Some Short Assorted Notes

[anastasiav]

Work is still crazy. If you can't get in touch with me, this is why:

Monday: MPA 9-5; evening off
Tuesday: MPA 830-5-ish; LLB 5-10; night training 1130pm - 130a
Wednesday: MPA 830-430; LLB 5-8
Thursday: MPA 830-5-ish; LLB 6-12
Friday: MPA 830-5-ish; LLB 6-12
Saturday: LLB 130-10
Sunday: OFF (Dark Place Party)
Monday: Labor Day - Off (Boston fun??)

Josh and I snuggled on the soul-sucking couch last night, ate a yummy dinner he cooked, and then watched The Long Ships - a 1963 "Viking" movie with Richard Widmark as a norse adventurer and Sidney Poitier (in what seems to be James Brown's hair) as a Moorish prince. It was, of course, awful, but also quite good (or at least interesting) in certain places -- most notably in how the Moorish prince was the villain but yet did not seem to be "evil" in the way that I expected ... just driven and ultimately killed by his own obsession with The Mother of Voices.

Our house is still full of Pennsic mess ... its everywhere I look ... in the foyer, in the dining room, in the kitchen, in our bedroom, in the computer/sewing room ... just heaped up piles of things that need to be unpacked and washed and put away somewhere. I just hope the piles of crap aren't driving MJ too crazy...

Since Sunday, I've been having dreams every night about Josh and I having to pack up and evacuate the house on short notice ... no doubt a direct result of the conversation we had Sunday night on what we would take with us if forced to flee our home like the folks on the Gulf Coast did. For him, its a pretty short list ... a few (real, metal) swords, his Scrolls, his belt, spurs, and chain, one photo album, the computer, and some books. Everything else is replaceable (costly, in some cases, but not one of a kind in any way). My list is more difficult. If I had to flee at a true moments notice, the list is very short and easily gathered: photo albums, a jewelry box, scrolls, three art prints, a Raggedy Ann doll, a music box, and a candy jar. What makes the conversation is more difficult is the idea that you have 12 or 24 hours notice, and the van and a car -- we have lots of furniture in the house which, although not valuable in the strict monetary sense, belonged to my grandparents or great-grandparents, and which I would be pained to lose. Some of it is easily transportable, but the pieces that hold the greatest 'memory' value for me are too large to move easily (the marble topped sideboard, the 10-piece dining room set). We could do it, but.... Anyway, it led to an interesting conversation about what we value, and why we value it. I am, however, pleased that we don't live in a flood zone. It did reinforce, however, how much I fear a fire in that house.... So, given 12-24 hours and your current vehicle, what do you take with you? You have one trip, no more.

Nothing else much to report. I look forward to a day when work doesn't eat up all my time and I can find fun stuff for you on the internet again.

As noted above, we are planning on going down to the party at Clark & Lisa's on the 4th, then staying over and trying to find something fun to do in Boston on the 5th. Anyone have any ideas what that "something fun" might be? (We're also planning on going to Coronation and, I guess, *sigh* Crown.)

Comments

[rufinia.livejournal.com]

Crown'll be fun. Really. We'll hang out and make snarky comments. And if you do come into to Boston on the 5th, give me a call if you want to hang. I have Council at 7ish, but no plans for the day.

Assuming I can steal a car (I have no current vehicle) I would grab my scrolls (defintely my AoA... it's very personalized. My CB is a nice, but rather generic. I could have the scribe redo it, no problem.) my coronets and some tokens, my teddy bear that I've had since before I was born, the quilt I made as my "Yay! I'm done with college so I can have a project!" project. The volumes of shakespeare I got from my grandparents, my computer, the Byz, and Goatfried (so Bear doesn't get lonely). And some pictures I have of Split Rock lighthouse on Lake Superior. Birth certificate, financial papers... I have *stuff* but not a lot of *things*.

[anastasiav.livejournal.com]

Crown'll be fun. Really. We'll hang out and make snarky comments.

Crown ceased to be fun for me some years ago. If we go, he wants to fight, he can't just go and not fight, so we go and he fights. Problem with that is, he's a pretty good fighter ... which gets nerve wracking after a while, because while I want him to do well, I don't want him to do *that* well.

You get the idea...

[rufinia.livejournal.com]

We'll sit in the back and make snarky comments. And then we'll get you a little toasty. ::nods::

[anastasiav.livejournal.com]

Normally I cope by shopping, then curling up in a secluded spot and covering myself with my cloak and taking a long nap.

[goodscagirl.livejournal.com]

*If* you were to win, that would be cool and folks would be there for you : )

[goodscagirl.livejournal.com]

Looks like you can't catch a break! I hope life gets less chaotic for you in the future.

PS I still have Pennsic stuff everywhere too.

[palegreyminion.livejournal.com]

Well, my list is a little easier to assemble, because "one vehicle" means a full size truck with a gooseneck horse trailer, so I could bring pretty much whatever I wanted.

I'd load up all my pets, their necessities and about 2 weeks worth of pet food (that's a lot of hay & grain, lemme tell you). Both computers. My photo albums. The filing cabinet full of mundane paperwork. Any prescription medications. Food and water for us humans. extra clothes, blankets and towels.

I can load all of that up in about 2 hours. If I had 12 to 24 hours, I still don't think I'd bring much more than that, but I would spend the time securing as much as possible. I'd pack garb into plastic tubs taped shut and move it into the attic/hayloft. I'd snap detailed digital pictures of my bookshelves so I could create a catalog of what I had in case I had to replace it. I'd snap pictures of my scrolls so I could remember them, but I wouldn't waste space I could use for food/necessities by bringing them. I like my scrolls, but I'm not emotionally attached to them. Same with my medallions or coronet.

[anastasiav.livejournal.com]

I like my scrolls, but I'm not emotionally attached to them.

Its an interesting point. I'm not really emotionally attached to my scrolls either. But in the whole sphere of replaceable/not replaceable I think they're closer to not than otherwise.

Also, if we ever need to evacuate, I want to live close to you. Your list is very practical. Mine is all emotional stuff. (Plus we never really have any extra food or water in the house...)

[palegreyminion.livejournal.com]

comes from having other beings dependent on me, especially ones the red cross won't help. Gotta take care of your own, ya know?

12-24 hours

[tracytris.livejournal.com]

can i use the trailer we own??

Mike, myself & loki. a few items of jewelry - sentimental. all photo albums (about 8)... the ugly black,bright green and red afghan my grandmother knitted back in the 70's... The scarf my mom knitted for me last christmas. My roadbike (bicycle)... My small, albeit incredibly sentimental teddy bear collection. All would easily fit in the truck... i could even fit that in the jeep if I took apart the bike :)

[herooftheage.livejournal.com]

Pennsic Mess is why we throw a party the weekend after Pennsic - it forces us to take care of it before the Second Coming.

[goldsquare.livejournal.com]

Yeah! See you Sunday! I'm free Monday too...

What would I take? Food, water, bedding, necessities. Family photos, small valuables, tools and some Pennsic stuff. Important backup papers and computer information - and my computer's hard drive. (Leave the rest of the bastard behind.)

While I have enormous amounts of cruft, most of it could be replaced. What couldn't be replaced, mostly that is OK.

[lakshmi-amman.livejournal.com]

Hmm... evaculation list for 12-24 hours of packing:

- new_man and mermaidlady - but I hope they can pack themselves. :)

- teddy bear
- laptop & power supply
- violin & tamboura
- laurel paraphenalia
- selected jewelry antique & sentimental
- passport
- practical needs: any canned food, bedroll, airmattress, nylon tent, chef knife, water, Pennsic medical kit + cold meds, cash, all spare checks, spare clothes,

Yep... that's it. I might move a few things to higher/safer ground (depends on nature of emergency where that would be) - like scrolls and other valuable paintings, albums, other instruments. But, although it would be a huge loss - there's not so much there that money can't replace, and I trust my home insurance.

------

As for the 5th - I'll be around, I think, and would be up for brunch or something - give a call or mail me offline...

[gyzki.livejournal.com]

The Long Ships was adapted from the excellent historical novel by Frans Bengtsson, Röde Orm in the original Swedish (lit. "Orm the Red," for the main character, but translation titled, well, The Long Ships). The movie is based on roughly the first quarter of the book - very roughly: there is a bell, but it's not disguised like in the movie; Almansur (the Sidney Poitier role) is a heavy but not an outright villain; etc. May be hard to find, but highly recommended.

In contrast to The Vikings: the movie (with Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, and Earnest Borgnine) is a fun way to spend a bowl of popcorn, while the book (The Viking, in the singular) is wretched.

[anastasiav.livejournal.com]

The Vikings

"Yonda lies the Castle of my fadder?"

lmansur (the Sidney Poitier role) is a heavy but not an outright villain

That was my impression of the film, too. He's the "threat" or an obstical, but not a villain in the sense that I expected him to be, given the vintage of the film.

The entire "vikings raid the harem" scene, on the other hand, was completely offensive, on a number of levels.

[gyzki.livejournal.com]

"Yonda lies the Castle of my fadder?"

:-) That vintage Tony Curtis, but not that exact film. And Earnest Borgnine shows his fillings when he leaps into the wolfpit.

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

So, given 12-24 hours and your current vehicle, what do you take with you? You have one trip, no more.

The computer, our passports, the string of pearls from my 10th wedding anniversary, the scrolls, our Masonic and SCA regalia, the milkcrate with the originals of 35 years of court reports. Last year's tax return. The mortgage. The Brewster family Bibles and Uncle Elliott Davies's big genealogy chart.

The heirloom furniture is not movable, except perhaps Nana's cedar chest.

A year ago, I'd have had to allow the whole back seat for two cat carriers.

[lanome.livejournal.com]

So, given 12-24 hours and your current vehicle, what do you take with you? You have one trip, no more.

I think all my stuff except my bed will actually fit in my current vehicle, which is just a station wagon. I'll find out tomorrow when I move. If I had to limit myself, I'd probably take my blanky, some stuffed animals, a couple of books with sentimental value, my jewelry, and the collection of sweaters I've made for myself.

[jdulac.livejournal.com]

*sigh* Crown.

I know being royalty is daunting -- it's a year out of your life. But you have lots of friends, and you would not be alone. People rule through love more than anything else, and you can count on your fair share of that.

[cat9.livejournal.com]

Especially if you did lots of *ahem* Northern events. For the purposes of driving, I freely include everything north of New Haven in "Northern."

[cat9.livejournal.com]

Am I the only person who wouldn't pack SCA regalia? Oh wait...I don't have any SCA regalia ;)

I'd pack the g*dd*amn cats (& cat food) and 2 cottage-cheese-containers-with-holes worth of tarantulas (I think the fishies would be on their own). Other than that? Overnight bag (with the usual), prescription meds, cell phone, address book, two photo albums, "the envelope"¹, a crochet hook, one ball of yarn, and whatever murder mystery was nearest the door.

¹You know, the one with the car insurance info, passport, birth certificate, divorce papers, credit card info, etc., etc. If I don't put it all in one place, I end up putting it all somewhere "safe" and then I never see any of it again.

evacuation

[cellio]

Given 12-24 hours' notice, but recognizing that I'm composing this list in just a few minutes...

Stuff that I assume is universal: passport, cash, checkbook, cell phone.

The cats, food for them, compact non-perishable food for me (canned tuna, protein bars, that sort of thing, rather than big stuff), bottled water, can opener, one good knife, the CPU case and external hard drive, photo albums, contents of the "important papers" drawer, contents of the "original work" file drawers, photos of stuff being left behind (including contents of bookshelves) for insurance claim later, the afghan my grandmother crochetted for me, medicine, several changes of clothes, spare glasses, blankets, a couple rolls of toilet paper, a few pieces of jewelry (including some regalia), about a dozen specific religious texts (entire section of shelves if room), copies of my group's CDs, the Shabbat candlesticks given to me by a dear friend, matches, kiddush cup from our wedding.

On the books -- I would do my best to specifically rescue the books containing the (real, not translated) name of God. I would also try to check with my synagogue and offer to take one torah scroll with me if needed. Yes, I would give my religious community a chunk of my evac space for something that important.

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah, looking over the other comments: I was assuming the bulk of the station wagon was full with a couple wool blankets, changes of clothes of the outdoor/camping variety (no need for spiffy if I'm fleeing), a tarp or three, canned food and bottled water, knives, propane, duct tape, batteries, large first-aid kit including prescriptions, and all that sort of thing. Even though most likely if we fled on 12 hours' notice we'd be heading for friends in N.H./VT and have more need of DVDs and playing cards than survivalist gear.

[anastasiav.livejournal.com]

See, this is my assumption, too ... that we'd pack the necessary stuff first, then our lists were the "what else do we take" / "what can't we bear to leave behind"

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, and if I knew it were a hurricane or earthquake - hand saws and the axe. Because we might have to clear our own way back in, later.

12-24?

[baronessmartha.livejournal.com]

that is a metric ton of time...
Erin. Cats. my planner, food and water, blankets, religious books (in a rubber tub), prescription and otc medications and both nebulizers with all the tubing. first aid kit from hell, paper, pens pencils.
That folder with all the personal legal goo (divorce decree, taxes, birth and immunization records for people and cats, car loan). The baronial coronet Luna made me out of beaded trim, my father's high school ring, my nursing pin, Haddassah 3rd generation pin, a few of the pieces of jewelery my Grandmother left, the lap top or at least the cd of archived files and mem sticks. a camera with picks of the inside of my apt.
batteries, airmatress, pump...