Explaining the SCA to Outsiders

I'm grabbing a drink from the break room on my first day back at work when one of my coworkers asks me what I did on my vacation.

"Oh, I went out to the coast to visit friends, do an SCA event, and see a good friend who is moving to the UK off."

"What's an 'SCA event'?"

"SCA stands for 'Society for Creative Anachronism', and it's the medieval re-enactment group I'm in. We dress up in costumes and pretend it's the middle ages for the weekend. This particular event was where we choose who the next King will be."

"Choosing the King, eh? How democratic is that? Do you vote on it?"

"All the people who want to be King dress up in armour and beat the bejesus out of each other until there's only one left, and that person gets to be King for six months. So it's not democratic at all. I, for example, will never be King."

So, trip GBMU

Good

With appropriate use of my earlier exit strategies, I had a fun event without triggers.

Travelling out there was uneventful and my B&B was comfy and inexpensive.

Got to spend quality time with othelianna, garething, somejauntypolka and others.

Met a few people at othelianna's going away pub night, and got to chat with others that I'd like to know better. They seem to feel the same way about me, so yay!

Bad

I need to learn not to talk mundane politics at the SCA.

I had to say goodbye to Rosie. :(

Didn't shoot enough.

Couldn't get a B&B for the trip back. Ended up paying for a hotel room instead. On the bright side, it was a nice hotel.

Basically got no exercise at all the whole trip.

Meh

Didn't get to say hi to as many Vancouver peeps as I'd like. Technically, I never got into Vancouver at all. Closest I got was Port Moody/Coquitlam/New Westminster.

I'm not fond of driving long distances by myself.

Ugly

Threw my back out the day before the drive back. Not sure what triggered it (it became apparent after I slept on it), but the unfamiliar bed, earlier camping, and slacking off on my morning stretch all contributed. Spending six hours in the car two days in a row basically made it worse, and it's only now starting to feel better. But I'm not going to be able to run until this weekend.

All in all, I would do it again. But only just.