Sorry for being away for so long.  Between an illness, getting the girl-child ready for 8th grade, the girl-child breaking her foot, and preparing for GeekKon, it’s been a heck of an August.  But what a way to end the summer (GeekKon, that is, not the foot-breaking thing).  The picture is of me, a stranger we met, and my dear friend and fellow author Susan Wachowski, participating in HallCon.  This was on Sunday in the afternoon, and if we look all wrung out, it’s because we are.  The picture was taken just as we found a spot on the floor while waiting for a panel to start, giving our poor aching dogs (and I’m not talking about Nelson) a welcome rest.

And in case you’re not familiar with cons, HallCon is basically just what it sounds like… where you find a spot on the floor along the wall while waiting for panels to start because you’re too damn tired to stand.  You meet the most amazing people that way.  I’ve had conversations with authors, actors, and wonderful, friendly and interesting strangers doing just that.  Then there’s LobbyCon, which is the same only different. 🙂

So I spent three fabulous days totally geeked-up in lovely Madison, WI, surrounded by my Nerd Herd – hundreds (thousands?) of people who are exactly like me, who grok what I grok, who speak every dialect of nerdy fandom.  It was glorious.  Sue and I attended a slew of panels on writing (props to the highly talented author Alex Bledsoe), some costuming panels, wandered the vendor hall and artist alley, belly laughed through the hysterical panel called “Who’s Line Is It Anime?”, and basically reveled in being part of a rarified atmosphere that was steeped in geekiness of every flavor:  Steampunk, Anime, SF, Doctor Who, fantasy, Star Trek, Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings… on and on.  Sheldon, Leonard, Raj and Howard should have been there, they’d  have grokked it too!

 

But now I’m back.  Back at home.  Back at work.  Back to being a *gasp* norm.  It feels stifling.  Kind of like wearing a Victorian-era boiled collar.  I feel oddly disingenuous, as though I’m pretending to be someone I’m not and waiting for the other norms to find out and stone me.  Well, okay, they probably wouldn’t stone me, but they might discontinue my gainful employment.  Then again… one  never knows with norms.

I have this almost unconquerable desire to wear my favorite G-shirt (Geek T-shirt) to work.  You know, the one that says:  Reality is a crutch for people who can’t handle role-playing games.  I want to talk incessantly about the new Doctor Who (the awesome Peter Capaldi) and these totally cool steampunk goggles I’m saving up for and how amazing urban fantasy author Melissa F. Olson was to meet in person (you’ve GOT to read Dead Spots, like, today)!  But if I did, most of the people I work with (with a few exceptions, and you know who you are!) would cock their heads like confused puppies and stare at me funny.

It’s such a bummer being all geeked-up, back here in the world of norms.  So I’m planning my next trip into Con-Land.  WindyCon is in November.  That’s even local enough that I don’t have to book a hotel – although I might anyway.  Being there, in the middle of it all, being part of my “tribe”, is so rejuvenating that I want to soak up every minute of it.

So who is your tribe?  I’d love to hear about it!  Do you get to spend quality time with them?  If not, I highly suggest you find a way to do so!  That feeling of connectedness, of being completely understood and accepted, is worth more than gold.

Until next time,

Illegitimi non carborundum!