journal.novachild.com: Weekend Bliss

Weekend Bliss
7/18/2005

This weekend was exciting and exhausting!

Conestoga 9, Tulsa's only SF&F Convention, was held once again at Sheraton Hotel on 41st and Garnett. To break even, the convention had to attract at least 400 attendees, and they surpassed this number by Saturday morning!

It was one of the best Conestogas yet. Interesting guests, lots of good cheer, and plenty of odd people wandering the halls. The TDWVS Video Room was also a great success, though some of the staffers didn't fail to hide their anymosity. To make a long story short, the Convention lawyers decided to kill the 'official' video room, so we took it upon ourselves to fund an unofficial one - directly across from the Con Suite. We held several fund raisers to come up with the money, from tee-shirts to garage sales. And we made it. Sure, it cost us a pretty penny, but the suite was much more comfortable than one of the meeting rooms downstairs, and many convention guests complimented the change. And once again Doctor Who always seemed to attract the largest crowds!

The animosity from some of the staffers was a bit irritating. Almost felt like a witch hunt at times. But that's what happens when a few bad apples get mixed in, I suppose. And of course - organizing big events like this tends to attract a certain breed of fan - escapists with control issues. So one must keep that in mind as well. It especially bothered me that the TDWVS Video Room signs were not allowed to use the word "Video" on them (at least not on the Convention floor). Somebody went round and scribbled out the word "Video" on all of our signs. I was furious, but there was nothing I could do. Next year, we are going to rephrase our flyers to sidestep this issue. Make it clever and effective without being condescending. That's the goal at any rate.

All in all, I really enjoyed C9. It was my favorite so far, or at least as fun as last year (and with a more interesting GoH, I think). I didn't get involved with programming as much as I had intended; the big Munchkin game was held at the same time as several panels I wanted to see, but I have my priorities. It was a lot of fun, and I got a few things out of it (a free complete game of Frag, and Munchkin Fu 2: Monky Business - YAY!).

I also discovered that Harry Potter fans are really quite strange. The kids are understandable, but the adults... well, let's just say that some people shouldn't flaunt their inner child quite so much. While intrinsically it is a beautiful thing, in large crowds it can be rather surreal.

Conestoga always schedules a play on Saturday night. The Play is a parody of a movie or a series of movies, and it's usually painfully funny. This year, they parodied the latest Star Wars movie - bad in its own right and made even more laughable in this theatrical form. Though there was a scheduling conflict on my part (I had a 'Bikini Dance Party' to attend on the other side of town), I'm glad I stuck around for the Play, though I was suffering from a tummy ache the entire time (and no, it had very little to do with the source material). I can safely say that the parody was much more satisfying than the film, and it was especially nice to see Chris dressed up as the 9th Doctor for one particular scene. "Fantastic!"

After the play, we ran out to DJ Badger's "Retro Without Shame" Bikini Dance Party. Being a male with a certain voyeuristic streak, I enjoyed it immensely and without shame. I will withhold many of my personal observations regarding the party, but let's just say it was the visual highlight of the Summer. It was also nice to catch up with lŭḱē (hey, at least we TRIED to dance!). Thanks Amalia for 'pressuring' me to get out there and boogie, and thanks to my lovely wife for not pummelling me into the dirt for all the uncontrollable gawking I surely did.

Sunday at the Con was rather uneventful for me. I was exhausted from lack of sleep and also from too much activity. So I worked my video room shift and went home. Zoe and her husband-to-be arrived at the last minute, blessing my wife and I with belated birthday gifts. Now I have two more Stephen Baxter novels to read, and she's got some hematite jewelry to wear.

Fun!

posted by Edward Svengali @ Monday, July 18, 2005,