So, after 6 years on LJ, I feel it's time for a shift. The time for friends-locking has come.

Photography posts (most of them, anyway) will still be public, as well as the occasional meme or other post that I deem okay for general consumption. However, the rest of posts will be under a friends-only filter. If you are a non-LJ user trying to view my journal, please contact me at antipeople@gmail.com and I will give you the password to the account I have for non-LJ guests.

All others, please leave a comment here, and I'll add you.

My cat is snoring. It's adorable.

For those of you wondering how I got those dragonfly shots in my most recent photo post, here's a video I took of me getting those shots. I sat there for a good 5 minutes before a dragonfly finally came near, and then I started recording:

Sometimes I eat the weirdest lunches. Today is pickled herring and leftovers of chicken carbonara pasta.

Then again, at Newville I was one of only two people who was eating canned carp (a period ration, and not as bad as people think), so maybe my tastebuds are a bit...off.

My laptop is back, and now has a completely new upper half. Instead of going through the trouble of replacing only the LCD, they just replaced the whole screen-section instead. Unnecessary, but very nice, considering that it was pretty scratched up. It's always so nice when people do something nice. Then again, my computer *has* been in their shop with them twice before, in the two months I have been home.

In other news, I HAVE A DEPARTURE DATE: Wednesday, May 21st. Now is when I start running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

I am now realizing that if last year's nomadism was an exercise in relative simplicity, and the whole saga of endless delays to my getting a Korean job was an exercise in patience (as will be being away from Marc for a year), then this, the preparation involved in moving overseas, must surely be an exercise in attempting to maintain internal peace.

When I have something big going on in my life, my dreams become very vivid. Not bad, necessarily, but very vivid and very active. As a result, I often wake up feeling like I've spent all night being active. It means that I don't necessarily feel tired when I wake up, but it also means I don't feel terribly rested. As a result, I've actually been going to bed closer to 1-2am, rather than the 4am or so that has been my standard for the last few months. Unfortunately, that'd going to make for some really inconvenient jet lag, but there's not much I can really do about that now. I think a 14 hour time difference is going to wreak havoc on me no matter what, honestly.

Also, sometime today, in the interests of procrastinating on things I really *should* be doing, like packing, and upon the request of a few people, I will be writing a post on my advice for simplifying your belongings. I've had three different people come to me for advice on the subject recently, so I think that I'm just going to write up a post about it and stick it in the memories, for future use.

Anyway. That's all for now.

An old photo of Peter from last February, when he was in Jamaica Plain helping me shoot my Div III. Sadly, I ended up not using the shots from that area. Oh well.

sasha_khan asks: Scariest/most dangerous situation you've encountered in a reenacment setting.

Hm. I've got both for you:


Scariest:

I was at Fortress Louisbourg in 1999 or 2000, and I was working on an artillery crew. They had a 24 pounder cannon, which is pretty big in general, and massive by reenacting standards. It was on a giant wooden cart, and part of my job was to help pull it. There were eight of us - four to a side. Well, getting it up the damn hill was a lot of work, but then when we started to go down the slope, it began to move forward on its own, due to weight. It picked up quite a bit of speed and we were running along with it, holding onto the wooden cart-handles, trying to stop it. Eventually, another crew saw our predicament and ran over and helped us stop it. But for awhile there, I was seriously worried that I was going to be run over by a cannon. I don't have a photo of the situation, but I have a photo of the gunpowder cart we had for it, which was approximately the same size as the one the cannon was on, but of less substantial build:


I'm the one in the middle with my waistcoat half-undone. The powder cart is on the right. Photo was taken by my mother.
Click the photo for a larger version.


Most Dangerous:

My whole "almost getting shot in the face" incident at Newville probably takes the cake on this one. Now, Newville is a trench-based site. That means that people stand inside and shoot over the tops of the trench, like this (well, rather, like they would be, were they shooting. actually, this is a better example, though he was just observing the field at the time the photo was taken). However, when you try to assault the enemy's position, you have to run up over the top and out of the trench. So, that also means that when you run back to your trench, you have to run back and jump back in, or run down one of the many little narrow "ramps" that lead steeply back into the trench, next to people who are still firing their rifles from inside the trench. Well, I had been out on the field, being a good medic, and I eventually I ran back toward our trench. Now, by this point in the weekend, the "ramps" had become first muddy slides, then, when it was cold, ice-covered muddy slides. So, most of us had taken to running and then sliding down them, like a really dirty slip-n-slide. I ran and then started to jump towards it, but as I did, I noticed that the guy with his rifle poking over the top of the trench, about 8 inches to the right of me, had somehow not really noticed me. But, my momentum was already moving by that point, and I couldn't really stop. Right about the time my ass hit the mud and ice slide, the soldier fired, and the end of his rifle was about 7 inches to the right of my face. I saw stars. I was deaf in my right ear for a few minutes, and I had muted hearing for at least the rest of the day. The hearing thing sucked, but really, the more dangerous thing was what could have potentially happened if my face had been closer to being in front of his rifle, instead of to the side. I would have likely lost an eye from the muzzle blast. For those of you new to my journal, I will point you toward this video (made at the same event this incident happened at actually, but by another group) that shows just what a blank can do. Black powder muskets are even worse in this respect. Here is a good youtube video showing a whole cabbage blown to bits by a musket that is loaded with only the normal charge (powder), with no round (bullet). Even without live ammunition, guns are still dangerous, and I think many people don't really realize that.



So yes, folks, I live a life where being run over by cannons and being shot in the face are real concerns. But I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Somewhat more productive today than I've been in the past couple days. I've done three loads of laundry and gone through 3 bins of stuff, sorting for Korea. I watered the garden (took 3 trips with two watering pails), ripped up the lettuce that had gone to seed, and vacuumed the cat hair up off my floor.

I guess this makes up for yesterday where I did little more than sit around on the computer and go for a walk in the evening.

I should be getting my documents today (they should have been here Wednesday, but there was some sort of delay), so I may or may not get them to the consulate today. Hopefully I will. If I can, I should be looking at a departure date of next weekend or so. If I can't, it will probably be early next week. It keeps getting pushed back, which irritates me, but there's not much I can really do about it. It's out of my hands.

I'm about to run to the store for my mother to pick up some blackberries for a tart she's making, and then it's back to laundry and sorting/packing.

Whee.

One of the bayous near my house. This is about two blocks away, and I walk here almost every day. They smell a bit sometimes (it's generally pretty still water), but they can be pretty, and there's almost always a lot of wildlife around them, such as the blue herons I photographed there yesterday (pictured below). Enjoy.



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For those of you who get confused when I use unfamiliar terms on here such as "farb", etc, here's a handy little explanation of the "degrees" of reenactors in the hobby. There are definitely people inbetween each of these, but it's a decent explanation, written up by someone on one of my reenacting mailing lists.

Note: This was written up in reference to WWII German reenactors, but it really applies to all. However, that's why there's increasing degrees of German-ness in the "where's the beer?" thing. Also, "burning powder" means "shooting a lot", in the hobby.


Anyway, here you go:


POF: Plain 'ol Farb. Those who show up to events through loose
affiliations and invitations, suit up in the nearest/easiest/cheapest thing
they can find, and 'call it good'. Burn lots of powder, lack of
historical interest and engage in general single handed antics with
no regard for tactics.
"WHERE'S THE COORS?"

MAINSTREAMERS: Those who have a decent knowledge of history, likes
living history and is comfortable with a mix of entry/farby level
gear and uniforms, general attitude of, "if they had it, they would've
used it", little to no interest in true authenticity. An understanding
of general tactics, but given to blowing off powder.
"WHERE'S THE HEINEKEN?"

PROGRESSIVES: Those who are very interested in a good impression, and
seeks to improve their uniform and gear, more serious about Living
history and incorporates tactics and are willing to learn about
authenticity issues.
"WHERE'S THE HEFEWEIZEN?"

AUTHENTIC CAMPAIGNERS: Those interested in a hyper-accurate
portrayal of a specific impression; intense interest in period
history and living history attempting to find/ incorporate the
correct details of a soldier in almost all aspects, down to conduct,
language, paperwork, weaponry, tactics, food , and highly authentic
kit as it becomes available.
"WO DER SCHNAPS IST?"


Marc and I's units tend to be somewhere in the Progressive to Authentic Campaigner range, which makes me happy. It's not a superiority thing, it's more that I like being surrounded by people who care as much about historical accuracy as I do. Being around farby people tends to take me "out of the moment", which is something I very, very much dislike.

Questions, anyone?


*Edit: As I said above, I did not write this. Someone on one of the reenacting mailing lists did, but I thought it was funny and would provide a little bit of explanation of some of the stuff I talk about on here.

This is my 10,000th LJ entry. I've been on here for 7 years.

I think I can safely say that Livejournal has had a major impact on my life. God, that's weird to think about.

I think I'll write more about that tomorrow.

Hahaha. Leave it to my college to make CNN headlines for....robotic squirrels.