Arisia '05
Jan. 24th, 2005 03:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
magidCon report, the short version: it was good.
Con report, the long version: it was mostly good.
the room
I was able to check in a bit early, which was excellent. This is the first year I've worked a block from the con, and there was a lot less stress in getting in and ready before Shabbat. It made a huge difference.
Then when I got up to the room, I had to marvel. It was a huge room, with a fold-out sofa, and room for more cots besides, plus two bathrooms (both renovated; the showerheads were double). An embarrassment of space for just me. I felt vaguely guilty, as if I should host people, though I hadn't planned to do that, and, in the end, didn't. The only downside: it was near a corridor intersection, and people were sometimes noisy in passing. Not a big deal, though. Oh, and as usual, the Shabbat block is incredibly convenient, a floor above the panels.
the people
Not surprisingly, I saw lots and lots of people I know, including approximately 40% of my friends list, some of whom I rarely see in real space. I was glad to have the chance to say hi, though sometimes it was surprising who found time to chat and who didn't. The swirls of social groups, emphasized by my going to the con alone... Time passes, friendships ebb and grow, and I must acclimate.
the panels
I went to a fair number of panels, and I was impressed that they stayed on topic so much, especially compared to previous years. Interesting discussions that make me think are good :-). I liked how some emphasized strands in programming weren't all about movies and TV shows, which I know little to nothing about. I went to a number of panels on aliens (alien senses, communication with aliens, ideas of aliens that aren't just humanoid with funky facial ridges, etc), which made me think more about how people interact (each of us alone in our own brains, after all, and the difference between me and a !Kung tribesman may well be greater than the difference between me and an industrialized alien) and understand our world. And with aliens, if there are other senses, how to describe them, in the nearest human analog, or other words, or italicized jargon, or what?
Other panels included one on different kinds of memory, what makes fascinating reading, [yoga; does this count as a panel?] and a discussion of health and the average fan. I didn't learn anything enormously new from the last, but it made me think about more active sf things to do, leading to my last post. Oh, and a reading by InfiniteHotel, which was pleasantly creepy.
I didn't make it to any of the costuming panels, not even the one about hats (alas). And it was frustrating that the Sunday beading panel got moved back to Shabbat; it was the first one not on Shabbat I'd seen at Arisia. Though I can understand there were weather concerns.
Noted: lots of people doing hand crafts during talks. Knitting seems especially popular, though I noted other crocheters, and at least one person using what seemed to be a drop spindle.
Also noted: there were a number of bookcrossing books around the con. Very cool.
and other events
I didn't go to much programming that wasn't panels, which felt a bit lame, even for me. But I was tired Friday night, and a chance to hang out with friends was more appealing Saturday than being part of an audience. In some ways, it made me wonder why I'd come, since most of the people I spent time with I could hang out with locally. But Arisia still feels worth going to, even so. Perhaps next year I'll be less tired....
kudos
To whoever did the pocket program this year, it was great to see all the programming included, movies and LARPs and panels and kid stuff all included together; it made it easier to figure out what I wanted to do. It would've been nice to have a key to the icons, but they were reasonably easy to figure out.
the weather
So there was this blizzard. We got upward of two feet of snow (as if anyone hasn't heard this yet), starting Saturday afternoon and continuing for a day, lots of dry, fluffy snow that doesn't stay in place when the wind blows. And the wind did blow. A lot. Drifts got rather high; when I got home, I found that the drift on my porch was almost to the top of the French doors. And not only was it colder than usual for a snow storm, the wind chill factor made it rather extreme (for non-Canadians, that is :-), in the negative teens, Fahrenheit.
Which is to say that a number of people left the con early, while other people stayed rather late. Programming shifted a lot, and extra programming was added in, to accommodate the numbers of people staying an extra unplanned night at the hotel.
I'm lucky, in that my trip home involves the T and walking, so I was pretty flexible (though the slog with a suitcase on my back in the frigid cold isn't fun, it's not horribly long either). I debated whether to stay another night, but chose the cheaper option, especially since I hadn't planned food for another day. On the other hand, since everyone else was staying on, I ended up gaming much later Sunday than I usually stay at the con. Thank goodness work was canceled today; I'd've been fairly useless.
notes for next year
ETA: the music
Friday night I heard the bagpipery in the mezzanine, the music spreading through the lobby, grabbing everyone's attention. Very skilled musicians. And in my hallway that evening I heard a bit of digeridu, also, which was more fascinating for seeming wholly out of place.
Con report, the long version: it was mostly good.
the room
I was able to check in a bit early, which was excellent. This is the first year I've worked a block from the con, and there was a lot less stress in getting in and ready before Shabbat. It made a huge difference.
Then when I got up to the room, I had to marvel. It was a huge room, with a fold-out sofa, and room for more cots besides, plus two bathrooms (both renovated; the showerheads were double). An embarrassment of space for just me. I felt vaguely guilty, as if I should host people, though I hadn't planned to do that, and, in the end, didn't. The only downside: it was near a corridor intersection, and people were sometimes noisy in passing. Not a big deal, though. Oh, and as usual, the Shabbat block is incredibly convenient, a floor above the panels.
the people
Not surprisingly, I saw lots and lots of people I know, including approximately 40% of my friends list, some of whom I rarely see in real space. I was glad to have the chance to say hi, though sometimes it was surprising who found time to chat and who didn't. The swirls of social groups, emphasized by my going to the con alone... Time passes, friendships ebb and grow, and I must acclimate.
the panels
I went to a fair number of panels, and I was impressed that they stayed on topic so much, especially compared to previous years. Interesting discussions that make me think are good :-). I liked how some emphasized strands in programming weren't all about movies and TV shows, which I know little to nothing about. I went to a number of panels on aliens (alien senses, communication with aliens, ideas of aliens that aren't just humanoid with funky facial ridges, etc), which made me think more about how people interact (each of us alone in our own brains, after all, and the difference between me and a !Kung tribesman may well be greater than the difference between me and an industrialized alien) and understand our world. And with aliens, if there are other senses, how to describe them, in the nearest human analog, or other words, or italicized jargon, or what?
Other panels included one on different kinds of memory, what makes fascinating reading, [yoga; does this count as a panel?] and a discussion of health and the average fan. I didn't learn anything enormously new from the last, but it made me think about more active sf things to do, leading to my last post. Oh, and a reading by InfiniteHotel, which was pleasantly creepy.
I didn't make it to any of the costuming panels, not even the one about hats (alas). And it was frustrating that the Sunday beading panel got moved back to Shabbat; it was the first one not on Shabbat I'd seen at Arisia. Though I can understand there were weather concerns.
Noted: lots of people doing hand crafts during talks. Knitting seems especially popular, though I noted other crocheters, and at least one person using what seemed to be a drop spindle.
Also noted: there were a number of bookcrossing books around the con. Very cool.
and other events
I didn't go to much programming that wasn't panels, which felt a bit lame, even for me. But I was tired Friday night, and a chance to hang out with friends was more appealing Saturday than being part of an audience. In some ways, it made me wonder why I'd come, since most of the people I spent time with I could hang out with locally. But Arisia still feels worth going to, even so. Perhaps next year I'll be less tired....
kudos
To whoever did the pocket program this year, it was great to see all the programming included, movies and LARPs and panels and kid stuff all included together; it made it easier to figure out what I wanted to do. It would've been nice to have a key to the icons, but they were reasonably easy to figure out.
the weather
So there was this blizzard. We got upward of two feet of snow (as if anyone hasn't heard this yet), starting Saturday afternoon and continuing for a day, lots of dry, fluffy snow that doesn't stay in place when the wind blows. And the wind did blow. A lot. Drifts got rather high; when I got home, I found that the drift on my porch was almost to the top of the French doors. And not only was it colder than usual for a snow storm, the wind chill factor made it rather extreme (for non-Canadians, that is :-), in the negative teens, Fahrenheit.
Which is to say that a number of people left the con early, while other people stayed rather late. Programming shifted a lot, and extra programming was added in, to accommodate the numbers of people staying an extra unplanned night at the hotel.
I'm lucky, in that my trip home involves the T and walking, so I was pretty flexible (though the slog with a suitcase on my back in the frigid cold isn't fun, it's not horribly long either). I debated whether to stay another night, but chose the cheaper option, especially since I hadn't planned food for another day. On the other hand, since everyone else was staying on, I ended up gaming much later Sunday than I usually stay at the con. Thank goodness work was canceled today; I'd've been fairly useless.
notes for next year
- It would be nice to take advantage of a deeper tub and take a bath. However, it won't work Sunday. Just before or just after Shabbat might.
- Bringing a pillow is much better than using their too-thick ones.
- Apparently not only can one request a fridge, but also a humidifier. This may be useful.
- Remember to check the cube fridge and set it to 'chill' rather than 'super frosty freeze'; salad reacts poorly to extreme temperatures.
- Even so, bringing salad (from Souper Salad) and salad dressing is a good thing.
- Sandals are good footgear for the con.
- Milk St. closes at 2:30 on Fridays, no matter what their web site says.
- Bring both tape and Q-tips.
- Drink at least one cup of water/panel or per walkabout; I didn't feel horribly dehydrated this year because of this. A waterbottle wouldn't be a bad idea either.
ETA: the music
Friday night I heard the bagpipery in the mezzanine, the music spreading through the lobby, grabbing everyone's attention. Very skilled musicians. And in my hallway that evening I heard a bit of digeridu, also, which was more fascinating for seeming wholly out of place.
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Date: 2005-01-24 02:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-25 07:20 am (UTC)Nice userpic (especially for this comment!).