I quit my job today (WARNING: rant)

I work in academia, which is a very hard job.  Today I quit.  Now in academia this means that I informed my department head that I will not be returning next semester.  Since he is never available, this means via email.  His response "Thanks for the short notice," and then continued from there.  Next semester doesn't start until the end of January, three months from now.  In what world is this short notice? Only in academia.  On the other side of the coin my hire dates have been a week before the semester starts to my most recent the day after the semester had started, even when continuing from one semester to the next I usually have not even received my contract for the semester until after I started teaching it, I only know I'm teaching because my name appears on the schedule.  I am adjunct faculty, I know it sucks to have to find more of us willing to work for a fraction of what the full timers get and without benefits but lucky for you it doesn't take a committee to hire one of us.

It's not that I'm giving up on students, I'm giving up on the people pretending to be students.  When my students overall average homework grade is failing and homework is graded on completion and did you turn it in on time, I can not be surprised that they fail the tests.  On a 10 point quiz where I told the students to check their answers with their neighbors before turning in the quiz, I had a student score 5 points, I can NOT think that the problem is with my teaching. The problem is with these people pretending to be students.

And I'm done.

There I hope I got that out of my system at least for a little while.

Thank you

Thank you everyone for your support. I think I can really do this. I hope so.  If you have any suggestions of things I should do along my way or places I shouldn't miss please let me know.  If you are would like me to visit you, please be sure to read my Barter: Will Sew for Shower post, and contact me.  I can add you to my map of places to visit, I just need your name and a general location.

Current plan is to start out of southern California on the first of January, quickly get to Washington DC area to visit my sister and our nations capital; DC feels like the appropriate start point to my wanderings.  From DC I'm not yet sure although as it will be winter I probably want to head south, or stick to the coast.

Barter: Will Sew for Shower.

My offer:  I will come to your house with sewing machine and make you (or someone else in the near area) garb out of some fabric from your stash or even help you find some fabric to purchase if you haven't a stash.  Or if you just need some help with parts of something you already have going. Or moral support to make that garment you have been trying to make yourself start.  I am flexible on this, but I want to do something so I am not feeling like I am just mooching off the generosity of this extended family we call the SCA.

In exchange:  Use of your shower (not something I can really fit in my truck), and information about your area.  I wouldn't mind a few meals, are you willing to feed me?  Look at my dietary restrictions, are you still willing to feed me? If not, I'm ok with that, just let me know.  If you have them, use of washer/dryer.  I don't necessarily even need a place to sleep as I will have that in my truck.  Really I'm just looking for some way stations along my way, because I want to go to museums, national parks, landmarks, and see this place we all call home.  I will need a space to work, while I make something. This can be as minimal as a small sturdy table and chair, or as elaborate as a giant sewing room.

I have a major wanderlust going on and I want to wander around and not be tied down to anything.  Do you have a idea/project that you need help getting off the ground?  I can help.  I know that one of the biggest problems I have is finding someone that can help me fit me, and I want to help others that have this problem.

At this point I could easily be enticed to go anywhere, and that is what I'm going to do.  While out there may I visit you? 

The plan, actually more of a scheme

1. Decide what features I need/want/willing to pay for and buy a shell.
2. Quit my job, ok so really it is more just inform them that I won't be teaching next semester, I plan to do this approximately November 1, gives me some time to think about scheme and decide if I really think I can do it while still being enough before class registration that students are not already planning their schedules.
3. Design and build interior to camper shell.
4. Finish the semester, grade finals.  I give finals the second week of December and grades are usually due the first of January, but maybe if I'm lucky I can get done really early this semester.
5. Pack, go through stuff, get rid of stuff, decide what I want to leave in storage and what I want to take with me.
6. If all of the above goes smoothly, I should be ready to head out on the first of January.
7. Drive fairly straight through to be in Washington DC area for the Joint Mathematics Meetings Jan 15
8. Visit with little sister, see some sights.
9. Live the dream.  Make sign "Will sew for shower" and do it.  
10. Write blog post about exactly what I will be wanting when I visit people and have some fun.

I won't necessarily do it in this order, as activities like number 5 should start now and continue until I leave.

Dietary Restrictions

One of my concerns with staying with other people is that I am actually a very picky eater nowadays.  I didn't use to be nearly as picky as I am now but with my strange food intolerance I have had to become much more picky.

Nightshade:  If it is in the nightshade family then it gives me indigestion and other issues, amount and severity depend on how good I have been being on avoiding it and exactly what I'm eating.  Nightshades include: tomatoes, potatoes, all of the peppers (not peppercorn), and eggplant.  The hardest part is that there is paprika in everything.  It is nature's red coloring, I can not avoid it.  I do try, because I can tell when I have had too much.  One nice side effect of avoiding the nightshades for me is that most of my skin allergy issues have cleared up, thus convincing me that yes indeed I am intolerant.  Peppers cause me the most issue, with tomatoes a close second.  As for food substitutions potatoes are easy because sweet potatoes are not part of the same family.  The ironic part of this intolerance is for the medieval re-enactor these are outside period and I finally put two and two together to get four from the after effects of a medieval feast that had one too many jalapeno dishes.

Fish products: For awhile I thought I was allergic to tuna, I have since realized that it probably is not tuna but actually one of the chemicals used in canned fish products.  Canned tuna and canned shrimp have both given me an allergic reaction.  The being raised vegetarian means I have not been exposed to much and I am indifferent to it as a meat source so I usually just choose the chicken.

Peanuts/Peanut butter: Although I'm not allergic, I have never liked these but after being raised vegetarian and my father basically saying all we were allowed to take for bag lunch was pb&j, I am over it.

My Vehicle Scheme

Polar New

So a few years back when replacing my old car, and my SCA habit was well underway and I wanted an easy way to get to war, I bought a little Ford Ranger, Wasn't he just so nice and shiny when he was new.

Polar is a good little truck, he helped me move and has gotten me and an entire encampment worth of stuff to war.  He's not as nice and shiny now, has a couple dings from parking on a college campus. He is still good.  Although, clearly if I want to drive across the country in my truck in winter I'm going to have to do something so that whatever stuff I take with me is protected from the wet and snow.

Polar Now

I could buy a camper top. It would basically turn my truck into an RV, but they are heavy and bulky and will kill my gas milage even if I can find one small enough for my truck and not designed with the idea of sharing it with another human.  The lightest ones require you to pop them up once you are parked and are still very bulky.  When looking at the used ones of this style all of them have holes in the fabric part that covers the space after pop up, worrysome.  New costs 12-15K, so that is out.

Next idea, build my own camper top.  Make it look like a little castle and then I can live in a castle and drive it around.  I don't have the knowledge or time to do this unfortunately, so what's next?

Buy a shell and build my own camper into it.  Much more affordable.  Just a regular shell is much more affordable and I then need to get some wood and design an interior to it.  This is harder than it sounds.  I want some sort of platform I can put a bed on, and thus store stuff under it.  And around it.  Then there is the window problem, I will need to figure out some sort of curtains, to keep light out and help keep warmth inside.  Off to buy a pickup butt cover as I like to call them.

Garb I have made

Groom's Brother and Groom

So one thing I think I should do is post some pictures of garb I have made.  If I plan to visit lots of places and sew for people in them, then they need an idea of what I can make and what I have made in the past.  This is somewhat hard for me as I don't actually like pictures of myself and most of the time I'm hiding behind someone or I get not great pictures because it is what other people take while I'm not paying attention.

Me and the Bride

First off and most recently I have been doing pirate garb.  My best friend was having a pirate wedding this last summer and I of course was helping out.  Here you have a picture of two of us in our pirate garb. The red coat is me, I made the coat, all the rest of the clothes and even my hat.  And for the lovely bride, I did not make it but I helped pattern and was moral support along the way (not her hat, that was an amazing find).  Also my profile picture is a much better picture of me in my pirate coat.
And then there was his coat, there were two versions to this coat to help him get a better idea of the finished project, before we cut into his fabulous fabric.  In the picture we have his brother in the first version (stripes) and him in the second version.

Fencing Doublets

I have done some fencing doublets, and helped pattern many more from period styles to more modern styles for women (those boobs just get in the way).  On the right here is a couple of boys nicely modeling their new doublets, and behind them as an added bonus is my day shade that I designed and built.  I didn't actually sew the canvas on this one, but I have done other day shades and even helped with a tent.

Early Italian Renisance

Fencing shirts, chemises, skirts, pants, sashes, hoods and t-tunics oh my.  I do not have many pictures of just those items but I have made so many and as for the underthings, most of the pictures on this page probably have underthings I made, but again very hard to find pictures of people in just their underclothes.  I have made these things in many different sizes from normal sized to large women and even the large men.  Also have experience with alterations and making clothing that is easy to alter so that if you fluctuate a lot you can easily adjust it later on.

What I like wearing is early Italian Renaissance, so also included is a pictures of me in this, with my period short sleeves.  Unfortunately I have not made a lot of sleeves for my Italian garb as in southern California it is usually too warm for them and I overheat.  Also I really do enjoy all the looks I get when someone that knows something about Italian garb (usually a friend) loudly exclaims "hey, you're naked."

Houpelande and Waffenrock

Court Houpelande

Hand made German

I also went through a cotehardie and houpelande phase, really I just wanted to make and wear a henin (a princess hat.)  I really like the looks from the non-SCAdians when I run around in a henin. I have also made waffenrocks like the pink fighter next to me, although I only assisted on this one (or was it the previous version? you know how fighters can destroy their fighter garb).  The houpelande in both pictures on the left is the same garment, but not taken anywhere near the same time.  It is one of my favorite pieces of garb for days when I feel like wearing a train and floor length sleeves and something with fur trim (good quality fake).

There is that day I went german.  After making a bunch of fighter waffenrocks

Bear sized Waffenrock

including the bear sized one shown. I made myself the matching period. The one on the left sewn entirely by hand mostly because I wanted to be able to say, yes I've done that, after that though sewing machine all the way. I also made the giant shade hat.  I am always looking for new and different ways to avoid the direct glare of our day star (the sun).  I have issues with skin allergies and sunscreen, but those are not as bad as they use to be because finding out about food allergies helps.  I just realized I have made a lot of hats, I actually like making hats, I have even crochet a few in my life.

I have also done a whole lot of viking but can not actually find any decent pictures.  Must pull out garb and do a photo shoot soon or you may just have to wait until I make garb for others.