Just over two years ago I posted about learning to play drums. I'd wanted to learn since I was in my early 20s but never knew how to start. I played French horn in the school band, not exactly the kind of background most drummers have.
So I put it off and put it off, and finally decided it was time. I bought a cheap drum kit online, managed to sort of put it together, and started teaching myself how to play. I had a couple of used "learn drums!" books and the internet.
So how's it going now that two years have passed?
At first it went great. I had fun making noise and learning how to play really simple grooves. I worked hard to coordinate both arms and both legs together. I felt like I was starting to get it.
Then that first rush of excitement cooled. I started to wonder if I was learning bad habits by teaching myself out of books. I didn't feel like I was progressing very fast after those first few weeks. I knew I needed to concentrate on the rudiments but I didn't really understand how to do a lot of them. Advice online was sometimes conflicting, often confusing.
After a couple of months my practice sessions tapered off. My shiny black drum kit (in the living room, so I couldn't use the couch) got dusty. When I did practice, I ran up against the same walls again and again. I thought about taking lessons, but those are expensive and I wasn't even sure where to find a teacher.
Then I remembered I work at a college. With a music department. And employees can take a free class every semester.
So last fall I started taking lessons, one half-hour lesson every week. My teacher started me on the very basics. He showed me how to hold the sticks properly (I was mostly right, although I had indeed developed some bad habits). He taught me the rudiments I needed to practice to develop stick control. By the end of that first semester I was back to playing simple grooves on the drum kit, only this time I was making progress every single week. That's not to say it's easy--I'm no born drummer; I have to work hard to improve--but I enjoy it.
I just finished my second semester of lessons. I'm getting better and better. A few friends, all of us terrible but enthusiastic musicians, have started a band called Rocket Pony and one day we might actually manage to get together to actually play. I don't have lessons over the summer, although hopefully I'll be able to continue in the fall, but I practice every single day. And I've traded my crappy cheap drum kit for a used Ludwig Accent kit with Sabian cymbals. I love it like crazy. It's purple.
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Monday, May 2, 2016
Monday, September 1, 2014
DragonCon 2014!
I did a post about my DragonCon experiences last year and decided to do it again this year, hopefully more coherently. Of course that's hard considering my blur of experiences over the last three days and my current lack of sleep. The TL;DR take is that I enjoyed myself hugely again as always. This will be long.
I got in around 4:30 and got my badge without a wait. I wasn't sure what to do with myself that early, so I went to the "State of the Goth Scene: Rock Edition" panel. From my journal: "One of the guys from Bella Morte (I think) mentioned Immortal Chorus [and this link, because "Mary Are You Sleeping" was my favorite IC song] and I quietly flipped out because I had their only cassette back in the 90s when I lived in Knoxville! I hadn't thought of them in years. I wish I still had it since I know it's not available online anywhere."
After that I went to a great panel, "Spirit Mediums of the 19th Century," then met up with my friends Kevin and Felicity for a celebrity improv comedy show, which was hilarious. It was good to catch up a little with my friends too, since DragonCon is the only time I get to see them.
By this time I'd mellowed into my happy-slightlymanic-adrenalinrushwon'tstop DragonCon mood, which lasted all weekend as par for the course. At about eleven I got in line for the Voltaire concert at midnight. Yes, he was here again this year! Last year he said he wouldn't be, but that changed, and I am so very very very glad. I was closer to the stage than last year but none of my pictures are any good. (I have lots of good pix from when he played Knoxville in May, but posting one of those instead would be cheating.)
The show was fantastic, of course. I actually really wanted to see the Marquis of Vaudeville afterwards, but I was wrung out and exhausted and my contacts were killing me so I didn't stay.
Even so, it was almost 3 a.m. by the time I made it back to my hotel. I slept about four hours, then sprang out of bed and went back to the con for SATURDAY.
From my Twitter feed:
Aug 29 I would commit actual murder for a slushee right now.
It was a hot weekend, and on Friday I'd worn a cute knee-length skirt with my Voltaire t-shirt and sandals. But all the running around outside between hotels while sweating had a side effect I never expected. From my twitter feed while standing in line to see Voltaire:
Aug 29 I'm right behind a very tall woman with no body fat, and I know this because she's wearing a net. Makes me feel very dumpy.
Aug 29 This is how hobbits must feel next to elves, only this hobbit has killer heat rash on her thighs. I had to apply chapstick in the bathroom.
Aug 29 Sorry, TMI.
So I didn't wear the skirt again on Saturday, I wore a pair of light gray shorts and a black T-shirt that spent most of the day damp with sweat.
That morning Kevin was on a panel about the movies and TV shows released in 1984. I thought I'd left myself tons of time to get downtown, park, and get to the panel before it started, but I got caught in the hellish DragonCon parade traffic and was a few minutes late after all. It was fun and funny although there were so many people on the panel some people didn't really get a chance to contribute.
I didn't get a chance to say hi to Kevin because immediately after the panel I had to rush to a different hotel for the airship races. They were so fun last year I didn't want to miss them this year. But the parade was still going on, which meant a lot of the main streets were blocked off to foot traffic--plus the hordes of people along the streets to watch the parade meant getting anywhere was nearly impossible.
I met a nice older guy, there with his daughter, who was also trying to make his way to the airship races, so since he was more familiar with the area I went with him. We made it, too, although it took us 45 minutes to go about three blocks. DragonCon schedules panels/events with half an hour in between so people can get to where they're going, but the parade jams everything up. Some of the people running the races or competing were late for the same reason, though, so we didn't miss much. And they were incredibly fun! I took some video.
It's hard to express how huge DragonCon is. It's spread out across five enormous hotels and the AmericasMart and still everywhere is packed. Some 60,000 people attend a day, more on Saturday. It makes for some frustrating experiences but also some serendipitous ones. While we were still shuffling forward in the crowd funneling into the Westin Peachtree hotel, I was watching the people going by on the sidewalk nearby and suddenly recognized a guy who teaches at the same college where I work in Knoxville. I had no idea he would be there.
Of course I immediately shrieked, "Daniel! Daniel!" and waved dementedly. He turned around, saw me, waved back, and looked completely baffled. I don't think he recognized me. When we got into the airship races and I opened my phone to take pictures, I saw my reflection and realized I was drenched with sweat and looked insane, so presumably I don't look insane on workdays. That's a good thing to know.
A picture of a typical DragonCon crowd, taken (I think) on Saturday night in (I think) the Marriott.
Anyway, I went to a bunch more panels that afternoon. One of them was a Q&A with Grant Imahara. I was way way in the back so didn't get any pictures. He's an interesting, affable, funny guy, well worth standing in line for half an hour in the RELENTLESS MISERY OF THE AUGUST AFTERNOON SUN.
From my Twitter feed:
Aug 30 We are a lot of miserably hot people waiting in line outside with no shade.
Actually we had some shade. Just not enough. I'd forgotten to bring my fan, so I tore the cover off a spiral notebook and fanned myself with it. It rained for a while later that afternoon, which made the humidity worse until a small storm rolled through and cleared the air a little.
Aug 30 The science panel I wanted to attend at 4 filled up before I got there so I've been wandering the Hilton like an angry sweaty ghost.
Aug 30 In desperation I spent $3 for a tepid orange Fanta.
Aug 30 Currently lurking in the gaming room because it's nice and cold here and the upstairs is stuffy. It rained earlier and everyone's damp.
Around seven my cousin Molly and I met to eat. Molly lives in Atlanta and wanted to go to DragonCon this year, but couldn't because of her workload. She took us to a restaurant whose name I've forgotten but whose food I will remember always because it was so good and I was so hungry. We got frozen yogurt too. Then Molly dropped me off downtown again in time for a ten o'clock panel I wanted to attend. Those couple of hours to eat real food, relax, and talk to someone I've known my whole life helped me recharge a lot. I'm introverted, so spending time among lots of people--no matter how fun--is draining.
Also that morning while trying to make my way to the airship races [let's just pause here to savor that phrase. I mean, ten years ago would I ever have believed me about this?] I walked for a short time behind three people who were obviously a band bringing their gear to a hotel. I didn't recognize them but they were dressed in nice steampunk outfits, two white guys and a black girl, and I thought they might be The Cog Is Dead, playing that night at midnight. Their music started popping up on my Pandora station a month or so ago, and I liked it enough to buy a few songs. I decided to go to the show and see if it was them.
It was, and the show was a lot of fun! Also the girl is the drummer, which is awesome. In addition to a lot of their own songs, they covered "Minnie the Moocher," which just solidified my love of the band. I like that they don't restrict themselves to one musical style or era too. They're obviously just having a hell of a good time.
I only got one picture that wasn't blurry, and unfortunately the drummer doesn't show in this one. In fact it looks like she's just exploded.
It was two in the morning by the time I got back to the hotel. But I got five whole hours of sleep before charging back into Atlanta for Sunday, my last day at DragonCon.
I had intended to wear the gray shorts again, but when I looked at them in the harsh daylight I saw they were stained--and not just with salsa from supper, which I knew was there because I have the bad habit of loading up a nacho and then using it to gesture with while I speak, and the salsa goes everywhere--but with everything I'd touched all day. Also I'd sat in something. So rather than wear jeans (too hot, plus I have gorgeous leg tattoos now and like to show them off), I ran over to the Target next to my hotel and bought a pair of bike shorts. I wore them under my black skirt and they were amazingly comfortable. So hurrah for manmade fibers!
Aug 31 I'm rockin the Velma look today. All I need is a turtleneck but then I would die.
I met Kevin early for a panel called "MST3K: Reel Crime," with Trace Beaulieu, Frank Conniff, and Joel Hodgson. Kevin had gotten there super early and was almost at the front of the line, right in front of three cosplayers dressed as the presenters' characters on MST3K. Their costumes were great and they were a lot of fun to talk to while we waited for the doors to open. I didn't get their names.
Also here's me and Kevin before the panel started, with Tom Servo (made by the lady sitting on Kevin's other side). I look like I'm photobombing Kevin's picture with Tom Servo.
The panel was hilarious, a good start to the day. After that it was on to the tea dueling tournament! This was something I'd wanted to see but missed last year, and then missed another tournament at AnachroCon earlier this year. But I made it this year and it was even more fun than I expected.
These are the rules: the contestants get a cookie and a cup of tea, have to dunk their cookies 3/4 of the way in the tea to the count of five, then take the cookies out. The last one to eat their cookie without it falling apart wins the round. They have to get the whole cookie in their mouth without any of it falling, which is easier said than done. I lucked out and got a really good seat, so here are some videos I took.
"Aug. 31, 2014 about 2:15 pm
How did it get to be so late? All I've eaten today is a granola bar and half a Coke."
Last year I went to a sub shop called Jimmy John's, so this year I decided I'd go back. I found it, too. I'd forgotten their little trick of hiding the only stack of napkins where no one can find them, then not giving you a napkin with your food, then when you ask where the napkins are they gesture vaguely in the general direction without looking up. The same thing happened last year and I was so mad this year about it that I'll never eat at Jimmy John's again. Also when I did finally find the napkins I took about 20.
I went to a bunch of panels that afternoon, mostly in the skeptics' track but one called "Starship Smackdown!", where basically the group comes up with a list of starships from various movies and books and decides which would win. It's very, very funny even though I wasn't familiar with most of the ships.
Aug 31 I'm at a panel where they'll discuss various starships and which would win in a fight. It's a TOTALNERD panel.
Aug 31 No one has ever cared about anything more than the people in this room care about star trek.
I should note that my talk about nerds is not meant to come across as harsh. I mean, hell, I was in the room rooting for the Protector from Galaxy Quest to win (it didn't).
Aug 31 Going to a midnight concert tonight with friends, 3rd night in a row. Sleep? I'm running on PURE ADRENALIN AND CAFFEINE & not much caffeine.
Kevin had told me that I needed to see the band Anaria play Sunday at midnight. He described their music as metal with a melodic female vocalist, which sounded great to me. Kevin also knows their singer so he and Felicity were going. By the time I met up with them just before midnight I was starving again, so Felicity and I got pizza and Cokes. Kevin had also brought some other friends I didn't know, a lovely group of people who were hilariously drunk.
The pizza turned out to be a bit of a chore for me. It was good and I was hungry, but my piece was also really big and by the time the band started their set I was still working on it. It's hard to dance when you're also trying to eat pizza really fast. But it turned out that Kevin had a flask of rum, so he topped my Coke off and that helped me get the crust down more easily.
I really liked Anaria. They sound a bit like Evanescence but heavier, with an oldschool metal feel that made me very, very happy. Their drummer is amazing too.
That was it for my DragonCon. I said goodbye to everyone and drove back to my hotel, where I slept four hours, then packed up my stuff and stole all the tiny soaps and headed home. Now I need to do laundry, although it might be more hygienic to just set my suitcase on fire.
I've already bought my membership for DragonCon 2015. See you there!
OH I ALMOST FORGOT--last year my DragonCon roundup post got a fair amount of traffic and I felt bad later when I realized I'd forgotten to add links to the musicians and artists I mentioned. I think I got all the links in this time. Also, I definitely need to mention that Kevin and Felicity do a hilarious podcast with another friend of theirs, The Flopcast, which you should totally listen to. And I write fantasy and SF as K.C. Shaw that you can buy and read! I don't have anything new out at the moment but I've got some interesting stuff going on that I can't talk about yet, so hopefully when I post next year's DragonCon roundup I'll have some awesome news to share.
I got in around 4:30 and got my badge without a wait. I wasn't sure what to do with myself that early, so I went to the "State of the Goth Scene: Rock Edition" panel. From my journal: "One of the guys from Bella Morte (I think) mentioned Immortal Chorus [and this link, because "Mary Are You Sleeping" was my favorite IC song] and I quietly flipped out because I had their only cassette back in the 90s when I lived in Knoxville! I hadn't thought of them in years. I wish I still had it since I know it's not available online anywhere."
After that I went to a great panel, "Spirit Mediums of the 19th Century," then met up with my friends Kevin and Felicity for a celebrity improv comedy show, which was hilarious. It was good to catch up a little with my friends too, since DragonCon is the only time I get to see them.
By this time I'd mellowed into my happy-slightlymanic-adrenalinrushwon'tstop DragonCon mood, which lasted all weekend as par for the course. At about eleven I got in line for the Voltaire concert at midnight. Yes, he was here again this year! Last year he said he wouldn't be, but that changed, and I am so very very very glad. I was closer to the stage than last year but none of my pictures are any good. (I have lots of good pix from when he played Knoxville in May, but posting one of those instead would be cheating.)
The show was fantastic, of course. I actually really wanted to see the Marquis of Vaudeville afterwards, but I was wrung out and exhausted and my contacts were killing me so I didn't stay.
Even so, it was almost 3 a.m. by the time I made it back to my hotel. I slept about four hours, then sprang out of bed and went back to the con for SATURDAY.
Aug 29 I would commit actual murder for a slushee right now.
It was a hot weekend, and on Friday I'd worn a cute knee-length skirt with my Voltaire t-shirt and sandals. But all the running around outside between hotels while sweating had a side effect I never expected. From my twitter feed while standing in line to see Voltaire:
Aug 29 I'm right behind a very tall woman with no body fat, and I know this because she's wearing a net. Makes me feel very dumpy.
Aug 29 This is how hobbits must feel next to elves, only this hobbit has killer heat rash on her thighs. I had to apply chapstick in the bathroom.
Aug 29 Sorry, TMI.
So I didn't wear the skirt again on Saturday, I wore a pair of light gray shorts and a black T-shirt that spent most of the day damp with sweat.
That morning Kevin was on a panel about the movies and TV shows released in 1984. I thought I'd left myself tons of time to get downtown, park, and get to the panel before it started, but I got caught in the hellish DragonCon parade traffic and was a few minutes late after all. It was fun and funny although there were so many people on the panel some people didn't really get a chance to contribute.
It's like the Last Supper of Nerds. That's Kevin in the front row, fourth from the left.
I didn't get a chance to say hi to Kevin because immediately after the panel I had to rush to a different hotel for the airship races. They were so fun last year I didn't want to miss them this year. But the parade was still going on, which meant a lot of the main streets were blocked off to foot traffic--plus the hordes of people along the streets to watch the parade meant getting anywhere was nearly impossible.
I met a nice older guy, there with his daughter, who was also trying to make his way to the airship races, so since he was more familiar with the area I went with him. We made it, too, although it took us 45 minutes to go about three blocks. DragonCon schedules panels/events with half an hour in between so people can get to where they're going, but the parade jams everything up. Some of the people running the races or competing were late for the same reason, though, so we didn't miss much. And they were incredibly fun! I took some video.
Please ignore that my voice sounds like a cartoon character's.
It's hard to express how huge DragonCon is. It's spread out across five enormous hotels and the AmericasMart and still everywhere is packed. Some 60,000 people attend a day, more on Saturday. It makes for some frustrating experiences but also some serendipitous ones. While we were still shuffling forward in the crowd funneling into the Westin Peachtree hotel, I was watching the people going by on the sidewalk nearby and suddenly recognized a guy who teaches at the same college where I work in Knoxville. I had no idea he would be there.
Of course I immediately shrieked, "Daniel! Daniel!" and waved dementedly. He turned around, saw me, waved back, and looked completely baffled. I don't think he recognized me. When we got into the airship races and I opened my phone to take pictures, I saw my reflection and realized I was drenched with sweat and looked insane, so presumably I don't look insane on workdays. That's a good thing to know.
A picture of a typical DragonCon crowd, taken (I think) on Saturday night in (I think) the Marriott.
From my Twitter feed:
Aug 30 We are a lot of miserably hot people waiting in line outside with no shade.
Actually we had some shade. Just not enough. I'd forgotten to bring my fan, so I tore the cover off a spiral notebook and fanned myself with it. It rained for a while later that afternoon, which made the humidity worse until a small storm rolled through and cleared the air a little.
Aug 30 The science panel I wanted to attend at 4 filled up before I got there so I've been wandering the Hilton like an angry sweaty ghost.
Aug 30 In desperation I spent $3 for a tepid orange Fanta.
Aug 30 Currently lurking in the gaming room because it's nice and cold here and the upstairs is stuffy. It rained earlier and everyone's damp.
Around seven my cousin Molly and I met to eat. Molly lives in Atlanta and wanted to go to DragonCon this year, but couldn't because of her workload. She took us to a restaurant whose name I've forgotten but whose food I will remember always because it was so good and I was so hungry. We got frozen yogurt too. Then Molly dropped me off downtown again in time for a ten o'clock panel I wanted to attend. Those couple of hours to eat real food, relax, and talk to someone I've known my whole life helped me recharge a lot. I'm introverted, so spending time among lots of people--no matter how fun--is draining.
Also that morning while trying to make my way to the airship races [let's just pause here to savor that phrase. I mean, ten years ago would I ever have believed me about this?] I walked for a short time behind three people who were obviously a band bringing their gear to a hotel. I didn't recognize them but they were dressed in nice steampunk outfits, two white guys and a black girl, and I thought they might be The Cog Is Dead, playing that night at midnight. Their music started popping up on my Pandora station a month or so ago, and I liked it enough to buy a few songs. I decided to go to the show and see if it was them.
It was, and the show was a lot of fun! Also the girl is the drummer, which is awesome. In addition to a lot of their own songs, they covered "Minnie the Moocher," which just solidified my love of the band. I like that they don't restrict themselves to one musical style or era too. They're obviously just having a hell of a good time.
I only got one picture that wasn't blurry, and unfortunately the drummer doesn't show in this one. In fact it looks like she's just exploded.
It was two in the morning by the time I got back to the hotel. But I got five whole hours of sleep before charging back into Atlanta for Sunday, my last day at DragonCon.
I had intended to wear the gray shorts again, but when I looked at them in the harsh daylight I saw they were stained--and not just with salsa from supper, which I knew was there because I have the bad habit of loading up a nacho and then using it to gesture with while I speak, and the salsa goes everywhere--but with everything I'd touched all day. Also I'd sat in something. So rather than wear jeans (too hot, plus I have gorgeous leg tattoos now and like to show them off), I ran over to the Target next to my hotel and bought a pair of bike shorts. I wore them under my black skirt and they were amazingly comfortable. So hurrah for manmade fibers!
Aug 31 I'm rockin the Velma look today. All I need is a turtleneck but then I would die.
I met Kevin early for a panel called "MST3K: Reel Crime," with Trace Beaulieu, Frank Conniff, and Joel Hodgson. Kevin had gotten there super early and was almost at the front of the line, right in front of three cosplayers dressed as the presenters' characters on MST3K. Their costumes were great and they were a lot of fun to talk to while we waited for the doors to open. I didn't get their names.
Also here's me and Kevin before the panel started, with Tom Servo (made by the lady sitting on Kevin's other side). I look like I'm photobombing Kevin's picture with Tom Servo.
The panel was hilarious, a good start to the day. After that it was on to the tea dueling tournament! This was something I'd wanted to see but missed last year, and then missed another tournament at AnachroCon earlier this year. But I made it this year and it was even more fun than I expected.
These are the rules: the contestants get a cookie and a cup of tea, have to dunk their cookies 3/4 of the way in the tea to the count of five, then take the cookies out. The last one to eat their cookie without it falling apart wins the round. They have to get the whole cookie in their mouth without any of it falling, which is easier said than done. I lucked out and got a really good seat, so here are some videos I took.
"Aug. 31, 2014 about 2:15 pm
How did it get to be so late? All I've eaten today is a granola bar and half a Coke."
Last year I went to a sub shop called Jimmy John's, so this year I decided I'd go back. I found it, too. I'd forgotten their little trick of hiding the only stack of napkins where no one can find them, then not giving you a napkin with your food, then when you ask where the napkins are they gesture vaguely in the general direction without looking up. The same thing happened last year and I was so mad this year about it that I'll never eat at Jimmy John's again. Also when I did finally find the napkins I took about 20.
I went to a bunch of panels that afternoon, mostly in the skeptics' track but one called "Starship Smackdown!", where basically the group comes up with a list of starships from various movies and books and decides which would win. It's very, very funny even though I wasn't familiar with most of the ships.
Aug 31 I'm at a panel where they'll discuss various starships and which would win in a fight. It's a TOTALNERD panel.
Aug 31 No one has ever cared about anything more than the people in this room care about star trek.
I should note that my talk about nerds is not meant to come across as harsh. I mean, hell, I was in the room rooting for the Protector from Galaxy Quest to win (it didn't).
Aug 31 Going to a midnight concert tonight with friends, 3rd night in a row. Sleep? I'm running on PURE ADRENALIN AND CAFFEINE & not much caffeine.
Kevin had told me that I needed to see the band Anaria play Sunday at midnight. He described their music as metal with a melodic female vocalist, which sounded great to me. Kevin also knows their singer so he and Felicity were going. By the time I met up with them just before midnight I was starving again, so Felicity and I got pizza and Cokes. Kevin had also brought some other friends I didn't know, a lovely group of people who were hilariously drunk.
The pizza turned out to be a bit of a chore for me. It was good and I was hungry, but my piece was also really big and by the time the band started their set I was still working on it. It's hard to dance when you're also trying to eat pizza really fast. But it turned out that Kevin had a flask of rum, so he topped my Coke off and that helped me get the crust down more easily.
I really liked Anaria. They sound a bit like Evanescence but heavier, with an oldschool metal feel that made me very, very happy. Their drummer is amazing too.
That was it for my DragonCon. I said goodbye to everyone and drove back to my hotel, where I slept four hours, then packed up my stuff and stole all the tiny soaps and headed home. Now I need to do laundry, although it might be more hygienic to just set my suitcase on fire.
I've already bought my membership for DragonCon 2015. See you there!
OH I ALMOST FORGOT--last year my DragonCon roundup post got a fair amount of traffic and I felt bad later when I realized I'd forgotten to add links to the musicians and artists I mentioned. I think I got all the links in this time. Also, I definitely need to mention that Kevin and Felicity do a hilarious podcast with another friend of theirs, The Flopcast, which you should totally listen to. And I write fantasy and SF as K.C. Shaw that you can buy and read! I don't have anything new out at the moment but I've got some interesting stuff going on that I can't talk about yet, so hopefully when I post next year's DragonCon roundup I'll have some awesome news to share.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Fear is false
I've wanted to learn how to play drums since I was in my early 20s at least, maybe late teens. I don't remember, just that it's been a very long time. But I never got around to it, didn't know how to start, didn't have the money for drums or lessons, etc.
But you know what? It's simple. I could have started years and years ago, if I'd only known. It's simple and fun and I just started and why didn't I start back when I first had the idea? If I had, I'd be really good by now.
When I picked up the drumsticks for the first time on Wednesday, I was terrified. Yes, I was by myself in my own house and no one was going to care. I was still scared. Because it was something I'd wanted to do for so long, I'd put a lot of emotion into learning.
I was, of course, terrible. I have a booklet (two booklets, actually) of exercises and directions, and I was practically shaking when I started going through it. At the end of my first 20-minute or so practice session, I was exhausted.
Now, after only a few days, I'm still terrible but I'm no longer scared. The reality of actually doing this thing I've been dreaming about for so long has dissipated the emotions involved. And I really enjoy drumming. I want to get good at it. I look forward to practicing every day.
So if there's something you've always wanted to do but didn't think you could for whatever reason, just start. Go do it. Now! Look online for help with beginning, get a book from the library, whatever. You don't have to shell out a lot of money at first. You don't even have to talk to another human being if that makes you nervous. Just start. The you of 20 years from now will thank you.
But you know what? It's simple. I could have started years and years ago, if I'd only known. It's simple and fun and I just started and why didn't I start back when I first had the idea? If I had, I'd be really good by now.
When I picked up the drumsticks for the first time on Wednesday, I was terrified. Yes, I was by myself in my own house and no one was going to care. I was still scared. Because it was something I'd wanted to do for so long, I'd put a lot of emotion into learning.
I was, of course, terrible. I have a booklet (two booklets, actually) of exercises and directions, and I was practically shaking when I started going through it. At the end of my first 20-minute or so practice session, I was exhausted.
Now, after only a few days, I'm still terrible but I'm no longer scared. The reality of actually doing this thing I've been dreaming about for so long has dissipated the emotions involved. And I really enjoy drumming. I want to get good at it. I look forward to practicing every day.
So if there's something you've always wanted to do but didn't think you could for whatever reason, just start. Go do it. Now! Look online for help with beginning, get a book from the library, whatever. You don't have to shell out a lot of money at first. You don't even have to talk to another human being if that makes you nervous. Just start. The you of 20 years from now will thank you.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Welcome to 2014
Last year I made a list of new year's resolutions. I kept some of them. For instance, I did get a tattoo, and in fact tomorrow I go back to get it colored in. I will post pictures, I promise!
I also hiked more last year and lost a bit of weight (although I want to lose more) and did some interesting things and did actually improve my writing. I wrote a number of short stories--more, in fact, than I'd written since 2008--but only one book and a novella.
The kickass steampunk YA I wrote in 2013, The Steam-Powered Raven, has attracted some agent interest. We'll see how that works out. I haven't decided on my next writing project--I'm halfway through a Lizzy and Jo novel that I want to finish, have a few stories I need to revise, have a few novels I need to revise in major ways, and want to finally write the final book in the Bell-Man trilogy so I can find a good publisher for the whole thing. I also want to continue writing short stories. They helped me improve my writing a lot more than I expected.
I decided to keep my new year's resolutions really, really simple this year. I'm only making one: learn to play drums. I've wanted to learn drums since I was in college but never got around to it. Well, it's time. Because it's never too early to have a mid-life crisis.
I also hiked more last year and lost a bit of weight (although I want to lose more) and did some interesting things and did actually improve my writing. I wrote a number of short stories--more, in fact, than I'd written since 2008--but only one book and a novella.
The kickass steampunk YA I wrote in 2013, The Steam-Powered Raven, has attracted some agent interest. We'll see how that works out. I haven't decided on my next writing project--I'm halfway through a Lizzy and Jo novel that I want to finish, have a few stories I need to revise, have a few novels I need to revise in major ways, and want to finally write the final book in the Bell-Man trilogy so I can find a good publisher for the whole thing. I also want to continue writing short stories. They helped me improve my writing a lot more than I expected.
I decided to keep my new year's resolutions really, really simple this year. I'm only making one: learn to play drums. I've wanted to learn drums since I was in college but never got around to it. Well, it's time. Because it's never too early to have a mid-life crisis.
Monday, September 2, 2013
DragonCon 2013!
I got back from DragonCon today, and it's safe to say that not only was this my hands-down best con-going experience ever, I'm pretty sure it was the best weekend of my life. That sounds pretty sad on the surface, like maybe my whole life has been so blah that one fun weekend rises above all the boredom of the previous years. But I mean that not only was the weekend fun, there were no negatives. Nothing bad happened. Nothing caused a blip in my enjoyment. I wasn't even bored. When I needed some quiet time to recharge (as an introverted person), I was able to claim it easily. I met with friends, talked to affable strangers, made some modest purchases that please me all out of proportion to their cost, and stepped out of my comfort zone and enjoyed it. And there were several distinct high notes among the general goodness.
I didn't keep the detailed records I have at previous cons, mostly because this time I had a smartphone (which I got in April and love) so I was able to tweet about my experiences instead of writing them in my leather-bound journal. I did make a few notes, though, so I'll transcribe them here with additions and pictures. All the photos were from my phone, so they're not all that great.
Friday, August 30, 2013
4pm
No connectivity anywhere. I didn't realize how much I rely on my phone until it's only a fraction useful to me.
I'm at the Ghost Hunters panel. This time I made it into the right line.
It doesn't matter how often I come to DragonCon, I get lost instantly trying to find anything.
Above: Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango from the Ghost Hunters panel. They were funny and interesting, which made it a great start to DragonCon for me. Also, of course, I tried to see them in 2011 and got in the wrong line by accident and ended up attending a panel about some video game I'd never played and never wanted to play.
Friday, August 30, 2013
5:46 pm
First panel was great, funny and relaxed. It took me a while to find the Westin hotel but this panel, "Sherlock Holmes and the Mainstreaming of Victoriana," and the next two I want to attend are in the same room. As long as I can find a bathroom I'll be fine. I have granola bars and there's a water cooler over there.
Molly's going to get a Saturday pass tomorrow and hang out with me! [Molly is my cousin who lives in Atlanta, and who I didn't expect to get to see since she's so busy with her job.]
10:33 pm
The Sherlock Holmes panel was okay, although it wasn't all that interesting to me. After that I went to the Dieselpunk panel, but I wish now I'd gone to The World of Abney Park panel. For one thing I could hear them laughing like crazy in the next room, and for another the Dieselpunk moderator and a few of the panelists obviously disliked steampunk and kept making little digs at it. That didn't make me inclined to like them. For some reason.
From my Twitter feed:
Next time any panel I want to attend is scheduled at the same time as anything to do with Abney Park, I know what I will choose.
Above: The Dieselpunk panelists and their really big guns. They were dressed really sharp, all in khaki and army green. The guns lit up, too. I mostly spent the time admiring the panelists' costumes and props and tuning out most of what they said.
I really wanted to stay for the next panel (next two panels, really), but I started to worry about finding my car. I parked in the first parking garage I saw and neglected to make a note of its name (although I did take a picture of the level and section I parked in, which was pretty smart of me to do actually). I was also getting really hungry. So at eight I left. It took me half an hour to find the right parking garage, and that was in daylight. I'm glad I didn't wait.
From my Twitter feed:
Three people have asked me for directions. If only they knew I've lost an entire parking garage.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
From my Twitter feed:
I've staked out a shady spot to watch the parade. My cousin was supposed to join me but she overslept. So I am in costume and ALONE, Molly.
Guy just walked by with a Tribble.
Above: Me in my costume with my friend Kevin, right after lunch. It's not a great picture but I'm like the least photogenic person in the world and in almost every picture ever taken of me I'm either grimacing, my mouth is open, or my eyes are closed. Or all three. While I was at the parade a woman asked to take a picture with me, which startled me so much I guarantee my mouth was open. I'm not used to people even looking at me, a middle-aged woman who works hard at not standing out, so being in costume was a startling change. And of course that's part of why I did it. After the woman's daughter took our picture, the woman smiled at me shyly and said, "Thanks. I love steampunk." It MADE MY DAY.
6pm
I've had a great day so far! All it takes to make me happy is a small amount of friendly human contact.
Molly overslept so I watched the parade without her, then went to the airship races. They were a lot of fun, and apparently there's a group in Knoxville involved. I want to see if I can join. After that Molly and I met for lunch, and while we were eating Kevin [a friend I've known for about twenty years but only see at DragonCon] called and I invited him to join us. He did and the three of us hung out for a while. Molly decided against a day pass since it was getting late, but she and a friend may get full passes for next year. Kevin and I are meeting to go to a thing together at 8:30, so I need to be back in my costume and heading back into Atlanta in an hour or so.
From my Twitter feed:
I'm taking a break. Back at the hotel, changed out of my costume for a few hours, getting some food. Great day so far!
I went to a panel about steampunk music this afternoon that was so fun. Both Professor Elemental and Robert Brown of Abney Park were panelists, along with some other folks. I'm glad I went too because someone there said we need to get in line to see them play tonight early, around 10:30 (for a midnight show) because it will fill up fast. If I miss it I will be so sad.
From my Twitter feed:
Omg I'm in the same room as my favorite singer. So awesome.
Fangirling quietly over here.
Above: From left to right: Unwoman (a singer and awesome cellist), Robert Brown of Abney Park (my current favorite band), Professor Elemental (incredibly fun hip-hop artist)
The panel was lively and interesting and the questions people asked were intelligent. I've been to a lot of panels with famous writers on them, including writers I admire enormously, but I've never felt the flat-out fangirl thrill as I did when Robert Brown and Professor Elemental came in that room. (My guess is that that's because I'm a writer myself, which takes some of the mystique away from writers, while I'm not a musician. Although if I had a do-over of my life, one of the things I'd like to have done is learn to play drums. In a heavy metal band, and I don't mean hair metal.) It was a bit of a relief, in fact, that they turned out to be only human beings, but clever, enthusiastic, and obviously nice ones.
I met Kevin around 8pm to attend a music-and-humor variety show, Gonzaroo. There was a huge long line to get in (a DragonCon tradition) and we were stuck by an ice cream truck that kept playing the same opening phrases of "Turkey in the Straw" over and over in the flat, creepy electronic tones all ice cream trucks seem to have. While we were waiting to get in, a couple of friends of Kevin's came by and we convinced them to join us. They had their son with them, an adorable 14-month-old who ate cheese and looked around like he was filing everything away to think about later when he could put all this crazy stuff in context.
I stayed at Gonzaroo until 10:30, when I left to get in another line, but I did get to see Paul & Storm perform some great songs (including one of my current favorites, "Nun Fight"), Molly Lewis who I'd never heard before but now adore, Bill Corbett doing some truly funny stand-up, and another guy who was also really funny but whose name I've forgotten. By the time he came on I was getting antsy about leaving and kept checking my phone every thirty seconds or so.
Above: Paul and Storm
The line hadn't yet formed at 10:30, though. It's hard to convey just how chaotic and crowded it is at DragonCon, especially the big open areas like the ones outside the big ballrooms where people roamed to take pictures of posing cosplayers. It's so crowded that it's easy to miss even an incredibly long line--there are people everywhere, so a line just looks like more people. I talked to a few people who were also worried about getting in the possibly-there-possibly-not-started-yet line for Professor Elemental.
From my Twitter feed:
Left Gonzaroo early to get in line for Abney Park AND THERE IS NO LINE OH GOD WHAT IF I JUST CAN'T FIND IT I AM SURROUNDED BY DRUNK JEDI
I'm with some folks who claim we're in a line. I have my doubts.
It's sort of not really a line anymore too.
Someone told me they won't start a line until 11, so everyone's standing around preparing to trample everyone else.
Hooray it's a line now and I am in it!
Ok that wasn't the real line. Now it's a real line. Supposedly.
They finally let us in half an hour late. I now own two T-shirts and I'm sitting down thank gawd.
I'm not staying in this chair
[tweet that wouldn't send because I lost connectivity, but I remember it because it was probably the last rational thought I had until the show ended] I'm going to dance and tweet all night.
[tweet sent from the car while I waited at a red light on my way home, so you can see I wasn't quite rational yet] Didn't takr too msny pix cuz I was DANCING TOO HARD J ERR LL YEAH [that was meant to be HELL YEAH but my phone misinterpreted my staggering finger movements]
Sunday, September 1, 2013
12:42 pm
The show last night was SO GOOD. While we were all waiting in line a rumor started that after Professor Elemental played they'd clear the room and let in a new line, and if we were lucky we could still get in at the end of the line if it wasn't too long. But they didn't do that, and all of us who stayed to see Abney Park were really close to the stage. I danced so much I felt drunk.
Above: Professor Elemental. Not a great photo but the best I ended up with. As my tweet "I'm not staying in this chair" indicates, I only sat down for a few minutes and then decided to join the group up by the stage. I've never been much of a dancer, since I'm shy and not very coordinated. But you know what? Fuck it, I don't care, I love Professor Elemental and couldn't imagine sitting way in the back of the room where I couldn't hardly see him at all, watching everyone else dance and have fun. I've done that too much in my life. So I got up and danced, and dammit if that "dance like no one is watching" cliche is true. I had so much more fun just doing the white girl shuffle, and who was going to tell me not to? Who even cared or noticed me? They were doing the same thing. As Kevin pointed out the next day, too, DragonCon is nothing if not accepting of everyone.
Incidentally, I recommend wearing frilly ankle-length skirts and clompy leather boots to dance in. I loved feeling the skirts (and feather trim) swishing around my legs.
As the crowd pushed closer to the stage and compressed, I got closer and closer but it also got harder to take pictures that weren't blurry or filled with other people. I was really close by the time Abney Park took the stage, but I only got one picture, which was actually before they started playing. Once they started playing, I could not have kept myself from dancing if someone had threatened me with a gun. There's a reason Abney Park is my favorite band.
Above: the really bad picture of a few members of Abney Park before their set started.
It was 3am by the time I got back to the hotel, but I made myself get up at 8:30 am so I could be back at the con in time for a 10am panel I really wanted to attend. It was about the science of airships and was really good.
From my Twitter feed:
Four hours of sleep is plenty, right? I think it's plenty.
Above: the Science of Airships panelists, including David Lee in the awesome hat. I've forgotten the other panelists' names, but the guy who looks like Elrond has a steampunk story in the anthology Doorways to Extra Time, which I plan to buy. David Lee also has steampunk books available that I plan to buy.
Afterwards I talked to one of the panelists (David Lee), mostly because I was interested in his book, but we ended up talking for a few minutes about the publishing/self-publishing co-op he's part of.
Now I'm at a Skeptics Track panel about Applying Science to the Paranormal, which should be right up my alley. I've also positioned myself in a chair where I can escape unobtrusively during the Q&A if any cranks start yammering.
Sunday, Sept. 1, 2013
2:45 pm
The last panel was amazing! I bought the guy's book after and can't wait to read it. [The book is Scientific Paranormal Investigation: How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries by Benjamin Radford and it's fantastic. I'm on chapter two and enjoying it thoroughly.]
It's raining and the skybridges and halls are packed. I made it to a YA book panel (late), which seems pretty dull but I found an outlet for my phone. I guess it would be rude to sit in this panel and read the book I just bought. At least while I'm writing in my journal it looks like I'm taking notes.
The above note is the last I wrote in my journal. After that panel the rain had stopped so I went back to the Westin hotel (where the alternate history track panels were held; I spent a lot of time there) and watched a really good documentary about steampunk called Yesterday's Tomorrows. If you get a chance to watch it when it comes out officially, you really ought to. There's a related book by the same title that I may buy too.
Above: the diversity in steampunk panelists
After that was an amazing panel about diversity in steampunk. I was really impressed with the panelists, both their intelligence and ability to articulate some difficult concepts and issues, and their variety. I've forgotten their names except for Cherie Priest (I heard her speak at ChattaCon this January and was impressed with her then too). After that it was around six and I went walking around, hoping to find a place to eat that wasn't mobbed.
From my Twitter feed:
This sub shop is EXACTLY what I was hoping to find: simple menu, low prices, and almost empty. Bless you Jimmy John's.
I met Kevin for a panel he was on at 8:30pm, which was a funny, relaxed panel about the movies and TV shows that came out in 1983. After that we split up briefly so I could go back to my car and lock up everything but my phone, my license, and some cash. We met again and went to see a band playing in the open concourse area, New York Disco Villains (which I want to call New York Disco Bandits because I've been playing Kingdom of Loathing way, way too long). They were fun, and filled some time before I needed to get in line to see another of my absolutely favorite singers, Voltaire. I hadn't expected Kevin to want to see him too despite my wheedling, but he very kindly came with me. I'm glad he did; it was a lot of fun to share the experience with someone. Because while I was excited to see Professor Elemental and Abney Park, it was Voltaire's performance that had me practically frenetic.
At first it didn't look like there was a line at all. We milled around, looking at costumes and talking. It was nearly midnight, when the show was supposed to start, when a woman came by and shrieked, "The line to see Voltaire starts at the men's bathroom!"
Well, it started by the men's bathroom, then went down the stairs, outside the building, across the Hyatt's forecourt, around the corner, all the way down the entire block, around the next corner, and was a quarter of the way along the back of the block when we joined the line, which kept getting longer.
From my Twitter feed:
Holy shit the line to see @AurelioVoltaire stretches outside all the way down the entire block around the corner and still growing.
I was so scared we hadn't gotten in line soon enough and wouldn't make it in. The rooms only hold so many people and then they won't let anyone else in. I reassured myself that Voltaire comes to DragonCon every year--this was his 15th year--and that next year I could see him if I didn't get in this year. But the ballroom was enormous and not only did we make it in, we crunched up to the front and I was able to see pretty well. I took a bunch of pictures, but they were all blurry.
The show was amazing. I don't even have words. I had so much fun, laughing and dancing. Voltaire did announce that next year he would not be at DragonCon, so all I can say is thank goodness I saw him this year. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I don't know if Kevin enjoyed himself--I hope so--because we didn't get a chance to talk. After the show, I dragged Kevin over to the merch tables so I could buy a T-shirt. While I was waiting my chance to squish up between people to get at the table, several girls came through, one of them in the front pushing people (politely) out of the way and announcing, "Coming through. Coming through." They came around the table and another of them said to the guy manning the table, "This is Voltaire's guitar." She was holding it like a holy relic. The guy took the guitar and put it in a chair, and then I got my T-shirt. As Kevin and I were pushing our way through the throng, Voltaire himself popped up by the table and was instantly mobbed by people wanting to talk and get autographs and photos. It was almost 2:30 am by then and I was running on fumes, so even if I was the kind of person who wants to talk to famous people, I didn't have the energy. But it was cool to see him so close. He seems like such a good guy, and of course he's a great singer.
Above: all the pictures I took of Voltaire were terrible, but this one's probably least terrible.
That's about all to tell. I got another four hours of sleep, then decided to head home directly from the hotel instead of going to the last few Monday panels. I reached home around 12:30 pm and suddenly it's past 10:30 pm and I have to work 10.5 hours tomorrow. So maybe I should, you know, get to bed.
Thanks to everyone who makes DragonCon such a fantastic event every year. Thanks to Kevin, who is fun to talk to and knows everything to be known about 1980s pop culture. You should definitely check out his hilarious podcast, Flopcast. Thanks to all the panelists and participants who engaged my brain and imagination the way a really good college class discussion does. And thanks to Professor Elemental, Abney Park, and Voltaire for three of the best live shows I have ever had the privilege to attend. If you get a chance to see any of these folks live, you really need to go.
From my Twitter feed:
Storming. It's a nice way to finish my weekend.
I didn't keep the detailed records I have at previous cons, mostly because this time I had a smartphone (which I got in April and love) so I was able to tweet about my experiences instead of writing them in my leather-bound journal. I did make a few notes, though, so I'll transcribe them here with additions and pictures. All the photos were from my phone, so they're not all that great.
Friday, August 30, 2013
4pm
No connectivity anywhere. I didn't realize how much I rely on my phone until it's only a fraction useful to me.
I'm at the Ghost Hunters panel. This time I made it into the right line.
It doesn't matter how often I come to DragonCon, I get lost instantly trying to find anything.
Above: Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango from the Ghost Hunters panel. They were funny and interesting, which made it a great start to DragonCon for me. Also, of course, I tried to see them in 2011 and got in the wrong line by accident and ended up attending a panel about some video game I'd never played and never wanted to play.
Friday, August 30, 2013
5:46 pm
First panel was great, funny and relaxed. It took me a while to find the Westin hotel but this panel, "Sherlock Holmes and the Mainstreaming of Victoriana," and the next two I want to attend are in the same room. As long as I can find a bathroom I'll be fine. I have granola bars and there's a water cooler over there.
Molly's going to get a Saturday pass tomorrow and hang out with me! [Molly is my cousin who lives in Atlanta, and who I didn't expect to get to see since she's so busy with her job.]
10:33 pm
The Sherlock Holmes panel was okay, although it wasn't all that interesting to me. After that I went to the Dieselpunk panel, but I wish now I'd gone to The World of Abney Park panel. For one thing I could hear them laughing like crazy in the next room, and for another the Dieselpunk moderator and a few of the panelists obviously disliked steampunk and kept making little digs at it. That didn't make me inclined to like them. For some reason.
From my Twitter feed:
Next time any panel I want to attend is scheduled at the same time as anything to do with Abney Park, I know what I will choose.
Above: The Dieselpunk panelists and their really big guns. They were dressed really sharp, all in khaki and army green. The guns lit up, too. I mostly spent the time admiring the panelists' costumes and props and tuning out most of what they said.
I really wanted to stay for the next panel (next two panels, really), but I started to worry about finding my car. I parked in the first parking garage I saw and neglected to make a note of its name (although I did take a picture of the level and section I parked in, which was pretty smart of me to do actually). I was also getting really hungry. So at eight I left. It took me half an hour to find the right parking garage, and that was in daylight. I'm glad I didn't wait.
From my Twitter feed:
Three people have asked me for directions. If only they knew I've lost an entire parking garage.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
From my Twitter feed:
I've staked out a shady spot to watch the parade. My cousin was supposed to join me but she overslept. So I am in costume and ALONE, Molly.
Guy just walked by with a Tribble.
Above: Me in my costume with my friend Kevin, right after lunch. It's not a great picture but I'm like the least photogenic person in the world and in almost every picture ever taken of me I'm either grimacing, my mouth is open, or my eyes are closed. Or all three. While I was at the parade a woman asked to take a picture with me, which startled me so much I guarantee my mouth was open. I'm not used to people even looking at me, a middle-aged woman who works hard at not standing out, so being in costume was a startling change. And of course that's part of why I did it. After the woman's daughter took our picture, the woman smiled at me shyly and said, "Thanks. I love steampunk." It MADE MY DAY.
6pm
I've had a great day so far! All it takes to make me happy is a small amount of friendly human contact.
Molly overslept so I watched the parade without her, then went to the airship races. They were a lot of fun, and apparently there's a group in Knoxville involved. I want to see if I can join. After that Molly and I met for lunch, and while we were eating Kevin [a friend I've known for about twenty years but only see at DragonCon] called and I invited him to join us. He did and the three of us hung out for a while. Molly decided against a day pass since it was getting late, but she and a friend may get full passes for next year. Kevin and I are meeting to go to a thing together at 8:30, so I need to be back in my costume and heading back into Atlanta in an hour or so.
From my Twitter feed:
I'm taking a break. Back at the hotel, changed out of my costume for a few hours, getting some food. Great day so far!
I went to a panel about steampunk music this afternoon that was so fun. Both Professor Elemental and Robert Brown of Abney Park were panelists, along with some other folks. I'm glad I went too because someone there said we need to get in line to see them play tonight early, around 10:30 (for a midnight show) because it will fill up fast. If I miss it I will be so sad.
From my Twitter feed:
Omg I'm in the same room as my favorite singer. So awesome.
Fangirling quietly over here.
Above: From left to right: Unwoman (a singer and awesome cellist), Robert Brown of Abney Park (my current favorite band), Professor Elemental (incredibly fun hip-hop artist)
The panel was lively and interesting and the questions people asked were intelligent. I've been to a lot of panels with famous writers on them, including writers I admire enormously, but I've never felt the flat-out fangirl thrill as I did when Robert Brown and Professor Elemental came in that room. (My guess is that that's because I'm a writer myself, which takes some of the mystique away from writers, while I'm not a musician. Although if I had a do-over of my life, one of the things I'd like to have done is learn to play drums. In a heavy metal band, and I don't mean hair metal.) It was a bit of a relief, in fact, that they turned out to be only human beings, but clever, enthusiastic, and obviously nice ones.
I met Kevin around 8pm to attend a music-and-humor variety show, Gonzaroo. There was a huge long line to get in (a DragonCon tradition) and we were stuck by an ice cream truck that kept playing the same opening phrases of "Turkey in the Straw" over and over in the flat, creepy electronic tones all ice cream trucks seem to have. While we were waiting to get in, a couple of friends of Kevin's came by and we convinced them to join us. They had their son with them, an adorable 14-month-old who ate cheese and looked around like he was filing everything away to think about later when he could put all this crazy stuff in context.
I stayed at Gonzaroo until 10:30, when I left to get in another line, but I did get to see Paul & Storm perform some great songs (including one of my current favorites, "Nun Fight"), Molly Lewis who I'd never heard before but now adore, Bill Corbett doing some truly funny stand-up, and another guy who was also really funny but whose name I've forgotten. By the time he came on I was getting antsy about leaving and kept checking my phone every thirty seconds or so.
Above: Paul and Storm
The line hadn't yet formed at 10:30, though. It's hard to convey just how chaotic and crowded it is at DragonCon, especially the big open areas like the ones outside the big ballrooms where people roamed to take pictures of posing cosplayers. It's so crowded that it's easy to miss even an incredibly long line--there are people everywhere, so a line just looks like more people. I talked to a few people who were also worried about getting in the possibly-there-possibly-not-started-yet line for Professor Elemental.
From my Twitter feed:
Left Gonzaroo early to get in line for Abney Park AND THERE IS NO LINE OH GOD WHAT IF I JUST CAN'T FIND IT I AM SURROUNDED BY DRUNK JEDI
I'm with some folks who claim we're in a line. I have my doubts.
It's sort of not really a line anymore too.
Someone told me they won't start a line until 11, so everyone's standing around preparing to trample everyone else.
Hooray it's a line now and I am in it!
Ok that wasn't the real line. Now it's a real line. Supposedly.
They finally let us in half an hour late. I now own two T-shirts and I'm sitting down thank gawd.
I'm not staying in this chair
[tweet that wouldn't send because I lost connectivity, but I remember it because it was probably the last rational thought I had until the show ended] I'm going to dance and tweet all night.
[tweet sent from the car while I waited at a red light on my way home, so you can see I wasn't quite rational yet] Didn't takr too msny pix cuz I was DANCING TOO HARD J ERR LL YEAH [that was meant to be HELL YEAH but my phone misinterpreted my staggering finger movements]
Sunday, September 1, 2013
12:42 pm
The show last night was SO GOOD. While we were all waiting in line a rumor started that after Professor Elemental played they'd clear the room and let in a new line, and if we were lucky we could still get in at the end of the line if it wasn't too long. But they didn't do that, and all of us who stayed to see Abney Park were really close to the stage. I danced so much I felt drunk.
Above: Professor Elemental. Not a great photo but the best I ended up with. As my tweet "I'm not staying in this chair" indicates, I only sat down for a few minutes and then decided to join the group up by the stage. I've never been much of a dancer, since I'm shy and not very coordinated. But you know what? Fuck it, I don't care, I love Professor Elemental and couldn't imagine sitting way in the back of the room where I couldn't hardly see him at all, watching everyone else dance and have fun. I've done that too much in my life. So I got up and danced, and dammit if that "dance like no one is watching" cliche is true. I had so much more fun just doing the white girl shuffle, and who was going to tell me not to? Who even cared or noticed me? They were doing the same thing. As Kevin pointed out the next day, too, DragonCon is nothing if not accepting of everyone.
Incidentally, I recommend wearing frilly ankle-length skirts and clompy leather boots to dance in. I loved feeling the skirts (and feather trim) swishing around my legs.
As the crowd pushed closer to the stage and compressed, I got closer and closer but it also got harder to take pictures that weren't blurry or filled with other people. I was really close by the time Abney Park took the stage, but I only got one picture, which was actually before they started playing. Once they started playing, I could not have kept myself from dancing if someone had threatened me with a gun. There's a reason Abney Park is my favorite band.
Above: the really bad picture of a few members of Abney Park before their set started.
It was 3am by the time I got back to the hotel, but I made myself get up at 8:30 am so I could be back at the con in time for a 10am panel I really wanted to attend. It was about the science of airships and was really good.
From my Twitter feed:
Four hours of sleep is plenty, right? I think it's plenty.
Above: the Science of Airships panelists, including David Lee in the awesome hat. I've forgotten the other panelists' names, but the guy who looks like Elrond has a steampunk story in the anthology Doorways to Extra Time, which I plan to buy. David Lee also has steampunk books available that I plan to buy.
Afterwards I talked to one of the panelists (David Lee), mostly because I was interested in his book, but we ended up talking for a few minutes about the publishing/self-publishing co-op he's part of.
Now I'm at a Skeptics Track panel about Applying Science to the Paranormal, which should be right up my alley. I've also positioned myself in a chair where I can escape unobtrusively during the Q&A if any cranks start yammering.
Sunday, Sept. 1, 2013
2:45 pm
The last panel was amazing! I bought the guy's book after and can't wait to read it. [The book is Scientific Paranormal Investigation: How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries by Benjamin Radford and it's fantastic. I'm on chapter two and enjoying it thoroughly.]
It's raining and the skybridges and halls are packed. I made it to a YA book panel (late), which seems pretty dull but I found an outlet for my phone. I guess it would be rude to sit in this panel and read the book I just bought. At least while I'm writing in my journal it looks like I'm taking notes.
The above note is the last I wrote in my journal. After that panel the rain had stopped so I went back to the Westin hotel (where the alternate history track panels were held; I spent a lot of time there) and watched a really good documentary about steampunk called Yesterday's Tomorrows. If you get a chance to watch it when it comes out officially, you really ought to. There's a related book by the same title that I may buy too.
Above: the diversity in steampunk panelists
After that was an amazing panel about diversity in steampunk. I was really impressed with the panelists, both their intelligence and ability to articulate some difficult concepts and issues, and their variety. I've forgotten their names except for Cherie Priest (I heard her speak at ChattaCon this January and was impressed with her then too). After that it was around six and I went walking around, hoping to find a place to eat that wasn't mobbed.
From my Twitter feed:
This sub shop is EXACTLY what I was hoping to find: simple menu, low prices, and almost empty. Bless you Jimmy John's.
I met Kevin for a panel he was on at 8:30pm, which was a funny, relaxed panel about the movies and TV shows that came out in 1983. After that we split up briefly so I could go back to my car and lock up everything but my phone, my license, and some cash. We met again and went to see a band playing in the open concourse area, New York Disco Villains (which I want to call New York Disco Bandits because I've been playing Kingdom of Loathing way, way too long). They were fun, and filled some time before I needed to get in line to see another of my absolutely favorite singers, Voltaire. I hadn't expected Kevin to want to see him too despite my wheedling, but he very kindly came with me. I'm glad he did; it was a lot of fun to share the experience with someone. Because while I was excited to see Professor Elemental and Abney Park, it was Voltaire's performance that had me practically frenetic.
At first it didn't look like there was a line at all. We milled around, looking at costumes and talking. It was nearly midnight, when the show was supposed to start, when a woman came by and shrieked, "The line to see Voltaire starts at the men's bathroom!"
Well, it started by the men's bathroom, then went down the stairs, outside the building, across the Hyatt's forecourt, around the corner, all the way down the entire block, around the next corner, and was a quarter of the way along the back of the block when we joined the line, which kept getting longer.
From my Twitter feed:
Holy shit the line to see @AurelioVoltaire stretches outside all the way down the entire block around the corner and still growing.
I was so scared we hadn't gotten in line soon enough and wouldn't make it in. The rooms only hold so many people and then they won't let anyone else in. I reassured myself that Voltaire comes to DragonCon every year--this was his 15th year--and that next year I could see him if I didn't get in this year. But the ballroom was enormous and not only did we make it in, we crunched up to the front and I was able to see pretty well. I took a bunch of pictures, but they were all blurry.
The show was amazing. I don't even have words. I had so much fun, laughing and dancing. Voltaire did announce that next year he would not be at DragonCon, so all I can say is thank goodness I saw him this year. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I don't know if Kevin enjoyed himself--I hope so--because we didn't get a chance to talk. After the show, I dragged Kevin over to the merch tables so I could buy a T-shirt. While I was waiting my chance to squish up between people to get at the table, several girls came through, one of them in the front pushing people (politely) out of the way and announcing, "Coming through. Coming through." They came around the table and another of them said to the guy manning the table, "This is Voltaire's guitar." She was holding it like a holy relic. The guy took the guitar and put it in a chair, and then I got my T-shirt. As Kevin and I were pushing our way through the throng, Voltaire himself popped up by the table and was instantly mobbed by people wanting to talk and get autographs and photos. It was almost 2:30 am by then and I was running on fumes, so even if I was the kind of person who wants to talk to famous people, I didn't have the energy. But it was cool to see him so close. He seems like such a good guy, and of course he's a great singer.
Above: all the pictures I took of Voltaire were terrible, but this one's probably least terrible.
That's about all to tell. I got another four hours of sleep, then decided to head home directly from the hotel instead of going to the last few Monday panels. I reached home around 12:30 pm and suddenly it's past 10:30 pm and I have to work 10.5 hours tomorrow. So maybe I should, you know, get to bed.
Thanks to everyone who makes DragonCon such a fantastic event every year. Thanks to Kevin, who is fun to talk to and knows everything to be known about 1980s pop culture. You should definitely check out his hilarious podcast, Flopcast. Thanks to all the panelists and participants who engaged my brain and imagination the way a really good college class discussion does. And thanks to Professor Elemental, Abney Park, and Voltaire for three of the best live shows I have ever had the privilege to attend. If you get a chance to see any of these folks live, you really need to go.
From my Twitter feed:
Storming. It's a nice way to finish my weekend.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
DragonCon playlist
I leave for DragonCon in the morning! I'm staying in a cheap hotel in Kennesaw, not too far from downtown Atlanta, which means I can stay three nights while paying less than one night would cost at one of the con hotels. Oh yeah, I am awesome.
The drive to DragonCon takes about four-ish hours depending on traffic. I'm not an audiobook type of person, so I'll make up a roadtrip playlist instead. I'm taking suggestions for music I can include! I like all kinds of music, so let me know what your favorite roadtrip/convention tunes are!
I'll post pictures when I get back on Monday night, of course. This year I'm also dressing up (nothing fancy, just a steampunk outfit that I'll probably only wear on Saturday). If you're going, drop me an email (kcshaw123 [at] gmail [dotcom] and we can meet up!
The drive to DragonCon takes about four-ish hours depending on traffic. I'm not an audiobook type of person, so I'll make up a roadtrip playlist instead. I'm taking suggestions for music I can include! I like all kinds of music, so let me know what your favorite roadtrip/convention tunes are!
I'll post pictures when I get back on Monday night, of course. This year I'm also dressing up (nothing fancy, just a steampunk outfit that I'll probably only wear on Saturday). If you're going, drop me an email (kcshaw123 [at] gmail [dotcom] and we can meet up!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Roadtrip music
On Friday I'm leaving for Atlanta and a long weekend of DragonCon, woot! It's a four-hour drive if I don't speed (and of course I would never, ever speed--not on Labor Day weekend when all the cops are out looking for speeders especially). Obviously, I need a couple of CDs worth of music to keep me entertained while I drive.
So hit me with some suggestions for road songs! I've got eclectic tastes in music--I like bluegrass and hip-hop, opera and metal, 80s pop and scratchy old 30s blues--and I want these CDs to be fun, fresh, and interesting to listen to.
Here are some songs I'm definitely burning on CD, to give you an idea:
"Where There's a Road" by Blue Moon Rising
"You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" by The Offspring
"Disturbia" by Rihanna
"Shut Up and Drive" by Rihanna
"Into the Night" by Santana
"I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas
"Wichita Skyline" by Shawn Colvin
"Nothin' on Me" by Shawn Colvin
"Another White Dash" by Butterfly Boucher
"Me and the Boys" by Slade
"Long Way Home" by Norah Jones
"Orinoco Flow" by Enya
So what other music should I take with me?
So hit me with some suggestions for road songs! I've got eclectic tastes in music--I like bluegrass and hip-hop, opera and metal, 80s pop and scratchy old 30s blues--and I want these CDs to be fun, fresh, and interesting to listen to.
Here are some songs I'm definitely burning on CD, to give you an idea:
"Where There's a Road" by Blue Moon Rising
"You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" by The Offspring
"Disturbia" by Rihanna
"Shut Up and Drive" by Rihanna
"Into the Night" by Santana
"I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas
"Wichita Skyline" by Shawn Colvin
"Nothin' on Me" by Shawn Colvin
"Another White Dash" by Butterfly Boucher
"Me and the Boys" by Slade
"Long Way Home" by Norah Jones
"Orinoco Flow" by Enya
So what other music should I take with me?
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Obscure music trivia!
Because I have nothing else to write about today, here's a factoid about me. You know, just in case you're on a trivia game show one day and the subject is me, Famous Person.
*cue drumroll* I have listened to the Concrete Blonde album Bloodletting more times than anyone in the whole world, ever in history, possibly forever.
And I know that because for several years back in my 20s, almost every night when I went to bed I'd put the CD on and turn the sound way down, so that it was just loud enough to listen to without straining but not so loud it kept me awake. I'd listen to the album as I fell asleep. Sometimes I'd hear the whole thing, sometimes just a few songs.
It wasn't a compulsion or anything, or even a way to keep insomnia at bay. (Despite my frequent complaints, I'm very seldom prey to insomnia; when I am, it's almost always due to caffeine.) I just really liked the album. I still do. And I still have that same beat-up, scratched-up Bloodletting CD, too, but if I try and listen to it during the day it makes me feel sleepy....
*cue drumroll* I have listened to the Concrete Blonde album Bloodletting more times than anyone in the whole world, ever in history, possibly forever.
And I know that because for several years back in my 20s, almost every night when I went to bed I'd put the CD on and turn the sound way down, so that it was just loud enough to listen to without straining but not so loud it kept me awake. I'd listen to the album as I fell asleep. Sometimes I'd hear the whole thing, sometimes just a few songs.
It wasn't a compulsion or anything, or even a way to keep insomnia at bay. (Despite my frequent complaints, I'm very seldom prey to insomnia; when I am, it's almost always due to caffeine.) I just really liked the album. I still do. And I still have that same beat-up, scratched-up Bloodletting CD, too, but if I try and listen to it during the day it makes me feel sleepy....
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