www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3Vcoq-QRo4

My friend Bryan blogged about this being his new favorite music video. It is now also mine. Ben about flipped his lid because it was so awesome… seriously, I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his skull as he emphatically told me how much Awesome there was in this video.

And to add to the awesome, Red Fang’s website features ASCII art in their header.

They have their EP available on vinyl and MP3s, but it doesn’t look like they have a CD out yet. I would want a CD with this video included in high quality for sure. I know my SCA friends would love it!

But I doubt I could get my fellow medieval band members to recreate it. We mostly play recorders, bells, and acoustic guitars that have the medieval persona of a lute.

I’m still applying for full-time positions while I work on my own writing and trying to acquire some more freelance work. I’ve also pursued some old and new hobbies in an effort to stay active (mentally and physically, the latter always being more of a challenge).

I started riding my new bike, which was a birthday present from my mom. (Thanks, Mom!) It’s a red Electra Townie, and I love it! Okay, I don’t ride it a lot yet, but I’m working on it. I hope to ride to the library this week and not resort to walking up the hill to my house on the way home.

On Wednesday, I’ll be attending my first monthly chapter meeting of the League of Utah Writers. I already volunteered for the open position of newsletter editor, so I hope I like it! At the very least, it will be good to meet and talk with other local writers. I haven’t had a local network of writing friends since college.

Then there’s the Society for Creative Anachronism. I joined a local chapter of this medieval re-enactment group while in college, and sort of fell in and out of it in the following years. I introduced some Utah friends to the local group here, and then got bogged down with work and the house issues while they totally flourished in it. And now I’ve jumped back in to their delight and, surprise surprise, I’m digging it more than ever. I didn’t think that was going to happen even just a couple weeks ago, but here I am. The Minstrels’ Guild is active again, with more people than when I left a year and a half ago, and our first instrumental rehearsal last week was awesome. I am planning to put all of my recent fairy tale and folklore reading/research to use by practicing my storytelling and creating puppet shows (basic at first, to make sure I’m capable) for the large number of kids in the group. I hope to pick up a bow and arrow in the very near future to see if I have any archery skills left. I’m going to finally learn how to do calligraphy and maybe a little bit of illumination. I’m going to make myself some new medieval garb before the next formal event in November.

So, yeah… I’m trying to make my life a little more interactive and interesting than it has been recently. And I think most people would agree that being totally stoked about joining a Medieval/Renaissance band is at least “interesting.”