Travelling Time and Space

• They shall be good at their primary Art.
• If they were to leave, they would leave a big hole in the fabric of their Kingdom
  
• They shall promote and encourage historical accuracy, not only in their Art but also in their dress and equipment
• They shall have solid knowledge of/about the Society.
• They shall be an active member, making an effort to help the Kingdom develop.
• They shall be an active member of the A&S community
  
• They shall teach as much as they are able and be helpful
• They shall show a courteous and chivalrous behaviour.
• They shall have some knowledge and/or skill in other areas than their primary.

Candidates for any order conferring a Patent of Arms must meet the following minimum criteria. Additional requirements may be set by law and custom of the kingdoms as deemed appropriate and necessary by the Crown.

-They shall have been obedient to the governing documents of the Society and the laws of the Kingdom.

-They shall have consistently show respect for the Crown of the kingdom.

--They shall have set an example of courteous and noble behavior suitable to a peer of the realm.

-They shall have demonstrated support for the aims and ideals of the Society by being as authentic in dress, equipment and behavior as is within their power.

-They shall have shared their knowledge and skills with others.

-They shall have practiced hospitality according to their means and as appropriate to the circumstances.

-They shall have made every effort to learn and practice those skills desirable at and worthy of a civilized court. To this end they should have some knowledge of a wide range of period forms, including but not limited to literature, dancing, music, heraldry and chess, and they should have some familiarity with combat as practiced in the Society.

-They should participate in Society recreations of several aspects of the culture of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

b. The Order of the Laurel: Members of the Order of the Laurel may choose to swear fealty, but are not required to do so.

The candidate must have attained the standard of excellence in skill and/or knowledge equal to that of his or her prospective Peers in some area of the Arts or Sciences. The candidate must have applied this skill and/or knowledge for the instruction of members and service to the kingdom to an extend above and beyond that normally expected of members of the Society.

• A Peer must seek excellence in all endeavours, not for their own good, but for the good of others.
• A Peer must always seek Justice, truth tempered with mercy.
•  A Peer must remain Loyal to the people and the ideals she chooses to live by.
• A Peer must always defend their Kingdom, their family and those who depend upon them.
•  A Peer must have the courage to sacrifice for the precepts and people they value.
• A Peer must have faith in their beliefs, while never diminishing the beliefs of another.
• A Peer values the contributions of others and does not boast of their own accomplishments.
• A Peer must be generous as far as their resources allow.
• A Peer recognizes that true nobility arises from the journey, not the destination.

Oh! what a tangled web we weave

When first we practice to deceive!

It's fascinating how perception and misconception alter and influence our reality and how we all - sometimes knowingly, sometimes obliviously - carefully or not so carefully manipulate perception and choose how we perceive people and events around us to achieve our own brand of reality.

Nothing has ever brought this so much to my attention than life after my elevation :o)

-Before- my elevation everything I did was, of course, "because I wanted to be a Laurel". Every workshop I hosted, events I worked, every class I taught, the people I talked to and hung out with, the way I dressed - all I did was so very obviously for one purpose alone: to win The Cookie (tm). No way I could have done anything of that because I simply enjoyed it. Nope, not possible.

-After- my elevation everything I did was, of course, "because now I was a Laurel and the power had gone to my head". All the workshops I'd been hosting since I started, all the classes I continued to teach, the people I continued to hang out with - all I did was because now I wore The Cookie (tm) and  knew better now how things should be done and want everybody to march to my commando. Doing the same things I did before my elevation was now "too much"nd when I had to cut back a bit due to mundane responsibilities I am very obviously "resting on my laurels", now that I had The Cookie (tm).

Take my attendance at Shire meetings, for example. I haven't been able to attend the weekly meetings since the beginning of the school year in August 2008 because they coincide with my son's bedtime who has to get up at  6:30am to get ready for school every morning and I don't have anybody to watch him so I could possibly go to a meeting. Obviously people feel I don't think it's necessary to attend these anymore since I received my Laurel ...  wha ?Bueler?

That also means, of course, that I cannot be possibly in touch with my local group anymore, nevermind that I have continued to host workshops, teach classes and attend weekend workshops/classes in my local group.

Really, this makes life a little difficult at times, people :o) You've got to make up your minds somehow.Too much, too little - can you find something to agree on, pretty please?

How about you try entertaining the thought that I do things because I'm having fun doing them and I'm usually looking for partners in crime because fun shared is twice the fun? I don't care about your alphabet soup nor do I care about mine. I'm delighted about receiving them and get excited about writing letters of recommendation for others but my main hope is that each time I do something I make this game a better game for everybody and that each time I can ut forward somebody for doing an excetional service to our hobby I can help impart encouragement to keep them going.

Besides, my opinion is just that, my opinion. It's not the Borg way of life. I'm entitled to it just like anybody else is entitled to their own. If all you want from me is to agree with you, don't ask for my -opinion- but get the blackmail envelope ready and nicely stuffed (I can be bought - it's just pretty expensive *G*). You are welcome to disagree with me. I'm fine with that, really! I even enjoy a good argument.

You're welcome to question my perception of or opinion on aspects of life, our game, whatever you please anytime, but please understand that if you question my personal integrity rather than countering with an actual argument I might get a little touchy...

Today was the second time I helped a literature teacher at a school for students with learning differences and/or ADHD bring a book set in the Middle Ages to live for a fuller, more complex learning experience for her students. No, this was not an official SCA demo, in case you were wondering; I'm a Duval County School Volunteer, complete with tag and background check, and it's something that makes my heart beat faster :o)

While last year I was only able to provide a basket packed with medieval goodies from various walks of life in the Middle Ages and short explanations to help understand these items, this year we managed to find a date that worked for both of us so that I could be there in person and in persona. 

I had the greatest time!

We enjoyed a proper commoner's picnic in the shade of trees and a medieval tourney gallery sitting on a picnic blanket in the grass after everybody had had a try at sitting on one of my gothic benches. We munched on bread, cheese, grapes, turnips and dried fruit, washed it down with apple juice and all the while poked through the various medieval items I had brought along from the tools of the trade of a scribe to a medieval glass, tableware and spices.

The boys asked intelligent questions, were curious and very comfortable with our novel set-up which I enjoyed very much. The 45 minutes went by all too fast; I think we could have easily spent another hour or two just trying to grind more cinnamon, write with a quill and maybe, maybe I could have talked them into dancing a Bransle or two after all :o)

Weeding through my SCA stuff and turning my feastgear, camp gear and toiletry bag has turned my to-pack-gear into smaller,more manageable piles. Funny that, hm?

Medieval toiletry basket - check

White linen wash cloths, natural sponge, wooden handle nailbrush, pumice stone, shampoo and tooth paste in glass bottle and jar, handmade soap in lined linen sachet, linen sachet for toothbrushes, linen hand-towel, wooden handle hair brush

Feastgear basket - check!

I weeded out all the odds and ends of mismatched feast gear and trimmed it down to 3 wooden plates, 3 painted ceramic plates for which I sewed a wool fabric cozy to keep them safe, a couple of nice mugs, my beautiful 15th century glass, cut the big linen table cloth down into 2 smaller ones to better fit our small table (which gives us a spare one in case one gets dirty), my beautiful 15th century table cloth from Historic Enterprise and a roll-up holder for the various cutlery items we own. Too bad I couldn't find a little eating dagger like I already own yesterday at the fleamarket - I'll need to keep my eyes open.

Kitchen equipment - check!

So far I have a small chest filled with assorted glass jars and flasks to house spices, oils and vinegar, a basket with bigger platters and bowls, an iron pan, a cast-iron waffle iron and an assortment of wooden tools. I need a wooden ladle and a pot/cauldron to hang from the kitchen rack ... I guess I'll have to poke through the antique mall. Maybe I can even find something to use as a 'sink' that won't look as aggravatingly modern as the plastic pan I've been using until now.

Next thing on the list are a medieval scribal box which should be easy enough as I have all of the various bits and bops floating around the house and then it's on to bedding. I'll finally tackle the quilt I've been wanting to make and just need to order some linen for it.

After that I might be able to fix some furniture issues and find some time to give the tent a scrubbing.

That should take care of my available spare time in summer ;o)