clevermanka | Its forty-second year, my fourth

It was pointed out to me that I did not make a post about ConQuesT. So, here it is, a week or so late.

I did not sign up to be on staff for this year, a mistake that I shall continue to repeat for the next several years. It was bliss. Bliss. The only time I went to the con suite was when I was looking for someone, and once to grab a banana. My time as regular con staff has been served and I am done.

On Friday afternoon I attended two panels, one on minorities in SF and one on fairy tale re-tellings. Due to some mis-communication, the moderator for those panels hadn't arrived yet, and the first panel really suffered for it. Half the panelists were more interested in hearing themselves talk about their favorite books than they were in actually addressing the issue. The second one was kept on track a bit better by an admirably strong but soft-spoken woman who gently guided the chatty panelists back to topic when they strayed. Kudos to you,

karin_gastreich. You're pretty awesome.

Ms. Gastriech served as the actual moderator at a Sunday morning panel I attended on Sex in SF literature. I credit her, Selina Rosen, and a third panelist whose name I can't remember, for making those thirty minutes bearable. One of the panelists was so heavily invested in the mechanics of heterosexual penis-in-vagina sex in the missionary position that he couldn't talk about anything other than how difficult that one particular act would be in space. Even after I called him out on his disregard for other types of sex, even after Selina brought up oral sex, and even after someone else brought up the emotional aspects of sexual relationships in the confines of space travel, he kept coming back to that one aspect of sex and dominated the conversation. God, I hated him by the time that panel was over. What could have been a lively discussion (even at 10am on Sunday) turned into a dry reprimand of how it just couldn't be done. Very disappointing.

But that was my only negative experience. So, yay!

I was very happy to see that people had planned for Friday night parties, and I stopped in at a couple before I stumbled on a room with just a few people and Lady Gaga music playing, with video projection on the wall. I rapidly excused myself, found

nataliesee and

tessagratton, and dragged them down the hall to what I considered our personal dance space for the rest of the night. Once I heard that

belluthien was around, I stole her from the party where she was, too. We partied in that room for a couple hours, and I got to re-acquaint myself with one or two people. It was fantastic and I didn't get to bed until 1:00.

Saturday I went to a couple other panels and

mckitterick's reading, all of which were great.

mckitterick was the mod for the panel that was supposed to be about the Campbell Conference but somehow got mashed up with the panel about upcoming themes in YA literature and did a fantastic job of keeping things moving while involving the audience. He read from his "Surveyor of Mars" story, which I hadn't read yet, so it made the reading extra special. It's a good story!

That evening was

jimmy_hollaman's RoomCon, which was fantastic and The Place To Be. I stuck around long enough to doodle a drawing for the art pile and snuggled a bit with

kc_risenphoenix, who'd been one of my dance partners the previous evening. My other dance partners made it an early night, though, and I was in bed around midnight.

Sunday was Sunday was Sunday. I'm always ready to go home by Sunday morning. But of course I have to stick around for the auction or find alternate transportation home. Perhaps next year I'll help more with the auction set-up to give me something to do. I'm just tired (and tired of people) by that time. Staying busy and active might help.

All in all, a very nice year this year at ConQuesT. I got in a little bit of dancing (although not enough--never enough!), saw a very little bit of some people I rarely see, and made one or two connections that have been tenuous in years past, but I think might stick this time. A good year, 42. A good year.

I might paint some ray guns for the art auction for next year. By doing that, I could avoid having to staff a vendor booth. I doubt that I would have nearly enough product for a booth, anyway. That's what the painting plastic query was about, btw. Ray guns! Several people had modded steampunky style guns, both in the vendor area and the art auction, but nothing with a Buck Rodgers/Flash Gordon feel. So there's a little unfilled niche. Anyway. Pondering.

Its forty-second year, my fourth

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