Event Review - Round Table 2006 - by Zubeydah

First things, first:

HAIL MOG !!!!!

I had never been to a “Red Tape” event before, so the opportunity to do so had piqued my curiosity. The Shire of Mooneschadowe was hosting the event, so I knew it would be a good time. I pledged to assist as much as possible, including bringing some items for the sideboard luncheon (assorted dip-able veggies) and a dessert item (a pair of chocolate amaretto cheesecakes).

It doesn’t quite seem to be an SCA event unless I get lost driving there. I’d even gotten on the road 30 minutes early, so as to be SURE to be on time… but alas, Murphy enjoys taunting me. I was blithely practicing various bawdy tunes, cautiously driving through some very dense fog / cloud cover, when I realized that sign I just passed was for I-35… ai ai ai. I turned around, got to pay a double toll, and finally made it to site: not a half to a full hour early, but instead, 20 minutes late. * grumble *

Arriving, I sought directions to where the prep work was being done for lunch. There, in the kitchen area, I found Sieur Jean Paul de Sens and HL Marke von Mainz busy in the kitchen. I’m not sure what Marke was working on, but Sieur Jean Paul was prepping for the Battle of the French Toast - - his healthy versions using wheat bread and Eggbeaters, versus the egg-soaked French bread decadence of Sir Aesoph Hearts. Marke was kind enough to clear off a spot for my veggies, and I was pointed in the direction of the fridge for a spot for the cheesecakes. It looked like the kitchen was kind of busy, so I decided to do my prep work a bit later, and get out of the way of the Iron Chef: French Toast battle. [I was very bad, and indulged in Sir Aesoph’s French toast, covered in butter and syrup. YUM!!]

Exiting the kitchen, I spotted the ex-Kingdom Waterbearer in Charge, the new Kingdom Chirugeon, Genevieve de la Gamba, and the Deputy Chirurgeon, Gerita de la Mar. I got to chat with these wonderful ladies for a bit about goings on in the Waterbearing Guild, and their plans for the day. There was a waterbearing class at 9:00 am I wanted to teach, but I was already running so late, as to preclude being able to attend. We chatted a bit about the Kingdom Waterbearer position, and I was enormously flattered that Genvieve asked me to take it. I had to decline, though, because the position really does require travel to do properly, and travel simply isn’t something I have the freedom to do. It felt really good, though, to have Genevieve and Gerita try so hard to convince me to do the job. ::smile::

I headed into the main hall, and there found the Moonschadin in full strength. The hall was being decorated and the area prepped for the sideboard luncheon. Gilyan, Aline Swynbrook, Charles, and Ayla were just a few of the familiar faces. Stashing my cloak and purse on the stage along with the rest of Mooneschadowe’s collective ‘stuff’, I started helping out in the hall a bit.

The next two hours were spent going here and there, running into folks, chatting, and having a really lovely time. Anya and Hillary and I sat for a bit and chatted about Scribally things, and at one point, Lorraine Deerslayer came up and started chatting to me. I looked at her, most embarrassed, and said, “I am very sorry, I don’t recognize you in your mundanes…” She then blinked and realized she had no idea who I was, either! So we introduced ourselves. There was a whole lot of, ‘Oh, YOU’re Zubeydah’ as I’d introduce myself around – something I couldn’t tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing, or sometimes both at once. (smiley)

I didn’t see very many folks from Northkeep: The B&B, the four candidates / two couples for the Baronial position, the Seneschal, and a couple members of the populace. Mooneschadin were everywhere, and I was proud I was wearing my Shire t-shirt Massa Ox had given me.

At one point, I ran into Contessa Vanessa (who is truly one of my favorite people, and an SCA Hero ™ of mine.) who was in desperate need of coffee. Sadly, the percolator on site was having major issues, and none was available. I promised her that if it eventually recovered, I’d make sure she got some.

Somewhere around 10:15ish, I decided Now Would Be A Good Time to get going on the prep of the veggies for the sideboard luncheon. I washed them quickly in the kitchen, where Sieur Jean Paul and Marke were cleaning up from the French Toast Battle. They asked if I would need the kitchen soon, to make the ganache I’d mentioned to them previously – I responded that I would, soon, but didn’t want to be in their way. With help from some of the other ladies back in the room where lunch was being served, I got the veggies sliced up and put onto trays. Then it was time for the ganache.

I’d kind of been expecting a full kitchen set up, such as is available at the Will Rogers Boy Scout Camp where we have many events. At the Stillwater Community Center, no such amenities were available. Aline was very kind, as were others, to fetch and loan me implements so I could make the ganache. Her lord’s blade was utilized to chop up the chocolate, a crock-pot was used to heat the heavy cream, and one of the shire’s wooden spoons helped with the mixing. It took much longer than expected, but finally a thick layer of ganache was spread over the cheesecakes, with thinly sliced almonds on top. Into the fridge they went.

While the cheesecakes were firming back up, I wandered some more, and ran into another of my favorite people, Syr Owen. He gave me a mighty hug, and we chatted about his son, Henry, who I am firmly convinced will take over the world by age 18. (Owen is convinced of this, too.)

I decided to wander here and there, and stopped by the Heraldic meeting briefly, before heading back to the kitchen. I got my cheesecakes sliced and put out on the sideboard, as it had been decided to move lunch up to 11:30.

Next I wandered on down to the Seneschal’s meeting, which was just wrapping up. There, I ran into my Tribe Roman Morga friends, Jennifer and Nico, who now live in Skargaard. It was good to see them. It was announced that lunch was being served, so we all wandered that direction. I was delighted to see that the cheesecakes had already been sampled. I discretely pointed them out to a few friends, to make sure they got some.

Nico very kindly gave up his seat at a crowded table, so I could sit with Jennifer and chatter about various girlie things. We discussed the wonderful pattern that she recently custom made for me, and her daughter, Sam’s upcoming 18th birthday, and she and Nico’s decision to renew their wedding vows at Namron Medfaire. We exclaimed repeatedly about the wonderful food that had been provided (I really enjoyed the beef soup, as well as the flavored butters), and she said good things about the cheesecake I’d made, as did a few others. I was beaming.

After lunch, it was time for the Great Officers of State meeting (Aka, the). I arrived there earlier than Jennifer and Nico, and while I had intended to save them seats, Mooneschadin, who filled the left side of the auditorium, quickly occupied the spots.

It was interesting hearing such wide reaching perspectives and information on how our Kingdom runs. Towards the end of the meeting, the Kingdom Seneshal, Modius, who had been running the meeting, was encouraging everyone to do demos. At one point, he demonstrated: “Just walk up to those you don’t recognize, and introduce yourself. ‘Hi! My name is Modius!’” This sparked a few giggles, and later came back to haunt him…

Another incredible moment was when they actually called a Naked Court for a few moments. (i.e., no one was in garb, no one had regalia, nothing. Mahdi was wearing his Ansteorran Knight jersey, jeans, and sneakers.) HRM Mahdi explained that certain things must occur in court, and they did have one important act of business. Modius explained that at 8:30 that morning, he received email confirmation from the SCA Board of Directors that they had granted their approval for Mooneschadowe to be made a province. The assembled Mooneschadin went wild, as two matching banners dropped simultaneously from the catwalks above the stage. I shouted a “HAIL MOG!!” which was taken up and chanted for a few breaths. It was wonderful. Everyone was just beaming.

The newsletter editor, Barat, had even brought copies of the newsletter, showing the listing for Mooneschadowe as a PROVINCE – another requirement to make it official.

Other high points included the King’s inquiry as to who was fielding how many fighters at Gulf War. Mooneschadowe’s response was 26 fighters! Woo hoo!

After the GOofS meeting, there was a 2 hour-long scribal meeting, lead by Hillary. She went over a variety of things including paper choices for scrolls (the types of paper that work well in the North don’t work so well in the more humid South.), and goals for the College of Scribes. I chatted a little about the website, and the changes I hope to make. In the meeting, she had everyone present go around and introduce themselves, and I finally got the chance to meet Countess Sara in person. It’s neat to finally have a face to the name, as she and I have corresponded back and forth for a couple of years, now.

That was the last class of the day, so I helped tidy the room and others, to clear the building for our exit. After some miscommunication and confusion, it was decided that folks were going to Mazzio’s for a meal, and everyone followed JP & Gilyan there. I was seated next to HRM Mahdi, though we did not speak at all during the meal, and Jennifer & Nico – we chattered constantly. The food was plentiful and inexpensive, and lots of fun was had by all: especially when one of the Mooneschadin started handing out nametags that read, “Hi, my name is MODIUS.” Soon, everyone was wearing them, including a small child not associated with our group, and our server, who thought we were a bunch of semi-amusing freaks. There was also some artwork (a human figure) done with bits of leftover food that got a nametag, too. That was presented to Modius, who promptly added a bit of red bell pepper between the figure’s legs to represent ... well... you get the idea.

All too soon, it was time for me to head home. With a call to Abe to let him know I was hitting the road, I headed off. The Red Tape event was a lot more fun than I thought it would be; very relaxed and informative. Should it come to the Northern Region any time again, I will definitely try to go!