I can well imagine you as the Ghost of Christmas Present. I'm sure you bring it across very well. Probably my best attempt at the stage was the role of Phillip II in The Lion in Winter, nowhere near as expansive a character and more like a petty and lovestruck child. Or perhaps as Benjamin the donkey in Animal Farm: old, sour, and cynical.
In 2012 I went to a couple of smaller cons. They were much better from my point of view, at least in terms of accessibility and interactions. One of those (FCN, near Detroit) ceased operation two years later, in part because the attendance had grown large enough that the original organizers no longer wanted to deal with the logistics. A restructured organization has continued it as Motor City Fur Con but I haven't been back and it continues to grow just as the others seem to do.
The other was in Indianapolis (IFC) and I particularly enjoyed that but again it has grown and changed to another hotel so I expect the same issues are developing there. You know there is something problematic when all the available hotel space is reserved nine or ten months in advance of the event and often within mere hours of the block opening for reservation.
In both cases I was enabled by friends who shared the burden of making the logistics work. I was along for the ride but someone else made it work. I'm not an eager traveler and usually manage to leave home for any period of time only when forced to do so.
In the end, though, I'm just not social on that level. Masses of strangers overwhelm and oppress me and I run like a mouse looking for a place to hide. Prospects like a crowded sports stadium or large theatre are almost intolerable. I can do it, but the motivation has to be huge and the force of will required is exhausting, which pretty much cancels out any benefit of attending. Even a crowded elevator is difficult to endure.
Years ago I was able to handle Orchestra Hall or the Lyric Opera House because the music kept me from thinking about the surroundings, but I seem to have lost that ability. In fact, the reason I pried Gary loose from Chicago and insisted on moving out here was pretty much my growing claustrophobia at being hemmed in on all sides by so many people and so much traffic. After 17 years, even this area has changed to the point where I feel it isn't remote enough.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2015-12-09 12:25 pm (UTC)In 2012 I went to a couple of smaller cons. They were much better from my point of view, at least in terms of accessibility and interactions. One of those (FCN, near Detroit) ceased operation two years later, in part because the attendance had grown large enough that the original organizers no longer wanted to deal with the logistics. A restructured organization has continued it as Motor City Fur Con but I haven't been back and it continues to grow just as the others seem to do.
The other was in Indianapolis (IFC) and I particularly enjoyed that but again it has grown and changed to another hotel so I expect the same issues are developing there. You know there is something problematic when all the available hotel space is reserved nine or ten months in advance of the event and often within mere hours of the block opening for reservation.
In both cases I was enabled by friends who shared the burden of making the logistics work. I was along for the ride but someone else made it work. I'm not an eager traveler and usually manage to leave home for any period of time only when forced to do so.
In the end, though, I'm just not social on that level. Masses of strangers overwhelm and oppress me and I run like a mouse looking for a place to hide. Prospects like a crowded sports stadium or large theatre are almost intolerable. I can do it, but the motivation has to be huge and the force of will required is exhausting, which pretty much cancels out any benefit of attending. Even a crowded elevator is difficult to endure.
Years ago I was able to handle Orchestra Hall or the Lyric Opera House because the music kept me from thinking about the surroundings, but I seem to have lost that ability. In fact, the reason I pried Gary loose from Chicago and insisted on moving out here was pretty much my growing claustrophobia at being hemmed in on all sides by so many people and so much traffic. After 17 years, even this area has changed to the point where I feel it isn't remote enough.