From: justin@inmet.COM (Justin du Coeur MKA Mark Waks)
Subject: Generations; "Old, Used"; Thinkwell
Organization: The Internet
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 16:32:26 GMT

Re: Generations

Vashti cites the usual figure that an average member sticks around for
3-4 years, and Ilaine takes issue with it.

Thinking about this is rather interesting. Historically, I know that
Vashti's number is about right -- an SCA "generation", the time it
takes to turn over a majority of the people in most areas, seems to
be about three or four years. But looking around today, I'm not sure
that that's as much the case anymore. Carolingia isn't losing *nearly*
as many people as it used to, it seems to me, and the ones who are
being "lost" are only 3/4 gafiating -- most of them still come to
the occasional event.

So here's a call for observations: are people sticking around longer 
these days? It looks to me like the proportion of active-for-lifers
has increased substantially in the last half-decade or so, but that's
an entirely subjective observation at this point...


Re; Old, Used Fill-in-the-Blanks

Mikjal relates a story about the dangers of believing the "Old Used
Duke" concept. I have a similar story -- the subject is an "Old, Used
Viscount", but the idea is the same. Let's see if I can tell this one
without my usual visual aids.

No shit, there I was, at the Frozen Chosen Tourney. I'd been in the
Society for about half a year, I think, and this was my first indoor
tournament -- it was held in a rather nice hall, whose only flaw
was the presense of thin concrete pillars every fifteen feet or so.

The bout was between a Young Hotshot (who has since been knighted,
but I'll leave his name off to prevent embarassment) and Sir Edward
Zifram of Gendy, member of the Order of the Etc, affectionately
known as "Fast Eddie" to most of the Known World. Edward, doing his
very best "old and tired" routine, comes shuffling into the middle of
the hall dragging a chair, sets the chair down next to a pillar,
plops down into it, and gets into a rather tired-looking sword and
shield "stance".

Our Young Hotshot comes onto the "field", and dances around Eddie
for a minute, before realizing that Eddie isn't moving -- he's
just keeping the shield between the two of them. After looking a
bit confused for a minute, he throws a slightly tentative blow
against the sitting knight.

Eddie slowly and labouriously rises to his feet, mumbling, "Okay,
*now* you've done it." He starts to throw a shot -- and is blocked
by the pillar right next to him. Eddie turns to the pillar, stares
at it in great annoyance, and starts to rain blows on the pillar --
*thud*, *thud*, *thud*, *CLANG*.

The Young Hotshot suddenly falls down. Eddie turns and slowly drags
the chair back off the field.

The moral of the story? Never, *ever* believe the "Old, Used" act...


Re: Thinkwell

Lhiannan y Llysieuydd asks how to obtain a subscription to Thinkwell.

Thinkwell ("Like a Thinktank, but deeper") is the newsletter of SCA
philosophy -- sort of like all the "what and why is the SCA?" Rialto
discussions, distilled and edited and put onto paper. It is edited
and published every now and then (roughly monthly) by Mistress AEflaed
of Duckford, sometime Steward of the Society. The cost is $10 for
four issues. Note that you now (as of issue 10, soon to come out)
only get *one* copy of each issue -- AEflaed had been providing two
copies of each, so that copies could be passed around, but found that
she was losing money on it. (In exchange, she will be upping the
page count.)

To subscribe, send a check to:

	Sandra Dodd
	8116 Princess Jeanne NE
	Albuquerque, NM 87110

I believe that all back issues are still available; the latest issue
is number 9.

Highly recommended for those who like philosophy -- the discussions
tend to be a little more thoughtful than those on the Rialto, and
the average experience of the contributors much higher. (Us peons
are encouraged to write in as well, though!)

				-- Justin du Coeur
				   Loudmouth in many media

Random Quote du Jour:

"In a surprising move today, Judaism filed suit against the Catholic
 Church, claiming Catholicism copied the "look and feel" of the
 religion.  Judaism, which has held the patent on the concept of a
 monotheistic religion for over 3500 years as well as the copyright on
 Yaweh(R) and the Old Testament(C), is suing for 2000 years of back
 royalties."
		-- Michael Travers