Shiny new icon!
Sep. 19th, 2010 01:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anthimeriaThe MZB Literary Works Trust website finally posted the cover for Sword and Sorceress XXV (25)! I couldn't fit the whole thing on an icon, but I figured this was enough. Using it in excitement, and because I'm posting while procrastinating proofing "Well Enough."
Also, it's fairly appropriate because I went to my first RenFaire in years yesterday! I'd never been to this particular Renaissance Faire before, but a few of the women at work run a booth and told a friend of mine, who also works with us, and she and I decided to check it out. I'd forgotten how much fun RenFaires are! We poked our noses into a bunch of booths (a little out of our price range, but the craftsmanship is beautiful) , saw a couple of shows, listened to Celtic rock, and watched jousting!
I insisted on watching the jousting. I've never seen it before, and it's a big part of one of my favorite books (Squire, by Tamora Pierce). I always sort of wondered what it really looked like, since cartoon-reenactments of jousting obviously get it wrong.
Real-life jousting is awesome fun to watch! The horses were powerful and the knights were really into it. Steel clanged, wood shattered, the audience roared, the whole nine yards. There were four jousters, representing "the known world"--England, France, Germany and Scotland. They jousted and then fought with swords on foot, in the arena. I don't even think I can describe it, except in the most cliche terms: a dusty field, a cheering crowd.
M (the friend I went with) and I talked about it a little, since we were somewhat disturbed by how much we really enjoyed what amounted to a bloodsport, and we decided it was one of those things that was better because it was fake. Or, not fake--it was a show. They put real effort and work into this, the audience was really cheering them on, it really did matter, but no one was going to get seriously hurt or killed. If it had been real bloodsport I don't think I could've watched. As a show, though, the jousting was fantastic.
Also, it's fairly appropriate because I went to my first RenFaire in years yesterday! I'd never been to this particular Renaissance Faire before, but a few of the women at work run a booth and told a friend of mine, who also works with us, and she and I decided to check it out. I'd forgotten how much fun RenFaires are! We poked our noses into a bunch of booths (a little out of our price range, but the craftsmanship is beautiful) , saw a couple of shows, listened to Celtic rock, and watched jousting!
I insisted on watching the jousting. I've never seen it before, and it's a big part of one of my favorite books (Squire, by Tamora Pierce). I always sort of wondered what it really looked like, since cartoon-reenactments of jousting obviously get it wrong.
Real-life jousting is awesome fun to watch! The horses were powerful and the knights were really into it. Steel clanged, wood shattered, the audience roared, the whole nine yards. There were four jousters, representing "the known world"--England, France, Germany and Scotland. They jousted and then fought with swords on foot, in the arena. I don't even think I can describe it, except in the most cliche terms: a dusty field, a cheering crowd.
M (the friend I went with) and I talked about it a little, since we were somewhat disturbed by how much we really enjoyed what amounted to a bloodsport, and we decided it was one of those things that was better because it was fake. Or, not fake--it was a show. They put real effort and work into this, the audience was really cheering them on, it really did matter, but no one was going to get seriously hurt or killed. If it had been real bloodsport I don't think I could've watched. As a show, though, the jousting was fantastic.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-09-20 03:04 am (UTC)The RenFaire was a lot of fun, and I did think of you a couple of times! I got some good pictures on my phone, but I don't know if you could see them if I sent them. I have got to figure out how to get pictures off that thing.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-09-28 12:36 am (UTC)I believe extracting photos from your phone involves the purchase of some sort of cable... See how tech savvy I am?