2005-05-09 - 5:52 p.m.

Our kitchen is nearly done. Yay!

The floor was installed on Saturday and we painted on Sunday. (Thanks Cat, Delfina and Carlos!) And now it looks really good. I spoke to the installer this morning and the whole thing should be finished between today and tomorrow.

Pics to follow. Stay tuned.

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Crown was a lot of fun, but a lot more exhausting than I was expecting. Perhaps it was standing all day in shoes and pattens, or the running around, or sitting down in X-chairs with no backs, or heavens know what, but at the end of the day I was beat.

Funny thing is, I was much more exhausted than those times in which I have been fighting all day.

Go figure. The point is that at the end of the day my knees were killing me and have not ceased to bother me since. But such is life in the fast lane.

Best of Crown:

1. The processions
2. Seamus having too much fun with the "male consort" gig
3. The fighting, it was really good
4. The A&S (really cool stuff)
5. Carlos processing with Janos and Rachel
6. For that matter, Janos and Rachel back on the throne
7. Ponte Alto descending like biblical locust upon the wool lady (we are now the proud owners of half a bolt of navy blue lightweight wool)
8. For that matter, all the Pontoons fighting for Crown
9. House FFG showing up in early period garb
10. Getting my really nifty Sea Dragon scroll from Master Tristan

Worsts:

1. My knees hurting
2. Having dinner really, really late
3. Unsupervised children running around
4. Backless chairs (can't wait for the new ones, which are being made by Master Ranulf)

Speaking of unsupervised children, just as we were leaving, I saw this little girl who was looking rather tired, dirty and possibly hungry.

"Are there any toys in here?" She asks me.

"No sweetie, there are no toys," I say.

She then proceeded to cling to me.

I looked around, and although there were plenty of people around, none of them looked like her parents. We were leaving so I said goodbye to the little girl and did not pursue the matter, but I was rather disturbed.

What if someone else, who is a predator finds this little girl and decides to say "Yes dear, come with me. I have some toys for you."

I hate to say this, but some parents are really naive, and they seem to think that an SCA event is some sort of amusement park for kids and that it is completely safe.

It is not.

True, the SCA pretty much feels like an extended family and, in most cases, it is.

Nevertheless, one must remember that the Society is not a babysitting service and that predators can be found everywhere.

And lets not forget that the fact that the Society feels like a family does not make it safer for kids. Most of the abuse on minors comes from family members and not from strangers.

That does not mean that a lot of people are irresponsible or naive parents. I know many people who bring their children to events and do a very good job of either watching them themselves or having someone else watching their children.

It is the ones that think that the world is out there to look after their kids instead of them that really disturb me.

Belphoebe out.

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