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2001-08-22 - 8:48 a.m.

But I Have a Fluffy Ponytail

At Pennsic XXX, on the evening of Their Atlantian Court, TRM Havordh and Mary-Grace honored me with elevation to the Order of the Pelican.

*Big shock*

Really, that�s an understatement. I�ve been in the society about a decade and really had no clue a peerage was anywhere near for me and suddenly, I�m a Pelican.

Apparently, I am far more gullible than I thought.

Apparently, most of my Pennsic block and a good chunk of the Kingdom knew in advance.

Apparently, I thought Gen�s secret Pennsic project was a cloak for Kevin and Kevin thought it was a cloak for me �when really it was all about �Cesca. Narf!

Apparently, my scroll was Elsworthy�s secret Pennsic project � and yes I owe her big.

Apparently, I provided a great deal of entertainment for my friends. What�s that Pelican line? Glad to be of service.


You see, I knew Kevin of Thornbury was getting his Pelican. I knew because I was in charge of vigil hospitality. A wide assortment of people kept asking me all sorts of questions about Kevin�s vigil and elevation.

Theo: I don�t know. I�m not a Pelican, ask Kevin�s peer. I don�t know if he has a banner � I think Bran�s making him one or Gen�s painting one; I don�t know who�s giving a medallion, the order�s talked to Tbone about that � C�mon, guys, I�m just bringing the snacks.

Somehow I managed to get his measurements so Anne Le Coeur could make a cloak - Anne on a cell phone in the middle of Wal-Mart trying to have me explain Kevin�s measurements and describe the shade that is Thornbury blue.

By the way, you will lose cell signal if you walk through the pots and pans.

Anne Le Coeur explains to me that�s one of my Pelican skills (I have Pelican skills, apparently) � accomplishing random tasks thrown my way. Unfortunately, Anne is not geometry enabled. The first thing she said to me at War was: "Do you know there�s a difference between diameter and circumference? I bet you already knew that." Wince. Needless to say, some modifications were necessary on Kevin�s cloak, but Anne managed quite handily cause Anne is awesome.


Tuesday of War week, unbeknownst to me, was the night I was being put on vigil. Here was my day:

I spent the morning helping Paul of Bellatrix with his 30 year anniversary tournament. Paul and Susan are just splendid people. And they put me on vigil the same day Paul celebrated his 30th year as a knight.

I spent the afternoon goofing off/camp hopping to visit my Shire-mates.

Along the way, I stop at Dun Carraig and find Kyrie making stuffed dates. Kyrie, you�re crazy. I love you, but you�re crazy. That�s way too much hassle to make at the War. And you, brave woman, are cooking with honey in the ant infested Serengeti. Little did I know she was making my vigil food.

I found Failenn and Sean, found Violante�s camp and armoire and private shower, failed to find Giovanna�s encampment and had no luck finding Istvan and Elisabetha again � though I know I passed their camp during security patrol I had no luck on foot.

Eventually, I wander up to the marketplace near the Barn, hoping to see the end of the A&S display, when Nia intercepts me with a cart and takes me to the field to check on the Squires Tournament. Grrrr to people who don�t recruit support staff for a major tournament at War � But props to Emma of Elandonan who was pulled off a haybale five minutes before the tournament was to start and put in charge with nothing but a pen and pad of paper donated by a kind Eastern MoL. I was so irritated at my MoLs being mistreated and so impressed they pulled it off. Emma: It�s okay Theo. They gave me a pen, a pad of paper, and index cards and then I knew I could accomplish anything. Why don�t you head back to camp and relax? Grab a shower and just chill before dinner?"

That was the first shower hint.

So I head back to camp and I�m chatting with my beloved Roland who spent the afternoon putting together a beautiful belt for me using LMS bits I�d bought last War. I figured he was resting for the woods rather than doing the Squire�s tournament, but in fact, he skipped the Squires� tournament to make me something spiffy to wear to court, but I�m getting ahead of the story.

My theory for the evening is (1) steak dinner at Lochmere, (2) make it to Failenn�s party because I didn�t get to go last year because I was at Finn�s vigil � but this year I had no vigil commitments (everyone in camp sniggered at that behind my back) so we could go, (3) try to find Violante again, (4) go to the Aohidaht party since Isabelle and Konrad has invited us and I�d missed it last year, and, if I had any energy left (5) stop at the Oldcastle/Corvus party for fuzzy navels.

Alisandra and Gen are encouraging me to take a shower before the fighters get back from the field. But I�m looking all styling in fourteenth century � lovely blue cotehardie, full veil and braids � and it�s been the coolest day of War so far so I�m not sure I want to bother to shower and change, cause damn I really do look good.

Roland points out steak will be up soon and I should shower before dinner. But it seems like so much trouble�.

�Gen and Alisandra ask if I want to shower first or should they go� Really this should�ve been obvious but I was clueless.

Then Rhiannon and Adelica wander into the common tent. Two Pelicans perching and I don�t have a clue � I figure they�re taking a break at the Atlantian Water Stop on their way to points east. But they are fun to chat with so I sit down, which feels good. In fact, it feels so good, I pull off my patents, which leads to pulling of my boots. Ahhhh. Off come the garters and stockings.

� Rhiannon is starting to silently panic because Their Majesties arrival is imminent�.

Wow, the shoes off thing feels good. Maybe I will shower. So I unlace my cotehardie.

�. Addy starts to worry. Theodora, you�re sitting here in your underwear baby, why don�t you go shower?

Rags and Kyna pass the gate and come in. Meanwhile Thjora and Corby are making spaghetti, which was really an excuse for everyone to hang around camp because we don�t have a formal meal plan. Thjora starts to chase everyone out of the common tent so she can set up for dinner, which really translated to "Do you think a flock of Pelicans and Peers could be more obvious? Shoo!"

I head for the showers. Roland yells my steak is ready and I should hurry. The flock of peers is shooed out into the road. Alisandra, Gen and Roland begin the final vigil setup scramble.

I come out of the shower and I�m now warm and sticky. I find two really gauzy layers of early period tunics and put on the wonderful belt my husband made me cause I have to try the shiny new thing. But my steak is getting cold and it�s too hot with my hair down and it takes too long to braid with my steak is getting cold.

So I toss my hair up in an �I Dream of Jeanie�-on-the-top-of-my-head-fluffy ponytail.

I cut through the tent ropes and head for the pile of steaks in the Lochmere camp Ahhh� Reynard cooking. But, wait, I need something to drink � oh, yeah, there�s a keg of cider in the Lochmere gate tent. I zip out the Lochmere gate, panicking Alisandra and Gen who are trying to keep track of me and run straight into Rags and Kyna and the flock waiting to see me ambushed.

Still, no clue. I talk to Rags and Kyna Haven�t you headed for the food court yet? I�m just filling this mug and then I have steak! See you later!

From the Vair and Ermine gate one camp down, Gen sees me talking to Ragnarr and Kymber, sees my hair and decides if they�re not going to fix my ponytail, really, what can she do. It took them an hour to get me to shower.

I sit down at the table, cider in hand, just start to cut my steak when I hear "Oyez, oyez, make way for Their Atlantian Majesties, Havordh and Mary-Grace."

Here�s what goes through my head. "Oh, yeah, TRM are coming to steak night. I guess they have many parties to go to and are doing the being heralded everywhere. That�s cool." I turn around and watch Them come in. "I should shift to the other end of the table and let TRM have these comfy seats together." They just stand there. "Is this some wacky way to put Kevin on vigil early, which would be bad because I don�t have any snacks ready. Maybe They�ll sit down soon and we can get to the steak."

And I�m still waiting from Them to drop Their court demeanor and join the party when Havordh asks who had steak night without inviting them. Then he calls me forward. I remember hanging on to the dayshade pole, and I�m told I went pale and my jaw dropped before I managed to walk forward. I didn�t manage to kneel because it was at that point I realized They were serious and that I had really bad hair.

[My beloved Queen Mary-Grace excels at many things, including catching me with very bad hair. At Twelfth Night, Kymber, Gwen, Mitake and I decided to become friends with good tequila and excellent Scotch which lead to (a) singing �Down, Derry, Down� in the bathroom with Rabah (b) sitting in an empty bathtub with Anton (c) making the Kingdom seneschal panic as the Great officers ran giggling out of the room, surfing down the tile floor in sock feet and (d) having Mitake put my hair in puppy dog ears. It was at this point Princess Mary-Grace entered the room, looked at my puppy dog pigtails, declared �Not a good look for you, girlfriend,� and beat a hasty retreat back down the hall where she said "They are doing crazy stuff. Don�t go down there � it�s not safe."]

Theo: I�m not responsible for the steak, Your Majesty

Havordh: Nonetheless, we have other business with you.

Havordh says that the Pelicans have demanded my inclusion into Their order and They have come to set me on vigil. And, I, apparently (and I didn�t remember this clearly until two days later), said, "But, Your Majesty, I have a fluffy ponytail."

Mary-Grace manages not to crack up. Havordh: "Despite the ponytail, we are still minded to set you on vigil."

And I hear Alisandra who was there somewhere taking pictures that I never want to see, say, "As fitting to where much of her service is done, her vigil in on the field, Your Majesty."


TRM, bless Them, held my hands because I might�ve fallen otherwise. And They let me duck into my vigil tent with my sweet Roland who (a) hugs me (b) lets me pull the ponytail out of my hair and (c) bless the man, lends me his cute little hat to help my hair emergency. Envy me, because I have Roland.


Kymber kept saying she had to go home after land grab and finish garb and I kept saying, "C�mon, Kyna. Nothing could be that important. Relax. Stay at the War and play!"

As I duck into my vigil tent I find out she went home to finish my Pelican cloak. A beautiful blue cloak with green trim down the front embellished with my ivy leaves and Pelican clasps. It�s flannel; it�s beautiful; it�s warm and comfy. I love my cloak.

I also find out Master John, my SC deputy and a cooking Laurel, has made me Power Puff Girl cookies. I reduced a cooking Master to cartoon cookies. John spent a week finding out who had the merchandising and where to get the stuff to make them. Oh, they were great, just perfect. I apparently walked in on Anne the night before when she�d been trying to hide them and sat in her tent for an hour annoying Anne and helping her fix stuff for the Bellatrix Tourney while she was sweating I�d find my cookies any second.

And Baroness Isobel, my Angel of Death, made me my own personal fighter card, written to �Blossom de la PowerPuff� and authorizing me in �Verbal Abuse�, �Sarcasm�, and �Cruel Laughter.� It was awesome � I just have to figure out how to frame it so you can see both sides.

And Emma made me a banner, with less than a week�s notice before War going off Roland�s verbal description cause she�s crazy and amazing.

Alan Gravesend gave me his medallion, which went from Adelicia to Ceridwen to Alan to me. It's worn from hard service on the field and I just love it.


Then I sat vigil for about seven hours. They let me out at 2 am. I don�t want to talk about my vigil because, now that I�ve been through it, I realize it really is a private time for personal panic, reassurance from peers, congratulations from your friends and pacing around a box.

But I will share one quote from my Princess Aryanna. "We were afraid you�d figured it out, but as soon as I saw your hair like that, I knew you had no clue."


So here�s my peer advice to date:

-Surprise is best, at least it was for me. Despite my fluffy ponytail, I wouldn�t change a thing.

-Take some time to think up a fealty oath for the ceremony. Surprisingly, my informal survey shows a lot of people seem to think them up in the shower.

-Get a guest book for your vigil for people to sign while they�re waiting. It�s nice to have a record of people�s thoughts and well-wishes � and it gives you something positive to hold on to no matter how crazy the SCA gets.

-Take some time on those long car trips to tell your friends what you want for a vigil and a ceremony. Decide if you want to be surprised and tell your friends. Tell them if there�s a particular event you�d prefer to be elevated. If you want a long vigil over many events, or a one day vigil and elevation. If you want worthies, tell someone who you would like to speak for you. I had the great pleasure of having exactly the four worthies I wanted and a lovely ceremony. I will never be able to thank my beloved Roland enough for ensuring my wishes were carried out.


Thanks to all my friends, peers and Crowns who schemed and plotted and gave me such a splendid surprise. I just hope I can live up to this. But I trust, no, I know, my friends will kick my tail if I do anything stupid.

Scribble to Theo

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