Archive for October, 2007

Self Destruction Button 4 Port USB Hub W/ Key

There's something very special to me about "big faires" (Ok, these days more appropriately just termed "long run" faires) – it's where I started, and in many ways feels the most like what I think of Faire as being. I miss those days of being part of Santa Maria at Northern/Southern, or the Queens Guard, or St. George. I know even if I ever worked faire again it wouldn't really be the same, since as with all things it's changed over the years (both the culture of the performers as well as the audience). Not that it's at all changed for the worse, just that it would be different from what I remember in my minds eye from around the lake at San Bernadino, or walking the high road at Black Point.

I think that's rather the point to myself, one shouldn't try to recapture what things were like in a past experience. I think it tends to only set one up for frustration and generally disappointment. If one just goes into it trying to have a good time and experience, then it'll be better than trying to force it to be what your minds eye has as it's goal. Let's also not forget that those fond memories of faires long past are pretty rosy, and that doesn't always reflect how it really was at the time.

Anyway, back to the review – I got out there in the early afternoon, and the parking lots (both VIP and outer) were mostly full. From walking up from the car to the faire itself, one could hear the sounds of the crowds and the cheers inside, and it made for a great draw for people arriving after a long drive, knowing that something cool was ahead of them.

Inside the streets were bustling – not so bad that it was all a red zone, but enough that there was a great level of energy from performers and patrons alike. It's not that large of a site, actually, but when walking around it, from the twists and hills, it seems probably twice as large as it actually is. But the thick canopy of trees keeps the direct sun off in most places.

Kudos to the washer women around the well at the front gate, and to the constables. It's all about those characters that are in the streets that make the experience memorable.

I often wish we could get more of the long run vendors to the short run faires, but I appreciate the challenge (and the business problems). If for no other reason through, I keep on going back to casa for the shopping (as well as getting to see friends that I don't get to see for most of the rest of the year).

I did see the flying fairies, or whatever they were called, and didn't find them nearly as obtrusive as I'd seen originally posted about. It's unusual, but not obtrustive. I think people had more of a fit (and it was more odd looking) when the climbing wall first appeared out at the Nut Tree, but by now it's just an element of the faire. They had a nice crowd watching them, and the audience seemed to be enjoying themselves, so taken for that they should get a break by their detractors, give them a few years to see how they grow into the family out there. There have been other acts that have been tried over the years that just kept on failing miserably (anyone remember the stepford belly dancers) at fitting in. Time will tell.

But as for Casa as a faire at a high level, it was fun, and would look forward to visiting it again. As for the internal drama, I'd say again, I do believe that RenFaire is actually derived from a greek term meaning "high school drama". It's just a fact of life.

Emporia, KS – that's what I mean whenever I talk about Home. As in, "back home we had real weather," or, "back home we at least had a public education system that worked." But at this point it's been a great number of years since I'd really taken the time to go back for a visit for more than a day or so and even then it's been due to funeral or whatnot. It's kind of silly I know, but one of the biggest reasons I hadn't gone back was just out of pure embarassment.

When I'd left, Kansas was a nice livable place. Sure they had more than a few churches along the bible belt, but it was a nice place to bring up a family or to grow up, get an education, and generally use it as a launching pad to do whatever else you wanted to do. There was also the oddballs, like the preacher from Topeka that'd wander through town ranting about pornography (picketing random 7-11s because of their playboys), about the satanic elements of Dungeons and Dragons, or other similar antics. But at the time we all knew he was nuts and just left him rant away until he got tired and went home.

But now there's stupid crap left right and center. Ok, mostly to the right. As in far right. The kind of right that gets a bit uncomfortable because Rush Limbaugh is a bit too liberal and free loving. Yea, I'll admit that when I was in high school I was a Republican, and still have my ol party card somewhere, but I'd gotten into it because of the "government is best that governs least" anti-federalist ideas. I rather must have missed the memo that has the add-on language that says "…except in cases of morality, ethics, and anything that's not like us." Now the state is so Red that the notion of going back just feels dirty. I'd feel less so if I went to Mississippi and hung out at a cross burning and tractor pull – at least they don't have any pretense of being anything other than what they are – the good ol boys there know they're nothing more than low grade rednecks. But what's the excuse of the rest of the heartland? The ones that now sit back and say, oops, maybe Bush was an idiot and that the Iraq war might just happen to have not been thought through before jumping into it.

Yea, there's a lot of good people back there, but they're also the ones that are the laughing stock from around the world by causing the Flying Spaghetti Monster to have to be brought up in schools because they thought that Intelligent Design was a concept. If I tried to convince my professors that anything is true if you can't prove it to be false, I would have gotten the F that I deserved. Oh wait, you don't give F's anymore because it'll make someone feel bad.

What ever happened to the middle ground. The one that had christmas programs if a community wanted one, but also allowed for other programs as well if they wanted it. The ones where you had to have a detailed background check to buy a gun, but once passed you could have whatever you wanted. There's too much all or nothing if you ask me. Too much black or white.

Fundamentalists of any color are by definition illogical and mostly crazy. Maybe if I don't stop for very long I can avoid being dragged into a born again revivial and army recruiting drive. I miss home. I just don't think the one I left is still there…

If only we have that much armor running around to play with…

For those that like off road challenges, this is something that just looks like awsome fun…