I have been quite busy with any number of interesting things.
I recently found and purchased a most excellent medieval hat at King Richard’s Faire in Carver, Massachusettes. I wore it while there, and since I love it so much, I’ve been wearing it at home and in the car.
Think Thomas Moore.
The hat is quite simple and yet it’s also quite warm. I also started to acquire authentic medieval clothing and online cookbooks (from pre-1430). Sleeping in some authentic garb was interesting – but probably too different for me to say I’d enjoy it on a regular basis.
I have also been busy at work – concentrating efforts on a large project and a few smaller ones which are no less important. I spent weeks in Sketch and Illustrator thinking through design problems… working with a team of developers soaking this stuff up to turn it into markup.
I fired up Xcode again and I am coding the smaller projects while interacting directly with some hardware. Testing new experiences and interactions. I always love coming back to coding after a hiatus… no matter how long the separation was.
I’ve tried reading The Fall of Gondolin a few times since receiving it. However the days darken quickly and by the time I have an opening, it’s usually too late to get to. My chances come in digital format more often than not. I may have to just realize that my consumption of the material will have to come while in bed before slumber with my face emblazoned by artificial light and pixel pages.
Thanksgiving was a humdinger! We hosted and my wife knocked the culinary world on its collective ear. The turkey was purchased from Whole Foods… and while it cost the GDP of some smaller countries, it was stuffed with fruit and herbs. Balanced atop our roaster, we basted it every 30 minutes and it came out splendidly moist. We had the usual, but one thing we added was real cranberry sauce. It made an enormous difference, to be honest. It was easy to make as well. We had fifteen at the house and everyone had plenty of room. We set up a table in our garage that keep all the drinks in order, easily available on demand, and chilled as well.
I missed seeing Martin Barre in Natick – I had front row center seating too. I had a terrible cold and wasn’t feeling up to it. I didn’t want to get anyone in the band sick either, as I would have hung out at the end with them and a guy named Charlie. That’s a great story for another time.
I vowed to never see a band at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA again – the last time I saw Iron Maiden (it was about 100°F) and it took me four hours to get to the highway afterward. Horrible. Well… Maiden is coming back and I could have gotten General Admission Pit again (the only way to see them really), and I waited too long. I should have just purchased a ticket and dealt with the traffic. But now tickets are ridiculously expensive and I will pass on the whole thing.