Fall is coming!!!

So, yes, it’s still July, but only for two more days. And, really, Halloween is closer than you may think. Though on days like today – cloudy and overcast with a bit of nip in the air – you can definitely feel that Fall is just around the corner. Not that I mind. I love summer, with the sun and the ability to wear tank tops and shorts and not freeze your bum off. However, I’m getting ever fonder of Fall as the years roll on. Not only does it encapsulate Halloween – my favorite holiday – but it’s also a great time to sit on the porch, rolled up in a fuzzy blanket and drink hot tea or hot chocolate. I’m drinking a hot pumpkin spice tea right now as I burn incense. And then there’s the clothing. Ok, I love shorts and pretty much hate the mere mention of socks, yet as much as I love summer I seem to have quite the collection of pirate-esque and military inspired coats and jackets as well as a growing abundance of boots.

And, speaking of pirates… another thing that the Fall holds… our annual Renaissance Festival!!! This is something that I think about pretty much all year round, and the sad thing is that I don’t even need to peruse the Halloween costume box in the basement anymore to find a decent costume. It’s amazing what I can find just in my closet. Now, I don’t have full on ren dresses hanging in my closet, but that’s the fun part of choosing a costume – most of what I wear doesn’t look all to period clothing on it’s own. It’s all in what you mix and match together and how you layer things. Though the Ren Faire is still a month away – depending on when we go – and I have plenty of time to change my mind, I’m probably going to stick with the pirate/gypsy outfit that I was playing around with. The thing that I realized while taking these pictures is that there is a very, very fine line between pirate and gypsy. I think the hat makes all the difference, yet I wish that I had a nice black leather one that blended better with the outfit.

(By the way, another of my hobbies – when I’m not writing – is to dress in strange outfits and go outside, set the timer on my camera, and basically do a photoshoot. I’m a little on the strange side if no one has yet noticed. But it’s fun nonetheless.)

I’ll just post a few of my favorite photos I managed to get – though I took about 200.

If anyone is actually interested in more pictures from this photo set, feel free to check out my DeviantArt account. I uploaded more on there. The link is in the ‘About Me’ section of this blog.

And because I’m crazy that way, have one more that I couldn’t resist playing around with in Photoshop.

As you can see, I have a little too much fun with these. But, hey, what’s life if you can’t have a little bit of fun and laugh at yourself now and then.

I think I can easily blend into the medieval crowd at the Renaissance Festival in this getup. Sadly, my biggest problem with going to the Faire every year is that I actually have too many possible outfits to choose from. If I had the money I would just go every year. I always joke with people that I’m just going to live down there… at least they all seem to think I’m joking. If that place was open all year round I probably would live down there. My latest thing is that I really want a gypsy wagon – you know, those awesome houses on wheels, all filled with gorgeous colored silks and glass, pillows and lanterns. I’m thinking that I’m going draw up a few designs this winter when I’m not writing and make it a project with my dad next year to actually go about building one. I would definitely live in it during the summer. I could keep my typewriter in there and write as well without the constant distraction of internet. I don’t know why – and those that follow me on here will learn really quick – but I’ve always been drawn to older things. My wooden longbow, my typewriter, and my passion for the Renaissance Festival are just a few examples. I think what I love the most about the Ren Fest is just the overall atmosphere of the place. It’s strange because I’m prone to panic attacks, especially in large crowds, and that place gets crowded, yet I’ve never been bothered there. I think it’s just the music floating on the air and the type of people – all dressed up as well, having fun – that makes me forget about all that. So can’t wait to go again. And the best thing is that I have free tickets this year. I don’t know yet if they’re all going to friends and family or if I will be able to go more than once. That is yet to be decided. Either way, looking forward to the trip. And though I’m still in the process of saving money for this annual venture, I’m really looking to purchase a real longsword this year. Of course, I have plenty of people ask me why… what are you going to do with that? Do you really need it? Well… no. I’m very well aware that that is a purchase that falls under the want not need category, but we all have our wants. I just love the idea of owning a sword that isn’t plastic, not to mention it would look fantastic in my photoshoots.

That being said, I need to go relist a bunch of stuff on Ebay. I’ve got a month yet to collect funds for my Ren Faire fun. One of these days I would love to go there and just go on a complete balls out, money is no issue, shopping spree there where I just buy whatever catches my fancy. Alas, this year will not be it. Maybe in the next few years when my book is out to the public and making money. My biggest goal – one that was meant to happen this year but fell through – is to self-publish my novel and sell it down at the Ren Fest. I figure that that is an excellent place to sell a fantasy novel.

I think that is all for now. Just be prepared… Fall is coming, which means that there will likely be plenty more posts like this one declaring my love for the season and all that comes with it.

Now, as for my hobbies other than writing, I was just starting to get into leatherworking the other night. My first little project as I play around and get the feel of it is a small arm bracer that I was going to burn a design on with my wood burner. Well, I got as far as cutting out the basic pattern and punching a few holes before I realized that I had sliced up the tip of my thumb – must have been while I was changing the blade in my exacto knife. *Sigh* The troubles of the crafter. So, as much as I want to return to that, I’m attempting to give myself a few days to let my finger heal – it’s a small cut, but it hurts like a bitch. Try not using your thumb on your dominant hand… not easy.

However, with the chill and the cloudy weather, I do believe that this is the perfect kind of day to sit myself down at the computer and attempt to get myself back into some writing. Hopefully I will be met with satisfactory results.