wombat_socho (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wombat_socho) wrote2008-05-26 03:55 pm
wombat_socho) wrote2008-05-26 03:55 pm
Entry tags:
Balticon Day 4 - There Is No Day 4
I had thought about meeting Paul and Mark for breakfast at the Hunt Valley, but when I got my wakeup call at 0730 this morning I realized this plan was full of fail. This was partially due to my forgetting to pick up more bandages at the Walmart earlier that morning, but mainly because I was just too goddamn tired to function on four hours of sleep. So I called the front desk, pushed the checkout back to noon, and slept in until the second wakeup call at 1100. Somehow I managed to get up, get showered and dressed, and get everything packed by 1155. I even managed to cram the nose hose into my backpack, which meant one less thing to carry. Checked out, thought for about two minutes about heading back to the convention to pre-reg for Balticon 43, and decided that the minimal savings wasn't worth it, especially since my right calf was disturbingly warm and sore.
So I headed out on the highway, and had a largely uneventful run around the Baltimore Beltway down to the B/W Parkway and through Anacostia to 395 and home.
I think Balticon is trying to do way too much in way too little space. Assuming that attendance was ~1700 or so, there were eleven programming tracks not including the Art Show, which occupied the Hunt Ballroom and could have been shunted into a smaller space since it wasn't using half of the space available.
I think the wide variety of programming is good, since I'm a proponent of trying to get anime fans interested in mainstream SF&F so as to avoid the mistakes made with the Trekkies, but my God, there needs to be a better allocation of space and/or more space. Hall crowding wasn't as bad as CVG, much less Detour in its last two years at the Ramada, but I think Balticon's going to reach those attendance numbers pretty damn quick, and when that happens the Hunt Valley Inn's renaissance as a home for Balticon may be at an end.
And that's enough of that; going to lay down and think pacifying thoughts about my leg. Maybe Urgent Care later, maybe not.
EDIT: I can't believe I forgot to bitch about the Pocket Program. Maybe if you're a kangaroo, wallaby, or have leet folding skillz this qualifies as a pocket program, but sixteen pages on glossy 8.5x11 doesn't fit in MY damn pocket unless I'm wearing the Wombat Vest of Many Pockets, and even then it goes in the Kidney/Liver Armor Plate Pockets. This badly needed to be made smaller, have major parts moved to the Really Cool But Not Too Informative Program/Souvenir Book, and have the ads (!) cut. Oy.
So I headed out on the highway, and had a largely uneventful run around the Baltimore Beltway down to the B/W Parkway and through Anacostia to 395 and home.
I think Balticon is trying to do way too much in way too little space. Assuming that attendance was ~1700 or so, there were eleven programming tracks not including the Art Show, which occupied the Hunt Ballroom and could have been shunted into a smaller space since it wasn't using half of the space available.
I think the wide variety of programming is good, since I'm a proponent of trying to get anime fans interested in mainstream SF&F so as to avoid the mistakes made with the Trekkies, but my God, there needs to be a better allocation of space and/or more space. Hall crowding wasn't as bad as CVG, much less Detour in its last two years at the Ramada, but I think Balticon's going to reach those attendance numbers pretty damn quick, and when that happens the Hunt Valley Inn's renaissance as a home for Balticon may be at an end.
And that's enough of that; going to lay down and think pacifying thoughts about my leg. Maybe Urgent Care later, maybe not.
EDIT: I can't believe I forgot to bitch about the Pocket Program. Maybe if you're a kangaroo, wallaby, or have leet folding skillz this qualifies as a pocket program, but sixteen pages on glossy 8.5x11 doesn't fit in MY damn pocket unless I'm wearing the Wombat Vest of Many Pockets, and even then it goes in the Kidney/Liver Armor Plate Pockets. This badly needed to be made smaller, have major parts moved to the Really Cool But Not Too Informative Program/Souvenir Book, and have the ads (!) cut. Oy.