Placeholder... really...

Yup, just a placeholder.  Why?  'Cause this week is busy as all get out!  

Quick recap: DB and I got to AZRF and survived opening weekend. Survived really isn't a good word.  Opening weekend was made of awesomesauce.  The weather was wonderful, the crowds were really sweet and welcoming, and we had a ton of fun. This week we have student days, followed by a three-day-weekend as we're open on President's day.  Did I mention the being busy as all get out?

Yesterday was Lupercalia/Valentine's/Tuesday.  All in all it was a good day.  There were cards in the mail, food shopping with friends after work, and loads of music and camaraderie as we all played in the rain for most of the Student day.  

As for now, I need to do the last of the unpacking, put the pork chops in the oven, and get ready for our next Student day (tomorrow).

Check this space soon for updates! ;>

Love, 

Mel

Stuff and Life on the Road

I wrote this on January 2, 2012.  What makes it more relevant now, as opposed to 15 days ago, is that I'm leaving for AZRF in 10 days. 

2011 was an interesting year for me, and don't get me started on how interesting is a terrible descriptor. I know, I know, I know. Moving on, 2011 was definitely interesting. When I was in Arizona last year I found a Winnebago. For those of you new here, I've been a performer on the Renaissance festival circuit for several years, but I went closer to being full time on the road last year. Being on the road this year was eye opening. I worked new shows, met a lot of wonderful people, and had some incredible experiences. In 2011 my daughter and I traveled to Arizona, Virginia, California, Pennsylvania and Louisiana. In 2012 I'm looking to expand our travels to Carolina, Texas, Maryland and Wisconsin.

Going back to the Winnebago, or as I call her, the 'Bagel. Living in a 23 foot RV is a very different experience, especially when you're a pack rat. Oh, and living with a 2 year old and a cat. Space is, in a word, limited.

Most of my friends who live on the road have reached a point where stuff is just stuff, and they really don't need a lot of stuff. I'm not there. Don't get me wrong, I want to be there, I'm just not there yet. I have stuff. I have a LOT of stuff. I did a huge purge of stuff when I moved from Groton to Ithaca last September, but there's still so much left. I've been pretty good about not replacing the stuff I got rid of with new stuff, but the stuff I still have just seems to have increased in size. Stuff that isn't necessarily important or necessary, but it has an emotional attachment. The stuff I need to get rid of doesn't need emotional attachment.

I need to get over this sense of emotional attachment to stuff. Some things are important, like my grandmother's sewing box. Some things are less-so, like the board games I never play. Looking around my house, I see stuff. I see stuff EVERYWHERE! Stuff in crates, tubs/totes and boxes. Part of me wants to take everything that's in boxes or tubs/totes and just bring them to Salvo. Not open them, just bring them. The problem with that is I'd wonder what was in there. Then I'd fret. Then I'd obsess. Then the ADD would really kick in and I'd be forever wondering what it was that I'd gotten rid of. I'd probably go back down to Salvo and try to find my stuff. That leaves the next option of sorting through each tub/tote and box. This option is not fabulous as I get lost in the minutia. Seriously, I can look through 1 tote and hours will by and I still won't be done. Just thinking about this is making me twitchy. Bottom line, whether or not I go full time on the road, the sheer amount of stuff in my life needs to decrease.

One of the folks I met this year was Anika. She is a sweet wonderful person with a ready smile. She's relatively new to life on the road, and she's loving it. She's adapted to it quickly and I think she really gets what it's about. To quote her,and this is from her blog, "When I made the decision to leave, I packed everything I owned into my Jeep.  I got rid of all my nick-nacks, which really serve no purpose but to remind you of fond memories, donated most of my books and clothes to the library and goodwill, and drove to Pennsylvania.  While living there for three months, Kurt and I basically reconstructed my house (a small pop-up trailer) from scratch. I lived in this new house for 7 weeks in Louisiana, and now it travels with me everywhere I go. After living in Oklahoma for a few weeks, I will then be traveling to Arizona and next, Texas. 

It sounds too corny to say that the "home is where the heart is", so how about "home is where my Jeep is"? Every day I am amazed by all the wonderful people I have met and things I have seen that I would not have gotten to otherwise."

Being on the road is amazing. Every place we go we make new friends, new family. There's community. There are things I get to see and show my daughter, that we wouldn't see if we didn't travel. And each time I've gotten rid of things, of clutter, it's been incredibly freeing. It felt good. It definitely soothed some of my ADD triggers. It made life easier.

The next question, what do I really need vs. what do I think I need.   As of January 17, I have 10 days to figure it out.

A little bit of blather

I had a pretty good weekend. It finally felt like Winter for more than a few hours or even for one day. I got some snippets of things written, but nothing really flowed the way I was hoping for.  I think I have too many thoughts bouncing around in my brain for things to really come together.  Iinstead of trying to force the words out I picked Lily up and practiced for an hour. I picked 4 Irish tunes, 2 Cantigas, 2 classical pieces and the Csardas, which I've wanted to work on for years.  I took two hours for a break and then went back to it. I practiced for one more hour and then stopped. Most of what I picked to play had very little shifting, so my wrist didn't ache to much.  I worked on my posture so my right shoulder wasn't too stiff.  After practice I stretched for a while, and all told I feel pretty good  I don't think I can practice for two hours every day, but I can certainly shoot for one hour a few days a week.

The AZRF cross-country trip is looming. LOOMING!  Seriously, I leave in 11 days. What can someone do in 11 days? Well, y'all are about to find out.  Are you ready?  Good!

*long pause*

Well, not right now. Right now I have to eat. Right now I have to work on uploading tunes to my Bandcamp account. Right now I have to stop worrying about leaving for AZRF in 11 days.  Right now...

Cue the VanHagar!

I so miss Pop Up Video.  And in case you don't know the lyrics to "Right Now", here ya go.

Don't wanna wait 'til tomorrow
Why put it off another day?
One by one, little problems
Build up, and stand in our way. Oh

One step ahead, one step behind it
Now ya gotta runt o get even
Make future plans I'll dream about yesterday, hey!
Come on turn, turn this thing around

(Right Now) Hey! It's your tomorrow
(Right Now) Come on, it's everything
(Right Now) Catch your magic moment
Do it right here and now
It means everything

Miss a beat, you lose a rhythm
An nothin' falls into place. No!
Only missed by a fraction
Slipped a little off your pace. Oh!

The more things you get, the more you want
Just trade in one for another
Workin' o hard to make it easy
Whoa, got to turn. Come on, turn this thing around

(Right Now) Hey! It's your tomorrow

(Right Now) Come on, it's everything
(Right Now) Catch your magic moment
Do it right here and now
It means everything

Said a lie to me
Right now
What ar ya waitin' for? Oh! Yeah!
Right Now

(Guitar Solo)


(Right Now) Hey! It's your tomorrow
(Right Now) Come on, it's everything
(Right Now) Catch your magic moment
Do it right here and now
It means everything

It's what's happening
Right here and now
Right now, it's right now
Right now, it's right now
Oh!
Tell me, what are ya waitin' for?
Turn this thing around

Music in movies

When they announced Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows I got excited, but not for the reasons you might think. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the eye candy. While I'm not a huge Jude Law fan, I really like his portrayal of Dr. Watson. While I am a huge Robert Downey Jr. fan, it's not because he's rather easy on the eyes. I'm a huge Robert Downey Jr. fan because I think he's an awesome actor. I like that he isn't just Robert Downey Jr. playing a part. I like that when I watch him in movies I see the character he's playing. I really liked the first Sherlock Holmes. I liked the storyline, the pace of the movie, and the music. I think my favourite track was Rocky Road to Dublin, by the Dubliners, like that's any big surprise to any of you.

I saw Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows on Christmas day as part of my traditional Channukah/Christmas celebrations. I was really looking forward to it, and I was not disappointed. I liked the pacing and the story. I liked the new characters. I liked the old characters. Most of all, though, I loved the music. The Roma tunes were... indescribable. I could see them. They made my pulse move, and my fingers itched for my fiddle and bow. Friends took me to see the movie again earlier this week, and I had the same reaction. I need to get this soundtrack, but even more, I need to learn these tunes. I need to play these tunes. Before I head off, let me share this article with you. It's pretty fantastic, and there are some great clips. Make sure you watch all the clips!

Hans Zimmer Uses 'Sherlock Holmes' Soundtrack to Expose Slovakian Villager Musicians | Billboard.biz

Needing a little Help from my Friends

Dear Quackers, Fans, Friends, Y'all who are reading...

I need help!

 With my poor van Serenity being dead, and no real prospects for a new vehicle, I'm looking at putting something up on Kickstarter.  The problem is that I don't know what to offer. This is where YOU come in.  What would YOU like from NeidFyre? What would motivate you to donate to the "Get NeidFyre Back On The Road" fund?

Inquiring minds need to know, 'cause I've got to leave for AZRF at the end of January!

Singing with my Daughter

I sing songs and play fiddle music for DB, and she watches me intently.  When I sing, she stares at my lips with amazing focus and mimics the shapes my mouth is making.  She has learned to sing several of the songs in my regular faire set list, including the Mingulay Boat Song.  Today she floored me.

At naptime she asked for her Lullaby (In a Glade) and as I began she sang it with me. Each verse and chorus.  The song is in Ukrainian.  UKRAINIAN!!

Here's a link to the non-Milla Jovovich version of the song.  FYI, while I love Milla's version, and I sing it about the same tempo she does, I really enjoy this version.

This child is so incredible...

Winter Wonderwhat?

I'm a freak. I know this isn't a surprise to you, but I thought I'd start out with this fact.

Today's freakiness is brought to you by the words cold, snow and wind chill. I love the winter. There, I said it. I L.O.V.E. The winter. I'd much rather have the temperature cool or cold than hot. Really, I can't stand the heat. Hell, I don't even like it when it's too bright outside.

In my closest circle of friends I'm in the minority. They enjoy the heat. They enjoy the sun. They enjoy the... :shudder: summer. How does one actually enjoy the summer? It's HOT. It's often HUMID. And the light. FFS, it's frelling BRIGHT out. Stupid Evil Burning Daystar what keeps us alive, but is really painful on my eyes and skin. Also, you can only take off so many clothes before you're naked. Once you're naked there's no where left to go. The only saving grace of the hot: A/C. You heard me, Air Conditioning. My parents house had central air. My grandparent's house had a massive wall unit in the den and another in their bedroom. All my friends had A/C. A/C was a way of life, man.

Winter, on the other hand... Winter is delightful. The days are shorter. If you're cold you can put on more layers. Snow is beautiful to look at. It can still be frelling bright out, but there's not much I can do about that. Winter is hot chocolate, the smell of stews and soups, roasts and evergreens. Winter is snuggles and tea. Winter is beautiful. Winter is snow. Winter is brisk. Winter is skiing, tobogganing, and ice skating. Most of all, Winter isn't hot.

The winter this year has been incredibly mild. It was in the 40's and 50's the week of Christmas. 40's and 50's people! WTF? Last night we had a lake effect advisory. The temperature dropped to the single digits, and this morning it was between -5 to 5 depending on the wind chill. There was even snow. Granted, it wasn't a lot of snow, but there was snow!When I went out today I had to wear a hat, scarf, coat and gloves. It was fantastic.

I know that Longest Night has passed, and the nights are getting shorter. I know Spring will be here soon. I know the Evil Burning Daystar will mock me with its glare. Until then, I just want to enjoy the Winter. I don't care that I'm in the minority. Bring on the Winter.