Converging

[threemonkeys]

The law of diminishing returns kicks in quickly with con reports. Already there are so many out there in the marketplace that the marginal return on investment is, umm, er, well, marginal. Just go over to this month's spec fic carnival to see what I mean.

However, a few thoughts at random ...
Spending time with various fan fund delegates was just the best time. However one of them inserted this mindworm in my head "GUFF in '09 - Tim Powers is the guest at Eastercon". There may only be one way to fix this.

The legend of the Daikaiju 2 launch party must live on. So how many people were in that room?

Nice to see first time con attendees having a good time (yes clueless_kitty that includes you). It helps that there were along to meet Isobelle who was such a great guest.

It wasn't just first time con goers to meet though. So many people and so few brain cells to remember you all. But it is always wonderful to make new old friends.

I'll say this for the concom - at least they were aware of the problems and worked to fix some of it up. Of course a lot of them were beyond their control. Still, the programme did seem very one dimensional. A good things that there were book launches to hold the evenings together (even if not all the launches were actually on the programme).

A note of thanks to Claire McKenna for sharing her limelight to include Renaldo - First Sheep on the Moon after the screening of her movie Liminal. It did mean that Renaldo got a good audience. Renaldo (and being the courier for Florian) also afforded the chance to see Phil & Frances again. Not really sure how well the film went down because nobody knew the people involved - but they did laugh at the film titles. Adelaide fans beware as dmw bought a copy at the fan fund auction - he will be trying to get value for money.

As a result of a few discussions recently, I was on the lookout for factional differences between fan groups. The idea being to avoid them. I'm happy to be friends with anybody just as long as they can pass the "not a lame idiot test" (a test that must not be applied instantly). Anyway, I came away quite happy. There are certainly personal differences as you would expect in any group but nothing that I would characterise as factional. Interesting that the personality differences were not symmetrical - most were more strongly held by one side than the other. Also, I cannot emphasise this enough - there were not even many of these differences. Good thing too.

Many room parties and they were fun. Are all you other kiwis taking note! I did snigger slightly when we were thrown out of the Rydges bar at midnight. At least at the Mercure we could stay on even after they stopped serving alcohol.

I didn't buy many books this time - perhaps a dozen including magazines. Air NZ weighed my bag on the way over and it was right on the weight limit. As a result I was restrained so as not to go over limit on the way back. As it happens, I was way under weight on the return - the scales at Welly airport need checking I think. It may not be a bad thing though - I only bought things which I am unlikely to ever see for sale here. One thing I am closing in on is that I now have all but one issue of ASIM - of course the missing one is #1.

On the subject of ASIM, I read issue 29 on the trip over. Even by the high standards of the publication it was one of the very best including Kevin Veale's A Day in Her Lives which was superb. I think I dumbfounded Dirk Flinthart by congratulating him on the quality of his editorial. I'm convinced he didn't think anybody read them.

Now to start thinking of a way to get to Conflux otherwise the post-con blues will get me.

Comments

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I do want to. I'm just going to let the idea settle & mature while I try to deal with pesky old real life.