after some absence...

[surei]

WTF. I am not a prolific person, and I don't have all that many connections; how did I get 60 emails over the weekend? Which reminds me.

First, the random aside: Two Lumps - I was confused by the name, too, but it's a MWF webcomic about a pair of cats, apparently based off of two that exist in RL, although the drawn versions' antics are exaggerated, and their thoughts and poses are somewhat anthropomorphized. They're still cats, though, and the occasional human (mostly the owner/keeper/caretaker/whatever) is generally seen only from the knees down. Ebenezer is a megalomanaical grouch, Snooch is an idiot who experiences things by extremes, interaction is mostly in the style of Kyougen, Manzai, the like.

Second, the conventions:

I feel like I say this a lot, but it doesn't always come up. I grew up in SFF fandom. Quite literally. It helps that my father is who is, but anyway. The point of this paragraph is that I've been going to science fiction conventions all my life (until I went to college and had to miss out on them; probably another contributing factor to my apparent inability to go back and stay there), and since I need to remind Liss about some of them anyway, I figured I might as well put up info on all the ones that form the current list.

January	~ 18th - 20th :: Williamsburg, VA :: MarsCon 18: This is where I was this weekend. Tiny convention, less than a thousand people, where everybody knows each other. I hadn't seen some of these people in four years, and somehow we got put in a room on the ground floor. Cary!Louis is going to hate me again - Jenny Breeden was there.
February	~ 8th - 10th :: Greensboro, NC (Guilford College) :: What-The-Hell?! Con '08: I've never actually been, and I can't go this year, but it looks interesting all the same. And is close.
	~ 22nd - 23rd :: Roanoke, VA :: SheVaCon 16: Another con I've had to miss, and my memory is never good. I dunno. They've always invited us, we've always gone. Yeah, I know most of the people here, too.
March	~ 14th - 16th :: High Point, NC :: Stellarcon 32: Our home convention. Stellar started off at UNC-Greensboro, and had to deal with the typical turnaround for a college-student-run convention (always new, eager, and inexperienced) and for a while there, Dad was the gray eminence. They're not affiliated with UNC since... before I was born, I think? Or shortly thereafter. In any case, as with SheVa and Mars, my father is on the permanent guest list. This year, I'm told that I'll be officially recognized on the writer's workshop (been on the panel for years, but always as an extra), and have been invited to another panel as well. Good stuff.
	~ 14th - 16th:: High Point, NC :: DeepSouthCon 46: Same time, same place. DeepSouth is a roving convention that gets hosted by a different con every year. Stellar's hosting it (again), which means more people and more high-end guests.
April	~ 25th - 27th :: Richmond, VA :: RavenCon '08: This convention is very, very young (I think this is the third one?), but off to a good start, since they've got veterans doing the hard stuff. Which means that they can go ahead and cover science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery (and an art show/auction, a costume contest, a gaming room, etc.) without killing themselve or the con. *skimming the site* Lots of familiar names... oh, hey! Writing GoH is C. S. Friedman, Artist GoH is Steve Hickman. You know what, Liss? Come to this one.
May	~ 23rd - 25th :: Durham, NC :: Animazment '08: This one's the one I go to, but my parents don't. Frankly, it's gotten too large for me: over 4400 people in '07? Add to that long lines, crowded hotels, headaches from the noise and lights, looming security, and more kids than adults. Since I'm not particularly interested in the panels, or the stuff in the dealers' room, can find the anime elsewhere, don't have all that many attending friends (and those who do go can just as easily visit me personally, without the excuse of a con; you know who you are), and probably wouldn't really miss the costumes or the AMV, this may well be my last year.
August	~ when? :: Raleigh, NC :: Trinoc*coN 9: Trinoc, you're running late again. It was both a success and a flail last year; great guests, last-minute calls for help in important places. Like, say, con suite and programming. yuukaanduit, so stop giving me a wall for a page, dammit.
October	~ 17th - 19th :: DC :: Capclave '08: Their symbol is a dodo in a propeller beanie, which should explain a lot. Capclave (once somethingy [insert relative!particle] Disclave - not sure of the details) is a reader!con, so the focus is almost entirely on books.