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Under the Bridge (All about Pennsic Troll)
Jun. 5th, 2023 04:01 amI just caught up on about two weeks of reading... boy, I've been off about being on my computer. I did manage to re-write the text for the Pennsic Troll webpage and submit it. Three, no four, times. Currently there is an updated version online but it is version two or three, not the final one that had been long-distance edited by my Pennsic boss. and I think lost in her inbox.
We attended the staff meeting at Cooper's Lake during Aethelmark War Practice. As usual, it was cold and raining. I am so glad we opted to stay in a hotel this time. Yeah, it cost more than camping would have, but not having to deal with midnight potty runs in the rain made it worth it. I was able to confirm that my Pennsic Boss (PB from now on) was, in fact, lying to me about this and that concerning my department and her interaction with it, but I was able to assure the Mayor that it wouldn't be a problem - I pretty much know what sparks the warping of his words or any decisions by my boss and I can work around it. And already my eyes are starting to focus on next year's war when she won't be in charge of our section of staff.
A friend is 3-D printing a humongous five-part cylinder to mount somewhere in the Troll Booth. He's made it in dark blue and green; two of the rotating sections are green and three are blue. We will use this to keep count of how many people have registered each day. It can't be connected to our computers to do it automatically but that is okay. And man, those wheels are big! Probably ten inches in diameter. That takes a lot of filament, which he is donating. My budget swings more towards the dry erase board category. He's filling the numbers on each wheel with white epoxy so they show up well against the base colors. I don't know how, or where, this is going to be mounted but I am pleased about being able to return to providing a running count for interested passersby. We are also getting one of those weird posters with a figure whose face is cut out so a human can stand behind and put their own face in the hole for a photo. It is a corny idea (it was my corny idea) but I think it will make people laugh. Even though we're moving away from the job title of "Troll", the figure is going to be one of these https://www.etsy.com/listing/978548581/90s-tnt-troll-doll-vintage-troll-doll . I don't know exactly what it will look like as the person in charge of Pennsic Beautification lit up when I asked about doing it and they took off with the idea. So we'll see. This one will be set up on the volunteer's side, as they are the ones who get to be "trolls". It is possible that there may be other cutout figures posted along the path where our registration line will be so folks can amuse themselves while they wait to check in. Baroness Tysha (the Beautification person) was pretty excited about the idea. She'd made some small ones last year for kids but I think she is excited about coming up with something larger to relieve the boredom of the line-waiting.
I am planning on spending my own money to augment the snacks we offer to our volunteers. Not a crazy amount but I want to bring in a few small comforts. Our budget is woefully small and will not be getting any larger. All too often a Mayor even tries to eliminate it completely. We do get a Keurig coffee machine and those boxes of mixed types of coffee & tea, and we get name-brand sodas (there have been years when we did not!!) but the munchies have been abysmal for the most part. Welch's fruit gummies (those are disgusting), Utz chips, and hard candies. Sometimes a cookie tray of the type often seen in a office training session. It is too hot to lay in any chocolate candies but I'm going to see if I can scout out any decently priced chocolate cookies. I have to have them in their own serving-sized sealed bags as we can't have different fingers reaching into the same container of open food. Could you imagine! Which is a shame because I would have loved to stock one of those big barrels of Red Vine licorices. Maybe I can if I glue a set of tongs on a string along the side of the container. That would be amusing.
The new nomenclature for the department is "Head Tolner" (once Head Troll) -> "Tolners" (shift supervisors) -> "Clerks" (those who man the computers.) In a few years we'll have people inured to saying "Tolner" rather than "Troll". This is a Directive From On High but I got to choose the replacement term and I like using one which existed medievally for "the person who takes money to let you in".
I am bringing appreciation gifts for my Tolners. Just before Covid shut everything down I was slated to be the Autocrat for our Kingdom Arts and Sciences Festival, which was also going to feature the investiture of our new Baron and Baroness. I had enough time to make "big" event tokens so I knit about 200 multicolored bags https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10158652693439283&set=a.196689984282 , https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10158452111494283&set=a.196689984282 , https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10158494862459283&set=a.196689984282 ... they are of acrylic yarn and are sized so a person who drinks Gatoraid could hide their bottle in the bag. Anyway, even after giving a bunch away I still have well over 100 of them, none matching. I'm going to bring the whole shebang with me and offer my Tolners their choice of bag stuffed with an assortment of Kasugai gummy candy. It is so very tasty. And is gluten free and low on carbs too. As a diabetic, I can have four pieces and stay within my snack allowance. The flavors are good enough that four pieces satisfy a person. I love, love, love the Muscat flavored ones. Some of those will be reserved for the Head Tolner. Heh. The rest of the bags will be offered to those whose faces I see often within the pavilion. And if I have any leftover gummies, I will offer those, too. I'd like to avoid loading anyone down with useless stuff to schlep home.
I still haven't started a Standard Operating Procedure book yet. I need to get on that. I also need to talk to Maylene, who is the person on Cooper staff in charge of their side of the booth. She'd be best able to walk me through the computer functions my PB didn't bother to teach me about. I can't really write anything about those from here until I know what all I should know. As it were.
Oh, and today is our 46th wedding anniversary. We aren't doing anything for it - "46" seems a bit lame when we're working towards "50" in just a few years.
We attended the staff meeting at Cooper's Lake during Aethelmark War Practice. As usual, it was cold and raining. I am so glad we opted to stay in a hotel this time. Yeah, it cost more than camping would have, but not having to deal with midnight potty runs in the rain made it worth it. I was able to confirm that my Pennsic Boss (PB from now on) was, in fact, lying to me about this and that concerning my department and her interaction with it, but I was able to assure the Mayor that it wouldn't be a problem - I pretty much know what sparks the warping of his words or any decisions by my boss and I can work around it. And already my eyes are starting to focus on next year's war when she won't be in charge of our section of staff.
A friend is 3-D printing a humongous five-part cylinder to mount somewhere in the Troll Booth. He's made it in dark blue and green; two of the rotating sections are green and three are blue. We will use this to keep count of how many people have registered each day. It can't be connected to our computers to do it automatically but that is okay. And man, those wheels are big! Probably ten inches in diameter. That takes a lot of filament, which he is donating. My budget swings more towards the dry erase board category. He's filling the numbers on each wheel with white epoxy so they show up well against the base colors. I don't know how, or where, this is going to be mounted but I am pleased about being able to return to providing a running count for interested passersby. We are also getting one of those weird posters with a figure whose face is cut out so a human can stand behind and put their own face in the hole for a photo. It is a corny idea (it was my corny idea) but I think it will make people laugh. Even though we're moving away from the job title of "Troll", the figure is going to be one of these https://www.etsy.com/listing/978548581/90s-tnt-troll-doll-vintage-troll-doll . I don't know exactly what it will look like as the person in charge of Pennsic Beautification lit up when I asked about doing it and they took off with the idea. So we'll see. This one will be set up on the volunteer's side, as they are the ones who get to be "trolls". It is possible that there may be other cutout figures posted along the path where our registration line will be so folks can amuse themselves while they wait to check in. Baroness Tysha (the Beautification person) was pretty excited about the idea. She'd made some small ones last year for kids but I think she is excited about coming up with something larger to relieve the boredom of the line-waiting.
I am planning on spending my own money to augment the snacks we offer to our volunteers. Not a crazy amount but I want to bring in a few small comforts. Our budget is woefully small and will not be getting any larger. All too often a Mayor even tries to eliminate it completely. We do get a Keurig coffee machine and those boxes of mixed types of coffee & tea, and we get name-brand sodas (there have been years when we did not!!) but the munchies have been abysmal for the most part. Welch's fruit gummies (those are disgusting), Utz chips, and hard candies. Sometimes a cookie tray of the type often seen in a office training session. It is too hot to lay in any chocolate candies but I'm going to see if I can scout out any decently priced chocolate cookies. I have to have them in their own serving-sized sealed bags as we can't have different fingers reaching into the same container of open food. Could you imagine! Which is a shame because I would have loved to stock one of those big barrels of Red Vine licorices. Maybe I can if I glue a set of tongs on a string along the side of the container. That would be amusing.
The new nomenclature for the department is "Head Tolner" (once Head Troll) -> "Tolners" (shift supervisors) -> "Clerks" (those who man the computers.) In a few years we'll have people inured to saying "Tolner" rather than "Troll". This is a Directive From On High but I got to choose the replacement term and I like using one which existed medievally for "the person who takes money to let you in".
I am bringing appreciation gifts for my Tolners. Just before Covid shut everything down I was slated to be the Autocrat for our Kingdom Arts and Sciences Festival, which was also going to feature the investiture of our new Baron and Baroness. I had enough time to make "big" event tokens so I knit about 200 multicolored bags https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10158652693439283&set=a.196689984282 , https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10158452111494283&set=a.196689984282 , https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10158494862459283&set=a.196689984282 ... they are of acrylic yarn and are sized so a person who drinks Gatoraid could hide their bottle in the bag. Anyway, even after giving a bunch away I still have well over 100 of them, none matching. I'm going to bring the whole shebang with me and offer my Tolners their choice of bag stuffed with an assortment of Kasugai gummy candy. It is so very tasty. And is gluten free and low on carbs too. As a diabetic, I can have four pieces and stay within my snack allowance. The flavors are good enough that four pieces satisfy a person. I love, love, love the Muscat flavored ones. Some of those will be reserved for the Head Tolner. Heh. The rest of the bags will be offered to those whose faces I see often within the pavilion. And if I have any leftover gummies, I will offer those, too. I'd like to avoid loading anyone down with useless stuff to schlep home.
I still haven't started a Standard Operating Procedure book yet. I need to get on that. I also need to talk to Maylene, who is the person on Cooper staff in charge of their side of the booth. She'd be best able to walk me through the computer functions my PB didn't bother to teach me about. I can't really write anything about those from here until I know what all I should know. As it were.
Oh, and today is our 46th wedding anniversary. We aren't doing anything for it - "46" seems a bit lame when we're working towards "50" in just a few years.
