Paying Attention at Dragon Con

Short post today. I have to finish my work early this week to make some extra life space for the return of Dragon Con, which will consume my Friday, Saturday, and Sunday over Labor Day Weekend. I have a media badge this year and will be writing two or three short Star Wars-related pieces for Outer Rim News, so it’s not all wandering and random entertainment this time; I actually have to pay attention.

A few random thoughts on the coming weekend’s craziness:

1) As predicted, I once again failed to take a stab at real cosplay. I will not be traveling through the looking-glass. I will be standing near the looking-glass, watching and wondering what it’s like on the other side, and maybe eating a donut.

2) For the calendar year 2017, Dragon Con will likely be the closest I can come to a real life Cantina scene from Star Wars: A New Hope. Same as last years, and same as the year before. This is one of its chief charms for me. As VR and Augmented reality improve, this may change, but for now, it’s Dragon Con.

3) I expect to wait in very long lines for fast food on multiple occasions this weekend. I actually look forward to this. I think it’s a sort of Stockholm syndrome situation. I’ve done it enough times now to actually crave the pain. Maybe it’s just part of the experience–it wouldn’t be Dragon Con without it.

4) I will wear gaudy, ridiculous, colorful running shoes for the extra comfort, because foot visual does not matter at Dragon Con. Reducing foot pain is all that matters.

5) Cosplay or not, for three days I’ll be among a hugely diverse crowd of some 80 thousand people who all (or very nearly all) show up out of love for SF&F stories in one form or another. This is very, very good.

Have a great weekend all, even if I don’t see you at the Cantina.

w