SCRIBENOTES 4


 

Unto: All Scribes
From: Alarice Beatrix von Thal, Lochac Provost of Scribes

Greetings all!

Are you all still there? Things have been so quiet this month that I was beginning to wonder if I'd done something wrong, but I decided you were probably all busy scrolling on your overdue or new assignments.

Of course, I need to apologise for my lack of communication too. This Scribenotes is around two weeks late. Unfortunately exams and the last minute panic and cramming that go with them held me up a little. And of course we all had the Festival, Spring Coronet (congratulations are in order for Haos and Bryony), and various other Easter activities to keep us busy, so I can understand if scribing has taken a back set for you as well as me. However, as disruptions leave our lives, so must the excuses (that sounds very deep doesn't it?), so here, finally, is Scribenotes.

The lack of scribal activity has led the tally this month to look a little bare. I received:

Pre-Printed AAs: 3
Original Leaves: 0
Original Peerage: 1
Total 4

Compared to February's total of 12, it's not that great is it? This means our backlog hasn't changed much:

A = Assigned U = Unassigned

Pre-Printed AAs: 65(A) 26(U)
Original Leaves: 3(U)
Original Peerage: 20(A) 13(U)
Total: 85(A) 42(U)

I should point out that, as you can see from these figures, the majority of assignments are actually assigned. That means they are with you guys. Some of them has been assigned for a very long time. Some of them should be returned if the scribes holding onto them are not going to get them done soon. Get the point?

Incentive Scheme

The good news is that this month we handed out over twenty scrolls. It's very nice to see your own work handed out at court and to hear the "oohs and aahs" of appreciation. Unfortunately, this particular Society pasttime tends to be in the background. The few moments in court are often the only pat on the back you get from the populace at large. I am therefore introducing a new incentive scheme. It will hopefully encourage you all to complete your assignments (but please don't compromise on quality). I will call it "Scribe of the Month" (although it is really scribe of the "Bi-Month" since it is announced every Scribenotes). I am going to give every scribe points for the work they hand in during the time period. Each Scribenotes, the scribe with the most points will be proclaimed Scribe of the Month - so all your fellow scribes reading this missive will be able to appreciate the amount of work you are doing. At the end of the year the scribe who has tallied the most points will win themselves a one-year Society membership (to keep for themselves or to give to a friend).

To earn points the scroll must be acceptable to the College (ie. no mistakes for which it must be returned). The "year" will run from April Scribenotes (this one - remember it's late) to April Scribenotes. The table of points is as follows:

Pre-printed AA:
Calligraphy 1 point
Illumination 1 point
Original Leaf:
Calligraphy 2 points
Illumination 2 points
Original Peerage:
Calligraphy 3 points
Illumination 3 points
This month's scribe of the Month, with 6 points, is Marit the Wanderer. Congratulations! You're in the running for the membership.

Remember, this is designed to be an incentive scheme, not a competition. It's just a way for me to give a pat on the back to the most prolific scribes and to let you all know who is doing all the work. Please don't hoard all your scrolls so that by handing them in all at once you can be Scribe of the Month. Remember, Scribe of the Year will be the one with the most points overall - it has nothing to do with being Scribe of the Month.

Couriers

I have a courier leaving for the States in two weeks. If you have a Kingdom scroll to get signed and sealed send it to me NOW! (If you are posting, make it certified mail). The courier is Lady Elspeth Penrheiner (Katrina Hennessy). She will be stopping off in Perth before she heads o/s, so she can pick up scrolls in Aneala too. (Contact Steveg Stevegson to ascertain her movements there.) She is leaving Sydney on 26/05/90 and leaving Perth on 30/05/90. So be quick!

College Ranks

Sorry to muck everyone around on this point, but I haven't actually got around to working this out. The good news is that I have had the fortune to be given long term use of a Personal Computer, with data storage abilities. As soon as I work out how to use the thing, I will be able to put all my records onto disk, and it will be much easier for me to work out your ranks. So hang on in there!

Hebrew Sources

Anyone interested in learning about or doing Hebrew scrolls should look out for a book called "Hebrew Manuscript Painting" by Gutmann (Published by Chatto & Windus, 1979). Anton d'Estoc found it is Sydney University's Fischer Library and recommended it to scribes. Thanks!

That's all for this time (short and sweet, huh?). I look forward to seeing an influx of scrolls and assignment requests. Keep well until next time -

Yours in Service,
ank