Mourning Memories Lost

A lost memory

As I've talked about before, I was very sick last November. I lost five days and woke up in the hospital the day before Thanksgiving in the ICU after having a series of seizures. Those five days are completely gone, though I'm not missing much - according to my husband, I mostly slept.

My brain is weird. That's pretty much the only diagnosis I've ever gotten. This is the 2nd time I've lost time, but this case was different. For a while, I didn't remember much of everything from last year. A lot of those memories did come back, but I knew the closer we got to November, I would get to a dead zone where I didn't remember much.

Memories are very important to me, probably in part because my mom is passed away and I don't have a ton of pictures of her. She is suppose to live on in my memory and she does - thankfully my long term memory was not affected.

For a while after I got home from the hospital, it seemed like every day I was finding something that I had forgotten. I was so excited to watch the movie Divergent again because I did remember that I had loved it in the theater, but when I started the movie I didn't remember any of it.

It's been months since I've experienced finding out something I forgot until last week. I saw on Facebook that one of my online friends had passed away, and thanks to the Timehop app a few days after that, I saw that I did know that he had died, but I had forgot.

We weren't close friends. Mostly online friends who met a few times at local Browncoat events but I felt extremely guilty that I had completely forgotten that he was gone. It's silly I know, but that's how I felt.

It also means that I'm in the dead zone now. From now until the day before Thanksgiving, my memories of last year are fuzzy at best. And a lot happened in October of last year that I wish that I could remember.

The only thing I can really remember about Emily's birthday is running to the dollar store near our house, but I don't remember why. The only things I remember from the Browncoat Ball is playing Cards Against Humanity with lots of people including Mikey Mason and then feeling sick to my stomach during the dance itself. Halloween I don't remember anything.

Because I had gone through the memory merry-go-round earlier, I didn't think it would be a big deal when I got to this point. But I realize now, that I'm still mourning for the lost memories. Thankfully I'm a big fan of social media and taking lots of pictures, so I've pieced together some of what happened. But I just don't remember it.

I'm sure I'll get over it, but the next few months may be harder than I anticipated. The healing just continues. I'm going to try and focus on making new memories as well.

Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015

So I usually do a year in review and do goals for the year. I'm going to do this in shortened form this year.

2014 was sucky. MS for Todd, then he lost his job in March. He did find another job that was less stressful but it was a rough start to the year. The middle parts were ok, I think. Most of it's still a little fuzzy. But Dragon*Con, Browncoat Ball, Emily's birthday and Halloween were good.

Of course then I got sick and I'm still recovering from that. Christmas was good but I overdid it and had to go to the ER with a migraine last Saturday. I've been trying to rest and work.

The good parts were ok, but the bad parts were really bad. It's awful being in the hospital but it's even worse having a spouse in the hospital. We got a two-fer of that this year.

My goals for 2014 were to finish the 2nd draft of my novel, to finish Couch to 5K and to finish Emily's stocking. I only got the stocking done.

While I plan on writing more once my memory issues are better, as well as exercising, I only have one goal for 2015. That is to not go to the hospital. No more hospital, no more new and exciting illnesses. I have enough.

Who knows if I can keep that but that's my goal.

But here's looking forward to 2015! Hopefully I can also get my flying car and hoverboard!

Browncoat Ball 2014 - Saturday & Sunday

This is the 2nd post of my Browncoat Ball 2014 recap - click here to read the 1st post!

Saturday of the Ball dawned clear and cold. I was awake very early. I think I subconsciously didn't want to miss breakfast because it only went from 8:30 to 9:30.

Breakfast was a buffet and I ate about a pig's worth of bacon. I love bacon! For the rest of the morning, I helped move the vendor tables and  hung out in the game room.

Lunch was Asian inspired and our entertainment was the Fruity Oaty Girls. The same dancers who had done the Hulu and fire dancing did all kinds dances for us throughout the weekend. They actually painted themselves blue! They were super cute and their dancing was great.

We also did the next act of the murder mystery - it was a lot of fun. Especially since the ones of us taking part didn't know who did it.

After lunch, I went on a hayride. The fall colors were really beautiful and the ride was really

relaxing! I caught the end Craig Holcombe's geek comedy act and it was really funny!

I didn't do much the rest of the afternoon. My stomach was starting to not feel great so I just rested. When it was time, I got all gussied up. I was one of the first people who arrived to the hall where the Ball itself was happening. I got my picture taken and mingled before dinner.

Dinner was excellent, though my stomach was still not feeling great. During dinner we got to the next act of the murder mystery. Once that was done, another geek comedian, Art Sturtevant, took the stage. He was so funny!

Once Art was done, everyone who wanted got to learn how to do the Virginia Reel. I did this and a few of the other square dances but then I started to feel really sick. So I opted to go back to the cabin.

The main hall was the only place were wifi signal was good so I did linger a bit to download a book to the Kindle app on my phone. I wanted to rest up so I could go see Mikey Mason perform.

A bit of a side bar - I had been a fan of Mikey's for years but the fates didn't seem to want to let me see him perform live. Many years ago, a friend and I were going to Charlotte's CSTS where he was performing, and we had car troubles and didn't arrive until the middle of the movie. We missed Mikey though.

I wasn't going to let a stomach bug keep me from seeing him perform. So I left the Ball to go lay down for an hour. I still didn't feel great but I trekked up to the Fireside Hall and got a seat next to the fire.

Seeing Mikey Mason live was worth it! He is very talented and extremely funny! After his concert, I went back to lay down. Later I heard I missed the most epic karaoke ever, but I knew I wasn't up to.

I was only able to get a few hours of sleep. In the morning, I tried to eat a little but didn't put it. I was well enough to finish up the murder mystery. Alas, I was not the killer. I watched the raffle prizes be given out - though I didn't buy any raffle tickets.

Thankfully Todd and Emily came to get me pretty early. He got everything packed up from the carnival and Emily helped me take my stuff to the car.

Despite feeling ill on Saturday night, I really did have a great time! The Murder Mystery was a lot of fun and a great twist to make this Ball unique.

Browncoat Ball 2014 - Friday

My home Browncoat group has been the Greenville, SC for about seven years now. Greenville is about 45 minutes from where I live, and there was not an active Asheville group at the time. Last year, we decided to try and bid for the Browncoat Ball. Many of us had been on the planning committee for the Charlotte Ball in 2010. We got the Ball and after a year of planning, the morning of October 17th dawned.

I was the first one to arrive since we had a small window for Todd to bring me and unload my stuff since Emily was in school. Once everyone else on the planning committee arrived, we unloaded everything and got setup.

The afternoon was pretty quiet. People started trickling in and a lot of people went down to do the zip line. I went down late in the afternoon. The worst part was climbing up to the tower because it was just a rope net and while I had a safety harness, it was hard climbing up there. Once I was up on the top of the tower, the actual zip lining was a lot of fun.

After that, it was time for supper. It was a Wash inspired luau complete with hulu dancers. The food

was really good - pineapple and chicken skewers were a highlight for me. After supper was done, I went on the night hike. We did little activities during the hike and it was really interesting to try to adjust our eyes to the darkness.

Fire dancers were next and they were really great! They did several dances with different objects on fire. They were very cool under fire (pun intended!) even when one dropped a fan. Luckily they were also very prepared - had heavy blankets to put each fire-y objects out.

After that, a lot of us went into the gaming room. I finally got to play Cards Against Humanity - which is basically Apples to Apples for adults. We played for hours - rotating out players as we went. I did pretty well for my first time playing!

I finally headed to bed around midnight. I made myself go to bed because I knew I had to be up early the next morning.

Up Next - Saturday and the Ball

Five Reasons You Should Attend the Browncoat Ball

October starts next week and while many people's thoughts are on pumpkins and ghosts, my thoughts turn to shiny things. That's because there is only a few weeks left before the Browncoat Ball!

The Browncoat Ball started ten years ago by the Chicagoland Browncoats with a goal of bringing Browncoats together to share their love of the show Firefly. The Ball has moved from city to city every year ever since then.

This year, the Browncoat group that I'm a part of is bring the Ball to Greenville, SC. It's going to be a very fun weekend and I'd thought I'd share some reasons why you should attend the Browncoat Ball.

1) Murder Mystery! 

For the first time in Browncoat Ball history, the Ball is going to host a murder mystery! From the Browncoat Ball website:

After the death of Rance Burgess, life changed a lot on Lowther. With no leader, Rance’s gang of thugs disbanded and that desolate moon became a better place. Better, but still no place Petaline Andrews wanted to be. After taking over the bordello and re-naming it Nandi’s, she was ready to leave this moon behind her. She took the girls, her son and an unexpected business partner, Belinda Burgess, to town of Missed Fortune on Planet Deadwood to start over. The women pooled their money and bought the Leland Hotel and Saloon which serves as the new home for Nandi’s. As is the way of the ’Verse, trouble tends to follow them that don’t deserve it. It wasn’t long after their arrival that trouble found them by way of a murder.

It's going to be a lot of fun. One of the first events I ever attended with the Greenville Browncoats was a LARP - it was an awesome weekend of Firefly fun and I made some great friends. I'm looking very forward to playing in the mystery over the weekend!

2) Carnival and Vendors 

I have to plug this part because it's the section that I'm in charge of for the Ball. We are going to have several vendors, including myself, as well as Firefly themed carnival games! It will be happening on Friday so everyone can have something fun to start the Ball with!

3) Mikey Mason

This is one of the things I'm looking forward to most. Mikey Mason, a geeky comedy rock star, is going to emcee the whole weekend as well as perform. I've missed him performing live a bunch of times, so finally I'll get to see him perform.

4) Adventures and Entertainment

Beyond the Ball and the Murder Mystery, there is going to be loads of entertainment. Fire dancers, musicians, belly dancers and more will be performing. There will be zip lines, gaming, fencing classes and more. It's going to be a weekend of non-stop Firefly fun!

5) Meeting Fellow Browncoats

One of the best parts of the Browncoat Ball is hanging out with other Browncoats. People come from all of the country and beyond to attend this yearly gathering of Firefly fans. I've only been to one other Ball - the 2010 one in Charlotte, NC, but I still have friends that I met at that Ball. 

All of these reasons and more are why you should consider coming to this year's Browncoat Ball. Check us out at Facebook and come to the Shiny-est Murder Mystery of them all! Also check out the video teaser at YouTube!

2014 Browncoat Ball Website is Live!

Me at the 2010 Ball

One of the things I’m looking forward to most in 2014 is the Browncoat Ball. I had the pleasure of being on the planning committee for the Ball in 2010 that took place in Charlotte. This year the Ball is going to be in Greenville, SC and I’m on the planning committee again.

The Browncoat Ball is a unique experience were fans of the show Firefly and the movie Serenity get together. The Ball moves from city to city and every year there is something different. The things that stay the same are there is always a dance, which is the Ball itself, and there are chances to do fun things in the host city.

This year Greenville is hosting the first murder mystery with the Ball. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. My first big event that I did with the Greenville Browncoats was a Firefly LARP back in 2007. It was a weekend where I made a lot of friendships and just had a great time.

The website for the 2014 Browncoat Ball launched yesterday! Check it out and consider coming to the shiniest shindig of the year!

The Browncoat Ball is Coming to Greenville!

I’ve been a Browncoat since the first episode of Firefly aired. It took me until after I moved to North Carolina to get involved with a Browncoat group. There wasn’t a group in Asheville, but there was one in Greenville, SC which is about 45 minutes away. I started going to meetups in Greenville and made some great friends.

I also got to meet some of the Charlotte, NC Browncoats too and went to some of their gatherings. In 2009, it was announced that Charlotte would be holding the Browncoat Ball in 2010. I signed up to be on the planning committee. It was a lot of work but it was a ton of fun especially at the Ball itself.

I’ve wanted to go back to a Ball since then, but I haven’t been able to. This year, the Greenville Browncoats put in a bid and got the Ball for next year. I’m on the planning committee again and I’m so excited!

2014’s Browncoat Ball is going to feature a Firefly-themed murder mystery. We are already have a Facebook page up if anyone is thinking about joining in the fun. It’s one of the best shindigs of the year and I’m looking forward to helping make it really shiny.