A thought...

[bovil]

There are people on my flist who will understand this. There are people who won't because they never started a project like this. There are people who won't because they never finished/ended/quit a project like this.

I had such a blast at BayCon on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

The last League of Evil Geniuses party is over. No more cramming in big shopping trips in the week leading up to the convention. No more 2-carload (or larger) move-ins. No more losing a whole day to decorating and clean-up. No more dealing with party guests who are too hammered to appreciate what we're serving (not that we ever had that many).

Costume-Con 26 is over. No more needing to be ready at a moment's notice to talk up the convention, hand out a flier, convince people that they really ought to come. No more telling dealers that we had a unique opportunity for them. No more recruiting staff, staff and more staff to make sure the workload wasn't too heavy. No more being "on" all the time, being a good (or at least not bad) example all the time. No more sitting fan tables.

For the first time in 6 years, we went to an event just to go (well, starting Saturday). We actually got to attend the convention. We went to parties. We hung out in the fanzine lounge. We did a little programming. We didn't have to have a high profile at the masquerade (we didn't even see it, but neither did a lot of other people).

We had a good time.

Comments

[milwaukeesfs.livejournal.com]

As the veteran of a couple of successful WorldCon bids, I do understand. From what I've seen, you and Kevin put in a monumental amount of work on CC26 (plus, what must have been a truly impressive amount spent on all those parties--). Warning: pretty soon you will start wondering what to do with yourself--. Hang onto something until the feeling passes--.

[kproche.livejournal.com]

Well, we actually have the Long-Term Plan:
Phase 1: Clean the House
Phase 2: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Phase 3: Profit!

Oh, wait, wrong joke.
Actually:
Phase 1: Clean the House.
Phase 2: Repair/Remodel the Bathroom
Phase 2b: Whip the yard back into shape
Phase 3: Look to buying a slightly bigger, actual house.

Along the way, we're also planning to help a little bit on assorted cons and things, but nothing like the concerted effort we put into CC26.

[milwaukeesfs.livejournal.com]

Those things should help keep you busy. I know Henry has you penciled in for help on CC28. I recommend holding out for a glamourous, high-profile position with little actual responsibility--.

[bovil.livejournal.com]

This is why the convention volunteering roadmap (http://bovil.livejournal.com/367382.html) has already been laid out. We have things in place, and any other volunteering will be evaluated against that plan:

1. Is it significantly less work than the other commitments?
2. Will it get in the way of the other commitments?
3. Why are we considering volunteering for this in the first place?

Anybody who attempts to call in obligation or duty is right out.

[milwaukeesfs.livejournal.com]

Looks wise. Does a World Fantasy Con even HAVE hospitality? I thought they discouraged that. Seriously, the ones I went to before I quit going (when I realized that the function of mere fans at those conventions is just to help defray costs by paying admission) they didn't have any consuite and everything else was closed-door parties.

[bovil.livejournal.com]

World Fantasy has hospitality, and the publisher parties are open these days (and legendary). Of course it's about 80/20 pros/fans. Everybody pays to get in except the GoH's. There's an 850 member cap.

There was a real concern that in the SF Bay Area that there might be enough well-heeled fans who could afford the reg that some pros wouldn't get in, but current reg numbers don't point that direction.

If it wasn't a friend chairing, and it wasn't close, I wouldn't bother even going, most of the folks I would see there I know well enough to get time with at Worldcon.

WFC Hospitality

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

The WFC I attended in Minneapolis a few years ago certainly had a Hospitality Suite, and was expected to have one -- a decently lavish one, in fact.

[yourbob.livejournal.com]

I've been wondering when this post would happen.

Though I've not done it fannishly or on quite your scale, I'm one of those who can understand. Enjoy the feeling. And do be careful.

Remember going forward, there's Not always room for One More Little Mint.

[digitalsidhe.livejournal.com]

Heh. For a long time, feyandstrange and I were two of the prime movers behind Anything That Moves (aka "The magazine for the uncompromising bisexual"). Eventually, the magazine folded, mostly because it managed to burn out volunteers at a slightly quicker rate than it managed to recruit them).

The next year, Fey and I realized that we could go to Pride... and just watch the march, instead of having to march in it. Our minds were blown, and we enjoyed the heck out of it.

We also got to go to Folsom, and not have to staff a booth all day. It was, honestly, a little confusing.

A couple of years later, we realized that we could actually skip Pride and/or Folsom altogether if we really wanted. We nearly fell over on the floor from the shock.

Enjoy the freedom!

Not have to go

[hazelchaz]

Yes, that's an odd feeling, isn't it?

[voidampersand.livejournal.com]

It was an impressive job well done.

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

Of course, I fully understand and sympathize, having put my six-plus years into a Worldcon -- twice! Congratulations again, and good luck regaining your life.

[lisa-marli.livejournal.com]

Ay Yep! Slowly your life will return to you. And then you will be volunteering again. Good thing you already set up a "road map" so you don't get back into doing too much.
Me? I'm a glutton for punishment. I will have Mythcons for years after CC26 slips into a golden haze.
Did I mention that Raven tried to recruit me for Silicon Pubs? Luckily, I've been sworn not volunteer for any additional Major Roles at cons this year. I actually do enjoy doing pubs and did them for the first few years of Silicon. Oh, Well.
Meanwhile, I still have CC26 bills to pay...

Hot Damn!

[maurinestarkey.livejournal.com]

You guys did a fantastic job. I learned a lot. Thanks for letting us all be a part of it.