BiCon debrief meme
Aug. 6th, 2018 09:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cosmolinguistSessions attended: Just one! Queering Shakespeare, which I loved. I've been before and it's always my favorite.
We're given extracts from mostly Shakespeare plays (though some of it's not plays and some of it's other early modern writers) for small groups of people to act out for the rest of the workshop attendees. For instance, in my group I was Antony getting ready for battle, Stuart was Cleopatra insisting on helping me with my armor even though she didn't seem to know what she was doing, and our friend Zoe played soldiers who were actually trying to help me and tell me stuff. It's clear at the end of the scene that Antony's much happier going off to war, leaving Cleopatra for "a soldier's kiss, rebukable." Watching how some of the other groups interpreted their selections was hysterical, with special mention going to the fairies acting as a Greek chorus while Oberon and Titania were arguing, jumping around and shouting comments: when Titania says "Met we on hill, on dale..." and the others shout out "Who's Dale?!"
Stuart said afterwards "the extracts were well picked, we were well coached and encouraged and the atmosphere was one of support and participation and the spirit of the work. And knob gags. And ladygarden gags."
Sessions run: None. I did enjoy running one when I did and should look into that in a "is there anything the organizers want running that needs someone to do it" (as sometimes happens) for next year...
Sleep achieved: I slept in enough to miss workshops I wanted to attend on Saturday morning, but that was partly because Stuart and I had stayed up whispering like kids at a sleepover when neither of us could sleep in the wee hours. I did okay for sleep all BiCon actually, but still slept all yesterday afternoon and had an early bedtime.
People snogged: Just Stuart.
People I did Rude Things with:
People I would have liked to do more sex-type things with but didn't:
None, and to these two questions I'd rather like to direct this article shared last night by a friend. One thing that put me off going to BiCon was the reputation it seemed to have about being for people who had lots of sex and were attractive to lots of people. And while BiCon's standards for attraction are admirably wider than most of society's, I still seemed to fall outside of them and when I was younger I desperately wished it would be otherwise. But I guess I don't care any more.
Hugs achieved: Lots! Hooray for hugs.
Songs danced to: I couldn't dance at the ball; I kept getting hit with people's wings and tails and other protrusions from costumes. I always find these things too noisy, too, so I retreated to a safe distance where I could hear the music (which was great) but also chat to my friends.
Parties attended: None.
Games played: None.
Strange food and drinks consumed when offered to me: I don't think I was offered any, I had to seek them all out myself. I didn't eat enough actually; access to food was not brilliant.
Number of children I was responsible for: None.
People I meant to talk to, or meant to talk to more, but didn't: I mean, it's in the nature of cons that you always want to talk to more people than you can. I think I at least managed to say hello to everybody I was excited about seeing at this BiCon.
Things I didn't bring, but should have: My saxophone for the jam session! I talked about it beforehand when we were assembling instruments but I didn't: I haven't played it in like 12 years, I would've had to dig it out of the loft and buy new reeds and try to remember how to play it...
But then! At the jam session I saw someone else with a saxophone, and a nice-looking one at that. I happened to find her and her partner talking to Stuart after the band resulting from the jam session had finished performing that evening, and her partner said he'd never heard her play in the 13 years they'd been together; she said she hadn't played in 14 years. It's a story so similar to mine I really wish I'd brought mine!
Stuart said she told him afterwards that she hadn't played in ages and had been thinking of selling her sax, and now she didn't want to any more. What a result.
Pages of book(s) brought that were read: Few pages of an ebook and lots of audiobook while I was waiting to get back to sleep.
Alcohol consumed: They had a ShinDigger black pilsner called Iced Coffee (that I was assured contained no actual coffee, and it didn't taste like it did) that I really liked. And I drank some Guinness too.
Times I fell over: Despite the terrible lighting and floor patterns in the student union where I spent a lot of my time, none!
Injuries sustained: None.
People spotted in the train station on Sunday afternoon: I got a bus home Sunday morning.
Best non-Bicon thing about the weekend: Everything I did this weekend was related to BiCon. I went straight there from work on Thursday, and straight back to work when I left on Sunday morning.
Volunteering done (can be anything even small thing like picking up litter or buying organisers a drink): Thursday and Friday were all volunteering for me. Stuart had properly signed up for a couple of shifts on the desk and as a gopher on Thursday and I came along to do whatever needed doing: I put up lots of signs directing people where to go, I helped some people find their accommodation, stuff like that.
Friday was the busy day for this: we packed up all Stuart's drums, a couple of guitars, a keyboard, a mandolin, a banjo, and I can't even remember what else into the back of his Micra and (via buying mandolin strings and picking up a bass borrowed from his bandmate), came back to BiCon and started setting up. I made countless trips back and forth, up and down stairs, carrying stuff. I got to help by hitting the drums so Stuart could hear what they'd sound like from the room; that was the most fun. "Start with the kick drum," he said and I did, and the sound was so good made his face light up. Then as soon as it was done we had to take everything down for the silent disco. I carried lots of stuff around, I didn't have to make a lot of decisions because I don't understand exactly what needs doing (though I felt better at that by the end of Friday!), I just had to fetch and carry and it was delightfully straightforward after too much time in my own head.
Other notable things: 1. I wonder if this will end up being the BiCon of It Suddenly Going Pitch-Black When You Pee or Shower. Whose idea is it to put motion-activated lights in bathrooms? And why do they turn off after only seven seconds of no movement? And why are there no sensors in the shower so that you have to reach your hand out and waggle it around if you don't want to take a shower in the dark?
I just elected to take the shower in the dark, and I snarkily posted on my Facebook that I'm sure the uni have done this in order to induce greater empathy with visually impaired people.
2. Stuart said at one point, "I've been to a lot of cons, and BiCon is the best one, because" -- and I tried to guess what he was going to say next but even if I'd had more time I'd have totally failed -- "it's like all the other cons rolled into one." I like that; I've been thinking about it ever since.
We're given extracts from mostly Shakespeare plays (though some of it's not plays and some of it's other early modern writers) for small groups of people to act out for the rest of the workshop attendees. For instance, in my group I was Antony getting ready for battle, Stuart was Cleopatra insisting on helping me with my armor even though she didn't seem to know what she was doing, and our friend Zoe played soldiers who were actually trying to help me and tell me stuff. It's clear at the end of the scene that Antony's much happier going off to war, leaving Cleopatra for "a soldier's kiss, rebukable." Watching how some of the other groups interpreted their selections was hysterical, with special mention going to the fairies acting as a Greek chorus while Oberon and Titania were arguing, jumping around and shouting comments: when Titania says "Met we on hill, on dale..." and the others shout out "Who's Dale?!"
Stuart said afterwards "the extracts were well picked, we were well coached and encouraged and the atmosphere was one of support and participation and the spirit of the work. And knob gags. And ladygarden gags."
Sessions run: None. I did enjoy running one when I did and should look into that in a "is there anything the organizers want running that needs someone to do it" (as sometimes happens) for next year...
Sleep achieved: I slept in enough to miss workshops I wanted to attend on Saturday morning, but that was partly because Stuart and I had stayed up whispering like kids at a sleepover when neither of us could sleep in the wee hours. I did okay for sleep all BiCon actually, but still slept all yesterday afternoon and had an early bedtime.
People snogged: Just Stuart.
People I did Rude Things with:
People I would have liked to do more sex-type things with but didn't:
None, and to these two questions I'd rather like to direct this article shared last night by a friend. One thing that put me off going to BiCon was the reputation it seemed to have about being for people who had lots of sex and were attractive to lots of people. And while BiCon's standards for attraction are admirably wider than most of society's, I still seemed to fall outside of them and when I was younger I desperately wished it would be otherwise. But I guess I don't care any more.
Hugs achieved: Lots! Hooray for hugs.
Songs danced to: I couldn't dance at the ball; I kept getting hit with people's wings and tails and other protrusions from costumes. I always find these things too noisy, too, so I retreated to a safe distance where I could hear the music (which was great) but also chat to my friends.
Parties attended: None.
Games played: None.
Strange food and drinks consumed when offered to me: I don't think I was offered any, I had to seek them all out myself. I didn't eat enough actually; access to food was not brilliant.
Number of children I was responsible for: None.
People I meant to talk to, or meant to talk to more, but didn't: I mean, it's in the nature of cons that you always want to talk to more people than you can. I think I at least managed to say hello to everybody I was excited about seeing at this BiCon.
Things I didn't bring, but should have: My saxophone for the jam session! I talked about it beforehand when we were assembling instruments but I didn't: I haven't played it in like 12 years, I would've had to dig it out of the loft and buy new reeds and try to remember how to play it...
But then! At the jam session I saw someone else with a saxophone, and a nice-looking one at that. I happened to find her and her partner talking to Stuart after the band resulting from the jam session had finished performing that evening, and her partner said he'd never heard her play in the 13 years they'd been together; she said she hadn't played in 14 years. It's a story so similar to mine I really wish I'd brought mine!
Stuart said she told him afterwards that she hadn't played in ages and had been thinking of selling her sax, and now she didn't want to any more. What a result.
Pages of book(s) brought that were read: Few pages of an ebook and lots of audiobook while I was waiting to get back to sleep.
Alcohol consumed: They had a ShinDigger black pilsner called Iced Coffee (that I was assured contained no actual coffee, and it didn't taste like it did) that I really liked. And I drank some Guinness too.
Times I fell over: Despite the terrible lighting and floor patterns in the student union where I spent a lot of my time, none!
Injuries sustained: None.
People spotted in the train station on Sunday afternoon: I got a bus home Sunday morning.
Best non-Bicon thing about the weekend: Everything I did this weekend was related to BiCon. I went straight there from work on Thursday, and straight back to work when I left on Sunday morning.
Volunteering done (can be anything even small thing like picking up litter or buying organisers a drink): Thursday and Friday were all volunteering for me. Stuart had properly signed up for a couple of shifts on the desk and as a gopher on Thursday and I came along to do whatever needed doing: I put up lots of signs directing people where to go, I helped some people find their accommodation, stuff like that.
Friday was the busy day for this: we packed up all Stuart's drums, a couple of guitars, a keyboard, a mandolin, a banjo, and I can't even remember what else into the back of his Micra and (via buying mandolin strings and picking up a bass borrowed from his bandmate), came back to BiCon and started setting up. I made countless trips back and forth, up and down stairs, carrying stuff. I got to help by hitting the drums so Stuart could hear what they'd sound like from the room; that was the most fun. "Start with the kick drum," he said and I did, and the sound was so good made his face light up. Then as soon as it was done we had to take everything down for the silent disco. I carried lots of stuff around, I didn't have to make a lot of decisions because I don't understand exactly what needs doing (though I felt better at that by the end of Friday!), I just had to fetch and carry and it was delightfully straightforward after too much time in my own head.
Other notable things: 1. I wonder if this will end up being the BiCon of It Suddenly Going Pitch-Black When You Pee or Shower. Whose idea is it to put motion-activated lights in bathrooms? And why do they turn off after only seven seconds of no movement? And why are there no sensors in the shower so that you have to reach your hand out and waggle it around if you don't want to take a shower in the dark?
I just elected to take the shower in the dark, and I snarkily posted on my Facebook that I'm sure the uni have done this in order to induce greater empathy with visually impaired people.
2. Stuart said at one point, "I've been to a lot of cons, and BiCon is the best one, because" -- and I tried to guess what he was going to say next but even if I'd had more time I'd have totally failed -- "it's like all the other cons rolled into one." I like that; I've been thinking about it ever since.
(no subject)
Date: 2018-08-06 01:52 pm (UTC)Hitting the drums sounds super fun, and I'm glad that Stuart was happy with the acoustics!
That "other notable things" quote is pretty great.
(no subject)
Date: 2018-08-06 06:43 pm (UTC)The topics of those two questions was just the impression that I had of BiCon at first, about a decade ago and a few years before I ever went myself, from LJ and friends who'd gone and etc. (My friends are carefully circumspect about the sexytime stuff, but in a way that almost makes it worse because it's easy to imagine then that everybody who isn't mentioning all the great sex they're having is also having all the great sex and so that means everyone who says they are and also everyone who doesn't say they are is having great sex and it's only me who isn't and argh etc.etc.)
So I don't want to disparage BiCon; it's probably just me being oversensitive to those two questions thanks to my insecure twenties. :)
But it is a good article, isn't it? Shame it's such a prevalent thing it has to be written about, and can be recognized by so many of us, at all though.
Just realized how much of this has ended up being about Stuart! It's just that we did spend a bunch of time together and, well, turns out NRE is a thing even after you've dated somebody eight years ago and have been friends in the intervening time? But yeah it was a pretty good quote and it was fun to play the drums and all that. :)
(no subject)
Date: 2018-08-07 03:54 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2018-08-07 07:09 am (UTC)The jam session sounds great and I'm sorry I missed it.
(no subject)
Date: 2018-08-07 07:39 am (UTC)Something like the jam session will be happening next year, though with a bit more structure and advance notice. Hopefully you can take part/listen and enjoy, whichever you wanted to do this time. :)
(no subject)
Date: 2018-08-07 07:47 am (UTC)