Photos of Casa Loma

Oh wait! I completely forgot the photos of Casa Loma Renaissance Faire!! Here they are for your viewing pleasure!!

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Pictures:
1- Me admiring a hawk used for hunting. I have always loved birds of prey and I have always wanted to be one of the falconers (if that's a word) like those in Landshut during the Landshuter Hochzeit.

2- Michael looking cute and his obnoxious (but wonderfully FREE) sword is poking out of his outfit. That's the one his ex made.

3- A front view of my knight (without his shining armour) in the shirt that we bought together at a medieval store in Montreal. He was wearing it beneath the coat and thank goodness for that, because it got so warm he eventually took off the coat.

4- Me, looking cute in my caul and dress and sitting on a lovely little bench in the Casa Loma gardens.

5- Me, holding the sword we got for free (all thanks to my roomate). I am Jeann D'Arc, la Vierge d'Orleans! :P

In which a blogger is really bloody tired

Hello all you avid readers out there! I know you have anxiously been waiting beside your computer screens, with my page open, just waiting for me to post new stuff! Well rejoice and make merry, for the wait is over and I am, once more, updating!! (And do not give me that bollocks that you have NOT been waiting beside my blog all week, because I KNOW you have!!!........ just kidding! :P )

Anyhoots, I have loads to tell... Really, really have loads to tell. I had been wanting to post all week, but I was insanely busy with work and completely drained and over tired when I got home. For that, I apologize. However, my shifts will be much improved come Tuesday, and then I will be able to blog to my heart's content! Yay!

First of all, I promised some anecdotes related to my wonderfully awesome job. The conclusion? First day of real work = bleeding nightmare! Even my coach was freaking out! I personally thought it was a great learning experience, but, on the other hand, we were told in the classroom that "if all this is happening to you in one single shift, then you're having a really bad day!" Does that mean I should conclude that my first shift was a very bad one?

Let me clarify what I mean. The first passenger I EVER checked in on my own... turned out to be DHP. In other words, his name was similar to the name of someone on a list (potentially even a "no-fly" list) and thus the passenger is not allowed to travel no matter how valid his passport and visas are. So you have to call security and have the passenger cleared so that he may actually check in and board the aircraft. Why is that an issue? Because it takes forever! When you call security, the first thing you hear is "your call is important to us, please hold the line to keep your call priority..." What kind of service is that?! I have a passenger who is super concerned about his passeport in front of me, getting upset about it because he is a foreigner and does not understand why his passport is being refused and I have to be put on hold before I can tell him that he is all clear... *sigh*

Anyways, the next passengers were on a flight to Penticton (or something like that) via Ottawa. The flight to Ottawa had an oversell, so someone took the liberty to offload the passengers (that means to take them off the flight) and put them on a direct flight to their destination. The problem? They never informed the passengers about the change and the direct flight was earlier than the one they were supposed to take. So when they showed up, the flight was closed!! Poor passengers! I felt so bad!

Then, I also had a family travelling to Australia. Everything was in order with their passports and visas. They did not expire until 2018 and they were valid for multiple entries to the country. However, my computer refused to accept the mother's visa. I had to call the "hold the line" number again and was subjected to an even longer wait. So much so that the mother was really getting worried. I could hear her talk to her husband. The children were also quite small and getting fidgety and tired. I felt so bad! And I do not know why the visa was not valid on the computer when I had the perfectly valid paper version of it in front of me. We cleared that up in the end though... Thank God they had shown up early!

Now, I could keep going with stories about the passengers, but I do not feel like it or I will be blogging all day (and this blogger really, REALLY wants her nap now that her shift is done!). But I do have another funny work story to tell.

It was not really at work, but my colleague Chanelle and I were discussing our uniforms and, for some reason, we came to talk about International Talk Like a Pirate Day. I suggested that it would be really funny if Air Canada did something for it (but they would not, as they also do nothing special for Halloween, i.e. reschedule all flights to land in Transylvania). We suggested that the red scarf might be worn as a bandana for the festivities of September 19th. Also, we figured out a completely new procedure on board, specially designed to suit the needs of such a great day as International Talk Like a Pirate Day.
It goes as follows:

"We welcome ye aboard Arrrr Canada. We would like to inform you that parrots are only allowed perched on yer shoulders and should not be stowed in the barrels over yer heads... Also should ye wish ter release the straps holdin' ye down during the navigation, use yer cutlass to undo the belt. If ye've checked in yer cutlass, then that's yer own mistake, ye scurvy dogs! In case of an emerrrrgency that is not on water, a spare wooden leg can be found in the pocket below yer seat. Enjoy yer travels! Arrrrrr Canada!"
... or something like that! ^_^

On a side note: GERMANY WON 4:0 AGAINST ARGENTINA!!! YAY!!!!!!! WE ROCK! Take that, guy at work, who had no confidence in my team!! I hope we win Fifa this year!!

Back to the subject matter...

So I am done with my work stories. Lets move on to the Canada Day Celebrations before I fall asleep halfway through this post...

I went to the Casa Loma Renaissance Faire on Canada Day. It was the only day that I had off during the faire and I decided not to miss it. So I hopped on a flight to Toronto on Wednesday evening after my shift, slept at Michael's parents place, and then went to the faire in the morning.

It was a glorious day! And my costume had turned out really well! I even got compliments from some people who did professional costuming at the faire! I was so happy about it! Many people thought I worked there and admired my dress. I was a photo op for many and my cheeks hurt from all the smiling at the end of a glorious and sunny Canada Day. I myself believe I looked quite ravishing in gold and red, with my cute little caul. Apparently, it was quite historically accurate after all! Yay me and my love for history (and history of costume)!!

I had a lot of fun at Casa Loma. I do not think I have ever gotten THAT much attention before. I will not lie, I quite enjoyed it. And I made some great new friends, which makes me deliriously happy because they are all awesome. The only downside was that I did not get to stay that long because I had to fly back in the evening for work the next day... *pout* Also, Casa Loma is very subdued and tiny in comparison to the faires in Germany and Austria. There, EVERYONE is dressed up and you are an oddity if you are not. At Casa Loma, very few are dressed for the occasion and those who are get asked whether they work there or not. All this to say that I quite enjoyed it. I really fancied the day and just wish it had lasted longer.

I had hoped to make Michael an outfit to match mine before the faire, but that unfortunately failed. So Michael looked really cute in a Tudor-ish costume his ex had made for him a while back. I am quite glad that his ex was not there too. It concerned me a little, because I know she usually goes there too. I think she would have ruined it for us and it would have made quite the fiasco... But nothing happened and thank God for that! I had one of the awesomest days ever!!

And, before I forget, I tried my hand at archery at the Casa Loma Renaissance Faire!!! I am really good at it too! To my big (big, BIG!) surprise, I am actually a good shot. The instructor said I was a natural and was quite impressed by how well I was doing, considering this was my first time actually doing archery. I think I should pick up archery lessons... don't you? I would love it! It would be fun! ... Now, where to do archery classes in Montreal.........?

Anyways - it was AWESOME! And, on the flight back, I was as giddy as a five-year-old on his very first trip on an aircraft. Believe it or not, I squeed about the technology of the Airbus 320. I sat directly over the wing. I was watching the flaps on the wing and noticed that... THOSE FLAPS ARE RETRACTABLE!!! Aircrafts are such an awesome piece of engineering! I have been flying since I can remember and I am still impressed that these things can actually fly! The wings are so cool! ... unfortunately, I do not think you can understand this without a drawing, because it is hard to explain why it was so awesome. But it was awesome. Did that point come accross?

Also, I decided, finally, that life is really good and that I am exactly where I want to be right now, on the flight back from Toronto. I have the best boyfriend in the world, he is loyal to me and sticks to me like glue (I love him!). I have a great, fun and entertaining job. I can exploit some of my talents on the side with modeling. I am honing my sewing skills and achieving great results. I am about to finish my first bachelors degree. What more could one want from life?

What made me come to this realization was the sunset seen from the airplane. It was the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen! Yes, I believe it even beat the beauty of the sunrise in Japan seen from the top of Fuji-san! The sun was a vast disc of golden-red, floating on the horizon like an orb. Our aircraft was descending at the same time as the sun. At some point, our aircraft was cruising just on top of a sea of clouds... the wings were just brushing the tops of the tufty white waves in the sky. It looked beautiful, almost as if the plane was a ship on an ocean of cloud. And the sun was still following our descent. Then we went into the clouds and the sun was still visible, except that it was now through a haze of white, like a thin veil. It is difficult to find the words of how beautiful this all was without sounding cheezy. When we finally came out from the clouds, closer still to the ground, I watched the sun be swallowed by a darkening horizon and the sky tint itself of various colours of the rainbow... *sigh* It was amazing. And that is when I realized that I really am where I want to be at the moment.

And upon that reflection, it is time for me to shut up and nap... because I really need it! ^_^

In which the chapters are given up

As you may have noticed, dear readers, I have given up on calling my posts "chapter -" with a number, because I've realized, if I keep this blog up at the rate that I am going, I will have reached "chapter 5103" before long. Therefore, before I lose the oversight of my posts, I will simply call my posts "In which" and remove the "chapter"s. But the "in which"s are here to stay. I promise...

We've moved! I cannot believe that we no longer live in my old apartment! We took over a friend's apartment and it's gorgeous! It has a brick wall and stuff. Unfortunately, we ran out of time and so we've only moved in the boxes. We will be furnitureless until Saturday. Despite that, Internet is installed and the fridge is full. But our room is all boxes and zero furniture. It sucks because I want to clean and organize our room, but without the furniture, that is simply not possible. *sigh*

And we're back in Montreal, Michael and I. There is sunlight. LOADS of sunlight. So much so that I miss the rainy German sky. I think that I lost ten pounds yesterday because I melted under the fierce 33 degrees Celsius of cloudless sky and still winds. I was worried that, in Germany, I would forget the look of sunlight... and now I think that, despite sun being pretty, the refreshing rain is much preferred. I mean, my bleeding sun allergy hit me again! I have a freakin' rash at the back of my neck, which only happens when I am overexposed to sunlight without sunscreen. grrr...

Anyways, I am looking forward to sewing again. Once I am all installed and have found a new job (in order to pay for fabric), I am going to sew some pillow cases for some small cushions. We have an awesome windowsill in our bedroom and I want to turn it into a cosy reading spot. It will only work with the right cushions though. Also, with regards to sewing, I would love to sew something Elizabethan for the Casa Loma Renaissance faire that is upcoming. However, I do not think that I will have the time to do a perfect job until then. So I will start on the project, but I will not be in a hurry to finish it. I can always wear it next year. Those who know me well are aware that I INSIST on historical accuracy and try to get all the details right. So I will make sure to create an un-anachronistic gown for next year. Historical accuracy matters and it takes quite a while... Also, should I wish to wear more than one costume for the Renaissance faire, I think I should wear my German Dirndl with a hoop skirt. It makes me look very wenchy, because it has a bodice-type of thing and an apron, etc. It actually dates back a few centuries, so the garb is actually quite historically accurate too. Women who worked at the market or on farms would have worn this kind of dress, so it works wonderfully for faires! Huzzah!

Oh, and I did miss Anime North. NOOOO! (sad face) But that's okay, as I did not manage to really start on the Erica Fontaine costume anyway. Oh well. Better luck next time. I HATE that this keeps happening though! Next year, nothing can happen on the days of Anime North. I will go! I swear. Maybe I should write an oath to God like the people of Oberammergau and see what comes out of it...?

... okay... and I no longer know what this post is about. I apologize for that. I guess I'll stop now. I promise the next post will me much (MUCH MUCH!!) better!

Cheers!

The Germany Chronicles 2 - In which a pigeon nearly causes Michael's death and a crow freaks him out...

Okay, so you are now probably wondering what this cryptic title to the post means...
Unfortunately, there is no hidden message, no clue to something else that might lead you to discover an amazing treasure. It's just a description of what happened yesterday. I am not joking.

Yesterday, Michael and I went to Munich. We decided that, as the bad weather was not improving, we should do an inside activity: i.e. two hour train ride followed by a day at the "Deutsche Museum", in other words, the German Museum of Science and Technology. I figured that, Michael and I love our Mythbusters and How It's Made enough to find that interesting! ;-D It was great fun and we thoroughly enjoyed it... (I'm keeping the museum visit bit short, as I only have 30 minutes to write this... again!) Michael and I strolled through aviation, navigation, mining, and electricity (and watched the electrical power "show" in which they show different cool and dangerous things high voltage can do to wood, metal, houses, people, etc. lots of loud bangs and electrical fires!). We spent a total of four hours in the museum, until closing time, actually. In the last half-hour, we discovered that there was a hidden musical instruments section and rushed to see that... it was extremely well hidden... For a minute I thought I was going to find Narnia rather than another lesser known and visited section of the museum. Anyways, it was great fun...

We left the museum at five to get something to eat and stroll around Munich a bit, as it had stopped raining. We went all the way to the Marienplatz, which is a beautiful pedestrian zone with great buildings and church towers surrounding it... and also really nice stores to shop in! ^_^ On our way to the Marienplatz, a pigeon that was hobbling about on the sidewalk decided to take off, nearly hitting Michael in the face with its wing! I am not kidding: it nearly hit me too and I am a head shorter than he is!! The pigeon missed his face by a hair - not an inch: a HAIR! It was a really close call - I think the pigeon nearly gave the two of us a heart attack! So yeah... a pigeon did nearly kill Mike... see why I said the title was not cryptic after all?

And then, still while walking in Munich, as I was trying to figure out where we were (I was left to my own means and my mediocre sense of direction in a big city I barely knew and without a map... I kept telling Michael "I think I know where we are... let's go this way!" and basically went exploring... It went well though: we ended up where I had planned to! I was very impressed with myself.) So, I was trying to figure out where to go by memory and Michael started giving a weird look. He said: "Judith... there is a bum... a homeless man... riding a bike... and he has a PET CROW on his shoulder!!" He insisted that I tell whoever reads my blog about this too. I never saw the guy... but Michael was so freaked out by it that I do believe it was true... So there is part two of the title.

Other than that, the food is still as yummy as ever! On Wednesday, we went to visit some fabulous baroque churches. They were gorgeous! However, it was so bloody foggy we could not see a single scrap of landscape! The mountains had been swallowed up by mist completely! It looked like someone had erased them! It looked like a canvas for someone to paint on, not like an actual, tangible landscape... And things kept popping out of the fog, cars, signs, trees... it was weird and freaky...

Okay... in other, quickly given news, I have a new dirndl. For those not in the know about what that is, it is the traditional Bavarian garb. It is basically a dress made of a low-cut bodice and skirt (which can be worn with petticoats underneath) and an apron. A blouse is worn beneath the bodice as well. It is basically elegant farmer's wife clothing. The fun bit is that it looks very 17th-18th century wenchy!! That's how awesome we are here in Bavaria! Our outfits have not changed since back in the old days! XD The reason why I bought a new one (because I already had one at home in Canada) was that I needed one that was more "my age"... the one at home was a little on the small side and made me look fourteen when I wore it... My new one is light green with a pink apron and it's GORGEOUS! Michael loves it! I look really fabulous in it! And, to match it, I bought a new, stunning feathered hat! It has the longest, most beautiful pheasant feathers I have ever seen!! And it's also very traditional... It is also the perfect hat to wear to Renaissance faires... simply a breathtaking piece!
We also got Michael a nice Bavarian hat. This is because real-deal Lederhosen are just too expensive for our budget right now (one pair of pants is more expensive than the whole dirndl set!) and I decided that I would not let Michael leave Germany until he looked at least somewhat Bavarian... So we got him a hat. It's nice and forest green and has a small Gamsbart on it... I cannot translate that, so do not ask. You can look it up on google though, I am sure. Anyways, he looks really cute in this hat. And, to his big surprise, his head fits really easily into hats here... The big-headedness must be a German thing then, I guess... XD

Darn, I have to go again... sorry. Tomorrow, we are visiting castles. Specifically Schloss Linderhof. If the weather is nice, I'll wear my dirndl, so I'll have nice pictures to upload when I get back!

My best to all! I miss my Canadian friends, but, even in foul weather, the landscape here is absolutely breathtaking, so please don't blame me for loving it here!

Chapter 18 - In which king Henry VIII of England is more awesome than ever

Despite all my whining and complaining about the folklore class, I cannot deny that I absolutely LOVE IT! Love it, love it LOOOOVE it!!! I just can't get enough of the subject, I drink it all up and feel inspired to write about 10 novels by the end of the 1 hour class. Okay, so the readings are a little lame, but that's the fault of Old English and Old Welsh disappearing into the dark bog of forgotten history... If only we could read the stuff in the original text, it would probably be a lot more poetic than its most basic Modern English translation. Aaaaanyways... LOVE the English folklore class!

Today's subject was Robin Hood. The oh-so-famous, still debated over, roguish archer, Robin Hood (a.k.a. Robin of Locksley). When I say debated over, I mean it: there is such a thing as the Robin Hood society trying to determine whether Mr. Take-from-the-rich-and-give-to-the-poor actually existed or not. Jeez... what a waste of medievalist intellect. Who cares if he's real?! The stories are fun aren't they? That's all that matters!
Okay... I'm digressing...

So, it turns out that cosplay is not an invention of the modern day. Through today's class, we discovered that 16th century English courts LOVED to dress up like "the olden days." This means the Dark Ages and any time period before their own. Certain kings were famous for organizing jousting matches a la old-style, traditional, courtly knight. They had fun boasting about their nobility by pretending to be some feudal lord presiding over a match for the honour of some knight or other. So guess what? The beginning of Ren. Faires? It all started in the actual Renaissance! I squeed in class. I actually got distracted from my multi-tasking of note-taking and facebooking by what the teacher said about Renaissance people in early Medieval getup. Total, utter squee.
But, and here's the best part, COSPLAY finds it's origins at the same time period too. Now, obviously, it had nothing to do with the Anime Cosplay: Japan was not only too far off and a group of isolated islands that were hard to reach for Europeans, but the Japanese also wanted nothing to do with any Europeans and potential "conquerors." So Anime Cosplay would have to wait for a few centuries. But, if you are like me, and you decide to define Cosplay by: "doning costumes and attire that are particular to a specific character - usually anime - but also tv series, and novels in general" then Cosplay it was back then too.
For yes, in 16th century England, people dressed up as Robin Hood!! *Insert fangirl squee here* King Henry VIII of England was absolutely famous for his costume parties and his Robin Hood games. These games included stuff like archery contests and other activities (possibly activities from the Greenwood) that take place in the Robin Hood texts and legends. So King Henry VIII cosplayed! Your Majesty Henry Tudor, you're only becoming steadily and ever more awesome to my fangirlish eyes! No matter that you executed two wives (including Ann Boleyn... my favourite queen of England) - you still rock the socks off all the other European kingdoms of the time! Even today, I'm sure you'd kick some serious ass... though you'd have to get used to paying alimony rather than executing your wives.

So yeah. This was my very fun discovery of the day that I just HAD to share. I have always known that in Henry Tudor's day, courtly activities were numerous and included a lot of costume parties (especially in the days of dear queen Ann Boleyn, as she was a famous hostess of parties and - so say the books and the poets - a brilliant soprano singer). However, that he hosted Robin Hood parties that meant you had to dress up and renact the story is just AWESOME! Henry VIII is basically the precursor of any book-convention or Star-Trek convention. His parties attracted quite a few nobles in his day and were really big events... Ah... Tudors... How I wish I had lived in your day!!! *sigh*

More Pictures...

Not much, just some more pictures of my dress... taken with a real camera.




New front views, taken with a flash camera in a well lit room. The colours really are that resplendants, so I thought I ought to post them.



A back view, just to let you know the gown has a bit of a train at the back...

So... yeah... that's my gown, for now. We'll see if I find some trims to add to the sleeve edges and neckline some other time.
I'm planning on sending it to a contest organized by Fabricville. Wish me luck! I do hope I win something... like a serger, maybe? :P



And good luck to you mom! I love you!

Chapter 8 - In which success has been achieved

Despite all my complaining, things are going well!! :D

I HAVE FINALLY SUCCEEDED COMPLETING MY MEDIEVAL GOWN!!! ADORE ME, FOR I AM AWESOME!! (no, really, I am!)


Front view of the dress, there is a red underskirt... I won't post the back view, as it's sort of boring. You can check out my facebook if you like.

So, I might add a trim or two to the neckline and the sleeve edges if I find a trim that pleases me. Also, I wanted to add fur trim to the bottom of the dress, but unfortunately I couldn't find a faux-fur that suited my taste (they only had fake leopard... and God knows that in the early 15th century, they had not the slightest clue of what a leopard might look like). I am super picky. Preferably, I'd have trimed it with real fur (rabbit - it's okay because people eat them, so I don't need to feel too bad): but, as a broke student, I don't exactly have the means to buy real fur. Result: no fur at all, at the moment. That can always be subject to change! :P

So, my dress is complete. I'm really happy with it, as I finished it in about three days, with only very minor swearing. It's also the first time I've ever worked with grommets. I feel good about myself. Success at sewing feels VERY rewarding.

Now, where to wear this? I really want to wear it to Casa Loma Renaissance Faire in Toronto, because Michael keeps talking about it and it sounds fun. I'd prefer wearing it to a Faire in Germany, but, alas! Germany is not for me this year. Once again, I'll be stuck working all summer *sigh*... and I was soooo looking forward to it too! *pout*

Anyways, I'm starting to not feel so desperate about my sewing skills anymore. It's fun. But I still need a serger!! Desperately!!!

And, with that said, my next project will be... an early Elizabethan gown!! Yay me and complex projects!!! :D
..... No, I'm not crazy! Why would you think that?

Chapter 7 - In which a dress form is sorely needed...

This promises to be a short post...
I have (FINALLY) started sewing again, and the project I had started, to make a pretty medieval princess gown based on the Landshuter Hochzeit Princess costume, is now going very well. I was getting depressed, looking at my gorgeous gold brocade fabric and not doing anything with it. I'm sewing this gown for the Casa Loma Renaissance Faire... I know that late 15th Century is not quite Renaissance yet, but I was too scared to start on a Tudor gown yet. And I WANT to go to Casa Loma (Michael's been ranting waaaay to much about that faire!)
Btw: this is the Landshuter Hochzeit princess gown:
(I'm hoping to find some fake ermine for the bottom trim, the dress won't be identical, however, I'm kind of doing my own thing... this was just inspiration.)

Considering I'm still a beginner, sewing is going super well. However, there is one really ANNOYING problem. I don't have a dress form. Most people wouldn't see why that is a problem, but I ask you: have you ever tried to pin yourself into a floor length gown with a train? And, if you have, have you managed to do so WITHOUT stabbing yourself half to death? My sides and legs look like they had chicken pox!! Now, you might think it's dumb for someone to basically sew themselves into a dress, but, as it is very form-fitting, I don't have a choice if I want it to fit me well.
Conclusion? I NEED A BLOODY DRESS FORM!!!

Thank you! (sorry, I wasn't yelling at anyone... just venting some frustration through caps lock - it always makes me feel better... :D )

P.S. - My legs are finally feeling better and NOT sore!! Yay!!