I hope I wasn' t too negative. Just because I wasn't 100% behind an idea doesn't mean it is wrong. It just means I didn't like it.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
 I can't stress how much His Grace and I believe in the Fellowship of Peers. I believe that we are all equal in the circles. I believe the simple, non noble peer is the backbone of our Kingdom. I also believe that peerage is the highest personal honor a person can achieve. I have listened to HL Finnican's story about Duke Inman and the Bathroom. I have also had similar situations, but because Lord Finnican and I don't share bathrooms he can't tell it about me.
 I will warn everyone becoming a peer is a job. We are often told that the SCA is entertainment and we need to put family and job before it, but it is the peers and the peers to be  that take up the slack and do the things that have to be done and allow the SCA to keep running so people can put family and work first. 
The quest to be a peer, especially a knight is a motor that keeps many things going. All squires , students, apprentices and protégés should be striving for the Courtly Arts of a Peer. It is usually the Squire that we see. In the past squires needed to dance so we had dance classes and squires needed to be seen dancing so we had dances. I remember when my husband was a squire the good people of Namron lead by Lady Melisande of House Silverthorn danced on the list field during Crown Tourney to make sure the knight knew Jonathan could and did dance, Squires need to know heraldry so we do things with heraldry, Squires need to perform so we have performing circles and knights get up to model behavior. A knight should do A&S and I am proud to say most of our knights have A&S awards or should have.  Squires take up A&S. A Squires needs to be able to serve a high table. Have you every noticed how many of our squire take a turn at that. I could go on and on, but because squires are working on things many activities get done. In fact, in recent years where the stress on the Courtly Arts of a Peer has been not as stressed many activities have lost their push. Gaming for one. Squires are supposed to know all the medieval games and play chess. We used to have gaming activities that allowed squires to show off their gaming skills. These activities were very beneficial to our younger member because they gave them a equal playing field to interact with adults. Even ladies pavilions and ladies activities and Courtly fetes and revels were sponsored because this gave the knights a place to see aspiring candidates. 
The Quest for peerage is also a forum where the brightest and best ideas of Middle ages are talked about. Questions about what is honor and how it differs from Chivalry. What made a good knight in the Middle ages and other questions define the ideals of Ansteorra. Many of our newer people are very skilled in techo, but their skills came at a price. The famous literature of yesteryear was not as stressed as they were in my time. Moral and ethical questions are not discussed as much in the mad race to get all the knowledge that young people need in the modern world in their heads. Many of our newer members need to be exposed to historical ideals about knighthood and chivalry. If some squire is being taught in a public forum the rest of us can tag along and listen and pick up knowledge without ever letting anyone know we needed the data. Asking questions can be such a drain. 
Well I talked to much
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Willow
<?xml:namespace prefix = v ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" />