Another RenFest

I did the Iowa Renaissance Festival in Amana, IA today.  This event is quite toned down when compared to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, but that makes a lot of sense.  The Minnesota RenFest has been in the same place for 50+ years, it runs every weekend from approximately Memorial Day to the end of September, and it's in one of the top 20 metro areas by population.  By way of comparison, the Iowa Renaissance Festival has been around for about 30 years, doesn't occur every weekend, and travels around the state, going to the people.  As a result the vibe is unique to each place.

The Minnesota Renfest has some awesome artisans.  Over the years, I purchased my boots, jerkin, hat, and a leather mug at the Minnesota Renfest.  I paid a premium, but the work was done by highly skilled experts in their crafts.  With these items alone, my constantly-evolving costume would retail today for well over $750.  Fun story about the leather mug... I bought it over 20 years ago.  When I went back the next year, a vendor -- yes, a VENDOR -- asked me where I got the mug.  When I told him that I'd bought it from a vendor at the MN RenFest, he asked me the purchase price, and when I told him, he offered double on the spot.  I politely declined.  He then said I need to hold on to the mug, because the original artisan had passed away, and the mugs were quickly skyrocketing in price.  He stamped each mug with a serial number, so you knew it was him.  To put this in perspective, leather mugs ran over $100 this year.  Mine is less ornate but superior quality.  But I'm digressing...

The Iowa Renfest has local artisans, and it's a bit more eclectic.  It caters a bit less to stereotypical tourist crowd, and more toward your average nerd.  Some of the vendors obviously purchase stuff online and sell at a markup, but there are others who are up-and-coming craftsmen, or who make crafts just for the love of it.  My favorite vendor today had a huge selection of cloaks and capes that were hand made and upcycled from remnant fabric such as curtains or old blankets.  At past Iowa Renfest events, I purchased my leather belt and a mug belt holder.  I also purchased a dice rolling tower.

Both events have mandatory things, such as bawdy comedy shows, smoked turkey legs, live jousting and sword fighting, and mead, which is one of my favorite indulgences.  I'm learning to make mead with my best friend James, so it's almost my duty to sample professional mead when the opportunity arises.  Today I tasted an apple pie mead, which was phenomenal.  It cost $25 for an 8 oz bottle, but I happily absorbed that cost in the name of professional research.

Oh, I should mention that I wore peace tied weapons.  I have a dagger, which is technically my oldest renfest attire item.  I purchased it when I visited Medieval Times in Buena Park, CA sometime in the late 80's or early 90's.  It's a cheap cast dagger, but it's fun to carry.  My other weapon is my official USMC issue NCO sword, which is technically a saber.  Some people may cringe at the fact that I use my USMC NCO sword as part of my renfest costume, but I would rather bring it out and play with it than let it simply sit on my wall, collect dust, and tarnish over time.

I took my dog Lainie with me, just like I did for the Minnesota Renfest.  Per usual, she was a hit.  She enjoys the outings, and loves the attention.  For my part, I enjoy watching people interact with her.  It makes them happy; it makes her happy; and that brings me happiness.

While shopping today, I was on the lookout for four possible purchases for my ever-evolving costume: 1)  I was looking for a better frog for my USMC NCO Sword.  The frog I have is too big.  I didn't find what I was looking for, so when I got home I bit the bullet and purchased a dagger holster from Amazon, because it's the perfect size.  2) I'm looking for a leather cavalier hat with an ostrich feather.  My lovely bride got one this year, and when I tried it on, I thought Oh, I need this for my costume! 3) I'm looking for a wool cloak with a hood.  But it was really hot today, and I didn't want to buy a cloak while it's crazy hot outside.  I need to find the right item at the right time.  4) I want to upgrade my bracers.  I saw a couple of possibilities, but none of them were dark brown, which I need to match my existing costume.  I have bracers, but they're thin leather.  I want something that's a little less ornamental, and a little thicker.  The fun thing about this is the hunt.  I've been doing this for a long time, so I can afford to go slow and find exactly what I'm looking for.

The only downside to today is that I had planned to go with my wife and another couple.  The other couple is dogsitting a puppy that kept them up all night, so they flaked, and my ride-or-die wife has a chest cold, making her feel more like "die" than "ride."  On the good side, this is the first time I've done a renfest totally solo, which allowed me the freedom to come and go completely on my timeline.  Additionally, I had purchased wifey's ticket in advance, so I made some random lady's day by giving her the extra ticket at no charge. 

They Tied the Knot

In my previous entry, I mentioned that wifey and I were going to a wedding.  Mission accomplished.  Oh, before I continue... in that post, I said I couldn't remember attending a wedding since younger daughter got hitched.  I forgot about my brother-in-law's wedding last summer, and it's a shame I forgot, even temporarily.  I like my brother-in-law, and I feel he chose a great woman to be his wife.  The wedding itself was a ton of fun, including the groom singing musical songs before the bride walked down the aisle.

The wedding last weekend was a young woman whom I'd consider a surrogate daughter, and I'm delighted that she found the right man.  They're a great couple and I am confident they'll have a lifetime of happiness and companionship.  The wedding itself was short and sweet, and I really liked the layout of the venue.  It was three separate rooms on the second floor of a building in downtown Omaha.  This allowed the wedding to proceed seamlessly, followed by a quick walk to another room where beverages and snacks were waiting while the bride bustled her train and relax for a few minutes before the meal.  When we sat for the meal, the caterers quickly set up shop for the buffet, and the venue employees converted the wedding hall into a dance hall while we ate.  It was logistically the most seamless wedding I've attended.

The bride and groom had a block of rooms right around the corner from the wedding hall, but I was too slow to make my reservations, so wifey and I had to get a hotel a mile or so away.  The drive from hotel to wedding was weird.  Downtown Omaha's streets are undergoing massive construction to install streetcars and for extensive utility work while they're at it.  Every single street was one lane, one way.  Oddly enough, there was no traffic though, so this was a minor inconvenience.  It was weird to jump from lane to lane multiple times within a couple of blocks though.  It felt like I was driving an obstacle course.

The drive to and from was easy.  I don't frequently do road trips anymore, and this one was pretty easy.  I kind of enjoyed just cruising down the road, listening to the radio, enjoying the scenery and quietly holding my wife's hand.  She's the best travel partner I could ask for.

With that much going on, the weekend felt quite short, but it was also cool to do something out of the ordinary. 

Ups and Downs

Up: I am heading to a wedding tomorrow.  I love weddings and I haven't been to one for several years.  I think the last wedding I attended was when I walked my younger daughter down the aisle about five years ago.  For this wedding, my wonderful bride and I will be heading to Omaha, NE, where a former coworker of mine will tie the knot with the man who won her heart.  I'm happy beyond words for.  She's kind of like a surrogate daughter to me.  We haven't worked together for over five years, but we still call or text each other a few times a year.  I also expect to see a few other former coworkers at the event, which will be fun.

Down: My best friend has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer.  On the good side, it was caught very early and he will likely just undergo a lumpectomy, meaning he may not have to go on thyroid medication for the rest of his life.  Also, thyroid cancer is considered one of the most treatable forms of cancer, so his prognosis is very good.

Up: One of my close friends is one step closer to moving into a new home with his wife.  I'm very happy for him.

Down: He moved to Georgia a couple of years ago, meaning it's quite likely I will never see him.  Regardless, he's living his best life and I'm very happy for him.

Up: I purchased tickets to the 2026 Marine Corps Ball.  This will be the first time in a very long time that I've attended a Marine Corps Ball for active duty Marines, and I'm very much looking forward to it.  I plan to wear my Dress Blues, which will be a first.  I didn't have blues when I was active duty, so it will be the first time I've worn blues to an active duty ball.  Furthermore, I will be with my local recruiters.  I'm gonna stop here, partially because I like ending on a positive note, and partially because I can't think of another down.  I guess that means life is good in the House of Evan. 

I Don't Make a Difference

My wife is a psychologist.  She helps people through difficult periods in their lives.  My older daughter is a cosmetologist.  She helps people feel good about themselves.  My younger daughter is an art teacher.  She creates beautiful works of art, and more importantly, teaches young people how to create art of their own.  I work in IT, and I've come to the conclusion that I don't make a difference.  Putting my career in the best possible light, I make the trains run on time.  My line of work contributes to the economy, but it doesn't do anything for humanity.

Before I go any further in this post, I'd like to say that I have made peace with this realization.  It took me a while to get here, but I'm okay with it.  In fact, even in my early twenties, I realized that I was not destined for the history books.  For most of my life, I've known that my purpose was to (hopefully) bring a little bit of light and life to those around me.  When I became a father, I knew that I existed to love and cherish these two souls I helped bring into the world, and to provide them what they need(ed) to be healthy, happy humans in their own right.  When I got married to wife 2.0, I knew that I had found the best possible partner with whom I could share this journey.

Early in my career, I was asked why I went into IT.  I chose this field because I was fascinated by how computers worked, because I have an analytical mind, and because I saw limitless possibilities in the industry.  During my first interview, I was asked how I saw myself contributing to IT.  Even then I was realistic about the possibilities.  I told the interviewer that I did not see myself as the next Bill Gates, inventing the next great thing; I envisioned myself helping people utilize existing technology as efficiently and effectively as possible.

For many years, this worked well for me.  I had (and still have) a knack for helping people understand how technology works, at least at a functional level.  My preferred approach is to use analogies that my end users can relate to, and this methodology has served me well and to this day, help desk stuff is my favorite type of work because I get to help people solve immediate problems.  Again though, these problems are insignificant in the grand scheme of things.  Oh, I also love IT security analysis, because I get to see human creativity working to overcome computer security.  It's kind of fun to get into the mind of a hacker, figure out their next step and stop them in their tracks.  Even that work, however, still only serves to keep the trains running.  I do, however, take some pride in the fact that I can use my expertise to help keep people safe from scammers at home.

Several years ago, I made a pivot from hands-on IT work and moved to the management track.  I had hoped that I would have an opportunity to mentor and guide the next generation of young IT professionals, but things didn't quite work out as expected.  For the most part, that job had me handling PTO requests, and being responsible for projects without being provided the tools needed to ensure success.  I shielded my team from petty office politics, absorbed blame from executives when things went wrong, and watched them take credit for successes of my team.  It was not fun, and I did not make a difference.

From there I went into IT Security Compliance. Security Compliance is a fancy way of demonstrating, in a formally recognized manner, that my company follows and enforces established best practices in order to minimize the likelihood that bad things happen to our computer systems.  These best practices include things like ensuring that people have passwords that aren't easy to crack, having good data backups (and making sure those backups are tested,) making sure that end users are trained to know what social engineering looks like, making sure we don't use obsolete equipment, and so forth.  Here's the crazy thing:  I don't actually DO this stuff, I just go around making sure that we're doing it, and ensuring I can prove it.  In reality, I'm kind of like a referee in a football game, watching to ensure that the rules are followed, except that I don't have the authority to impose a penalty.  All I can do is recommend a course of action based on the current situation.  The single biggest real-world benefit I bring to the table is that my work helps reduce how much we pay for cyber insurance.  That's not exactly earth shattering.

This brings me back to my original point, which is that I don't make a difference, or more accurately, that my work doesn't make a difference, in the grand scheme of things.  One could be forgiven for believing this causes me some sort of philosophical crisis, but that's not the case at all.  In fact, it's kind of freeing to know that my job isn't important.  I can recall many times early in my career where I was so critical to the company that I had to go to work in the middle of the night because something had broken and needed to be fixed before everyone got to work in the morning.  Even then, "critical" is a matter of perspective.  Nobody died.  The worst thing that would happen is that people were unable to do some portion of their job.  I was protecting the productivity of workers for one specific company.   Conversely, there's no such thing as a compliance emergency.  When the day ends, I can check out physically and mentally.

I will say that making a difference mattered more when I was younger.  I believe that's a function of our relationship with work in America, where your occupation is a large portion of your identity.  Think about it: In virtually every conversation with a new acquaintance, what do you do for a living is one of the first things asked.  In response, most people say I am an [insert job name here].  Not I do, not I work as, we say I am, as if that's a full, unredacted description of you as a person.  Ridiculous!

This is an area of our society where I believe the younger generation has it right.  They are eschewing 50 years on the hamster wheel as an end in itself, and embracing the concept that work is a necessary evil that allows us to do more of the things we enjoy as humans.  After all, I'd rather be remembered as someone who brought a little light and life to those around me.  I'd prefer being memorialized as a man who loved and cherished his children, and a man who unabashedly shared himself with his wife.  I'm Evan, and I don't make a difference.

Remember, You Have More Than Two Options

If you spend any time watching TV, surfing the Internet, or even checking your snail mail, you should be very aware that election time is right around the corner.  If you use these sources as your basis for research, it would be understandable for you to conclude there are only two choices... Democrats or Republicans... and it would be reasonable for you to conclude that both of these options suck.  I would like to take a moment to remind you there additional options.

While not every elected office may have third party candidates, a lot of them will, especially at the state and federal level.  Other parties include the Green Party, Libertarian, and independents, though others exist.  I strongly encourage you to do a bit of research before election day to see if there are other options.

Democrats and Republicans do a tremendous job of talking people out of voting for third party candidates.  They usually accomplish this goal by saying that voting for a third party is "wasting your vote," or claiming that you're a "spoiler" if you vote third party.  Saying that a vote that doesn't support a major party candidate is a spoiler or wasted vote is playing on the false choice fallacy.  The problem is that too many people buy into this lie, which paradoxically turns the lie into a truth... depending on your definition of wasted vote or spoiler.

I have a long history of casting my vote for third party candidates.  From my perspective, those who cry wasted vote and spoiler are failing to look at the larger picture.  As a voter, I have two concerns: 1) Does the candidate's platform align with my values?  2) Is the candidate qualified?  Notice that neither of these questions center of party or ability to win.

Let me use an analogy to make my point.  Let's say that I'm an employer looking for someone to fill an open position.  Why would I only accept applicants that graduated from an Ivy League school, (Yale, Harvard, etc.,)  when someone who attended an in-state university can do the job just as well?  Hopefully, you get that Ivy League in this analogy is Democrat/Republican and in-state university is the third party candidate.

Now, let's take a look at who owns the vote.  While the major parties seem to believe they're entitled, at the end of the day, it's my vote and my choice.  Republicans are chocolate cake.  Democrats are white cake.  (Maybe I should reverse that?!?)  Unfortunately for both parties, I like cheesecake.  Why should I settle for cake when cheesecake is an available choice?  I shouldn't!  I'd be settling.

I'd also like to note that every election offers the opportunity for a write-in.  In my opinion, this is the ultimate form of protest, and the ultimate exercise of free choice.  In this case, I am saying I don't want chocolate cake.  I don't want white cake.  I don't want cheesecake.  I want pie, and I'm going to drive to a different store to get it.  While you are virtually guaranteed to not get your way in the election, you are also saying that you refuse to compromise your vote... or conversely, that, while you agree to play the game, you are making a mockery of the generally accepted guidelines and exercise your right to protest by following the rules in a completely unexpected way.

Finally, I'd like to address staying home.  While I used to believe this is an unacceptable option, because every citizen has an obligation to participate in our representative government, I no longer believe that we have a moral duty to vote.  I say this because the establishment (IE the Democrats and Republicans) have broken the social contract.  Somewhere along the line, long before I became old enough to vote, the two major parties stopped putting forth the best candidates, instead choosing to advance people who toed the party line first and foremost, and who would perpetuate the power of the party.  If I don't like any of the teams playing in a football game, why should I go?

My point is this:  You have more than two choices.  Don't let the biggest kids on the block force you to play on their team because they suck least.  You can play on a smaller team, or you can keep your ball and stay home. 

I Guess I Did Okay

I went to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival yesterday with my lovely bride, my younger daughter, her family, and her in-law's side of the family.  We went at my daughter's request, in celebration of her 30th birthday.  It's been a while since we've done a renfest, and this trip was a fun combination of firsts and nostalgia. Let me start by saying that, while I know my girls enjoyed doing the renfest as kids, I was absolutely thrilled when younger daughter told me back in early June this is what she wanted to do for her 30th birthday.  It was one of those "I did it right as a dad" moments, knowing that she enjoys the renfest as much as wifey and I do.

Wifey and I drove up to Minneapolis on Friday and spent the night in a hotel.  I didn't feel like doing a marathon day; I'm too old for that $h!+.  We took our dog with us, because the event is pet friendly.  This was a first.  I've been a pet owner for over 25 years, but I've never taken my dog(s) to renfest.  It was also the first time I've stayed in a hotel with my furry companion(s), and the first time she's been away from the house overnight.  Historically, when wifey and I travel, we get a family member or friend to come check on the dogs, and let them chill at the house.

From the dog perspective, this was also the longest car ride she's ever had, and the first time she's been around this many people for this much time, and she was a champ!  Hundreds of people interacted with her, and she received many, many compliments on her mellow demeanor.

It was the first time that my grandson, son-in-law, and his family had been to a renaissance festival.  Both of the boys (grandson and son-in-law) dressed up in pirate style attire.  The grandson was like a kid in a candy store, with each new sight being more exciting than the last.  I think the highlight for me was when he got into a fencing contest with younger daughter.  It was a full circle moment, bringing back memories of when I fenced with my girls, and just writing about this makes me smile because it feels like one of those moments where life came full circle.  I can't help but imagine my grandson doing this with his kids, and so on.  Attending the renaissance festival has the possibility of becoming a family tradition that I started.

My longest tradition is that I purchase renfest attire each time I attend.  I've attended enough of these events that I have quite a bit of versatility in my renfest wardrobe, so I can go anywhere from peasant, to brigand, to artisan, to gentlemen.  This time, I purchased a suede jerkin, and I think I'm gonna have a lot of fun with this new acquisition.  My lovely bride also does this, and this year I promised her that I would pay for the item she wanted to pick up... I believe I did this for her birthday.  This was one of those times where I spent a lot more money than I'm comfortable spending, but quite frankly, that's a function of my upbringing, not my current financial status, and every now and then you just have to say screw it, spend a little more money, and enjoy the outcome.  This was one of those times where not buying would bring more regret than buying, and that doesn't happen often in my world.

On the way home, I just kind of basked in the afterglow of the event.  I had fun just doing the renfest.  I had fun taking my dog for the first time.  I really enjoyed seeing my daughter and her family doing so many of the things I did when I was a young dad.  I super-duper enjoyed my lovely bride standing by my side.  It was one of those perfect weekends where, as a dad and a husband I felt like "Yeah, I guess I did okay." 

My First Con(vention)

 As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I hit my first big fan convention over the weekend.  I've attended the Minnesota Renaissance Festival many, many times over the years, and I've hit a smaller RenFest closer to where I live, but I've never done anything like Comic-Con.  I've done TrekFest, which is kinda sorta like a Con, but the scale is much smaller.  There's only so much a town of 1000 people can do on a budget.  I will say though that Riverside has done a pretty good job of growing Trek Fest over the years, and claiming the "Future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk" was a stroke of marketing brilliance on their part.  Heck, it even became official canon.  Oh, but I'm digressing... my point is that I've never done anything like GalaxyCon, and I finally seized the opportunity last weekend.

How I ended up attending GalaxyCon is a story in itself.  I received a notice from VetTix, informing me there were some GalaxyCon tickets available.  I asked my wife if she was interested in attending if I got tickets.  My younger daughter, who had dropped by for a visit, asked "What's GalaxyCon?"  I said "Think Comic-Con and you've got the right idea."  I then started naming some of the celebrities who would be there for meet-and-greets.  When I rattled off James Marsters' name, she got all kinds of excited!  I ended up not getting the free tickets from VetTix, but that's okay.  There was no way my daughter was going to miss the chance to meet Marsters, so we all bought tickets.

I really didn't know what to expect.  Some of the online reviews had said it's kind of lame, specifically that it was disorganized and not well attended.  That was not my experience at all.  There were tons of vendors, attendees, and Q&A panels. We attended a Q&A session with voice actors from Star Trek: Lower Decks, one with Jason Mewes, and a weird, darkly humorous discussion of uniquely horrible ways some people have died over the years.  For example, they talked about how Jack Daniel died of a blood infection as a result of kicking his safe when it wouldn't open, and a guy who tripped over his beard, fell, and broke his neck.

The event was a money making machine!  Using the meet and greet with Marsters I mentioned yesterday as a frame of reference:  He charged $50 per autograph or selfie, or $80 if you bundled and did both.  I estimate that he spent about two minutes with each person.  Using conservative back-of-the-napkin math, that meant he was pulling in over $100 every five minutes, which translates to $1200 per hour.  That's insane!  If he worked 1/2 day, he would have easily pulled in over $5000.  And that's just one guy at one table.

The costumes worn by attendees were tons of fun, too.  There were anime characters I knew nothing about.  But I saw Master Chief from Halo, Darth Vader, storm troopers, Klingons and Star Fleet officers from all generations of Star Trek, Dolly Parton, the Jack in the Box mascot, Dracula (complete with a full sized casket), WWE wrestlers, and the list goes on.

There were several tables devoted just to building custom light sabers from the Star Wars universe.  Those things were expensive, starting at $200 and going up over $600.  There were several booths dedicated to swords, daggers, axes, etc.  Artists sold paintings.  I saw many, many D&D dice booths with some crazy dice sets that looked like the Lament box from Hellraiser.

Overall, it was a wildly creative way for attendees to dress up as virtually anyone or anything, and countless opportunities for vendors to separate said attendees from their hard-earned money.  It was a lot of fun, and I suspect we'll do it again next year.