kellan_the_tabby | Pennsic musings...

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Pennsic musings...

I didn't make it to Pennsic this year.

I _went_ to Pennsic, mind you. I arrived there on Land Grab Day, we set up the tent and all that, we helped our campmates set up. There was shopping and working at Herald's Point and hanging out with friends and all the usual things. But it wasn't _Pennsic_, not the magical experience I remember from years ago.

It hasn't been for a while, I think. I haven't gone to a class in a few years; my reason, or at least my stated reason, the first year this happened, was that the class schedule was in such disarray that it wasn't worth trying to go to a class; likely it wasn't going to be happening when the booklet said it was. But I'm suspecting now that it was a symptom of a larger lack of assgetoffingness, as I've been calling it recently.

There were reasons for this to not be a good war, mind you. It was hot and sticky most of the time. I'm the hell out of shape. There were a few relationship issues with which I wasn't best pleased. It was a longer War than usual for me, and I always burn out close to the end of the stay anyway. And I came down with a cold fairly early in the second week, just when things got busy.

Last year's War was, to put it bluntly, a screaming clusterfuck, and I went into this one expecting some of the same issues to rear their ugly heads. They didn't, but I'm not sure that I find this reassuring, given the situations at hand. Yes, I'm deliberately being vague here; either you know what went on, or you don't. I don't think anyone I know had a good War last year, though; and that was weighing on me going into this year.

That's not all of it, either. And I don't know what the rest is. Maybe part of it's the number of merchants I just walk past these days, because I _know_ they won't have anything I'll be remotely interested in buying. Maybe some of it is the rising level of rudeness, and the dropping number of people who are willing to volunteer to make everyone's vacation run. Some of it, I'm sure, is because of the burnout that hits me when I visit Herald's Point. I _can't_ consult there these days. It's loud and busy and my brain shuts off. I can about manage to color, and that's really the only useful thing I did there this year. Whic makes me feel rather a jerk, because there's so much more that needs to be done.

I walk down the streets and see people in lovely authentic garb that is just beautiful to see...and then the next ten in stuff that's so modern that they're barely even making an attempt...or in just plain mundanes. I saw more people in mundanes this year than ever before, I think, and not just when they'd just gotten on site, either.

I look through the class listings and see people who I _know_ don't know their stuff teaching - and very popular classes, too, in which they're spreading their just plain _wrong_ information to lots and lots of people who apparently can't be arsed to crack open a book and realize that said teacher is full of shite.

I see whole groups of people who aren't even in the SCA (nor a similar group; I'm not talking about Markland, here) showing up and using our event as a backdrop for their own little games. I have no problem with these games; if I had time, I'd play some of 'em myself. But I don't walk onto a football field with skates and a stick and try to play hockey in the frozen Gatorade.

All of these are things that happen at other events, but not at the same scale as at Pennsic. 'Only Pennsic is worth the amount of bother that only Pennsic requires', but I'm starting to think that for me, not even Pennsic really is, any more.

It wasn't a _bad_ war, mind you. The relationship difficulties were pretty much ironed out early on. The expected difficulties did not, in fact, happen. I bought some pretty cool things, and I got to make boom repeatedly.

I finally got off the nut to officially (as official as we ever are, anyway) apprentice to

baronadhemar. There's a bit of related news there, too, though it's not mine to tell (I'll edit here when it gets posted, though). I now have a cool crowned-A badge, which I've been wearing on my t-shirt all weekend, 'cos I'm like that.

I got to see some people, though not as many as I'd wanted to. What with one thing and another I barely got to spend any time at all with

liamstliam,

nazrynn,

siobhan1214,

shalmestre,

sister_devora, or

torin3; I didn't even get to see

cellio or

sirtanaka at all, though

baronadhemar had an awfully amusing conversation with the latter over a radio one day. I had more time with

mrgrumpybear,

baronadhemar,

pedropadrao, and

dr_zrfq, but in none of those cases was it enough. And I could have had more time to spend with people, but I spent too much of it sitting in camp reading, or just lying in bed not-sleeping. I did a lot of that, when it wasn't too hot for even that. Just couldn't be arsed to get up. Laid in the tent with my eyes closed, or staring up through the smoke hole.

And I missed my

giselle0002 and my

meradudd terribly.

Right now I just want to stay home next year. Go to Europe instead, or Colorado, or I dunno, something the hell else.

I'm writing this Sunday night. My fingers are starting to hurt, and I need to be able to type tomorrow; so I'm going to stop. I may post this tomorrow, or not. We shall see.

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Yeah. I'm with you. We didn't catch the Pennsic "spirit" until the beginning of the second week. And the attacks pissed me off (Kill the infidel!)

But I'm very glad that you and Grumpy apprenticed to Adhemar. Congratulations :) Boom!

It seems to have been going around, yeah. An you're right; the attacks didn't help any, though I know stuff like that happens most every year, so it was maybe less of an issue for me. Mostly they don't get so publicised as this one did.

It'll be an interesting apprentive-protege-grouping-thing-thing, that's for damn sure...

The attacks were part of why I just wasn't as thrilled with this Pennsic, and yes, I too saw folks strolling around the merchants dressed in jeans and t-shirt. Grrrr. Maybe my tolerance is getting lower, maybe it was that one of them was actively rude to me while I was volunteering, but the jingle bunnies annoyed me more this year.

Maybe if I go next year, I'll arrange it such that instead of going to my parents first and Pennsic second, I'll reverse that and avoid the last few days which drive me even more nuts than the rest. Frankly, the best part of Pennsic for me this year was probably the absurdly overpriced resort we stayed in when we got driven to it by a storm, my exhaustion, and bad signage.

I've thought for years that if I could only make one week, I'd want the first week. Maybe leaving Thursday or Friday of second week would alleviate some of the annoyance, too...

I wasnt able to go to pennsic this year (buying the house and all), but I like getting there on the thursday of the first week and leaving the wednesday or thursday of the second week. I seem to get the best of both worlds, some of the quiet and some of the war. I try to limit myself to one or two classes (something I absolutely must attend and one jsut to be goofy about).

But I know what you mean about last year, I couldnt wait to leave.

That might be the way to go - that way Lewis wouldn't miss most of the fighting, either, which is an issue with only going the first week.

If I were doing a single week at Pennsic, I'd do Wed to Wed or Thurs to Thurs. For the last few years I've been leaving on the afternoon of the final Friday and that's just fine with me. And the first couple days of the first week are fairly sparse -- no classes, not all the merchants are set up, no battles, and not lots of people there (including, possibly, the ones you want to spend time with). I arrived Tuesday of the first week this year; I'm thinking of delaying to Wednesday or maybe even Thursday next year.

For the last several years (not counting this one, as

fosveny had ebnough vacation for two whole weeks) we've been going out Land Grab weekend to set up, then going home for a few days and coming back out Wednesday or Thursday. That's seemed to work well, except that I'm still itching to leave come the final Friday.

This year was weird, since we were there first Sunday through Tuesday, which we usually aren't. Nothing to do, really. It was odd, and I couldn't settle down to just read or something.

If I were to do a single week at Pennsic I'd likely agree with you on those dates -- but it would necessitate taking more than a week off from work since I don't live close by. If I'm transporting myself -- which is a distinct possibility for next year, if I go at all -- I'm more likely to go up early Tuesday, and perhaps stay until the very end. That way I can pack on Saturday, do a post-revel dinner with friends Saturday evening, and find crash space either in someone's tent or with someone in Pittsburgh on Saturday night.

Sunday through Tuesday of the first week were actually relaxing for me this year -- much better than last year for whatever reason. But that was really the end of relaxation for me this year -- Middle Saturday had too much drama even though I stayed far away from Troll in the afternoon, and I never really got the chance to take even a half-day off early in Week Two. (Which would have helped some. Not all, but some.) So overall I'm just as happy with having been there early in the first week; it had really no effect on the last few days of the war, which were when things really went south for me; without those first few days I'd have classed this Pennsic as a truly *bad* one for me.

The muggy weather was an overarching factor, I think. No matter what I wanted to do, I had to take in the fact that I really haven't been working out as much as I should, so I'd have to bet on drinking more water, going slower, &c.. The magic wasn't there, except for a brief bit on Friday at sunset, when all the clouds in the East were aglow; I compared it to the pre-Raphaelites, & others thought it was more Maxfield Parrish.

I also saw lots of people who seemed to have no idea of what Pennsic's all about. I don't really want to think about the unpleasant notion of period police (tm), but people wearing a teeshirt (even a Pennsic XXXIV one), jeans, & sneakers or latex bondage accoutrements need to have somebody yank them aside & tell them that there's a difference between a bona fide attempt at garb that springs from ignorance & not giving a damn. ISTR that someone has said that as time goes on, Pennsic looks more & more like "Burning Man" & less like an SCA event. I don't want Pennsic to be the East Coast's answer to "Burning Man", but the SCAdian mindset is not comfortable with bouncing people out when they can't be bothered to dress period or sell period stuff. It's labelled "unchivalrous", & we've been conditioned to shy away from that label.

I also wonder when the Great Pennsic Fire will happen. It's not that I saw anyone doing something pyro-imbecilic, but when one sees non-fighters clomp about in knee-length black leather boots with platform soles on a scorcher, one has to wonder what other dumb stuff they're capable of doing because they haven't got the common sense of a flea.

Dunno about classes & unqualified instructors. I was a fool & didn't take any classes. I need to plan better. :-(

Yeah...I think I didn't really realize how much the weather was taking out of me at the time. I know I dehydrated a few times, and I almost _never_ do that, even when it's awful.

As to Pennsic turning into Burning Man...it's been happening for years, and I haven't the faintest idea how to stop it. We are, indeed, too damn polite, except when we're too rude...

People have said that eventually the folks who aren't playing our game will come around. I think that's the case when you get one or two goobers at a typical event, & the chatelaine pulls them aside to acculturate them-either they'll figure out what our game is & play it, or they'll find someplace else to go, because the rest of us won't appreciate them being rude to the chatelaine. At Pennsic, though, there's hundreds of goobers, & that's just too many for our normal method of acculturation. They go back home, tell others about what they did, & what might've been 300 becomes 500, &c.. Also, Pennsic is when a lot of SCAdians let their hair down, so some of the gooberism is our own people, you might say.

Yup...agreement on both points. Still no idea how to fix, though. *sighs*

require proof of participation to attend war . . .

For most people, that wouldn't be hard to produce . . . for the loners who don't want to do anything that is different, they'd acclimate or miss war . . .

And the . . goobers, as you say, would be kept out.

Of course, then, security changes since you'd have hostile gate crashers . . .

What kind of proof of participation?

What would I show?

What would Tommaso show? He goes to two Eisental events a year, then goes to Pennsic and works sixty hours of security.

What about people who are SCAdians, but only make it to War? Real SCAdians, I mean, who may participate usefully on mailing lists and such, but can't get out a lot.

I'm not shooting down your idea, here - I think it's got merit. But the 'proof of participation' thing is gonna be a judgement call on someone's part, and that leads to issues.

If it were feasible to do so, I'd require every Pennsic attendee to do two hours of service as part of the "event fee" as it were. You pick where you want to do the service and go talk to whoever's in charge of that department. Far too many people are working too many service hours because it's needed, when so many work none at all.

Yeah, that's a theory, too, though too hard to enforce, I think. It also has the potential for having some of the same effect as 'dead rabbits' did - making really volunteering less appealing, and resulting in fewer people who are helping beacause they _want_ to.

I don't know.

I knew whan I posted my idea that the spectre of the Goddamn Dead Bunnies would rear its head. How I wish that Eddie And Crew had never come up with such a fuckwitted concept. I'm not sure they could have come up with a more effective way to kill off the "casual" volunteers if they'd tried.

If people could see their way past that ghost, there are palpable differences: my idea is that it's only *one* shift abd then you're done for the war if you so choose; furthermore *everyone* has to do a shift, it's not something you get hit with for being "bad" (by any definition).

*nods* Firm agreement. Maybe in a few years...I dunno. Not ever having been a casual volunteer, I can't judge...

Maybe something like they have at Estrella, where you have a raffle based on volunteer hours worked. It seems to go over fairly well there. Carrot rather than stick.

Gulf Wars has something similar, come to think of it. They also give small cast tokens for hours worked, and send a small donation to the volunteer's local group. Something like that could be cool.

Frankly, I think that the rudeness problem I mentioned above might have been averted if the dimwit had actually done *anything* to help at the actual underlying structure. I was there to escort people with mobility issues around the campground, but she didn't want me contacting dispatch near the middle eastern dance tent. She and one other attendee (a budding snark) were my major temptations to vent at this Pennsic.

The snark got told a Nasruddin story, but he refused delivery of the clue. The dancer had me in shock, frankly. Mind you, once dispatch found out what had happened, she was pretty upset, too.

First, congratulations on apprenticing-thingy. Welcome to the green belt collective. :)
Second, apologies for not being able to slow down and/or divert missions for more than a moment to wave hello and greet one another like normal people (will you be going to Coronation?).

Third, the recent histories of attacks on women at Pennsic had me skittish about even entering and leaving the heart of the Serengetti to shop in the area by the Cooper's Store alone. Bloodguard's Ladies Night Out also included an escort, dressed in drag, which was reassuring. But overall, I can't say as I would want to go take a wee in the middle of the night in certain areas of Pennsic, if I had to go.

*grins* Thanks! Though there will be no actual green belt involved, 'cos we're like that.

We're thinking about Coronation. We should just plan a half-hour somewhere, and stick to it. Or plan dinner, with less than a zillion people. Neither of which is likely, but they're lovely ideas...

I don't worry too much on the Serengetti, or in the merchant areas. It's mostly once you head far enough 'down the hill' that I start to be wary. Or, well, the parking lot, I guess, but I wouldn't head out there at night anyway...

Though there will be no actual green belt involved...

*giggle* So here's you the apprentice, who won't be doing a green belt, and here's me wearing a green belt for no better reason than that I like green and it's one of my colors...go figure! ;> Congrats, btw.

*grins* 'Cos, isn't that how it goes?

Striking a blow for your right to wear a green belt 'cos it's pretty...

Thanks!

Green belt: Not everyone does one. Sorta like how Jon and I never did that contract thingie, which probably would have spooked me a little.

Dinner at Coronation: Currently the plans are to attend, but not have dinner at, Coronation - unless enough people want us to or don't have other plans. I'd like to get together with youse guys and "the family again". Since it's the same spot as last Coronation, there's plenty of places in the area (Olive Garden, Part Deux, sans politicking??). I already encouraged Ryan to find a Red Roof Inn for us to crash at, since the last time we visited Swamp was the first time since moving in.... and almost cost us by numerous falling-asleep-at-the-wheels....

Security: Wonder if the Kilkenny Goons are available for rent, in shopping trips and visits to the bog?

Olive Garden was good but the wait is generally stupid unless you have an advance party. I have a vague memory of something else I heard was good in the area...we could check in to that?

But yeah, fewer people next time. It was nice but, wow.

How many did we have?
You, 'Svan, me, Ryan, Torin, Geese, Olwyn, Mary, Elspeth, Pagan, Fiannhait, umm... bunch of other people whose names I can't remember / not sitting close enough to throw food at.... ;)

Green belt: Not everyone does one. Sorta like how Jon and I never did that contract thingie, which probably would have spooked me a little.
Would have spooked me too. That's just not my yak. I believe that the Laurel/Apprentice relationship is a semi-private relationship and should not paraded in court for all to see. Besides, I could not go into court and take an apprentice, I'm too shy for that!

Yeah - I wouldn't have wanted to do anything in court, either. Just wow, not my style. A lot.

Besides, I could not go into court and take an apprentice, I'm too shy for that!
You? Shy? My synapses just aren't making that connection... All I see right now is you poking your head out of the top of the tank. (Other icon)

Come visit us in Israel! We are running this tour thing :)

Sorry about your pennsic.

*hugs* Thanks. And, yeah wow, that'd be cool...

Congratulations on the official relationship thing. I'm sorry you didn't have a good War. *hugs*

Thanks, hun.

the burnout that hits me when I visit Herald's Point. I _can't_ consult there these days. It's loud and busy and my brain shuts off.

Maybe your reaction is more sensible than mine. I know I've told you how I manage consulting in general, and doing it at the Point is qualitatively much the same, just a little more intense. But it takes a lot of emotional energy to do that, and I had very few resources with with to recharge it. Many many fervent thanks to

wanderingpixie, but I know she knows that it wasn't really enough, and I didn't expect more (or even as much as she gave!).

I didn't see you nearly as much as I'd have liked. And another possible source just kind of dried up and blew away, and I'm not sure why, and that's really all I can say about it right now.

So perhaps I should have stayed away from the Point more -- except that I know how things would have gone if I had. Which ties in to your next bit...

I can about manage to color, and that's really the only useful thing I did there this year. Whic makes me feel rather a jerk, because there's so much more that needs to be done.

I hear you -- and it's in part that feeling of guilt that kept me coming back. (That, and the fact that so much of my potential recharge is tied up in the Point...) I really think we need to talk about this as a group, to see if we can avoid burnout better.

I may respond some more to this when I have had more chance to digest it. In the meantime, *big hugs*.

It really, really sounds to me like you need a year off from Pennsic. I'd say 'from the Point', but if your recharge is all there, I don't know that that would help so much.

But that's still the same problem - fewer and fewer people to run the Point as we burn out one by one. And the guilt that comes with letting that happen. It's the same problem heraldry everywhere else is having - too much work, not enough people to do it.

We got some new people this year, at least. Istvan (and likely everyone else) is gonna be teaching Drea. Maybe that'll at least help stem the flood until we get this problem really solved.

*hugs you good*

Thing is, I *like* doing it! What I am hoping to manage in the coming year is to find some steady sources of recharge that could be planned before the war starts. Between that, and better management at the Point, and decreasing levels of other stress, methinks there are prospects. But that's a topic for my *own* post about Pennsic, which isn't likely to be finished until tomorrow or Thursday at this rate.

I don't know how it can be solved. I tried to encourage Atlantian heralds via Heralds' Point (http://herald.atlantia.sca.org/point/index.htm) to come to Pennsic & help, but mostly, I saw the same folks as I usually do. I think a lot of SCAfolk have a "let George do it" attitude about our service. There's a part of me that says that once people start missing it, there will be volunteers, but I don't want heraldry at Pennsic to get a salvage team-I want it to grow.

Juliana has, in the past, been very good at talking to _everybody_ about putting in a few hours. And it somehow works! There's a better than average chance that she'll be heading things up next year, so we can hope that it'll help.

There are a whole lot of reasons I'm hoping she runs the Point next year...

My lady,

sister_devora, once suggested to me that we steal an idea from mobility assistance: *treats*! Also, last night, she had another idea, that might increase the number of coloring people: waive the copying/coloring fee in exchange for an hour or so spent in coloring stuff.

That being said, I think that if we're finding a lot of armory conflicts in the second round, a couple of things may be taking place:

- People who can't check for conflict are consulting, which could be remedied by education.

- People who can check for conflicts are being swamped, which could be remedied by either adding more consultants or reducing the clients per consultant per day in some other fashion.

Treats yes! Good idea; most of us bake...

Have scratch paper on hand to work out what's going to go on the forms, and have the clients fill out the personal information on the forms while they wait. Then consult directly onto the form. Clients can then either take it with them to show to their hometown herald or submit at the point. And remember, John Smith's mundane name, etc. stays the same whether he wants to be John the Blacksmith of London or Johan Schmidt von Berlin, and whether he wants or, a hammer gules, or some monstrosity involving a basilisk, gorgon's heads, a lion, and a piping beast (carefully constructed to have stuff on different layers, and mostly in purpure and vert, of course.)

If they choose to submit at the point, there is a charge, of course, for submission, but I'd also institute a surcharge for copying, coloring, etc. This charge would be waived for an hour's worth of coloring. That way, you only need 1 or 2 people who read blazon to put a slash of color onto each charge and on the field. Part of that surcharge, of course, goes to supplies like markers, paper, copying, etc. Part of it goes to stuff like water bottles, gatorade, chocolate yummies, chips, etc.

Essentially, if you don't need heraldic training to do it, get non-heralds to do it, if you can. If the client wants the kind of personal kissy-poo that Pedro described in his post with the poster idea, recommend that they merely get the basic layout and take it with them for more in-depth heraldic consultation in their kingdom. Define your mission. What are you there to do? And how can you efficiently accomplish that without folks burning out? If the client wants something simple, maybe have some basic resources out for folks to sign up (say with their Pennsic token or something) to sit in the reading area and look at some basic stuff while they wait for a herald to be free.

Also, make volunteering there at least semi-pleasant - munchies, drinks (of the non-alcoholic variety - save the rum for the party), breaks. C'mon, Caesar's not here and you're not chained to that oar. Put out invites to as many heralds as you know even slightly. I saw next to no faces I didn't know at the party - yeah, I was there at the end, and I know a *lot* of heralds (I spent Known World last year just flitting about and visiting friends and want to go to New Orleans next year.), but there should have been more than 1 introduction.

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Pennsic musings...

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Next year

Re: Next year

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