Well, I spoke with Cai this morning and he has to much to do to have a “practice” tonight which actually works out better for me, now I can get the yard done and try to clean the garage andsituate everything so I can start working on stuff again. I need to think about running more outlets and and possibly a bigger circuit out to the garage so that I have the power I need. I need to run conduit along the ground instead of the way it’s done now, it will just be easier. I think 6-8 more outlets would be great.

I would like to find a way to insulate and drywall the inside of the garage as well. It is kind of a hellhole as it is and it’s under lit, under ventalated, and could really stand a new roof and siding. Got nothing but time.

I think I am going to give up on the wooden shield idea. I just don’t think I can create a strong enough shield that does not weigh a ton without vaneers which are ungodly expensive. I may revisit it in the future, but for now it’s on hold.

Anyway, I will start working on that stuff and try to get started doing some carving and woodworking in general. The hardest part is spending money on wood. I am going to do Cai’s box first and then go from there.

My job is stressful. I basically make sure or more to the point, attempt to make sure that our website http://www.sheplers.com comes up at the top of the search results for things like cowboy boots and cowboy hats. This is sometimes a practice in futility as a friend of mine said about the PPC market “It’s like playing chess with a Supercomputer”, mine is like playing chess with that same Supercomputer only I am blindfolded and not allowed to know what moves he is making until it is far to late.

I have thought a good many times that it might be better to work as someone who does not have to think for a living, but the truth of the matter is I am just lazy and a victim of my own circumstances. I have run away from hard work for so long that anytime anything gets remotely difficult I run away. As I am trying to “grow up” and learn as much about myself in the process as possible, I stumbled upon this fact. I will now be working to alleviate that burden as well. There is no reason to run away anymore, it is what it is. If work were supposed to be fun, it would be called happy fun time…

I am restarting Power 90X on Monday. I fell hard this time around and I need to work hard to be more mindful of what I am doing and what I am skipping by not working out. I feel like shit when I don’t workout, I don’t like myself fat, and I am not happy being mediocre anymore. I want, no damn that, I DESERVE TO SUCCEED! It’s a lifestyle change so things will eventually slip and slide, it’s a matter of getting back on the horse and not quitting.

I finished Cai’s pell last night as well as spent some time with Anders talking and working on his shield. I need to get some heater hose so I can finish his bastard sword in time for Valor, actually in time for him to have some practice with it before Valor.

First let me just say that today, Calontir lost a true son and patriot in Syr Ternon de Caerleon. May the Gods bless him and help those of us left behind to know peace in our grief, and never forget those fallen that helped make out culture what it is. Today is truly a sad day for Calontir.

I had a very interesting conversation with Gawayne last night. That guy is my hero I swear to God, he is a walking encyclopedia of historical knowledge. We discussed squiring and that hethought it best I squire outside the Barony, to which I wholeheartedy agree, and that maybe I should speak with another Knight here in the Kingdom. This other Knight has been pointed out to my before as someone who might be able to help me find a sense of direction and get my SCA bearings on all things Chivalric. I will make first contact with him at Crown if he is not to busy and then we will go from there.

Tonight I am planning on getting the yard mowed, finishing Cai’s pell that I have been “working on” for months now, and helping Anders get his rig fixed up. He said he did not have a lot to finish, but I also remembered I need to get some 1.25″ heater hose to make Quillions out of. Valor is quickly approaching.

Speaking of Valor I need to find some Tournament Heralds, which considering Known World Heraldic Symposium is the same weekend, it is going to be hell trying to find people to call the tourney, if nothing else I will sit out and call the tourney myself. I am looking forward to it though.

In the mean time, I need to restrap my rig so that I can buckle it myself, finish my new gorget so that it fits properly and start looking into a purple robe with a falcon and the repainting of my shield. I also need to finish my wooden heater and have a bend put into my wankle.

I ended up only staying one night because of the rain and general misrable weather. I was not going to come home early, but the heat had gotten to me, my food stores got wet and I just decided I would come home. I was very apprieciative of Halidor and Hotel Forgotten Sea for allowing me to camp with them, I enjoyed that alot.

I did get to fight and had a great time fighting with Daniel of Arden, he is a good man and I see great things in his future, he is a truly noble man. We fought together in 5 Bridge Battles and once forded a “river” to flank the enemy and crumble their line with Bjarni and several others.

I am leaving for Lilies in a couple hours and I could not be more excited. I have everything packed up and waiting at home for me to come and load it at noon. I then need to swoop by and pick up Maren and then we are off.

It’s funny, I did not remember how much stuff I have to take and how little extra is needed for more people. I have aTent, Cooler, Armour Box, Weapons, Blankets, Carpets, Clothing…the list goes on and on.

Anyway, no writing until the end of the weekend, hopefully I will have some really good things to report. It is time to be a social butterfly and doing what I need to do to have fun, the old me is dead, Vivat the new me!

I did not get up this morning to work out. My biceps and abs coupled with the lack of sleep from yesterday caused me to puss out not not get up today for Kendo X. My wife pointed out a very good thing though, this is not a race. We are changing out lifestyle and not just dieting and working out. This is the permenant solution so taking a day off every now and then is not a bad thing. But I cannot help but think I somehow let myself down today, maybe that is a sign that I know what I am doing is right.

Got the tent set up last night, seems to all be in order and held very well for sitting for almost 4 years without being set up. Still was full of the red dirt of Oklahoma from the last camping event I went to in Tulsa.

I got my sword taped and a thrustie added, taped my 9ft, retaped the handle of my baby greatsword, and got the canvas on the edge of my wooden shield. I do like the shape, I do like the side. I think for everyday use it would be better to have an aluminum one, but the wood one will look nice and can be a tourney shield or something. I would like to make one for my camp that is just a sign.

Next weekend is Champions and I am on the fence whether to fight in earnest or just fight as a spoiler and bye fighter. On the one hand, I have been Champion twice before and I feel it would be good to let others have a crack at it. On the other hand I think it is good for everyone to have a certain level of competition every now and then. I am not saying I will win, quite the contrary really as we have a good number of really good fighters here.

Well we shall see, it’s a week away and I am in no hurry to make a decision.

INTJs are introspective, analytical, determined persons with natural leadership ability. Being reserved, they prefer to stay in the background while leading. Strategic, knowledgable and adaptable, INTJs are talented in bringing ideas from conception to reality. They expect perfection from themselves as well as others and are comfortable with the leadership of another so long as they are competent. INTJs can also be described as decisive, open-minded, self-confident, attentive, theoretical and pragmatic.

I have been reading The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene again, for like the 4th time. Everytime I read it I gleen a bit more information from it that I am able to process and put to use in real life. Last night’s chapter was talking about becoming a master of timing. Much like a spider you lie in wait for the perfect moment to strike and then leave your “prey”, whatever that might be for you, completely destroyed.

Now, I will be the first to admit that I am in no way devious or underhanded when it comes to people. I have always been and will always been very straightforward and tell people what I think, it’s my way. But there are lessons for every type of person in books such as The 48 Laws, The Prince, Both Arts of War (Sun Tzu and Macchievelli), as well as manuals such as Maurice’s Strategikon and The Book of Five Rings. These books share fundamental similarities, but at the end of the day, each presents something different based on the attitude and perceptions of the reader, this to me is what makes them great.

I will be re-reading all of my favorites and reviewing them as I finish them here. This is more for my ebenfit then the benefit of any readers, but then again this entire blog is the same way. These books have shaped the minds of men in past present and will continue to do so in the future.

I would like a record of my transformations, and understandingds of the way things are, perception is the key to all things my friends. How you perceive a situation, how other perceive you, how you perceive yourself, how you perceive others, how you perceive the world around you are all concious decisions that you can make. I choose at this time to change my perception of all things to better understand all things.

I have been thinking a lot lately about trying to write a beginners guide to fighting in the SCA. Nothing fancy or to in depth, just something to help new people learn things to work on. It would cover topics such as stretching, shots, pell work, etc. It’s probably a flight of fancy, I know the reason I don’t is my fear that people will pick it apart and find things in it that are not quite right or do not work for them and therefore are blasphemous anda bane on the society…Okay that might have been a bit melodramitic

HE Melisende has also got me thinking quite a bit about tactics and strategy and how they relate to the SCA. This monster has been tackled many times by men of much greater prowess then myself. I believe the key to small army tactics lies in the discipline of it’s troops. In the SCA we run into an interesting paradigm in that everyone has modern sensibilities and attitudes of individuality. This is not to say that there is not some discipline in a line of fighters, but for the most part people are not paying attention to what is going on around them on their own side. This will require more thought on my part.