When Last We Left Our Intrepid Heroine...

And be aware that when I say pictures, I mean like 20 of them.  I'm not kidding when I say this entry will eat your brain bandwidth.

These are some of the photos showing the progress of my new armor kit.  It's going to be gorgeous and I can't wait for it to be done!
 

( You have been warned... )

As always, Bordermarch Autum Melees (or as someone I know called it BorderMARSH Autumn Melees) was a blast. Well, one part sucked. John couldn't be there. *shakes fist at the Army*

We left out Friday, pretty much sorta kinda on time, and only had to turn back once. (Forgot feast gear and my medication.)

It was overcast as we left Austin and the rain started in earnest once we hit Taylor or so. It rained about the whole way to Colmesneil, although it was blessedly dry when we got there so we could set up our tent *not* in the rain.

That was going swimmingly...until it was discovered that we'd brought two different sizes of ridgepole supports. Normally, you like them to be of equal length. Not so much. In fact, there was about a foot of difference. YOIKES! Anyway, after much gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair, we settled on a solution. The shorter support pole was put on top of a toolbox and it was the perfect height.

So, that got taken care of...and Liam realized we'd forgotten to pack the crossbraces for his bed. *headdesk* So, the futon that normally goes on the frame...ended up on the ground. It wasn't too bed, as the futon kept the chill of the ground from coming up and seeping through. After that though, everything went very well.

The Best Friend of Awesomeness and Kittens and the Husband of Tall Awesomeness showed up shortly after we did.

Friday night was pretty mellow and we called it an evening rather early. The best part about Friday night? There was NO WIND. For those who were at BAM last year...yeah it wasn't anything like that. We didn't have to hold on to the tent for dear life this time.

Saturday was morning court, followed by armor inspection. I had fun in the open field battle, but once ti started raining again, I got out of armor and hung out the the Best Friend of Awesomeness and Kittens. I don't mind it being cold, but I get paid to work in the rain, and I'll be damned if I'm going to play in it. Call me a spoilsport. However, I did hear that the zombie battle was a blast, although there was at least one injury. :-(

I wish John could have been there. I missed him and I think he would have enjoyed the event.

Greetings!
 
Ioannes and Helena Dalassene, Liam Gordon and The Fighting Company of Hells Gate would like to invite you to Beer, Bruises and Barbeque on Dec. 20, 2008 in Jarrell, Texas.
 
Although it's close to the holiday, we're holding fighter practice and a housewarming party, as well as a chance to lay stick on a Soldier on R&R from Iraq (at his request!).
 
Our front and back yards are big enough to go a few rounds before enjoying some cold beer and hot food with friends.  Please join us!
 
Where:  Helena, Ioannes and Liam's place.  Email me for directions!
 
Why:  It's a chance to get some stick time, have some adult beverages, and some good food.  Children are welcome!
 
When:  20 Dec 2008 at 12 pm, but feel free to show up later!
 
Please let us know if you can make it, and whether you can contribute to Beer or Barbeque.  (We're all expectiing to contribute to Bruises!)
 
Email soldier.grrrl@gmail.com.
 
Thanks!
Helena Dalassene
 

First things first...my eternal thanks go out tocenliamgordon  and my darlingsappersgt. 

I ordered a new helm from Ashcraft-Baker, and although it's a touch hard to get on and off because it's really little, Liam and I strapped it, and I wore it last night for the first time.  OMG.  What a difference it makes!  I can turn my head, because it doesn't bind up on my gorget!  I can actually see out the grill (contacts help there, too!) and it's as comfortable as I think I can expect!  Happy-ness!

Part of the happiness of the new helm is that it's fitting over my new gorget.  I'd been struggling with my gorget for a while, as it was just kind of wonky and my hair was catching on the velcro *constantly.* 

Look, I'm not that vain, but I do like my hair, and having it snapped off all the time was starting to seriously piss me off, so Liam suggested a "dog-collar" style gorget, and made one for me.  We lined it in smurf-skin, but I wasn't happy with it, so John relined it with some shearling.  Best.  Thing.  Evar.  It's warm, oddly enough, but the shearling didn't rub my neck raw and better yet, when I started sweating, the shearling didn't get slick and start to slide around like the foam padding would have but it stayed put and absorbed the sweat.

It was the coolness.

Last night was melees, and I died.  It was fun though.  A lot of fun.  :-D

So, I cut the pink caftan too small.  *facepalm*  Yes, I am running again, thank GOD, but still...cut the pink cotton caftan too small.   I figured I'd head off to JoAnn to grab some more of the apple green lining, but decided, since the home dec fabrics were on sale I'd check them out too.  Headed over to the silk section and found some silk for $17.99, and 50% off.  I thought about it, and decided I'd get the silk for a couple dollars more a yard, so I did.  The lining will still be the pink twill, but the outer shell will be a blush silk, much like the color shown here.  The silk I bought isn't the same, as it's not the same price, but the color is very very close.

So, if you're at BAM, look for the pink caftan with the white Hershey Kiss hat and that should be me.  On the other hand, you can probably find me on the melee field, too.

I think that's about all for me.  I think.  Probably not, though.

• Work.  It's driving me nuts.  However, I did totally redo my layout for a 20 page magazine in 10 hours yesterday.  I also think it looks pretty damn good.
• Life.  I love mine.
• Fighting.  I'm skeered and am punking out of fighting. 
• Sewing.  I have something that I've been working on for a week now.  Should get that finished real soon now.
• Con.  We're going to FenCon, and I'm almost done with John's "Core World Dandy" outfit.  :-)  It looks damn good if I do say so myself.
• Also, went to a Cowboys game on Sunday.  O.  M.  G.  How fun!  I'm hooked.