The View From Kalamazoo

“German scholars from the University of Heidelberg” have confirmed that the two fragments discovered by the archaeologist N. Ovcharov in the Eastern Rhodopes mountains, southern Bulgaria, are written in the Linear A script

A group of workmen laying water pipes near to a Worcestershire church have uncovered the remains of about 20 people dating back to the Middle Ages.

English Heritage has delved into medieval herb-lore to breathe new life into a monk’s garden at Mount Grace Priory, near Northallerton.

Plans to save a Shropshire town’s medieval walls from crumbling are due to be revealed.

An early medieval coin and a rare glass vessel have been discovered at an archaeological excavation.

Archaeologists searching for remains of a city’s medieval past have made an intoxicating discovery – a cache of World War II beer.

And have you ever seen the Behr website? It’s like being able to poke through paint chips without having to find a parking apot at Home Depot!

A lesson learned?

So I had all of these outgrown clothes from Miss Emma. Save for some infant and toddler stuff already given away, and the generic (read: not pink) infant stuff I was able to use for Colin I had 4 seasons, full wardrobes for 0-5t. This means I had a butt-load of clothes saved. I had a boy. Sis had a boy. Clothes had to go, I’m moving. I think a yard sale is a fine idea, since I could use some money toward the move, and I haven’t the time to iron every piece for the consignment shop or dick around with Ebay. (I should have taken it all to Ebay shops in the Detroit area, on hindsight, but I didn’t realize there was one there until it was too late.) It was mostly those brands – Gymboree, Carter’s, Hannah Anderson, Oshkosh, Children’s Place, Healthtex among others..and even some snooty designer stuff that we were gifted here and there. (I’ve always said my kids dress better than I do. I suppose it’s The Mother’s Curse)

I took a day and a half of (precious) annual leave. Spent untold hours pulling all out, washing, sorting by size. Over two hours to set it all up. Up too early, to bed too late. Sunburn. I had taken it all to my parents’ house – the sale for my current neighborhood is after the move, the sale for my neighborhood-to-be was last month – as this weekend was the sale for their whole subdivision – their neighboorhood association was to advertise, lots and lots of sales around – perfect, no?

No. Advertising was crap. There was construction at one entrance so it was un-usable. We got almost no traffic (even just driving by looking for tools or whatever). I sold not one thing. NOT ONE THING. At yard sale prices ($1.00 a piece, basically – I price to sell) I had well over a grand in clothing – had I sold half, even at half of what I had originally priced, I would have made close to $500. So much for some money for the move. So much for gas money for godssake.

Needless to say, Sat. afternoon I got on the phone and called people I know with little girls. I have two enormous boxes (each) for Jennie, for Thea, for Sara. I have many enormous boxes taped up for Purple Heart – they pick up where my folks are, it’s a stack in their garage. I had to be rid of it all – there is no time to try again or consign anything or whatever. *sigh* (note: tear-down took 50% longer than set-up – I worked late into the evening. then had a beer. than another beer.)

I hate wasting my time. I hate being sunburned.

added. check these out:

medievalmanuscripts.net

http://digitalmedievalist.org

Oh god, I laughed. So. Hard.

My month-late Congress commentary:
This is, of course, too brief and mentions too little, but I can call it done.

Met many really lovely people who I have only spoken with electronically as well as those friends I usually only get to see once a year as we are separated by great distance. I’m always surprised but pleased at being remembered – Shana brought me chocolates from a fantabulous Toronto shop, and I had a visit from George Ferzoco re: a link I had posted in Dec. to a project I thought looked marvy. He signed the book on the project for me…a lovely thing, and a very nice visit with a very nice person. See – blogging doesn’t just get you death threats. 😉 When he popped up I was far from 100% and didn’t recognize the project from the cover of the book – the fact that I can’t read Italian compounded my insta-stupidity. I just hope he didn’t fly back to the UK and tell his colleagues the Kalamazoo Coodinator is a scatterbrain…not that I’m not much of the time, but I do try to keep it more under wraps. (chronic and frenetic multi-tasking ain’t for the faint of heart)

(realize that I’m not mentioning all of my visitors, but I need to get back to work, here)

SO yes, I danced many of the ‘you owe me a dance!’ dances, shook it like a polaroid picture. There were witnesses to my gracelessness, and Mike, duuuuude, you need to come next year, because I’m a very poor substitute for Bad Touch. It’s a darn good thing D’s amazing, because she had to carry it in the face of my utter surprise coupled with an inability to move with more smoothness than that of a inebriated water buffalo.

Had many fruitful conversations, including the one that led to the session proposal. It was a very talk-y Congress for me – which was a good thing overall…relaxed, but effecient. Societas Magica‘s proposal line-up looks yummy, and one rather behooves me to toss my hat in the ring again so I suppose I should get off my tuckus and write.