Happy Anniversary to me!

[jeffreyab]

In the wake of ConClave I was just thinking about how the con had gone for me and how things had been different in the early days and I realized that I started going to SF cons exactly twenty five years ago this month.

I headed off to Maplecon in Ottawa in October 1981. I have never been to another con in Ottawa. The people I went with mostly history majors from Erindale College of the University of Toronto. Ian Page and George Jaeger disappeared after graduation the latter into the Canadian Army and the former into who knows where. Alex Crichton dropped out soon after and married and settled in Mississauga. Dave Graham and Carrie Julian married and later divorced. Dave still goes to the odd gaming con and I see Carrie now and then at Ad Astra. Gord and Bev Rose divorced a while after. Bev dropped out of fandom and Gord went on to become a living legend emceeing every Toronto con masquerade at least once. He is still active as an elder statesman for local costumers. The person who got us all into this was Barb Schofield, already a big name costumer in 1981. I still Barb around too.

Oddly enough at that first convention I spent time drinking, wandering around looking for parties, talking to authors, dancing and eating exotic food. All pretty much what I try to do a cons today.

I am not sure if the next 25 years will go the same way. I look around most of the cons I go to and I see myself as a dinosaur, the last of my line, among the oldest fen there and still one of the loners. However I think I will still go to be fascinated by the authors, the fiction and the science, even if I have to eat and sleep alone.

To another twenty five years! Howard did it and so maybe can I.

Comments

[tlatoani.livejournal.com]

Among the oldest fen there? Please. Take a closer look.

(I'm not going to name names, because I'm already getting harrassed for a joke I made about one well-known group :-), but please.)

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

Well I will add outside of filkers and Dorsai, definitely one of the oldest who does the things I like to do, stay up late, dance, hang out at parties and not with my own little group.

[twoofdtm.livejournal.com]

*cheers you on*

[caradina.livejournal.com]

Con for me is a TOTALLY different experience nowthan when I was a (ahem) kid. I think I like it better this way. And by the way, you are never alone at con, just wander into Consuite r down the halls until you find an open door. That's why I love it.

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

It takes awhile to find the right door, but they are there.

I used to like hanging in the smoking consuite for example until I finally noticed the smoke.

Anyone actually play cards anymore?

[treebones.livejournal.com]

Heh. As someone who summoned Steve Andre back into service to help with Conclave's consuite, I don't take it for granted that those who have years of history and experience are destined to end as dinosaurs. (:

[avt-tor.livejournal.com]

I look around most of the cons I go to and I see myself as a dinosaur, the last of my line, among the oldest fen there and still one of the loners.

That's hilarious. I know what you mean, and yet, it's not always like that. You're right that southeastern Michigan fandom is mostly younger than you (well, us, I'm actually older than you ;) ), but to me this just means there's plenty of eye candy. I've been to cons where the Confusion crowd looks old and stodgy, and I've been to cons where I was among the youngest 5% of the membership.

What we need to do is help connect the older fen to the younger fen.

Those were the days, though, eh? And yet it seems to me that I've seen Gord, Dave, Carrie, and Barb within the past year or so. It strikes me that, at Ad Astra, Toronto Trek, even Anime North, I see quite a lot of people I've known for more than twenty years.

If you don't mind my slacker hours, you are welcome to join me and my friends at any meal at any convention we are both at.

[bloomdesigner.livejournal.com]

Happy Anniversary.

And if your a dinosaur, I'm a trilobite.