KK Chat - 20 July 2008

[DesertRose]

[19:31] * KK has joined #Deryni_Destinations
[19:31] <&DeryniBot>  Gwynedd's Sheriff, Marnin, nods to KK and checks their weapons at the door.
[19:31] * DeryniBot sets mode: +o KK
[19:31] <@DesertRose> HA!  RainbowDragon, I told you not to give up!
[19:32] <@DesertRose> Hi KK!
[19:32] <@KK> Sorry I'm late.
[19:32] <+Elim> Morning KK
[19:32] <~RainbowDragon> Greetings from us of little faith, KK  :-)
[19:32] <@DesertRose> 'Sokay.  We're just glad when you show up at all.
[19:32] <Temprus> she heard we were discussing Monty Python vs. Mel Brooks
[19:32] <Temprus> Hi KK, how are you?
[19:32] <@KK> Meant to get here earlier, but I was sorting boxes up in the attic--hot work!--and <really< needed a shower before settling down for the night.  I'm good.
[19:33] <@DesertRose> Understandable.
[19:33] <Dov> Welcome, Katherine!
[19:33] <~RainbowDragon> I was busy unpacking boxes of books and sorting them out today.
[19:34] <@DesertRose> How's CM3 coming along, KK?
[19:34] <+Elim> I read Deryni Rising about two weeks ago.
[19:34] * Temprus shoots RD for bring up such a thing
[19:35] <@KK> I have some good news re conventions, especially for Canadian fans.  I'm to be GOH at Keycon 26, May 15-18, 2009 in Winnipeg--which I understand is <really> flat, but I've never been to that part of Canada before, so it should be fun.
[19:35] <@DesertRose> Cool.  I wish Elf were here; he might try to make that.
[19:35] <Dov> How'd you like it, Elim?
[19:35] <+Elim> It was good.
[19:35] <@KK> Great, Elim.  As it happens, I'm rereading that aright now, as the galleys came in for the new paperback of the hardback of the Author's Cut.  So I expect that will be out for Christmas.
[19:36] <@DesertRose> Cool.
[19:36] <+Elim> How do you feel abotu reading your own work?
[19:36] <+Elim> about*
[19:36] <@KK> I'm sure Elf will hear about it.  Bynw has asked for a current list of cons we'll be attending, so I need to get that together sooner rather than later.
[19:36] <@DesertRose> Okay.
[19:37] <@KK> It's a good review for what I'm writing now, as everything has to mesh with what was written so long ago.
[19:37] <+Elim> You aren't overly critical of your work?
[19:38] <@KK> No.  It is what it is, and it was excellent for that period in my development as a writer.  (And I did get to do some gentle tweaking when I prepared the Author's Cut.)
[19:38] <+Elim> I have that problem, being over critical with my writing.  Which is why I can't even attempt to edit my own work.
[19:39] <@KK> Also, since it's still in print nearly 40 years after it first appeared, I guess it's stood the test of time.  :-)
[19:40] <+Elim> Very true.
[19:43] <@KK> (Well, <that> seems to have stopped conversation dead in its tracks!)
[19:43] <~RainbowDragon> How have things progressed with your house?
[19:45] <@KK> Going very well.  We got the floor in, in the new pantry, and the cabinet installer comes tomorrow to do phase I--which is all he <can> do until the last cabinet comes in, probably next week.  And the wallpaper guy is coming to repaper the one long wall in the drawing room, which has about a 2 inch drop from one end to the other of a 20 ft. wall. 
[19:46] <@KK> And my fish are thriving--and growing!  The biggest ones are 8-9 inches long, and the feeder-fish that started out last summer at about 2-3 inches are now5-6 inches.  So obviously, they like their new pond!
[19:47] <~RainbowDragon> They were Coy if I recall correctly.
[19:47] <@KK> Half a dozen or so are koi, most are goldfish, and some are something else.  And we've got a few mosquito fish, which look a lot like the guppies I used to catch in Florida when I was a kid.
[19:48] * the_Bee has joined #Deryni_Destinations
[19:48] <&DeryniBot>  Hi there the_Bee! Welcome to the chat.
[19:48] <Dov> Very nice.
[19:48] <@KK> Hi, Bee.
[19:48] <@DesertRose> Hi the_Bee
[19:48] <+Elim> Morning Bee
[19:48] <the_Bee> Hi KK! and DR!
[19:48] <~RainbowDragon> Hi Bee!
[19:48] <@KK> I'm told that all the gold ones and the black and gold ones and the white and orange ones are carp of various persuasions.  A few might be shimunkin.
[19:48] <the_Bee> morning, elim
[19:49] <@KK> shibunkin.
[19:49] <@DesertRose> How are your kitties?
[19:49] <@KK> When I go down to feed them in the morning, they all flock to that side of the pond, and when the food hits the water, they boil up like piranha.
[19:50] <the_Bee> the Kitties??
[19:50] <+Elim> That sounds like my cat herd...
[19:51] <~RainbowDragon> I think she meant her fishies.
[19:51] <@KK> Ah, sadness there.  Jessie seems to have done a bunk.  (I'm assuming she voted with her feet, since we've seen no squashed felines in the vicinity.)  It's 2 weeks today since anyone saw her--though she's gone walkabout before for nearly as long, so there's still hope that she'll return.  But the others are fine.  And Oswald is fine.
[19:52] <@DesertRose> I'm sorry about Jessie but I'm glad the rest of the furballs are okay.
[19:52] <@KK> Yeah, they like their new domain.
[19:53] <the_Bee> have they caught any critters lately?
[19:55] <@KK> Sasha was stalking a not-quite-fledged bluejay a couple of days, that had fallen out of his nest in one of the magnolia trees in the back garden, and the parent birds were going nuts, screaming and dive-bombing--and Sasha was hunkered down with his ears back and looking very harried.  I put the baby back in the tree--he was about ready, except for not having much yet in the way of tailfeathers; fell back out of the tree and I put him
[19:57] <@KK> He was quite big, and was going to he a handsome male, but only if he survived.  Bigger than I expected.  And we've got mockingbirds in the front, their cries finally identified.
[19:57] <the_Bee> I read recently that bluejays can mimic other birds--like mockingbirds.
[19:58] <@KK> And of course, we've got cardinals by the boatload--a whole college!  They like our bird feeder--for which I must get some seed this week, as it's nearly out.
[19:58] * bynw-afk is now known as Bynw
[19:58] <~RainbowDragon> KK, your previous post cut off at "back out of the tree and I put him"
[19:58] <@Bynw> Hiyas KK
[19:59] <+Elim> Ugh, we have mockingbirds here in Florida, I curse the day that someone decided to put even sounds on a rotation on a little electronic chip placed in toy guns.
[19:59] <@DesertRose> WB Bynw
[19:59] <@KK> I don't know about mimicry for jays, but they're certainly loud.  I actuall thought thy were crows at first,, bu the cries.  I did see the mockingbirds, though.
[19:59] <+Elim> Seven*
[19:59] <@KK> I put him back in--and then had to go do other things, so I don't know how that thrned out.
[20:00] <@KK> turned out
[20:00] <~RainbowDragon> Okay. Thank you.
[20:00] <@KK> Hi, Bynw.  I'm working on your list of cons.  There's one in May in Winnipeg.
[20:01] <@Bynw> Yes I've heard about that one
[20:03] <the_Bee> speaking of cons, any new news on ours?
[20:03] <@KK> They're gathering suggestions for program topics....  Again, I have to put together that list.
[20:04] * the_Bee would like a filk singalong.
[20:06] <+Elim> Frodo of the nine fingers and the ring of doom?
[20:06] <the_Bee> why not?
[20:06] <Temprus> Hey, no mocking Glenn Y
[20:06] <the_Bee> or some of the songs at the Airsid site
[20:06] <@Bynw> any 1st year con is gonna be rough on the edges and maybe more and it will have a small group of attendies but they get better every year
[20:08] <the_Bee> I'll probably take Amtrak.  it means I can't bring Melantha, but airplane fares are OUCH!
[20:09] <@KK> At worst, it will be like a big house party, with lots of friends just gathered for a good weekend--and that would be no bad thing.  There <will> be a learning curve--but we can cope!
[20:09] <@Bynw> KK, we have a couple of friends that live up in Winnipeg ... we might see if we can make it to that one next May
[20:10] <the_Bee> anyone planning to wear a hall costume all day?  or just for the banquet?
[20:10] <@Bynw> bee, i think that is a choice of wearer in question ....
[20:10] <@DesertRose> All my SCA garb is later period than the Deryni stories.
[20:11] <@DesertRose> I'd have to do a little research on earlier period garb and sew myself something new.
[20:11] <the_Bee> I know.  I was wondering what people here are planning to do.
[20:11] <Temprus> if I still had my SJK costume, it would work
[20:11] <@DesertRose> And I'm not sure I'll be able to afford to make it to DeryniCon at all; I'll just have to see.
[20:11] <@KK> Cool, Bynw!  As for hall costumes--I have no idea.  Unless I get myself in gear, I will be in civies all weekend, as I gave away or sold most of my SCA garb before we moved to Ireland.  (I do have a cloak, and one field dress--and fabric for a court gown.)
[20:12] <the_Bee> I have a "medieval princess dress" my sister gave me for christmas.  and a long nightie that could pass for a chemise.
[20:12] <@KK> Don't worry about period for this time, Rose.  Any effort will be appreciated.
[20:12] <@DesertRose> Well, I'd hate to be the only one in a kirtle and sideless surcoat.
[20:13] <@DesertRose> Which is what most of my garb is.
[20:13] <@KK> Fortunately, a chemise is also easy to sew out of a sheet.  One hardly even needs a pattern.
[20:13] <the_Bee> that sounds great, Rose!
[20:13] <@DesertRose> Although to be honest, my garb is as comfy or more so than my mundanes.
[20:14] <@KK> (White sheetimg is an excellent source for fabric, especially if it's an older one that's been washed a lot, so it's really soft.)
[20:14] <the_Bee> isn't that the idea of hall costumes?  comfiness?
[20:16] <@DesertRose> I suppose if I can make it at all, I can bring my garb and wear that.
[20:17] * mib_4m3rot has joined #Deryni_Destinations
[20:17] <&DeryniBot>  Sedina gives a highland welcome to mib_4m3rot as they join the chat
[20:17] * mib_4m3rot Quit (Quit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client)
[20:17] <the_Bee> Hi mibbit
[20:17] <the_Bee> byr mibbit
[20:19] <@DesertRose> Yeah, I sewed a friend a blue chemise out of an old blue sheet.
[20:21] <@KK> I dion't even had a chemise, at this point.  But that can be remedied!
[20:21] <@DesertRose> I lost one of my chemises; I need to sew myself another one so I have two again.
[20:22] * @Bynw can sew buttons back on his shirts but that is the extent of his sewing talents
[20:22] <@DesertRose> I can sew but it's not perfect.  I'm hiring out the sewing of my handfasting/court garb because I don't trust myself not to screw it up.
[20:22] <+Elim> I really need to buy a sewing machine.
[20:23] <@KK> The last Twelfth Night that I attended, in Ireland in 2007, Jaelle arranged for me to borrow an Italianate that fit like it had been made for me.  Even if I'd still owned garb at that point, it all would have beenin storage by then, waiting for us to make the actual move.  I didn't even had my coronet; that was packed.
[20:23] <@KK> Oooh, handfasting garb!
[20:23] <@DesertRose> I have a friend who can sew things that you'd never guess were home sewn, so I'm going to pay her to sew mine and my fiance's pretties.
[20:24] <@Bynw> fripperies!
[20:24] <@DesertRose> Yes, I'm getting married next March, and the wedding party will be all SCAers but one and we'll all be in garb.
[20:24] <the_Bee> Is he an SCA-er too?  or doing it to please you?
[20:24] * mib_n9pq3l has joined #Deryni_Destinations
[20:24] <&DeryniBot>  Gwynedd's Sheriff, Marnin, nods to mib_n9pq3l and checks their weapons at the door.
[20:24] <@DesertRose> no, we met through the SCA.
[20:24] <@KK> Hey, a lot of stuff is sewn at home.  That doesn't make it lesser.
[20:24] <@KK> Yes, fripperies!
[20:24] <the_Bee> cool, DR!
[20:25] <@DesertRose> No, I didn't mean to imply that home sewn stuff was bad. But she can sew so beautifully and so professionally that it's mindblowing.
[20:25] <@DesertRose> I like home sewn stuff; I can fit it to my oddly shaped body.
[20:25] <the_Bee> I've been haunting my local thrift shop for a put-together costume.
[20:26] * Dov Quit (Quit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client)
[20:26] <the_Bee> where'd dov go?
[20:27] <@Bynw> apparently he left
[20:27] <@DesertRose> Although I actually find the process of sewing a little frustrating, I like the end product because it fits like I want it to and not like clothing manufacturers think it should fit.
[20:27] <@KK> I know what you mean.  When Scott and I got married, I wanted to make my wedding gown--and I'm a very good seamstress--but I didn't know some of the techniques I needed to use.  So I enlisted the assistance of a pair of professional costumers who also do wedding gowns, and asked if they would teach me; not do it, just show me how.  So I'd take my gown in its various stages down to their place once a week and work on it.  Turned out e
[20:27] <@DesertRose> Mibbit's been kicking him out.  He might turn back up.
[20:27] <@Bynw> KK, you cut off again at "So I'd take my gown in its various stages down to their place once a week and work on it.  Turned out e"
[20:27] <mib_n9pq3l> It happened again. *sigh*
[20:28] * mib_n9pq3l is now known as Dov
[20:28] <@Bynw> about 400 characters max for mIRC or it will just cut it off ...
[20:28] <@KK> I won my first convention costume event in a costume put together from thrift-shop bits and pieces.  It's an honorable way to start costuming.
[20:28] <@DesertRose> See, I told you Dov would turn back up.
[20:28] <the_Bee> wb Dov
[20:28] <@KK> Turned out exactly as I'd envisioned it.  (Why are things cutting out tonight, I wonder?  I can see it all.)
[20:29] <the_Bee> gremlins
[20:29] <@KK> Must be.
[20:29] <@DesertRose> Well, this is a second marriage for me and my by-then 16-year-old daughter will be one of my attendants, so I decided not to wear white.
[20:30] <@DesertRose> I'm going to wear a blue gown and a silver sideless surcoat to match the blue and silver brocade that my fiance will be wearing.
[20:30] <~RainbowDragon> Well folks, it is about time to absent myself. KK it was good to see you again.
[20:31] <the_Bee> which kingdom are you in, DR?
[20:31] <@DesertRose> Trimaris.
[20:31] <@KK> That's a Victorian convention anyway.  Until Victoria wore white for her wedding to Prince Albert, brides usually just wore their best.  Sometimes it was new, made for the event, but sometimes just Sunday-best.
[20:31] <the_Bee> bye RD
[20:31] <@DesertRose> See you RD.
[20:31] <@Bynw> cya RD
[20:31] <@DesertRose> Yeah, I know.
[20:31] <@DesertRose> But I don't want a white dress; too easy to mess up.
[20:31] * ~RainbowDragon Quit (Quit: * RainbowDragon waves goodbye to all his friends *)
[20:31] <@KK> Remember that our predecessors didn't have nearly as many clothes as we do--and hangers weren't invented until the turn of the previous century.
[20:31] <@DesertRose> I think blue is a better color on me anywya.
[20:31] <@DesertRose> *anyway
[20:32] <Dov> We're neighbors RD, I'm in Ansteorra.
[20:32] <the_Bee> I read once that a white wedding gown said, "my daddy's rich enough to buy me an expensive dress that I'll only wear once."
[20:32] <@DesertRose> I'm in far eastern Trimaris, so it's a ways to Ansteorra for me.
[20:32] <@KK> Blue is good on just about anybody.  My sister wore blue--and it was her first wedding.
[20:32] <@DesertRose> Yeah, and I didn't want a dress I'd only wear once.
[20:32] <@KK> Well, that would apply to Queen Victoria.
[20:33] <@DesertRose> We decided we'd have really pretty court garb made up for ourselves and wear that to our handfasting and that way we'
[20:33] <Dov> Oh well, nice to meet another SCA'er.
[20:33] <@DesertRose> we'd use the clothes again.
[20:33] <the_Bee> My mothr wore blue. depression times, don't get a single-use dress.  Her students made it for her.
[20:33] <@KK> Speaking of wedding gowns, yesterday Lady Rose Windsor got married--youngest child of the Duke of Gloucester, who is a first cousin of The Queen--and her gown was exquisite.  Google for pictures, if you're interested.
[20:33] <the_Bee> Dr, you got cut of at "that way we' "
[20:34] <@DesertRose> I accidentally hit enter with my fingernail.
[20:34] <the_Bee> oops
[20:34] <@DesertRose> [20:33] <@DesertRose> we'd use the clothes again.
[20:34] <@DesertRose> There's the rest of the sentence.
[20:34] <the_Bee> ah.
[20:35] <the_Bee> the perils of long fingernails
[20:35] <@DesertRose> I just can't justify spending $500 on clothes I'll never wear again.  Now clothes I'll take to 90 bazillion SCA events, that I'll spend some money on.
[20:35] <@KK> Always nice.  I wore my coronation gown several times thereafter; a coronation is somewhat akin to a wedding in the amount of formality and special garb.
[20:35] <@DesertRose> Yeah, that's why I couldn't be queen.  My garb isn't pretty enough, at least not until I get my shiny handfasting/court garb done.
[20:36] <@Bynw> http://bynw.no-ip.org:8080/webcam.html   <---- me not wedding stuff
[20:36] <@KK> If you were going to be queen, m'dear, you'd have a bevy of ladies-in-waiting who'd be falling all over themselves to make gowns for you.
[20:37] <@DesertRose> True.  And probably they'd be better seamstresses than I am anyway.
[20:38] <@DesertRose> I spend too much of my time at events with inky fingers or hands covered in food to wear anything too pretty most of the time anyway.
[20:38] <@KK> But they'd be eager to share in your reflected glory, so they'd be thrilled to have their work showcased by the Queen wearing it.  Everybody benefits.  :-)
[20:38] <@DesertRose> Yup.
[20:39] <@KK> Yep.  But there's a time for everything, court garb and field garb.  And the latter needs to not show the dirt and be washable.
[20:39] <@DesertRose> Yup.  My field garb is linen and cotton.
[20:39] <@DesertRose> Throw it in the washer, throw it in the dryer.
[20:39] <@KK> Yep.
[20:39] <the_Bee> like Kelsons attendants, who'll be able to tell their grandchildren they served a king on his coronation day
[20:39] <@KK> Absolutely.
[20:40] <@DesertRose> I love my linen kirtles; I washed the fabric several times before I sewed it to make sure I got all the shrinkage out and now it's SSOOOOOO soft.
[20:40] <@Bynw> soft is good
[20:40] <@KK> Yummy.  Linen can be so wonderful....
[20:40] <@Bynw> i hate clothes that arent soft
[20:41] <the_Bee> I have a linen blouse that needs the softening touch
[20:41] <@DesertRose> Linen can be stiff if you don't wash it a few times before you sew it.
[20:41] <@KK> I have a williamsburg shirt that's linen, and it's one of my favorite summer shirts, open over a cami.
[20:41] <the_Bee> mine is a thrift-shop item
[20:41] <@DesertRose> Wash it a few times with fabric softener or white vinegar.
[20:41] <the_Bee> will do
[20:42] <the_Bee> I have a free sample of Downy I can use
[20:42] <+Elim> I am an extremely practical dresser.
[20:42] <+Elim> If I can't work in it, it doesn't get bought.
[20:42] <@KK> And on that note, I think I'll sign off and go get some supper.  It's been a busy day in the attic.
[20:42] <the_Bee> good thinking
[20:42] <@DesertRose> Okay, KK.  Thanks for coming by.  It was good to see you again.  Pet the furballs from Florida.
[20:43] <+Elim> Have fun KK.
[20:43] <@Bynw> ok, thanks for stopping by
[20:43] <the_Bee> Glad you made it, KK.  skritch the furfolk
[20:43] <@KK> Keep thinking of garb, folks.  I think that's going to be one of the most fun parts of the con.
[20:43] <Dov> Take care, KK.
[20:43] <@KK> And will certainly skritch the furballs.
[20:43] <@KK> Ta for now.
[20:43] <@DesertRose> TA!
[20:44] * @KK steps onto her Portal, waves good night, and disappears in a shower of green sparkles.
[20:44] * @KK Quit (Quit: )