Kick to butt

"Have you considered being Russian?"

That's how it all started. I was a freshman at Ohio State and had been attending SCA meetings for several months. I managed to cobble together some armor (most of it made out of discarded carpet) and borrow a helmet so I could start fighting. The combat was all I really cared about; my biggest aspiration was to kill "that fat bastard" who made us all look so stupid on the field (little did I know at the time that I would end up squired to "that fat bastard." This is, of course, Comar gyr Mirand, who, shortly after I first crossed swords with him, would become Sir Comar, then quickly after that Count, then Duke Comar).

But, people wiser than I (namely Sir Otto von Schwartzkatz, now living in Atlantia) told me I needed to decide on a personna. He threated to start calling me "Homoculous" if I didn't come up with something on my own.

While I bemoaned the over-abundance of Normans and Norse in the Marche, a squire by the name of Ruric asked the question quoted above. Yeah, Russian sounds cool, I thought. I didn't know much about the culture, but it was certainly off the beaten path, and that appealed. So Russian it was.

Twenty years later, I honestly don't know a whole lot more about my personna than I did then. I'm a much better fighter though, and I long ago discarded the carpet armor. I was elevated to the Order of the Chivalry amost nine years ago. It's high time I start looking the part of a Knight.

Thus, this blog. I intend to use it as a dumping ground as I do the research I should have started a decade ago. And, with something staring me in the face, reminding me not to be such a slob any more, I'm hoping it's just the kick to the butt I need to get motivated.

Let's hope it doesn't take another 20 years.