Kada in An Tir

In the current middle ages, I started my SCA career in the Outlands.  That was very brief, as I moved away after 6 months of intermittent dance practices and day tripping one event.  I moved to An Tir, where I've been ever since.  I have been active in the SCA since 1994.

For the first several years, I did basic service, and flailed at arts and sciences without much guidance.  I lived at gate, worked fire-watch all night, and was a waterbearer all day.  I washed dishes, hauled water, and fed the random hungry waifs who appeared at dinner time.  Though I had basic craft skills, I did not yet understand the connection to research, and am now less than impressed with my products from this time period. I did successfully teach medieval dance, weekly, for about three years, which I am still pleased about. 

When I went to college, I was almost instantly adopted by some very amazing people who taught me piles of things.  My SCA education included everything from how to plan a feast (sticky notes on a wall! whoo hoo!), redact recipes, sew a tent, redact dances, to the most important: how to do research.  The importance of research.  How research fits in with what the SCA does.  I liked doing research.  

At the time, there was a competition for arts and sciences with a Viking Age theme. I made something very odd, with little research, but had such a good experience, that I decided to do better the next year. I spent the next year researching and making Viking Age items.  I am still doing so (that was in 1999).  

The other thing that I learned during this time period was that giant projects are quite normal.  Sew miles of canvas into a new pavilion?  Sure.  Cook a feast for 100, with 3 weeks notice?  Sure.  Make medieval food at events, in the fire? Not a problem. The people who mentored me took all this in stride, and taught me that no project is actually TOO big, you just need more helpers.  

Various people also started to notice that I might be useful, and I ended up being nearly perpetual retinue for several years.  I learned a great deal about many things, and got to travel to a lot of amazing places.  I also met even more cool people.  

I got my Laurel.  It was great, it was awesome, I was way too cocky the first 6 months, and now I know better.  I decided, after I had re-learned just how little I really know, that I would like to continue to learn, and improve my skills, and someday be one of those "super-Laurels".  I'm still working on that plan.  I have a long way to go. 

Then came a lot of modern distractions, but I try to have a web presence, to make up for the fact that I have limited time for face to face interactions.  Hence, this website.