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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Every 1000th visitor to the site gets a
free copy of the latest version of Kingdom Law, personally autographed by Their
Majesties and the Kingdom Seneschal! Just *think* what that would fetch
on eBay!<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>OK, seriously, here’s something that
I think would be useful. The website lists bards that have written
pieces, such as Pendaran, Antonia and Alden, for example. However, I know
for a fact that there are a lot more bards out there than there are websites –
there’s just a lot more *performers* (like me) than there are *writers*
(like Robin), and the current structure of the website only allows for the
writers to have a page.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I’ve written five pieces in my SCA
career – one’s a lullaby for a child, one’s a sonnet that was
my proposal to my wife, one’s a poem for a friend before she left
Ansteorra, one’s a story written at a friend’s vigil, and the last
is for my late father. Of all of these, the only ones I feel that I can
release for public use are the vigil story (once I’ve performed it for my
friend) and the story for my father (once I’ve finished writing
it). My point is that I’m not just now becoming a bard; I’ve
been one for some time. I’ve held titles for groups, I’ve
taught classes, and I’ve tried to encourage a new generation of performers
to take the stage in Ansteorra. But because it’s taken me until now
to write pieces that I’ve felt comfortable sharing with others so that
they can perform it, I haven’t been “ready” for a page on the
website yet. I’m not trying to toot my horn here, but I think that
way of anyone who’s a well-known performer of other people’s
works. Just because they don’t *write* doesn’t mean that they
aren’t worthy of recognition on the website.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I’d also like to see a history of
the Bardic College of Ansteorra somewhere on the website. Somewhere along
the way, we as a community have had good ideas and bad ideas, and I think there’s
nothing wrong with a productive discussion of revisiting the good ideas and
putting the bad ones to rest.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>What I *do* know is this: when I travel to
certain regions, I know I can count on not sleeping much, because there will be
much, much bardic revelry to be had and to be given. In other regions, it’s
almost as though the campfires roll up after feast is done and getting people
to attend bardic circles is like pulling eye teeth. (I have no idea what
they are either; Mom always said it, so it stuck.) Our enthusiasm for
bardcraft seems to be inconsistent across Ansteorra, and I’d like to find
out why that is, and what we can do to bring that up.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>OK, I think I’ve hit three separate
topics, so I’m officially rambling, which means I should officially shut
up. Next!<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Snorri</span></font><font color=navy><span
style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'> bards-bounces+snorri=houston.rr.com@ansteorra.org
[mailto:bards-bounces+snorri=houston.rr.com@ansteorra.org] <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Alden Drake<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Thursday, January 27, 2005
7:46 AM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> bards@ansteorra.org<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [Bards] Ansteorran Bardic
Website</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Greetings to the list,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>A few months ago, I inherited the duties of webmaster of
bard.ansteorra.org from Pubear. I would like to thank Pubear for the
considerable effort he put into the site, that we might all share our love of
the bardic arts there. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Now that most of the dust has settled from the Ansteorran Bardic
Collegium and the holiday season, I'm turning some of my attention to updating
the site. I would appreciate hearing from the bardic community to find
out what can be added to the site to make it more useful for you, to include
links, class notes, teacher lists, etc. Please email me any and all
information and I will begin adding it into the revised website.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Yours in service,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Alden Drake<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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