Ludus Magnus Argos

Resistance if futile thingy

2009-11-30T21:53:57Z

Apparently resistance is futile indeed. I don't usually do this kind of thing. But, I was dreadfully curious about what sirjade would ask. So, here's the deal

Leave me a comment saying "Resistance is Futile."

• I'll respond by asking you five questions so I can satisfy my curiosity

• Update your journal with the answers to the questions

• Include this explanation in the post and offer to ask other people questions.

Questions from sirjade. I got no easy question. You get no short answers. :D

1. "...let this blow remind you that Knighthood will bring you pain, as well as honor..." What is your personal definition of honor, and can you give 3 examples where you have displayed it (one in the SCA, one at work, and one in your social/family life)?

Doing the right thing because it is right. Doing so without having to think about what the honorable thing to do would be.

“We do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard” - JFK

I realize Kennedy was talking about going to the Moon. But, the statement stands. When your honor is tested, doing the honorable thing is rarely the easy thing to do. In most cases doing right is considered honorable because it is difficult to do.

I was deep in a tournament of the highest magnitude, when my opponent called me on my honor. He threw a shot that I thought was insufficient and I said as much. My opponent quietly said, in effect, that it was going to look bad if I didn’t take the shot. I had an always have taught my students that if someone calls your on your honor, the victory means more to them then it should to you. I took that shot. In that moment, I truly practiced what I preach. I did it without hesitation. I did it without having to stop and think about how my lady would look, what effect my action would have on my reputation or any other sense of what other people would think. To me, no victory is worth a tarnished reputation. These many years later, I am still a Duke. And I also happen to have a SOLID reputation for calibration.

I honestly have very little recollection of being in a situation at work where I had to do what I would consider something honorable. I suppose showing up to work, doing my job and generally being part of the solution instead of the problem would be considered honorable. However, there was a time not too long ago while I was going to college where I did what I consider to be the right thing to do. We were preparing for a big test in one of my classes. The instructor excused herself for several minutes and left the test sitting on the desk. One of the Yay-hoo 20-something smart asses took a copy of the test and looked at some of the questions. There were a couple of others who looked at that copy as well. Everyone saw what happened. I was the one who told the instructor. Later, while the instructor was out again, the culprit was trying to figure out who ratted them out. I made sure they knew it was me.

There are many times in my past where I would have to say that I did not act honorably in certain situations in my family and social life. I am pleased to say that those days are pretty much behind me. Life is pretty easy with my Wife and Kids. With them, I rarely find myself in a situation where I have to make an honorable choice. But, in some of my other relationships I have been tested indeed. I have been tempted to be mean and petty when I believe that someone has wronged me. On countless occasions I find myself asking ‘Why do I always have to be the bigger man?” And the only answer I have ever found to that question is that I have to be the bigger man because I am the one who is capable of doing so. Yes, there are things that people do that I am critical of. But more often than not, despite my criticism, I pretty much let people do what they want to do. Even in the face of overwhelming hypocrisy.

2. What situation were you in, during which you most needed help, but didn't ask for it?

I am going to have to say my first marriage. And much of my adult life prior to January 1st, 2004. I made a lot of bad decisions. I Did many things that I am not proud of. I did things to people. And I had things happen to me. Most of the time I didn’t even consider that I needed help. In retrospect, nor did I much care. On New Years Eve of 2004 I decided to get shitfaced and put a miserable year behind me. My life has gotten continually better ever since.

3. If circumstances took you away from your family right now, and you could leave a letter with only one piece of advice for each of your children, which they would be allowed to open on their 18th birthday, what would you tell them?

For him: Be honest with yourself concerning all your relationship. Be honest about what you want or expect from women. If you are just looking for Ms. Right Now, be honest about that. Unless and until you are honest with yourself about what you want in a relationship, you can never truly be honest with a potential mate. If you and the person you are dating don’t want to same things, that’s Ok.

For her: They say that true love takes work, dedication and sacrifice. I think they are wrong. Any relationship you have will certainly have ups and downs. But for the most part, the relationship you have with the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with should be easy and natural. Until I met your Mother, I never knew how easy such relationship could be. Now that I know that a great relationship can be this easy, I believe they should be. Don’t waste your emotional energy being miserable in a relationship.

4. Which one of the founding fathers of this country do you most admire, and why?

Either Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson. Franklin was a true visionary. Of all his marvelous inventions, the American version of Democracy has to be one of his greatest achievements. And Jefferson managed brilliantly to put that vision to paper through the words of the most powerful document in history: The Declaration of Independence.

As the Second POTUS, it could be argued that Jefferson had a greater impact on the early establishment of America. But, I think Franklin is grossly underrated for his contributions to getting Democracy of the ground at all. Despite his presence on the $100 bill.

5. How did you first demonstrate (not just say) to your amazing wife, how much you truly love her, and what did she do that made you realize how much she truly loves you?

There were a number of game-changing moments earlier in our relationship. Many of which do not really fit the question. I would say, the most significant of these was the reflection I had after one of our early fights. While I was taking some time to reflect, I realized that there was just something about her. I couldn’t put my finger on it. I couldn’t give you a good reason why I needed to make it work. But, there was definitely something about her. And that’s when I realized, it’s just noodles.

So, I hate to cop-out on this last one. But, I never really had the ‘You had me at Hello’ kind of moment.

Bummer news for West. Better News for An Tir

2009-11-24T04:05:23Z

Ok, not so much news for the Kingdoms. Just news about us going.

Sadly, life a finances kind of dictate that we will not be able to make the planned trip to the West Kingdom for the Orphan's Thanksgiving. I was really looking forward to fighting with all you guys. I am totally bummed that we can't make it. Again, I'm not a big fan of reality right now.

However, we have just purchased tickets to go to Ursalmas in An Tir at the end of January. It's a little easier to justify because it is Kingdom travel. We are very excited about this trip. I have been trying to get to Ursalmas every since I found out about it. This promises to be an Epic opportunity for Contest(see my post about Contest vs. Conquest).

As Barry White said, 'Let's get it on'

Scroll text for Sagan

2009-11-23T15:55:18Z

I am inspired by a scroll text written by trimguy to post one my own. If you get a chance you should really check out the one he did.

This is a text I wrote for the Pelican scroll for a good friend of mine. I was quite pleased with how it came out. Thought others might enjoy.

Silence your tongues and take note of the will of Sean Rex Gryphus, noble Sovereign of Artemisia and Our beloved inspiration Nisa Regina, whose brilliance is rivaled by only the stars and the moon, as We send words of tribute throughout the Gryphon lands and among all Laurel Kingdoms.

Everywhere, and with great frequency have We borne witness to the way of service, professed and duly demonstrated by Our loyal subject Wulf Sagan von Osten See. Take now to heart these words of acclaim on behalf of this emissary of sacrifice.

No burden too severe, nor task beyond dispatch, in all his efforts, Sagan has labored diligently in service to Artemisia and throughout the Knowne World. His contributions to the Society have gone well beyond that which could be reasonably expected from a man of his station, and We find him to be worthy of Our praise.

So it is that We, Sean and Nisa, King and Queen of all glorious Artemisia do proffer due commendations unto Our subject Wulf Sagan von Osten See and do hereby add his name to the rolls of the noble Order of the Pelican.

Entitlement goes to him regarding all respects, privileges and responsibilities associated with this Order. We further reaffirm his exclusive right to bear arms by Letters Patent to wit: Azure, a sea lion erect between two endorses Or between in bend an escallop palewise and a dexter gauntlet tergiant clenched palewise argent charged on the cuff with a mullet gules.

It will be ill-advised for any, to whom these words shall come, to gainsay Our unquestionable desire in this matter. For those who do risk the fury of a thousand Kings, from antiquity to eternity. Written and attested on this 7th day of November, Anno Societatas XLIV, being 2009 by the Gregorian calendar while attending to the edification of Our people at Our Kingdom Collegium

Sean Nisa
Rex Gryphus Regina Artemisia

Huge Potential for Super High-end Practice

2009-11-05T17:54:24Z

So, the Wife and I have decided to take a trip for Thanksgiving. We very specifically left that weekend free from going to events. I had a four day weekend already and have taken a couple of extra days. This will give me a week off.

So, we going to the Bay Area. Most notably to spend the weekend with Brion and Ysabella. I am taking my armor and planning to be at their practice the Wednesday before Turkey day. Ysabella is contacting her folks in the area. But, I wanted to give a shout out here to let ya'all know. Barring the wife getting a job (thus putting an end to the travel plans), it is on like Donkey Kong.

I know that Cathyn, Korwyn and Pliska are all newly located to the fighting Mecca. I'll look forward to seeing you all there along with many others.

The Contest. Not the Conquest

2009-10-09T17:52:56Z

The lifestyle that exists within the world of SCA combat is one that is based entirely on honor, chivalry and the inherent goodness of mankind. Our world is one in which a self-calibrating fighting system is used to heap praise upon those who are victorious.

The scholars of our time, and those of ancient history would have you believe that the desire to attain such accolades runs contrary to the code of chivalry, and in particular is a violation of the virtue of humility. For the most part I would agree with this. But, this also brings up the question of why we should strive for excellence if gaining such praise leads to arrogance and vainglory?

I have recently discovered a phrase that I think neatly sums up my views on this: It is the Contest. Not the Conquest.

True glory lies in our attempts to conquer great odds. Not simply in the conquering itself. Let there be no doubt, there is great satisfaction in victory or conquest. And there is great honor to be had in victory as well. Victory is certainly one measurement of prowess. However, it should not be the only measurement of prowess. And in my mind is not necessarily the most accurate measurement of prowess.

In my efforts to become the best fighter in the world, I am constantly looking for an opportunity to test myself against those fighters who are considered amongst the best in our sport. This is why I want to enter tournaments such as the Outlands Prize tourney at Estrella, the Sport of Kings grand tournament, Ursalmas, the Best of the Best and the like. I enter tournaments of renown such as these so that I may be tested.

Two years ago I went to Sport of Kings for the first time. I was fortunate enough to win the tournament that day. Some time after the list, I was told that there was a prize. It was not until that moment that I realized that there was a prize to be had. To me, I had already been given the greatest prize I could hope for; The Contest. I was able to compete at the highest level of execution in our sport. I was in a field of 78 fighters, many of whom I would consider to be World Class fighters. And I managed to be the last one standing.

This year I returned to Sport of Kings, again to teach and again to indulge in the contest of the grand tournament. I knew full well the contest before me. I was somewhat aware that a prize for the tournament was being offered. But, that was of little concern to me.

In a field of over 100 fighters, through a ‘Sweet 16’ format I managed to make it to the final round of the tournament. My opponent was Sir Torfin, a man I had had the pleasure of fighting in the past. I was well aware of his considerable skill and excited to compete with him. Sir Torfin won the list in two fights. After the list was over, I got some quizzical looks from some of the fighters when I had said that I could not have been happier to have lost two fights. Clearly, there were some who could not make sense of my satisfaction at having lost the final round.

I was not particularly pleased to have lost. It does feel much better to win a list that it does to lose. It was the manner in which I lost those fights that pleases me. I was met with a good contest. And I provided a good contest in return. This is what happens when two lions fight. One of them dies, but they both fight. I provided Torfin with a good contest. One in which I would hope people could look at the list and say that Torfin earned his victory.

This is why I intend to enter Crown Tourney as often as my life circumstances allow me to do the job. I don’t need to be King. I just want to be tested. There are rare opportunities that equal the level of competition that you find in Crown Tourney. My great joy comes in trying to win Crown. It comes in the struggle to achieve greatness, not in actually winning the list.

It is the Contest. Not the Conquest.

DBAD

2009-08-14T14:32:15Z

I usually don't do this sort of thing (I know, that totally sounds like a forwarded chain letter disclaimer), but this just hits the spot.

It's been a while since I have been witness to something I consider to be a profound truth. And it is brilliant in it's simplicity.

http://fragbert.livejournal.com/442522.html

You must consider all this carefully,

Unintentional humor

2009-08-06T03:03:43Z

Hey there sports fans,

This one comes courtesy of my 4 year old son. He has recently taken up the practice of pointing at things with his middle finger. Very casually, of course. Whatever it is that he happens to be pointing at, that's the finger he uses.

We try not to make too big a deal about it, because then you kind of sensationalize the whole thing. And to the 4YO mind, if Mom and Dad are making that big of a deal of it, then he needs to make a big deal.

So, in an effort to gently redirect the behavior, Christina suggested to him that he should point with two fingers. You know, kind of like the Pope, or the Queen of England. Ohhhhh the curious workings of the 4YO mind. It seems that Mom negleted to specify that those two fingers should be on the same hand. So for some time one day, while we were on vacation, my son was pointing at things with both of his middle fingers.

Had to share.

Time to reflect

2009-07-17T20:22:23Z

Today is my 39^th birthday. I would first like to say thank you to the many, many people who have sent some great birthday wishes. You thoughts are much appreciated.

The birthday has always been a time of reflection for me. My birthday happens to be in the middle of the year. I get some time for reflection at New Years as well, so twice a year I make sure to take some time to think about where I am and where I’m going.

And this year, it seems that such reflection is more poignant than ever. Duchess Arielle the Golden passed away today. She was the wife of someone who I consider a friend, Duke Valhalric. I met Arielle briefly several years ago, but I do not consider that I *knew* her. However, she has profoundly impacted the lives of people who are very close to me, and very much for the better.

Yes, she has died on my birthday. But, that is not how I chose to remember this birthday. I hope that in years to come I will be able to think fondly of my friend Val. Just as I hope to remember the anniversary of american_knight and Ducheess Asa :D

Otherwise, I am reminded of a phrase often delivered by someone else I am pleased to call a friend. Duke Jade is fond of saying “Life is GOOD!” And I could not agree more. People often ask “How are you doing?” Usually this is just a polite figure of speech. Mostly a rhetorical question that people don’t really want an answer too. Because you really don’t want to know how bad somebody’s life is, but you want to be polite. Well, when I hear someone ask this question, it is all an can do to keep from telling people how wonderful my life is.

And it is.

There is much that I have to be pleased with. There are a great many reasons why I can shout from the mountain tops that life is indeed good. Chief among those reasons is my family. I have a wonderful, caring, beautiful wife. She adores me. I know this because she tells me and shows me in immeasurable ways every day. She has given me two amazing and beautiful children. The three of them together are right there at the center of my universe.

I have a steady job that I enjoy. I am valued by my coworkers and management and I enjoy the work I do. Five years ago I was working at a call center doing technical support. Which is not what I signed up to do. Near the end of that employment, I would get off of every single call and say the same thing: “I need a new fucking job!” I don’t say that anymore. I went from that job to this job and my life has steadily improved every since.

This part may be a bit self-indulgent, but it is part of my great life. I am currently in a position within the SCA, my chosen hobby, where I am able to make significant contributions to the organization as a whole. And by this I mean besides being Crown Prince. I love being King. No doubt about that. But, being able to share my knowledge of the fighting arts is truly exciting to me. As I have made my way across the Known World this year I have been able to see the direct impact of what I teach. People are excited about training for our sport. And I am consumed with a great deal of pride in knowing that I have had some influence on that. I don’t presume to share in the glories of those who I have trained or trained with. Their accomplishments are theirs alone. But, there is an enormous amount of satisfaction and a great feeling of accomplishment to know that people are making good use out of the experiences that I have shared. It just feels good to know that people place some significant value on what I teach. And who wouldn't want to feel valued in such a way?

And what would life be without friendship? I can not tell you how incredibly blessed I am with the priceless gift of friendship. Coast-to-coast and around the world. I am constantly reminded of the great number of people who I have come in contact with over the years who I am genuinely pleased to hear from and talk to. Who likewise, seem genuinely pleased to be in my company as well. I miss you more than you can possibly imagine. And if you have ever thought to yourself “I wonder how Sean is doing?”, I say thank you. If you think you would be glad to hear me call, then you should know that I do value your friendship and the impact you have had in my life. Sadly, I don’t have the time to write or call all of those people who have enriched my life. So, I will have to ask you to be content with this shout out. Know that you are missed and that my life is better for your presence in it.

Now, while my life is pretty wonderful, it wouldn’t be fair if it were all peaches and cream for me all the time. As part of my semi-annual reflection time, I am indeed considering the ways in which I can improve certain aspects of my life. Don’t think for a moment that I do not have to make the tough decisions in life. I certainly do. But, my prototypical Cancerian self says that *those* reflections are none of your damn business. And if you try to corner me about it, I will crawl into my little shell and snap at you with my claws. So, I won’t be sharing those reflections with you. But, you’re my friend. And it’s Ok.

Anniversary

2009-06-11T19:02:53Z

This Sunday is my first wedding anniversary with silvermoonwlf . I just wanted to take this opportunity to let the world know how happy I am to be married.

After being divorced once already, I really had no need or desire to be married again. Even though the end of my first marriage should be listed in the ‘Amicable Divorce Hall of Fame’, it was still very hard. And it was still a divorce.

When Christina and I first started dating seriously, we had planned on having kids and not being married. And so it went for nearly three years while our parents kept dropping those hints about when we would get married. They never said ‘Living in sin’, but they clearly would prefer us to be married. Again, not really so much of a priority for either of us.

As time went by, getting married became more of a distant ‘When’ and not so much an ‘If’. Until finally, one year ago today, we got married. Surrounded by some of our best friends in the entire world (and with some others absent) we were married at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in fabulous Las Vegas, NV. It was the cheesy, Old Vegas Strip wedding that we had planned on from the time we had even considered getting married. Complete with a trip to the strip club resulting a massive hangover during the nuptials. We even had our ‘Reception’ at the buffet at Main Street station downtown. It was an amazing weekend all the way around.

And one year later, I can still look at the ring on my finger and smile. I fiddle with my ring endlessly, but she lets it go because she knows how happy I am to be married to her. She often forgets to put her rings back on after washing her hands and whatnot. And it bothers me not one bit.

I think one of the reasons that I am so happy being married is because our life together is just really easy. This is something that she and I talk about all the time. But, it is true. Our relationship is just easy. We certainly have our moments. But, those moments are much fewer, much shorter and much further apart than they are for so many of the people I know.

There is so much that we agree on. And the things that we disagree about are negligible at best. Enough so that we are comfortable in disagreeing with each other. There is an enormous comfort in knowing that you can have a difference of opinion with someone without the assumption that those differences amount to some sort of character assault.

I will ask you to spare me a moment of pride here as I say that I believe that we are good parents together. Again with the whole ‘Balance’ thing. We do balance each other remarkably well through the strains of dealing with the antics of the 4 year old Qman. I think we have both learned a lot our children and ourselves throughout this process. I have a hard time imagining what it would be like to be a parent with someone else or on my own. But, given some of the parental and relational dynamics that I have had the misfortune to witness in my lifetime, I am very well aware of how lucky I am.

I am also reminded of something that was first mentioned by atensibilla, and has been mentioned countless times since: We breed pretty. This woman who I feel blessed to call my wife has made me the Daddy of two beautiful children. It took me a long time to get comfortable with the idea of being a Daddy. Timing certainly had a lot to do with it. But, I am very glad to be a Daddy with her.

At this point I am compelled to mention, even if briefly, that we also happen to have a fantastic sex life. Do not underestimate the value of a healthy sex life in direct relation to a happy relationship. I won’t go into detail, but I will say that what we have works for us.

This has been, by far, one of the easiest years I have ever had. It has gone by in a flash and I am really kind of surprised that our first anniversary is now here. The future is a mystery. The past is history. Today is a gift, that’s why it’s called the present. We can not predict the future. But, today I am grateful for the gift of this love and companionship. I am looking forward to many more wonderful and easy years yet to come.

I Love You!!

Just another round of training

2009-06-01T14:52:08Z

Hello Sports Fans,

What an amazing weekend of training.

In some small effort to help out master_jamal in his effort to become a better fighter, I decided to give him what has become known as the ‘Chipendale Treatment’. This is in reference to my good friend, Sean of the Chipendales who asked to come out to Salt Lake last year for some individualized training. We got my household together for two days of intense training with Sean as the primary subject matter.

I’ve been working with Jamal for some time now and I have witnessed the fact that he is actually doing the kind of work that needs to be done to become a fighter of considerable skill. There is still work to be done, but he is DOING that work. So, we worked up a #6 on him (refer to Blazing Saddles lexicon). We found a weekend, and I told him ‘I’ll call a couple of guys I know’. Well long story short, the training the past weekend included but was not limited to the following people:

HRM Michael (Artemisia)

HRH Sean

Duke Lorrell (Calontir), Duke Eduard (Aten), Duke Timmur(Artemisia)

Count Ralph (Artemisia)

Sir Jamal (Caid), Sir Gregory, Sir Tearlach, Sir William Kyle, Sir Raven, Sir Thorvald, Sir Raoukinn (An Tir)

HL Jamuhka, HL Sean Chipendale (Calontir),

Logan, Lochlan, Dunkr, Torin (Caid), Ungst(Caid), Fagan, Vaclav, Sieg, Kai, Tamar.

I’m sure there were more. My apologies to anyone I may have forgotten, but….DAMN! For those of you keeping score at home, that is five Kingdoms, six Royal Peers, seven Knights and some seriously top notch unbelted fighters. Above all else, we had the complete range of fighting abilities at this practice. And I mean from the very top of the SCA fighting food chain, to a guy who has be fighting less than a month. You could pick a number between 1 and 20, and we could give you that grade of fighter.

If this seems like bragging, that’s because it is.

I am so unbelievably blessed. Not charmed mind you. But, blessed. I feel incredibly fortunate to count all of these people, among many others of similar caliber as my friends and family. I am consumed with pride at the thought of being able to provide training of such magnitude to such a stellar group. They are the type of student who are actually going to use the information that has been made available to them.

As much as I love the non-martial aspects of the SCA, and I do, it is really nice to be able to focus on nothing but the fighting for a couple of days. No court. No garb. No ceremony. Just sticks. And beyond that, being able to spend some quality time with fabulous people talking about a wide variety of subjects related, and un-related to the SCA. Having such a wide variety of Kingdoms and experience levels makes for an interesting study in Inter-Kingdom Anthropology.

On Saturday night, we reserved a banquet room at the Golden Corral. Can’t beat a meat-based buffet. That room was supposed to hold 40 people. We had trouble squeezing everybody in. There were some people who came who were not at practice. But, there were a lot more who were at practice who didn’t come to dinner. It was just really awesome hanging out with all those great people.

All in all, it was a weekend completely fabricated of nothing but WIN. I have to extend my considerable thanks to my dear friend damethea

for helping arrange food stuffs for the weekend. I want to thank american_knight for teaching and his passion to learn whatever he can from fighters of all skill levels. Thanks to Jamal for giving me a reason to assemble such amazing group of teachers and students.

There are many others to thank as well, but most of all I would like to thank my lovely and understanding wife,silvermoonwlf for letting me love what I do. And for letting me do what I love. The term ‘Understanding’ doesn’t even begin to convey what is necessary to deal with someone who is as passionate about something as I am about fighting. The word ‘Tolerant’ also comes to mind. Thank you honey. I love you.

You must consider all this carefully.

An Tir Fighting Clinic

2009-04-22T15:51:59Z

What’s up Hero?

The fighting clinic in An Tir this past weekend was nothing short of awesome. I’d dare say that american_knight would call it Action Awesome.

I have been more incredibly blessed with the good fortune to travel quite a bit and teach what I know of the fighting arts of the SCA. This group was, by far, both the largest and most advanced group of people I have had the pleasure of speaking with. I believe the count was around 56 people in attendance. Someone noted that half of the people there were members of the Chivalry. And that half of those were Royal Peers. Even among the unbelted fighters who I had a chance to fight, I found some really good fighting talent. And above all I found a great attitude for learning our sport across a wide spectrum of skill levels.

I would like to thank rauokinn and williedave for hosting me this weekend. It was really great to spend time with you both outside of all of the fighting stuff.

I would also like to thank Duke Sven and ermine_knight for doing evaluations and trying to help people understand how some of my philosophies tie into some of the excellent training that is already happening in An Tir.

I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to fight everyone who showed up. There is simply not enough time in a weekend to get them all. However, on the trip home I scanned through the video to try to count as many as I could. It turns out that over the weekend I fought no less than 30 different fighters. And believe me, those people got more than just two minutes with some Duke. :D As I recall, a vast majority of them were eager to learn, very attentive and active listeners. I think most of them were happy to have something that they can go home and actually work on at practice.

Not just good times, Great Times. I am always pleased to teach where I can. But, I am honored beyond words to have such a large group, which included some amazingly talented fighters, allow me an opportunity to share my experiences with them.

I don’t mean to carry on kissing a whole lot of ass here, but the people who showed up this weekend really are to be commended for their desire to learn our sport and their amazing attitude about fighting.

You must consider all this carefully.

Cuttin' it off

2009-04-01T19:08:55Z

Just a heads up to my peeps.

This coming Saturday, after Crown Tourney, I will be getting my hair cut. Off. I'm not planning on any Bic Razor treatment, but it's coming off. I have a very good friend of mine who own a salon who will be doing the honors for me.

I've been growing my hair out for 9 years now. It hasn't really gotten any longer for almost five years. I've been wanting to cut it for at least two years, but Christina objected. She's finally agreed to let me cut my hair. It is just time. There is no mid-life crisis. I'm not going to go out and purchase a Corvette or anything ridiculous. Although some of you may consider that shearing off the goldylocks is ridiculous, it's just time.

I'll try to get pics of the whole operation.

Oh, and sorry to spring this on you on April 1. But, this really is going to happen. I'm not a big fan of April Fools Day myself.

What does it take to get you to teach?

2009-03-18T15:01:06Z

What’s up Hero?

As you may already know, I travel the Known World extensively teaching SCA heavy weapons combat. I try to let you know where I am going and when, so you can have a chance to get some training if you’d like.

One of the questions that I get a lot is “What would it take to get you to come out here to teach?” The answer is shockingly simple: A free weekend, Airfare and Beer. The response that I usually get to these ridiculous demands is “DONE”. Often followed by “Really? That’s it?”

Here’s my philosophy on taking the Ludus Magnus on the road. I love to teach. If you stand still long enough, I am very likely going to teach you something. I won’t force myself on you. You have to show me that you want to learn. But, I will teach anyone who wants to learn. I would love to be able to afford to travel anywhere and everywhere I’d like to teach fighting. Unfortunately, I have limited financial resources just like you.

The fighting clinics that I do are not a money-making venture. In fact, it usually costs me at least a day of vacation time to go to some of these places. I could not, in good conscience, charge a fee for teaching you to do what I love. If you are willing to pay for my basic expenses (gas or airfare, and lodging), I believe that I am morally obligated to find the time to come and teach. If it doesn’t cost me anything but my time, I feel a great deal of responsibility to accommodate your request.

So, yes. Really. That’s it. But, you have to make sure there’s Beer.

One of the great difficulties in getting out to teach somewhere is finding a free weekend. I prefer to not conflict with major events in other parts of your Kingdom. Unfortunately, every weekend conflicts with *something*. But, I will try to minimize those conflicts as much as possible.

If you value enough what I have to teach about our sport, feel free to ask for a fighting clinic in your area. I’ll start making arrangements.

You must consider all this carefully.

Getting it all out there

2009-03-18T14:53:49Z

What’s up Hero?

It turns out I’ve got a lot to say.

I am trying to gather a lot of concepts together so that I can store them here on the LJ. I will have some generic concepts up publicly. But, when I get to writing about technique and philosophy, most of that will be available to friends only. If you are interested, send me a friend request. If not, hopefully you will find some of the public writings amusing if nothing else.

There is likely to be a flood of postings put up here in the short term. Much of this flood will be in no particular order of logic. I keep thinking about things that I want to have available. There is much. And there I don’t have the time or energy to create some masterful flow-chart for getting it all out there.

Bear with me. There is a method to the madness. As more stuff gets out, it will make more sense. I hope.

You must consider all this carefully

New to LiveJournal

2009-03-17T02:58:00Z

Well, here I have yet another complete time-waster on my hands. With my complete immersion into the world of FaceSpace, I don't know that I NEED a LJ account. But, here it is anyway.

It is my intent to post some of my writings here on the Live Journal for the convenience of the many people who I train with in SCA heavy weapons combat. Of course, much of what I teach is applicable to the duelist community as well. So, you guys are welcome to peruse as well.

I plan to post much of my life-in-general stuff publicly. So, perhaps the random user will find some interesting reading as you visit here.

If you are interested in my writings about SCA combat, Philosophy, Knighthood and a host of other musings, please feel free to request a freinding.

I guess we'll see how this works out.