Marcon 2010
I spent a wonderful weekend at Marcon in Columbus, Ohio. Chris and I try to hit Balticon every other year and this was our off year, so we didn't originally have any con plans for the weekend. I'd been working with quadrivium on a project for work - as a graduation present for my students, I create a video retrospective of the year and wrote a verse about each of them. quadrivium recorded the soundtrack since (as anyone who has heard me sing knows), I have difficulty staying on the same continent as the tune. We hadn't seen each other in person for far too long, and I hadn't filked since OVFF, so I decided I was due. When I discovered I could use frequent flier miles for a ticket, it was a done deal.
Since my staff practically shoved me out the door and (based one the lack of contents of my inbox), quite likely sheltered me from stuff this weekend, I think six months of 80 hour weeks was taking its toll. And the previous 12 months hadn't been a cake walk of regular hours. The weekend was not only fun and relaxing, it also broke through the lyric writer's block that had plagued me for a month. I shipped a rough draft of lyrics to kilted_singer on Sunday and completed a first draft of a parody. I also made significant forward progress on another set of lyrics I had been struggling with for weeks. kilted_singer and I have been writing songs together since September. He does the music and I do the lyrics - we wrote 16 songs before my creativity dried up a month ago.
I didn't even contact Marcon about programming - I just went on a regular membership and hung out. And had a blast. It was my first time at Marcon and it was a lovely con. This is going to be a bit of a rambling and disjointed con report and I'm going to inevitably leave things (and people) out, so I apologize in advance.
Got to the hotel about 6:30 or thereabouts, checked in, and almost immediately hooked up with friends. We got pizza, chatted, and I showed off my new iPad, bought as a present to myself. entp2007 had suggested about a month ago that I'd like one, and I brushed him off. But then everywhere I turned I saw one and the things it could do and when I saw the music stuff I was sold. Entp2007 knows me all too well . . . It was especially cool to have all my music on one small thing and not to carry sheafs of paper. And FYI, to anyone who likes word games and shops the App Store - check out Worder. Totally fun and addicting.
I went to the horror themed filk circle hosted by music GoH Seanan MacGuire, which flowed into open filk. It was a sparse circle but a fun one. We were joined by a group of Wizard Rockers and we had a great time swapping music. It was especially cool since I'd written an article about Wizard Rock and filk (available on line at http://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/viewArticle/139/102 ) They invited me to the showing of the Wizard Rockumentary on Sunday and the panel afterwards. I was anxious to see the documentary, and I was thrilled they were showing it. I missed the last few minutes because of tech problems with the set up and the fact that quadrivium's concert was opposite the panel (which meant I also missed the panel, unfortunately).
Saturday was more hanging out with friends. I also went to the panel on top 10 horror filk songs, to Seanan's concert, practiced with quadrivium who was accompanying me for the songwriting competition, went to the panel on songwriting, did the competition (congratulations to peteralway on 1st place and mrgoodwraith on 2nd Place!). I originally wanted to enter Night Patrol but kept consistently screwing up in the same two places, so I switched to Prism (kilted_singer did the music for both). It's not quite as horror-ish as Night Patrol, but it does have a creepy factor which was effectively reinforced with quadrivium's work on the keyboard. Grabbed some much needed dinner, at which point the Muse decided to wake up and I started scribbling on the lyrics for a song that had been taunting me for a month.
Two rooms of open filk were going Saturday night, collapsing down into one after a bit. I started in the smaller circle and transferred to the larger circle when the first ran out of steam. I didn't keep track of songs over the course of the weekend and who played what, but I had an absolutely wonderful time and heard some great stuff.
Sunday I finished the lyrics, shipped them off to kilted_singer, went to the Wizard Rocumentary and quadrivium's concert, and then to the horror round robin. Had a great dinner with friends (and shout out to bedlamhouse - sorry I didn't get to say goodbye!), then back to the dead dog filk. Quadrivium was game for accompanying, so I did Enough and G-things, which I can't carry off very well on my own. Went back to my room to crash, but the Muse took hold again and I scribbled on lyrics for a couple of hours before falling asleep around midnight.
All in all, it was a wonderful and much needed weekend. Thanks to all!
Since my staff practically shoved me out the door and (based one the lack of contents of my inbox), quite likely sheltered me from stuff this weekend, I think six months of 80 hour weeks was taking its toll. And the previous 12 months hadn't been a cake walk of regular hours. The weekend was not only fun and relaxing, it also broke through the lyric writer's block that had plagued me for a month. I shipped a rough draft of lyrics to kilted_singer on Sunday and completed a first draft of a parody. I also made significant forward progress on another set of lyrics I had been struggling with for weeks. kilted_singer and I have been writing songs together since September. He does the music and I do the lyrics - we wrote 16 songs before my creativity dried up a month ago.
I didn't even contact Marcon about programming - I just went on a regular membership and hung out. And had a blast. It was my first time at Marcon and it was a lovely con. This is going to be a bit of a rambling and disjointed con report and I'm going to inevitably leave things (and people) out, so I apologize in advance.
Got to the hotel about 6:30 or thereabouts, checked in, and almost immediately hooked up with friends. We got pizza, chatted, and I showed off my new iPad, bought as a present to myself. entp2007 had suggested about a month ago that I'd like one, and I brushed him off. But then everywhere I turned I saw one and the things it could do and when I saw the music stuff I was sold. Entp2007 knows me all too well . . . It was especially cool to have all my music on one small thing and not to carry sheafs of paper. And FYI, to anyone who likes word games and shops the App Store - check out Worder. Totally fun and addicting.
I went to the horror themed filk circle hosted by music GoH Seanan MacGuire, which flowed into open filk. It was a sparse circle but a fun one. We were joined by a group of Wizard Rockers and we had a great time swapping music. It was especially cool since I'd written an article about Wizard Rock and filk (available on line at http://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/viewArticle/139/102 ) They invited me to the showing of the Wizard Rockumentary on Sunday and the panel afterwards. I was anxious to see the documentary, and I was thrilled they were showing it. I missed the last few minutes because of tech problems with the set up and the fact that quadrivium's concert was opposite the panel (which meant I also missed the panel, unfortunately).
Saturday was more hanging out with friends. I also went to the panel on top 10 horror filk songs, to Seanan's concert, practiced with quadrivium who was accompanying me for the songwriting competition, went to the panel on songwriting, did the competition (congratulations to peteralway on 1st place and mrgoodwraith on 2nd Place!). I originally wanted to enter Night Patrol but kept consistently screwing up in the same two places, so I switched to Prism (kilted_singer did the music for both). It's not quite as horror-ish as Night Patrol, but it does have a creepy factor which was effectively reinforced with quadrivium's work on the keyboard. Grabbed some much needed dinner, at which point the Muse decided to wake up and I started scribbling on the lyrics for a song that had been taunting me for a month.
Two rooms of open filk were going Saturday night, collapsing down into one after a bit. I started in the smaller circle and transferred to the larger circle when the first ran out of steam. I didn't keep track of songs over the course of the weekend and who played what, but I had an absolutely wonderful time and heard some great stuff.
Sunday I finished the lyrics, shipped them off to kilted_singer, went to the Wizard Rocumentary and quadrivium's concert, and then to the horror round robin. Had a great dinner with friends (and shout out to bedlamhouse - sorry I didn't get to say goodbye!), then back to the dead dog filk. Quadrivium was game for accompanying, so I did Enough and G-things, which I can't carry off very well on my own. Went back to my room to crash, but the Muse took hold again and I scribbled on lyrics for a couple of hours before falling asleep around midnight.
All in all, it was a wonderful and much needed weekend. Thanks to all!