ConDor

[deborahjross]

I attended the very first of these San Diego conventions, and was a regular for many years. I was living in LA and not venturing very far, so a new local (2 hour drive) convention was a good thing. In those early years, when the con was at Town & Country, it would take me almost the entire con to figure out how to get from here to there. T & C was sprawling, many buildings over a huge lot. This was good (when it wasn't raining) because it got me outdoors, always a healthly thing at cons, and some obligatory exercise. There was a little courtyard between the two buildings that housed most of the events, and this formed a natural meeting place, a sense of community crossroads. In those early years, I got to meet writers like Lois McMaster Bujold and Kim Stanley Robinson in a relaxed, friendly setting. Often hung out with my friend L. Dean James, made lots of new friends.

I stopped going for a number of years, partly due to the change of venue and loss of that wonderful sense of community, partly the chaos of my own life, then after I moved up here (Central Coast), the inconvenience of air travel and then a hotel that was a $50 taxi ride either way. This year, Dave was going to come with me, but between surgery and his father's death, that was not possible. We had planned to drive, so I did that, armed with Jane Austen on audiobooks.

As predicted, the drive in both directions was long and tiring. The hotel was comfortable except for the food -- one restaurant the size of a postage stamp, with mediocre to terrible food at extravagant prices. The con itself was wonderful. Superb programming, for which ConDor is or should be justly famous. Lots of wonderful pros and fans. Marc Zicree showed "World Enough and Time" that he wrote and directed for ST: NEW VOYAGES, and is on the Nebula Ballot for Best Script. I actually got to sit and watch (the episode and Marc's fascinating discussion). I had heard of this, excuse the pun, enterprise, fan-produced episodes of high quality, but had not seen any before. What a treat!

As for my own participation, I had a heavy schedule, which keeps me happy. Some panels on the theme of death (the media GoH was Ellen Muth of "Dead Like Me," which I gather is a TV program, although could be mistaken -- anyway, they built the program around her interest, and then she had to cancel at the last minute), more on writerly stuff, getting published, the like. Again, old friends, new and newer ones sparkled up the weekend.

Came home inspired and energized to write -- which is my definition of a whoppingly successful con!!!

Comments

[imhilien.livejournal.com]

I'm glad the con itself was great. :)

You always have to be careful with some restaurants, since they have their own ideas of what 'food' is...

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, that is so true. I admit to being spoiled, since I eat a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits, much of which we grow ourselves or I buy locally grown organic at the farmers market.

Harvested the "second wind" broccoli from the winter garden and steamed it only a couple of hours later -- amazingly tasty. The first of the asparagus has poked its head above the ground. Given last year's crop, we should have enough to freeze and eat all year round. We have 2 varieties, the usual green, and a thick juicy purple that's slightly sweet if you eat it the same day, before the natural sugars break down.

Not something you can get in a restaurant. Let alone a hotel restaurant accustomed to a captive audience...