Balticon--Part I
May. 29th, 2006 08:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jpskewedthroneOK, I'm back from Balticon and like always want to chat about events, panels, how it went, etc. For this con, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
pbray and I went down together, roomed together, and generally hung out together for the extent of the con. Overall, the con was great. However, there were moments of severe doubt.
Beginning with the fact that a week before the con began, Patricia got an email from the programming people asking which panels she'd like to be on . . . and I did not. I double-checked and had indeed sent in my programming questionnaire as requested. I sat on the issue for a day or two, thinking they just hadn't gotten to my email. And lo! An email arrived . . . stating that here was the programming in first draft and if anyone was on a panel or saw a conflict or whatnot that they needed to get back to them ASAP.
Needless to say, I was not on programmng. Needless to say, I was a little upset. But really, I don't need to be on programming, I just have fun doing panels.
Anyway, I sent an email saying that I wasn't on paneling at this point but I'd like to volunteer to be a last minute replacement if people didn't show, etc. I got an email back saying *gasp* I was a victim of no one recognizing my name! AAARRRGGGHHHHH!! That's why I'm trying to go to so many cons! So people will recognize my name!
In any case, Patricia and I drove down on Friday. Uneventful trip. When we arrived, we checked in to the hotel, checked into the con, meandered around and managed to find the green room, where Patricia checked in and I made the offer to sub if necessary. They said that if there was a panel or two with few panelists that I'd like to join, let them know, so I did. I ended up being put on 3 panels on Sunday. Oh, and I found out they'd already given me a signing slot on Saturday. I was immensely relieved. I spent half an hour making up signs advertizing my signing at 1pm on Saturday and then we distributed those signs (plus the ones advertizing Patricia's reading on Monday).
The only thing on the activity sheet on Friday was a Pirate panel which Patricia was on. It was a riot! But I'll let her describe that one. I managed to come away with 2 research books for pirates and pirate strategy (which I ordered from amazon today).
After that, we crashed.
On Saturday, Patricia had panels at 11 and noon, while I had the signing at 1. OR DID I!! In what was to become a theme, when I got to the table where signings were to be held, I discovered that my signing was listed as being at 2pm. I used my handy marker and rearranged the universe to fit my preconceptions, thus making the signing at 1pm, and everything was fine. Mainly because no one showed up. Which I was expecting because there was nothing in the program to indicate that:
a) I was there at all, and
b) That I had a signing.
After the signing, Patricia and I realized that we had nothing for the rest of the day. A scan of the programming showed us that we weren't interested in any of the panels either. So we headed away from the hotel for lunch. I ordered a fish sandwich . . . and basically got an entire fish. Seriously, this meal was 3 times what I'd normally eat in a single day. I persevered (with many "exploding" jokes from Patricia) and managed to finish the entire plate . . . but the exploding jokes weren't far off. We then hit the hotel bar, where we had a drink, then meandered back to the room . . . where we both crashed for an afternoon beer nap. Seriously. I don't know what hit me--the humidity combined with the alcohol combined with travel-lag--but it felt like someone had clubbed me over the head. I felt better after the nap, so we wandered back down to the bar for MORE drinks, chatted with a few people, and then called it a day. We got food again in here somewhere . . . or rather Patricia got food. I was still in the process of exploding.
The con was not looking good so far. I mean, we could drink in the bar at home. As Patricia noted in her LJ, by this time we'd discovered that there were in actuality 2 cons going on at the same time: NeilCon, consisting of everyone at Balticon who'd come for the sole reason of seeing Neil Gaiman and were completely ignoring all of the other parts of the con that didn't involve him; and the regular Balticon. This would continue the next day. Thankfully, the con picked up for me, what with 3 panels on Sunday.
But you'll have to wait for that post, since it involved discussions of panels. Because . . . well, because I'm a bastard. So there. *grin*
PS--Most common question of the con in the first 2 days: "Is that your wife (pointing to Patricia)?" I know that, even after numerous explanations, at least half the con thinks we're married.
pbray and I went down together, roomed together, and generally hung out together for the extent of the con. Overall, the con was great. However, there were moments of severe doubt.Beginning with the fact that a week before the con began, Patricia got an email from the programming people asking which panels she'd like to be on . . . and I did not. I double-checked and had indeed sent in my programming questionnaire as requested. I sat on the issue for a day or two, thinking they just hadn't gotten to my email. And lo! An email arrived . . . stating that here was the programming in first draft and if anyone was on a panel or saw a conflict or whatnot that they needed to get back to them ASAP.
Needless to say, I was not on programmng. Needless to say, I was a little upset. But really, I don't need to be on programming, I just have fun doing panels.
Anyway, I sent an email saying that I wasn't on paneling at this point but I'd like to volunteer to be a last minute replacement if people didn't show, etc. I got an email back saying *gasp* I was a victim of no one recognizing my name! AAARRRGGGHHHHH!! That's why I'm trying to go to so many cons! So people will recognize my name!
In any case, Patricia and I drove down on Friday. Uneventful trip. When we arrived, we checked in to the hotel, checked into the con, meandered around and managed to find the green room, where Patricia checked in and I made the offer to sub if necessary. They said that if there was a panel or two with few panelists that I'd like to join, let them know, so I did. I ended up being put on 3 panels on Sunday. Oh, and I found out they'd already given me a signing slot on Saturday. I was immensely relieved. I spent half an hour making up signs advertizing my signing at 1pm on Saturday and then we distributed those signs (plus the ones advertizing Patricia's reading on Monday).
The only thing on the activity sheet on Friday was a Pirate panel which Patricia was on. It was a riot! But I'll let her describe that one. I managed to come away with 2 research books for pirates and pirate strategy (which I ordered from amazon today).
After that, we crashed.
On Saturday, Patricia had panels at 11 and noon, while I had the signing at 1. OR DID I!! In what was to become a theme, when I got to the table where signings were to be held, I discovered that my signing was listed as being at 2pm. I used my handy marker and rearranged the universe to fit my preconceptions, thus making the signing at 1pm, and everything was fine. Mainly because no one showed up. Which I was expecting because there was nothing in the program to indicate that:
a) I was there at all, and
b) That I had a signing.
After the signing, Patricia and I realized that we had nothing for the rest of the day. A scan of the programming showed us that we weren't interested in any of the panels either. So we headed away from the hotel for lunch. I ordered a fish sandwich . . . and basically got an entire fish. Seriously, this meal was 3 times what I'd normally eat in a single day. I persevered (with many "exploding" jokes from Patricia) and managed to finish the entire plate . . . but the exploding jokes weren't far off. We then hit the hotel bar, where we had a drink, then meandered back to the room . . . where we both crashed for an afternoon beer nap. Seriously. I don't know what hit me--the humidity combined with the alcohol combined with travel-lag--but it felt like someone had clubbed me over the head. I felt better after the nap, so we wandered back down to the bar for MORE drinks, chatted with a few people, and then called it a day. We got food again in here somewhere . . . or rather Patricia got food. I was still in the process of exploding.
The con was not looking good so far. I mean, we could drink in the bar at home. As Patricia noted in her LJ, by this time we'd discovered that there were in actuality 2 cons going on at the same time: NeilCon, consisting of everyone at Balticon who'd come for the sole reason of seeing Neil Gaiman and were completely ignoring all of the other parts of the con that didn't involve him; and the regular Balticon. This would continue the next day. Thankfully, the con picked up for me, what with 3 panels on Sunday.
But you'll have to wait for that post, since it involved discussions of panels. Because . . . well, because I'm a bastard. So there. *grin*
PS--Most common question of the con in the first 2 days: "Is that your wife (pointing to Patricia)?" I know that, even after numerous explanations, at least half the con thinks we're married.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-05-30 01:17 am (UTC)Any sense of how many were in attendance?
no subject
Date: 2006-05-30 01:24 am (UTC)The interesting thing is that neither Patricia nor I ran into any of the NeilCon attendees. We never saw Neil Gaiman or a mob that could be supposed to have Neil Gaiman at its center at all. Everything pertaining to him and his con was, almost literally, separate from the rest of the con.
I certainly didn't harbor any ill-feelings toward those that wanted to see Neil. It was a nice, calm con.
And, yes, I'm signed up for Confluence . . . or at least saw that I'd been added to the attending pro list on their webpage. I expect it to be a much smoother con. *grin*
no subject
Date: 2006-05-30 04:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-30 04:49 pm (UTC)Did you get the message?
no subject
Date: 2006-05-30 08:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-30 01:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-30 01:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-30 01:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-30 01:17 pm (UTC)But that is only because I actually see the two of you locally now and again.
Anway, that sounds like a terribly disorganized con - I am surprised with that level of organization it can be a reoccuring event!
no subject
Date: 2006-05-30 08:10 pm (UTC)But still . . .
And Neil-stalking was fine. It was just an interesting phenomenon.
dum-dum-da-dum....
Re: dum-dum-da-dum....
Date: 2006-05-30 08:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-30 06:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-30 08:11 pm (UTC)