So, anywho, I’m back - as if you care! 
After surviving San Diego Gay Pride (pictures of our float can be found here, I’m next to last on the right with the blue pants), I took a week to get ready and headed home to Philadelphia. Managed to snag first-class seats on standby the whole trip home, too - woo hoo! Visited with my family (Mom, Dad, cat Bart, two sisters, and six nieces and nephews) for a few days, then drove 6 hours west to Pittsburgh for the Pennsic War XXX. (For those who don’t know, the Pennsic War is an annual Society for Creative Anachronsim event - basically a Medieval/Renaissance “Ren Faire” type thing, but with a very different kind of mindset. I’ve been going for 11 years now.)
I camp with Clan Blue Feather and have run the encampment for the past 10 years, but I arrived later than I usually do, so the camp was already set up when I got there, thanks to my reliable campmates. The duration was, as it always is, magical, fun, and rejuvenating. Highlights include:
[ul][li]Having my prey stolen from me by the Widder Mary, only to have her exchange a chew toy for me for Mardis Gras beads - lucky me, she has excellent taste. <grin> Now I have a new friend, Clint, in Tennessee.[/li][li]Went to many, many parties.[/li][li]No overt psychodrama in the encampment for a change, with 29 gay, lesbian, bi, transgendered and straight folk, no less.[/li][li]The annual Clan Blue Feather Ball & Fashion Cotillion drew another record crowd (around 250) in the new dance tent - dancing, music, prizes, schtick, and fabulous outfits. The camp sign was also returned to us after a year of travelling around the world (including pictures!).[/li][li]The king and queen of An Tir, a kingdom in the midwest, actually made a homemade porn to finance their way to Pennsic (dubbed “Pornsic” for it being the 30th, ergo XXX).[/li][li]I finally registered my device[sup]*[/sup], and not only was I told it was “stupid” (cows on a device aren’t period, but the SCA will pass them according to their rules), but was asked if I knew what the blue feather meant - never heard a bunch of heralds laugh so hard. :)[/li][li]I fell asleep with my contact lenses in and they dried out on my cornea, so when I took out the left one it took a chunk with it. The next night it started to hurt, and the following morning (Saturday, my last day) I had to go to the ER to get it looked at and get antibiotic eyedrops. Thankfully, it’s just about healed, but it burned![/li][li]After getting back from the hospital, turns out I’d locked my keys in my car the week before when I parked it. Fortunately, I’d left the windows open a crack, so we pulled them out of the ignition with a stick. Unfortunately, it had drained the battery, so I had to get a jump. All in all, my last day there was a wash-out (and everybody else had to break camp without me).[/ul][/li]
I think those are the highlights (lots more to tell, too, but that’s for another day). So then I drove home, spent a few more days with my family and friends (including my sister’s surprise 40th birthday party), and finally flew back here (cattle class, sadly, and bumped twice) yesterday. I’m beat! But it was good to get away, good to see my family and friends, and good to get to Pennsic.
Now, I need a job… 
Esprix
[sub]*Perfess, azure and argent, a cow, statent, argent marked sable, and a feather, fesswise, reversed, azure.[/sub]
I didn’t notice you were gone probably because you had previously mentioned something about being really busy.