Historical Recontruction a la 1880s. [Pictures]

I went with some friends to Old World Wisconsin. Why? More research! What’s really fascinating about this time period, is that you see the effects of the age of industrialism just starting to impact businesses. It’s really a “worlds collide” sort of a place, much like what we’re seeing now with digitization versus material goods. The biggest impact besides price? Time. Folks back then were a “bit” busier than we were. Yes, we’re busy because we’re on Facebook and Twitter and whatnot. But are we really? In terms of what we make now compared to what they had to do back then… We’re experts at consumption, but not manufacturing goods for ourselves.

Here’s some pics. (I have a ton. If you’re interested, I may post more.)

Engraving

I have a fascination with old writing desks. If I could, I’d collect them.

Coffee With The Mostest

For the coffee enthusiast in you… Beans. Beans had to be roasted, then ground, then made into coffee.

Happy Bacon

This is a picture of a pig. She was friendly, and she singled me out. Ergo…

Ye Olde Rose

A very old rose. My hobbitess friend explained to me that older roses curl and that this particular rosebush was very old, indeed.

Mega Loom

The site makes its own towels and fabric. This loom allows them to do so. Takes a couple of months or so to make enough for a handtowel.

Irish House

The Irish washerwoman this house belonged to, worked six days a week and was also active in her church community, plus maintained a garden. Talk about never sleeping in!

Shoeness

In the village, there’s a cobbler/shoe merchant. So, these are handmade shoes in various states of shoeness. The cobbler could make a single pair of custom-fit shoes once every two to three days. These could be repaired and last forever. They were hand-stitched and made with wood pegs. Not like these shoes…

Shoe Store

These are factory-made and were also sold by the cobbler. So customers had their choice of what to buy and could also get their shoes repaired, too.

My CONvergence Schedule

CONvergence British Invasion

I will be attending CONvergence as a guest this year.

Here is my schedule, though you should note that the later the panels get… The more unfiltered I shall be… In part, I think this is a mad conspiracy to access my pure decorum-less state. The later it gets coupled with a serious caffeine addiction. Oh, that’s my Kryptonite. Sure, I start out all nice and well-mannered, but Midnight beckons and my fangs pop out all by their lonesome. It’s quite terrifying, actually. Sharp, pointy teeth.

On that note, I suppose I should say: “Come if you dare?”

Friday, July 5

9:30am
Science Fiction as a Hopeful Future vs. a Cautionary Tale

12:30pm
Gaming in the ‘Verse

2:00pm
Signing – Joseph Scrimshaw/Monica Valentinelli

10:00pm
Writing a Book in Someone Else’s Universe

Saturday, July 6

7:00pm
Reading – Monica Valentinelli

11:30pm
Vampire Literature From Dracula to Edward Cullen

S-S-S-S-S-uper Macro! At Olbrich.

Took a break yesterday and went to Olbrich Gardens to see the flowers before they dried up in the heat of summer. Discovered we have a pottery workshop not to far from the house. MORE MESSES! Um… Anyway, here are some pics. (Notice I have a crush on the super macro setting on my camera.) Was lovely to see greenery before the storms today. See also: cleaning my office suxx0rs.

Confetti Flowers

I am a leaf on the wind

Photobombness

Gold Leaf Detail Redux

Squirtle the Turtle or Fred If You Like

Origami Orange

Gardening 2.0

Edgar the Lone Tomato

This is Edgar. He is the lone plant that survived gardening 1.0. In my first (failed) attempt, I started the plants indoors and they grew very tall. Transferred them outdoors and they died. I held a funeral for them, but opted to try again. This time, though, I consulting a gardening priest of hard-to-kill plants and priestess of all growing things before I went forth.

Flying Saucers

This is supposedly a hard-to-kill plant called “flying saucers.” And it’s yellow and green, which are Mallards/Packers colors! Must water often.

Orange Marigolds

The only thing I remember about marigolds, other than the fact that they are also harder to kill, is that they control pests. Ergo… I rather like these in particular. They remind me of fire.

Jalapeno on a Stick

A lovely farmer from our local market sold this jalapeno plant to me. Turns out this was supposed to be a hobby after retirement, but it turned into a full-time job for him. I am curious to see how this particular plant will grow and whether or not I can attach one to a stick.

Bebeh Plants

These are bebeh wildflowers I’m growing from seed. Not hard to kill, but rather… Reincarnated. They were all very tall and proud before the frost took them when they least expected it. So I am trying again. No idea what’s in this pot other than “wild flowers.” Do they salsa? Drink and party? We shall see. I may have to try cybernetic plants next time ’round, but I’m stubborn, so I’ll keep attempting the growing things out of pots.

My GenCon Schedule: Round One

This is the first of two posts regarding my GenCon: Indy schedule. This doesn’t include my signings at the DriveThruRPG.com booth, my meetings and social engagements, or any appearances for other publishers. The next update will have more information about what’s happening in the dealer’s hall. Please note that all of the Writer’s Symposium events will be in the convention center and not held at a separate hotel. 🙂

THURSDAY, AUGUST 15

    11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. – Margaret Weis Production booth
    4:00 p.m. – Dealer’s Hall: Signing Tables

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16
Writer’s Symposium

    10:00 a.m. Room 245: Online Presence SEM1345258
    11:00 a.m. Room 245: Promotions, Sales, Publicity, Public Relations SEM1345259
    1:00 p.m. Room 245: Networking, Not Name-Dropping SEM1345261
    2:00 p.m. Room 245: Pitches, Proposals and Promises SEM1345262
    3:00 p.m. Room 245: Signings, Podcasts and More SEM1345263
    5:00 p.m. Room 243: Reading SEM1345279

SATURDAY, AUGUST 17

    1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Margaret Weis Productions booth
    4:00 p.m. Dealer’s Hall – Signing Tables

Writer’s Symposium

    5:00 p.m. Room 245: Genre Blender SEM1345291

SUNDAY, AUGUST 18
Writer’s Symposium

    11:00 a.m. Room 243: VIP Panel Marketing Review WKS1345363


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