interviewed by hlinspjalda

[cellio]

1. Describe your ideal tallis.

Large enough to envelop me, and supple and soft so I want it to. I would previously have said traditional black or blue stripes, but I really like the stripes idea you've discussed (being suitably oblique here in case that's a secret). The atarah is rich but I'm not sure how -- blessing with the white-on-white relief-style treatment like on my current tallit? Gold thread? I'm not sure, though I lean against making its background non-white, I think. The corners would be ornamented in a way that "goes with" the atarah.

I'm sorry if you were looking for a more specific description. I have concepts here, not a specific visualization. :-)

2. You have to spend six months in the physical conditions of your SCA persona. (This only accounts for your time at your domicile, so you get to keep your job, your car, your friends, your city of residence, etc.) What single item or activity do you miss most?

First rejected answer: my glasses. :-) (They would be, but I suspect you didn't intend that level of coverage.) Second rejected answer: my cats. (My persona wouldn't have kept pet cats, but I suspect you're looking for something a little different.)

So, those out of the way, it's got to be the computer and specifically the internet. I'd miss my distant friends, the ability to look nearly anything up on demand, and being able to write at a speed that comes closer to keeping up with my thoughts than longhand ever could.

3. What are your favorite three games playable on Shabbat?

This week I'll say Pandemic, History of the World, and Puerto Rico. Next week I'll probably say something different. :-)

Honorable mention goes to Iron Dragon, which some would reject as a Shabbat game. There are two complications. First there is the money; since it is clearly fake money I don't have a problem with it, but if I did we could use the bookmark trick. So that's not a problem. The other issue is the crayons, which are muktzah -- but the reason they're muktzah is that you can use them to write, but I'm not using them in that way. The prohibition on writing is against writing two letters. Drawing a line is not the same thing at all to me. So I don't have a problem playing the crayon rail games on Shabbat, but some surely would and I respect that enough to not include this game in the primary answer to your question as phrased. :-)

4. What are your three go-to sources for garb in your SCA period and location?

Oy. I wish it were that easy. :-(

I am a bad Laurel. There are sources for my time but hundreds of miles away, and for my location but (2-3) hundreds of years away, and nearly squat for correct time and location. Convivencia: Jews, Muslims, and Christians in Medieval Spain (a museum catalogue) has a little. So I use a mix of what I know about contemporary clothing and what can be abstracted from later illuminations and cloth findings, mix in the few hints derived from contemporary halacha, and take my best guess. The area where I feel most ignorant is what to wear on my feet.

5. Neil Gaiman or Terry Pratchett? Why?

My first encounter with Neil Gaiman was Sandman, and it was love at first sight. I even forgave him for "A Doll's House". :-) The work of his that I've read (which is far from all of it) has an appealing blend of wit, twistedness, other-worldliness, and humor. I enjoyed the first dozen or so Discworld books, but they just don't hold up as well for me.

All that said, I really enjoyed Good Omens. Why choose? :-)

Comments

[alienor.livejournal.com]

I'm still working on your questions... we've interviewed each other several times. :-)

In the meantime... got some questions for me?

(edited for grammar fail)

[cellio]

I sure hope I don't repeat questions from the times we've done this in the past. If so, sorry -- let me know and I'll replace.

1. Golf carts: necessary, convenience, or missing the point of going golfing in the first place?

2. What would it take for you to go to Pennsic?

3. What about you would most surprise 20-year-old you?

4. What are your favorite three board games?

5. The genie in the bottle can arrange for you to spend an evening with any one living person (with translation device if needed). Whom do you choose and what do you want to talk about?