very abbreviated, fast and dirty con almost-report

I've given up thinking I"m going to ever do a con report for VVC. However, I'd like to share some basic impressions received during my five days in Chicago. (with input from svmadelyn)

Big thing: me and amireal did not hate each other on sight, as both of us half-expected. Also, I have never seen a laptop to fangirl ratio like this before in my life. Met djinanna who I accidentally stood up for lunch due to evil weather and planes, but we got to talk in the lobby for *much time* and it was *marvelous*.

ETA:

amireal: but then it looks like we didn't interact at all!

Jenn's Notes: We interacted *a lot*.



Is there an etiquette to this? I'm not sure.

1.) This is the first city svmadelyn and I visited together that we didn't get lost in. We can pretty much totally attribute this to celli shepparding us toward destinations and not letting us wander off to stare at the pretty lights everywhere. The thing where me and svmadelyn and ficbyzee ended up accidentally at Lake Michigan was a mishap. We knew where we were. It was just unfortunate that the city did not agree. However, I have my black t-shirt of John-ness and feel like everything I wanted to accomplish was accomplished.

(svmadelyn says:

svmadelyn: um, hi. *I* brought the map that led us to celli
svmadelyn: it wasn't ALL celli
svmadelyn: and also, I had the clear post it
svmadelyn: FOR YOU
svmadelyn: that I slaved over)

Correction: svmadelyn's maps and clear posties saved me and ficbyzee from a hideous death from barracudas and slow death on the train.

2.) I'd like to say something abotu that thing that happened outside friday night, but honestly, I could not do justice and sisabet's live action version is so much better.

3.) Talking to just_eunice, vagabondage, and sisabet was one of the more fascinating experiences of my life--I'm not visual at all, but listening to the discussion of technique and art in vidding left me with a frightening desire to clip things and do a Wraith centric vid to Circle of Life, just to see if it can be done. I can pretty much blame them for urges that I can almost guarantee have never surfaced before. I can honestly say that it was fairly amazing to listen and absorb so much about a part of fandom I watched a great deal and still knew so little about, and moreso to listen to the way they went about building it. It was both amazingly similiar to how I go about writing in some ways, and utterly foreign at the same time.

4.) Per usual on every trip I've ever gone on, blistered my heels and balls of my feet, discoverd Urban Outfitters, and fell in love with flat cottom Mary Janes. I don't think I took them off the rest of the weekend. No, seriously, you who have traveled with me before--and I'm looking at the Slumberparty girls here--know me and my heels are OTP. I was wrong. These shoes are my true shoes. I broke the buckle off one side of one? I *pinned it in place*. I cannot let go of these shoes, like, ever. I want a pair in every color. Next slumberparty, you will doubtless see me wearing them.

5.) Met elke_tanzer, who, yes, we were cruel to with that thing that we made her read? But then she put John/Kolya in my head and post Common Ground? God. I want. She was amazing. I sort of expected that, as she's pretty much just like her lj. z_rayne was as incredibly fun as her lj implies.

6.)I really fell in love with the con suite in a big way. God, the *food*.

(svmadelyn says: the food was really awesome. we ate a lot of it.)

7.) I think we channeled a lot of our leftover Smallville rage while karaoking to Drop Dead Gorgeous. That felt good.

8.) Met merryish, which was the height of cool in more ways than I can count, not least because she was one of my gateway drugs into Smallville. Met giddygeek, which was a huge bounce moment as well. Met cesperanza. Wow. Saw astolat again. Awesome. Frankly, most of these people got off lucky in that we met either when I was a.) exhausted with blisters and draped over a couch without any desire to move or b.) trying not to fall from my formidable height in stilettos, so didn't have time to get self-conscious and freak out completely and make incoherent noises at them. Christ. Met destina, liviapenn, and harriet_spy as well. That was very interesting.

8.) I discovered that boots are the best conversational ice-breaker ever. I have *got* to remember this. And to everyone who was taking bets when I was walking down the stairs--I ran those suckers back up. Ask nightchik.

(svmadleyn says:

svmadelyn: *giggles* oh! i'd mention the failed attempt at straightenign your hair
svmadelyn: we tried really hard.

she's right. we really did.)

9.) lierdumoa, fashes, and permetaform were immensely fun as suitemates. Got to see taraljc again, who I miss even now.

10.) The vids in themselves were fascinating, but it was especially interesting to overhear a lot of the technical side of vidding. Fic requires a word processor and basically a working internet connection. Vidding is *accessorized* and more complex than I thought it was, and I thought it was pretty damned complex before. I still have no idea how they do it.

Okay, I know I left out half the people I met and a lot of stuff we did, and to anyone I forgot, I apologize up front. My memory sucks--about a third of this is with svmadelyn nudging me with "Oh but". But it was amazing, and pretty much like five days *high* and I didn't want it to ever end. The organizers did an amazing job putting this together and we had an incredible, incredible time.

(svmadelyn's final words: Chicago > Seattle. Mostly because we weren't ill, druggged, lost or pondering fishing in rivers for food.

Yes, indeed.

Comments

[svmadelyn.livejournal.com]

Damn right the clear post-its rule all.

[amireal.livejournal.com]

I covet the clear stickies.

*feels weak*

Where do you find them?

[svmadelyn.livejournal.com]

I got mine at a store called ShopKo, but I'd expect you could find them at most office supply type place?

[amireal.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I do not recall seing them. Closest I have are the reusable tab things. Which rock too.

Sweet. Considering the amount of tabbing I need to do, this might be nice. I can totally see how using these in lit classes or in text books would rock.

[celli]

*grin*

[seperis.livejournal.com]

I STILL MISS YOU!

[nebulist.livejournal.com]

I'd like to point out that other people were taking bets when you walked down the stairs, whereas I was genuinely concerned about your welfare.

I think I was less "concerned" and more "amazed" when you ran back up the stairs. But I had other concerns by then. And it was truly an awesome getaway.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

*curious* who won?

*giggleS* It was truly the best getaway ever.

[nebulist.livejournal.com]

Well, you didn't fall, so... not Madelyn?

[amireal.livejournal.com]

You made a bet. *has the book* :p

[nebulist.livejournal.com]

I knew the gaps in my memory from that night would come back to haunt me. I didn't karaoke at all, did I? Okay, good.

[destina.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, interesting... That's one of those words where I always suspect there are layers of unspoken subtext waiting to burst out of your rib cage like an alien baby. *g* *meep*

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Nonono. I just ran out of adjective and used up my allotment of awesome and cool. And y'all three were ones I'd wanted to meet in SV!

Considering I wrote this in like, forty-five minutes of rapid typing for fear I'd forget I relaly wanted to get it *done*. *grins* But no. ALL VERY GOOD. There was no bad. Dear God,teh sheer lack of bad boggles me a little. I want to go *back*.

[taraljc.livejournal.com]

my couch is your couch, whenever you want to come! no lie. and I'm walking distance from just_eunice, celli, merryish and many many other cool fannish Chitown peeps.

[proscription.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you had a good time! Chicago is awesome in many ways.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

It was really amazing. Warm and friendly and wonderful. I'm still grateful I had the opportunity to go.

[proscription.livejournal.com]

It's alway fun to get together with people who you think you like online, and then get together in RL and find out you do.

[ficbyzee.livejournal.com]

I discovered that boots are the best conversational ice-breaker ever.

Ditto the hot pink cowboy hat, man. I'm hoping it made me seem less shy than I actually am.

Sniff! This post made me miss VVC all over again. *hums Drop dead, not joking...*

[elke-tanzer.livejournal.com]

You're shy? *blinks*

[ficbyzee.livejournal.com]

Hee! Well, less so when I'm surrounded by fangirls and/or drunk, but yeah, a little. :)

[elke-tanzer.livejournal.com]

I sort of expected that, as she's pretty much just like her lj.

Oh, wow... I think that's the sweetest thing I've heard all year. Thank you!

And hell, yes, Sheppard/Kolya. YUM. *covets*

[iamtheenemy.livejournal.com]

I wasn't there, but since I live in Chicago, I can tell you with some amount of certainty that everyone has accidentally wound up at the Lake at least once. It's a really big lake, which is my excuse.

Also, I don't know where you're from and if it's worse there, but did you happen to pass a gas station on your various adventures? Because dude, it hurts. Truly.

[djinanna.livejournal.com]

*hug*

[just-eunice.livejournal.com]

I'm a rocker. I like Ozzy. :)

It was quite awesome to meet you and and your boots. You should definitely come back next year so that I may squee at you about John more. *g*

[taraljc.livejournal.com]

I missed you too! I so want a Slumberparty in Chicago some day. I would take you all over the place and show you fun bits, and feed you. Honest.

[mad-jaks.livejournal.com]

I never thought of you being *boot girl* (http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d57/mad_jaks/Italianboots.jpg) before.... Looks like you had a great time.