Ren Festing as Bill the Butcher with Misty... (and adventures with Ren food!)

[thehefner]

The costume now complete enough to bust it out (would that I could still find that damn HUGE top hat... my professor recommended me to a shop in Dover that doesn't exist anymore, go figure), Misty and I hit the Ren Fest last Sunday as Bill and Jenny from GANGS OF NEW YORK, testing the waters before busting it all out come Halloween here at WAC.

Misty deserves extra props for attention to detail for her costume, going so far as to not only include a number of layers in her pickpocket/whore-with-a-heart-of-gold outfit, but best of all she even had red tights underneath, just like Cameron Diaz did in the movie. Very, very sweet, that.

I recieved a small handful of compliments on the costume, which was certainly unique among the norms and the costumed alike. In a way, it was my way of subersively poking fun at the dubious authenticity of the people in period costume (or as Neil Gaiman's Hob Gadling once said: "Where're the people covered in shit and have bleeding sores all over their faces?"). Allan, my tailor, did a masterful job with the costume; it looks bloody awesome. Should the Rudes require any costume work, I wholeheartedly suggest you guys check him out.

With the moustache and the right squint, I totally become Daniel Day-Lewis. It's so awesome. I just need to grease my hair up and it'll be perfect. I hadta to take it off to eat (which one random person noticed! "Hey, where's your moustache?!") and without it I am transformed into a new persona, Dandy Heffie. I felt like someone out of a Jules Verne novel! I want to have a sword fight with a meglomaniac in a blimp now!

As for food, I took this opportunity to totally pig out, which had distinct advantages and disadvantaged. Here is what I have learned about Ren Fest food. First, fried ice cream has, by and large, lost its mystique. Secondly, I should have learned from hard experience two year ago, but I didn't did I- fritters are a bad, bad idea. You will be tasting them for hours to come, and not the good, sweet parts, either. Next, authentic Ren-era quesadillas, yum! Finally, why in God's name didn't anyone tell me that the Ren Faire has the best chocolate chip cookies in the entire fucking world?! Bite-sized, soft but not doughy, crispy but not crunchy, and so, so warm! HMM!

I may return next Saturday with Misty, should she talk me into it. But then, it occurs to me that I may have rehearsal. Is Saturday the last day? Is it open Friday?

Comments

[tompurdue.livejournal.com]

The thing with the cookies is that they're served in a cone, with a cone of milk. You can't set the milk down because it'll spill. So you can't get the optimal cookie-milk ratio in your mouth.

Two decades ago a friend of mine and I noticed this and wanted to start a Rent-a-Serf service, so you'd have somebody to hold your milk while you ate a cookie.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I just sucked the cookies in with my tongue like a frog with flies. As for the milk, this time it was served in a normal, flat-bottomed cup. Problem solved.

But that's not to say I couldn't use rent-a-serf for other purposes... after all, Bill the Butcher could use a posse...

[pokeyburro.livejournal.com]

Just checked the website. I had it on fairly good authority, I thought, that Saturday would be the final day, but it seems they're open both this Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's supposedly the day to come, as people tend to hang around until 1am, it being closing weekend and all.

Misty mentioned she's gotta work that weekend anyhow, so that may be out. There'll be a next year.

I saw at least two people recognize you, and there were probably more. Kickass. And hey, tell me that ain't a perfect Halloween costume.

And another thing.

[pokeyburro.livejournal.com]

Get the outfit on, take a picture, and replace your LJ icon. Heh heh.