SCA vs non SCA
Paul Gilbert
vis_pfg at unx1.shsu.edu
Tue May 6 15:53:52 PDT 1997
Allysyn, Timo and other Ravens Forter's have heard this story as to why I
play SCA.
It means alot to me, my Lady and family, so we share this with all.
"Mundanely" (there is that word), I work with the TDCJ Communications Shop
in Huntsville (Ravens Fort), where I work 7 days aweek, 25 hours
aday, 366 days a year on the radio communications system for the Texas
Prison systems.
Before I moved to Huntsville and since 1984, I was (and still am) an
amateur radio operator that has been VERY VERY active in the field of
repeater frequency coordination on a local, state, national and
international level.
When I got the job here in Huntsville, I thought that it would be
really neat to be paid for what I did for a hobby....radios.
It was....for about 6 months. Then something I thought would
never happen, did....I got tired of doing radios 25 hours a day. I never
thought that would or could happen, but it did.
Mean while, back at the castle...in West Texas. My Lady, Kezia had
been playing SCA with the folks from Bonwicke, Black Lake, and
Mendersham for a year or so. When she and my kids moved to
Huntsville, the first thing she did was check out the Barony of
Ravens Fort and begin to play here.
In the beginning, I had a "you must be crazy" attitude about why she
wanted to do this. But after attending Black, White and Sort Gray in
1996, I saw that this could be fun and most of all it was different
from what I did at work. I needed that. Too much of a good thing can
ruin a good thing.
Time progressed on and Kezia took me to some events and I was hooked.
It was something I could turn to, forget the job, forget the outside
world, relax, learn, meet new people, make new friends and do
something that I felt was fun.
Now I am here to stay, in fact to a point that I have backed way off
of amateur radio. I still do some hamming, but only selective events.
One feature of the SCA that has only been touched on in this thread,
is that the SCA is a family oriented hobby.
There are things here that a family can do together.
This is very important to me and Kezia. Until we got into
the SCA, we never had anything we could do together.
Now we do and this is a good thing.
I have one regret. Back in Midland, Texas in 1982 or 83 in a park on
Ave A, I took pictures for the Midland Reporter Telegram of a group
of folks dressed up in "funny clothes, carpet, helmets and that beat
on each other with sticks." They called themselves the SCA. I still
have the pictures. My how things have changed. I now regret
having not followed my curiosity and followed up on them and what they
did. But other things were more important, I thought, at that
time.........Oh wellllll.
The SCA has given US a new togetherness and a new level of honour that
I will never forget.
Sorry to take so much bandwidth, but my new hobby means much to me
and my Lady.
Vivat the SCA, Ansteorra, the Crown and Ravens Fort
In Service...
Lord Nikolas of Muscovy
Paul Gilbert Nikolas Pavel Vasilievich
Huntsville, Texas Exchequer of The Fort
409-291-9532 Barony of Ravens Fort
vis_pfg at unx1.shsu.edu Kingdom Of Ansteorra
Society For Creative Anachronism
More information about the Ansteorra
mailing list