[Artemisia] (no subject)

[sherry bonner]

Well folks, I signed up for the Artemisia list around
the end of August and I've been observing. I've been
doing a LOT of observing. I've been a part of the SCA
community since around 1991, so needless to say, I've
seen a lot. Personally, I avoid AoA's and such like
the plague. Not because I don't want to be recognized,
but because I prefer to be one of the common folk. I
put in more hours in the kitchen in the kingdom of
Meridies than you can shake a stick at because I enjoy
the camaraderie of the kitchen staff. I pitch in at
the troll booth because there just don't seem to be
enough night owls. I stand back long enough to watch
the men set up tables and benches for feast because,
let's face it, there's nothing like watching men doing
hard labor...lol. The point is that where I come from,
there's almost a stigma attached to any award. There's
a general feeling amongst the populace that when
someone gets an award it's because of politics. I had
hoped that things might be different in another
kingdom. Wearing a metal circlet is not the be all and
end all of SCA life. I make my garb by hand because I
enjoy the feeling of accomplishment when I'm done. I
help newbies because I remember how lost I felt at my
first Fool's War when a kind person showed me the
ropes. I don't look at the SCA as a game or as play,
because the lessons I've learned are as valid in the
mundane world as they are in the SCAdian. Perhaps I'm
one of those poor, blind fools who doesn't have enough
sense to know that awards are the things that matter
most, but with the exception of a few rotten apples,
I've enjoyed my life in the SCA and I intend to
continue that life for many years to come. I also
intend to do it as a common wench. My rewards come in
the form of the smiles I see when my efforts have
helped another and in the occasional shoulder pat when
the Feastocrat checks the kitchen to make sure all is
going well. That is enough for me. I hope no one takes
offense to this missive, but my father always taught
me to speak my mind and I have done so here.

Always in service to the Dream,

Tierney the Inept