FedCon XXI is a wrap!

FedCon XXI is a wrap. And what an event it was, once again! Let me first quickly mention some things I did not like so much:

-Having to clear your Gold Seats for each and every panel from people who are supposed to be sitting elsewhere. Granted, most of you left without any problems or making a fuzz, but doing that for the zillionth time it gets quite ANNOYING.

-Smokie’s Bar (i.e. Morley’s bar). I realize there is not much FedCon can do about this, as it is the hotel’s policy to make this into a smoking area. Unfortunately, the sheer amount of cigarette and cigar smoke precludes many of us from participating in the social after-Con functions that happen there.
So, that's out of the way, now to the good stuff!

Once again I love and so much appreciate how the ladies of Behindertenbetreuung help my husband and friend enjoy this con without their handicaps getting too much in the way. Also thanks to all the folks who let us go before at autogram sessions and photoshoots. Also a lot of respect to the hotel and restaurant staff who once again facilitated this event so well. It was smashing.
I am also very happy with this year’s guest list, as all of them have offered me something memorable, very often a nice chat during autographs or –I hesitate to say this, during Photoshoot ;)-, some nice interactions or just a great, funny or thought provoking panel. I have not been able to visit each and every guest (though I worked out a schedule that would allow me to do so, one simple program change screwed that all up, and  after that I simply went with the flow), but of the encounters I had, some stand out:

Jonathan Frakes, in his panels and his autograph. Simply an amazing entertainer, probably the crew’s uncontrollable nightmare, but I loved every minute of his panel and the time we spent with him during autographs.

Virginia Hey, who in her first panel talked about a lot of things I found extremely interesting, and she is always a sweetheart anyway.

The latter also applies to Teryl Rothery, whom we met just before our wedding almost ten years ago and we found time to share some memories of that event.   

Joe Flanigan, witty as ever and I always enjoy listening to his take on life and events. That same wittiness applies to Casper Van Dien, whose clear enjoyment of the whole event I found so refreshing and –shall I use the word? – “cute” (Sorry, Casper ;-)).  

Felicia Day, who was the biggest surprise of this convention. I was not too familiar with her work, but that was adequately remedied by her, and I cannot wait to learn more about her various projects and activities.

And then there is Mr. William Shatner. First of all, kudos to the FedCon staff who handled so well the administrative nightmare that bringing him over must have brought about. I have seen him before, I have done his autograph and photosessions before, so I skipped these but went to his Sunday panel. And boy, was I blown away with what he was doing there! I have never seen him get so personal, so profound, and so wise! What a wonderfully complete human being stood there on stage! Of all the various panels, his affected me the most and the deepest.

On a lighter note, I adored the Dr. Grordbort exhibition, and spent quite some time there, dreaming about this amazing world Greg Broadmore created and all the stories and characters in it. Such a tribute to human imagination!

I would also like to congratulate Garrett with a job amazingly well-done and also thanks for bringing over your wonderful parents, with whom we spent some wonderful time. Love the T-shirts, keep them coming!

And then there was the Augsburger rockabilly band Roadshot! Guys, you saved the party for me! After standing around for too long, while the soccer match was running its course, I was half inclined to call it a day, and Roadshot took the stage and from then on, I danced my socks off. Wonderful music, IMHO very suitable for FedCon and I loved every minute of it!

Let me finish by giving Dirk and his team, all workers and volunteers a great big “Thank You” for making this convention so memorable. To me, this convention was a different experience than before, mainly due to some changes in my personal circumstances. But if anything, it went deeper than before.