Since the horrific last drill, I've had a weekend, and we filled it up.

Saturday was Viking Fest in Vista. We met up with the Kindred at Coyote Cafe up the road from the Sons of Norway hall and have nothing but good to say about that breakfast joint. Steve's corned beef hash had too much paprika in it. Worst thing to report.

The Fest seemed smaller than last year, but I don't think that's the case. We got ourselves a new drinking horn and Steve bought me an amber bracelet and two necklaces. Then we hung out in the beer garden with Birgit and Liz and talked to anyone and everyone who swung by. I don't know where they buy their mead from for the fest, but it's *brewed* mead, not the "honey wine mixed with sweet grape wine" that passes for mead all two often.

We picked up another potential member, a carpenter who also brews. He lives in El Cajon and came to our Pubmoot this past week.

Afternoon came, so Steve and I hit the gun show on the way home. We bought some first aid kits and tools, and I got a jewelry box.

Now, I have jewelry. Most of it is the kind of stuff you pick up at cons, and things seki_raku has made for me. I also have a string of pearls from my grandmother, a few rings and a bunch of different stone pendants. I'd tried hanging them up, but Ivan jumped at them and broke one of my favourites, which is ceramic. It's since been replaced (it's the sun/moon blue pendant I wear often), but I wanted a jewelry box to REMIND me I owned all this because I keep forgetting if it's in a Gladware on my nightstand.

An old guy was selling a 1950s-ish wooden jewelry box. It had mostly worthless stuff in it, although there were some Bulova watches, one of which worked. I liked some of the others and intend to get them repaired. There was also one of these jet-stone magnetic bracelet that I took a liking to. I liked the box and it's contents, so I bought it and now my jewelry is in it. I'm kind of leery about buying things that might have emotional energies in them, but this one made me feel "right", so I brought it home and fixed it.

Today I was going to go to Conjecture, but after looking at the panels I wasn't inspired. Everyone else in my circle of fannish friends is there, but I'm away again next weekend, so I'm cool with being home. Steve is making salt-crusted steaks again.