Goody,
You okay? Your filters seem to have been turned off. The latest post is brutally awesome.
-Concerned
Dear Concerned,
You know, I really do appreciate your concern and it’s nice to know kind people are still out there. Also, I enjoy the flattery, so keep that shit coming. My filters, well, sometimes they just catch fire in the glow of my incandescent bewilderment produced simply by reading questions I have received. Often, I close my eyes and try not to sob, or howl with laughter, or gibber in madness at the words I am considering. My filters, they might be ash. The questions and answers that you read in this column are the ones I have been able to answer reasonably and with limited swearing as the Editors do not allow me freedom with my full lexicon of invective, so I must be a choosy Goody. So, send your questions but if you FA you will FO what happens when my filters are truly missing.
Hope this helps!
-Goody Advice
Hey Goody,
People keep saying that they want me to bring my period gunpowder experiments to events but don’t understand that I don’t because I want them to be safe. They’re saying I’m being selfish with my knowledge. How do I navigate this?
-No Boom Today
Dear Boom,
I find that the very best way to explain to people why something is a terrible idea is to show them in flamboyantly graphic detail. Make a sign, note card or trifold brochure! When people ask about your art hazard, simply take out your prepared sign or pamphlet and wordlessly hold it up or hand it to the querent with a great big smile. If you can find some, include photos of what the item can do to the human body along with the most vivid and in depth explanation possible. Leave no bit of gore out and cheerfully explain all of it to show how much you appreciate their enthusiasm. Suggest they are welcome to begin work with this fresh hazard at any time that you are not supplying to possible cause of legal action.
You may presume this now educated person won’t ask again about this danger. Wish them a good day and sashay away!
Hope this helps!
-Goody Advice
Dear Goody,
I’m brand new to the SCA and have been told by some long time members that now is the time I should be picking the one aspect of the SCA I base my entire personality around.
Which one should I pick?
-Blank Slate
Dear Slate,
No! It’s a trap!
Use your honeymoon period in the SCA to fall more in love with the dream of it. Meet new people and try everything that seems interesting to you. Try it all once, even if it seems intriguing but you think it might not be for you. New experiences can light up bits of your brain, heart and soul. Occasionally you will discover hidden talents that even you did not know existed.
For the first year or three, just explore. Make no long term associations and take no belts. Accept hospitality with grace and allow yourself to meet new people with an open mind. Form your own opinions, but remember advice or the warnings of friends because they likely have your best interests in mind. However, should anyone ask you to be cruel, unkind or even unpleasant to another person or avoid an aspect of the Society because they didn’t enjoy it, that is not the company to keep.
Remember you are playing a game, so are all the other people you meet. Play the game on weekends, but remember that on Monday morning, we all go back to work.
Have fun. Try it all. Find joy. Keep perspective. Be open to everything and see what embraces you.
Hope this helps!
-Goody Advice
the SCAllion 