07/12/2004: "Heat Stroke 101"

mood: Medium Rare

Call me stupid, but I nearly baked my brain yesterday.

I participate in this insane little hobby that is called Civil War Reenacting. At its core, it's about a bunch of history enthusiasts who dress up in period clothing and recreate the battles, tactics, and atmosphere of the American Civil War. Reenactments are a lot like Renaissance Fairs, only there's a lot less Monty Python involved.

It's no big surprise that it can get pretty hot in the summer time in Southern California. On top of that, it seems like a lot of these events take place on the hottest weekends of the year. We don't often get quite the same sort of humidity that the reenactors back east have to contend with. When you're wearing wool pants, a wool shell jacket, a wool cap, boots, a couple pounds worth of leather gear, a full canteen, a pistol, and a carbine, it doesn't have to be equatorial for you to suffer when you've been running around playing soldier.

My unit got a cannon. A mountain howitzer, to be exact. I'll see about posting a picture or two once some get sent my way. The thing weighs...alot. I'm not sure exactly how much, but it's damn heavy. It's mounted on a carriage, but it still takes a good bit of strength to get it moving in the right direction.

Yes, yes. I'm getting to the part about the heat stroke now.

After the last battle on Sundays, they hold a raffle for the participants. Being the genius that I am, I'd left my ticket back in camp. They needed some volunteers to help push the new cannon back, and since I was without a raffle ticket, I stepped forward. Heck, I figured I'd get back to an early lunch. Even if I'd had my ticket, I probably wouldn't have stayed.

I guess I exerted myself a little too much. I was already hot, coming off the field after a battle that must've lasted between thirty and forty-five minutes. Putting my back into the cannon, dressed in my full gear, was probably not the smartest thing I could've done under the circumstances. It wasted me, to the point that I had to sit around motionless while the folks in my unit dumped several liters of cold and lukewarm water over my head and back.

After I could stand up without toppling, I convinced everyone that I was safe to drive home. I made it back here and took a cold shower. Amy nursed me like a real pro (she can be a mother hen when she wants to, let me tell you), made me drink even more water, and had me lay down for a nap. I ended up sleeping most of the rest of the day. I felt so crummy this morning that I called in sick to work for the first time in ten or eleven months.

So that's my new-found experience with heat exhaustion. I think I'll pass on it next time, because it really bites. I never considered that it would be an issue for me. I've been reenacting since late 2001, and I've seen plenty of other people get beat by the heat. I didn't think it would happen to me. It was a terribly humbling moment.

Not much news on the game writing front right now. I mean, sure there's things happening, but I don't know what (if anything) I can report on right yet. I'll post another update once there's something that I know that I'm allowed to post about.

Bests,