narrative of other random PCon experiences

[arethinn]

Friday

While hanging around on the staircase just after picking up my badge, the better to watch for folks I knew, I was approached by a sweet young blonde thing who I think may have glanced at my pin- and patch-covered bag, but wasn't really reading it. Apparently he was just being friendly and also had a slightly older brother who then wondered who his younger brother was standing over there talking to. (I say slightly because I would guess the elder one was 18ish, as the young one turned out to be 16.) There were primate instincts and grooming of the hair as a social bonding thing (but nothing more, at any point; still I'm surprised I was initially thought to be young enough to be a peer by someone in that age group).

Wound up wandering off with a small group of people all about that age to watch some D&D character creation. I think I was literally double the age of one of them but we all spoke "internet" and so really the age difference wasn't that apparent, overall. It passed the time, anyway. But watch out for this theme of some kind of affectionate display with males of the species much younger than I am, for we shall be revisiting it. (What was that I was saying about getting too old to walk up to and flirt with the younger end of the spectrum anymore?)

Just one workshop this day, at 3:30.

Turned up at Green Fairy at about 8:00, had a little absinthe and some sushi, then went back down around 9:00 to where "Magical Ethics: Feri Tradition Perspectives" was going to be held, hoping to catch heartssdesire (which was successful). While I waited I struck up a conversation with the badger (badge checker) sitting around, who turned out to be Aidan Kelly. No, not that Aidan Kelly; his son. He's also Morning Glory and Oberon Zell-Ravenheart's godson. (gods-son?)

It transpired that he was going to be sleeping out in the car, so I offered him the other side of the bed as crash space. Long story short, I got to pal around with and snuggle up to a (rather mature) 17-year-old boy much of the weekend. (What was that I was saying about getting too old to walk up to and flirt with the younger end of the spectrum anymore?)

So, went back to Green Fairy. Promised to come back for Aidan when he got off around midnight, but totally stood him up on that (oops). Spotted kitten_goddess at the party which was liek whoa. Helped make noise that attracted the attention of hotel security. Wound up snogging a different sweet-tempered blond thing ("POV", proclaimed his badge; this was pronounced "pahv" and I'm not sure if it was short for something, but he claimed it was not an acronym joke) who I think was the only one of the weekend's collection that may have been older than I am (I'd guess early 30s).

Managed to get too drunk off one absinthe and two gin and tonics plus the beer I had had earlier. The drinks were all fairly large, but that still seems too little to get me that drunk given what I know my tolerance is like. I'll pay with a hangover for drinking, say, nearly half a bottle of some spirit, but it's doable with milk thistle and does not generally make me staggering drunk. Yet in this case I apparently had a collision with the floor that abraded a few of my pins and badge ribbons. O.o I don't remember that part. Drank water, had aforementioned milk thistle, went splat somewhere in the vicinity of 3:30 AM.


Saturday

When Aidan and I woke up, he apologized for having forgotten my name. I was amused. XD

Three workshops this day, 1:30, 3:30 and 7:00. At 9:00 PM, I collected Aidan from where he was being a door-counter at the charity auction and off we went to the Pyrate Party. This included a yelling "raid" waving inflatable sabres to assault joi wolfwomyn and make her walk the plank, by which I mean the length of wood I think dionysusdevotee was carrying, which said simply "The Plank" on it in white letters. Good times.

I had showed up with Aidan and POV because we encountered him at the elevator. On a subsequent elevator trip we picked up a Brandon (Fun-Size), so called because apparently there had been another bigger Brandon there when he got the badge or something, and so he (though quite tall) was "fun-size" compared to him. This one actually started into it with me rather than the other way around, which despite how I say I would like this to happen from non-scary people (and what was to be scared of? tall skinny cute long-haired boy in a kilt?), actually turned out to be kind of creepy, or should I say just weird for me.

I think amberite had the right of it: I pursue people because the sort of people who respond to that (as opposed to people who don't, or people who prefer to be the pursuers themselves) are the ones that I should be going after in the first place. Chicken and egg. But anyway, it was all right. (Age: 23. What was that I was saying about getting too old to walk up to and flirt with the younger end of the spectrum anymore?)

Splatted again rather late, 3-something I think.


Sunday

Four workshops this day, in the 1:30-9:00 PM slots. After that point, I wandered back up to the ex-Green Fairy suite, which was now an invite-only party. Had a few drinks. Failed to contact juggle. Flirted (and smoked a clove) with the feature of this night, who was named Tyler, and had a long black ponytail, eyeliner, and wonderful kinda-Victorian dress sense. Age: 21. (What was that I was saying about getting too old to walk up to and flirt with the younger end of the spectrum anymore?) Oh, also, he's the only other person I've met who's heard of mixing Barenjager and Jagermeister, besides the unknown Sacramento bartender I learned it from in the first place (Tyler called it a "Black Bee" whereas I had learned "Killer Bee" -- I think Black Bee is more apt).

Splatted VERY late (4:20 AM) after being up talking to him and another guy and girl for hours on end, well after even the hosts themselves had splatted, I think.


Monday

Pretty beat by this point. Aidan and I got up around 10:30 and I checked out. At some point I located Tyler again, who said he had not slept and was only standing because if he sat down he would never get up again. He gave me his email address on a piece of cardboard ripped off one of the many boxes of alcohol he was helping cart back down from the Green Fairy suite, because "how many times have you lost some information that's just written on a piece of paper?" I said not really that many because I am, you know, all Virgo and stuff, but he carried on with his point regardless: "How many times have you lost information that was written on a chunk of cardboard?" "Well... zero, but I could try to make it one." ;)

I helped Aidan schlep his and his mother's stuff down from what I guess was Oberon, Morning Glory, and his mother's room. I remarked that this meant that Aidan and I had "schlepped together", which amused us. Morning Glory is rather nice, slightly loopy, but in a good way. ;) We hung around the vendor room a while, and he found a couple of women to talk death metal with (he's in a metal band) which bored me, so I excused myself to go to the bathroom, but found Tyler again, who gave me the fries and last bite of a Swiss mushroom burger he couldn't manage to get down, so that solved my food problem for the nonce. Cliff insisted on taking some pictures (...oy) when everyone left. Found Aidan again, said goodbye to him too, and went home to start the massive task of catching up on days of LiveJournal. (sigh)

And after all that exhaustion, what do you think I did?

Stayed up until bloody 4+ in the morning again.

Here's my badge ribbon collection:





Tame by many standards, I know. The last one (didn't quite fit on the scanner) is for some Pagan Alliance event.

This PCon also included me almost losing my pendant on Friday in a similar way to the way I almost lost one on Friday two years ago: the chain somehow slipped through the tiny gap in the jump ring that the pendant hangs from (different pendants, though). That time, sethanikeem (whom I was rooming with) found it in the bathroom or something and left it on the sink ledge for me the following day. This time, it turned up in the bed (a place I had already searched, mindful of what had happened before) and Aidan found it the following day.

I don't know what the meaning is of this losing and re-locating of jewelry. It will be interesting to see if it happens again next year. (enotsola, I'm lookin' at you, because it will be your turn to find it and return it to me. ;) )

Comments

[venturous1.livejournal.com]

thanks for the vicarious con, and congrats on your successful socializing with teh young ones. I've been enjoying watching these lovely creatures while traveling, but sont have any in my life ATM.

[heartssdesire.livejournal.com]

I didn't see you in the ethics panel - glad you made it. :)

Okay, so here is a totally impertinent personal question which you are free to not answer, but I'll ask because I'm curious. The cute young things and you -- I had this impression you were monogamously inclined; not so? or has changed?

[starlightforest.livejournal.com]

I didn't actually attend that panel, I was only waiting around to try to catch you. Having done so, I went back to the party.

We are monogamous, but it's kind of complicated given the long distance (in both time and space) between us. We tried being actually poly many years ago and it sooo didn't work. We want to be each other's only as far as emotional attachment is concerned. But the short story is that flirting and kissing and stuff (while separated -- we never feel any need for it while together) is generally okay. I, especially, tend to get really touch-starved in daily life and then gorge myself at opportunities like PantheaCon. (He, with his anxiety/depression stuff, just tends to turn into a hermit.)

It's not something there'll be any place or need for, really, once he's here, because I'll have a him, and what more could I want? :) (I had to explain this to fun-size Brandon when also denying him any contact info, ahem, as he seemed hopeful that we had an open relationship, which really we don't.)

That in itself was actually something I got a good grip on this con, come to that, the differences between just playing around (which is fun, don't get me wrong) and actually feeling genuine desire. I haven't had a lot of opportunities in my life for either (see below about attractiveness; people generally don't seem to want me), so this weekend was like a giant cram session on that one.

enotsola's major comment when I recounted all this to him Monday afternoon was "so, did the idea of you being attractive actually sink in?" (To which I said "temporarily, but I'm back to reality now." ^_-)