Freedom of Choice - Choose Wisely

One of the very core belief's of the Knights of Creation Spirit and Ale is Freedom of Choice.  The trick is, as Indiana Jones was instructed by an 800 year old Crusader, is to "Choose wisely"!

How does one choose wisely in today's society?  Sitting in a hotel room in New York City, I decided to look up how many restaurants there where in the city as we are trying to decide where to eat tonight.  The New York City Department of Health lists more than 20,000 restaurants on their "Restaurant Inspection Information" web site.   That's a lot of Freedom of Choice...and makes the odds of choosing wisely difficult.


There's always the tried and true method of acquiescing to another's expert opinion,  Google searches and reading reviews, etc.  The mere amount of information and opinions can be overwhelming!


I think, as Indy correctly did, that the wise choice is not always the the shiniest, most alluring, or most talked about...I think the wise choice is simple in it's utter complexity.  The wise choice is to trust your instincts and to not be afraid of the unknown.  Embrace the now!  That's the KCSA way!

So, I'll let you know later if we chose wisely!


Sir Hook the Hungry of Warrick

Take a Walk on the Wild Side

My husband had a gig at a burlesque show last weekend. I would be lying to you if I told you that I was enthusiastic about this. I was going to go – I never miss a chance to hear him play – but I was sort of picturing in my mind the scene from The Graduate where Dustin Hoffman took Katharine Ross to a strip club in order to demonstrate to her what a tool he was so he could continue getting it on with her mom, and she sat and silently cried while a stripper with dead eyes swung her tassels in her face. I tried to beg off, but he wouldn’t hear it. Even at the last moment – when he was setting up his gear and I was driving around looking for legal parking, I thought, “I can just keep driving. I can drive around for three hours and come back and pick him up when it’s over. He won’t even notice I’m gone, on accounta the booby factor.” I thought that. But I didn’t carry through. I parked – took a deep breath - and walked in alone – a middle-aged frumpy suburban housewife – internally gasping for air like the proverbial fish out of water.

Women, drag queens, and drag kings were milling about in various stages of costuming. I focused my attention on the bartender. She’d see me through this. She was fully dressed in street clothes. Looking at her didn’t make me uncomfortable. I intended to look at her a lot. The pre-show beers were going down easy.

The emcees took the stage and announced the first act. I turned to face the stage, gripping my long neck like a life preserver. The first young lady shimmied onto the stage in full Carmen Miranda inspired regalia. Tall, slim, blonde – these are three words you would have never chosen to describe her. And yet…and yet… as she confidently strutted her stuff (and systematically removed her ruffles) the crowd went crazy. Here was a woman with a build very similar to my own, and she owned these people.

Act after act, it was the same. REAL women – with bumps and lumps and stretch marks and all manner of “imperfections” were able to whip the crowd into a frenzy. Tall women, short women, thin women, fat women, white women, black women, Latina women, male women – it didn’t seem to matter. The only thing they had in common was an attitude. Not one pair of dead eyes among ‘em. Dawn broke on marble head. Perhaps all that talk about CONFIDENCE being the REAL aphrodisiac had legs.

I left that show with a new outlook, a new attitude, and a new swagger in my step. Scratch that. It was more than a swagger. It was a strut.

Before the evening was out I’d spoken to a few of the performers. I spoke of my admiration for what they’d done and they were gracious. Two of them told me I was hot. A week before – hell – three hours before – I would’ve laughed (to beat them to it) and thought they were making fun of me. In that moment? I simply said, “Thank you.”

Then I signed up for belly dancing classes.

Because sexy doesn’t have age and size restrictions. It doesn’t have many restrictions at all, come to think of it. After this experience, I was able to accept that all that talk about it being a dance form that embraced women regardless of their size or age might actually not just be lip service. I don’t imagine that it will be a source of any true creativity any time soon – too much to learn first! – but it DID get my inner gypsy excited about crocheting hip scarves…

But there was more…

I started thinking about the way I present myself. I try very hard to fit societal standards for someone of my age and size. I fear being accused of trying to be something that I’m not. Well, the truth is – by responding to those fears I’ve morphed into someone I never intended to be. And that was all changed, due to the unlikely bump and grind influence of a burlesque troupe. Whoda thunk? Look out world – I shall be donning a lot more colors. And that’s just for starters. Because I’m not afraid of me anymore.

Lady "VaVaVaVoom" T.

The Global Knight

On this Good Night for Good Knights, I would like to share with you some facts about "The Global Knight".

Google now tracks stats for it's blogger app, which our Esteemed Band of both Fair and Ruff Sex Brethren, utilize as it's preferred form of electronic communication.  It is now possible, and thankfully so, to see where our readers come from, how many there are and how they access our humble tome.

To date, here are the following readers:

• United States = 5,706
• United Kingdom = 935
• Canada = 557
• Australia = 308
• Germany = 250
• Netherlands = 127
• Brazil = 98
• India = 91
• Spain = 79
• France = 56
• South Korea = 1
• Malaysia = 1

That totals 8,209 readers of the Knights of Creation (formally Moleskine) Spirit & Ale!  We did not know this in May when we took our sabbatical.

Yet, only 18 chose to sign up as followers on the old blog, and only 3 currently on the new edition.  Also, very few bother to comment.  This apparent lack of interest made us, the Founding Fathers, feel like we were preaching to a 3 member choir (ie, ourselves)!  This is one of the reasons we didn't see the reason in proceeding onward as summer arrived.

Obviously, we where wrong.  The addition of Facebook access only further proves this point, as future Knights and Ladies are more than willing to friend us on Facebook, but not list themselves as followers on the actual blog.  (Note, we currently are posting to both the blog and on Facebook.)

So, to those faithful followers we say, thank you, and raise our glass in a toast to your good fortune and health!  Thank you for giving us reason to carry on the good fight...and to humbly share our humorous and human tales of wonder, faith and debauchery with you!

Good Night...Good Global Knights!
SIr Hook the Unusually Humbled of Warrick

P.S.  If you were a follower on the old blog, please list so again on the new, thank you.  Anyone can post content on the wall, photos and videos with links on our Facebook page.  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Knights-of-Creation-Spirit-Ale/154158667941189?ref=sgm  Finally, if you are interested in writing on our blog please send your request for review.

AAARRRRR!!!! It's Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Just in time for the new KCSA blog...it's one of the Founding Father's Favorites Feasts...yes...that's 4 F's me buckoo's...it's the official International "Talk Like a Pirate Day"!

Talk like a Pirate Day was founded by Cap'n Slappy and Ol' Chumbucket eight years ago...and has helped aspiring Salty Dogs and Fishy Lasses learn how to properly position the pirate persona!

Enjoy this official video on how to Woo Wenches!

Speaking of Wenches...how's this one for a Broad Side?  AARRRR!!!!

So me maties, grab your wench and repeat after me..."Prepare to be boarded!"  Or...me personal favorite..."Can I fire me cannon through your porthole?!"

Trim ye Sails,

Sir Hook (That be Cap'n Hook to ye) of Warrick 

I'm a major fan of Sir Hook. I've known him longer than most any of you, but perhaps not as well as some of you. He's my cousin, you see. Hook's mother and my father were sister and brother. As he's matured Hook's energy (which has always been in abundance) and breadth of interests impress me, and his lack of intimidation when filming musicians and dancing women at concerts can only be admired. His choice of a Lady has proven wise, as well.

The Knights blog renewal comes at an opportune moment in my life. I've been a pastor, theological professor, and social concerns advocate for many years, and I'm now in the position of starting a new career. I love a good pint along with a rich cigar, and I'm motivated by the Knights drive to "Create or Die"! Honestly, I find that blatant challenge a bit daunting.

Like Sir Hook, I have many interests and joys. Mine are are family, music, writing, public speaking, travel, social justice, Christian Theology, interpersonal relations, peacemaking, home brewing, interfaith relations, and furniture making. I'm seeking to discern which of these interests, or combination of them, should be my career focus. So what I thought I'd do is allow you Knights and Ladies of KCSA to counsel me, thus broadening my considerations.

I'm married, an empty-nester, gregarious, a quick study, relatively bright, active, can work with my mind and my hands, would not do well in a cubicle, and live in a city of 100,000 people 120 miles between two cities of 1 million or more.

There you have it. What say ye?

I'll write more typical blog posts in the future. Glad to be here with you.

Creating a New Future

Our last post on our old site www.knightsmsa.blogspot.com announced that the Founding Father's were taking a much needed summer sabbatical away from the blogging world and use the down time to brainstorm a new approach for our Merry Band of Knights and Ladies.

First, we decided that the use of the word Moleskine was limiting our potential for expansion. Of course, the Founding Fathers will continue to journal, doodle and otherwise express themselves on that fine written platform; however, the real Spirit of the Knights is one of Creation! Creation is incorporated into our ideals: "We are free to create without judgement"

Therefore, we have changed our name to the Knights of Creation Spirit and Ale. We still embody the ideals of Thinking, Drinking and Being Merry...but now we are challenging ourselves, as well as others, to embrace Creating through the whole process.

Create or Die. The challenge is to choose wisely...to choose to Create...which many times can be a deadly enterprise. By embracing the true freedom of our ideals, we must also embrace the freedom from fear. Fear often accompanies one who is about to create, which often keeps them from pursuing the creation and their dreams. So, FEAR NOT!!!

Speaking of Freedom from Fear...when we took our break in May there was still Hope in the world...now...we are surrendering our very foundation to the fear mongers of this world, especially in American Politics.

It's time for the Knights and their voice of reason to rise up and challenge the mindless minions that would bring our country one step closer to the closed, fearful, fundamental abyss that more closely resembles Iran than America. But that's the subject of another blog.

Remember...we become stronger as individuals and a collective when we embrace the ideal of Unity through Diversity.

Finally, it takes more than three outstanding gents, ie, the Founding Fathers, to make this dream possible. We are asking...neigh...begging for others to contribute to our cause by posting on this blog, friending us on Facebook and spreading the KCSA Gospel.

We have decided to utilize Facebook to gain more members and to provide a forum for pictures, videos, works of art, etc. to be displayed by our members. So, Like Us and join us on Facebook and send it to your friends too! The More...The Merrier!

Cheers!

Sir Hook of Warrick