January, 2005 Tar Valon Times

Calendar by Arisaema Draconis

1 January 2005: Free Week. Feast of Lights. Celebrate the end of the year by filling your life with lights!

1 January 2005: Atlanta party New Year's party in Atlanta, GA.

News by Adriana al'Tere

TarValon.net celebrated the holidays in style this year. From the 12 days of Christmas to a volunteer drive, everyone celebrated in a special way.

Tor has announced the release of the paperback version of New Spring in June of 2005. It was released in the UK in December.

Birthdays by Adriana al'Tere

Happy birthday to these people in January!

Ismene Gillandred-1st
Toral Delvar-5th
Do'vran Lehfar-8th
Riley Maconnar-9th
Randle al'Ren-11th
Lifa NiCrioi-11th
Napolde Surion-14th
Adolla Ceryia-15th
Vallah al'Dera-17th
Cursor Wrathwind-18th
Ce'Nedra Doin-19th
Jenarra Tikvah-21st
Moriendar-25th
Eleyan al'Landerin-26th
Jasin Bashar-26th
Calisia da Miere-28th
Corian Talvor-28th
Sothalis Braevin-28th
Chorysteana Dovienya-29th
Arthaine Dasin-30th
Pylar al'Stnap-31st
Ninya Evoneigh-31st

Recipe: Spiced Lemonade by Adriana al'Tere

In honor of those in the Southern Hemisphere, we are featuring a summer drink, spiced lemonade. This recipe was developed by Sharradin Desri.

This drink is very popular in Ebou Dar. A simpler version is sold on the streets.

Makes 4 drinks - Recipe can be halved or doubled.

1 lemon
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
4 whole allspice
4 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon chopped crystallized ginger
Pinch grated nutmeg
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 8 lemons)
1 cup club soda OR seltzer water, chilled
Mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)

Remove the rind from lemon in pieces with a swivel-bladed vegetable peeler; avoid any bitter white pith. Combine water, sugar, lemon rind, allspice, cloves, cinnamon stick, crystallized ginger, and nutmeg in small saucepan. Bring to a simmer; simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Strain into pitcher and chill; discard solids. To serve, stir in lemon juice and club soda. Serve over crushed ice. Garnish with mint sprigs, if desired.

Product Endorsement: Dog T-shirt by Adriana al'Tere

Is your dog looking a little naked? Is he lacking in fashionable clothing? If your dog needs an Aes Sedai and Gaidin t-shirt, head to the TarValon.net store and order one today.

Call to Arms! by Cursor Wrathwind

At the Tower Garrison, you'll always be well equipped to battle the forces of the Shadow. The Garrison offers a wide selection of things to do for the fighting men of the Tower, or for anyone who's looking for fun and action. The Garrison has all the vital information that a recruit, soldier or Gaidin could need--information on the three companies, a sparring ring, and the sparring Hall of Fame where you can view classic matches and see how it's done.

There's also a classroom for the more studious of us, those maybe angling for Dai M'Hael or Brown Ajah will delight in plentiful articles ranging from profiles and essays on the Forsaken to a Blight Survival Guide. All the vital information a Tower Supplicant needs to survive can be found here. Also, there's links back to the forums and to the Tar Valon home page, and a section of links to important emails (The Master of Arms, Company Commanders, etc.) and web sites that offer more fun. All in all, the Garrison is the perfect place to arm yourself with knowledge and good times, but be sure to check back to Tar Valon as some of the Garrison's information is still being updated.

Member of the Month by Leilwyn al'Raen

This month, Neisa Alibrylla, Aes Sedai of the Yellow Ajah and the Mistress of Novices, was chosen as the member of the month.

End of the Year Statement by Adriana al'Tere

Well, it's that time of year. The very beginning. We all look ahead at what we hope to accomplish and look back at what we did accomplish. Yep, this is one of those boring reflection articles, and as the Editor, I give you permission to skip it if you want to.

I receive a lot of praise for the Tar Valon Times, from the content being good to just getting it out on time. I let most of it roll off me, though, because the praise should go to my staff. I work with amazing people who, time after time, give me material to put in the TVT. They work with my quirks, like waiting until a week before deadline to give out assignments (only sometimes though). I recently brought in two new members of the staff, al'Cary Mandragoran and Cursor Wrathwind, and I have to say I am beyond pleased. al'Cary compiles a list of birthdays, which I know is tedious and mind-numbing, but he does it without complaining (at least not where I can hear). I think Cursor could make the most boring aspect of the site sound exciting and his articles could send flocks of people to check it out.

I don't want to overlook the staff that has been with me for a long time, though. Leilwyn al'Raen does the Member of the Month--have you looked at these pages she does? They are beautiful, they are beautifully indexed, and they are thoroughly researched with quotes from many sources. She is also my Assistant Editor, which means she takes over for me when I am unable to do my job. Leilwyn is first listed as Assistant Editor in the June issue, but I know she has been in the position since at least April.

Arisaema Draconis puts together the events section. This job is just one of many that she does on the site and in real life. Arisaema devotes herself to volunteer work, and has recently been appointed Mistress of Protocol, which covers official procedure and volunteer work the Tower participates in. If you have not had a chance to talk to this lady, you should take the time to send a pm to get to know her; she is a blessing you will thank your lucky stars to have in your life.

Kyla Sterling does the "of the month" highlights. She is incredibly flexible and works whereever I assign her. She has recently become Constable of the city, and although that job is time consuming, she is still writing for the TVT. Shamal al'Cain also does "of the month" highlights, and she is always enthusiastic about what she does. Although she is retiring from the TVT, she was an important addition while she was able to be a part of the team.

In short, I love my staff. If the TVT is well-done, the praise should go to them, not me. All I do is put it together in a logical fashion and try to get it posted on time. I ask you to please, if you like a particular article, compliment the author of the article, not me. If you think the newsletter is put together in a particularly striking fashion or if you like the colors, that's when I get the praise. I encourage you to tell the authors of the articles by name that their articles are good; they work very hard to write or to research them or compile the lists. We are a team. Even so, individuals still need individual praise. That is why I took the time to write this article; I wanted to tell my staff how much I appreciate them. They work hard, and they deserve the praise.