OVFF …

[ericcoleman]

Lizzie and I took off to gundo and Teresa's Thursday after work with Bryan Baker. We wandered in around 10:30 or 11 and crashed out. We then got up at 5 to get on the road by 6. We wanted to make sure that we got there in plenty of time to get set up for the Pegasus Awards Concert.

The hotel was the same pain it had been before the con. If OVFF is there again next year I am staying across the street.

The rest of the evening is a blur. Little Fuzzy Animals went great, everyone's songs went great. I didn't make it to music circles after, but two days of travel will do that to you.

We got up and went into the insanity that was the breakfast buffet and spent the day hanging out, talking at people and listening to great music.

Tomboat had a one-shot. Yes, you read that right, we tortured the poor sound crew by signing up for a one-shot. They hated it, the audience dug it.

Lizzie and I retreated up to the room for some downtime and some take out Chinese. Then we were off to wait for the awards.

A few categories went a different direction than I expected. I'm happy with all of the winners. It was a tough, tough field in all of the categories.

The saturday night music circle was quite possibly the most fun I have ever had in a music circle. Everyone played along with everyone. There was much laughing, great music and a whole metric tonnage of fun. Lizzie and I got to play a few songs, which seemed well received.

Amazingly enough, Lizzie crashed out before I did. I stopped by the room where Jason and gundo and Bryan were and Jason and I got to play Hides, me on guitar and he on his new standup bass.

We didn't get up in time for breakfast, but did head out with Mark Bernstein, Gorgeous Gary and The Sheryl to the Winking Lizard for some lunch.

The jam was a blast. Sally and I drummed, everyone danced, played, sang and generally behaved in a thoroughly disgraceful way, it was marvelous.

I think this was the most fun I have had at an OVFF. I want it to happen again next weekend.

We can't make FKO, WSPA-2 has his State Gymnastics Meet that Saturday. Oh well, I really wanted to meet Meg Davis.

It's Windycon in two weeks, and SFContario in three. I expect that Lizzie and I will get more opportunities to play music for folks. Tomboat will be ferocious (rehearsal this weekend) and wow … Toyboat get to be GOHs!

Comments

[peteralway.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's right--you were in the same Saturday Night circle I was in. It was a grand mix of good listening-to music, good jamming, and a friendly atmosphere where I could get some turns in. As good as filking gets.

[markbernstein.livejournal.com]

Don't forget to plug ConFusion. :)

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

What was wrong with the hotel? You're not the only one who had issues, but I kinda liked it.

(Andrew/Miles here, BTW. It was nice meeting you after all the FB interactions)

[ericcoleman]

I'm doing those plugs in a few days. We have ConFusion and Capricon.

[lemmozine.livejournal.com]

I stayed at the Crowne Plaza this year because the Doubletree treated me badly last year. Specifically, making hordes of people wait until way past checkin time for their rooms, then giving rooms that reeked of smoke to people who had asked for non-smoking. Also, afterwards read the online reviews and discovered someone had booked the same hotel the same weekend for half the con rate on Priceline. So, I booked on Priceline, got a much better deal, and the Crowne Plaza had a bonus of being all smoke-free. Then there's that thing this year where they made 2 of my friends wait 90 minutes for a shuttle that they said would be there in 30. So, overcharging and treating customers badly. Is that enough?

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

Definitely...I got an ok price for the room, though, and the only tobacco stink of the whole weekend came when some of the Saturday night band members left the back door open, so I guess my experience was a tad different. I tend to prefer staying at the con hotel, since I'm usually fatigued past the point of crossing the street safely by the time I finally bring myself to stagger away from the late night music.

Your friends weren't the only two with a long shuttle wait. Tim Griffin and I had one too. The driver explained when he finally arrived that the previous driver had neglected to fill the gas tank at the end of the shift, and he gave us extra cookies...when I'm happy at a con, I tend to forgive a lot.

And they served maybe the best convention banquet I've had in a long time, which may merely prove that I need to get out more, but still.

[catalana.livejournal.com]

I was so happy to meet Lizzie and get to see the two of you being so happy. <3

[ericcoleman]

It's gotten kinda ridiculous, but that is expected with a couple like us.