(no subject)

[davidschroth]

Mostly kicked back and did nothing on the 4th. Polonia wanted to do some work with Vista, and we had our usual bout of miscommunication (I'll have to try to remember to address this at another time). I eventually made it out to the farm to help, and found out she'd decided her plans involved too much work that she didn't feel like doing just now. So we didn't.

After we finished fly-wiping Vista, and put him back in the pasture (not an easy feat with all the fireworks going off in the hills - this was around 3:00-4:00pm), I headed over to Barnes & Noble to pick up a birthday card for Erin. I get most of my birthday/holiday/whatever cards at Barnes & Noble; they seem to stock cards that strike me as appropriate for whomever/whatever I'm getting cards for much more often than other stores. I found one that struck me as wickedly appropriate for Erin's 50th birthday and grabbed it. While I was meandering to the register, I noticed a book on The Year of the Dragon. Erin and I were born in the same year, and we're both dragons under the Chinese Zodiac. So the book struck me as just the thing to get for a spur-of-the-moment birthday gift. Which was a good thing; the gift I'd planned (and still plan) to get her was not going to get here anytime soon - I'll be surprised if it arrives before the end of the year. So I bought the book at the same time as I bought the card.

And back home I went, where I got my workout clothes together and went to the health club. I hadn't done any lifting in almost a month - it showed.

After, I had just enough time to get home and get ready, and head on out to Erin's birthday party. I asked Polonia if she wanted to go - the first answer was no, she didn't feel like going to Erin's house. I explain that the party is at the Radisson South, and she decides that maybe she'd like to go. So she showers, and gets ready, and decides she's not up to going. I head off without her.

I'd been told the party would start at 9:00pm. I arrived at the room around 9:30pm. The room was locked, and no one was there. I cooled my heels for a while, and eventually Joyce showed up. Everyone was up on the 22nd floor watching fireworks. Eventually, the fireworks ended, and people drifted down to the party. There was lots of cake, many pictures of Tom Cruise, meatballs (not Jesus Christ!, though), beer, soda, and quite a number of people. It's amazing how many people will turn out for a birthday party being held in a convention hotel the night before the convention opens...

It was a weird feeling being at the Radisson South the night before Convergence opened. It looked very much like a large number of people were trying to recreate the Minicon of M33. This is sort of odd - from what I know of the people who put on the convention, they're more interested in creating their own convention rather than recreating the gathering of the tribes that was Minicon 33. I don't know if the attempts to resurrect the ghost of Minicon past are being done by the people putting on the convention, or by members of the convention who are too wedded to the dead past. I suspect that it will feel even stranger when I go back for Laurel's birthday party/MnStf party there tonight.

I need to get a card for Laurel, as well as a birthday cake. My movie plans for today aren't going to happen - probably because I stayed up until 4:00am reading Lois Bujold's latest novel.

Comments

[mizzlaurajean.livejournal.com]

What! This from a man who told me not to stay up too late! You've got to be kidding me. I was in bed by 2:15am. Woke at 7am and slept fitfully till 9:30am. Got up did half my exercises. Rode for 40 minutes and then wanted to shower so I'd be ready when my uncle showed up. I could have done my pilates as it turns out he's running later then he thought he would. I may still try to squeeze them in since they only take 20-30 minutes. I admit though I am tired I don't know how late I will last tonight. I wish I had a room, oh well maybe next year if I enjoy this one.

[davidschroth.livejournal.com]

I guess this explains why there's no journal entry from you this morning - you went and hid it as a comment on my entry.

Does the phrase "Do as I say, not as I do?" sound at all familiar? But at least I was quietly reading a book at all hours of the morning - no telling what kind of mischief I could have gotten into if I was still out carousing until 4:00 am.

I had to get up at 9:00 - the roofers were removing my bedroom window to repair it, and I found the banging was not conducive to sleep (I suspect the preceding phrase can be applied to other situations, as well). I decided that the movie plan wasn't going to work, went into work to get cash and send the Minicon flyer URLs to Kevin. Then I went to B&N to get a birthday card - ended up getting two cards instead. Bought some groceries (including a cake for this evening), and am now contemplating a nap.

Good luck with the kitchen.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I have no idea who Erin is. I've tried to think where I might know her from, but I simply haven't the least idea. I doubt we've ever been introduced.

I doubt we'll be at the con, as we've out-of-town company this weekend, and various plans around that.

K. [enjoy the con, though, y'all]

[davidschroth.livejournal.com]

Erin Lorenz (I may have spelled her last name in a less-than-correct fashion) hasn't been to a mnStf meeting for quite a while. I don't remember you and her ever being at the same meeting at the same time. She's past president of Misfits, lives in Inver Grove Heights with her two teenaged children and her dog, is a nurse who has just changed jobs, will definitely be at Convergence and probably will be at Diversicon.

And you enjoy your out-of-town guests, and weekend, as well.

[serendipoz.livejournal.com]

Fantastic card! Great gift! Good to see you - even if the party started later than expected.

Fun!

Gathering of the Tribes

[michaellee.livejournal.com]

I think some of it is that any convention that is of a decent size in that hotel resembles the Minicon of old. And, of course, there is a sizable amount of Minicon DNA in the convention. So superficially, it's gong to look a lot like the old Minicon. (Perhaps even more so than the Minicon of today)

Also, I think many of the biggest differences are behind the scenes and organizational ones. There are certainly some people attending that don't see a great difference -- occasionally I've had to explain something like there isn't a Darkstar, or I've heard of people confused because Registration isn't where "it always is", despite the fact that it's never been there for CONvergence. (This even happened the first year.)

I can sympathize with the strange feelings though, since they are sort of similar to my experiences at recent Minicons.

Re: Gathering of the Tribes

[davidschroth.livejournal.com]

The only comparable experience I have had was with Chicon 2000, which did not feel like a Minicon of old.
My feeling is that the organizers intend to create something unique; and that a large portion of the membership tries to force the unique creation back into the old familiar mold. But it's certainly possible that I'm mistaken in this feeling.
But you guys run a nice convention, and should be proud of that.

Re: Gathering of the Tribes

[michaellee.livejournal.com]

Nah, I can understand that feeling & think it makes some sense.

I think a lot of it is just how that building works when you have over 1500 fans in that particular building for a local convention. Especially if you're mainly hanging out in the poolside area, because that's one area that has probably changed the least, because a room party in the Rad South is a room party in the Rad South.