mikailborg: I can't even remember what event I was attending, but I must have been taking it seriously. (cartoon)
Saturday I woke at 8:30, thought to myself "no way, not on a night where I have to stay up 'till 2" and went back to sleep. I woke again at 10:30, went to sit up and was assaulted by nausea and headache. Not, "Oh, I feel like crap, oh well," but "oh God I think I may need to run for the bathroom RIGHT NOW." In the hopes that more rest would help, I rolled over until noon. Couldn't put it off any longer at that point, and made it to McBryde in time for [livejournal.com profile] kittykatya and [livejournal.com profile] impink's Fragile Gravity (http://unseenllc.com/) panel. That was fun, especially when Barb had to change a DVD and Chris was forced to improvise for several minutes. I look forward to Book 3!

Well, you know you're at a real con when two good events are going on at the same time, and much as I wanted to see the General Webcomics Panel, the Spin Doctor had a date at Filking 1025. (Tech uses 4-digit course numbers.) I contributed a couple lines to the weekend's official filk, which we actually finished nice and early! What a concept! An impromptu rendition of "The Dragon and The Lady" followed (NSFW), with joking comments about the fact that the local fandom children are being raised on this stuff. To quote a song that Keith often covers, we'll have a generation of well-rounded outcats.

I dropped by [livejournal.com profile] rattrap and [livejournal.com profile] drich's "First Ones" panel - they are the only attendees who've attended every Technicon. I'd prepared a button that read "Technicon Fourth One" (the best I could do). Lots of old memories flew around that panel; hard to believe the con's 25 years old. I'm fairly sure that's a Virginia fandom record, unless you count RoVaCon / Rising Star as one entity. Still, though, the pain, nausea, and light-headedness continued to build. Barb and others started telling me to Go Lie Down. I talked to Starr a bit - she was having appliance issues at the house right before she had to attend a wedding - and finally gave in and went back to the hotel.

Good news of the evening? While I was semi-comatose, [livejournal.com profile] colleenk gave birth to a little boy. Gratz to her and [livejournal.com profile] yubbie! (Unsurprisingly, this made the con accountant unavailable for the rest of the event.)

I really regret missing the Costume Call and [livejournal.com profile] southernsinger's performance. Every few years at Technicon, I seem to come down with something on Saturday; perhaps I need to start over-medicating the week before, or something. I wasn't the only one, either: [livejournal.com profile] shrewlet had a rough day, and there were bleary eyes elsewhere at the con. However, with modern technology, it's likely that the evening entertainment was all taped, and I'm hoping that someone posted pictures somewhere.

Fortunately, I woke up in possession of a far stabler head and stomach before my evening panels, and headed down to the Microtel conference room. Those panels... are a filtered entry.*grin*
mikailborg: I can't even remember what event I was attending, but I must have been taking it seriously. (orbiting)
Started off the weekend with a fever on Friday, caused probably by having to run around in the cold cold rain on Thursday. But I medicated the heck out of myself, and was well enough to travel with Starr to Williamsburg on Friday for MarsCon.

Most conventions are, for me, opportunities to socialize with friends I don't often get to see. [livejournal.com profile] southernsinger, [livejournal.com profile] kittykatya, [livejournal.com profile] impink, [livejournal.com profile] geckoman, and [livejournal.com profile] stori_lundi were all there, as well as folks I get to see a little more often such as [livejournal.com profile] ptownhiker, [livejournal.com profile] fixitup, and [livejournal.com profile] torn757. Got to spend some quality time with Jesse and Dwight too!

Convention loot: a Devil's Panties graphic novel (Jennie Breeden remembered me from Dragon*Con), character sketches from an artist in the dealer's room, a Carcassonne expansion and an book of Paranoia XP modules, two White Plectrum CDs and a Coyote Run CD, some erotica from Helen Madden's table, and a couple of buttons. After spending the weekend avoiding the purchase of T-shirts, Starr and I were handed free ones by a local game store - now I have to get rid of more old ones to make space!

Next year, the con is supposed to move to a bigger location, and it really needs the space. MarsCon completely overflowed its host hotel, which is a shame, as I think it's a nice place to hold the weekend. I got to hear some other VA con politics I didn't want to hear about, but that's the down side of having friends who are so heavily involved in things.

Speaking of being involved, this was the first time I can recall having my con badge paid for as a "Guest" presenter. I have to say I found it very cool, though somehow I had always imagined it would be for my Great American Science Fiction Novel. Still, the panels (which I talk a bit more about in the Lifestyle filter) were great fun, and I can't wait to do them again next year.

We'd really intended to stay longer on Sunday, but despite finally getting the MarsCon Charity Chair Massage I'd been wanting to try for years, we had a bad case of burnout. Excitement, dancing, endorphins, and little sleep all hit at once, and Starr and I headed home around 1:30 to veg for the rest of the day. Still haven't quite come down though. How long 'till T-Con?

Oh, by the way, for people who didn't go see Cloverfield, or restrained themselves from visiting YouTube this weekend, here's the new Trek movie trailer. Total geekgasm.
mikailborg: I can't even remember what event I was attending, but I must have been taking it seriously. (rainbow)
My morning routine changed today. I think I like the new version:

1) Wake up, slowly, a few minutes before the alarm. Don't go back to sleep. Body will thank you for not cramming adrenaline into it so early.

2) Do morning e-mail and webcomic troll as usual to activate brain.

3) Once brain is functional enough, make and eat breakfast. Do not wait until you're running out the door to shove breakfast down throat.

4) Shower, dress, and leave for work.

This works far better than previous routines. Let's see if I can keep it up.

Last night, I went to see the Dresden Dolls at the Norva. They're an extremely offbeat duo, but I was hooked on my first listening by their wild energy, odd humor, and musical skill. Amanda Palmer plays her keyboard like an insane person, hitting the keys with the flats of her fingers, rocking back and forth on her stool, tucking a knee under her chin, and yet delivering one of the most complex and precise performances I've ever heard. Translate that to drums, and you have Brian Viglione's playing; on top of that, they seem to telepathically communicate during the show, improvising crazily and yet in sync. I had to go.

My body regrets that today. There's little-to-no seating there, and my left knee can honestly barely support me today after 5.5 hours of standing. I am seriously considering bringing the forearm crutches to my next Norva show, to help hold me up. However, it was certainly worth it - they played my favorites, "Coin-Operated Boy" and "Girl Anachronism", new material, and material they're preparing for their next album. For a closer, they dragged audience members and the opening act to the stage to perform Led Zepplin's "Immigrant Song" and then cleared everyone off for their cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs". You cannot understand how awesome that was without having been there :)

The oddest part: in my head, people are rated "real" by the amount with which I personally get to interact with them. For example. Bill Shatner is not especially real to me - I've only seen him on TV and movie screens. Leonard Nimoy is slightly more so, since I've been in the same room with him, but separated by a stage and a couple dozen yards. George Takei I've spoken to briefly, but Spice Williams and I have had a lengthy conversation.

Well, Amanda unexpectedly came down from the stage in the middle of one of her songs, and continued singing as she walked around the balcony and through the fans on the floor, passing within a yard of me several times. Suddenly, her 'real' quotient in my head jumped dramatically, and I was quite surprised. (I was proud of my fellow Virginians, who did not mob or crowd her, but let her move freely around and respected her performance. One lady, sadly, took the chance to grope her quite unsubtly, which rattled Amanda enough that she expressed her distress on her return to the keyboard. But it didn't dampen the evening.)

I'm pleased with the way the week's started. I even bumped into a White Plectrum fan on the way to the concert. ("I recognize the jacket - did you work with the filk singer? I love his stuff, I can't believe you live around here!") Now I am sending down more blessed ibuprofen to quiet this stupid knee.
mikailborg: I can't even remember what event I was attending, but I must have been taking it seriously. (orbiting)
It turns out that a 5-hour drive in a Mini Cooper is a lot more comfortable than you'd think. In the front seat, anyway.

Dwight introduced me to a bunch of very good music. I'm going to have to look up some more material by the Dresden Dolls and the Supreme Beings of Leisure. The company was excellent and the scenery compelling (and the leaves haven't even turned yet!)

We arrived in Blacksburg, picked up [livejournal.com profile] shrewlet, and wandered into Invisifest around 4, into a panel that [livejournal.com profile] tltrent was hosting. I was knocked over by my welcome; my VTSFFC family is one excellent bunch of folk, who really know how to make a guy feel like he's where he belongs. I caught up with [livejournal.com profile] rattrap, [livejournal.com profile] nius, [livejournal.com profile] rainbowsaber, [livejournal.com profile] mephox, [livejournal.com profile] anterus, [livejournal.com profile] southernsinger, [livejournal.com profile] rubinpdf, Cathy, Ben, Jamie, and many other people. Around six, we had to shut down the panel, but we dragged most of the crowd to Macado's, where Pat and I geeked out over Whovian matters while we waited for our food.

There was a brief attempt at handing Technicon 25 over to me, which I discuss a little more over in my lifestyle filter (if you want to be added to that and haven't been, leave a comment here to that effect). Suffice it to say that their idea would have made for a quite memorable TCon, and that I turned down the kind offer. Rapidly. Possibly in nanoseconds :)

We went back to the 'Fest for Keith's White Plectrum concert, which was a small, laughter-filled performance. Keith paid me high compliments by telling the story of how "Red Pill" was written. For those who asked, the throwaway line which inspired "When They Shut Down The Fusion Plant (We'll Pack Our Bags And Glow)" is found in Music From the Heart of Space, a Starfleet: Batron Eleven fanfic which includes elements of Doctor Who, Robotech: Macross, and Megazone 23. Despite that mashup, I'm still rather proud of the tale, which will always live on in some small manner thanks to Jerry's twisted creative mind.

We had to leave shortly afterwards. I wish I'd had the energy to stay all night and party, but I have a wedding to attend tomorrow!
mikailborg: I can't even remember what event I was attending, but I must have been taking it seriously. (rogue)
Cthulhu on a crutch. I am gobsmacked.

Keith "[livejournal.com profile] southernsinger" Brinegar, of White Plectrum, has been asked to be the Filk Guest Of Honor at DragonCon!

This may well be my first and only SQUEEEE! in my LiveJournal.

Now I HAVE to go down there. I gotta research hotel rooms tonight!!

This is wonderful!
mikailborg: I can't even remember what event I was attending, but I must have been taking it seriously. (slaine)
Some cool things about Technicon 23:

Giving [livejournal.com profile] rattrap his combined holiday present for the next several years.
Playing the WoW board game with [livejournal.com profile] jsciv, [livejournal.com profile] meiran, and [livejournal.com profile] candidevoltaire; then buying a copy.
A copy of The Heroic Trio from [livejournal.com profile] kittykatya.
Opening the wrong door and accidentally joining this year's Vile Skit.
Being practically the only character in [livejournal.com profile] vileone's LARP that was exactly what he said he was: no more, no less.
Friday dinner seated between Dwight, [livejournal.com profile] raininva, and Christy.
Friday night panels that went Most Excellently. (Some details soon in a filtered post, heh heh.)
A Vile Script that forced me to wrestle with [livejournal.com profile] rainbowsaber. (Oh, shucks.)
Helping [livejournal.com profile] southernsinger perform "The Dragon & The Lady" for Holly Lisle.
Late Saturday dinner and great conversation with [livejournal.com profile] meiran.
Thanks to [livejournal.com profile] trenn, chown -R us:us yourbase.
Frequent backrubby morale- and energy-boosts from [livejournal.com profile] shrewlet.
Two boxes full of new reading material from the Auction.
Cool artwork from [livejournal.com profile] kittenchan and [livejournal.com profile] ranchonmars.
It's my 20th Technicon.

-----

Some less-cool things about Technicon 23:

It's my 20th Technicon.
Not enough time to be in Whose Con Is It?
Long drives from and to Norfolk.
Not enough quality time with many friends.
My lousy Simon Cowell imitation.
A body that gave out too early on Saturday night. (For once, stomach issues rather than exhaustion.)
Our air mattress developing a hole.
Not enough time for after-con dinner in Blacksburg. (But a good one with Bert & Meche in Salem.)

-----

I'd call TCon 23 a success, for my part. Well done, [livejournal.com profile] nius, and thanks for the good weekend!

Yay Goo!

Nov. 8th, 2005 07:39 pm
mikailborg: I can't even remember what event I was attending, but I must have been taking it seriously. (rabbiteer)
Happy birthday, [livejournal.com profile] southernsinger!
mikailborg: I can't even remember what event I was attending, but I must have been taking it seriously. (mecha)
Sunday, 9/4

Sunday I decided to finally drag out the only costume I'd packed, my Enterprise uniform. On a whim, I headed to the Dealers' Room where a booth was selling animal ears, and found a pair of 'cat ears' which perfectly matched my head hair. The combination had unexpected results; all day, people decided I was dressed as John Candy from Spaceballs, and I was in too good a mood to correct anyone. I must have been asked to pose 7 or 8 times, so my vanity was well stoked. Costuming felt good. I will be bringing more outfits next time.

I suppose it's possible that more people saw Spaceballs than ever saw an episode of Enterprise.

Headed to one of Connor Trineer's panels in hopes of a picture with him, but the line outside the ballroom in question stretched practically into the next hotel. A shame, as he was always my favorite part of Enterprise. I wandered instead into a MSTing of The Empire Strikes Back, which to my great surprise, was hilarious. I'd always assumed you couldn't MST an actually good film. Another panel with the actors who portray the Weasley twins in the Harry Potter flicks had been cancelled, so I wandered about the con for a while, making most of my actual purchases.

It was either today or the day before that I picked up my favorite bit of loot: a brand-new copy of Fourth Edition Shadowrun, personalized to me by Mike Mulvihill (inventor of Shadowrun) and Jordan Weisman (inventor of FASA and WizKids). My wife rocks, BTW.

The masquerade was broadcast on the hotel TV network, so we opted to watch from the comfort of our room. Some of the costumes were incredible - the three Warhammer 40K Space Marines, painted not realistically but as if painstakingly detailed by a giant with a telephone-pole sized paintbrush, were completely stunning - but believe it or not, Technicon and Rising Star's masquerades run smoother and more professionally. Honestly! Perhaps at Dragon*Con's level, it's just too much to easily handle, but we local con staffs have nothing to be embarrassed about.

EDIT: Oh, and speaking of such, they had one filker, a relatively famous one on the con circuit, cover the kids' costume judging; and another one cover the main judging. Keith, we have to get you to Dragon*Con. The first guy had fair material, but no singing voice to speak of. The second guy might be useful in extracting information from suspected terrorists. White Plectrum may not be as well known, but honestly - not as a fanboy at all - it's a better act.

Masquerade over, and the hotels start truly rocking for the last evening of the con. The noise several floors up is quite distinct, and according to people's photo journals, some of the best hall costumes of the weekend came out. Sadly, your hero is old and tired. I didn't leave the room after we turned off the TV, and conked out before midnight.
mikailborg: I can't even remember what event I was attending, but I must have been taking it seriously. (rabbiteer)
Happy birthday to [livejournal.com profile] yubbie - hope he and [livejournal.com profile] collenk have special plans this weekend!

Darth Humperdink

I've been threatening to write this one for ages. A new filk for Keith... )
mikailborg: I can't even remember what event I was attending, but I must have been taking it seriously. (magical)
I've always liked Niven's Laws. I don't slavishly agree with them, but they are an excellent source of topics to ponder.

This leads to the fact that I've just deleted a lengthy rant about SF/fantasy fans who, despite entreaties from their favorite authors that they start thinking for themselves, are still want to be told what to think and what to believe. The only thing we humans got that the rest of the animal kindgom didn't is a more complex brain. It's way past time that we as a race consider trying out some of its higher gears, just to see what happens, you know?

Ok, wow, Technicon report, cool. )
mikailborg: I can't even remember what event I was attending, but I must have been taking it seriously. (menace)
I've just noticed that "plectrum.net" no longer comes up in my web browser. I hope Keith only let the hosting lapse, but kept ownership of the name. We can find new hosting with no problem, but I see no reason to let the site evaporate just because White Plectrum's taken some time off. Heck, there are websites out there for bands that haven't released music in half a century!
mikailborg: I can't even remember what event I was attending, but I must have been taking it seriously. (slaine)
On reading Lord of the Rings: it's a long, wordy story. It will take you a long time, and you could easily be pretty confused about lots of stuff the first time you read it. It's also one of the best pieces of fiction I've ever read. See, it was written by a man who loved words - words were both his job and his hobby, so he wrote a lot of them. But the world he created, he spent decades building before LotR was published, and that's one of the most amazing things in it. By the time period of the books, Middle-Earth has an oral history reaching back tens of thousands of years, and parts of that history are directly responsible for current events. It's not light reading, but it's a world one can get fully immersed in.

On my favorite Disney rides: Star Tours, Alien Encounter (way cool), Rockin' Roller Coaster, Test Track, and The Haunted Mansion (we will make out on that ride someday, Rain!) and those are just the first five. Disgustingly, that place is just as much fun as all their propaganda says it is. :)

I still don't know what "oekaki" is.

Everyone still freaks out when they see my beardless face for the first time, but I ought to have enough chin shadow by Rising Star to be respectable. Rain insists she was unaware she'd married a 17-year-old. I have to admit something, I got a little nervous about that costume being a bit "over the top" on the drive over to the party, but I got pretty good reactions from everyone. I should stop worrying so much.

As I am a card-carrying lemming, ("Let's go!!"), here's my job test:

# 1 Chef
# 2 Teacher
# 3 Artist
# 4 Author
# 5 Graphic Designer
# 6 Mathemetician
# 7 Park Ranger
# 8 Salesperson
# 9 Web Designer
# 10 Computer Game Programmer
# 11 Movie Star
# 12 Rock Star
# 13 Astronaut
# 14 Chemist
# 15 Doctor
# 16 Engineer
# 17 FBI Agent
# 18 Geneticist
# 19 Inventor
# 20 Lawyer
# 21 Politician
# 22 Professional Sports Player
# 23 Researcher
# 24 Police Officer
# 25 Reporter

... I think "Iron Filk" is as close as I want to get to chef, and I'd never be a salesperson, but the list is interesting nonetheless.

Biography trivia answers to be posted soon!

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