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Sunday, April 23, 2000
One year ago: George Gee
Two years ago: Teaching
We had a nice breakfast at home this morning. I like having good stuff for Jack and H---- when they stay here, like Odwalla "C" Monster juice (but I say it's overpriced), and the kind of cereal they like. It turned out that I let Jack sleep too late, and he missed the first two panels he had signed up to stage manage. Oh, well, he needed the sleep, and he never asked me to set the alarm at a certain time.
After we arrived at the convention around noon, I went off to attend the Masquerade Debriefing. This was really aimed at participants in the masdquerade, but I learned some stuff about the behind-the-scenes goings on. Maybe that will be useful to H---- next year, if she does go ahead and create a costume and enter. I was really impressed with Lori Edwards (I think that's her name), who had been "Beef," a character from Phantom of the Paradise, in the masquerade. At the debriefing she was wearing a striped zoot suit of turquoise and white, and on Thursday night she'd been wearing a cool belly dance outfit (that program item was "Sexy and Seductive Costumes for the Luxury-size Fan"). She really had great energy and personality, no matter what she was wearing.
I stuck around in the same room for "Elizabethan Elegance." I think these costuming panels interest me in the same way I might read a craft magazine for a craft I don't do -- I like hearing the tech-y tips and seeing the clothes. I really liked the men's Tudor garb. I think Jack would look good in an outfit like that. Or maybe The Laughing Cavalier would be a good model for him -- I like that time period for clothing. The Elizabethan costumes worn at this panel were unusual in that they were all tropical-fantasy themed. I especially liked the flat cap worn by one woman, which she'd made out of some woven placemats.
After Jack was done with his panels, H--- wanted to visit the dealers' room. Jack had promised that she could buy something, if she behaved well, which she certainly had. But Jack and I were astounded when she went right to the booth she wanted, and picked out the items she wanted, without hesitating for a moment! Normally H--- takes forever to make a decision when she's buying anything. But it turned out that when she'd been free to wander the convention at various times, she'd come to the dealers' room and made a careful study of it. She bought a red and blue metallic mask, and a smallish dragon, made to be pinned on one's shoulder.
We were pretty much done, by this time. We left the con and drove down to Olympia, to return H---- to her mom's place. Jack wished to stop by the hotel again, on the way back north, and I was willing, after we stopped for dinner at Johnnie's in Fife.
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We got back in time for the closing ceremonies. They were handing out awards. There's a special award for stage management volunteers, which Jack did not win. That's because he was the first one who ever received it, years back, which I didn't know.
From there we drifted into the "Dead Sasquatch Party" (normally termed a dead dog party), being held in hospitality. Jack fell into conversation with a man who I'd notice during the weekend as being sort of scruffy and wild-eyed. They had aircraft in common, though, since the man had been in the marines and Jack was formerly in the Air Force. I was pretty tired by this point, so I didn't mind just sitting back and listening. Jack asked if I'd been bored when we left, but I really wasn't. I enjoy it when he gets excited and really gets into a topic -- he has great energy and I like to see him having fun.
Something at the party that made Jack very happy indeed: I picked up a copy of the last issue of the convention news zine, and saw that the VikingCon Party from Friday night was the best rated party of the night, and tied for best overall! So all that work and staying up late didn't go for naught. Vikingcon/Vcon won for "...the variety of their fare, their sense of hospitality and the general energy level of their party."
Jack dropped me off a few blocks from the hotel, where I'd left my car on Saturday morning. I really liked it that he made the effort to get out of the car and give me a big hug! These little things mean a lot, guys.
I did have a good time at the con, though I wouldn't have spent so much time there if Jack hadn't been involved. I made a purchase in the dealers' room, attended some good panels, and accomplished everything I like to do at a convention, except I don't think I asked a question in a panel this time. Oh, well, next year!
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