Unfortunately, because work has gotten hectic, I must apologize that this follow-up is so late, but here goes. A mentioned previously, the New Jersey Renaissance Fair and Kingdom has moved this year to a new location at the Red Mill Village and Museum. So we weren’t sure what to expect until we got there and were pleasantly surprised to find that the Red Mill’s grounds are gorgeous and add to the atmosphere of the faire. Regrettably, we opened to a thunderstorm as is our luck, and we were forced to shut early on Saturday. Sunday, however, was a sunny and warm day which brought in a decent crowd. Below are some images of the grounds and our performers. ~Chris Baldi “The Healer”~ ~July 10, 2009~
This year the New Jersey Renaissance Faire and Kingdom will be moving to the Red Mill Village Museum. It also marks a return to New Jersey’s continuing Arthurian storyline. The show will be running for the next two weekends in June (June 20, 21, 27 and 28). Just as last year, Healing Fireball will also be there, the first weekend only, working at the gift shop and selling print copies of the original A Squire’s Guide to All Things Knightly, The Cabin Boy’s Pocket Pirate Handbook and the currently-only-available-in-print Stakes, Crosses and Garlic: A Hunter’s Guide to Vampires. We will also be selling our parchment bookmarks in both pirate and medieval designs that are perfect for gaming books. So come out and see us. ~Chris Baldi “The Healer”~ ~June 18, 2009~
I realize that the posts of this blog are still sporadic and that we have not posted a product for a while. Unfortunately, instead of getting lighter, work has gotten even more hectic. I was gearing up for two presentations I will be doing at professional conferences in June as well as gearing up for a final push to finish my doctorate work. So, sadly, it looks like this lull may continue for a while.
As for actual work for Healing Fireball Publications, I have managed to make a collection of tables for several Just Add Dice products centered around religion. However, these tables need to be finalized and descriptions need to be added, which is harder than it sounds. Particularly, laying out the tables in a way that is consistent and makes sense. So you’ll be seeing these products soon – watch this space. ~Chris Baldi “The Healer”~ ~May 22, 2009~
Once again I am slow on the the posting because of my work schedule, but last Saturday we did attend the Lion’s West Windsor Renaissance Faire. The day was a little muggy but otherwise perfect. It was sunny and the sky was cloud-free, unlike the weather report claimed it would be. Once again Round Table Jousting with our friends from Period Productions put on an exciting joust, always a highlight of the day. When we went to watch the SCA battle we were also pleasantly surprised to see one of our old college friends among their number. We talked for a while, watched the battle and then went shopping. I bought myself a new cellphone pouch at our friends Lusty Leather, for my money they make some of the nicest leather products I have seen. We wrapped up the day by listening to some pirate music. ~Chris Baldi “The Healer”~ ~May 22, 2009~
On May 2nd, Chris and I visited the Eco-Fair at Weaton Arts and Cultural Center in Millville. We got free tote bags! We also bought a composter to save for the Future House. I saw a presentation about how to grow berries, and we did a tour of the trees on the ground. I had some lemonade with agave – tasty! In spite of a little rain, we had a suprisingly good time, and Chris only got one little argument with the vegan table. I’m considering that a win.
On April 18, Chris and I took the train out to the Book Fair at the Philly Free Library. I wish they’d had the free shuttle like last year, since the Phlash wasn’t running yet; walking out was OK, walking back laden with books was painful. Especially since somebody wanted to make a stop at Rosie’s Yarn Cellar for their sidewalk sale. Jeez. Anyway, I did get to see Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary fame. He sang for an hour and did a total of 4 songs. He was great, but I think you need to have kids to get the full effect of the audience participation. We chatted afterwards and signed a couple of books for me.
This weekend we’ll be heading up to the Lion’s West Windsor Renaissance Faire once again, a charity event that’s been getting bigger every year. I’ve had my eye on a new pouch from Lusty Leather. Assuming the weather holds out, we’ll be reporting back about our adventures. ~Chris Baldi “The Healer”~
~May 15, 2009~
Looking at the blog I realized that the last time there was a post on this blog was all the way back in November.Add to that our lack of publishing lately and its no wonder people have been asking, Where has Healing Fireball Publishing gone?The answer to this question is that we are still around and I am plugging away at new material.I know that I posted on several forums that Healing Fireball Publications was back and that we had a site update and several products in the works and then we only published sporadically and the site has stayed the same.The truth is unfortunately the rest of my life has gotten in the way as I am preparing a manuscript about my research at work and it has been eating up my time.
Never fear, though, as the completion of this work draws to an end and whenever I have a moment I have been working on several new Just Add Dice projects and I still have several Two Bit Tables and other products lined up for when I have more time. The web page overhaul has been slow but I am working on it and hope to have it finished soon. As for the blog we are once again approaching the summer and the faire and con season.I hope to post more of our faire and con reports soon.I am also still trying to get my wife to post some descriptions of her trip to Ireland.Well, that is where we stand right now; we here at Healing Fireball Publishing would like to thank our fans for being patient with us. ~Chris Baldi The Healer~ ~April 28, 2008~
On Thursday, I was able to visit the Free Library again to see the renowned actor, Christopher Plummer. Hes probably best known as Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music. Incidentally, he hates that movie with a passion, although hes apparently gotten more of a sense of humor about it in recent years. The interview was very interesting, and he was quite charming and funny. He also certainly did not seem to be almost 80. I even asked a question about his voice-over work and found out hes going to be in the next Pixar movie. He spoke extensively about his theater work and his favorite roles. He commented that he would really like to be able to play Hamlet now, because when youre the right age for the role, you dont have the technique or wisdom to play it correctly. He also appreciates King Lear as a character, but doesnt think the pacing of the play showcases him correctly. I was able to get a copy of his new memoir, In Spite of Myself, signed for my dad (shhh its a surprise).
On Wednesday, Chris and I went over to the Free Library in Philly for a panel discussion in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Oxford English Dictionary (nerds!) The panel featured Ammon Shea, whose book Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages, relates some interesting words he would while being the only person to read the OED from cover to cover. Shea had a lot of entertaining comments, and I wish he was given more opportunities to speak. Next was Jesse Sheidlower, author of The F Word and the only North American editor-at-large of the OED. He was very well-spoken and interesting. The final panel member was Barbara Wallraff, author of Word Court and Word Fugitives and a professional dictionary user. The only problem with the panel was the moderator and local childrens author, who seemed to think she was presenting to children. She wasted a lot of time with her slow-as-molasses readings of book excerpts and she didnt seem to know the format for the evening. I wish the panel had taken it upon themselves to moderate the moderator.
