Some photos (all yoinked from Dan) and notes. I was Events Head for this con, which was a new and interesting piece of responsibility. Usually I work tech, which is mostly a question of showing up and doing as I’m told. I like this more responsibility thing, I think. (As I told Dan a few weeks ago, I mostly just like knowing what’s going on. Being in charge of it is just the best way to know what’s happening.)
Anyway. Friday morning, Dan went up to my folks to borrow the whale big van, and to pick up Nathan. They returned with the van full of Nathan’s videogame gear, and we proceeded to add tech gear (borrowed from MCFI) and camera gear and various con paraphernalia. Left about 12:30, hit traffic on the Pike, but nothing like last year (thank goodness).
Friday was pretty low-key - brought our gear in, the folks handling tech started setting up. I ended up hanging out at the One Desk helping run registration, as I didn’t have anything to run until late in the evening.

First event bring run by Events (aka me) was the White Elephant Burlesque Society performance. These are folks that Jeff Mach knows, and invited to come, and they were amazing. Very very good at what they do.

Lessons learned: Performers need dressing-room space before and after performing. Shoulda been obvious to us. Will be next year.
After White Elephant was the local Rocky Horror cast, the Come Again Players, who are a Pi-Con fixture by now. Many of them are involved in other aspects of the con, and they’ve performed every year. I didn’t see their show, sadly - once I made sure they were good to go I went to hang out with some friends.

LED plus coin battery plus small magnet plus electrical tape = LEDs that stick to metal things. (The MIT Ubuntu Evangelization guys brought them.) Like the screws of the speaker grate in the ceiling. Randall got them up there, being Very Talented and far more coordinated than I am, and the rest of us cheered him on.
Saturday I was up bright and early to go across Springfield to pick up dry ice for what I was told was the “best 10am panel ever” (thanks Shadesong and Elayna!).

Again, spent a lot of time when I wasn’t officially “on” at the One Desk, as a clueful staff member who knows lots of different answers. I hung out in the videogame room a bit, played MarioKart on the Wii (fun!), and grabbed snacks in the Con Suite. Saturday afternoon was the Belly Dance Cabaret (coordinated by Tegan, who did a great job), followed by a beginners’ lesson.

There were two different boffing groups holding events. Some Realms members were doing their thing. (I am not a LARPer. I do not know their details.)
And the Historical Boffing Association (which is mostly my friend Mercutio) hosted a tournament.

Saturday night we had a Masquerade Ball, which was a small success. Mark and Stacey from the UMass Lowell Ballroom Dance Team taught dances.

And Sara Harvey gave costume prizes (and a spontaneous costuming class, which was one of the highlights of my con).


There was some staying up Way Too Gosh Darned Late, due to helping a friend, and then a hotel screw-up of epic proportions.
Sunday morning there was an emergency pants run, thanks to Sylvari, and a truly excellent panel with Cory and Randall that everyone seems to’ve already discussed in great detail.

I hosted a showing of some short films made by various folk in the community - two by Hugh Casey (that’s a link to his youtube page, in case you want to see them), and one from someone I don’t actually know (whoops). And then my responsibilities to the con were over and I skipped up and down the hallway several times. That adrenaline rush of having pulled off something difficult and stressful? It’s the best. It’s the adrenaline rush as the curtain comes down on opening night of a show. I loves it.