Anthrocon Report
Thursday
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Probably the one good day of the con, as videogame room obligations had not reared it's head yet. I hung out with many friends, about the only point of the con I got to do heavy socialization. We went and saw transformers 2, which I prepared for by drinking three long islands in about 10minutes before heading out. Unfortunately that didn't lower my IQ enough and I still didn't care entirely much for the movie. It was nice to be out with friends though.
Friday
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Sat in the videogame room for somewhere around 10hours straight, managed to escape to see Kage for the first time in years at anthrocon. I then hit an open mixer at the Cub Hub (Yes, babyfurs). I'm not one, but I checked it out mainly for curiosity sake. Pretty much like any other room party, lots of drunk furries, music, only difference was lots had cub badges. Nothing crazy or 'disturbing' going on. Then I had to slip back to the VG room to help setup for the smash tournament. Started to feel ill, stress most likely, turned in relatively early.
Saturday
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Woke up and was stomach upset, again from stress, threw up a few dozen times, only bile and water though. A shower and some food made me more or less fully recover. Videogame room time, slipped out for a TFP meeting. Sat in the videogame room a bunch again. Slipped out for 2's show. Then back to help setup for the rockband tournament. That took longer than expected and made me unable to hit several parties I had been invited to or wear my PVC outfit I wanted to wear (and was required for at least one party). I did however manage to catch Spazfox's show and the first part of Jibba's, before having to slip back out to assist with the videogame room again. After that, I finally managed to head up to the Cheetah lawn party, didn't start drinking until 12:30am, which I knew was going to be a mistake. Drank way too much, had a lovely drunken conversation with RB. (We need to play l4d!). Stumbled into my room, slept.
Sunday
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Slept through my alarm, missed Furp's memorial due to this *grumble*. I was at his actual funeral, so I don't feel too bad about this. However, I was hung over as hell, only the third hangover in my life. Thankfully, despite all my body woes, I tend to recover fast. My hangover was gone within two hours. Then back to the videogame room. Tried to grab some food with my mate at the diner, but that took almost 2hours. I had to leave early for videogame room stuff. Mate managed to snag charity 2/Kage tickets though, so I sneaked back out for that. Enjoyed that show, slipped back to the videogame room to shut it down. By that time I was so exhausted and since I drank too much the night before, my deaddog activities basically were me stumbling around like a zombie, and just listening to folks, unable to stir the energy to converse.
Monday
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Getup, checkout, hit videogame room stuff one last time. Fly out and home.
I think I totaled over 20hours in the videogame room this year, which would be even more than last year. I've worked more hours at other cons, but those involved other positions. With the VG room, you get stuck in the same place, with a particular segment of the population of the con. In other positions, you get to at least move around, or you're in a more general purpose room and easier for your friends to meet/hang out/say hello. This isn't the case and sitting in the same room, gazing and monitoring the same activities and listening to endlessly screeches of ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE SINGERS, it makes you slowly go absolutely mad. The combination of J-pop from DDR and emo-rock from Rockband made me want to run away screaming, or vomit, or both. But you can't, because you have to make sure none of the thousands of dollars of stuff walks out. It's so hectic and so busy, your average furry isn't gonna notice ifs omeone just randomly pockets a game, or something small like a Wii or a controller.
I really need a break. I bare no ill will towards any of the programming staff, everything that happened appears to be legitimate human errors. I also made the mistake of waiting waaaay too long before noticing that it was really strange I wasn't getting anything but the emails from the chairman. Either way, I really really really really need a break, at the very least. I just can't take this stress anymore. Not when it involves sinking over a thousand dollars into traveling expenses, lost work and money (My job has furlough, so for both Thursday and Monday I had off for the cons, I don't get paid for it, period). Next year will have more furlough, so likely the con will involve time off without pay yet again. I just can't do this anymore, I'm sorry. I'm more than willing to advise/warn/help the new videogame room lead, but I really don't want anything to do with the room anymore.
So, the moments of the con I experienced were good, but the problem is they numbered less than 6hours total, for the entire con, I think. I just can't handle that kind of work load, not on what is supposed to be a convention. I don't mind working at a con, but I want to get SOME socialization and enjoyment out of it in my downtime, but as the VG room is right now, you just can't juggle that, it's completely impossible. While I did get time off in the evenings, by that time I was so mentally exhausted from having to be 'on' so long monitoring for theft and misbehavior, I was destroyed to the point of being a shambling nonsocial zombie who couldn't even really be perked up by liquor, which is a new experience for me. I've never been this mentally and physically destroyed by working the room. Maybe I'm just getting old?
I don't know. Either way, it's got to change and I've been struggling to get the videogame room into a better shape for 3years now, maybe 4. Nothing I do seems to work and it just keeps getting worse and a heavier burden on my time and sanity. It may be time for a fresh set of people in general, to try some new stuff and see if they can't run it without going nutter.
-----------
Probably the one good day of the con, as videogame room obligations had not reared it's head yet. I hung out with many friends, about the only point of the con I got to do heavy socialization. We went and saw transformers 2, which I prepared for by drinking three long islands in about 10minutes before heading out. Unfortunately that didn't lower my IQ enough and I still didn't care entirely much for the movie. It was nice to be out with friends though.
Friday
--------
Sat in the videogame room for somewhere around 10hours straight, managed to escape to see Kage for the first time in years at anthrocon. I then hit an open mixer at the Cub Hub (Yes, babyfurs). I'm not one, but I checked it out mainly for curiosity sake. Pretty much like any other room party, lots of drunk furries, music, only difference was lots had cub badges. Nothing crazy or 'disturbing' going on. Then I had to slip back to the VG room to help setup for the smash tournament. Started to feel ill, stress most likely, turned in relatively early.
Saturday
-----------
Woke up and was stomach upset, again from stress, threw up a few dozen times, only bile and water though. A shower and some food made me more or less fully recover. Videogame room time, slipped out for a TFP meeting. Sat in the videogame room a bunch again. Slipped out for 2's show. Then back to help setup for the rockband tournament. That took longer than expected and made me unable to hit several parties I had been invited to or wear my PVC outfit I wanted to wear (and was required for at least one party). I did however manage to catch Spazfox's show and the first part of Jibba's, before having to slip back out to assist with the videogame room again. After that, I finally managed to head up to the Cheetah lawn party, didn't start drinking until 12:30am, which I knew was going to be a mistake. Drank way too much, had a lovely drunken conversation with RB. (We need to play l4d!). Stumbled into my room, slept.
Sunday
---------
Slept through my alarm, missed Furp's memorial due to this *grumble*. I was at his actual funeral, so I don't feel too bad about this. However, I was hung over as hell, only the third hangover in my life. Thankfully, despite all my body woes, I tend to recover fast. My hangover was gone within two hours. Then back to the videogame room. Tried to grab some food with my mate at the diner, but that took almost 2hours. I had to leave early for videogame room stuff. Mate managed to snag charity 2/Kage tickets though, so I sneaked back out for that. Enjoyed that show, slipped back to the videogame room to shut it down. By that time I was so exhausted and since I drank too much the night before, my deaddog activities basically were me stumbling around like a zombie, and just listening to folks, unable to stir the energy to converse.
Monday
---------
Getup, checkout, hit videogame room stuff one last time. Fly out and home.
I think I totaled over 20hours in the videogame room this year, which would be even more than last year. I've worked more hours at other cons, but those involved other positions. With the VG room, you get stuck in the same place, with a particular segment of the population of the con. In other positions, you get to at least move around, or you're in a more general purpose room and easier for your friends to meet/hang out/say hello. This isn't the case and sitting in the same room, gazing and monitoring the same activities and listening to endlessly screeches of ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE SINGERS, it makes you slowly go absolutely mad. The combination of J-pop from DDR and emo-rock from Rockband made me want to run away screaming, or vomit, or both. But you can't, because you have to make sure none of the thousands of dollars of stuff walks out. It's so hectic and so busy, your average furry isn't gonna notice ifs omeone just randomly pockets a game, or something small like a Wii or a controller.
I really need a break. I bare no ill will towards any of the programming staff, everything that happened appears to be legitimate human errors. I also made the mistake of waiting waaaay too long before noticing that it was really strange I wasn't getting anything but the emails from the chairman. Either way, I really really really really need a break, at the very least. I just can't take this stress anymore. Not when it involves sinking over a thousand dollars into traveling expenses, lost work and money (My job has furlough, so for both Thursday and Monday I had off for the cons, I don't get paid for it, period). Next year will have more furlough, so likely the con will involve time off without pay yet again. I just can't do this anymore, I'm sorry. I'm more than willing to advise/warn/help the new videogame room lead, but I really don't want anything to do with the room anymore.
So, the moments of the con I experienced were good, but the problem is they numbered less than 6hours total, for the entire con, I think. I just can't handle that kind of work load, not on what is supposed to be a convention. I don't mind working at a con, but I want to get SOME socialization and enjoyment out of it in my downtime, but as the VG room is right now, you just can't juggle that, it's completely impossible. While I did get time off in the evenings, by that time I was so mentally exhausted from having to be 'on' so long monitoring for theft and misbehavior, I was destroyed to the point of being a shambling nonsocial zombie who couldn't even really be perked up by liquor, which is a new experience for me. I've never been this mentally and physically destroyed by working the room. Maybe I'm just getting old?
I don't know. Either way, it's got to change and I've been struggling to get the videogame room into a better shape for 3years now, maybe 4. Nothing I do seems to work and it just keeps getting worse and a heavier burden on my time and sanity. It may be time for a fresh set of people in general, to try some new stuff and see if they can't run it without going nutter.