It's Not All Doom And Gloom
May. 14th, 2002 11:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
davidschrothI had occasion, tonight, to reflect on the things in my life that I enjoy doing. Oddly enough, they are all things that I came to relatively late in life.
They didn't really teach students how to play volleyball when I was in high school. Probably a function of both the time (late 60s) and the place (South Carolina). After my last move to Minnesota (in 1985), a co-worker invited me to join their volleyball teams (he was pretty desperate for players). So I started playing, both on the men's C team and on the co-rec C team. I was a pretty horrible player. But I persevered, and I got better, and I find that I really enjoy playing volleyball (although I no longer get any enjoyment from playing "jungle ball").
Minicon was not the first Science Fiction convention I attended (that distinction belongs to whichever Leprecon had Roger Zelazney as Guest of Honor in the 70s), but it was the first Science Fiction convention I attended where I actually connected with fandom. It was finding my family of choice, people I enjoyed and felt comfortable with. I blame it all on Elise Matthesen and Betsy Lundsten. After I attended enough Minicons as just a member and at-the =convention volunteer, I finally figured out that I could volunteer before the convention, and help make it happen. And now, well - I enjoy working to make Minicon happen, and I enjoy working at Minicon, and I enjoy SMOFfing with fellow fans. A lot.
And as I mentioned, attending Minicon lead to my finding fandom. When I first worked on a Minicon concom (M33), I discovered that there was this mysterious entity called "Minn-Stf", or "MnStf', or some such, that actually *was* the organization behind Minicon. So, one day I responded to a notice that a MnStf member was moving, and needed help. So I showed up, and helped move DavE, and one thing lead to another, and the next thing you know, I'm a voting member of MnStf. And I really enjoy knowing MnStfers, and attending the meetings, and generally socializing with a bunch of very nice people. My kind of people. And in becoming a MnStf member, I've found my horizons broadened in ways that would never have occurred to me back when I was in high school.
They didn't really teach students how to play volleyball when I was in high school. Probably a function of both the time (late 60s) and the place (South Carolina). After my last move to Minnesota (in 1985), a co-worker invited me to join their volleyball teams (he was pretty desperate for players). So I started playing, both on the men's C team and on the co-rec C team. I was a pretty horrible player. But I persevered, and I got better, and I find that I really enjoy playing volleyball (although I no longer get any enjoyment from playing "jungle ball").
Minicon was not the first Science Fiction convention I attended (that distinction belongs to whichever Leprecon had Roger Zelazney as Guest of Honor in the 70s), but it was the first Science Fiction convention I attended where I actually connected with fandom. It was finding my family of choice, people I enjoyed and felt comfortable with. I blame it all on Elise Matthesen and Betsy Lundsten. After I attended enough Minicons as just a member and at-the =convention volunteer, I finally figured out that I could volunteer before the convention, and help make it happen. And now, well - I enjoy working to make Minicon happen, and I enjoy working at Minicon, and I enjoy SMOFfing with fellow fans. A lot.
And as I mentioned, attending Minicon lead to my finding fandom. When I first worked on a Minicon concom (M33), I discovered that there was this mysterious entity called "Minn-Stf", or "MnStf', or some such, that actually *was* the organization behind Minicon. So, one day I responded to a notice that a MnStf member was moving, and needed help. So I showed up, and helped move DavE, and one thing lead to another, and the next thing you know, I'm a voting member of MnStf. And I really enjoy knowing MnStfers, and attending the meetings, and generally socializing with a bunch of very nice people. My kind of people. And in becoming a MnStf member, I've found my horizons broadened in ways that would never have occurred to me back when I was in high school.
