February catch-up part 2: weather, visits, Noisemakers

[damont]

February is generally a mixed bag as weather goes, and this year was no exception -- though around here it didn't come close to the extreme effects of last year. It still did have an effect on things during the month gone by.

Tuesday the 12th featured precipitation that had trouble deciding what it was going to be. A friend found out that the street she lives on was closed, came over after work to await developments, and ended up crashing on the spare bed. The coating of ice the next morning was pretty on trees and bushes, not so pretty on the cars. Luckily it melted off before too too long.

We had visitors over Presidents Day weekend, which was a good and fun experience; I (at least) hope to have another visit soon. That Monday night I started to develop a sore throat, and then around bedtime was getting feverish. Tuesday was a pretty miserable day; Wednesday wasn't much better. Luckily the fever didn't stick around any longer than that, because on Thursday I looked at Friday's weather forecast and decided to head for PA a day early. I was able to see many friends during my travels, including birthday dinner with my parents on Sunday evening before heading home.

The main point of my trip to PA was to teach at Noisemakers Schola. Got to the site around 1130, which was fine since the first class I wanted to take was at noon and I wasn't teaching until after that. Checked in, found math5 for the first of many hugs. Dropped off some stuff down in the feast hall, then went to siobhan1214's bardic workshop, which folks were slow getting to, so we looked at some of the music she'd brought with her until others arrived. Ducked out just a bit early to grab lunch quickly and head for the Blazonry class I was teaching. That went reasonably well, though as usual there was more material I wanted to cover than there was time to cover it.

After an hour's break I was teaching the Writing Effective Commentary class -- and once again, just like last year, math5 was busy doing autocrat things (or so I surmise) so she didn't get to take the class. In this case, just as well -- I totally crashed during the class. Part of it was poorly ventilated and overwarm room, part was caffeine crash (after way not enough decent sleep), part was blood sugar crash. That last doesn't make sense though; I had eaten a decent lunch, only two hours before. Still, when the caffeine crashed it took my blood sugar with it anyway. I am *SO* embarrassed. Scolastica didn't really need the class, but I don't know who the other lady was and dearly want to apologize to her.

After I ended that little mess, we hung around and talked a bit. I worked on a lady's back for about 15 minutes. Got to talk with fosveny about various things. Shot the breeze with Scolastica, John, Marta, Julia, and Arpad. Eventually, the folks who weren't staying for feast said their goodbyes and headed out.

We went downstairs and set up for feast. Just before the first course was served we were discussing the toasts, and it became clear that I was the senior peer present despite only having been a peer for 4 years. (Noisemakers weekend was effectively the fourth anniversary of my elevation and induction into the Order of the Pelican.) Further complicating matters, there were only four peers present, and the junior pair were the local Baron and Baroness... which meant that if we went in strict order of seniority, they'd end up proposing the toast to themselves, which would be awkward. We ended up in reverse order: the Baroness offered the toast to the Crown, bunnyjadwiga toasted the Heirs, and I saluted the B&B.

I was sitting on the end of a table with math5, her mother, and bunnyjadwiga, and next to a table with various folks I knew (some more, some less). joef_johnm, kandy_elizabet, and their staff did a wonderful job with the food. The pea soup, the nice variety of breads, the garlic cheese spread, the turnips in broth, the roasted root veggies, the braised cabbage, the chicken with oranges... :-9 mmmmmm. Watching talvinamarich help conceal siobhan1214's birthday cake up until its actual presentation was amusing. Actually, the goings-on *in general* at the next table were entertaining. (And thanks for the slice of cake, Siobhan!)

Once feast was over I lurched into Pelican mode and went to help with the kitchen cleanup, along with Arpad, bunnyjadwiga, and especially binsteaj who'd had to miss the event for work but showed up specifically to help with cleanup! That was *most* appreciated! I dried many bins' worth of pots, pans, platters, pitchers, and so on. We got our feast gear washed, dried, and put away. And then it was back to the Place Of Crashing.

Overall, the event was smaller than we might have liked... but we knew we were up against a Royal Progress. Last year's event, which included the King's and Queen's Bardic Championships *and* two Pelican vigils, was much larger -- *too* large for the site, in some respects -- and yet the *schola* part of the event last year seemed to involve only a few more people last year than the total number of people there this time around. That's just my gut impression; it could be wrong, and in any case I'm not sure what to make of it.

Sunday the 24th was definitely a day for sleeping in after having had not nearly enough sleep Friday night (not to mention the shortish Thursday night). Eventually wakefulness was achieved, I packed up the car, and went to have dinner with my parents before heading home.

Comments

[bunnyjadwiga.livejournal.com]

I was under the impression that in their home Barony, current Barons/Baronesses outrank the regular peers. Am I wrong?

[dr-zrfq.livejournal.com]

It varies from place to place.

For the purposes of the toasts, in Atlantia the home Baronage generally doesn't get included except in special circumstances. Baronial Investitures are one common example of that. They also fill in for peers at times: the only other time I've ever given a toast was at a Defending the Gate when only two peers stayed for feast, so we had our Baron and Baroness toast the Crown, cfram toasted the Heirs, and I toasted the B&B.

In some kingdoms, the order of precedence explicitly sets current Territorial Baronage just behind the Heirs, ahead of even royal peers. I'm not certain how this gets applied to toasts.

It appears to be a mixed bag in the East; my own memories of feasts and toasts are a bit muddled.

[math5.livejournal.com]

You really crashed ;)
I actually attended your class (and my mother sat there too) even if I sat next to the door in case there was some emergency that needed me :)
I also attended ladytat's heraldic display and the first part of fosveny's conflict checking classes.

and yet the *schola* part of the event last year seemed to involve only a few more people last year than the total number of people there this time around.
Not sure what you mean by that, but we can discuss it this weekend :)

[dr-zrfq.livejournal.com]

I *was* out of it, wasn't I... if anyone had asked if I were okay I might well have answered "no".

Last year, it seemed that the crowd at the event was almost partitioned into three groups -- those who were there specifically because of the two New Pelicans, those who were there specifically for the Bardic Championships/Royal Progress, and those who were there for the heraldry and music classes. There was some overlap between the groups, but it didn't seem like a whole lot of overlap to me. As a result, it seemed to me that this year's event was a lot like last years's event, only without all those other people there who seemed to be at a different event on the same site.