I’ve been going to Dragon Con for the past 6-7 years, and every year I work myself into a frenzy of geekish excitement. It is, without a doubt, one of the nerdiest things that I do, which is why I think the wife appreciates that it only happens once a year.
It’s a bit hard for me to put my finger on just why DCon is such an extraordinary event for me. The amount of anticipation that builds up before hand, and the depression that settles in afterwards, is rivaled only by what most children feel with respect to Christmas. Still, it’s hard for me to pinpoint just why I go so crazy about the event every year.
The costumes are definitely part of it. I remember marveling at all of the exotic and well-assembled masquerade pieces on display at the Hyatt, envying the craftsmanship and superior geekery that produced such masterpieces. The first few years I spent a lot of my time snapping pictures of well-dressed con-goers, but more recently I’ve tried my hand at producing a few amateur costumes. I never came out with anything too impressive, being completely unskilled in sewing and such, but with a little thrift-store savvy, I’ve been able to cobble together some passable duds. Past outfits have includes Badger from Firefly, Gabe from Penny Arcade, and Conan Edogawa from Detective Conan/Case Closed (this one attracted an unhealthy level of interest from teenage girls, so I had to retire it).
The celebrity guests are also awesome. There’s always a huge list of actors, authors, artists, and other notables from the creative community. The wife pokes fun at me for being so awed by their presence- I’ve been notoriously starstruck in the past. Still, even just getting to walk by their autograph signing tables has provided a huge thrill for me. Even better is passing by them on their “off time” around the hotels. One year (I think it was my first) I saw Kenny Baker himself (the original R2-D2) hanging out by a snack bar. Awesome!
Overall though, I think it’s just being around so many like-minded people (weird though they/we are). Being as tremendously nerd as I am, sometimes there’s a sense of isolation. A lot of my coworkers (who I’m very good friends with, I might add) have never heard of and would never be interested in a lot of the games, films, television shows, and literature that interest me. There is a very real subculture that geeks belong to (I use the term without any pejorative intent), and it’s great to connect with other people who share so many interests.
That isn’t to say there aren’t some real weirdos who show up- I have to admit that a lot of the goth/punk scene at Dragon Con is a bit creepy to me, but I’m always able to put it into perspective. I’m sure my eccentricities come across the same way to others. If I had more exposure to the goth/punk culture, I doubt I would find it out of place in the least.
Speaking of cool people, this DCon was especially great in the that I got to meet some really neat folks. Ginger, Rucht, and Tony were all super cool (you know, in a geek sense 
) and I wish they didn’t live so far away- they’d be fun folks to game with! Oh well. I suppose there’s always a chance I’ll see them next labor day weekend.
I think that’s enough for now. All this blogging has helped me work through some of the post-con doldrums, but it isn’t going to help me get any of the work done that I need to finish for tomorrow.
Excelsior!
