Wednesday afternoon: The Day That Was . . .

 Today’s assignment was to make a Good Day out of a Crappy Day.

 Final grades are not in yet, but I think I have succeeded in getting at least a B- so far.

 Yes, there’s going to be a little whining here.

 So I am happy to be back from Pennsic, but still overtired and feeling the results of a week of camping in my lungs. (The rest of the body has bounced back pretty well, and now that I am wearing the “Boring Black Work Shoes,” my ankles are fine.

 I am stressed out of a number of things – the usual array of life issues. I am working on a number of things, and I do expect things to get better.
 But after I got to the work site this morning to find out that the training I was supposed to do had been canceled because the kids were needed elsewhere (and apparently the administrator called the office, but no one ever told me), and stressed over the truck’s apparent fuel leak (leaving out the details, Frank The Mechanic hoped to do it on the cheap, realized it wasn’t a cheap fix but major work and quoted me $750, then found a way to get it to $425. I found all this out later.), I called in to work and took the rest of the day off.

 I am going to Albany tomorrow (in Alethea’s car) for a training of my own, so I will not be back in the office until Friday, when I start the day as Counselor On Duty. (“Oh, you’re a wingnut? Bill will be right with you.”)

 Anyway, I decided that I wasn’t gonna let it become Craptastic Day, so I hitched up my Big Boy Boxers and went to work.

 I cleaned the bathroom.
 I cleaned the kitchen.
 I changed the cat litter, took the old cat litter out to the landing and fed the cats.
 I completely rearranged and did a big-time cleaning job on the Cat/Sewing Room. (This will garner either praise or death).
 I made several necessary phone calls, write some needed e-mails as I try to get more free-lance writing gigs and gave advice to a friend on IM.
 I thoroughly cleaned the coffee maker.
 I did about two-thirds of the dishes.
 I unpacked Pennsic stuff.
 I went to the convenience store, and the post office and stopped to pick up a car loan application at the bank across the empty parking lot from us.
 I did some job-hunting on line.
 I finished transferring the nearly 1,000 Pennsic photos to my computer.
 I am in the process of uploading them to my flickr account at LiamStLiam. Please go look and make identifications and comments.
 I followed up on the Special Olympics Passion Plunge, corresponding with the local director about how we are going to publicize this year’s event.
 I wrote up this list. ;)

 Phew! There are a number of other things I plan to do before the day is over, including heating up a pizza and making corn for my wife.

 So how was your day?

Pennsic is a list . . .

Truth be told, I am jealous of eveglass.

She took the time to journal every day of Pennsic (including some days she was in serious pain from The Bee Sting of Irony). Now she has transcribed her journal.

Me, I have notes from one day and a lot of fragmented memories.

Numbers make it all better.

1. Lucan: "Liam, I am going to leave the sword of state here with you."

2. rufinia: "Liam may not sell the sword of state."

3. Yes, I really did let a gypsy camp leader borrow my coronet, and I let the pretty girl go with him.

4. The Princess: "Here, Liam, please hold my coronet."

5. Liam is not allowed to trade an Eastern coronet for beer.

6. nomadmwe absolutely rocks, by the way. I owe him eels for his hovercraft for all the work he did at the EK Fencing Tournament.

7. Stupid MoL trick No. 1: Set up eight pools of 10, then get 96 entries.

8. Stupid MoL trick No. 2: If you are running the Champions' Tournament and the two kingdom Marshals of Fence are trying to figure out whose turn it is, do *not* call one of them "Hun," even if you have known her since the 1970s.

9. Stupid MoL trick No. 3: Allowing the list table to be in a place where you cannot see the fencing.

10. Getting to See Sir Balin and his lady (names, Liam. Names) was wonderful.

11. I would love for Sharc 1996 to see what Sharc 2009 looks like. Oh, my. How things have changed. It's like it's own world. The Sharcverse.

12. No shit, there I was standing at your Inner Vagabond when zsof walks by and says, "Liam, come with me, I have beer for you."

13. Not only is he a terrific king, bobthemad has great taste in beer.

14. Oh, and fieryredhead? Hotter in person. What a beautiful queen she makes!

15. Seeing Master Robert, the newest Lion of Ansteorra was wicked cool.

16. Baron Godwin of Bjornsburg? A force of nature and one of the best story tellers I know.

17. Master John Maguire (you here, John?) is one of the most gracious hosts in recorded history.

18. Getting to see the Tinkers twice in one night? Pretty fricking cool.

19. Cow jousting? Only in Aethelmearc.

20. Liam:  "I can't wait to see Lisa Theriot in concert."

Master Cynric: "Um, Liam, see the lady cleaning up (the chili dishes) over there? That's Lisa Theriot."

Note: I have been camping with her for at least two years. She rocks.

Trolling at the New York Times . . .

After 11 pretty inane comment on the "Youklis suspended for five games" story, including a mention of the "Roid Sox," I posted the following:

OK, waiting for the suspension of the pitcher for throwing at a batter.

Maybe assault charges instead?

And if I were a Yankee fan, just before I killed myself, I would realize that I had no business at all criticizing other teams for testing positive for steroids.

Let's see if it clears the moderators

Pennsic photos being uploaded even as we speak . . .

Three things:

Who is this?

Why didn't I notice the inspection tag and shoot from the other side?

I am pretty sure you can either see me or see another fencer in the reflection.

Photos at my flickr account. (Yes, there are helicopters)