Random Thoughts on a Friday afternoon.

[callistotoni]

-- With J/S to come home to every night, I find I'm feeling much more at peace with myself.
Love Love Love! :-)

-- *Must* set time aside this weekend to stratigize on March Crown Ball Planning, as well as 16th C Day planning.

-- I've come to the conculsion that Equestrian stuff is very much like religion: You need to find a system/style/discipline that speaks to you and makes logical sense to you, and then once you decide on your own path you have to respect the different choices of others. And, like religion, there is the risk of much discord if you enter into a debate about the merits of different systems.

-- I can simultaneously Really Admire and Like something and still not want to participate in it. Recently I've been musing on this fact while I've been reading about all the great Norse-stuff people are creating and doing, as well as hearing about the old Varangian Guard encampments.

-- Tangential to the above, it seems to me that the Lack of Servants in the SCA means that it is easier to be more historically accurate when you choose to re-create more self-sufficient lifestyles. Therefore it makes sense to me that one could have a very period viking-era encampment, or a medival/rennaissance soldier on campaign camp, or middle or lower-class travellers. I think this is part of the appeal of the more military-based re-enactment groups, as well as the old VG.
But I don't want to do that. I want to play at being Noble and Rich. Without servants I don't see how one could have a completely period encampment and play Noble -- especially European medival or renassaince noblitly.

-- The more I read the Decameron the more I like the 14th C. At least 2 stories with young women playfully catching fish in streams, bath houses, playing with cute animals in forest glades, and abbasses being caught with their lover's underwear on thier heads. Really, what's not to like? ;-)

-- I just learned about the medeivalist.net and the medeivalblogspot.com sites. Very cool!

-- If it doesn't rain J/S and I will start our pilgrimages to different EQ practices. If it doesn't rain, there will be a Mists practice down in the Santa Cruz area. I think J/S would enjoy talking about mounted archery with Z and Sir C, as well as about the Vaquaro (sp?) tradition of riding, which I know C is very interested in.

-- Slowly, when I have time here and there, I've started work on copying J/S's old gambason. So far one big rectangle of fabric and padding is quilted, and I can cut a front half and a back half out of that. Started on another rectangle. The way my brain is these days this is the level of sewing I'm up for right now. :-/

Comments

[duchessletitia.livejournal.com]

I have always thought that servants would be wonderful. I long to have people who will set up camp, cook and do the dishes. I agree that with out servants one cannot be really noble. One cannot be really ducal with out the ducal retinue.

[freewaydiva.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine up here, back when she was still fairly closely affiliated with the group where she went to college, used to take college kids on as "slaves" (she's got an early Gaelic persona, so that's apropriate). The relationship was quite balanced - she ensured that the kids had food and clothing, and were introduced to people in other areas of the Kingdom who could help them in their areas of interest, and she had a whole passel of strong-backed young things to set up/tear down/schlep and things of that nature.

It was a brilliant system for a very long time. :)

[zoccolaro.livejournal.com]

That is totally awesome! It's a curious fact that most of the people we know are fit to be servants (since they know the proper protocol and such) are actually nobility =)

This is one of the reasons that we take turns washing people's hands during dinner, serving, and the like. =)

[kareina.livejournal.com]

I was going to suggest something exactly like that. There are a variety of people who would like to do more in the way of SCA events but can't for financial reasons (and not just students, either, in these current economic times). If your household could afford to provide sitefee/transportation/food for an event to a handful of servants, who would each work pre-arranged shifts, you could get what you are looking for in the way of being a noble with servants, and they could get to attend the event, spend part of it playing the role of servant, and do whatever they wanted with their hours off. I bet there are many who would welcome such an opportunity.

[zoccolaro.livejournal.com]

As I said at 12th Night (or maybe some other time...dunno, tired and tipsy from the open bar at OVO =), I'm happy to help wrangle musicians and plan a set list. Don't count on me for food, though =)

[elfreda.livejournal.com]

Thumbs up on the servants! Some of us tried growing our own, but not long after you get them trained, and they're old enough to be truly helpful, they take off to go do their own thing. :-/

The VG in its heyday was a wonderful thing to see. A monocultural encampment really has an impact. The *big* circle of long tents around the grandfather oak tree at Egils at Zumwalt Park, with the reservoir for a backdrop - so cool!

I don't think the self-sufficiency really played into it much, at least at first. We were some of the heaviest campers at the time, when a lot, if not most, of the other folks were camping in nylon domes. We had wooden frame tents, boxes, beds, benches, tables, it was a lot of heavy wood stuff to haul around. Ulfred used to joke about getting to load and unload a lumberyard 4 times each weekend. (Ok, "joking" was not what I'd call it...)

Other reasons the norse lifestyle appealed was that we had some artisans making incredible accessories. (I'm still a walking advertisement for Duke Torgul in my norski persona.) Also, there were some *very* charismatic personalities involved at the beginning, when Stormcrow and the original members started the VG as an arm of the An Tir Royal Navy, and some of those same charismatic individuals were some of the first Kings of An Tir. I think that had a big influence on An Tir's early norse culture. (I shouldn't forget to mention the practicality of the clothes in a sometimes damp chilly climate... :-)

[beanolc.livejournal.com]

I love the Decameron! I really should put that in the to read pile... it's been too long.

[j-i-m-r.livejournal.com]

Which day of West An Tir is 16th c Day? I tried to join the yahoo group for that and failed. Can you add me on to that?

In regard to servants, I've told you, haven't I, about the lady in Australia? She has two personae. One is the other one's servant. The servant sets up camp and does all the work then she changes into her fancy duds and becomes her otherself who gets to lounge around and be noble in pretty frocks. Actual servants would, of course, be better, but they are expensive and hard to pack.