Arontius of Bygelswade

.....It wasn't much of a fight at work. Code 360 went to the Mid-Level Boss and the Project Manager and asked if I could come over for a period of six weeks. To which they were promptly told, 'No'. I was a little surprised at this myself. I just finished a big Project. The next one is healthily beyond the horizon (as in next year). Now would have been the perfect time for me to be doing this stand-in. But the answer was 'No, he is busy. Go find someone else.'

.....No one is quite sure why. There are a limited number of Planning Managers who are qualified, so Code 360 is scrambling to see if they can find, or train up, a replacement for the guy traveling to Guam later in September. They haven't quite given up on me (my desk in Code 360 is still in place and has my name card still on it). But I may have to do some interesting gymnastics to join them next year after the next, and last, big Project concludes.

.....This week has definitely been a week of 'catch up'. We finally squared away the EIF for Crown Council last week and scrambled to get some copy put together this week for inclusion in the October issue of The Crier. THL Godith is a very nice person, she saved some space and let us have a little extra time to get the copy to her. But we did manage to make it and now Talia has a little breathing room to get information from Their Majesties for inclusion in next months more comprehensive copy.

.....Read with interest some writing TBT did about her early peerage influences, good and bad. Thinking back to my early days in the SCA, I seem to recall more positive interactions than negative. My early views on the Knighthood were shaped primarily by people like Sir Richard. Someone for whom courteous interaction and poetry was as important as his fighting prowess. I always held his personality in awe and he became my example of what a chivalric person did and how they acted. I can't think of a single action he did or word he said that made me doubt him.

.....Another early influence was Her Excellency Amanda Kendal. She lived in her own plane of existence and always has. That sounds like an indictment of some type, but is not meant as such. To my observation it always seemed that no matter what was happening around her, no matter how chaotic or crazy the work revolved, she flowed through it as if it wasn't there or didn't matter. She just 'was'. She has always had an amazing ability to approach someone and create around them a bubble whereas the object of her attention was the center of her universe. Like I said it is an amazing ability. Some may question her holding the Coronet of Lion's Gate as long as she did. But anyone who had any kind of interaction with her could explain to you exactly why she is held in such awe.

.....I wouldn't presume to say that I've tried to model my own SCA existence around these two people, no matter their influence on me. But I can say that whenever I've had a difficult time or difficult decision to make in the SCA, I do my best to think 'what would Sir Richard do here' or 'what would Her Excellency Amanda say to this person there'. It hasn't always brought about a solution, but it has helped.

.....It is the people we meet in the SCA who have had the greatest impact of course. You can talk all you want about the ambiance of an encampment, the smell of bardic fires, the feel of a linen tunic on your skin. But it is the actions and the words of the people around you that you remember the most for making your heart skip a beat, or the hairs on the back of your neck rise in little goosebumps. Those are really what bring me back for more in the SCA.

.....The memories are pretty intense actually. I remember the day I witnessed TBT walk into the Combined Court at Estrella in her white Elizabethan. The hush that fell on the crowd. The dust shadows that seemed to part around her as she glided across the floor to the An Tir Throne.

.....Several Crown Tournaments roll together as the two finalists approach the eric. The heralds reading the rolls of the past kings of An Tir and the deeds of the fighter that was about to enter combat. I remember a couple of times I found myself holding my breath as the names were read.

.....Lots and lots of memories of the people in the SCA who influenced and continue to influence my thoughts even today. I can think back to those times that were harsh and those people who were unfriendly. But I can honestly say that they are less of an influence on me than those who have made an impact for the positive. I think in that regard I have been a very lucky person.

.....Have to go and get my heraldry all sorted out. Several people want to consult tonight and I said I would bring my books with me. Let's see how really rusty I am. :-) I think that I'll ask Caius about setting up a Heraldry Consultation Night sometime in September. I think people are hungry to get moving on some of their own heraldry again.

.....I wonder how many will show up, actually. The soggy weather may keep many at home. I'm starting to be grateful that Lobelia is coming to Crown with us this weekend. :-)

.....Aaron / Arontius.