My Talk for the Shieldsboro Rifles SCV Camp

"I don't need to test the amp," I said.  "It has always worked fine," I said.  So as I prepared for the first talk of the year, I didn't drag it out and hook it up to ensure it was in good order like the rest of my equipment. 

The Shieldsboro Rifles SCV camp out of Bay St. Louis invited me to speak during their meeting, and I was delighted to do so.  I am always honored when a group asks me to deliver my presentation.  But it's special when local folks want to hear about my research.  And I was excited to be able to share with this group a brand new account that I stumbled upon a couple of weeks ago.

What I was not excited about......and actually got downright mad about....was the fact that the power cord for my portable amp was MIA when I pulled out my equipment to set it up on location.  Now, sound is hugely important in my presentation, so that meant that it was going to lose some of its luster.  And I really kicked myself good for not making sure everything was where it was supposed to be. 

Hey, but what else could I do?
Photo courtesy Dorty Necaise

Well, thankfully, the group was small partially due to it being Fat Tuesday.  With its heavily French Catholic heritage, the Gulf Coast region is big on Mardi Gras celebrations.  So I'm not surprised by the small size of the crowd.  That meant that my reliance upon the sound from my laptop might not be so bad.  Plus, the location was intimate.  So the situation was salvageable.

I set up the amp anyway.
And there it sat cold, dark, and silent.
Photo by Mark Hidlebaugh

Yes, we chose to set up my uniform, gear, and equipment
on a poker table!  Heh

The group was attentive and asked some really good questions.  Not only was Mark able to accompany me,

Mark in the rear with the gear
Photo by Dorty Necaise

answer questions about the gear I had on display, and play his part in my talk-which he always does very well-one of my college friends, Dwayne, was also able to attend for a little while.  So it was nice to have him there.  He has vigorously taken on a research project dealing with one of the women soldiers and has some interesting findings so far.

The Shieldsboro Rifles invited me to return, which I eagerly accepted.  I look forward to giving my presentation again to them when they will be able to hear it! Indeed, next time my amp will be working because the power cord was in the side pocket of the bag I keep it in.  Of course, Mark said he knew it was there the whole time. Uh huh.  Yes, I suppose it would be natural to assume I would keep it in the bag I use for the amp, but I normally have it in another bag with all of the other cords.   You know...keep everything together.  The only reason I can offer for the change is that my mama put it in the wrong place when she was helping me with my electronics at my talk at Beauvoir in October.  Either that or my stuff is still haunted.

Until next formation...rest.