!  And I’m ready to start my adventure.

I’ve gotten a pattern from Drea Leed’s wonderful Elizabethan Costuming site for a French hood dating circa 1535-1540, traced it out onto my interfacing.  Time to cut, and then bind the wire to it.

After tracing out the pattern onto my buckram and cutting it out, I proceeded to start binding wire to the buckram–I used a heavyweight embroidery thread to do this, which other than being a bitch to thread onto my needle was actually very easy to work with and did very well.

All told, it only took about an hour and a half or so for this stage.  I think I may try it with stiffer wire — I’m not sure if the wire I’m using holds its shape well enough; but time will tell.  I’ve got enough jacquard to do this at least twice.  So we’ll see what happens.  I may ask Trish about it tomorrow at game — she may have a tip or three about it.

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One of those days…

It’s just one of those days.  Have to work at 5pm (which means I head to the mall sometime between 3:30 and 4 so I can grab some dinner at the food court), which means I really don’t want to settle in to anything that involved.  I almost feel like playing a console game (Assassin’s Creed) but that falls into the category of “something involved”…and the basement is a mess.  At least, that section of the basement is a mess, and I don’t feel like cleaning up after the little brother, who created the mess.  Maybe tomorrow.  Maybe not.  Who knows.

I should really probably be writing, or doing some serious thesis research, but I’m in one of those “meh” kind of moods to both–the muse just isn’t making noises at me right now, even though I wish it would.  And then there’s Aurora Force stuff that I should be doing, but again…the meh.

I need to clean my room, but there’s not enough time to dive into that task and then get ready for work, and I don’t really want to leave it half finished.  That may end up being a Saturday project–I need to look over the books on my shelf.  I’m thinking about ordering Timothy Zahn’s Conquerors trilogy–I have book one, but not the other two.  Of course, I could just go to Borders today before work and see if they’ve got anything shiny.  I heard that Ashbringer comes out as a graphic novel next week.  That could be very cool.  Too bad it didn’t come out this week.

I should get around to finishing Arthas–I’m getting very close to the end.  Might as well just finish it off.  Probably going to do that now.

Yup.  Think I will.

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Star Trek! And other such fun things

Big update this time, since it’s been a while since I updated (I know, I shouldn’t have fallen behind).

So, saw Star Trek on Friday morning with a few friends.  And let me tell you, this movie was more than squee-worthy.  It was fantastic, and I’d go see it again.  Repeatedly.  A few minor gripes, but all told, I cannot wait for the next one, and there’d better be a next one.  This film was amazing, and JJ Abrams scored as near a perfect 10 as anyone not Gene Roddenbury could–and I know that he’s not spinning in his tin can somewhere floating above us in space.  Go and see the flick if you haven’t yet, even if you never liked Star Trek.  This film was simply amazing.

 

On another note, second 80 in WoW — finally, says my guild (again).  Once again, got the screenshot:

Aekatrine hits level 80

It’s very exciting–and apparently, I don’t suck at healing as much as I thought I did (I’ve been assured that raid healing is easy–we shall see).

 

But wait, there’s more!  Even though I haven’t been writing as much as I should (and I really do mean that, I’ve got a lot of writing I should be about; maybe I’ll do some of that after I’m done with this), there is some good news beyond gaming and social life.  I got a new job!  Though I’ll be keeping my old job.  I’ve been offered the graduate assistant position for Oakland University’s history department and I’ve accepted.  Huzzah!

So much to do.  Must work on jewelry…and sewing…and thesis….and other writing….so much to do, so little time to do it in!

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Ding! First 80

So, much to my guild’s cheering, I’ve finally gotten my mage to 80 (as Steelweaver said: “About damn time!” Then, of course, I was told to get my arse to Naxx. Which isn’t happening just yet, and not just because my gear is crap).

What’s even better? I got the screenshot!

Jude Auroran makes level 80 in Zul'Drak

On a note of Torg — got a profile of my character, Dr. Amaeren Colby, up here, as well as her journal, which is a living document (it’s updated as her journal is).

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Daybreak – Part 2

…if you have never seen Battlestar Galactica before, shame on you.  Go buy it.  Right now.  Then buy season 4.5 on iTunes.  And watch it.

Do it now.

If the last episode doesn’t win an Emmy…the Academy is stupid.  Period.

So say we all.

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Never say never

Never let it be said that when you write your thesis or your dissertation that no one will read it in the future, since that’s simply not the case.  I have yet to e-mail the advisor on this particular thesis, but I’ll let the cat out of the bag right now:  I’m fascinated by a Ph.D thesis out of the University of Minnesota from 2004.  The thesis in question is on St. George of England and English national identity–a subject I’ll at the very least touch on in my own thesis on the uses of the Arthurian legend during the reigns of Edward I (r. 1272-1307), Edward II (r. 1307-1327), and Edward III (r. 1327-1377), since the sense of identity and “Englishness” plays a role in why the image of King Arthur was used during these reigns.

Amusingly (as almost a side note) the thesis cites my advisor’s work on pilgrimages and miracles in the first chapter.  Go figure (then again, totally not surprised, since it is a saint’s cult and the image of the patron saint of England that’s being discussed in the thesis, after all).

In any case, it’s bloody hard to borrow anyone’s thesis–really, really hard, since most universities don’t lend them.  I have to shoot an e-mail to the history department at the University of Minnesota to thank them so much for letting me borrow this text.  I’ve already found quite a few references that I’ve ordered or will be pulling from Kresge Library at OU so I can take a peek at them based on what he’s gleaned out of them for his work–things that it seems to me may well be important for my work.

So, wherever you are, Dr. Jonathan Good — thank you.  You wrote a monster of a dissertation, and I’m very pleased to have had the chance to read it.