Arontius of Bygelswade

.....When TBT and I went through the Polling Process last summer one of our big agenda items was to reboot the Serjeantry and the Serjeantry process. Someone who has gone through the process is someone who has a very well-rounded education of what the SCA is and can bring a lot to the table in the form of education, as well as chivalry, courtesy and all those things that make the SCA special in the first place.

.....Once those Coronets were on our heads though, turning the thought of Serjeantry into a reality proved a daunting concept. I have fretted more over this than I ever thought I would (TBT has a lot less hesitation than I do :-)). Looking at what other Baronies are offering and what could be done was an interesting experience. We were shown some wild concepts. But in the end what you are going to see is rather familiar if you've been around awhile (if it worked well, does it really need to be 'fixed'?). If anything I would say our only real contribution to the reboot is to give the Serjeantry something more to define their own unique contributions to the concept as well as to give them all some more purpose once they've attained the rank.

.....So, below the cut is what we're proposing. I'm posting it here so that those in our community can read it and tear it apart for items that are not expressed well or will simply not work. This is missing some detail, but when introducing this I don't want to bog people down in the myriad of details right away. The concept of the Serjeantry Journey will be a new enough and strange enough experience to many who would think about entering that we'll want to take smallish steps to guide this first set through.

.....That is, of course, assuming that there are people who want to partake. But I'm thinking that the challenge might be interesting enough to intrigue at least one or two people. If we can get even a couple of people to go through the process, I thnk it will make the next run even better as well as to make the case as a whole.

.....( Serjeantry Overview )

.....You can either respond here or send us comments / questions / etc. to our joint e-mail address: coronets @ dragonslaire (dot) net. The goal is to put something onto the Baronial e-list late next week, to have a focus group meet to discuss in mid-January, and then hold a Baronial Roundtable discussion in late January. With 'Letters Of Intent' due by late February (Candlemas).

.....Thanks, Arontius / Aaron, and Laurellen / Tamm.

.....Yesterday was the Baronial Picnic and final Baronial Polling Q&A. Held at the Manchester Fuel Depot. It was a very beautiful location, directly across from Bainbridge Island with a magnificent view of downtown Seattle. I love the point there. Although the wind was a little biting. I'm not sure if it is always windy like that or if it was just the weather for the day. But I would certainly love to use that location again if Jahnkin will let us.

.....It was fun to sit and chat with people at the picnic. I brought the proverbial 'stuff to do' but did not get around to doing any of it really. I meant to play some music, but didn't ever get to the point of actually pulling out the gemshorn.

.....Brought my books for heraldry consultation but never did connect with Magdelena and her husband on their devices. We're going to meet up at Tuesday's Fight Practice and I'll bring my books with me then.

.....I was the Baronial Book Herald for a number of years, but would never have described myself as a professional. :-) I mainly taught myself the basics, and a bit more, in defense of my own stuff against the SCA College of Heralds. It took me over five years to get a device passed that I could feel comfortable in displaying. I'm still not 100% happy with it, but I can live with it and its alternative back-up.

.....But I learned enough to where I actually enjoyed the mystery and research involved in heraldry and I enjoy helping people when I can discover their own name and device for registration, so I help when I can. I always try to remember to tell people to run their final ideas past a 'real herald' before submission though. :-)

.....As usual there was so much food at the picnic that no one went away hungry. Great selection. And plenty of burgers and dogs for everyone. I think everyone was comfortably full and contentable in time for the final Baronial Q&A at approximately 4PM.

.....I had again keyed myself up for the Q&A. I don't know why I do that because I haven't been handed a question yet that was not straight-forward and actually answerable, even if the answer is 'I honestly don't know at this time'. There was a lot more of the standard questions. But I could see that as there were a number of people in attendance who were not in attendance at the first Q&A.

.....All the candidates appeared to handle their questions with little frustration. More questions on Sargeantry. Some more on the various directions the branch might go and how a Baron and Baroness ought to interact with the branch and its populace and officers. Another question on children's activities. A couple of interesting questions on persona. Some thoughtful questions and none that were 'pointed' or purposefully negative, which I considered a win.

.....The 'Principality' Question was asked. A year or so ago, had I been asked that question, I would have given the asker a dissertation on why we needed to start working toward that now in the Western Region with all motivation and speed. But now, I'm content with the waiting. There really does need to be a ground-swelling of support to make this happen, and a real REASON as to why this would be advantageous to the populace of the area. Is all the work we would have to do to make this happen really worth it? Right now it would be difficult to argue completely that it is, but give us a few more years to get some more motivated people, maybe.

.....Being a dreamer is not necessarily a bad thing (MASTER RALG! :-)), especially in someone like myself who is willing to back it up with the work required to make that dream a reality! :-) Just sayin'...

.....Sargeantry is the other topic where the dreamer in me really comes out in full force. I have lots of ideas floating about to really bring about my 'Arthurian Quest' concepts into focus and I'd love to sit down with a group of people to see them quantified and qualified into a concept that can go forward. Although TBT do disagree on a number of aspects of how this is going to work. If you get both of us on this committee, expect some lively discussion. :-)

.....After the Q&A I felt drained. And we were off to another gathering in Seattle, so we had to pack quickly and leave. I felt guilty for leaving the tear-down to those still on the scene, but we were in a car-pool and I couldn't hold them for too long. I really should have thought that through. If I had I would have driven my own car and let the rest of them go ahead. I knew that I was going to be tired and that I would have wanted to help with the tear-down. Oh, well, something to remember for next time.

.....We went off to Wallingford for the annual Summer South Seas party at Giuseppe's house. It was a nice time and a good crowd. I'm really glad that TBT went as a lot of her peeps were there and she got to talk to people she doesn't see very often. We are kind of isolated a little in Kitsap County and I wish she had the opportunity to visit her Seattle side friends more.

.....Plus she had some drinks too. :-) And was smiling and laughing like you wouldn't believe. :-) Everyone ought to have a few drinks every now and then and just not care for a little while. :-)

.....I stayed in the corner and chatted with Brummbar, Talia, and Tsuruko for a couple of hours before Gwen marshaled the troops and we hit the road home. I zonked out completely in the car. I'm glad TBT and Talia stayed awake to keep Gwen company. And we made it home a little after midnight.

.....A good day actually. Next up in the queue is September Crown. I would have liked to bring Lobelia down for a clean and stock. But gas is expensive for an R.V. and I need to wait a couple of days to make that one happen. So it will be a hurry-up offense come Wednesday or Thursday. And a whirlwind weekend. Glad our Project is done at work for the moment, it'll be easy to get away on Friday. :-)

.....Aaron / Arontius.

.....It is rather a cool thing that Nidda, manikenxl, has joined Live Journal. Although it was rather inevitable I think. Many people have been pestering her for weeks to hurry up and join in on the fun. As TBT keeps reminding me, Live Journal really is the new Illuminati. :-)

.....Nidda is an artist in the Barony known for her puppetry at this moment. Although, being an artist, I'm sure that other artistic endeavours will be highlighted. There have been a number of artists who are relatively new to the Barony that are kind of inspiring to us older members. I may not be an artist, but I can be inspired to try creative things and pretend to be an artist, which is fun in its own way. :-)

.....Broke my usual Monday night rule of staying home and hibernating and paid a visit to Casa de Brighid and Cedric last night. As really is usual for a Monday, I was pretty brain dead and not very bright. But it was fun to chat. Was definitely impressed with Cedric's new stainless steel helm that he put together. It was rather an intriguing concept. Some company cut out a flat pattern in many pieces of 12-gauge stainless steel. When Cedric received it he had to pound out the pattern and then rivet it all together. It was a lot of work, but the results were rather spectacular. I guess that Talon found the company online. It's amazing what you can find online.

.....Sat and talked on Sargeantry a little with Brighid. She is still really wrestling with how she is going to approach the Trials, and even the concept of Sargeantry, itself. The more we talked the more I sympathize with her. There are a lot about which to think. The Trials themselves are a pretty sound concept. But we've discussed ways on how to enliven the concept, and especially on what you do after you've attained the rank. Mostly it seems to be just a title with very little to do. But you don't want to make it your standard labor pool either. It should be something interesting and something that still challenges the members after they've become members. But again, as has been pointed out to Brighid by others, you don't want to make it something that puts the members under a microscope or something that makes the whole concept tedious or 'a job' for the rest of their SCA careers. There is a lot on which to think. I don't envy her having to bring this all together.

.....But, of course, I have ideas. :-) All of which involve my dreams of the Arthurian mythos. :-) Which will add to her headache before we're done, but which I think are rather cool in their own way. :-) Although every time I start talking about them TBT laughs at my journeys into philosophy. Not necessarily something that always translates well in the SCA. :-)

.....More to follow, I'm sure.

.....Aaron / Arontius.

.....It was good to see The Beloved Tamm (TM) geek out with friends last night. With just Rhys and I at home, she needs to have the opportunity to have an ADULT CONVERSATION every now and then. And just for the record, I did not feel 'run off' by anyone. It looked like Tamm was having great fun and I did not want to interrupt. Besides, I answered e-mail and then promptly fell asleep. :-)

.....Off to a Pelican meeting tomorrow at Ursulmas. Hope that the snow stays to a minimum. I don't mind driving in it, just makes any commute that much longer. Plus, we'd really like Rhys to get some more 'kid time' with Nimue and family, and snow would put a real damper on that.

.....Is Mistress Khalja going to be at Ursulmas? I need to find out. She said that she might be able to fit my armor into her load of stuff going to Estrella. I have to talk to her about it and see what arrangements I have to get made, and how much it is going to cost. I'm getting excited though. Can't wait to go! :-)

.....Was putting on armor the other day and ran across a favor that Dame Ellen had made for me a while back. It was a really nice gesture and I certainly appreciated it. It was always a reminder that someone really always has cared about who I am and what I did. I asked The Beloved Tamm (TM) the other day if she would make me a favor to wear. I thought that maybe she would laugh or look at me as if wondering why I needed one. But she actually seemed happy to take it on as a new Project. Some people seem to have the opinion that 'favors' are not what 'serious' SCA players do. But, I don't agree. Maybe it is just a romantic idea on my part. But I like the symbolism involved. The chivalry and the reminder that you do not champion a cause or call forth a challenge just for yourself. Doing something for another like this makes you responsible for a little bit of their honour as well. Gives you a different, and more awesome, aspect of this game we are playing. Kinda gives you goosebumps if you think about it at all. :-)

.....Thinking of challenges, the following Saturday is Candlemas. Traditionally, that is when the call goes out for Sargeantry candidates. I haven't heard anything from Her Excellency Brighid, so I'm guessing that She is still mulling over the whole concept. I understand why She is unsure about how to progress, but I don't necessarily agree with all of Her reasoning (but it is O.K. for friends to disagree, right? :-)). I DO agree with Her that the whole concept has changed since its early days. But for my part, I relish the challenge of seeing whether or not I have the knowledge and skill-set to actually BE a member of the Sargeantry. It's something I have wanted to do for a long time. Not as any sort of 'peerage stepping stone', but for everything I would learn and experience in the process. If Her Excellency decides that She really doesn't want to take this on this year, maybe She wouldn't mind if I went to another for the challenge? I'll have to talk to Her about it.

.....Gotta run, looks like a busy Friday already. But it IS Friday! Yeah!!!

.....Arontius / Aaron.

.....Greetings All,

.....I spent yesterday at our Dragon's Laire Last Chance Feast and Tourney. It was the second event where I had very little scheduled to do. And I still felt at least a little guilty. :-) But I did help out where I could and enjoyed my stay there.

.....I brought Mom with me. Picked her up at about 10AM, along with her scooter. Mom has trouble getting around these days. The scooter allows her mobility that she wouldn't otherwise have. But boy, is it a pain in the rear to haul around. It was good to get her out of the house though for the day. She spends way too much time at home by herself. Going to have to see if I can get her out some more.

.....We showed up on site at about 11:00 or so. Morning Court was very nearly complete. After getting Mom situated to wander the site, I put stuff away in Mistress Gwen's trailer. Then yakked with Aelianora for a short bit in the Artisan's Display. She and I discussed strategies for next June Faire (already!!! :-)). It was a good discussion. And we're good enough friends that we can argue our own personal viewpoints, no matter how opposing they are, and still be friends at the end of the conversation. :-) Actually, we're good enough friends to where we actually listen to each other, take the other's argument into consideration, and ACCEPT that they might have valuable input that would benefit the situation. Now that is the mark of a very good friendship. :-)

.....I'm feeling very good about this next June Faire Board already. When the slate was announced last Wednesday, the first thing that happened was that myself, Master Ralg and Ian MacKynnes huddled and strategized on what we saw as the major points to hit right out of the starting gate. Wow! It was a good session and gave me a very good feeling for how this next year's June Faire is going to go. There are big changes on the horizon for June Faire and we're going to have to figure out how to make them work. The town is pushing hard for pre-registration so as to have some sort of control over the people who show up, but we all know from experience (as in viewing the Egils experience) that a forced total pre-registration has its own pit-falls. We're also looking at the jurying of merchants and the movement of the Baronial Championships out of June Faire. So next year will be interesting.

.....After that lively discussion, there was another one outside concerning Her Excellency Brighid's first Sargeantry Trials. There were only a handful of people in attendance, and only a few of those thinking of actually going out for the Sargeantry. I guess I expected more for some reason. Although, to be honest, it is something that requires a good deal of commitment for about a year. Which means I should be looking at myself more critically to see if I ACTUALLY have the time. :-) But Aelianora and Ronan are going out for Sargeantry and it is always a lot more to do something like this with a group of friends with whom you can work. :-)

.....The rest of the day was spent in chatting with friends. Got to sit and visit with Mistress Gwen, Richard Dragun, Brummbar, Talia. Even Bjorn Kolbjornsson sat and talked for a while.

.....About 5PM Evening Court began and the people sitting gate at that time were wanted, so I volunteered to sit gate during that time. The first half was pretty quiet, but the second half started picking up. People started arriving for the wake of Karl Redstone. We were told that the free admittance at gate did not start until 7PM. Some people actually paid the event fee. Some people went back to their car to wait it out until 7PM. But some people were very unhappy with the 7PM rule. The embarrassing part was the fact that, to a person, the belligerent ones were all peers. Sigh! I held out until about 6:30 and then made an executive decision and opened up the memorial gate (free of charge) a bit early. :-) Talon and Janae (the Autocrats) backed that up a short time later, so I didn't feel too bad about doing that.

.....Got out of gate a little later then I thought, so when I showed up at the Feast Hall, Mom was already situated at a table. Found out a short time later that we were directly across from blondtartan and her new husband. They were married at Banner War last weekend. Another LJ User that I met for the first time in person. :-) And they are such incredibly nice people! And incredibly gracious. I was tired and forgot some feast gear and they went right ahead and offered some for our use. Wish I had been more awake. :-)

.....Mom was being a trooper, but about half way through dinner I could see that she had had enough. No complaining though. I grabbed the car and brought it down to the Feast Hall and loaded up her scooter and as soon as a clear shot opened up we had her up and into the van for the ride home. She enjoyed the event I think and is already looking forward to Twelfth Night. :-)

.....Then it was home and to bed. :-) Now it's almost time to head back out to site to get loaded up for the trip back to the storage unit. :-)

.....It was a good day. Would have been better if Laurellen had been there. I've missed her this weekend.

.....Arontius / Aaron.

.....Most of this week will be filled with finishing out the September Crier. Have most of the information I need. Just waiting the missive from Their Majesties. Going to add a page of 'Thank Yous' for Team Haggis. I tried to do something like that after Twelfth Night, 2004, but His Excellency Duncan couldn't make the room necessary for it. There is a certain limited number of perks with the actually producing 'The Crier' and this is probably the one that makes me the happiest. Although I'm going to be very careful about ensure that I PAY for the advertising space. Wouldn't do at all to manipulate the system too much. :-)

.....Also have to get my Crier Financial Reports out of the way for Second Quarter of 2006. I am late with them. Have all the information I need, just have to plug the numbers into the form and then make them fit. I never seem to have a smooth report. I'm always having to reconcile some outstanding number. Which isn't as bad as it used to be. I used to seriously despise doing the Financial Reports when I was Exchequer because I could never make things zero out without a whole lot of work. Makes me tired just thinking about it.

.....Then there is the trip to Ocean Shores this weekend. Should be fun. Some people are headed out there on Friday night to spend the evening in the hotel. I forget which one it is now. But a Jacuzzi Party is in order!!! And definitely a walk along the beach. I love being at the ocean. It's one of my favorite places. On Saturday a lot of people are headed to the big Lampworking Sale at the store in Shelton. I've resisted the urge to join in the craze as it means one more interesting hobby in which to fit into the already impossible schedule. :-) but I do have to admit that it does look interesting and I'll probably tag along with everyone on Saturday. I make a good lemming. :-)

.....On Sunday I (and others) had an interesting conversation with HE Brighid on Sargeantry. I'm been 'ruminating' on that idea for a while and had pretty much convinced myself that I wanted to do it. Her Excellency really has a vision now of what she wants to do with it and I became affected (or infected?) by her enthusiasm. :-) The pageantry and chivalry associated with it really are in keeping with Their Excellencies' 'Mandate' for taking on the Coronets, which was one of the primary reasons I seriously rallied around Their Candidacy. If I'm serious about it though I'll have to scale back on some of the other things I wanted to do next year, like the war on Vashon Island and South Sound Unity at the Airport. But maybe I can work with someone else to still make one or the other happen. Will have to think about that some more. Sargeantry will be a lot of work, but I have a pretty good foundation. I'm well versed in my heraldry, dance will be easy, SCA geography will be easily. I am a little worried about my domestic skills since microwaves are definitely NOT period, but I think that I'll be able to bone up sufficiently in a year.

.....Hope everyone is surviving their Monday intact and reasonably well. :-)

.....Arontius / Aaron.