Bristly insects

I went to the Antir-West War (SCA) over the weekend. These guys in the picture were my good neighbors. They were quiet, didn't block the road (or the entrance to my tent, ahem) with their tents, and didn't make any pretense of being friendly when I tried to be friendly, myself. They also didn't snore, have sleep apnea, or vomit in full view of my front door. Like I said, they were the good neighbors. I'd have been more careful about where I put my tent, but I was among the first people on site. I thought I'd end up in the suburbs, but it turned out to be the projects.

Eh, I had fun anyway! It was my second event in An Tir; my second SCA event ever at which I knew exactly no one. I half-expected to see a familiar face or two (Avery, Alyx, Idanthrysus, maybe Cire or Elizabeth...?), but no dice. All told, this made for a very different experience of the SCA. Hard to put my finger on it exactly, but I like it. 'Tis da bomb. Look for me on merchants' row from now on: that's where the fun is.

Unfortunately, being away for the 4th meant that I missed some really interesting anniversaries:
July 4th saw the birth of Stephen Foster (1826) and Louis Armstrong (1900), as well as the retirement from Baseball of the great Lou Gehrig (1939, my number-one hero).
Also, in 1845, Henry David Thoreau took up residence at Walden Pond.
And in 1862, the Rev. Charles Dodgson told a little story to some young friends while on a boating excursion- a little story which would later be known as Alice's Adventures In Wonderland.
And in 1946, the Republic of the Philippines achieved independence from the United States (though our forces still occupy the country in spite of their constitution's strict doctrine forbidding foreign forces on their soil. Go figure).

On July 6 1855, Andrew Crosse, electrical experimenter, died. He is remembered for at least one experiment in which dissolved flint and potassium carbonate were subjected to an electrical charge, which apparently resulted in the birth of “bristly insects.” Amazing, and a little frightening.

Now on to today: it's Percy Grainger's birthday, so if you see him, wish him well. Raffi, Anjelica Huston, and Kevin Bacon also celebrate their birthdays today.

And for one second, it was 1234567890 (12:34:56 on 7/8/90).

Many, many projects underway in goatland...