Update, Part the First
Nov. 24th, 2004 01:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
filkferengiLife is often fun, but seldom in the ways one expects. So why do we keep setting up expectations, knowing they'll inevitably turn into something completely different anyway? [See Lois McMaster Bujold & some other people's comments about how combat {and other} plans never survive first contact.]
Fencon was like that, back in September. I thought it'd be like ConDFW was back in February, wherein all the Bujold listies basically lived in each other's pockets for the whole weekend--euphoria with all five vowels! I was expecting something similar, since lots of the same people would be there.
But the configuration was different, as it always is. For one thing, ConDFW had been situated near several eating places, so it was the simplest thing in the world to get hungry, grab some people, and go off for a pleasant meal. Fencon was in the middle of nowhere, with the nearest food several miles away. Fortunately Dawn, Mark, and I [the fen I flew out from Atlanta with] rented a car at the airport, so we at least had transportation. Of course, that meant coordinating with other people, rather than following one's own pleasure. Trust me, it was no pleasure of my own that got us up at 8 in the morning during the con to meet up for breakfast at 8:30. [deep shudder of revulsion] I'd come to the con hoping to spend time with the Texas people & wound up spending most of the time with Atlanta people--who are delightful and lots of fun, but I can socialize with them at home for free.
There were lots of way cool people there, cool musicians and authors, people I wanted to see and spend time with, but they kept flitting past, like something seen out of the corner of the eye. We wound up taking![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
joyslin to dinner & had fun getting better acquainted. The party Friday night was lovely; contrary to the rest of the weekend, people were actually in one place long enough to talk with and enjoy. The party ran a bit late, so I missed the evening concerts, but that was okay, because the same people had encore concerts on Saturday and Sunday. What a clever idea, giving people two concerts, so, even if one missed one [concert, that is ;)], one need not miss out completely.
Here lately, at cons, I usually wind up bagging programming to hang out with people. This time, I was doing the programming and missing out on the people; I was discombobulated, with all five vowels. Of course, as Dawn pointed out, not only was there the food-being-far-away thing; Lois' presence at ConDFW had provided a group focus. Lacking that, everyone was pursuing their own interests, including me. I taped lots of concerts & spent far too much time [not to mention cash] in the overflowing dealers' room or hanging around the comfy couches immediately outside, ambushing passing pedestrians. This time we got Tom Vinson out to dinner; what a fun guy! Saturday night I ran away to all the room parties, each one with a different married man. I tried to get into the filk room around midnight, but the doorway was blocked. What I could see from around the flowing draperies, the room looked pretty full. I hated missing out on Joe Giacoio, who's a fabulous guitarist, but I had to get up early anyway.
One advantage about the whole getting up early thing was, we were back in plenty of time for the interview with Ardath Mayhar at 10 a.m. For various reasons, mostly involving shopping or chatting, I had missed her panels, so catching the interview was essential. I've been a major fan of hers for over two decades, so meeting her was a definite thrill, almost up there with meeting Andre Norton for the first time. I taped lots more cool concerts Sunday afternoon, which I may even get onto cds at some point in dim futurity.
Dead-dog things were going on most of the afternoon and into the early evening. I was hoping for some filk [having managed to miss all the night filking], but it wasn't happening. Since Mark had left earlier, Dawn and I went out for dinner and brought sandwiches back to the room. We dined quietly, chatted until 11, and then retired. [I don't know what it was, but, in spite of ample rest {7-8 hours each night}, we were both tired the whole convention.]
The rental car was due back, so we got to the DFW airport by 11:30 Monday morning. We had been expecting some delays coming into Dallas, as Ivan was doing his fan dance; instead there were delays as Jeanne jumped over to Atlanta. We were stuck at the airport. While not as bad as Logan [the unwashed, unshaven armpit of airports; see the WorldCon report], it was no fun. For one thing, the food selection was extremely limited. There was one hotdog stand, two barbecue places, and a yogurt place--for a concourse almost twice as long as those at Hartsfield! And I know, because Dawn and I walked the whole length thereof, which passed a fair amount of time. Like Logan, we wound up eating hotdogs in the airport. Unlike Logan, there was at least frozen yogurt [admittedly appallingly far away, but still--]. The chairs were more comfortable, and I had the felicitous idea of putting our feet up on the suitcases. All in all, despite having to spend twice as long in DFW airport as we did in Logan, my feet were still better off. The walking probably helped too.
Our plane didn't leave until after 9:30 p.m. We had successfully survived ten hours in DFW airport; yay. I got on the plane lacking 20 pages of finishing a thick paperback; I got off the plane around 1 a.m. lacking 20 pages of finishing another thick paperback [ah, the advantages of airport paranoia; always bring extra {-large} books]. We offered Dawn a ride, but Marta was faster for her; she had to be at work at 8 a.m.
By the time I finally got home, it was after 2 a.m., and I was plumb wore out.
Fencon was like that, back in September. I thought it'd be like ConDFW was back in February, wherein all the Bujold listies basically lived in each other's pockets for the whole weekend--euphoria with all five vowels! I was expecting something similar, since lots of the same people would be there.
But the configuration was different, as it always is. For one thing, ConDFW had been situated near several eating places, so it was the simplest thing in the world to get hungry, grab some people, and go off for a pleasant meal. Fencon was in the middle of nowhere, with the nearest food several miles away. Fortunately Dawn, Mark, and I [the fen I flew out from Atlanta with] rented a car at the airport, so we at least had transportation. Of course, that meant coordinating with other people, rather than following one's own pleasure. Trust me, it was no pleasure of my own that got us up at 8 in the morning during the con to meet up for breakfast at 8:30. [deep shudder of revulsion] I'd come to the con hoping to spend time with the Texas people & wound up spending most of the time with Atlanta people--who are delightful and lots of fun, but I can socialize with them at home for free.
There were lots of way cool people there, cool musicians and authors, people I wanted to see and spend time with, but they kept flitting past, like something seen out of the corner of the eye. We wound up taking
joyslin to dinner & had fun getting better acquainted. The party Friday night was lovely; contrary to the rest of the weekend, people were actually in one place long enough to talk with and enjoy. The party ran a bit late, so I missed the evening concerts, but that was okay, because the same people had encore concerts on Saturday and Sunday. What a clever idea, giving people two concerts, so, even if one missed one [concert, that is ;)], one need not miss out completely.Here lately, at cons, I usually wind up bagging programming to hang out with people. This time, I was doing the programming and missing out on the people; I was discombobulated, with all five vowels. Of course, as Dawn pointed out, not only was there the food-being-far-away thing; Lois' presence at ConDFW had provided a group focus. Lacking that, everyone was pursuing their own interests, including me. I taped lots of concerts & spent far too much time [not to mention cash] in the overflowing dealers' room or hanging around the comfy couches immediately outside, ambushing passing pedestrians. This time we got Tom Vinson out to dinner; what a fun guy! Saturday night I ran away to all the room parties, each one with a different married man. I tried to get into the filk room around midnight, but the doorway was blocked. What I could see from around the flowing draperies, the room looked pretty full. I hated missing out on Joe Giacoio, who's a fabulous guitarist, but I had to get up early anyway.
One advantage about the whole getting up early thing was, we were back in plenty of time for the interview with Ardath Mayhar at 10 a.m. For various reasons, mostly involving shopping or chatting, I had missed her panels, so catching the interview was essential. I've been a major fan of hers for over two decades, so meeting her was a definite thrill, almost up there with meeting Andre Norton for the first time. I taped lots more cool concerts Sunday afternoon, which I may even get onto cds at some point in dim futurity.
Dead-dog things were going on most of the afternoon and into the early evening. I was hoping for some filk [having managed to miss all the night filking], but it wasn't happening. Since Mark had left earlier, Dawn and I went out for dinner and brought sandwiches back to the room. We dined quietly, chatted until 11, and then retired. [I don't know what it was, but, in spite of ample rest {7-8 hours each night}, we were both tired the whole convention.]
The rental car was due back, so we got to the DFW airport by 11:30 Monday morning. We had been expecting some delays coming into Dallas, as Ivan was doing his fan dance; instead there were delays as Jeanne jumped over to Atlanta. We were stuck at the airport. While not as bad as Logan [the unwashed, unshaven armpit of airports; see the WorldCon report], it was no fun. For one thing, the food selection was extremely limited. There was one hotdog stand, two barbecue places, and a yogurt place--for a concourse almost twice as long as those at Hartsfield! And I know, because Dawn and I walked the whole length thereof, which passed a fair amount of time. Like Logan, we wound up eating hotdogs in the airport. Unlike Logan, there was at least frozen yogurt [admittedly appallingly far away, but still--]. The chairs were more comfortable, and I had the felicitous idea of putting our feet up on the suitcases. All in all, despite having to spend twice as long in DFW airport as we did in Logan, my feet were still better off. The walking probably helped too.
Our plane didn't leave until after 9:30 p.m. We had successfully survived ten hours in DFW airport; yay. I got on the plane lacking 20 pages of finishing a thick paperback; I got off the plane around 1 a.m. lacking 20 pages of finishing another thick paperback [ah, the advantages of airport paranoia; always bring extra {-large} books]. We offered Dawn a ride, but Marta was faster for her; she had to be at work at 8 a.m.
By the time I finally got home, it was after 2 a.m., and I was plumb wore out.
