[Sca-cooks] FYI

[Laura C. Minnick]

At 07:21 PM 12/24/02 -0600, you wrote:
>'Lainie replied:
>>>> It does not however explain Father Abelard...
>>>Well,
>>>cross-dressng-msg  (4K)  8/29/00    Cross-dressing in period.
>>
>> Nice try Stefan. The file only has three msgs about Elizabethan Roaring
>> Girls. :-P
>
>Hey, I have to start somewhere. I do have another message on
cross-dressing by
>Norse women to add, along with yours. So, any additional info would be of
>interest.
>
>You mean there is a differance between the Elizabethan Roaring Girls and
Father Abelard? :-)

Yes, which is actually why Father Abelard has little to do with
cross-dressing. Father Abelard is not Elaine de Montgris, dressed as a guy
and trying to pass. Father Abelard is a wholly seperate persona, who is
male. Which is to say I am not a period woman, cross-dressing, but a modern
woman, dressing as a period male. Does the distinction make sense to you? I
created Father Abelard specifially for teaching and messing with Canon Law
stuff. And I honestly am trying to play it straight.

I remember the first time Father Abelard appeared at an event- I was
teaching classes at a University of ithra session- a four hour block on
period Heresies (taught from the perspective of a Dominican canon, of
course), and the next day a four-hour block on Canon and Marriage Law.
(yes, I was EXHAUSTED when I was done!) I found that when I put on
Abelard's robes, I really do 'become' someone else- I walk differently,
carry myself differently, gestures are broader, my voice unconsciously
deepened, and I quite inadvertently found myself sounding even more (than
usual at an event) like my friend Malcolm. And quite oddly, a few weeks
later at a friends' wedding, a bunch of us were out on the porch after,
chatting, and someone turned and asked me a question about canon law, and I
started in on a little argumentative dialogue... till one of them said
"Hey! She's channeling Father Abelard!" Indeed- I was standing- in heels-
like him, had dropped the voice, etc. It was uncanny.

I will admit that it is nigh on to impossible to remain Abelard when
Edouard is around, even when he is dressed as a Franciscan. Even more so
maybe! There is just something about him... par example- at Yule Feast, I
suddenly felt... a shift in the Force, if you will. I turned, looked up,
and there he was- just come in the door. I was not looking for him- I'd
thought he was 100 miles away. And suddenly he was *there*. It was nothing
short of wonderful.

Now- just as an aside- Cousin 'Bob' (Robert de Montgris) *is* an example of
cross-dressing- 'Bob' is 'Lainie, dressed as her cousin, trying to pass off
as a guy so she can do stuff that girls aren't supposed to do... that's
much more like a Roaring Girl...

'Lainie
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Sometimes Life makes drastic changes without our permission...