WindyCon So Far, Part 2

[filkertom]

Between trying to sleep from Friday (when Toyboat and I left it all on the stage) and reworking the stock box, I didn't get downstairs until early afternoon. Lots of excellent people, though -- the Passavoys, Sally Kobee, Saganth, Robin, Richard, Frank, just a gang of folks. When Jim C. Hines comes up asking for his Tom hug, I know I've done something right with my life.

After a couple of hours, I realized that I Really Needed To Eat. And my taste buds wanted that bar burger, and they would not be denied. So I schlepped over to Harry Carry's and got their wonderful 10 oz. monster, with cheddar and tomato. As they give you a plate of their homemade potato chips, I did the good thing and got steamed broccoli as the side. I felt virtuous, and I love broccoli anyway, so hey. :)

Got to the Masquerade just about eight o'clock. It started late, as someone was made up as a big-ass World of Warcraft orc or troll or whatever the equivalent is, and they couldn't negotiate the guy onto the stage. So I grabbed my guitar and kept the audience going with a little made-up song about the guy whose costume's too big for the con. I may flesh that one out.

They finally got stuff going, and there were seven or eight people in the pre-show, and seven official entries, including a great home-made Dalek and a very pretty lady in a Steampunky Victorian dress. Some nice work, and a great bit of schtick when the MC, DJ Bob, got mugged by Rorschach. Props for taking the fall, Bob. Best Workmanship went to a very cool dress called "Element of Fire". Our own Lady Cheron won Best In Show, Master Class with a costume inspired by the Patchwork Girl Of Oz -- she worked on it for two years, and in comments below she links to a picture of it. Overall Best In Show was the aforementioned WoW orc, who came out juking to "Safety Dance". So very meta.

I did an hour set. Fun, silly, lots of the same old jokes but there are always new people to laugh at 'em. And it's always fun to hear an audience lose it when I do Chewie in "The Twelve Days Of Star Wars", or not applaud after "Honey-Glazed Ham". Lots of people wanted "Talk Like A Pirate Day", and I did "A Pirate Christmas" and "Hey, It's Can(n)on" to lead into that. I ended with "I Had A Shoggoth", which sold a few CDs after the show.

Luke and Sara and Mr. Tuesday were hanging out after as well, and Dawn, and I had some time with Lee, and Doc came by with a washtub bass for the filk but I was so damn wiped out.

Fortunately, I think I've had enough sleep. Right now I've gotta clear out the room and get ready for the FuMP Showcase concert at 11:00. Then hanging out for awhile, and heading home.

You?

Comments

[palenoue.livejournal.com]

What a coinink-idink, I was going through all of my old cookbooks I'm tossing out (think the library will take them?) while the random option on iTunes kept playing filk pirate songs _and_ Twelve Days of Star Wars. You think it was telling me to attend more cons?

[otherdeb.livejournal.com]

Depending on what the cookbooks are, I might be willing to pay the postage for you to ship them to me. Can I get a list somehow?

[palenoue.livejournal.com]

anyone interested can email me at palalt(at)mac.com and I'll send you a list. I've learned all I can from these books and want to share them with others.

[saganth.livejournal.com]

Tom I had a great time this weekend, in no small part thanks to you! Life's continued to be rough for me, and the laughs your music gave me were badly needed!

I attended a couple informative panels on writing and books (including some helpful advice from the panel authors afterwards). I took part in a craft workshop to make ink stamps which will help improve my cloth board game creation process. I got to see/hear Heather Dale again (she always moves me to tears) and saw/heard Frank Hayes perform for the first time since an I-Con appearance back in New York OMFG years ago. Got a group of folks to try and enjoy my Robot-opoly board game. Got my second-ever game commission, paid in advance in full, so I'll be working on a wooden Byzantine Chess set starting this week... Visited a few parties (the chocolate one and the Klingon one were especially nice), and managed to attend the dead dog filk for about an hour-ish before fatigue told me to head home. (I'm supposed to be napping now so I can function as an official at the ladies' roller derby practice tonight, but driving gave me an nth wind.)

Swag... Picked up my own copy of the game Chrononauts, a couple CDs, a "book fairy" postcard, a funny art print from the art show (the one with the dragon being cheered by warriors because it has a barrel of beer strapped around its neck like a rescue dog), a decent pair of steampunk goggles (tho still needs adjusting for my schnozz), several paperback books, a hand-held marshmallow catapult for my best friend (I keep calling it a wooden phaser), and the usual slew of freebie business cards and bookmarks, as well as a little sample produced before my very eyes by the 3-D "printer" on display at the Art Show.

Didn't get to see or do everything I wanted to (does anyone ever at a con?), but I got a lot of what I wanted, and made some new friends, too. But please God let me find work soon so someday I can stop commuting and actually STAY OVERNIGHT AT THE HOTEL!! (Preferably with a lady.... I'm just sayin'.)

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

So glad you had fun this weekend, m'friend. Have you got a web page of your homemade game sets? I'd love to see some of your chess pieces.

[saganth.livejournal.com]

I have a photobucket album. It does not show all my work yet as I've neglected updating it in a long while (plus the fact that several chess sets got made without photos being taken, which compounds the visual loss). But the album does show a few sets and also shows the *variety* of games I am able to make (which has also since been expanded).

The address is: tinyurl.com/periodgames

[ladycheron.livejournal.com]

One small correction -- I didn't take the Workmanship award, that went to "Element of Fire." I got Best in Class, Master Level. If anyone's interested, you can see some of the pix we took this summer at http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y115/MsLith/Tattergown/

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Oops! I will fix that in a few minutes. Thanks, dear, and as well for your many kindnesses this past weekend. See you at Thanksgiving!

[alverant.livejournal.com]

I went to a nice panel this morning about tech and fandom. Only panelist showed up, but that's OK. We talked a bit about convention websites, a virtual convention which happened that weekend, the advantages and disadvantages of being connected all the time (and how we should be more patient for people to respond to our emails).

Then there was the Fump concert and I got some CDs and autographs. Let us know when the pictures for *you know* are posted (I won't spoil the surprise). I don't think I'll be in them though since I was on the far left, but that's OK.

Spent the afternoon shopping and trying out some game demos. I also managed to rip the 12 CDs I bought. (All of them were in one database or another!) Oh and I worked on updating my references and resume. I may have to refine my list of accomplishments. I only worked on a few things and I need to hype them up properly without going overboard.

This week will be spent talking with recruiters and decompressing. In a way I like being between jobs and helping out at the food bank. Too bad I can't get by on the pay.

I hope you made it back safely.

Almost forgot, when the toastmaster at opening ceremonies Tomboat was described as putting a rock and roll spin on Tom Smith songs, I joked with Jann about doing a Tomboat version of "A Boy and His Frog". She had this look like it actually hurt a little bit to consider it. Everyone else who heard my idea winced too.

One of the BIIIG speakers had a problem at Tomboat in that if you listened carefully it was picking up a radio station. I thought that would make a funny song idea.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

I did indeed make it back safely, in my best time ever: just about four hours door-to-door, no stops, construction, or nothin'. Didn't even turn on the computer: Bathroom, bed, boom.

Yeah, I definitely will let everyone know about *you know*. :D

I precisely understand what you mean about being between jobs and helping at the food bank. The ideal situation, of course, would be that things were good enough for people that you could indeed work the food bank... but only part-time, 'cause most people wouldn't need the help. (I am not so much an optimist that I think we can completely eliminate poverty and hunger in this country, but I'd love to get close.)

No. No rock version of "A Boy And His Frog". No. Never. Never ever ever ever ever. Well, maybe. NO. Somebody stop me.

I have the radio problem on my computer speakers sometimes -- basically, when the tangle of cables is in just the wrong position, suddenly I get right-wing blather from the local station. Oy. I've got the .wav files, but I bet there's no artifact of it in the recording -- that's usually just the speaker.

[saganth.livejournal.com]

I think a rock version of "A Boy and His Frog" would be, shall we say, in poor taste, and leave it at that. And I don't mean your usual fun variety of poor taste, either.

I will say this, however: your LJ avatar with the flashing "doctors" on it suddenly has me hearing it to the tune of "Bad Horse." "Doc-TOR, DOC-tor, Doctor Doctor DOCTOR!" Might I suggest running with that? You have a far better command of the Bad Horse tune than I do.