Amy Knauer / Violet Coleson

violet_amy @ 2007-05-01T15:51:00

2007-05-01T20:09:48Z

I was washing dishes today when I looked up and saw the ground hog munching away. It reminded me of my parents' house and how I grew up. We always had ground hogs living on the property (two acres surrounded by woods). Occasionally we'd spot foxes, pheasants, hawks, owls, migratory birds and mallard ducks in the swimming pool. It's funny that whenever I visit my mom, she and my sister have to tell me about the most unusual bird they've seen recently. The ultimate for my mom is hummingbirds. This caused a frenzy in our house once while we were eating dinner. My dad suddenly stood up while pointing. We thought he was having a heart attack. Turns out there was a hummingbird at the backdoor attracted to the red flower on the wreath.

Kittens!

2007-04-23T18:57:31Z

I'm over at noble_oni 's house.

The one on the right is really friendly. Always the first one to come running out.

Kim thinks the tuxedo is the runt. He has the worst eyes (yes, he's a boy). The half-and-half face on the tortie kills me.

violet_amy @ 2007-04-03T23:34:00

2007-04-04T03:40:30Z

In an previous post, it was suggested that mikekn could be thomas_delbroc's evil twin [dun dah DAH!] After two nominations, it now comes to a vote. So what do you think?

View Poll: #959973

violet_amy @ 2007-02-22T18:16:00

2007-02-22T23:18:37Z

Wow, I bet this would encourage [Unknown LJ tag] to learn to knit.

violet_amy @ 2007-01-09T23:54:00

2007-01-10T05:42:04Z

Just because baavgai did it.

1. What is your SCA name? (You don't have to write the full name, just your first name if you want.)
Violet Coleson (registered)

2. What is your home kingdom?
East

3. Have you ever lived in another kingdom? If so, where?
No.

4. Do you remember your first SCA event? When/what was it?
Yes, Pennsic XXIV

5. Do you have any awards? (You don't have to list them if you don't want)
AoA

6. Do you list them after your name in communications like e-mail?
No.

7. Do you have a device?
Yes, see icon.

8. Do you use it? On what?
Just lj so far, but I'd like to make a banner and put the roundel on a buckler.

9. Are you on all the kingdom/society lists available to you, or do you avoid them?
I'm on a few, but I skim a lot.

10. Do you keep your Pennsic/Estrella/Gulf Wars/etc. site tokens?
Yes, they're somewhere in the house.

11. Do you keep the favors you've been given by royalty/friends/SOs, etc.? Do you wear them all?
Yes, but I don't wear them except if I'm doing something associated with the group like wearing the Celtic Cock Brewers Guild favor when we make our gift to Their Majesties.

12. Do you call your friends by their SCA names even when you're not at an event?
Depends how I think of them. Some friends always go by their SCA name, so I figure they prefer it.

13. Do you go out to dinner in garb after an event?
Only if I don't have a change of clothes.

14. Do you have all kinds of garb, or do you generally stick to one period?
All kinds.

15. How many interests do you have within the SCA? What's your favorite?
Oh God I have a lot of interests. Right now I'm focusing on knitting, fencing, cooking (in a strictly assistant role) and brewing. I'd like to actively learn about jewelry making, sprang, smocking, blacksmithing and singing.

16. Do you have an SCA-oriented web site (to show off projects, keep dress diaries, etc.)?
No.

17. Do you maintain a hairstyle that is more period style than modern? How about any other part of your appearance?
I grew out my hair but I kept the bangs.

18. Do you tell "No $###, there I was" stories? (Admit it.)
Absolutely. To me the camraderie is the best part of Pennsic, so I can't talk about Pennsic without telling stories about the goofy stuff we do in our camp.

19. Authenticity is Fun. Yes or no?
No. I think it is a hell of a lot of work, which is what makes me appreciate it when I see it.

20. Is there one modern thing at events that really bugs you?
I think people are so used to going to restaurants that just because they are paying for an SCA dayboard or feast they expect to have their needs fully met. I've seen or heard about people with allergies confronting the cook before a feast. Some are perfectly reasonable, however, it's the "I'm the customer, dammit!" attitude that is the modern thing that bothers me. (Yes, I know this sounds like a personality issue, but I swear it's gotten a lot more frequent.)

Bonus Question! 21. Everyone has a shameful garb/accessory mistake hidden somewhere in their past. What's yours? (We're all friends here, we promise not to laugh. Much.)
I have a black velour tunic that's really comfy.

violet_amy @ 2006-10-21T00:28:00

2006-10-21T04:28:56Z

I love Lisa Snellings-Clark's artwork.

http://www.lisasnellings.com/halloweensale.html

violet_amy @ 2006-09-16T12:04:00

2006-09-16T16:13:14Z

math5 brought my attention to this:

Fom September 7 to 13, Sotheby's is presenting the first exhibition of the Hippopotamus Service, probably the single most important commissioned service of the last 100 years. In will be on view in Sotheby's second floor galleries.
Commissioned from Royal Copenhagen by Richard Baron Cohen and painted on the Flora Danica shape with its distinctive serrated rim, the service comprises 144 pieces hand painted with 303 different views of hippopotamuses, alone or in family groups, taken from original photographs of hippos in a 101 zoos from 33 countries around the world. Each piece is titled on the reverse in the distinctive Royal Copenhagen script with the name of the hippo or hippos, the name of the zoo and its home city and country.

Cohen is a collector of important antique neoclassical porcelain, as well as a longstanding member of Hippolotofus — The International Hippo Society — and it is the combination of these two interests that has provided the inspiration for the Hippopotamus Service.

Having long admired the design and quality of Royal Copenhagen's well-known Flora Danica service, the factory was chosen by Cohen to undertake his commission as he believed that only Royal Copenhagen decorators had the precision painting skills necessary to successfully undertake such a project. The result is a service unparalleled in modern times, which continues a tradition of commissioned services that can be traced back to the early Eighteenth Century.

The exhibition includes selected items from the 144-piece service, as well as examples of Flora Danica and other Royal Copenhagen porcelain, together with some of the original hippo photographs from which the service is painted.

Two lectures will be given in conjunction with the exhibition. In the first on Thursday, September 7, at 4 pm, Harry Frost, ceramic historian and former curator of the Royal Worcester Museum, England, will discuss the world of commissioned porcelain in a historic perspective. The second, which follows at 5 pm, by Sarah Louise Galbraith, photographer of the hippos, will discuss the service and its genesis, as well as providing an opportunity to see more details of the wares and the original photographs from which they derive.

-end article-

Plus, I found out that Sarah Louise Galbraith has a blog all about her experience. Glee!

Pennsic Photos

2006-09-06T05:58:58Z

I was reminded by a friend's lj entry that I was going to post the following Pennsic photos.

This shower stall was painted by Lady Edana Alys Hawkins, Shire of Coppertree, Aethelmearc. I like this angle because you can see the propane tank. Like many of us, Edana has really enjoyed the new series. Unlike many of us, she felt the need to show her enthusiasm with a couple of tattoos.

Her other tattoo is the Seal of Rascalon on her upper arm which does look really cool. (I cringe when I think of someone going through the process of getting one.)

violet_amy @ 2006-07-22T01:13:00

2006-07-22T05:39:48Z

I need to get a fencing icon. I'll use the star sapphire because I have one inlaid in my Poppinjay epee.

I've been meaning to write about practice on Wednesday. There were only a few of us, so that meant we got more attention from Ian (less people = less distractions). Yay!

I started with parry drills in the corner. Ian had suggested that once as a mental as well as physical warm up. Then he had Lilia, Merrick and I do footwork drills. I found out that I don't react well to someone lunging at me. Both times it happened my mind went "GAH!" and I have no idea what my feet did. Of course by that time we had an audience. That never helps. I think my self-conscienceness is my biggest problem.

I fought buckler against Merrick. Fighting him is always fun. I fought Ian and we both had buckler. So Ian did his usual teaching/fencing. At the end of it he told me that I looked really comfortable with an overhead en guarde. I love buckler. It makes me feel protected so that I can try different en guardes.

Anyway I feel like this was a breakthrough. w00t! \m/

violet_amy @ 2006-07-18T14:37:00

2006-07-18T18:40:43Z

Today's one of those days where I'm real-l-l-l-ly tired, so everything is getting on my nerves. I want to go spaz out on people in the next department like the bellhop in "High Anxiety" (HERE'S YOUR PAPER!!!!)

violet_amy @ 2006-06-15T00:32:00

2006-06-15T04:46:34Z

You know some science fiction writer in the fifties probably thought smell-o-vision would be the next thing to happen to television. As I sit here watching Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe, I'm so very glad that was never invented. This is the first time I've seen a tv host literally blow chunks on tv - no, not just vomit - he violently threw up. He was grinding fish into chum for a marine biologist. Man, isn't tv glamorous? He certainly earns his pay.

Just plain wrong!

2006-06-07T16:33:15Z

Recently I heard Lorraine a' Melena sing a song at Balticon that was written by A.A. Milne. The first two lines are:

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.

It's catchy. I keep singing it to myself; however, I messed up just one word and now I can't stop singing it the oh-that's-just-WRONG way.

w00t!

2006-05-19T19:40:01Z

You are:

Twice in one day. Can you tell my boss isn't here?

I love Fezzik BTW.

"I'm on the Brute Squad." - Fezzik
"You are the Brute Squad." - Miracle Max

violet_amy @ 2006-05-17T09:33:00

2006-05-17T13:38:39Z

So yesterday weezeld had a lovely experience seeing a fox enjoying a well-kept lawn. What do I get driving to work? A turkey vulture eating a squirrel in the middle of the road in my neighborhood. He didn't even shift (let alone fly away) as I drove past him. Cheeky bugger!

violet_amy @ 2006-05-11T09:26:00

2006-05-11T14:01:42Z

This is for ianraven

I was driving to work this morning and saw a handwritten sign that the tadcaster part of my mind read as, "zool van for sale." Let the Ghostbuster quotes commence.

violet_amy @ 2006-05-09T13:16:00

2006-05-09T17:21:00Z

From redkcolumbus

Once you are tagged you MUST write a blog entry about your 6 weird habits/things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose the next six people to be tagged and list their names.

1. When I'm knitting in front of the tv I usually find an action movie to watch (Die Hard, Predator, Italian Job, The Punisher) or put on a dvd: X-Men 2. If I see any version of Animal Cops listed on the guide while scanning for a movie, I'm overwhelmingly compelled to watch it.

2. I'm constantly trying to do things for people. If someone needs help, my reaction is to think how I can help them. Over the years I've given a lot of my stuff away and I've introduced a lot of people who have common interests. There's probably some clinical name for this (no, guilt is not a clinical name).

3. I mix corn into my mash potatoes (no gravy).

4. I go for months at a time where I want one particular food as much as possible (right now it's artichoke hearts).

5. I sing in the car all the time - with or without music.

6. I've watched the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice so many times that it's become a habit to play the dvd while I'm sewing.

I tag:
ianraven
siobhan1214
bobbinchick
tashadandelion
lissa510</span>

violet_amy @ 2006-04-27T12:57:00

2006-04-27T16:58:09Z

This is pretty accurate for me.

Your Birthdate: April 20

You are a virtual roller coaster of emotions, and most people enjoy the ride.
Your mood tends to set the tone of the room, and when you're happy, this is a good thing.
When you get in a dark mood, watch out - it's very hard to get you out of it.
It's sometimes hard for you to cheer up, and your gloom can be contagious.

Your strength: Your warm heart

Your weakness: Trouble controlling your emotions

Your power color: Black

Your power symbol: Musical note

Your power month: February

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Weekend Trip

2006-04-26T16:44:28Z

This past weekend my mom and I flew down to North Carolina for my nephew's Eagle Scout ceremony and 16th birthday. Normally I drive but it takes seven hours and I didn't want to take two days off work just to be in the car all day.

I had a really great time. My oldest sister, Georgia, and her family (husband and two boys) live a little East of Raleigh. Saturday was the ceremony and Sunday we celebrated Ryan's birthday (he's Georgia's oldest). We also got to visit with my second oldest sister (Cindy), her son (Warren), his girlfriend (Heidi) and their son (Tobi). Tobi is 1-1/2 and completely adorable!

On Sunday at Georgia's house, I had a chance to spend time with Georgia's pygmy goats. She has six right now which include three kids (three weeks old). They are so frickin' cute! I never thought I could like a goat because they normally weird me out. The ones I've seen in the past have freaky blue eyes. Their eyes are still kind of weird though - the pupils are rectangular. However, April, the only female baby, is a cuddle bug and it was like holding a cat. Speaking of cats, I also had a photo session with their current cat, Van.

I created a new gallery of photos

violet_amy @ 2006-04-20T09:54:00

2006-04-20T14:45:47Z

Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday :-) Mike gave me Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlocked and The Costume Technician's Handbook. My boss made me brownies. I feel very loved which is my favorite present.

Last night Kim and Derek came over. We went to Iron Hill Brewery in Montgomeryville. Kim and I finally got to go to the Clark's store where I bought open toe shoes. I feel very girly. We also keep saying that some Saturday we're going to the Dansk outlet in Avongrove.

Tomorrow morning I have to take a fasting blood test for my annual physical. Then I have to pack for the weekend. I'm going to pick up my mom and we're flying down to North Carolina for my nephew's Eagle badge cermony and birthday. I can't believe he's turning 16 on Sunday.

I put a picture of Tyree up last night in My Cats gallery. http://pics.livejournal.com/violet_amy/pic/0000kdgw/g4
He's huge and loves to cuddle unlike our other cats. i appreciate that a lot.

violet_amy @ 2006-03-17T14:07:00

2006-03-17T20:00:05Z

Mike sent me an email with a schedule for the upcoming months asking me what he's missed, etc. (yes, this is normal). Since my birthday is in April, he asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday. A few months ago I mentioned going to the pinball parlor near beckishadow's house. This guy buys and restores pinball machines. Our friend, Mike Kohne, has helped him on a couple. The last time we were there was five years ago for a joint birthday party (my Mike and Mike Kohne). Now it's my turn. Awright!

So the tentative plan is to book the place for April 8 from 2-4 then go back to beckishadow's house for dinner, games, drinking, cake, ice cream and electric mayhem (frog flail!!!).
(Hey singewulf, 1)Thanks, Neale! Bawk! Bawk! 2) No singing - CAKE!)

The list of pinball games can be found here http://www.pinball-parlour.com/gamelist/index.php
They have Medieval Madness. Zim is doing Mike's Happy Dance for him.

Bhakail Yule

2005-12-02T20:27:30Z

Tonight I'll be finishing up the Celtic Cock Brewers Guild fundraiser items: Just-Add-Alcohol Cordial Kits. They are mason jars with all the dry ingredients (spices in a muslin bag), capped with fabric and a tag on a ribbon with ingredients, instructions, etc. The idea is to sell them as Christmas presents, so all you have to do is buy the alcohol and put them in a gift bag for the recipient. We do have some with generic fabric for those who don't celebrate Christmas or think the "Christmas country" look is vomit-inducing.

The varieties are: Vanilla Cordial, Cinnamon Bun Cordial, Mint Liqueuer (three types of mint - yum!) and Hyppocras (spicy).

We're charging $7.

Eeeek!

2005-11-28T20:01:04Z

Well, I went to lunch, was doing some work then...I opened up my file drawer. It jumped out and ran into the cubicle wall frame.

violet_amy @ 2005-11-28T12:23:00

2005-11-28T17:36:54Z

I usually like it when the weather turns colder; however, there's one side-effect I don't like. It means that mice are looking for shelter, and my company is experiencing this right now more than previous years. So this morning I heard a rustle in my desk drawer, pulled it open and there was a mouse running around in there (no, I didn't have any food just plastic bags). I slammed the drawer shut. It's probably in my cubicle wall and the janitor put a sticky trap nearby.

Now I'm going to be constantly expecting it to run out at any moment.

Happy October

2005-10-05T16:20:12Z

I thought I'd share a Mughi moment. This picture was taken a few years ago.

Publice Service Announcement

2005-10-04T17:35:22Z

Burger King is selling Wallace and Gromit toys. I now have two.

Movie opens this Friday.