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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>For what it is worth, my family and I joined the
SCA</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>last July because we met some people at the
Highland Games</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>demo. I was very intimidated by the website
and I broke</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>my leg shortly after we joined. Then I had a
breast tumor</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>removed in late August after attending Lammas Day,
where</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>most people ignored us (a few were
friendly however).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I am very sad to hear that the demo has been
cancelled.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I thought I had emailed someone that my family
could</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>participate on Sat the 7th, but maybe
not.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Because of my heath and children's activities in
the fall, we</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>did not attend any other events until 12th Night,
with the </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>exception of a few Steppes populace
meetings. Moot is</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>difficult for us on school nights during the year
because we</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>don't have a babysitter for our 8 year old
twins. We have,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>since 12th Night, attended the All Con and SMU
demos for</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Steppes, and participated in Defender of the Flame
(daytrip),</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Springfaire (Camping) and Warlord (Camping).
We are starting</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>to get to know people and we are getting
hooked. We</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>have some financial constraints like everyone and
we aren't</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>attending anything that is more than 2 hours away
right now.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>My husband is teaching woodworking at King's
College and</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>once a month we are doing woodoworking in our
garage for anyone</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>from anywhere to attend. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Maybe we are the only new
members</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>to have joined after the HIghland Games in 10
years, I don't</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>know. I do know that this is a demo with LOTS
of public</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>exposure for the SCA. I agree that
sometimes people will</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>not join right away but may come back to join
later. I</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>had thought about joining for several years but I
was always</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>too intimidated. It took the death of a
friend, Caitlin</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Cheanledir of Atlantia (aka Rise Sheridan Peters)
to make</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>me realize that life is too short and I'd better
get involved</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>in the SCA NOW while I can still sleep
on an air matress</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>in a tent.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2></FONT><FONT><FONT
size=2></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>It would help at demos if email
addresses were collected, </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>and if the Hospitaler or someone contacted
people as follow up</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>to invite them to meetings, Moot, events,
etc. I know that </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2><FONT>Elfsea has made some efforts in this
regard lately, to contact</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2><FONT>newcomers, etc., and I applaud those
efforts. I have also</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2><FONT>noticed more friendliness at events,
etc. But follow up by</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2><FONT>someone IN The SCA is probably the best
way to recruit</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2><FONT>and retain new members if that is your
goal.</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2><FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2><FONT>Frankly, the SCA in general
sometimes sends out the message, subliminally</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>or not, that they are not all that interested in
recruiting. The members</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>are extremely involved in their own activiites and
can be very</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>cliqueish. It's worse than lunchtime in high
school!!! There is</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>also a lot of intellectual snobbery. I was a
lawyer for 15 years before</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I became a stay at home mom (I'm still
licensed), and my husband's</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>a database </FONT><FONT face=Arial
size=2>administrator, so we did not fall off the turnip truck yesterday
even</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>if we don't know as much as long time members
about the Middle</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Ages. However, </FONT><FONT face=Arial
size=2>I am trying to recognize that folks have known each other
for</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>years and that, because newcomers often don't
stick around, it</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>is hard to make the effort sometimes to be
friendly. We also DON"T know as much</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>as you do and we are still learning. Also,
while many people in</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>the SCA are very nice once you get to know
them, there are some of them who</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>have the social skills of an amoeba, and it may be
a little worse</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>than what my husband and I are used to in corporate
America or at the PTA.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> And I'm sure that many of you </FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2>know what I mean. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Whether this is from being nonconformists
in</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>general or medievalists in particular, I don't
know. But I will try</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>to make allowances for this if you will
continue to try to make allowances</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>for my family with our ren faire garb and, God help
us, CHILDREN.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Believe it or not, I was once going to be Childfree
all my life, so I</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>sympathize with those of you who are not so crazy
about the wee</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>ones, but that' s not where I am at in my
life's journey any more.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>They are with us and if they are not having a good
time and they</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>are not happy, we can't enjoy ourselves
either. </FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I apologize if I am offending anyone with
this. It is certainly</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>not my intent to do so. Many of you have been
very </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>friendly and it just takes time to get involved in
things.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>A year is a short time in an organization in which
many</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>have been involved for 20 to 30 years. But I
do hope that</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>you are able to do the Highland Games demo and if
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>you are, we will participate. We are
not sure of the ettiquette</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>since we live between Steppes and Elfsea but are
probably</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>closer to most Steppes events (not to mention more
familiar</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>with Dallas since we used to live there). But
we will continue</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>to support both Baronies in their recruitment
efforts.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Christianna
Fergusson</FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>