do you know where your towel is?
If you've got all your Arisia tasks signed sealed and delivered, read no further. Or if you happen to be reading my LJ and you don't know anyone who helps run a science fiction convention, you won't be interested in the rest of this. For everyone else: We're exactly one month out from the con and all of a sudden there's doom and gloom in the air.
Every year for Arisia, and on every other con I have worked on too, there comes that moment where many things seem to be falling apart, and all we can see are the holes. Before Noreascon 4, at just this stage in the process of WorldCon prep, Jill Eastlake sent out a message that said "if we do 80% of what we planned, the attendees will get 110% of what they expect". These were wise words and they often apply to what we are doing in Arisia as well. I'm not at all saying that we don't have a lot of work in front of us; of course we do. But it will get increasingly important to manage our expectations in the month ahead.
From what I'm seeing in my mailbox, and in private conversations, we're at that moment, right now, this week. We need to be really clear about what is done, what is in process, and what, reluctantly, we are going to have to abandon in order to get from here to the con. Saturday's concomm meeting is our last scheduled get together before the convention. So it's important that as many of us as possible are there, and that we get as many of those questions answered as we can.
In the meantime, simple rules will get us far:
* Put on your own oxygen mask first. Don't get to con minus your health, your sanity, or even your sense of humor.
* Assume that every one is doing the best they can. Treat your fellow volunteers a little better than they deserve.
* Share what you know. (And if you don't know, share that too. Someone else probably has the answer.)
We will get to the middle of January, we will meet at the Westin, and it will be awesome. Let's make sure we all get there in one piece. Huzzah!
(and remind me I said this, this time, next year!)