Mayday! Mayday! Oh, wait..... Beltane! Beltane!

It's hard to believe I started studying Celtic culture way back in 1990. Funny what stays with you. I remember my teacher telling us not to 'get frisky' on May Day or face the consequences.

Not that I'm normally a superstitious person, but today is Beltane and the Druids had some powerful mojo. The Celtic feast of Beltane is all about fertility, which is why I am staying home alone tonight, with no male company. I have learned to never tinker with the pagan Gods, for they are tricksy!

Smart guys, the Druids. If one were to celebrate the Beltane fires with a little physical intimacy, and one happened to become pregnant from the festivities, you've got a perfectly timed due date that should fall very near Imbolc on February 1st. In the event that the mother dies in childbirth, the babe would have a much higher chance of survival, as the female livestock would be producing milk for their own young as well. Not to mention the weather has shifted from the long dark winter temperatures to the blustery but warmer beginnings of spring.

But if she did survive the birth, Beltane rolls around again after three months. The new mother has presumably regained her strength, probably wants a break from the new baby, and is undoubtedly 'randy' following a winter cooped up with her swollen belly. That's a pretty decent population machine, and it keeps the gene pool from stagnating.

OK, enough Celtic history and baby-talk.

Check out this Medieval Marathon Runner who finished the London Marathon 8 DAYS LATE. Granted, I appreciate that he was raising money for a childrens' leukemia charity, but SERIOUSLY. Plate Mail?? He could've finished the same day if he had gone cavalier...

And speaking of cavalier, I simply cannot resist reposting a wonderful bit of humor from the OutlandsRapier Yahoo Group that came up today. Here is the entire thing, in case you are too lazy to join the list to read it:

Top 10 Reasons For Being A Musketeer

10. Spiffy tabard doubles as duvet cover.
9. Takes the sting out of being French.
8. No bag limit on the Cardinals Guard.
7. Fleur De Lys envy.
6. Screw swords, we've got guns.
5. Pick up spare change posing for candy bar wrappers.
4. Lifetime membership at la Rochelle Bed & Breakfast Club.
3. Two words: Annette Funicello! (Ooops, sorry that's Mouseketeers)
2. All for One and One for All, applies to wenches.

and the number one reason....
1. The Queen's diamond studs (if you know what I mean ;) )

Compiled by:
Baron Haakon Haakerson (Patron Saint of geese & gambling)
and Don~a Bianca Isabel d'Orsin

Cavalier boots

Here is a review I did for RenBoots.com last year. I thought I should resurrect it and post it here for your enjoyment.

We all love boots. Especially nice, tall leather boots. Very dashing.

We also love NOT spending $400 on our feet. Not that these guys who make the $400 boots don't make a great product, but they are simply not affordable for most of us.

For much less than $400, if you want to complete your cavalier costume, or simply have something to protect your legs from the bushes and mud found at most primitive event sites, RenBoots are for you. I purchased mine well over a year ago, and I've been fencing and tromping all over really rustic sites (with cactus) the whole time and they haven't blown out yet.

Of course, I got the 'entry level' boot for $105, called Prince John, and it DOES have a zipper (for all you period nazis) or lace-up grommets on the inside of the ankle. When this pair of boots finally does succumb to the harsh grounds of the Outlands, I will definitely contact these guys again for my next pair, which I'm hoping will be the Knight version with vibram soles for $300. Sexy!

Young Blades - New TV Show on PAX: Pre-review/Preview

I caught a brief glimpse of the "Young Blades" trailer while flipping through channels the other day, and went straight onto Google to see if I was indeed just hallucinating.

I was not. Sigh.

Please, go to the website and click on 'view the trailer'. Everything else that happens to you for the rest of the day will seem great by comparison.

Granted, I cannot give a real 'review' of this show until I've actually seen it, but I'm not going to hold my breath that the fight scenes will be any good, the costuming will be anywhere near accurate or the acting will be any better than my 9th grade high school play.

Poor Dumas is probably rolling in his grave. Or trying to stab himself in the eyes so he doesn't have to watch this pablum.

Go read the original version of the Three Musketeers online! Or, get the 1974 move "The Three Musketeers" from Amazon. At least that movie was pretty close to his story.