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[msmemory_archive]

So we found this house.... it's pretty, it's very large, it's in move-in shape (though it could stand a few fiddly things like water-seal on the deck, and we would need to make sure the house inspector isn't seeing things we're missing). The catch is, it's in Framingham.

jducoeur posted in his journal that we are dithering. Unfortunately, it seems that most of the comments seem to be non-supportive of our moving out there. Waaaah!

I readily admit, we would already have earnest money on this house if it were closer in. No question, if it were in Waltham, or Watertown, we'd be all over it. (Though in Waltham, I think it would be in the upper 7s or low 8s in price.) Would our friends really not come to Framingham? Don't they already not visit us, and if so, does it matter if they still don't? We want to entertain - will we be refused?

More dither.

Comments

[hfcougar.livejournal.com]

We want to entertain - will we be refused?

I think that for planned ahead events, things people can pre-arrange rides for and mark on the calendar, it is unlikely that friends would refuse you. Many people in my experience will travel further, or otherwise go out of their way, for a friend's occasion. Getting more casual acquaintances and brand new people to come will be more challenging, but the planning ahead factor can sometimes overcome this.

For last-minute, impromptu events? Yes, you may be refused. You may encounter people who very much would like to go, but simply cannot. But you will probably find that many people will at least try.

Specifically regarding post-revels, however, there is one thing which has nothing to do with house buying. I wasn't sure whether or not to bring it up, but no one else has.

My perception since I moved here is that Wadsworth House is The Post-Revel Place. It's practically a given at this point (unless the event, say, ends at 9pm on a Sunday night or something). Maybe that is just my perception; I have only been here two years. For all I know this is a recent development.

I think creating a paradigm shift towards having your new house be The Post-Revel Place is going to be difficult, and living in Framingham is sadly not going to help, especially for borough people and the otherwise non-car-enabled. And I know if both you guys and Wadsworth were having a post-revel after the same event, I'd be facing a pretty tough decision. I don't know if any others would find it a tough choice. I'd also really hate to see any social division occur into "the people that go to WH" and "the people that go to Caitlin and Justin's".

[jducoeur]

For all I know this is a recent development.

Relatively, yes -- you're seeing the way things have been for maybe the past five years, but it was quite different before that.

You have to bear in mind, post-revels in this area are in pretty bad shape, relatively speaking. Carolingia used to do post-revels reliably and frequently: every event had one, and it wasn't terribly unusual to have two on an evening, although we tended to try to avoid that. The most central ones could be huge -- the one we still refer to as "the post-revel to end all post-revels" had over 50 people at it -- although that level was unusual. There was also more variety to them. I really, really miss having filking and SCA storytelling at post-revels, both of which are much more unusual these days.

Back at that time, there was no single post-revel place. Oh, there were always frequent locations -- House Windsmeet, back when it was a physical place, was one -- but when they really were healthy it was unusual for the same place to host post-revels for two successive events.

I don't really expect there to be any conflict here. First of all, I'd probably co-ordinate with Troy on the subject. AFAICT, it isn't that he's aggressively holding these parties -- it's that, since no one else is doing so, he's been stepping into the gap. (And letting himself get talked into it when necessary.) We'll have to talk, but I suspect he's not going to be heartbroken if he's not expected to have the post-revel after *every* event.

Second, we'd probably choose different events. Unsurprisingly, there's a pretty good correlation between where the event is and how well the Wadsworth postrevel goes -- typically, the further out into the 'burbs, the fewer people come. (There has always been a substantial relationship between proximity to the site and postrevel success.) So I suspect that, in practice, we'd mostly do revels for events that are outside 128, and Wadsworth more the ones that are inside, to have revels be more convenient after the event. In that regard, the Framingham location is potentially pretty useful -- it's less redundant.

Frankly, I think that would be for the best all around. The different houses have different strengths, and are likely to draw overlapping but not identical crowds. That can hopefully help to reinvigorate the concept of post-revels in general. The Wadsworth revels are fun, but they've mostly been drawing from a fairly small fraction of the Barony. Having the post-revels rotate a bit more is likely to help with that.

In short, none of this is about stealing the concept of "The Post-Revel Place". It's about the fact that the idea that there is only one place for all post-revels is a new, and not particularly healthy concept. Having a few places trading off is historically the more common pattern, and one I'd like to encourage...

[hfcougar.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's about stealing at all. Just... changing. And change can take a while if people are used to a particular way.

I don't doubt that Troy would probably be glad to no longer be the only go-to guy.

My point was more that it might take a while for the change to happen, and that distance may very well be a factor in that. Perhaps not, if you loosely divide the in-town and suburban events. I don't think you're stealing anything at all, just that it could take a bit to shake people out of their rut.