Stand

I never thought the holidays could be considered days of industry. I always thought of them as times of frantic shopping, planning, partying and church preparation. This past SCA event, Christmas Revel, was a lot of fun, and it seems to have left me with a sense of production.

My friend Uther was rewarded for the fact that the appearance of his hard kit (his fighting gear) has been getting more and more accurate to his time period (the late 1100's). He now fights in a German Crusader-era helm and a padded gambeson. All the rest of his protective armor is covered. When he fights, he looks as if he just stepped off the pages of an illuminated manuscript!

His family has done a heck of a lot for me, so I'm trying to put a lot of thought into their Christmas presents. Of course, most of that wouldn't be anything bought, but a lot of things made. It's interesting. I've never made this much for people before.

What is it that happens in the mind when one is inspired? What trigger is pulled that makes one want to do more, greater, better things? Is it some sort of chemical reaction? I doubt it. I think that's the difference between lust and love. One is entirely shallow, the other is deep and lasting.

I've never made a New Year's resolution before. There are too many things in my head that can change for the better. Where should I start? At first, the superficial: developing the better looking armor for my period and making lots of other things (since I am an apprentice, after all). Then there are the deeper changes. I'll be going back to school soon. I'm still an assistant instructor in martial arts, and I might even be taking on some private students of my own, too.

I'm uncertain about what I'll be going up against next semester, besides classes and my own psyche. School (not lessons or learning) has always been my enemy, hated and despised, but it is all but conquered. Only three semesters left, God willing.

I've already talked about personal changes in my last post. I think of this one as an affirmation... that, and I just had to find an excuse to put up the new pic I found! Yeah, he's a Hospitaller, not a Templar, and the armor's a bit late for me, and there are too many straps on him... but it's still cool. I had to remove the title and description of my blog because it obscured his head. When I change the pic, they'll go back up.