Introducing.....

[Jeanne C. Stapleton]

> I'm a Midrealmer now, though currently on personal leave to the
> Outlands (to the Caerthan Countess: mayhap we will meet at
> Candlemas),

Were you at Caerthan Twelfth Night?  Weren't you the one who won the 
prize for cool late period garb?  If so, I was the one in blue 
bringing up the rear of the processional.  :-)
The shy one, waving to the crowd.  (not!)

 but I'm still a Bjornsborger at heart.  I'm enjoying the
> conversation about memberships and awards & Gunnora, you hit the
> nail on the head (if I could compose a half-way decent opinion
> posting, I'd say you took the words right out of my mouth) when you
> said: >I also believe that Peers should strive to be members, if for
> no other >reason than to help support the organization which we have
> spent so much >time as a part of.
> 
I agree with this as well.  I've always stayed out of the "required 
membership or not" discussions because I'm a fence-sitter; I think it 
could be taken to extremes (i.e., not allowing people in the door if 
they're not members would be ridiculous) but I do not believe in 
discouraging people from buying memberships, because they get 
newsletters with those memberships, and I am a sincere and committed 
believer int he power of the printed word, and the importance of 
having firsthand access to what the "official word is"--from the 
Crown, from the kingdom officers, about events, law changes, et al.  
I say this with a great deal of fervor having witnessed too many 
weird "cults of personality" evolve wherein members of a household or 
group grew to want to hear the "word from on high" as filtered 
through a charismatic household head or local potentate.  This leads 
to some of the weird spins one finds in more isolated locales, or 
self-isolated households who don't do much with the local group.  
It's scary.

I went to my first event (a demo, actually, I was working at the con 
where it happened), went home and sent in my membership straight 
away.  This is just how I grew up doing things.  I'm proud of my 
relatively low membership number (02035) and I've never let my 
membership lapse for more than one month, on two occasions, in over 
20 years.

But that's me.  At this stage of the game, yeah, I'm a peer, I've got 
a lot of time and energy and *love* invested in it.  For a fringe 
newbie, it may not be that critical.  

> Genevieve Chastisse de Vaucresson, OL
> Shire of Swordcliffe, Midrealm
> currently sitting on a mountainside in Dragonspine, the Outlands 
> 
Great place to be on a day like this!  And I look forward to meeting 
you at Candlemass!

P.S.--are you on the Outlands list?
Countess Berengaria de Montfort de Carcassonne, OP
Barony of Caerthe
Kingdom of the Outlands