Catch-Up Thursday.

.....One crisis completed at work. One more left to work through. Then I'll feel better about taking leave around Labor Day. Things were not looking good a couple of days ago. The Team is on site and many of the things we had put into place unraveled completely. We scrambled to get alternatives set up and operable. It takes a lot of effort to get something as large as a government entity moving in a course correction. But we're getting there. The timing was just not the best though. I wish it had waited just a handful of weeks more, or had not happened at all.

.....I think most of my Live Journals this month are going to be nothing but lists of things that must be done for September Crown, rants about people who are doing their best to make September Crown my epitaph, or various and sundry whinings about how tired I am of all this. Which strikes me as amusing as the day after Crown I'll probably write about how wonderful an experience it was. :-) I think though that I mainly find the writing about it to be cathartic. I can get my worries out of my system, sort of an exorcism, and move on to something that really is important, and certainly more interesting. The job of autocratting an event is actually fun. I love seeing it all come together. But when the special personalities start coming out in full force is when the energy drain really quickens.

.....Those on my friends list should be pretty much used to all the whining by now though.

.....The one thing that is finally about to be done is Madrun's circlet. In the grand scheme of things it is just a tiny, tiny part of the big picture. The torc made by TBT is incredibly beautiful, and I think will be well received judging from the reaction of everyone who has seen it to date. But I wanted to have something to be able to give to Madrun that came from my own hands. I'm not a tailor. I'll be so busy with September Crown that I really can't take any part of the vigil or party on to myself. But this is something I can give to her to show my own appreciation and pride in her accomplishment. She can wear it once for the ceremony and then have it available in case she has an apprentice or friend someday who needs a circlet of their own.

.....Had to clear some space in the garage though to make that happen. It is a total disaster area at the moment. The entire front half is filled with stuff accumulated from June Faire, Honey War, July Coronation, etc. I'll have to get it organized to go into the U-Haul for September Crown, but that can happen next weekend. Had to clear quite a bit of space around the buffing wheel. I did remember to throw a tarp up behind the wheel and try and contain some of the dust. I'm actually glad TBT is about done with the torc as the garage is just a little messier now. :-)

.....I had the opportunity to come home a few hours early today and I'm glad I took it. It allowed me the chance to work the circlet (as I don't know how I'm going to squeeze any more free time out of the schedule in the next two weeks), but it unexpectantly allowed me to spend a few hours with TBT as we ran around town to do errands. We haven't had a lot of chances to just hang out together lately. Even though we were just doing chores, it was still fun to spend time with her. :-)

.....Tomorrow night will be the last minute angsting about Serjeantry. Although I surely can only whine a little on that one. I'm not one of the candidates! I know several of them are very nervous. But judging from some of the recent conversations, they have all been seriously digging into their studies. I'm looking forward to some interesting presentations on Saturday.

.....It'll be a long day, starting early and ending later than last year. TBT and I will have to split forces to witness as much of the proceedings as possible. But the schedule is set. The judges look to be set. The autocrat and lunch-o-crat look to be set. We're as ready as we're going to be. Just a few last minute things for TBT and I to pull together before the Trials.

.....Last year seemed chaotic as well leading up to the Trials. TBT and I had no idea how the day was going to turn out. But somehow a little magic surfaced sometime during the day and it all came together. There is no guarantee that we'll be able to tap into that same magic this year, but I'm ever hopeful.

.....Sunday will be busy. We have two loads of hay to move from Port Gamble to the September Crown site. Supposedly, the Madrone Equestrian Guild is going to meet us on site for a walk-through of the Equestrian area. But I haven't seen any confirmation on that. I wonder if Tsuruko has heard anything on her end? I'll have to ask.

.....Retinue meeting on Sunday night. September Crown is not a Baronial event, of course. But there will be stuff to prepare for it. Last Chance will come up rather quickly in September as well and we should see what we can do to prepare for it as well. We still need to get the final listing of awards to Gabrielle. She and her scribal support are really churning out the scrolls, for which we're grateful. I'm hoping that after September Crown we'll get a chance to sit down with her and see where we are on getting charters made for some of the newer awards.

.....Next Thursday will be our Regional Pelican Meeting. It's going to be a Teleconference. Everyone can stay local with no long drives. I'm hopeful that it'll work for us. I have to get the agenda put together and uploaded to the web-site, but that should come together fairly quickly. We'll have a little bit of a learning curve to work through the etiquette of a Teleconference so as to avoid talking all over each other. Although we tend to do that anyway, even when we're meeting face-to-face, so I don't expect that to be any new and vexing problem. :-)

.....Next week will be the full on onslaught of September Crown preparations. Supplies to be purchased. Support verified. Printings done. Talk Ian off the ledge before someone blows a gasket at something he's said (I include myself in that category as well :-)). I think I'm going to try and convince a few people to help me move the water tank on Wednesday. But I need to verify that Barnet will actually be available that day as well. It'll take at least three other sturdy bodies besides myself to make this happen. The tank is not incredibly heavy, but it sure is bulky.

.....The City of Bremerton has been interested in our preparations for September Crown. The Board of Health and I have been playing phone tag for a couple of days now as they are trying to find out about our food merchants who'll be on site. I asked Bronwyn to warn the merchants, but I think I'll send another reminder so that they are all forewarned. We've never worked with the City of Bremerton in this capacity before so I don't really have a good idea of what to expect.

.....The weekend of August 25the and 26th is my last deep breath before it all happens. I intend to sleep in on both days and as leisurely as possible make my final preparations for the event. Lobelia has to come down for clean out and stocking. The stuff in the garage has to be organized so it will go into the U-Haul. I'd also very much like to clean the house at least a little bit as it is an absolute pit at the moment.

.....Then Crown starts, with set-up starting on Thursday, and the masses arriving on Friday, August 31st. Three days later we'll be done and I'll be ready for a good, long rest. Only have to make it through eighteen more days. Keep moving, one day at a time.

.....Aaron / Arontius.