Miscellaneous Thoughts After The Business Meeting.

.....Last night's Business Meeting was just a little bit on the crazy side. I'm still thinking about it today for some reason. I was reminded of the full moon. But I tend to think that it had more to do with the fact that we're staring down the barrel of a very busy month. Not to mention that the hall was hot and stuffy.

.....I was tired just arriving to the meeting, but this is the last one before September Crown, so there was a lot of stuff to get done. I gulped and hesitated some before setting down over $8,000 in requests for checks. The biggest check for the site itself. The second for the Biffies, which turned out to be about half the cost of Biffies for June Faire (but still a major expense). We cut a check for the Golf Cart and Miscellaneous Supplies. And a check for a 'Special Events Permit' that is required since we'll technically be within the Bremerton City Limits. That should cover all the larger expenses for the event. The after-event expenses should be trash and any miscellaneous emergent items we had to buy. I'm crossing my fingers that we'll get through the event at about $10,000 in expenses, which is a little less than my total budget.

.....Now let's see what we get in income. It could go a couple of ways. Many could day-trip due to the lay-out of the event. Which wouldn't be so bad as it would reduce the amount of tentage on site. We'll see. I'm nervous, but things will be what they'll be.

.....The Financial Meeting took longer than normal. There were things to discuss. Among them the continuation of the lease on the VFW Hall. As a Social gathering, business meeting and summer fight practice site, it makes a great location. But many long for a return to the days when we had a site that could accommodate both social activities and fight practice during the winter months. We've become spoiled, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But it can lead to arguments. A mention was made last night to discuss winter fight practice. I did not want to have that discussion last night. We have another two good months of sunlight left. Let's get through September Crown first. Everyone can fight all they want over resources after that. I have my opinions, but need to stay focused on the task at hand for the moment.

.....House Awry presented a proposal for ballista bolts. For $300+ we get something like (24) bolts. On the surface it may seem like a throw away expense. But every time I think of the ballista I think of the crowds that surround it every time it comes out for demonstration, especially at June Faire. It makes a great draw. House Awry seems rather enthusiastic as well, so I'm hoping they'll create some momentum on maybe displaying it more or taking it to more war events.

.....There was one year at Estrella War where a siege weapons competition was held. There were something like a dozen entries, all of which hurled objects for unbelievable distances. Quite a sight, even though it tended to give the marshalls something of a headache. :-) But the one that was the most impressive one was one not entered in the competition but was displayed for demonstration. It was an air powered one. Someone had connected a tank to a ballista to help the projectile. That thing flew for what seemed like a half mile! Over the hill on the west side of the park.

.....The rest of the meeting crawled by and my mood was not helped in the slightest by the stuffiness of the room. There were a number of people not in attendance who are normally there, but the hall was still full of people. I wish we had thought of maybe moving the meeting outside. It would have been cooler and maybe a bit more comfortable. But maybe the distractions would have been worse.

.....When we went through the events it was suggested that we remove the site fees from Serjeantry Trials this year since we made a profit of $8,000 from June Faire. I tried to run some quick calculations in my head of what expenses we still owe this year (VFW Hall, Both Storage Units, etc.), but really, the $200 for the VFW Hall at Serjeantry is not that much. Printing and other miscellaneous costs shouldn't amount to all that much. So we'll be good. Wish we'd thought of it earlier. Traditionally, it is the Picnic we provide with no site fee if June Faire does well that year. But with the Picnic being a weekend in length and some added expenses, it isn't really feasible.

.....It will be interesting to see what we end up doing next year with the Picnic and Huntsman's Challenge. I'm thinking the Picnic might go back to a single day in length. It was also my understanding that Huntsman's Challenge is an every-other-year event, so it might be a quiet summer next year. I'm curious to see the outcome of Huntsman's Challenge myself. Will the Archery Community come out in force to support it?

.....I still haven't mastered the art of eloquent speaking. I tried to promote all the hard work and effort the Serjeantry Candidates have been doing and came off sounding flat. As I looked around the room there didn't seem to be a whole lot of excitement there. I'm hoping that it was just the condition of the space and everyone being tired. It would be a shame if we've over promoted the Program to the point that people just want to roll their eyes at its very mention.

.....I had been fighting off a migraine for a part of the day on Thursday, so I was careful with what I ate. Which meant in this case that I avoided the no-added-sugar desserts that were offered the After-Meeting Social. I definitely think that affected my mood as well. But I've actually buckled down this year on the foodstuff. When I feel the familiar pressure in my head, I quickly dowse it with acetaminophen and caffeine, and avoid all the trigger food hard. That attitude shift has helped quite a bit. The number of full-on migraines has decreased considerably this year.

.....The Populace liked the Ice Cream though and I think it helped with everyone's mood. We were still out of the hall before 8:30PM, with the parking lot still in the day light as we pulled off of site. I spent an hour or so writing e-mails and answering e-mails before going to bed. Not bad things, and a few good things. The Seneschal of Wyewood put together a really nicely worded e-mail to persuade the Populace of Wyewood to help out at September Crown. I enjoyed reading it. I have been extremely pleased at how the Western Regional branches have stepped up to volunteer to help. I was a little worried about that aspect just a handful of weeks ago. But I'm feeling much happier now. Only volunteer force I am really missing at the moment is for Lists. Which reminds me that I need to track down Ceara. I haven't seen her in several weeks now and need to find out her plans at Crown.

.....Time to pack up for a trip to the Port Gamble Uplands. We're going to see how the site set-up is going. Gwenllyn was only planning to set up three Baronial Pavilions, so it should be a relatively easy afternoon / evening. But who knows? The event could be inundated with attendees. Time to go...

.....Aaron / Arontius.