Musings From Armadillocon 34

Musings From Armadillocon 34

It's Sunday, the last day of Armadillocon 34. I'm taking a break from the con to put this blog up. Okay, I admit it. I'm at home, not at the hotel. I got up an hour or two ago and haven't actually gotten motivated enough to drive to the con. This leads directly into thought the first:

While it's nice to have a con in my hometown and save on the expense of a hotel, I also feel like I'm missing out on the part of the experience. My drive is long enough that tiredness (and the safety of complete sobriety while on the road) won out over partying last night, for instance. I'm a private person, and generally not big on roomates, but the sleepover atmosphere of a shared room can be fun on occasion. So the social aspect, while enjoyable, has been somewhat dimished for me. Which leads nicely into thought the second:

Lonestarcon 3 is hosting the World SF con this year. It's in San Antonio, so while driving is marginally possible, it would be rough (probably an hour one way for me). A hotel would be pretty much mandatory. It's around $165 for a mambership, though. Add hotel costs and attending is a strain for me financially. Current idea is to find someone(s) to split room costs with, since I would hate to miss out on the opportunity. Hopefully I can get all that together and go.

Thought the third: I have attended some great panels, hung out with some cool people, and gotten to chat with a few old friends. So the social aspect of 'dillocon has been nice, as has the learning aspect. Plus i've gotten to see a few authors whose work I enjoy up close, and either hear them read or listen to them speak on panels. So all good. That said, this year hasn't been nearly as big a deal for me as last year (my first time attending), especially given the gap in writing experience then vs. now. Then I had been writing for about 4 months, now I have almost another year under my belt. So... good weekend, and fun, but not huge.

Thought the fourth: I've been working on completing a short story during the course of the convention. This means writing whenever there is a chance. I've been filling up a notepad (regular letter size) with notes, ideas, and of course the first draft of the story. Finding stuff has neccesitated inventing a filing and page numbering scheme, but I think I have htat worked out pretty well now. The unexpected benefit of this little challenge is that I've discovered that handwriting stories (and notes/ideas/ephemera) is actually very enjoyable for me. It's always nice to find a new way to do things that meshes well with the old ways.

Final thought: A quote from Joe Lansdale, said at the Remembering Ray Bradbury Panel - "Anytime you are a child is the best time.