The Widower's Tale
Some years ago Judith volunteered herself (and the rest of humanity) to help
with running the next Blake's 7 convention - the rest as they say is history.
One month to go: Judith is having kittens, her nerves are in shreds and
if anyone does anything less than super perfect - she bites.
The first week of February has no noteworthy incidents. At the end of
this week Judith and I put a list of zines together that we will get from
Linda on spec and attempt to sell at the convention. We did this before at
Deliverance and it was a great success. The order for 3 boxes of zines goes
in, to be posted to me in the US next week, I plan to take these home with me
in my luggage.
Second week of February: I arrive in Atlanta. No sign of boxes. Work
for the week, and before leaving give forwarding instructions at the Hotel,
should the boxes turn up.
Third week of February: A quiet week? It seems one of the boxes has
reached Atlanta taking only 10 days to cross the US on an overnight delivery
- it is forwarded on a 3 day delivery never to be seen again. Fortunately
they were insured. One of Judith's new Zines comes back from the printers.
And I make the Gareth standee. One sheet of hardboard, one jig-saw,
photocopies of hands, face and hair, and some clothing from Oxfam.
One week to go: Judith is now slightly easier to live with.
Sunday: Go to Dallas, work into the evening
Monday: Work from early morning well into the evening. The evening meal
was spent with someone I know from some time ago whom I last saw at a
conference in Cambridge, then he had an idea, which I thought was worthy at
the time, but was slightly flawed and spent several hours discussing it with
him in the bar. He has refined the idea, and now has his own company
pursuing it - good luck to him.
Tuesday: Work from early morning, until I leave the hotel at 3pm to catch
flight home. (If it was not for Redemption I would have stayed another day).
Wednesday: 7am arrive at Gatwick, get driven home and arrive at about
10:30am (thereby ends the simple and "relaxed" part of the week). Start
packing boxes with zines, boxes with junk, the Puppet theatre and Puppets,
two bags of junk for the chaos workshops, zine stands, stuff Judith wants to
pickup at the hotel to take with her to Wales, the Standee of Gareth, boxes
of stuff for the Auction, the raffle, things to return to Julia, things for
Val, clothes, the Decima costume, cameras, price lists. Pause: need to print
some new books of words for the filk tape. The last new zine comes back from
the printers. Resume packing: zines for zine Library, more zines for sale,
T-shirts, more junk. Pause to pickup Henry from school, working into the
evening. Zzzzzz (No time allowed for Jet Lag).
Thursday: Take Henry to school, and Judith to the station and so to work.
Fill in expense claims for both trips to the US. Sort out with Rob as to
when we can start on Friday. It is later than I had hopped. Pickup Henry
from school, bring the zine flyer up to date and print 50 copies. Go online
and get some new updates - tough they will have to wait to next issue.
Zzzzzz.
Friday:
Get boys to schools, go to post office to pick up a parcel they tried to
deliver yesterday. Don't know what it is but it looks relevant and decide it
is added to the pile. (Two other expected parcels don't make it). Go to
work for half a day, borrow the digital camera from the web publishing group
and pickup the DIY club trailer at midday and go home. Pack zine boxes in
bin liners, rest a while. At 3pm I go and collect Henry early from school
(he will only miss sport). On returning home I get both boys working
dedicatedly on their homework while I, in the rain, load the trailer and part
of the car. Somehow it all fits, but the trailer cover does not completely
cover the mound. A 15 minute pause until Rob and Christopher arrive. Their
bags are added to the total and finally we are ready. The car starts and
although somewhat retarded manages to leave the drive. Its 4:45 and we are
off, It does not look like we will make the original target of "6:30-7:00"
that I had hopped for but we shall see.
Steady but damp progress is made until we reach J9 of the M25. It then
takes nearly an hour to reach J8 grrr. Then progress resumes and it looks
as if we might get to the Hotel just around 8pm at the start of the opening
ceremony. Quick case of replanning as we approach Ashford - Judith almost
certainly wants "Gareth" for the ceremony as soon as we get there - Kelvin is
told to check with Judith, Henry to stay with the car and I will check in.
Rob and Chris will help out as well. Zoom - at 8:05 we are there...
Action stations: Kelvin to Judith, Henry to Toilet, Rob and I register
and pick up room keys. Kelvin is back, and yes G is needed. Unpack enough
to get at him, put him together and Kelvin delivers him. We start unloading
car to bedroom. All carefully planned destinations for boxes ("Ops",
"Judith", "Zine Library", "Dealers", etc) are ignored and it all goes to the
hotel bedroom. Unloading the zine boxes, these seem a little "soggy" oppps!
Warning - East Dorset Council bin liners must be porous. When all are
unloaded and the car parked, all the zine boxes are very rapidly emptied and
sorted into "Ok", "damp" and "lost cause". The "OK" zines are piled up on
all available surfaces, the "damp" ones spread out on the beds and floor and
the few "lost cause" ones put aside. All the soggy boxes and bin liners were
piled up here and there around the room. The "damp" zines were carefully
flipped through to allow each page to be free and to enhance the drying. The
room was a mess, a total mess. The "lost causes" where then attacked with
strips of toilet roll and all that could be done was done. In the end only
three zines look as if they will have to be sold cheap as damaged goods. Its
now 10 pm and after that "leisurely" introduction to the con, we give up and
go downstairs to find out what is going on.
Around 2am I went to bed (boys already there).
Saturday:
Up early (head a bit rough) and have breakfast. And then off to the room
to pack up the stuff for the dealers room. See Judith for nearly two
minutes as she collects some of her stuff from our room. Start setting table
up, but this is not as easy as it should be, all the zines were by now
shuffled and had no known order, the only possible solution was to get them
all out and sort onto the table. People came wanting zines as I unpacked -
a good sign. Half an hour's frantic activity later and the table is sort of
ready, though the final enhancements have to wait until Sunday. Initial
sales are brisk and furious - is this a good sign? As well as selling our
zines, I am also selling some for Julia and looking after Sheelagh Wells's
table most of the time. I even get to see Judith for 18.3 seconds briefly.
The morning continues, the trade is fairly hectic until midday - then where
have all the people gone?
During the afternoon only eight people bought anything from us! The
dealers room was empty! This was not because there was no one at the con, it
was rather that there was so much going on that the dealers room was empty.
At the close of the dealers room that day, 2 dealers went home. I then went
and repaired Gareth, using masking tape and pliers and a spanner (as a
hammer).
A short breather, then Calle and I have a session on web page design we
have been volunteered for - an interesting discussion with novices and some
relatively experienced people about what to do and not do when designing web
sites. Calle and I are both anti-Microsoft and edit our web pages in
ordinary editors. The basic message is keep it simple. In the middle of
this Kelvin returned the Digital Camera, so here is part of the audience.
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After the discussion, I sorted a few things out and ended up with a drink
and then saw most of the fancy dress/cabaret. I see Judith there, but then
she is on stage and I am in the crowd. Then had a look round a few things,
repaired Gareth again (this time with heavier duty tape) and came back to the
disco. Now since about the age of 19-20 I have only been to a couple of
discos, so this is a rarity. But dancing on the left were many of the same
crowd as had been at the Space City party the night before. Eventually I
joined in with Una, Stephen, Jenni, Steve, Kat, Chris, Alison and the others
- phew! This was warming up nicely when in came Robert and Ellie. These
pictures do not do Robert justice.
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Around 1 am I thought I had better get the boys to bed. This was not
easy "another ten minutes please", "Can I just do this?", "It's too early"...
They went and so did I. I would have liked to have stayed but I had the
tables to man in a few hours time, and I had to be awake enough to drive the
boys home.
Sunday:
Up earlier than I had expected to be, so I had a nice leisurely breakfast
- it was quite quiet, though Judith did turn up half way through. Then
sorted a few things out and meandered to the dealers room. At about ten to
10 I took an executive decision and opened the doors and put the notice
outside. Three of the existing dealers had expanded into the vacated spaces
and we waited the rush of both customers. Ok, it was not a rush but at least
it was a steady trickle all morning with people who had obviously just got up
after last night. These show the state of the delears room some time this
morning (during a very busy period).
Eventually saw Kelvin and got him to pack up as much of the room as he
could and get it into the car. He did quite a good job, I only found a few
things he had left. Rob also puts his things into the car.
The morning gave way to the afternoon, and trade crawled in. Around
midday another dealer left. And at 3pm many others started packing. I kept
everything open until past the closing ceremony, but gradually reduced the
stocks and packed things away. Wait for a turn with the luggage trolley -
the most unstearable beast I have ever met. Put everything in the car; I
would move things into the trailer later.
I then go to the stewards party, Ok I am not a steward but who cares, I
certainly helped in other areas, a few nibbles a few hellos and goodbyes, a
raffle - I let Judith pick something for herself, there is nothing I want
there. Then get everything left (Puppets, Judiths unwanted cases, etc) into
the front of the hotel and bring the car to the canopy at the front so I can
pack every thing protected and in the light. Where have these "extra" boxes
come from?
You want me to take "that" home - oh well. Pack the trailer and the car - it
is easier than on the way there, I also ensure that the zines are not the
bottom layer in the trailer, if any water gets in it will end up beneath the
puppet theatre. Gather by front desk to say goodbyes. Lots of goodbyes, but
then there is a Children shortage, Henry goes off in search of Kelvin.
Christopher (Rob's son) turns up and also goes off looking for Kelvin.
Kelvin appears and goes in search of Henry. Henry appears and goes in search
of Christopher...
Eventually bang on target of 7pm at about quarter to eight we are off - bye
Judith.
An uneventful drive home - I am the only one awake. Arrive home at about
10:20 unload car and trailer and boys go to bed. I am too exhausted to sleep
and sit at the computer for an hour. Zzzzzz.
Monday: Get boys to school and me to work, returning the trailer and
camera - but too tired to achieve much. In the evening very little is done.
Tuesday: Get the money to the bank and unpack most of the zines and some
of the other junk - there is a lot of it!
Wednesday: For the first time in 10 years I am struck down by a bad case
of flu. Henry also is down with it. Sleep most of the day with a high
temperature. Judith returns about 9pm. Thursday and Friday do not exist - I
was awake for nearly two hours on Friday. On Saturday I get up - but don't
do much.
Sunday: Finally tidy away the rest of the junk in the lounge
Its over!
The good points: The people, the parties and the discussions.
The bad points: It's over, the con was so good the dealers room was
empty, and having to get back on Sunday.
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