Awards Policy (Households in Ansteorra)

[Jeanne C. Stapleton]

[snipping stuff about being an auxillary bard to a number of 
households]

>  The Idea of being an auxillary to all those households was they
> didn't have to take care of me.  Quite the contrary, I took care of
> them.

Well, please bear in mind that some people *like* caretaking.  :-)

>  And most of the kingdom knows I don't tell tales out of school.

Not intended as pointing at your personally, no offense intended.
It's not a question of "telling tales out of school"; sometimes it's
a question of genuine concern, mentioning "Gee they don't seem
to be getting along".

>  However, I am not offended.  I have met the type that would go
> running out os the hall to tell who did what to whom at the most
> inopportune moment.  So I can understand your fear of the "Auxilary
> Bard".  

It's not a "fear", I'm mentioning why it might be a concern.  It 
certainly is not a "fear" of mine.
However, I'm not offended.  :-)  for me, my personal belief and 
statement that I tell many people in the SCA is that Neutrality is 
overrated.  An individual can become so neutral that they have
no opinion on anything any more.  I guess that for my part, I'd
want to know if a person was with my household or not.  I'd be
delighted to entertain a bard as an honored guest, have done so
on a number of occasions.

>  My own service to the households has been as entertainer, records
> keeper, and on very rare occasions, peacemaker between houses.  I am
> considered outside the main of the houshold buisness, but inclusive
> of service within the house, so I am the most logical one to send to
> talk to another house that might have done or said something
> percieved to be mean.

Suppose so.  :-)

>  (Have you ever noticed how we take this game too d##n seriously
> sometimes?  What Lord So-An-So said is not going to destroy us, or
> damage us really.  I have been called on to do this three times in
> my 10 years in the society.  Every time it could and was settled
> with a few well placed drinks, a joke or two, and the realization
> that "it's a game!  We do this for fun!")

Yes, it's true.

>  However, I will not attempt to teach this to my bardic household. I
> have had years of training with Bikers, Black Powder Groups,
> Druggies, and Elementary School kids.  Don't try this at home!)
>  Mikal

Sounds like quite the background.

Countess Berengaria de Montfort de Carcassonne, OP
Barony of Caerthe
Kingdom of the Outlands