Arisia 2014
Once again I have survived visiting Boston in January. Arisia is a magical place (like Tahiti) and it's difficult to come back to the real world afterward. It's been a bit easier having been sick yesterday and sick/snow day today, but tomorrow I'll be back to work.
There was a lot going on:
Working: Philcon did not have a presence at Arisia this year. Instead, my table and party duties were for the DC 17 Worldcon bid. This was not particularly onerous, since there were so many committee members present. I do think I managed to prove myself a little, by being available, ready to help, and competent, whenever something came up. I am not the world's best salesperson, but the behind-the-scenes work (like umpteen trips to the ice machine) is just as vital. I also got the chance to meet some of the people from the other bids, almost all of whom were friendly.
Programming: I attended three panels and a concert, which is more programming than I've managed to get to at any con in the last couple of years -- pretty much since I started working at Philcon, in fact. Occasionally I've had trouble even picking out that many I wanted to attend. In this case, there were plenty of other things I was considering, but passed up in favor of social interaction, or food, or whatever. After all, there's always another chance to talk about any given topic. The ones I did get to were (titles thoroughly mangled): The Secrets of Cities; Building a Galactic Empire; and Polyamory 201. The concert was Murder Ballads, the folk-ish duo of slipjig and (quick research) cluegirl. I already knew I liked slipjig's music, so I assumed his musical partner would be good too, but HOLY CRAP, she is not just good but amazing.
Social: This is, after all, what we're really all there for, isn't it? Despite the crowds and chaos, there were quiet times and places enough that I got to sit and chat with several people who I'd really only known in passing before. Twice, I was sitting by myself typing into my iPad and someone sat down and started chatting. I'm used to that when I'm with Hugh, but when I'm alone I'm usually invisible. It was odd. Good, but odd.
There was a lot going on:
Working: Philcon did not have a presence at Arisia this year. Instead, my table and party duties were for the DC 17 Worldcon bid. This was not particularly onerous, since there were so many committee members present. I do think I managed to prove myself a little, by being available, ready to help, and competent, whenever something came up. I am not the world's best salesperson, but the behind-the-scenes work (like umpteen trips to the ice machine) is just as vital. I also got the chance to meet some of the people from the other bids, almost all of whom were friendly.
Programming: I attended three panels and a concert, which is more programming than I've managed to get to at any con in the last couple of years -- pretty much since I started working at Philcon, in fact. Occasionally I've had trouble even picking out that many I wanted to attend. In this case, there were plenty of other things I was considering, but passed up in favor of social interaction, or food, or whatever. After all, there's always another chance to talk about any given topic. The ones I did get to were (titles thoroughly mangled): The Secrets of Cities; Building a Galactic Empire; and Polyamory 201. The concert was Murder Ballads, the folk-ish duo of slipjig and (quick research) cluegirl. I already knew I liked slipjig's music, so I assumed his musical partner would be good too, but HOLY CRAP, she is not just good but amazing.
Social: This is, after all, what we're really all there for, isn't it? Despite the crowds and chaos, there were quiet times and places enough that I got to sit and chat with several people who I'd really only known in passing before. Twice, I was sitting by myself typing into my iPad and someone sat down and started chatting. I'm used to that when I'm with Hugh, but when I'm alone I'm usually invisible. It was odd. Good, but odd.