MrsBrown's philosophy of life and stuff

Years ago, I read that being idealistic about a thing means that the feelings when the thing fails to deliver the thing are much stronger. It was in the context of sustainability consultants (like me) giving up on consulting because the developers we work with are more interested in money than saving the planet. It was a useful concept because it meant that I could develop a coping mechanism and focus on achieving my ideals without expecting that anyone else would buy into them.

I'm pretty sure that's what going on for me with the SCA at the moment and I'm thinking about the ideals I have about the SCA;

• The SCA is a community. A community whose members care about the other people in the community and help them.
• The SCA is a place where I am safe to be me in a world where I often suffer for being different.
• The SCA is a place where I can investigate new things and have an instant group of people be interested and helpful about me achieving my goals.
• The SCA is a place where I can use my skills and interests to help me feel clever and appreciated.

So, I can intellectually look at this list and be aware that the SCA is a pack of human beings that do all of the same things that shit groups of human beings do, but I've just left a period in my life where, actually, most of this was true and I'm having a hard time adjusting to reality.

And, in particular, I've recently had at least 3 of these ideals proven to be unreasonable expectations so I'm feeling pretty shit about the SCA right now.  

This has been prompted by 3 things:

1. somebody on facebook saying that she didn't want to be a laurel when she really meant she didn't want to be a dick.  And taking it personally because i have spent a lot of personal energy working to make stuff a bit more period and then been accused of being a laurel, as if it meant the same as being a dick.  Yes, I get the same bullshit as laurels do, without any of the "glory"
2. I asked for hardship pricing for an event on behalf of some friends who I thing are really deserving and was completely refused.  Not even a $10 discount.
3. I've been effectively bullied by a several people who think that complaining about me/my views (that aren't even my actual views) to my daughter means that I won't hear about it.

 I've been thinking this week about leadership, or possibly more correctly, getting people to do what I want them to.

I've been feeling the impotent annoyance that I remember feeling in the weeks before I stepped up as Baroness.  In particular, an incident when I arrived at Monthly Bash and saw a rabble of people not sure what to do.  I made my suggestions and was ignored.  it was super annoying and I remember the feeling of frustration and the almost shrill voice in my head as I raged internally about people not listening to my sensible suggestions/requests. I think I felt a bit invisible too.

My memory says that a week later, the day after our investiture, I arrived at the Sunday Tourney site to a similar rabble of people.  I was greeted enthusiastically by the people present, who bowed and nodded, "Your Excellency!".  I walked over, took stock and asked people to help unload the car, directed where the tourney field should be and got people involved in setting up the sunshade.  It was wonderful and I spent the following week reflecting on the difference and what made people listen to obey me one week  after comprehensively ignoring me.

A couple of years later, I watched my Boss designate a person  (N) I thought too young as his successor and 2 months later my Boss left on extended sick leave and died of a brain tumour.  Everyone in the company happily did as N directed, even while she confided in me that she didn't want to be the person solely responsible.  N was, in fact, great and I was happy to follow her.

I decided that it had to do with people wanting a designated leader. Someone who is anointed or named in some way as the leader.  As soon as they have, I guess they can stop worrying about deciding it for themselves and get on with just doing whatever the leader says that's basically reasonable. It's a successful approach, because most times doing something is a better option than angsting about what to do, so it's hard for a leader to get it wrong.

Oh, that's why H has set himself up as the "captain" of his pirate ship.  It automatically makes him the leader.  I wonder what equivalent I could adopt?  Would it work for a nearly fifty grey haired old lady?  Would it get me what I want?

Alternatively I need to work on the charisma side of the leadership thing, or borrow someone else's charisma.

Fermenter and equipment soaked, washed and sanitised with bleach (4ml/L), then rinsed with boiled water.

26L of Aldi apple juice acquired (reconstituted apple juice, acidity regulator (330), vitamin C, flavour (!)

Pour apple juice into fermenter, add Nottingham Ale yeast.

Pitching temp 20degrees, 18 degrees by bedtime and 16 degrees this morning.  I expect it will warm up a bit today, but it's on a concrete slab which will help with temp moderation (I hope).

There was pressure in the air lock about 20min after pitching, but no steady gloop yet.

Watching stuff going on in the Barony and remembering my own problems with harassment and difficult people I was motivated to find out some stuff and I'm saving the links here with my comments so I can find them again later.

I started with the Lochac dispute resolution document here . It's changed a fair bit since I last looked and has some good stuff on timelines and who should do what. I can't help feeling though that it doesn't quite address the consequences to the harasser that I'm looking for and also doesn't seem to be very good at some of the social group management that I think needs to happen.

Some of what's happening almost feels like some of the tech and fan conference harassment issues that I've read about both here, and through the geek feminism blog. (These sorts of things)

So I went and found the conference harassment policy resources prepared by the Ada Initiative. It has some things in common with the dispute resolution stuff, but obviously has a bit more about proactively discouraging bad behaviour and what to do about harassers and their impact on the conference. I like the stuff about making the reporting process really obvious and making the actions taken transparent to the whole community.

One of the interesting comments that comes up in the SCA community is that we are so used to dealing with people who have poor social skills that we make allowances for bad behaviour.  From my reading tonight I think we should stop doing that.

I think the SCA needs to
1. have a code of conduct
2. publicise it
3. provide dispute mentors so if you're not sure what to do, you know who to ask.
4. Be a bit more transparent about sanctions

We leave for the US on Tuesday, I have a long list of things I want to do - some for the trip and some for leaving the household in shape to cope without us for 3 weeks. 

Having started the "clean the kitchen task", with a side trip into "make bread for lunch", I'm stuffed and having a sit down.  I think I'll need to persuade someone to go and get those antibiotics I persuaded the doctor into giving me a prescription for after having a stuffed up nose for more than a week.

Anyway, I made a sloppy bread dough and left it to rise and glutenise (no kneading required).  Then 2 hours later I sprinkled some flour on top and used my bread scraper to get the dough off the bowl and turn the ball to cover the entire mass with flour.  then I thought, "what am I going to do at Festival when I want to make bread like this?"  Did they have medieval dough scrapers?

I have a plastic one, but it looks like you can also get metal ones with wooden handles.

vs  

A summary of 19th C sources refers to a dough cutter and dough scraper.  There's a lso a picture of a scraper from


Various utensils used by French bakers, late 18th century.

fig. 6. Fire rake
fig. 8. Swabber or scuffle
fig. 10. Wooden peel
fig. 11. Scraper
fig. 12. Iron shovel to draw out coals

(From Diderot, Encyclopédie, I, section on "Boulanger.")

The same source has this description of a dough knife or cutter: Edlin's 1805 Treatise, "usually of the size of a large carver, with a round point and blunt, like a painter's pallet knife.

OMG!!!  I found a site that has historical tools catalogued by shape, profession and name. 

The dough scrapers they have look really useful when you're dealing with a lot of dough in a dough trough, but aren't the shape I've been finding useful.


Looking a bit further, I find a "dough grater"  (the pictures include the link to the page that has a photo of the actual object)

Hmm, You can also get a scraper in what seems to be the "modern" shape in wood;


More to come, saving some random awesome links in the meantime;

A real, 17th century portable oven, with measurements.

A collection o images that look like a recreation/used Tudor kitchen, with a lovely bread oven and possible copper combo.

Normandy kitchen!

A colection of quick links:

http://www.iadb.co.uk/wgate/main/brick.php

http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-769-1/ahds/dissemination/pdf/vol35/35_086_103.pdf

Photos someone took as research for their lego creation from the virginia Frontier Culture Museum.  It's a german barn and they took photos of the inside of the tile roof, the kitchen and a breakaway of the wattle and daub.  Photos at the bottom of the page here.

Next week, when things are open again, I'll have a better look for a modern tile that is medieval enough.  Otherwise, we'll have to make our own.

After I posted all those tent posts on Sunday I discovered that Wordpress will show you statistics like how many people have viewed your site and where they've come from and what google search terms they used to find it.  Its as good as getting lots of comments on a LJ/DW post!

so tonight I wrote two more posts!

doushkasmum 's new geteld pattern

the Innilgard tent design and construction

I'm currently writing the instructions to erect the Innilgard tent, so I'll be putting those up soon.

I had great plans to actually _do_ stuff tonight, as distinct from sitting at my computer.  But my body intervened.  It's cold so I've been reluctant to move since sitting on the couch with a blanket on my lap.  When my computer battery beeped and my power supply was next to the bed, I took it as a sign and that's where I am now, with my eyes furiously blinking and conspiring to get in the way of my plan to watch Pride and Prejudice.

Actually, Rose helped too.  She sat and annoyed me for a little while and then clunked it with her head on my arm.  I just had to put her to bed and my evening was my own.

Anyway, instead of _doing_ stuff, I electronically drafted the pattern for my smock which I've measured off the real thing several times now and then lost the piece of paper.

I'm not going to lose the piece of paper now that I've written it up in my pattern blog.

rain_and_snow if you haven't already made it them, you might find it useful.

I really like this dress




It's worth reading the blurb, because it means that I know there is a full length version

We've just had our first cancellation due to the "travel to Victoria and quarantine for 7 days" restrictions

Here's a collection of government advice pages so I can keep an eye on this issue:

commonwealth page with links to the state pages

http://www.emergency.health.nsw.gov.au/swineflu/schools/index.asp

http://flu.sa.gov.au/Swineflu/Interstatetravelfaqs.aspx

Generally, the requirement for quarantine applies only to children or people who work with children who hang out with 10 or more of them while in Melbourne.

I suspect that by the time of Midwinter most of this restriction will have been lifted.