Eclectic Antagonist Micro-blog

Spring is here. For the first time in three years, when the flowers bloom I will not be campaigning to Europe in search of Knightly adventure. Some Men of coat armor who I hold dear are preparing to do so. They will have great and bloody adventures, and I am very proud of them. I am proud of Bo Ring for pursuing his test. I will be with you.

For myself, and a number of us, to be honest, I didn’t…

Onward! Forward! To Battle!

It is no surprise to anyone that I have been a Tolkein freak for a long long long time.

When I was a child, I was given an LP of “The Hobbit” (That’s a record for you young whipper snappers! yeah, the vinyl type)

Every day after school, I would put this precious record on my child’s record player and listen to it. I could quote every single line, and sing every single song.

This pattern of…

This week has been challenging. I am on call for the first time at my new job, and I have learned that two industries; The medical field and internet pornographers, Don’t give a damn about holidays or times of day. The beasts must be fed…

In other words, I haven’t gotten much sleep and probably won’t until next monday.

Regardless, I really wanted to go to SCA practice, as it had been weeks since…

The turning of the wheel

Lots of folks define for themselves resolutions of the coming year. Many see this as a good practice; utilizing the end and beginning of a new year as a chronological marker to make changes in their lives.

Others throw much mud at this, saying resolutions don’t work, that you shouldn’t wait for change, etc.

Frankly, I see value in both, depending on the individual.

What is most important is that…

I am very thankful to Jeremy Rhoades for helping me with the technical aspects of getting this blog back up and running…

Now, I make my living in the Computer world, but that doesn’t mean I don’t need help at times. I’m a “network guy”… Asking me about software is similar to asking a railroad engineer how to manage a car full of angry commuters… I have deep skills in keeping the trains running,…

Open letter to a new Squire

Hear my words, Squire Yoder.

It has recently been told to me that you did swear a solemn oath of Fealty and service to a fellow Knight;  one who shares certain bonds of love and lineage to me. As is my duty and my right, I will give you some encouragements and admonishments concerning your new station, the pleasurable burden of such things, and the very great opportunity for advancement or ruin.

“My body and my wealth I spent / quite willingly, ‘t was my intent.”

There has been a significant hiatus for this blog lately.

The past few months I have experienced some amazing moments as well as moments of defeat. Such is the nature of a Life in Harness. It has tested me in ways I was not ready for. If you pass one test, I suppose you go onto the next, and none of them are ever the same.

Last night, on ABC Nightline’s national broadcast, approximately 1.5…

The Nature of a beautiful moment

There is a tremendous scene in the movie “The secret life of Walter Mitty”, where the main character has finally caught up with the photographer he has been chasing. He and the photographer witness a singularly beautiful moment together. He chooses not to photograph this beautiful thing because it is meant to only exist in its perfection for that single moment.

In the past few days, I have found…

C.S. Lewis, The Necessity of Chivalry

C.S. Lewis: The Necessity of Chivalry, published in his book of essays “Present Concerns”.

This is not all of the essay, but I am comfortable putting this here, as this is how much is publically available in Google books/Amazon, etc. I urge you to buy a copy. But this will whet your appetite. There are some very key concepts here. Some of his references will not be understood by an unlearned…

Thoreau I am not…. But I did find a pond.

In an effort to “readjust” after my months long “Chivalric binge” , I did something relatively spur of the moment this Saturday.

I had been avoiding unpacking from the Spanish Campaign, and still had luggage to put away from Unicorn, where the Now-in-the-History-Books-of-the-Revered King and Queen Knighted me in the SCA.

I decided that Saturday was the day to “clean house”; to come down and…

On a Steel Horse I ride… Join me!

The beautiful ride into work this morning; spring rains washing me clean, reminded me of this article I wrote a bit ago but never published… Probably a good time to do so as May is Bike to work Month.. I am by no means an expert, but these are my observations. If they are useful, that’s cool! If not, that’s cool to!

I have been asked a number of times why I started using a bicycle for…

The Spanish Campaign, Day 8-9

I am sitting at my computer a bit shell shocked. My bags are in the living room, harness still unpacked. The last two days of the tournament were so busy that I didn’t get to write anything down. I apologize for that, but it is what it is.

To say this tournament was a success would be an understatement, and the conclusion of it was just as spectacular. The official numbers have yet to come in,…

The Spanish Campaign, Day 7, Fight day 2

It’s going to be a glorious day.

I am looking forward to the Longsword and sword and shield singles, the Women’s Melee, and U.S.A. 1 fights..

Quite a few of the fighters have asked for a copy of the prayer. I’ll put it here. It’s theirs to do with as they wish .

“Great Divine. We have once again been drawn to a place of testing; A place of thresholds; A place of transformation, and love, and…

The Spanish Campaign, Day 6, Fight day 1

6:00 AM local time Morning dawns. I have been lying in my bed for a while. Folks begin to stir, and prepare for the day. We have to get our harness and equipment up in the camp soon, as they will not allow vehicles soon. These few quiet moments before the sun are precious.

8:12 AM Local time My harness is in the armoring tent, and I am sitting by the fire. Fighters from every national team are…

The Spanish Campaign Day 5

A lot of the draining part of these things is not necessarily the fighting, although that is the primary test of course.

No, the logistics of dealing with all this is really what zaps you…

I have been unable to write anything down through the day, and that will probably be what it is like from here on out during the tournament.

A lot has gone on, and a great deal of work has been done by a lot of…

The Spanish Campaign Day 4

8:15 am local time The morning has dawned bright and lovely. I am sitting on the patio typing while Brad is cooking carnita of some kind on the grill behind me. We will be taking the provender for our expedition to the abandoned castle this morning.

I slept quite well, and feel synched up with the local time, although I can certainly feel the thinner air. yesterday we walked up the steep side…

The Spanish Campaign day 3

6:40 am local: Time is very strange when you are on one of these adventures. It moves both very slowly and very quickly. Slowly in that it is hard to be away from those you love, and quickly in that there is so much to see and do.

Be that as it may, I am sitting in the hotel lobby waiting for Andre to load up my gear. We are for Belmonte today, and I will see where this very great contest of arms…