stitchwhich | Entries tagged with pennsic service

Well, I had a lot to think about and I'm still at it. You know how it goes, things happen and you react, then consider the circumstances later and try to leech out the negative. There are a few things that I haven't been successful at yet but thank the Gods, time will take care of some of that for me.

( Gleek and More )

( How we didn't really attend Pennsic )

( about being a decent person while camping )

So I've had some sleep and am feeling better - and thank you for the messages of comfort.

No, Pennsic isn't broken. I have got to lay it to rest in my mind. It is not the fault of the staff that this happened, simply the effect of having an imposed non-staff person take advantage of their unique position to further their own agenda. Trust me, if the Mayor could have done something about it, he would have. And later down the road when this person is no longer in their position, hopefully someone with ideas about cooperation and team-support will take their place and set things back to rights. And it is always possible that they will take what I've started and make it even better. I shouldn't discount that even if I don't have much faith in it - if nothing else, it is possible that they will drive themselves to provide outstanding service just to prove they could do it better than me. And that would be fine all the way around.

In the meantime, I shall take comfort in knowing that I did make a positive difference for the staff and did make their jobs easier.

And a phone call from another lj-person, who wanted to learn the words to a song, has brightened my day - she told me about a young woman who attended her drumming class at Pennsic last year and who had a string of beads that denoted various drumming rhythms (Da'ud's method)... the girl had gotten them at a Page's School class at Pennsic and had kept them all these years. I developed that Page's School that year. The Autocrats had not put a Page's School together and Aurora of Clan Lurkr, Ziggy's mom, talked me into stepping up for it when we got on site and learned that there wouldn't be one. Da'ud and Durr helped me by teaching the kids how to make their own drums out of no.10 cans (Durr) and giving a two-hour class on beginning drumming specifically designed for school-aged children (Da'ud). It was one of my happier moments that Pennsic. I already had fond memories of that Page's School (also a GREAT memory of Sir Fern lecturing kids on chivalry and fighting, then teaching them the various parts of armor by letting them 'dress' her. Again and again. So very, very patient with them). All of the guest teachers were folks already on site who agreed to take the unexpected time out to be a part of the Page's School. And now Kheva tells me that this young girl had kept her beads all these years and attended Khiva's basic drumming class so she could re-learn the rhythyms the bead's colors denoted - because that Pennsic was one of her brightest memories.

That makes me feel so good.

I had to laugh at myself earlier and shared it with Arn. Figured I'd share it here too so y'all could laugh along with me. I am actually disappointed that my letter of resignation resulted in total silence.

As if there would be any other response... but still, tonight I am feeling decidely anti-climatic. So I made tea and washed dishes.

About House: At least it is for a really cool reason. (The link will take you to a news article that contains spoilers if you haven't, as I haven't, yet seen the episode.)
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/04/07/penn.white.house/index.html?iref=hpmostpop

In other news, third-degree burns itch as they heal. I'm really glad I'm mostly staying in the house as I fight to keep from scratching. :)

I wrote my letter of resignation after calling this year's Pennsic Mayor. That's done. It doesn't feel good but I am glad I made the decision. Avoiding falling into the guilt-trap is a tad more difficult than I thought it would be.

Someone I really respect in the fibre-community is looking for a class handout I wrote - I was childishly excited to read that. Camy, Patricka, she's looking for your papers too. (I don't konw if those were class handouts or papers.)

I'm going through all my past reports for what my office spent at Pennsic... what a pain in the patoot! Have to report it in clumps of spent per day/ spent per store for each of the years I was Q-Master. It's not looking good for the office - the new Exchequer rules have pretty much destroyed any chance of the office continuing in service.

Man, I hate that. Oh well - I made some folk's lives a whole lot easier for quite a while. And then again, I haven't had a real pennsic vacation in so long that I'm almost grateful they've tightened the rules to the point a person would have to be independently wealthy in order to be a War Quartermaster. I can relax every day in my camp? I can park my car and just leave it there? I can, oh, read a book or take a class? The horrors!

I was thinking about how much I like laying on my bed after a shower - (don't visualize, just go with it)... totally relaxed with that clean-skin smell, just boneless. I love that.

( about that last entry )

Do any of you know Mistress Nataliia Anastasiia Evgenova Sviatoslavina vnuchka? (Deputy Rapier Marshal)

I ticked off a woman because I teasingly called her a 'newbie' in a letter to her referring to her new position in a staff set and have recieved a severe set-down wherein she informed me that she is a Peer in her own right, a Court Baroness, a long-term veteran of Pennsic and a Deputy Kingdom Officer.

I, of course, apologised at once.

On the way home from Unevent this weekend I was ruminating about my service (actually, I was second-guessing how good/bad/changed I was and whether or not I was morphing into a 'dinosaur' and needed to start stepping back from active work) and it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, I might be on occasion as efficient as I'd like to be. That's because I was thinking about the Pennsic Troll booth and its history. ( look! History from my view! ) [Edit: and Arn adds, "I've been telling you that for years, you know."

I think I might be proud of that. And I'm not so worried, now, that what I end up setting up for the QuarterMaster's office will be good... it will surely need tweeking, but it won't be disastrous.

I'm compiling all the information ffrom the Quartermaster's office for Pennsic. That would be long day-by-day lists of supplies purchased and their prices/source, which need to be boiled down to one comprehensive list and then combined with the (as yet unentered) list from last year. From that, I'll have a good idea of what I can buy before the event opens next year and in the right quantities to not have much left over when the War ends.

Oye.

Things would probably go faster if I knew how to use/set up an Excel spreadsheet. Before you eager-beavers fire off a note to me... Arn knows how. Arn's always telling me how much better it is. Arn thinks that the world would be a better place if love letters were written in Excel. In fact, Arn loves Excel and has snuck the program onto my computer once already. Believe me, if I really want to work in that program, I can. I just don't want to. To tell the truth, I rather like my 3x5 cards and my non-electric filing system. Especially since it doesn't care if I have a big ole magnet right next to it. So I like the old fashioned way. (Aside - the Romans conquered the known world without the use of a computer, or even the number zero.) But only until I have to get it all entered into a computer so I can then send my files to someone else. At that point, I can see Arn's point.

Just don't tell him. Spouses should have one or two secrets from each other.

Who knew? It takes 25 pounds of coffee to run Pennsic. And 163 gallons of water (excluding the individual 20oz-ers, of which we bought 19 cases worth). Wow. No one has ever added it up before so I'm having fun crunching numbers. Now, this was a "light" War, I didn't buy much for the Troll and the Morale Officer took care of the "smaller departments" water needs so between the weather and the other buyers, I know we used more. And, mind you, this was just what the staff requested for their volunteers... the soda count was amazing. Diet Coke won this year but I think that's because of Tirloch being in charge of the Troll Booth. It swings the most beverages. (Go figure). Somehow, the Public Safety folks don't drink as much soda - but they make up for it in coffee. I was rather stunned to learn that we needed over 2000 disposable cups. Who would have guessed? I think a remedial "carry your mug/cup" class is in order!

My feet are finally starting to not be tender. Next year, I definately get shoe inserts and maybe even will remember to buy new shoes around May or so in order to not find that two of my three pairs are actually too old to be supportive. Erch, what a mistake! The pulled muscle (in a delicate area... too much shopping cart pushing, I guess) is nearly healed too and I can walk for short periods with a mid-length stride. As opposed to only being able to bring my left foot even with my right and calling *that* a step. Arn is delighting in grinning whenever I lurch/lumber around after sitting too long.

A friend asked about Pennsic and after I told her about it, she wanted to know if I'd had "any fun at all?". It took me aback. I was having fun. I enjoyed it a lot. Yes, I overworked and wore myself out before Adrianna and Tegan even arrived, but I really, really loved being useful and it was so very satisfying to sit in my office and have other hard-working staff members come by to make requests, stay and chat, or just stop in for a smile. Every return to the Event was followed by someone telling me and my staff that we were Goddesses. You can't beat that for the ego! And I'm loving that I have enough information gathered that the shopping trips will be extremely lightweight from now on - yet we'll still be "Goddesses" (Except for the guys, they'll have to settle for being Gods).

I loved all that. And the nights that I returned to camp at 11:30 or so, exhausted, I could wrestle up soom food (or on some nights, someone insisted on wrestling it for me - thanks Chon!) and sit under Cip's Tree and listen to my Brothers while I ate. Relaxing with family. It was great. I saw Arni more than I did last year, which alleviated my loneliness-memory from then. It was really wonderful to travel up with him (we haven't for years!) and then have a couple of days together before the Event officially started.
I got to go shopping in the Bazaar. Not much, but more than last year. We bought the loom I was looking for (Hey Rhiannon - I WOVE!) and now I have to get a decent shuttle and some more thread. I didn't get to open the package until we were home but it was a great way to sit and rest after the unpacking/cleaning jag.

I got to spend one evening hosting my protogees and their husbands in my little tent, although Adrianna provided the beverages. (Cider - yummy.)
It was a good War. Back to button-counting.

Tired. I figure I got foot-sore and tired around the 4th and never made it to "rested" after that. Next year is going to be SO much better! One town run a day, a trailer to store things in so I can stock up rather than buy in bits and drabs, and best of all, Adrianna and Johanna are both coming back to be my deputies again. I promise, promise, promise that Johanna and I will not be spending 10+ hours a day shopping in Butler and New Castle for the first week. I have all year to browse Internet suppliers and put orders in to have stock delivered onsite. My goal is to have my deputies spend the War with their feet on our (not built yet) desk, the air conditioner (well - big fan, but an airconditioner if I can swing the price since the office IS in a great big aluminum oven) pumping out dry cool air and a sewing basket, or book, at their elbow during their "watch" in the Quartermaster office.

That's my goal.

Starting a new department and changing the working conditions of a whole staff, many of whom have been doing it "their way" for years, has been a fun challenge. The last two Wars I have been focussing on becoming known as an enabler (in the good sense) and gaining acceptance as a resource they can count on. That goal is achieved. And now, when I have a lockable storage area to use "for my very own", I can start saving the event money in a way that has only been hinted at so far. I'm looking forward to it. It'll take a couple of years to show on the books, but show it will. I'm looking forward to working less than 12 hours a day and then trudging home to camp in the late evening for only an hour or less of cameraderie. (It did get better in the last week. I was doing 13 1/2 hours a day for the first 9 days...) Next year, with a reduced need for travel and a better defined SOP, the work load will be much lighter. It was lighter this year than the work was last Pennsic, yet we purchased for more departments this War than the last one. And we developed a faster tracking and purchasing system this itme. So next year would have been better even if I'd not been given a sturdy brand-new trailer to use as a "Staff store" for supplies. Soon, there won't be much left to do in organising and only a minor amount to do in grunt-work. Which is good because at some point, I need to convince someone that they want to be my replacement. Isn't that the first consideration of any office-holder? To do the job well and to NOT make oneself irreplaceable?

Now back to the book that my sweet husband bought for me at Pennsic. And an appointment with my lovely, lovely waterbed...

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Thoughts

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Entries tagged with pennsic service

Pennsic musings

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