Polaris 25 Post-mortem, Part 1

I’ve been going to the Con for years and I always have a good time. I don’t think I am (overly) biased but without fail I walk out of the hotel Sunday night exhausted and strangely exhilarated.

It’s not that I don’t encounter less than stellar panels and this is the first year I have snuck out on a main room guest (two actually) but the good (very, very good) far outweigh the disappointing or downright BAD!!

So where do I begin?

I bailed on Friday because I just couldn’t stomach the extendo ride on public transit (two different lines). There were only a couple panels I wanted to check out and I felt guilty that I would be imposing on my brother to come and get me late in the evening (because I would have had to go to Klingon Karaoke and once you get me started…) so I made the responsible decision- with the promise to myself that I would go all three days next year and make a fool of myself with a mic in one hand and a beer in the other.

Do I start with the good or get the bad over and done with?

Okay, the ugly first then.

I attended no bad panels this year (only walked out of one) but I was very selective. There were a lot of panels I wish I could have gone to but there were too many things going on at the same time so I just went with my number one. There was one frustrating panel with Mr. Professor of Anthropology regarding how our world will look in the not too distant future. I did not agree at all with his rosy view of where we were headed (very Jetsons meets Star Trek). I couldn’t get a word in edgewise and just left frustrated. Maybe I shouldn’t judge too harshly because I left with the names of a couple writers of papers I clearly need to read. I was tempted to talk to him after the panel but I wasn’t sure I could discuss it without being overly argumentative and indignant. I’ll look him up and send him a carefully crafted email.

My biggest issue was with other people attending the Con.

There was one bombastic person who did not understand the beauty of brevity and tended to go off the topic of conversation at panels. His already booming voice would get louder and louder and he got incredibly annoyed with people on the panel who tried to steer him back and get him to end his endless diatribe. I could forgive him for that (much better to be passionate about things than not give a damn about anything) but when he went off on his iron-fisted, apparently hard-ass female supervisors in the context of his defense of the kind and gentle Captain Janeway, I almost lost it. Deep breaths. SO not worth pursuing that tangent! Unfortunately, Murphy has a mercilessly sick sense of humour and I couldn’t shake Mr. Bombast. I think he ended up at more than half the panels I attended. Tragic.

There was another gentleman, known to be a prolific asker of questions in the main room, who was a minor burr under my saddle. I get that he can be amusing (in small doses) but his slightly breathless schtick of being overcome? Enough!!! If you can’t think of a question, please, PLEASE move along. There were a ton of people who want their 30 seconds to ask Jewel Staite a burning question and you have just wasted at least four minutes with your bluster and hemming and hawing. It would not be a thing at all if no one was behind you but people are on the stage for 50 minutes, try being a little considerate.

Maybe I am just an impatient b@tch but when you start to infringe on the enjoyment of others at the Con, enough.

Okay, I feel better now.

Since my rant was extensive, tune into Part 2 for the very, very good!

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~ by angryegg on July 18, 2011.