Garb-age

12:45 PM Posted In , , , Edit This 0 Comments »
Garbaholic Purity Test. I scored a 30

And, oh my dear Gods, I have done/recognize most of these.

Security at SCA events

10:48 AM Posted In , Edit This 1 Comment »
I was recently asked as to how safe one's belongings are while eventing. And I couldn't answer right away. I am one of those people who doesn't expect people to be nasty, conniving, or dishonest. Not because I believe the best of people (I'm not that naive), but rather because I simply don't think in that manner. For example, I don't think, "Hrm, this is a great/valuable item that's just sitting out here being all tempting. Maybe I should hide it."
So I did a little research and thought about my, thus far somewhat limited, experiences.
  1. Don't leave things out in plain sight, particularly anything small that could easily be slipped into a pocket or hidden under a cloak. Most people won't bother going into your tent looking for goodies. Out of sight, out of temptation.
  2. If it's worth it, get a strong box. Something heavy, metal, and with a lock.
  3. Keep your tent shut while not in camp, also keeping bugs and moisture out. Get little padlocks for your tent if it zips up, if necessary. The harder it is to get inside, the less likely someone will be to do so.
  4. According to some, if you have a period camp passerby will be noticing and admiring, meaning more eyes to watch it.
  5. A friend I camped with at Egil's last year had a ninja tent. It was basically a green pup tent/tarp in some tall grass. It was only when we were packing up did I finally see where he had been sleeping. Talk about failing your spot AND search checks!
  6. Don't leave valuables in your car. You won't be visiting it until it's time to leave, anyway. And the parking lots usually aren't well patrolled.
  7. Keep your money in a pouch/on your person.

Personal safety.

  1. Trust your instincts. I cannot stress this enough. If they just don't seem quite right, they probably aren't.
  2. Don't camp alone. If you don't come back for food/meds/water/sleep/alcohol/clothes, someone will notice.
  3. Don't get stupid, falling down, I-don't-know-if-I'll-remember-this-in-the-morning drunk.
  4. Don't leave your drink where anyone has access to it. Although, knowing how most people share their beverages, this is not likely to happen.
  5. Don't be afraid to shout for help. You're surrounded by people, most of whom have sharp pointy objects of some sort, and practice chivalry. I guarantee you that not even a canvas tent will stand up to a good dagger.
  6. Carry a weapon. It's historically accurate to have at least a knife on your person for eating and chores. Or there's my personal favourite: a big stick. Most people call it a staff.

Mushroom Pasty

10:36 AM Posted In , , Edit This 0 Comments »
"ORIGINAL RECEIPT:
Mushrooms of one night be the best and they be little and red within and closed at the top; and they must be peeled and then washed in hot water and parboiled and if you wish to put them in a pasty add oil, cheese and spice powder.
- Power, Eileen. The Goodman of Paris (Le Ménagier de Paris). A Treatise on Moral and Domestic Economy by A Citizen of Paris (c. 1395). New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1928.
MODERN RECIPE:
1-1 1/2 lbs. whole button or sliced mushrooms
2 tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup grated or shredded cheese
1/2 tsp. each salt and ginger
1/4 tsp. pepper
one 9" pie shell (lid optional)
Parboil or sauté the mushrooms; drain. Add oil, cheese, and spices. Mix well. Place in pie shell, add lid if desired, and bake at 350° F for 35-40 minutes, or until pastry is a golden brown.
While I prefer using grated parmesan or a combination of parmesan & cheddar cheese, feel free to use any variety of cheese or combination that suits you. Finer cheeses, such as brie, also work quite well, and brie itself is very appropriate for a recipe of French origin. Some other period cheeses include Farmers and Mozzarella."

You Know You're in the SCA When...

2:32 PM Posted In , , Edit This 0 Comments »
Asterisks indicate I have done this/it applies to me.
You Know You`re in the SCA When...

you overhear the 10-year-old at the next picnic table quoting Macbeth... accurately.

you've ever been cooking and run out of galingale.

you spent more money this year on your period housing than your mundane housing.

there's an anvil in your bedroom.

your aerobics routine includes galliards

your university diploma is "tucked away somewhere" but your AoA is framed and on display on the most prominent wallspace in the house.

you yell "Huzzah" at mundane events instead of cheering "normally".*

a sideless surcoat is the sexiest thing in your closet.

you can eat equally well with a dagger or a fork. *

after a party you ask yourself: "Hm. Now where are my clothes?" and you're stone sober and fully dressed. *

the axe you're using to chop wood is one you made yourself.

your future husband's wedding garb costs more than yours, and has more trim.

the books-on-tape in your car include: Cooking for 500 or more, Autocratting Pennsic, and Beginning Welsh.

buying black walnuts and ferrous sulfate from a health food store means a new "dye" not a new "diet". *

you practice birth control religiously from All Saint's Day to Candlemas so that you won't be too pregnant to go to Pennsic.

the decorating scheme of your home is "bookcase eclectic". *

you've brushed your teeth with beer, because it was easier to find than clean water.

after viewing this list, your non-scadian significant other chuckles for days, while you mutter to yourself, "I don't see what's so funny about that."

you have period garments for a black-tie event, but no mundane ones. *

you heard two stories this evening that started "No sh*t, there I was..." *

the words "couldst", "wouldst", and "shouldst" come more easily to your tongue than "chicken".*

you consider wearing 3 different tartans at once to be high fashion.

everyone at your graduation wants to know where you learned to bow.

In your kitchen a Rondel, a ballocks dagger and a stilleto are close to hand, but a breadknife is nowhere to be found.

someone has threatened to get "Prehistoric on your ass."

you have two different .signature files, which have no words in common except the email address.

someone asks you where you got your chainmail hauberk, and you reply, "In 200 foot rolls at Home Depot."

you know every line in Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail by heart. *

you're a burly guy who looks like a Hell's Angel, but you do embroidery in public.

at a formal dinner party, you politely grab your sleeve to keep it from dropping in the food, only to realize you're wearing a suit. *

during a conversation, you avoid using the other person's name, not because you don't know it, but because you can't pronounce it. *

you've decorated a cake in celtic knotwork.

you return to work after a weekend event, only to find you left all your money in your belt pouch.

you sometimes wear your jackets closed only by the top button and without putting your arms through the sleeves.

you're watching what's been billed as the most romantic scene in any movie ever, and all you can think is: What kind of armor is he wearing? *

you can and do curse in Gaelic, but you aren't Scottish.*

your teddy bear has better garb than you do.

your garb closet is bigger than your clothes closet and the clothes are in better condition.

you watch the old replay of the Crowning of the English Queen Elizabeth II and you recognize peoples' ranks by the Coronets they are wearing.

while watching the crowning of Queen Elizabeth II, you remark to your lady, "We could use that stuff at our Coronation".

you visit a period castle, notice the draperies and bedspreads, and think of what lovely clothing they would make.

you visit a period castle, museum, historical site, etc. and you can spot the mistakes in the tour guide's lecture.

you get a question about OOP programming techniques on a Comp Sci exam and think: "ALL programming is Out Of Period".

[you're male and] your girlfriend, not you, is the bored one being dragged from fabric/clothing store to fabric/clothing store.

[you're male and] you have to worry about a run in your stocking when you kneel to propose to your fiance.

you get a Christmas card in the mail and you look at the shepherds and background figures with a magnifying glass to see the costuming details.

you sneer at "the Burger King" saying, "He's wearing a ducal coronet".

you hide the really awful costume references in the stacks at the library, so future costumers won't be led astray. Or, you write criticisms in the margins of said awful costume references.

you reality check wargames and role-playing games by saying "That's wrong! I know that Duke Swaetsox can do X... (where X = some combat-related feat), I've seen people do that in the SCA!"

you watch Henry V (or the Zefferelli Romeo and Juliet) over, and over, and over again - for the costumes/fighting scenes.

your immediate family consists of only two rather small, thin people, but you justify your purchase of a full-sized van/pickup truck saying, "We'll need the extra space for events!"

your reaction when you see some sort of handicraft is "I can make that" or "I can buy that from Mistress Seamchecker for half that!" *

you're annoyed because the armor at the art museum isn't displayed so that you can get a good photograph of the back/insides. *

you're in Europe and you pass up famous OOP sites to see tiny little places that might have related to your persona.

when you make a new recipe you take out the potatoes, tomatoes and peppers, because they're OOP for Europe.

you choose your language courses in college based on what your persona would have spoken. (...Man! I'm really bummed out that they aren't teaching Anglo-Saxon this semester...)

your reference section on your field of interest is better than the equivalent section in the local library.

you've been asked by a museum curator what your opinion is regarding the item at hand.

you slip and begin a letter, "Good Milord..."

you slip and address a coworker as Milord or Milady.

you slip and date a letter, "The Tuesday before Michealmas, A.S. XXVII" (or whatever).

you're annoyed because your new printer didn't come with Luxhaeiul miniscule or Batarde as one of the standard fonts.

people don't assume that you're going in for surgery when you say, "This weekend, I'm going to get my knees fixed".

your idea of a sack lunch is mince-meat pie, cold mulled cider and wafers left over from the feast the week-end before.

your hobby takes more of your time than your job. *

you start to wear your hair the way your persona might have worn his/hers. (...Smith, it's not so much the waist length beard, but do you really have to braid it?...) *

you sign a check, using calligraphy.

you name your pets after obscure historical figures.

you name your children after obscure historical figures.

you can give blazons for your pets.

people think you're in a commune because you're always talking about your "household".

people think you have a roommate because your answering machine says "Neither Fred or Froddi are in right now..."

people assume that you're an exchange student/recent immigrant because they hear people calling you by the most outlandish names.

you have to remind yourself not to call that tourist in the checkered golf pants "Sir" just because he's wearing a white belt.

you see a college diploma on a friend's wall and the first thing you ask is "Who did the calligraphy?"

you read a book that involves the plague and can diagnose which of the two or three types of plague it is from the symptoms.

you go to endorse your paycheck at the local ATM, and the only pen you have is a dip style pen for calligraphy... and you have the ink!

you receive telephone calls at work for your SCA name... and your coworkers know who it's for!

someone calls your company and asks, "Could I speak with the King please?" and the operator says, "Just a minute and I'll connect you to his Majesty".

you take a college course in medieval history, and find out you already own the textbooks.

you cry "Lay On!" when serving at raquetball. {or tennis, or...}

while hunting for a travel route you spend a half-hour hunting for "Ben Dunfirth" in your atlas, and then realize you need the mundane name for the city.

you describe your company's logo to the printer's shop using heraldic terms.

instead of having dreams about being out in public with no clothes on, you have dreams about being at an event in mundane clothing.

your bank will cash checks for your persona.

you have a credit card in the name of your persona.

you go running up the stairs at work and reach down to hold the hem of your underdress up so as not to trip over it... and you're wearing pants. *

you dress your decorative lawn elves/animals in period garb matching your own.

your friend's idea of camping involves a backpack and yours involves a U-haul.

you can cook an egg on a rock, but not toast in a toaster.

you can make a loaf of bread faster than you can program a bread machine.

you make all your own bread and you don't own a bread pan. *

your adventurous non-SCA friends wangle invitations for Sunday supper so they can sample the feast leftovers.

you talk your bracemaker into covering the plastic parts with leather and using buckles instead of velcro... and you dye them to match your arms.

your bedroom contains more SCA-craft equipment than furniture. *

your family is Russian, but you speak only English and Gaelic.

your 8-year-old daughter gets a poseable Barbie for her birthday and you immediately see if she can assume all of the heraldic positions with an eye toward a future heraldry class.

your wife asks you "Do you want me to buy you some black tights for the wedding we're going to this weekend?" and you say YES.

you and your partner are all set to set up your new law firm, but after consideration, you both agree "Better if we wait until after Pennsic".

you know which kingdom an event site is in, but not which state. *

your friend invites you to a "dress nice" party, and you realize that your best looking clothes are your court garb.

your friend tells you her new boyfriend works in a fabric store and your first thought is "How cool!"

the only time you can see your living room floor is when your van is packed for an event.

your bible study is going over the Armor of God... and they ask you to bring examples.

you see a mother tenderly picking a splinter out of her son's hand with a shortsword.

you pull out a wax tablet to write down someone's email address at an event.

you buy 15 bicycle cups on sale (for codpieces) but are confused when the guy asks if you need a helmet. (You don't fight)

you raid Burger King's supply of paper crowns for your ADULT friends. *

you buy a bottle of booze just for the neat pouch. *

you've bought groceries based on the period-ness of the bottle they came in. ("That vinegar bottle would look great filled with mead...")

you go to a Catholic mass with your in-laws, and you spend the whole time admiring the garb on the priest and in the stained glass windows.

you have to find something else to wear on Halloween, because your garb just doesn't feel like a costume anymore. *

your coworkers seem a little concerned that you're planning a "period" party, and you're male.

you reflexively begin dancing a bransle when you hear the musicians start up at the entrance to your Ren Faire.

"dining room large enough for a dozen scribes and all their equipment" or "yard big enough to hold a fighter practice" appears on the must-have list for your new house.

you can't decide whether to wear the celtic garb or the Italian garb for a costume to your company's costume ball.

you go to the hardware store and ask for a drawknife for shaving rattan, only to have them explain that no one makes them anymore.

your "best china" consists of wooden feast gear and drinking horns.

the worst loss of your flooded basement is not the washer or the furnace, but the scrolls you were framing...

you plan your car-trip vacations around events happening in other kingdoms, and even pack accordingly.

your mom gives you a book about chivalry for your birthday, inscribed with the words "chivalry will never die as long as there are hearts as true as yours"

you see a road-killed kangaroo and wonder if you could use its pelt for garb... and you have a knife in your truck for situations like this... only to pause wondering if you can get away with a kangaroo fur cape, or is it OOP?

[you're male and] you see an attractive woman in a skin-tight black velvet dress, and your primary thought is "Wow!! What I wouldn't give for ten yards of that!"

you're babysitting and you wonder if they'd give you the curtains as pay
you do bransles to Christmas music when you hear it in the mall.

someone mentions "The World's First Great Event", and you think of Pennsic I, not the first ice age.

the gynecologist asks "When is your period?", and you answer "Early 14th century". *

you answer your own front door with "Who goes there?"

you go to a funeral and spend your time looking at the great pavilion over the grave site and wonder where they got it

sharpening your knives, axes, swords and spears is not only an entire evening's work, but an entire evening's entertainment!

you start wearing your tankard and belt pouch around with your mundanes, because it's so darn convenient.

you don't think twice about inviting all your friends over to watch "Scourge of the Black Death" on the History Channel, and have no doubts that almost everyone will come.

you can make a chainmail hauberk by yourself, have done so, and given it away as a "perfect wedding gift".

"Two helmets, Anglo-Norman style preferred" appears on your wedding registry.

you've called your dorm ahead of time to ask if it's OK to keep swords in your room. *

you realize you've used porta-johns more often than "flushies" recently. *

a gift certificate at an upholstery store was one of your favorite birthday gifts this year. *

the worst news you've had all year is that the Tandy Leather store near you is closing!

you're disappointed that your British Literature textbook doesn't have Beowulf in parallel text.

you enter your lady's boudoir for the first time, and the first words to escape your lips are "Nice sewing machine!".

costumed people going into Rocky Horror have asked you about your "funny clothes".

you've ever been refused entrance to a store/bank/concert because of your belt knife.

[you're female and] you've walked straight into a door on a Monday morning because you just expected the coworker you're entering with to stop and open it for you.

you consider duct tape to be a "school supply", as do your children. *

your mundane friend came over because he was looking for duct tape and he was sure you'd have some lying around.

your favorite birthday present was a roll of that really shiny duct tape.

you get duct tape in your Christmas stocking.

your dog knows how to bow to royalty.

instead of one of those "cutesy" sweaters, your dog wears a chainmail hauberk.

your cat understands "Hold!"

your cat wears an elizabethan ruff, and likes it!

you give directions to the parking lot: "It's on the dexter side of the road just past the stump". (They're also in the SCA if they get there with no more questions.)

you can't cross a large dining hall at a mundane dinner without feeling you should curtsey/bow to the royal presence.

you automatically evaluate any large dining area or hall for its suitability and probable availability for an SCA event.

you unconsciously dip your head to the senior vice president of your company when you pass her in the hall.

you have to fight the reflex to curtsey/bow to the catholic priest at high mass.

you curtsey/bow as you pass the bridal couple

you curtsey/bow to the judge at a hearing

almost any reference to sheep makes you giggle. *

bad heraldry and/or costuming has ruined an otherwise decent movie for you.

a truly bad anachronism has ruined an otherwise good romance novel for you.

you're in the university's financial aid office and see a sign "LINE FOR PELL GRANTS" and think "That's a painful way to work your way through college."

you see a sign that reads "TANNING" and comment to your spouse "I wonder what kinds of skins and hides they have?" *

you see a sign that reads "FENCING" and you wonder about their price their foils and epees. *

a truck passes you on the highway labeled "MAKERS OF THE FINEST BELTS AND HOSES" and you think they're carrying garb! *

you see an ad saying "LEARN HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN BOWS" and are disappointed when you realize they're talking about tying ribbons. *

you see a sign for a "SPINNING CLASS" and wonder why they'd teach it at a sports club... *

you see a magazine ad that begins: "You wouldn't take a period remedy for your headache..." and think, "What, leeches? Herbal infusions?" before you notice the rest of the ad reads: "So don't take a headache remedy for your period". *

you see a nun in the grocery store wearing the habit for her order and you think to yourself "what nice garb she has" without thinking twice about the fact that you're not at an event.

you catch yourself thinking "'Gules, three chevrons or'. Nice tabard. Classic Anglo-Norman style, easily visible. Oh! I guess it'd better be visible, he's a road repair worker!

you hear there's a new movie out called "The War of the Roses" and are disappointed to learn it's about a messy divorce! *

you see "FIELDS OF ARMOR" listed as a program on The Discovery Channel, and are very disappointed that it's about tanks. *

a magazine article titled "FULL ARMOR" piques your interest, but when you start leafing through the magazine expecting to see pictures of helms, breastplates, etc., you're disappointed to discover that it's an article about a PC security package. *

seeing someone in full plate, a tabard, and Reeboks does not strike you as odd. *

you see a large sign saying "COMING SOON: THE VIKING YOUTH ACADEMY", only to be disappointed that it's a daycare center.

you see playground equipment (swings, seesaws, etc) and think "Siege Engines!"

you rush out to see a movie called "CELTIC PRIDE", but storm out ten minutes later when you find out it's about basketball.

a "WEBSITE DEVOTED TO ICONS" disappoints you when it's not about religious relics, but only about some silly downloadable bitmaps.

a sign on the side of the road says "MCDOT", and you see "McDot", not Montgomery County Department of Transportation. *

you don't see a field of cows, but a field of leather. *

Recipe - Griddle Cakes

4:10 PM Posted In , Edit This 0 Comments »
"Griddle cakes
Spelt flour
Butter
Sugar and/or honey
Rolled oats
Dried fruit
Milk or water
This is how axebreaker made griddle cakes, based on three or four recipes I found online. I didn't weigh the ingredients, I just went by what looked right.
First put 1 part butter, 1 part sugar and 2 parts flour into a mixing bowl or trough. Add a blob of honey. Rub in until you get even breadcrumbs (like when you make pastry). Add extra flour/butter as needed. Add a little milk or water to bind into a dough - not too much or it will become sticky. Knead briefly.
Add as many oats and dried fruit as you like and knead into the dough. Take small balls of the dough and flatten into rounds (3-4 mm thick). Melt some butter on a griddle or in a flat pan, and drop the cakes in. Turn every 30 seconds - 1 minute until both sides are nicely browned. Eat while still hot!"

SCA Fighting and Women

10:29 AM Posted In , Edit This 4 Comments »
I went to the local SCA fighter's practice over the weekend for the first time, intending to learn, well, how to fight. Now female fighters in organizations such as the SCA, Amtgard, and other martial activities tend to be few and far between. And I can be rather shy when not already knowing someone there, as surprising as that may seem to anyone who knows me in real life. This time I didn't chicken out, unlike the past few times I tried to make myself go. As the second person there, I even introduced myself and mentioned that I wanted to learn how to fight.
The fighter, let's call him A, looked a little surprised and asked if I was there for fencing. I shrugged and said that I was willing to learn anything that anyone would teach me. A said, "Well, I think that only heavy fighters are showing up today."
"That's okay. I want to try out different styles so I can get an idea of what I would like and be good at," I said. A still looked a little surprised, but no outright shock. That was a win in my book.
Once four others showed up, the men began suiting up and talking shop. The two other women stood off to the side and talked. Now I was torn because I am new and didn't want to pester the fighters with questions and touch their gear, which I wanted to. There's nothing quite so satisfactory as beating someone with a big stick, which I have not done for some years.
I tried to join the men's circle, hoping to learn by listening and studying their gear. And was largely ignored. I will admit that this may have been because I am new and they therefore don't know me, rather than due to my gender. However, I was warmly accepted by the women, but I was already acquainted with one of them.
Frustration, embarrassment, shyness, and a crazy schedule are all preventing me from showing up again any time soon. In the meantime I will attempt to construct some gear of my own so that next time there won't be any question as to my interest. As well as Reave has promised to go for rapier next month.
Then someone directed me to SwordMaiden.com. In case the name wasn't enough of a clue, it's a site for female fighters.

Ridiculous Anti-Equality Propaganda

10:15 AM Posted In , , , Edit This 0 Comments »

H/t to Reave.

And if you can't stomach all five and a half minutes of that, there's an analysis of it here.

I honestly can't get up in arms over this one, largely because I'm rather sick today. The logic behind it is full of holes. I could repeat the same rebuttals such as we don't want to tear apart marriages, in fact we could care less about anyone else's relationships. It's the right-wing Christians who are wanting to dictate people's personal lives. We just want to have the same rights as everyone else, and have families of our own. Teaching tolerance in schools is not the same as teaching children to be gay. It just gets old.

And if anyone is still clinging to the belief that any of this shit is true, then no amount of reasoning nor truth is going to convince them otherwise. They're just fucktards.

And who says that knitting is just for little old ladies?

10:09 AM Posted In , Edit This 0 Comments »
Knitting for Psychos.

Lingerie.

And my personal favourite.

More garb nazi-sms.

11:28 AM Posted In , , , Edit This 4 Comments »
Pirates are not period to the SCA. Neither are modern bellydance outfits. No, not even tribal. That's what Sea Dog is for. Just stop it. You're not Johnny Depp.
I've had a couple people tell me stories of people telling them that their entire outfit was not period specific to a certain type of event, for example SCA or Ren Faire. And they've said, "I think they were just jealous." After listening to the descriptions of said garb, yes, it sounded beautiful and elaborate, according to the speaker. Did it sound historically appropriate to the event? No. Would I be envious of 18th century court garb? Yes. Is it appropriate to the even it was worn to? No.
A friend of mine went to a Ren Faire with me way back when we were poor college students. All she had, as it was basically her first event, was a black velvet and purple satin Victorian-ish dress. I helped put her in it, and I knew that it wasn't Renaissance. Someone did come up to her and point out that it was not period appropriate. We jumped to her defense, pointing out that it was last-minute, all she had, her first event, and it was better than mundane clothes. That shut her up and sent her on her way. If you have a good reason for wearing what you are, that'll shut up just about anyone who's rude enough to do that. Just don't say that you didn't know any better, that'll usually just start a sanctimonious never-ending lecture.
My first ever event was Shrewsbury. I wore black pants, grey polyester tied around my calves with leather, a white t-shirt, and a holey grey material shot through with silver metallic threads made into a tabard that looked kinda like chainmaille if you used your imagination. My hair was back in two french braids, and the ever-present bangs. And a walking stick. Why the walking stick? I had just had foot surgery and was stuck in a medical shoe. I wasn't even supposed to be walking around all day like I did. Thus the cheap, quick, comfortable, and easy garb that did it's best to hide the medical shoe. The next year, another foot surgery. Shiny polyester chemise (it was given to me, and all I had), corset, cotton underskirt, and black cotton split overskirt. If I can make attempts at making them myself even while incapacitated by surgeries, anyone can. And I still looked more historically accurate compared to the faerie twits in green bikinis.
Even garb nazis don't expect your first, or even your second and third, outfits to be perfect. Or at least they shouldn't.

Garb Nazi

9:16 AM Posted In , , , Edit This 0 Comments »
I'll admit, I'm a slight garb nazi. The sight of "shiny" fabrics (polyester, nylon, and other obviously plastic materials), makes me want to twitch. Now that's not saying that I expect everyone to be able to afford 100% pure linen/wool/and/or silk. But cotton is cheap. No, it's not strictly period, but it also breathes and is less likely to give you heatstroke, as well as a sight better than non-natural materials. There are even cotton/linen blends, also cheaper. And who would want to drag silk through muddy camping events? In fact, that's part of the reason why I encourage natural fabrics, they are so much easier to clean. And aren't terribly expensive if purchased in-season. Ssh, don't tell anyone, but I'm making a cloak out of an old, green, Army blanket. It's pure wool and a great colour. I just need some lining. Sometimes, it does pay to be short.
Neon colours are not period, most purples are not period and/or are restricted to certain classes. There are lots of colours that are historically accurate, and disguise dirt from outdoor events really well. Or you can have fun and dye the fabric yourself. Personally, I lack that talent to a degree.
Then there's construction. I like to take my anality to a point in that regard. I'm not about to sew a chemise by hand when it's not going to be seen and I have a perfectly good sewing machine. Will I do the neckline by hand? Most likely. Will I construct it as accurately as I can, rather than just cutting out a "T"? Yes. When making a cotehardie will I research how they were constructed and try to make it as historically accurate as possible? Most likely not with my 100% pure linen that I paid out the ass for. I'll buy a modern pattern and tweak it just enough to get the right silhouette.
I have access to a commercial heavy duty grommet machine through my job, but I won't use it. Metal grommets were not used, instead they were basically button-holes. I'll try and do all the buttonholes by hand, first.
As for hose, I'm not about to attempt to make nor wear them. I will knit myself a pair of stockings, which weren't technically introduced to my area until Queen Elizabeth. But socks were often knitted, so I see it as a cheap, quick, easy "cheating" way. But I will make them with a fairly historically accurate pattern, with the right colour, and out of wool with a teeny bit of nylon for strength in it, then tie them with garters.
I do research what hairstyles/head coverings are appropriate for each outfit, which are going to span a couple of centuries. I like to play with different outfits, patterns, etc. This is particularly important as I have a very modern haircut: shoulder-length, layered, and with bangs. (I am working on growing it out, except for the bangs. Wide, expansive foreheads are not popular in the 21st century). My first attempt at a veil was an unmitigated failure, it kept wanting to fall off the back. But I am trying hairstyles and coverings to disguise it.
Then there's the disguising of modern camping gear. Working on that. It's a bit more difficult than garb as I lack woodworking (other than burning designs), blacksmithing, and other skills that would make it easier. And I lack the interest. But I will try to at least hide my nylon tent with fabric and keep other things hidden.
I don't have a lot of money. I'd rather save it for going to events rather than my garb. I will take money-saving shortcuts where possible. For example, I can't afford hankerchief weight linen for a chemise. That's what cheap, thin, white cotton from Joanne Fabrics is for. I then construct it as historically correct as I can in order to appease my OCD side.
There are lots of cheap, effective ways to pass the 10-foot rule. They just require a little creativity, some time, and effort. Does this mean that I'm going to walk up to a stranger and tell them how their garb is wrong? Heck no. If asked for my opinion, I will try and do so tactfully. Does this mean that if asked for help, I'll try and steer someone to some research and resources? Yes. Am I the final authority? Considering that I've been in the SCA less than a year, that would be a resounding no.
Here is a blog with some great points on why being called a "garb nazi" is just as rude as someone pointing out the flaws in your garb, as well as why authenticity is important in the SCA.

I want to make these gloves...

1:06 PM Posted In , , , Edit This 0 Comments »
Especially some of the knitted ones.
Eventing season for the SCA is upon us, and I just bought a bunch of navy blue linen at Joanne's for a new dress and some thin cotton for a chemise. I went to a day event this past weekend and learned how to make a felted pouch.

Wyoming anti-gay bill dies!

10:36 AM Posted In , , , Edit This 1 Comment »
"Legislation to amend the Wyoming constitution to ban same-sex marriage has been defeated in the state legislature.
The House voted 35-25 against it, despite massive lobbying by socially conservative groups. The vote ensures the measure will not appear on the ballot in 2010.
The proposed amendment would have defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman and would block the state recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states or countries where they are legal."
35 to 25 is a pretty big margin.

Faith Based Programs and Obama

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"President Obama, continuing and broadening an initiative begun by former President Bush, has created a new White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.Under Bush, the office had supported the federal government's investment of more than $2 billion a year in private, mostly faith-based charities providing social services.
Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington today, Obama said the office will help all community organizations -- religious and secular alike -- work on everything from helping people facing home mortgage foreclosure to providing job-training for those in need of work. "The goal of this office will not be to favor one religious group over another -- or even religious groups over secular groups," Obama said before signing an executive order establishing the office and an advisory council. "It will simply be to work on behalf of those organizations that want to work on behalf of our communities, and to do so without blurring the line that our founders wisely drew between church and state."
The president also addressed the role of faith in his own life and the need to bridge the many beliefs of Americans, including those without a religious faith -- as Obama, a Christian, has acknowledged he was raised. Under Bush, who had campaigned for president in 2000 with a plea to "rally the armies of compassion," the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives that he created early in office helped faith-based charities seek federal funding for the social services that they provide.
The office will have four priorities, the White House says:
* Making community groups an integral part of the nation's economic recovery and making poverty "a burden fewer have to bear when recovery is complete."
* Offering advice on supporting women and children, addressing teenage pregnancy and reducing the need for abortion.
* Supporting fathers "who stand by their families," helping young men find well-paying jobs and promoting "responsible fatherhood."
* Working with the National Security Council to foster interfaith dialogue with leaders and scholars around the world.
At the prayer breakfast, the president also addressed the role that faith plays in America."Too often, we have seen faith wielded as a tool to divide us from one another -- as an excuse for prejudice and intolerance," Obama said. "Wars have been waged. Innocents have been slaughtered. For centuries, entire religions have been persecuted, all in the name of perceived righteousness. There is no doubt that the very nature of faith means that some of our beliefs will never be the same," he said. "We read from different texts. We follow different edicts. We subscribe to different accounts of how we came to be here and where we're going next -- and some subscribe to no faith at all."But no matter what we choose to believe, let us remember that there is no religion whose central tenet is hate," he said. "There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being. This much we know."
Faith, the president said, also demands that Americans "lift up those who have fallen on hard times. This is not only our call as people of faith, but our duty as citizens of America, and it will be the purpose of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships that I'm announcing later today. . . ."
This work is important," he said, "because whether it's a secular group advising families facing foreclosure or faith-based groups providing job-training to those who need work, few are closer to what's happening on our streets and in our neighborhoods than these organizations.""
I honestly don't know how I feel about this. On one hand, it's stated goals seem to force old-fashioned gender roles on people by encouraging and helping men to find jobs and help women with children. On the other hand, he is doing it in a way that is inclusive of all faiths and non-faiths. Heck, Bush couldn't even get his labels right, let alone recognize Wicca as a religion.
“I don’t think witchcraft is a religion. I would hope the military officials would take a second look at the decision they made.”

Furniture Commercial

2:29 PM Posted In , , , Edit This 1 Comment »
While watching Reba last night, a furniture commercial came on. A woman is putting together a dresser that was shipped to her. First win: a woman is doing it herself rather than having a man do it. Another woman is in the room narrating in a creepy-ghost way, ignored by the first woman.
The second woman is extolling the virtues of said furniture, yadda, yadda, yadda. And then says something to the effect of, "Now you can sit back and relax. Or go out. Maybe meet a man... Or a woman. I won't judge."
Second win: The narrator realizes that the first woman might not be heterosexual! Yay!
I tried to find the video on YouTube to no avail.

Outrage of the Day III-Transgender Murders

12:33 PM Posted In , , , Edit This 1 Comment »
"Amnesty International has put out an urgent appeal on behalf of a Honduran transgender woman who was arrested by the police, beaten up and threatened with death if she reported what happened to her.
The attack on the woman follows the murders of three other transgender women in Honduras since last October.
The women were all working as sex workers near Palmira when they were attacked.
Transgender women who work as sex workers are frequently attacked by clients or police officers. No one has been brought to justice for these killings.
Amnesty International UK LGBT Rights Campaigner Kim Manning-Cooper said:
“Transgender women in Honduras must be terrified right now. Their community is experiencing serious violence and the authorities are not doing enough to protect them. If these killings are not thoroughly investigated, and the perpetrators brought to justice, then a very clear message is sent that violence against these women is acceptable and can go on without punishment.”
It is alleged that on 20 December 2008 police officers approached the transgender woman (who has asked Amnesty International to withhold her name), who is an HIV/AIDS campaigner and sex worker, in the Palmira district of the capital, Tegucigalpa. The police officers tried to rob her but, when she resisted, they grabbed her by the hair and repeatedly smashed her head against a nearby window, breaking the glass. She received numerous cuts to her face and knees.
The police officers then arrested the woman, took her to a police station and then to a health centre to be treated for her wounds.
Because she was bleeding the woman informed the officers that she is HIV positive, to which they responded by calling her an “AIDS bitch”. She was then taken back to the police station and released without charge. The officers threatened her, “if you speak out we will leave you dead in the countryside.” Despite this the woman has filed a formal complaint with the Human Rights section of the Public Prosecutor's Office about this incident.
Amnesty International believes that the woman’s life is at serious risk and has issued an urgent appeal asking its members to write to the Honduran authorities calling on them to guarantee the woman’s safety and to order swift investigations into all incidents of harassment and killings of transgender people.
Three transgender women have been killed in the last three months while working in the area of Comayagüela, near Palmira. Jazmín Zelaya was killed on 30 October 2008 and her body was found along a road. Another transgender woman was killed on 17 December 2008.
Cintia Nicole Moreno, who was also an activist working for the promotion of the human rights of transgender people, was killed on 9 January 2009 at around 1am. No-one has yet been charged with these murders."

Outrage of the Day II- Gay Panic Murder Defense

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"A 25-year-old man in the Bahamas walked free from court last week after claiming a man he murdered made a sexual advance towards him.
Frederick Green-Neely told a court in Nassau that he stabbed Dale Williams three times as he tried to flee Mr Williams' home.
The defendant said that Mr Williams, the brother of a prominent local politician, accepted an invitation into the murdered man's home in February 2004.
He claimed Mr Williams revealed he was sexually attracted to Green-Neely and tried to grab him. He was stabbed as Green-Neely fled the scene.
Prosecutors argued that the defendant had used excessive force, but the jury backed Green-Neely.
The Nassau Guardian reported that defence lawyer Dorsey McPhee told jurors his client was "defending his manhood."
"This man deserves to go home to be with his family. The death, we are saying, was justified. Show the nation you don't impose yourself on somebody, because one day you just might meet the wrong person."
Green-Neely was acquited of murder last week.
The case is an example of the "gay panic defence," which allows a person charged with murder to claim that they were driven into a state of violent temporary insanity by a sexual advance from the victim.
Its use often sparks outrage from the gay community around the world because it places the burden of blame on the victim.
It has also been used in cases of violent against transgender or transsexual persons.
There is also no equivalent defence relating to heterosexual encounters.
The defence is most frequently used in the United States, particularly in areas where homophobia is widespread.
In the UK, where it is also referred to as the "Portsmouth defence" or "guardsman's defence", the Crown Prosecution Service states that:
"The fact that the victim made a sexual advance on the defendant does not, of itself automatically provide the defendant with a defence of self-defence for the actions that take place." Often, the sexual advance made by the victim will not involve any physical act of touching, and the reaction of the defendant is borne out of anger rather than any real belief that they were acting to protect themselves from an assault."
Women have been known to do this in cases of actual rape, and yet they don't always get off scott-free.

Outrage of the Day- Wyoming Tries to Go Anti-Gay

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"(Cheyenne, Wyoming) Legislation to amend the Wyoming constitution to ban same-sex marriage has passed a key legislative committee.
The House Judiciary Committee voted 5 to 4 to send the joint resolution to the full House for debate.
The proposed amendment would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman and would block the state recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states or countries where they are legal.
The measure would need a two-thirds vote in each house of the legislature and then be signed by the governor in order to make it onto the ballot.
Most Democrats have said they would vote against the measure. The legislature’s winter session will last only two months and with a worsening economic picture for the state, some observers say they believe the amendment may not make it to a vote.
“At the end of the day, I can’t allow a discrimination clause to have a chance to get in
our state constitution,” said Rep. Joseph Barbuto (D).
A similar proposed amendment passed the Senate two years ago but died in the House.
Wyoming already has a law limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples but state Sen. Curt Meier (R), the amendment’s main sponsor, said the law is not sufficient.
The national conservative Focus on the Family Action recently began a telephone lobbying campaign in support of a gay-marriage ban.
The Colorado Springs, Colorado-based group has been targeting voters in what it sees as swing districts where it believes it can exert pressure on lawmakers."
Slight side note. Many churches are afraid that if same-sex marriage becomes legal, they will be charged with discrimination if they refuse to perform said marriages. Wrong. Many churches/denominations refuse to perform marriages for anyone who doesn't belong to their faith. For example, non-Catholics generally can't get married in a Catholic church (there may be a few exceptions, but they're rare and I haven't heard of any). If they can't be sued for discrimination, neither can you.
Good luck trying to find another logical, secular way of supporting your small-minded hatred.

Religion in Sitcoms

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I was watching Reba last night. In my defense, I was over at a friend's drinking, knitting, and talking. The son-in-law admitted to the rest of the Texan, church-going family that he doesn't believe in God. They start lecturing him, beating him with Bibles, yelling at him, and bringing in the future of his daughter's soul. In short, a lot of things that really do happen only with a laugh-track. Reba tells him that they're a God-fearin' household and drags him off to the minister.
I was foolishly hoping that maybe they'd have an open discussion and come to realize that it's ok to be something other than Christian. (Hey, allow me my blind optimism). It's finally determined that the son-in-law's really just mad with God for an old injury and doesn't want to talk to him right now. They're not on speaking terms, but eventually he'll come around and start practicing again. In short, it was a mini-morality play on doubt, faith, and testing. *Sigh*

Pagan Mosaic Found Underneath Church

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"A Roman mosaic floor filled with scenes depicting pagan rites and oriental gods has emerged from the ground of a Catholic church in Italy, archaeologists announced.
The mosaic pavement, which measures 13 square meters (140 square feet) and dates to the fourth century A.D., was unearthed at a depth of about 4 meters (13 feet) below the the ground's surface during archaeological investigations in the crypt of the Cathedral of Reggio Emilia, in central-northern Italy.
"The size and design of the mosaic pavement suggest that it formed the floor of a huge room. We believe this was the residence of a wealthy Roman," Renata Curina, the archaeologist in charge of the dig, told Discovery News.
The fact that depictions of pagan gods had lain for hundreds of years just a few meters under the cathedral doesn't come too much as a surprise, according to the archaeologist.
"The church was built on top of preexisting building structures. This is rather normal in Reggio Emilia. We can see that little care was taken of the mosaic floor, since pillars are built on top of it," Curina said.
Made up of small tesserae -- tiny tiles -- of different materials, which include colored stones, glass cameos and golden leaves, the intricate mosaic floor features geometric designs of circles and squares with little figures of dancers, flowers and birds such as magpies and peacocks.
What makes the mosaic unique, however, are three large mythological scenes."
Curina's right. Christians often built on top of Pagan sites, particularly ones of cultural significance. This was to assert themselves as the dominant and only culture, effectively destroying anything different or older than their religion.
Sidetrack: I love the Christians who adamantly believe that the early church wasn't Catholic. True, it wasn't in the sense of the Catholicism we know today. It certainly (de)evolved into it. The same people claim that the Catholic church wasn't the only form of Christianity in the Middle Ages. Sure, perhaps not everyone believed in everything the Pope forced down their throats. But they sure as hell didn't talk about it, let alone form anything that could possibly be construed as even a critique of the church. The Catholic church squashed anything that might be thought of as opposing it.
That's partly why Joan of Arc was killed. She was a lay-person who had an alleged direct connection with the Divine. She was not clergy, she was a woman, and an entity which they could not control.
Anyone who thinks that there were churches that did not subscribe to the Catholic doctrine during the Middle Ages obviously does not know their history very well.

Enough with the bailouts already!

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"Wells Fargo, “once among the nation’s top writers of subprime mortgages,” has received approximately $25 billion in taxpayer money from the federal bailout. While other bailed-out firms — such as AIG — have canceled expensive junkets, the AP reports that Wells Fargo is sticking with them:

Wells Fargo…has booked 12 nights at the Wynn Las Vegas and its sister hotel, the Encore Las Vegas beginning Friday, said Wynn spokeswoman Michelle Loosbrock. The hotels will host the annual conference for company’s top mortgage officers.
The conference is a Wells Fargo tradition. Previous years have included all-expense-paid helicopter rides, wine tasting, horseback riding in Puerto Rico and a private Jimmy Buffett concert in the Bahamas for more than 1,000 employees and guests. […] “Recognition events are still part of our
culture,” spokeswoman Melissa Murray said. “It’s really important that our team members are still valued and recognized.”"
Here's a crazy idea: Why not show your team members that they're valued and recognized by continuing to keep ALL of them employed, not just the top officers? Yes, even the lowly tellers, who would most likely be the first to go!

Can't Wear A Pretty Pink Dress to Your Prom

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"(Gary, Indiana) A federal judge has ordered Gary Community Schools to pay legal fees after finding that school administrators had ignored a ruling to turn over documents to lawyers for a former student. The student is suing the district for barring him from the senior prom because he was wearing a ball gown.
Attorneys asked the court to sanction the school district, saying it could not properly prepare its case without the documents which were to have been turned over last May.
Last fall, Judge Paul R. Cherry ordered the district to turn over the files and fined the school board $540 for dragging its heels. This time the fine is expected to be substantially higher.
In December 2007, Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit on behalf of K.K. Logan challenging a Gary School Corporation policy barring clothing that advertises sexual orientation or indicates that a student’s gender is different from the student’s sex.
Logan argues that the policy violates students’ First Amendment freedom of expression. Logan also claims that his exclusion from prom constitutes discrimination on the basis of gender.
Students and teachers knew that K.K. Logan was transgendered. During his senior year, Logan attended West Side High expressing a deeply rooted femininity in his appearance and demeanor.
At school, Logan wore makeup, accessories and clothing typically associated with girls his age.
However, on May 19, 2006, Principal Diane Rouse stretched her arms across the door of the senior prom, blocking Logan’s entrance because Logan was wearing a pink gown. Classmates and friends rallied to Logan’s defense to no avail—even though a female student was allowed to attend dressed in a tuxedo.
Principal Rouse enforced a Gary School Corporation policy that forbids any clothing or accessories that “advertise sexual orientation” or “portray the wearer as a person of the opposite gender.”
Ragen Hatcher, the attorney for the school district, said the board was not deliberately trying to prevent Lambda from access to the files, but that gathering the information had taken longer than anticipated. Hatcher said that she is confident the board will win its case."
Reading this, I found nothing untoward. It sounds pretty similar to the mindset in the area where I grew up. Yeah, it's bigoted and idiotic. But stating explicitly that you have to dress according to your genitalia? In that case, girls would be forced to wear only skirts. And it's an extracurricular activity. It's not like he's disturbing gym class by wearing a cheerleader's uniform.
But when I read that a girl in a tux was allowed to attend, the neurons misfired. Explain the logic to me. No, wait. Please don't. Mind-fuckery of that magnitude should not be forced onto anyone.
The grain of salt went out the window. This just boils down to small-minded morons.

Freedom to Marry Week

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"This year’s theme for Freedom to Marry Week, 7 Conversations in 7 Days, promotes the single most important action everyone can take towards achieving marriage equality nationwide—having conversations with friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, and anyone who will listen."
I honestly don't know who I would talk to, considering most everyone I know already supports it. Talking about it with co-workers would be inappropriate. And in talking with my family, that would "out" me in perhaps more ways than one.

Prop 8 Donors

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Here's what I have to say, and this will likely be it on the matter from me:
-Anyone who donates money to a political cause should be made public. Not to persecute the individual, but to track the money going into politics and keep it honest.
-Anyone who donates money to said cause should assume that it will become public knowledge. Particularly if they do so on behalf of a business.
-It's sad that allegedly death threats and vandalism have occurred against the donors. But where's the evidence? Go to the police. It happens to our community all the time, and guess what? They are carried out against us. Don't like it when the tables are turned, huh?
-As for the whining about people boycotting your business, quit yer bitchin'. We have the right to vote with our dollars. You have no right to our hard-earned money and then turn around and use it in political campaigns against us.
In short, suck it up and deal.

Objectification of the First Family

9:59 AM Posted In , , , , , Edit This 3 Comments »
I was watching the TV Guide Channel last night. I know, I know it's just as bad as watching those gossip shows like, um, well, I can't actually think of the name of one. And I was checking to see what channel House was on. Does that help absolve me?
A couple of fashion mongers were analyzing Michelle Obama's inauguration outfits. *Eyeroll, who cares, etc.* Then, they turn to Sasha and Malia and studied their clothes! They approved, but that's not the point! And I thought that it was bad when Tom Cruise's and Katie Holmes' kid was studied as a fashion plate.
What the hell are we teaching our kids if they're going to be scrutinized and critiqued for what kind of clothes they wear? And little girls in particular. It's brainwashing, pure and simple. "Cootchie, cootchie, coo. Oh baby, don't drool on your shirt. What will people think? We have to be perfect looking at all times because we have a uterus."

Outrage of the Day- Bank of England and Sexism

1:47 PM Posted In , , , Edit This 0 Comments »

"The Bank of England came under fire last night for "institutional sexism", after it held a seminar for female staff to advise them on what clothing, shoes and make-up to wear.
In a week when the IMF announced that the British economy will be the hardest hit of all the developed nations, when strikes erupted across the country and as world leaders gathered in Davos to discuss global recession, senior figures at the Bank turned their minds to lipstick and high heels.
On Wednesday, Bank of England employees gathered for a Dress for Success summit, at which female employees were lectured on the importance of wearing appropriate jewellery and make-up in the workplace.
A memo leaked from the meeting details the advice given to staff, including the warning that wearing certain accessories would make women workers look like prostitutes.
"Look professional, not fashionable; be careful with perfume; always wear a heel of some sort – maximum two inches; always wear some sort of makeup, even if it's just lipstick," read the memo. It was distributed by the professional image consultancy firm hired by the bank for the event.
"Shoes and skirt must be the same colour. No-nos include ankle chains – "professional, but not the one you want to be associated with" – white high heels; overstuffed handbags; an overload of rings, and double-pierced ears," it continued.
The Bank of England confirmed yesterday that the session had taken place, but refused to comment further.
Leading equal opportunities solicitors said last night that female employees would have a potential case for legal action against the Bank of England for sexual discrimination. "It is indicative of an institutionally sexist environment. If women are being judged by what they wear, then it suggests that they are being treated differently to male employees," said Lawrence Davies of solicitors Equal Justice .
"The fact that they are putting the responsibility on independent consultants doesn't absolve the bank of any sexist behaviour or attitudes that arise from this," said Mr Davies.
The bank's actions sparked widespread criticism, with leading City economists, MPs and women's rights groups all speaking out. "What the Bank of England is doing is appalling," said Ruth Lea, economic advisor to the Arbuthnot Banking Group and former director of the Centre for Policy Studies. "They are spending our money on these things. It is farcical."

"Surely it is up to men and women, and their peers at work to decide for themselves what is suitable to wear. If you can get a well-paid job, surely you have the nous to choose the right clothes," said Ms Lea.
The Fawcett Society, the leading women's rights group, said that the Bank of England's actions were sexist, and run contrary to equal opportunity legislation. "Not only will eyebrows be raised that an event like this has been held just as we are entering recession, but it sends out damaging messages to women working at the Bank of England," said Katherine Rake, director of the society.
"Setting down codes in this way sends a message to women employees that they have to look a certain way to be successful in business, and this is absolutely contra equal opportunities practice."
Corporate image consultants can cost anything up to £5,000 for a 30- minute session. While dress codes are standard in many professions, specifying the colour of heels that should be worn and insisting on make-up is interpreted by many as sexist.
But Pippa Rees, director of Naked Ambition Personal Branding Consultants, and a member of the Federation of Image Consultants, said: "How you dress can make you have more authority and command more respect. Women struggle with what to wear for business and formal wear, and image consultants can make women aware of how clothes can add to their credibility, and how they can diminish it."
"If you are a banker, a lawyer or an accountant you are a professional, and your client will expect you to look like one. A pilot's uniform denotes his ability to do the job, and professional dress does the same," said Ms Rees.
Accountancy firm Ernst & Young also courted controversy last November when it sent 400 female employees on a course to learn how to dress.
The backlash

'What the Bank of England is doing is appalling. They are wasting our money'
Ruth Lea
'[This tells] women employees that they have to look a certain way to be successful'
Katherine Rake
'If this is not a hoax, then they should be ashamed. It is not what they should be focusing on'
Patricia Hewitt MP
'I hope that there is no assumption that how you look dictates how you can do your job'
Baroness Morris"

This pisses me off because I am physically incapable of wearing heels. Took a couple foot surgeries before I could wear anything other than tennis shoes. Would I then have to get a doctor’s note? And the obsession with matching shoes/skirts, no handbags of this colour, etc. all point out the hypocrisy of their statement “look professional, not fashionable.”
Did they have a ‘dress for success’ lecture to men? Did they instruct men on the correct use of hairgel, grooming products, and, of course, which socks to wear? After all, your shoes and your have to match. The watch can't be too big or gaudy, or else you run the risk of looking like a prostitute.

Blessed Imbolc!

1:42 PM Posted In , , Edit This 0 Comments »
Pronounced "im-mulk."

And for everyone else, Happy Groundhog's Day!

No Wonder Our Perception of Beauty is Distorted

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H/t to Reave.

Superbowl

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My mother asked me last week if my friends and I had anything planned for this weekend. I thought, "That's a bit of a strange question. She usually just asks what I'm up to." She clarified it by asking if we were doing anything for the Superbowl.
"Oh, none of us really have TV nor care about sports." As evidenced by my cluelessness as to the date of the Superbowl. Only myself and one other friend have TV hooked up to our sets, most of us just use our sets for movies and video games.
The Superbowl has been blown into an American religion of its own. If you don't like football, ya ain't a reel Amurican (tm). And to properly watch a bunch of grown, sweaty men in spandex roll around in the mud, you have to have the Mountain o' Junk Food and beer. Double points if you barbeque. Naturally, your wife is to provide the nutritional orgy and to hide elsewhere in your domicile because estrogen is not allowed to intrude upon the Man Cave.
Then there's the inherently sexist commercials and cheerleading. Yes, cheerleading is demanding. It is not, however, a sport. An activity which serves only to support someone else' activity is not a sport.
Overall, I hate the Superbowl, all its trappings, and just about everything it stands for. That is all I'm going to say about it.

More Bechtel Goodness and Failures

10:38 AM Posted In , , , , Edit This 2 Comments »
Pass: Resident Evil: Extinction, What the Bleep Do We Know: Down the Rabbit Hole, Watcher in the Woods, Skeleton Key

Fail: Wages of Sin, Stealth, Finding Nemo