My Convention Career: 1998

• Boskone -- A typical wonderful laid-back Boskone. I got to make a pilgrimage to Legal Seafoods, watched some Olympics figure skating with GoH Walter Jon Williams, got a copy of More Wandering Stars that I'd been hunting for years from thoughtful dealer Mike Walsh, attended the challenging and chocolate-laden trivia contest, and finished the con off with a wonderful meal (and yummy take-out for the plane ride home) at a kosher deli courtesy of Deb Geisler and Mike Beneveniste.

• DeepSouthCon, Birmingham -- Aside from getting stranded overnight in St. Louis on the same flight as Tucker, this was a great con. Seeing old buddies is always fun and the SFPAns were out in force for this laid-back convention. First time I've ever seen a hotel ration towels one per-person per-night . . . and in 90-degree heat!

• Westercon, San Diego -- This somewhat cramped hotel in an out-of-the-way location in San Diego wasn't the best con facility, but we still managed to have a good time, even if I was bonked on the head by an unripe fruit falling from a tree overhead at a microbrewery one night! The "Should Microsoft Frighten Us?" panel I was on was particularly fun, as were the unexpected swing dance lessons.

• Bucconeer -- A somewhat fragmented worldcon with no central gathering place and scattered hotels. I got to help with a possibly record-setting no-frills Hugo ceremony, which also came in handy when the non-fan Hugo designer rescued a few of us from being stranded at a kosher restaurant in the 'burbs the next evening.

• Orycon -- The usual warm, friendly Orycon, augmented by the chance to spend some time with Returning GoH Dave Langford, a British fan who doesn't get the opportunity to cross the pond very often. This year featured an exceptionally hospitable Fan Lounge, where many of us hung out most of the weekend.

• Smofcon -- The Colorado Springs location provided snow before the weekend was out, but that didn't chill this friendly small gathering of con runners. Notable for a participatory design for panels and an attempt to make a fun game out of parliamentary procedure!

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