This weekend wa just what the doctor would've ordered, if I had one. Yesterday, it started at about 10am, when a friend of mine picked me up to go to an archery event held by a local group in the SCA, (for those who don't know, it's the Socoety for Creative Anachronisms, a worldwide organization that reinacts the middle ages.) Dressed up in garb of course, my friend and I arrived already in high spirits the moment we saw our people! Everyone dressed up, some in personna, they were all setting up tents, practicing for the tournament, and the feast was already on the table. Just being there in an enclosed environment of nothing but trees, everywhere, makes it so easy to get into it. I didn't get involved with the competition, for archery is not my thing. (After all, as said in the old cliche, "I'm a lover, not a fighter.") My friend did end up competing and against the best of them. Strangely enough, after a year of no practice,....sheeeiiit....not even touching a bow and arrow, she won 3rd place!!! AVA!! YOU GO ON, WIT YO' BAD-ASS!!!!!!!!! I spnt the day just taking in the atmosphere, reading my new favorite magazine.....ever, "Faerie Magazine" (OH YEAH, BABY!!!) Sketching a character for a project, I'm doing for a friend, who's starting up his own video game company, competing in other games like "Bread Toss". My 2 highlights of the day were when 2 friends of mine and I posed for more photos in garb (which I can't wait to see the set!!!) and the bardic competition. I'm a lover of good storytelling and folk songs and old ballads and these people knew how to please a crowd. There was an old guy who stood out, by singing an old Irish ballad (I can't remember the name, DAMMIT!!! Someone help me out, here!!!) With no instruments playing, just him and his rough voice and his thick Irish accent, made the song so beautiful to listen to, I literally almost went into tears! We finally ended off the night with a gift from the guy who organized the whole thing, in the form of a fresh bottle of home-brewed mead!!!! This I intend to enjoy tonight while watching some anime and some episodes of "Absolutely Fabulous".
Today, wasn't as eventful but I did spend a good portion of the day at the beach, which couldn't have been at a better time because the weather was perfect for it. It was at a local nude beach near the Presido and I did go in the buff for a while until the winds kicked up and it started getting chilly. THe only bad thing was that I forgot to bring my towel because I could've used a good blanket for my legs. Still, managed to get some more sketching done (which is something I need to do more these days), and managed to get a lot of the crap going on inside my head out of it for a little while.
Anyway, I'm back here, fully rested and wishing the weekend could be just a little longer. But for once it was well spent, and it's got me in a rarely good mood. I'll have some pics up of this year's "Debarchery" soon. To this weekend, the beach, my friends, and especially to the SCA, I cry out,........."HUZAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!!!"