fredlet

[3tacon on Flickr]
One of the funny things that Amy and I talked about when we were sitting around in the pub was how when we got MikeIAm’s emails that simultaneously we PANICKED about somehow not being able to get to Chicago.
“As God is my witness…” the phrases seemed to start out every time we mentioned the fact that o’Hell might not be accepting incoming flights. Then the discussion moved onto the aftermath of the weekends; where we all get home to our respective families and they see a tired, somewhat hungover, slightly physically broken, yet grinning stupidly, husk of a person and they say “I don’t think I’m going to let you do this again.”
Once the initial panic passes (that point when we realize that no one is capable of stopping us from doing this) we say “you aren’t the boss of me.” and then start planning for next year.
I was surprised to see how pervasive this whole scenario was amongst the con folks.
Its a funny thing these gatherings.

Now, we’ve all discussed it ad nauseum, however, I finally think I get it. (‘It’ being that whole thing about my invisible friends and how important they are to me.)
I’m invested in these people. I read about their lives (well parts of them, not everyone goes into total detail) and, depending on how long I’ve been reading them, I know a lot of the back stories. Most of the time there is sympathy and empathy for them (generally if I don’t sympathize, I tend to fall off on the reading). These people are witty, human and when we all get together, its generally a giant reunion even with the folks I’ve never met before.
You get an inkling of what is going on in their heads even if they aren’t loquacious in person because you know what they write and that tends to be how they think.
So, with that all in mind, 40 of my best friends and I proceeded to freak out Green Bay freakln’ WI in the dead of winter.
We missed the storm of the century by a few weeks with the equivalent of the AT’s trail Magic in what I will here after refer to as “Con Magic” (until I come up with a better name for it-like Gertrude or something equally ridiculous.)

Friday night in Green Bay was at an Italian restaurant.
We stuffed our faces with carb-y goodness (to absorb the impending alcohol at the Bad Bar II(TM)) and then proceeded onto the bar.
I’m not a huge drinker.
I think I’ve had maybe a glass of wine in the last year, not because I am a teetotaler or morally against it (I’m morally against violence as a part of religion), but because I promptly go to sleep after drinking it 99% of the time. So I wasn’t buying anything at the bar and I didn’t notice that I lost my driver’s license and one of my credit cards on the way over there.
Oops.
I did notice after midnight or so. I backtracked where I went that night as much as I could, but certain areas were covered by a new layer of snow. Didn’t find either of my items.
No one reported it or called me back with success.
The next day I spent calling my card companies and getting them de-activated (after checking that they hadn’t been used) and then got Tex to scan my old passport and DL’s for a half-assed photo ID at the airport. I also checked with the rental car company and the hotel to make certain that they got their pound of flesh; luckily they were pre-authorized charges and no arguments there.
I did miss the Door County tour (which I didn’t like) as well as hanging out with Kari (which I REALLY didn’t like) but I did get to hang out with Bullshit and Amy (which I liked a lot). I wasn’t wigging out…which was very strange for me.
Also during the day, Amy and I went out to some stores to forage for emergency rations of PeptoBismal and Pedialyte for Trancejen (who effectively missed the entire weekend with a flu that was a monster) and for a toothbrush, toothpaste and other necessities for Mare (her luggage went AWOL and didn’t show up until about 10 minutes before she was scheduled to leave for home-stupid Merc Rx.) I did still have one card that I had left in the room when I pared down for the evening, so I wasn’t without funds.

Saturday night was the sleigh ride, so I donned my fox ear hat and beelined for the barn kitties. I picked one up and he/she hopped up on my shoulder and rubbed my hat’s ears.
So sweet.

The night was a bit more low key but still good and we all stuffed our faces with booyah and traded swag and hung out. Quote of the night was “Fredlet, you are cute, but you are SO evil!”

I came back to the room took a shower (taking care to close the dang blinds…especially the gap where it opens on its own…because mooning Green Bay when you aren’t drunk is just lame.) pawed through my stuff again in the vain hopes that I was just a disorganized dork then went to bed.

Next up:Sunday.
(Should only take me ’til next year to get that done. You are in luck!)

{3tacon on Flickr}
I can say one thing about going to Green Bay, WI.. its never boring.

This year’s con happened to fall within the Merc Rx and it manifested itself all over the place. Canceled flights, lost things (mostly me), mis-communications.. it was classic.

Now that’s not to say I didn’t have fun…

It started out with MikeIAm emailing all of us that his flight was canceled into O’Hell. He ended up renting a car and driving from KY to IL and subsequently missing “Wicked” that he had tickets for as well as starting off the weekend tired.

Amy and I got our flights successfully, rented the minivan (dubbed soon thereafter by Bullshit as “The Carship Enterprise” since it had side doors that I could open automagically from a console by the driver’s seat.) and found our way over to where Jen and Bullshit were.

We had breakfast (which allowed Mike to sleep a bit more), picked him up at his hotel a bit later and go on the road to Green Bay.

It wasn’t bad driving, actually.
It was snowing, but it wasn’t sticky snow and the roads were clear without ice.

I told them that they had to remind me to make pit stops since I tend to get into my road coma and drive until the car says I have to stop (gas) and then I go again until I can’t. I’m the ultimate road trip buddy. It was somewhat startling to actually stop, but I think I coped rather well. =)

We made decent time to Green Bay, calling to say hi to Kari as we flew through the Milwaukee Marquette exchange (and I had the Laverne and Shirley theme in my head the whole time). I had a great talk with Amy, Jen rested, Mike rested and Bullshit threw in the occasional witty remark that just made reinforce my initial good vibe about him each time.

Its a good thing when the road trip in is one of the high points of the weekend (I’m not saying that in a bad way, but getting to spend time in little groups is how I would do things given a choice.).

As anal retentive as I am about freakishly researching things when I travel, if I have been to a place before, it relieves a bunch of the stress for me. Getting to the hotel wasn’t difficult as I had a hazy recollection from last time (plus, I had my joyous Treo with Google Maps that is guaranteed to calm me down more than a valium with a xanax chaser could ever do.) and GB is fairly grid-y. I knew we were going to the dead president’s section so it was all good.

(Phrase of the day was “Well, we’ll figure it out. No worries.”)

Checked in, found a bunch of lovely people to hug and we unloaded our stuff in the room. Now, I didn’t stay at St. Brendan’s last year. It was full first of all, and then we also were all a bit poor, so putting us into the EconoBox across the street suited us just fine. That being said, St. Brendan’s is really lovely and the additional cost this year was totally worth it… plus they threw in breakfast.
I’m nothing if not a total whore for bacon, so yay!

Amy and I looked at each other and basically we both gave up the pretense of napping (even though between the two of us we probably had 8 hours of sleep in the last 2 days.) I don’t’ know why I even say the words.

We trundled downstairs to the pub and hung out greeting various folks as they arrived and I watched in awe as Amy had the largest bloody mary I have ever seen in my life (she says it tastes like ‘vacation’.)
It even had a meat stick in it.
Now THAT is hardcore.

Welcome to Green Bay, y’all.