Drunktoberfest Weekend
Oct. 4th, 2005 03:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blueeowynI appreciate that term. Yes, it is Oktoberfest weekend but it seems like a large number of the visitors to the village are imbibing an impressive amount of alcohol without buffering it with sufficient food, water, and time. *sigh*
Friday night I had a lot to get done and no time to do it. So Java in his sneakiness, tells me he is leaving work late but leaves on time and runs some of the errands for me and surprises me with the results when I am ready to head upstairs. Sneaky man, but it was a great help and is greatly appreciated.
Saturday dawned cool and dry. However, it was expected to get warm but not overly hot. Well, I think it reached hot it just didn't reach Horribly Hot. The lack of rain is still rather evident and the site is very dusty. Clouds of dust swarm up around your feet as you walk. I seem to be coming down with the cold/sinus-infection/whatever that Java had last week so a lot of the weekend is a blur of sorts. After we park the car, I look at the pasture and see which horses are in the pasture and figure out (by elimination) which horses are going to be in the joust field today).
We arrive on Saturday and I head to the costume trailer and it is COLD in there (no heat yet) but it will warm up. Java gets breakfast (warm bagels with cream cheese and HOT chocolate). The chocolate is hot enough to almost burn my tongue. MmmmMMMmmmm I like hot chocolate. Warm, soothing, tasty. It is very nice. I am now lacing at least 2 ladies every morning between meeting and the morning dance and am starting to get the timing of how long after the cannon goes Boom! that I have before I have to be out of the costume house and thus how fast I have to go up the hill. I'm only gasping a little bit when we do the dance but I have fun and flatter the people I dance with. Then it is time to head off and take care of some stuff that needs doing.
I then head to the joust arena and we already have some people there (11:20am) so I find out who is jousting (Otto was expected) and who is riding which horse and off I go to do Joust Info. I get some good questions and seem to have a good rapport with the audience. Then it is time to cheer-lead the joust and we do a fairly solid job of getting our side cheering. I do quick explanations of some of what is going on and people seem to enjoy themselves. I hear the other side chanting "Ot-to, Ot-to, Ot-to" so I get my sections chanting "James Grey, James Grey, James Grey". The joust finishes and the lap of honor is done and I run to start getting ready for Princess.
I grab food and props and help get costumes changed and head to the Gatehouse. I had spoken earlier to Boba Da Vinci about the fact that we tend to run short and he is happy about that. We have a good crowd at the show and it goes well. I strike our stuff and head back to the costume house, put stuff away and go heading to the joust arena. Since it is Oktoberfest the Landskenecht group is doing a pike demo which I sit and watch. When they leave I do some quick spiel until the cheer leaders come out for the 2:00 joust. After the joust, I wander around a bit, greet some people and run some errands. Then it is time to head back to the joust arena to catch the end of the Chess Game so I can do a bit before the 4:00 joust. I start my spiel and joke about how I have to make it fast since the cheerleaders will be coming out to chase me away. Then the trumpets sound. Ooops, no cheerleaders on the side I am on ... so I look at the other side and see no one their either. EEP! [I found out later that it was due to the majority of the cheerleaders for that joust being sick and the one who was there that day was desperately needed elsewhere.] so I quickly give the rules (during breaks in the lines), chase kids off the rails, explain who they are cheering for and run to the other side of the arena where I chase kids off the rail (this is very important because this is the side that has the Baston combat where you are fairly likely to get wood flying close to the railing) and try to get this group cheering for their side and again do some fast explanations of what is going on for those who can't easily hear the dias (a lot of background noise today). The joust goes well and the side I am on wins (Go Martino!) and I chat with a squire briefly then head back to the trailer to drop my tunic off and refill my water mugs (yes, plural). I felt sorry for James Grey, his score that he lost with tied the winning score for one of the earlier jousts and nearly tied the other. Sometimes that is just how the things work out.
I agree to carry some stuff to the pub for Faireraven and off I go. I get there while the Bayfield Brass is finishing the end of their set and there is no one on the royal box, so I pub both mugs and a lantern on it to try to hold it. Did I mention it was drunkawareness weekend part 2? Well, a group of young men who were VERY happy came in and move stuff aside to sit on the box. Not a big deal (since we aren't formally holding things yet) but I thought it was a little brazen of them. They are happy drunks but definitely drunk (and getting drunker quickly). The group on stage finishes and leave and eventually the crew comes in to set up for Pub Sing (sound levels, reserve the box and the table, etc.). There are some people who are not happy about moving but eventually it gets worked out. Lots of people come into the area that has to be cleared but most move without a major argument (phew). The energy/vibes of the pub are weird but the music goes well and Gypsophilia is there again (I love watching them play). The cannon booms and off we go. I meet up with one of the performers whose birthday is this weekend and ask if she would prefer her spanking today or tomorrow ... she quickly replies that tomorrow is fine (obviously hoping that I would forget). Java and I take care of some stuff and head home (and get to sit and watch the train go by ... missed it by || much). Visit with some friends at home and pass out.
Sunday dawns and I don't want to get up. It is cold in the house (temp dropped overnight) and the bed is warm and cozy. However, duty calls and off we go. Java has to get tix for some people who are coming so I head to meeting and get him coffee/hot chocolate mixed and he is very sweetly touched. I like being able to do things for him to surprise and please him. We beep and off I go to lace a few people in. Race back up to the dance and it goes fairly well. Then I head off to wander the crowds a bit, greet people, and head to the joust to say howdy to my friends back there and see who is up (I tried to figure it out by who was in the field but I wasn't sure which of 2 horses I was seeing, I'm not that great at telling them apart from the side ... yet). Then I go and start wandering some more, stop by the German camp to say howdy to those people (who are here only for the one weekend), say hi to Java's parents who are visiting and give them ideas on what to go see, and then get more water. I then go and talk to people who are waiting for the joust and have a wonderful discussion with a group of 3 men who thought the joust started at 11:30. The cheerleaders come out and I run over to my side where my partner is Sir Percy today instead of Wetherby. There was some minor excitement on the entrance because it is a cooler day and the horses are frisky (I think one rein got caught on something as well) but it is quickly fixed and the show moves on. They have made some minor changes to the joust and it goes fairly smoothly. I give play-by-play commentary to a couple of sections because they can't see one of the ground fights (2 percherons do NOT make a good window) and the off to the lance pass portion we go. It was tied after each pass until the final one, I turned to one section after that final pass and said, well, that was a well shattered lance. As it turns out, the 5 points for that vs. the 3 points for the tip was the 2 point difference in the scores (18 to 20 IIRC). After the joust ends, I answer some questions then make my way backstage. Princess goes well and since I am on-book (I was asked to check the script for drift) I don't see as much as I sometimes do but I do my count and am impressed at the mob of children on the stage AND how the actors dealt with them. We pack up and I head off to the joust arena.
The demo ends a little earlier today so I get some good talking time in and have some really good questions (and some minor trouble makers ... *sigh*). The joust goes well (and I am acting as a wall around Sparowe to help decrease the jostling and I head off to find food (I am famished). I get my food and realize it won't all fit in my bowl so I sneak backstage to eat part of it, then wander a bit while nibbling on the rest. I chat with my sister and her husband (whom I didn't know were going to be there) and suggest some things for them to go see, and then I watch the end of the chess game and do my fast spiel before the 4:00 joust. When the cheerleaders came out, I did some quieter Q&A while Cozit worked the crowd at the other end, then I head up to block for Sparowe and do some rail duty. The horses in the list are an interesting matchup for this one. 2 fairly fast ones and one will run a bit then shift into Mach5 mode which makes target timing much more difficult. Not the highest scoring joust but when they hit the targets it was LOUD and solid. Then back down the hill to drop the tunic and off to the Hart again. I talk to SMJ about getting the table grabbed earlier and she thinks it is a good idea if I am willing (and able) to do it so I will try next weekend). The music plays, lots of people dance (but clear out) and the court doesn't come. Since we are used to having the King make a speech, we have an impromptu King and Queen (who look a lot like the apprentice bar-keep and Zack Rackahm respectively) and we get our final song and the cannon booms. Watching the people on stage who hadn't seen Louis do Sailor's Prayer was very amusing (esp. when he got down to just a t-shirt and jeans) ... the man is well built and can sing.
I head back to the trailer and change and run into the birthday girl. I am holding my belt (leather rein) and she thinks it is a whip but she knows that I am not THAT bad and agrees to the 'spanking' so I ask her to hold out her hand and I tap it 6 times (counting 5, 10, 15, 20) and swat her (very gently) on the backside with my skirt for the one to grow on. She laughs (which is the point). She teases me about trying to entertain 5000 people alone (she thinks I can handle 4000 which is flattering but not true) and I wish her a good day.
Java and I pack up our stuff, head to dinner with friends, and go home and do some stuff that needs to be done before Monday morning. Then to bed, to sleep, what a wonderful thing is sleep.
Friday night I had a lot to get done and no time to do it. So Java in his sneakiness, tells me he is leaving work late but leaves on time and runs some of the errands for me and surprises me with the results when I am ready to head upstairs. Sneaky man, but it was a great help and is greatly appreciated.
Saturday dawned cool and dry. However, it was expected to get warm but not overly hot. Well, I think it reached hot it just didn't reach Horribly Hot. The lack of rain is still rather evident and the site is very dusty. Clouds of dust swarm up around your feet as you walk. I seem to be coming down with the cold/sinus-infection/whatever that Java had last week so a lot of the weekend is a blur of sorts. After we park the car, I look at the pasture and see which horses are in the pasture and figure out (by elimination) which horses are going to be in the joust field today).
We arrive on Saturday and I head to the costume trailer and it is COLD in there (no heat yet) but it will warm up. Java gets breakfast (warm bagels with cream cheese and HOT chocolate). The chocolate is hot enough to almost burn my tongue. MmmmMMMmmmm I like hot chocolate. Warm, soothing, tasty. It is very nice. I am now lacing at least 2 ladies every morning between meeting and the morning dance and am starting to get the timing of how long after the cannon goes Boom! that I have before I have to be out of the costume house and thus how fast I have to go up the hill. I'm only gasping a little bit when we do the dance but I have fun and flatter the people I dance with. Then it is time to head off and take care of some stuff that needs doing.
I then head to the joust arena and we already have some people there (11:20am) so I find out who is jousting (Otto was expected) and who is riding which horse and off I go to do Joust Info. I get some good questions and seem to have a good rapport with the audience. Then it is time to cheer-lead the joust and we do a fairly solid job of getting our side cheering. I do quick explanations of some of what is going on and people seem to enjoy themselves. I hear the other side chanting "Ot-to, Ot-to, Ot-to" so I get my sections chanting "James Grey, James Grey, James Grey". The joust finishes and the lap of honor is done and I run to start getting ready for Princess.
I grab food and props and help get costumes changed and head to the Gatehouse. I had spoken earlier to Boba Da Vinci about the fact that we tend to run short and he is happy about that. We have a good crowd at the show and it goes well. I strike our stuff and head back to the costume house, put stuff away and go heading to the joust arena. Since it is Oktoberfest the Landskenecht group is doing a pike demo which I sit and watch. When they leave I do some quick spiel until the cheer leaders come out for the 2:00 joust. After the joust, I wander around a bit, greet some people and run some errands. Then it is time to head back to the joust arena to catch the end of the Chess Game so I can do a bit before the 4:00 joust. I start my spiel and joke about how I have to make it fast since the cheerleaders will be coming out to chase me away. Then the trumpets sound. Ooops, no cheerleaders on the side I am on ... so I look at the other side and see no one their either. EEP! [I found out later that it was due to the majority of the cheerleaders for that joust being sick and the one who was there that day was desperately needed elsewhere.] so I quickly give the rules (during breaks in the lines), chase kids off the rails, explain who they are cheering for and run to the other side of the arena where I chase kids off the rail (this is very important because this is the side that has the Baston combat where you are fairly likely to get wood flying close to the railing) and try to get this group cheering for their side and again do some fast explanations of what is going on for those who can't easily hear the dias (a lot of background noise today). The joust goes well and the side I am on wins (Go Martino!) and I chat with a squire briefly then head back to the trailer to drop my tunic off and refill my water mugs (yes, plural). I felt sorry for James Grey, his score that he lost with tied the winning score for one of the earlier jousts and nearly tied the other. Sometimes that is just how the things work out.
I agree to carry some stuff to the pub for Faireraven and off I go. I get there while the Bayfield Brass is finishing the end of their set and there is no one on the royal box, so I pub both mugs and a lantern on it to try to hold it. Did I mention it was drunkawareness weekend part 2? Well, a group of young men who were VERY happy came in and move stuff aside to sit on the box. Not a big deal (since we aren't formally holding things yet) but I thought it was a little brazen of them. They are happy drunks but definitely drunk (and getting drunker quickly). The group on stage finishes and leave and eventually the crew comes in to set up for Pub Sing (sound levels, reserve the box and the table, etc.). There are some people who are not happy about moving but eventually it gets worked out. Lots of people come into the area that has to be cleared but most move without a major argument (phew). The energy/vibes of the pub are weird but the music goes well and Gypsophilia is there again (I love watching them play). The cannon booms and off we go. I meet up with one of the performers whose birthday is this weekend and ask if she would prefer her spanking today or tomorrow ... she quickly replies that tomorrow is fine (obviously hoping that I would forget). Java and I take care of some stuff and head home (and get to sit and watch the train go by ... missed it by || much). Visit with some friends at home and pass out.
Sunday dawns and I don't want to get up. It is cold in the house (temp dropped overnight) and the bed is warm and cozy. However, duty calls and off we go. Java has to get tix for some people who are coming so I head to meeting and get him coffee/hot chocolate mixed and he is very sweetly touched. I like being able to do things for him to surprise and please him. We beep and off I go to lace a few people in. Race back up to the dance and it goes fairly well. Then I head off to wander the crowds a bit, greet people, and head to the joust to say howdy to my friends back there and see who is up (I tried to figure it out by who was in the field but I wasn't sure which of 2 horses I was seeing, I'm not that great at telling them apart from the side ... yet). Then I go and start wandering some more, stop by the German camp to say howdy to those people (who are here only for the one weekend), say hi to Java's parents who are visiting and give them ideas on what to go see, and then get more water. I then go and talk to people who are waiting for the joust and have a wonderful discussion with a group of 3 men who thought the joust started at 11:30. The cheerleaders come out and I run over to my side where my partner is Sir Percy today instead of Wetherby. There was some minor excitement on the entrance because it is a cooler day and the horses are frisky (I think one rein got caught on something as well) but it is quickly fixed and the show moves on. They have made some minor changes to the joust and it goes fairly smoothly. I give play-by-play commentary to a couple of sections because they can't see one of the ground fights (2 percherons do NOT make a good window) and the off to the lance pass portion we go. It was tied after each pass until the final one, I turned to one section after that final pass and said, well, that was a well shattered lance. As it turns out, the 5 points for that vs. the 3 points for the tip was the 2 point difference in the scores (18 to 20 IIRC). After the joust ends, I answer some questions then make my way backstage. Princess goes well and since I am on-book (I was asked to check the script for drift) I don't see as much as I sometimes do but I do my count and am impressed at the mob of children on the stage AND how the actors dealt with them. We pack up and I head off to the joust arena.
The demo ends a little earlier today so I get some good talking time in and have some really good questions (and some minor trouble makers ... *sigh*). The joust goes well (and I am acting as a wall around Sparowe to help decrease the jostling and I head off to find food (I am famished). I get my food and realize it won't all fit in my bowl so I sneak backstage to eat part of it, then wander a bit while nibbling on the rest. I chat with my sister and her husband (whom I didn't know were going to be there) and suggest some things for them to go see, and then I watch the end of the chess game and do my fast spiel before the 4:00 joust. When the cheerleaders came out, I did some quieter Q&A while Cozit worked the crowd at the other end, then I head up to block for Sparowe and do some rail duty. The horses in the list are an interesting matchup for this one. 2 fairly fast ones and one will run a bit then shift into Mach5 mode which makes target timing much more difficult. Not the highest scoring joust but when they hit the targets it was LOUD and solid. Then back down the hill to drop the tunic and off to the Hart again. I talk to SMJ about getting the table grabbed earlier and she thinks it is a good idea if I am willing (and able) to do it so I will try next weekend). The music plays, lots of people dance (but clear out) and the court doesn't come. Since we are used to having the King make a speech, we have an impromptu King and Queen (who look a lot like the apprentice bar-keep and Zack Rackahm respectively) and we get our final song and the cannon booms. Watching the people on stage who hadn't seen Louis do Sailor's Prayer was very amusing (esp. when he got down to just a t-shirt and jeans) ... the man is well built and can sing.
I head back to the trailer and change and run into the birthday girl. I am holding my belt (leather rein) and she thinks it is a whip but she knows that I am not THAT bad and agrees to the 'spanking' so I ask her to hold out her hand and I tap it 6 times (counting 5, 10, 15, 20) and swat her (very gently) on the backside with my skirt for the one to grow on. She laughs (which is the point). She teases me about trying to entertain 5000 people alone (she thinks I can handle 4000 which is flattering but not true) and I wish her a good day.
Java and I pack up our stuff, head to dinner with friends, and go home and do some stuff that needs to be done before Monday morning. Then to bed, to sleep, what a wonderful thing is sleep.
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Date: 2005-10-05 01:59 am (UTC)Well, that and looking down to see the idiot on the rail being well noted by L. was a good thing, as I *knew* that if he was stupid enough to keep it up or do it when the horses were on the move that L'd take care of the moron so I wouldn't have to.
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Date: 2005-10-05 02:31 am (UTC)