Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Fire in the Sky

I know it's be a little while since I've posted, and a bit longer since it's been an actual REAL post at that, so I decided it was was time to get back to it.  In my defence, I have been busy with life; namely the last semester of uni which had a certain subject in it that demanded WAY too much workload for it's level, and I had forgotten to take it earlier, so I did before I forgot again.  So, now that that's over with, and my new classes (1, 2, & 3) are much cooler and nowhere NEAR as crazy on the workload, I'm able to come back and write to the wonderful void of Cyberspace.

One of my sisters has a tradition she started...two-ish?... years ago where she has a word for the year.  Not really a resolution per se, and that's fine. Now, much like my Dad, I don't really prescribe to the whole - "It's a new year so you need to make New Years Resolutions" way of thinking.  I like to think (much to the disagreement of my wife, who believes Mt Kilimanjaro to be more capable, and likely, of changing into a field mouse than I am of changing my 'ways') that I change aspects of me and my life as I need/want to throughout the year.

Whatever the case may be, I decided that maybe I should try something new this year.  As such, I have decided that this year, finally, I am going to do something that I have wanted to do my entire life;  I am going to learn to be a Blacksmith, and no, I don't mean this kind, either.  I mean the soot-breathing, ash & sweat covered, hard-working, hammer swinging kind.  I have always been intrigued with it; no, that's not quite right.  Fascinated?  Yes, well go fascinated, with a side of respect and a dash of wonderment to go please.  There's just something... primal, in a good way... about taking fire and using your own strength to beat and shape and coerce metal into wonderful shapes and things, be it tools, weapons, front gates or doorhandles.  I'm quite excited about this new project!

Also to go along with it, I have decided that I'm going to join one of the Nordic/Danish clubs in the area.  I know that there is one up on the northside around Petrie that have a few acres on the river that make their own armour, weapons, mead, and even built a longhouse and a long boat.  I think these might be the guys that I go with... but first things first:  I need to learn how to smith.

(I'd like to thank one of my most awesome friends Christine for the unintended inspiration for the perfect song to go with this post.)