Welsh Wig or the Thrum

A very good friend of mine recently knitted up me a "welsh wig" or a "Thrum Cap"...with undyed, un prosessed wool. the object of the Caps were to use the "left overs" of yarn(hence the ends sticking out). it was made tooo big then boiled down in hot water to shrink it...this process therfore making it nearly watterproof and a snug fit....as well as quite dapper.

My brother just recently informed me that in the production book of the "Master and Commander"...it stated that the Movie was the first time the "thrum cap" appearred on any Movie scene, and as a historical footnote, was usually only worn by the ships carpenter so as to be easily identified on board.

well to be honest this is the first i had ever heard of this practice....being quite warm for those northern seas, and the fact that many of these have been found let alone the numerous woodcuts....which not nary a one says anything about a ships carpenter...seaman yes...but only for the carpenter???......i will be still looking this one up but i believe this info to be dubious at best.

whats with the Name allready?

okokok.....why M.A.d'Dogge??? whats it all mean??

well its a NickName that i picked up when i first started Living Histories...and like all good true nicknames...it started out as an insult.

the story all starts about 20 plus years ago....at one of my first Cival War Re-Enactments...which one exactly has been lost to time...so ok i cain't remember which one...sheeesh.....Anyway, we had stayed up to the wee hours of the night...i was oh 16 or 17ish...and had been sneaking some beer while the other Men of the Camp were whoop-in it up around the campfire...the next morning found me rather "sluggish" to say the least. The others had allready taken to the field while the women of camp had stayed back tiding up. Here i come staggering out of the Sibley Tent, at the crack of 11ish....and it seems that i had litterally Drooled all night...and that brand new straggely goatee that i was so oh proud of, was plastered to the side of my face.....everyone in camp was pointing and one woman exclaimed...."he looks like a Damn Mad Dog!!!".....and it stuck....dang it.

20 years later and i am still trying to get rid of it. but it seems that many only no me by this name and i am usually introduced as this before i can correct it....so it seems that the nickname has preceeded me......so i now embrace it, and made it into a anogram to help differentiate from the other "MadDogs"of the world...who i can only imagine also derived from insults and/or a drooling problem......MADDOGS of the world UNITE!!!!

Me, Myself and I....an introduction to...myself

This is me....hello. Hello yourself...or rather , myself. ...oh just forget it.

Iv'e been called Intimidating, Arrogant, Egotistical, Bull-headed,Chauvinistic and a Camara-Hogg....and that was just by people who "like" me!?!

In reality....i'm a quiet moody bastard. Prone to wild thoughts , fantasical dreams, and extreme shyness....yep you heard me.....i am a typical "introvert"...a nice shy guy.....with moments of "extrovert-nace"...( yeah i think i just made that word up)

I am very demanding of MYSELF to be as truthful to myself as possible at all times...which has a tendency to spill over to others around me....i despise liars...which is a bit ironic, considering i am a "trained actor" which pretty much makes me a "proffesional liar". I perfer the term "storyteller" and come from a long line of "storytellers"...course they were all called "con-men, liars and thievs"...but "storyteller" has a nicer ring to it dont you agree?

I am a seeker of knowledge, but then feel the undeniable pull to put it to the test imediatly to see if it actually works or not.

I believe more than anything, that people MUST follow their passions, without fail, less they will be lost to them selves and that EVERYONE has the right to feel good about themselves. It is all of our jobs , nay Duty to help others around us succeed in this.

I, like all men, only do things for 2 reasons.....for the MONEY or for the GLORY....one day i might start trying it for the money.