Monday, September 1st, 2008
OSFest & Redemption
""Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness."
- Sigmund Freud
(7/16/2008) There is a little boy who lives in my heart who fell in love with science fiction and fantasy many, many years ago. He lived and breathed the fantastic, dreamed of the future and wanting nothing more than to enjoy his love with others. Some time during the last half of the 20th century that boy ran away and hid. This past weekend, that little boy that I was and the old man I have become rediscovered each other and embraced once more. The dreams of the fantastic have returned.
That’s how I feel about OSFest, Omaha’s newest science fiction convention. It’s the first outing … the folks putting on this wonderful event have their hearts in the right place and did it with earnest and vigor that put to shame many a wanna-be con organizer. It was a successful outing, and as of this writing, there are plans for next year. I can not tell you how much joy this brings to my heart. OSFest is what all of those other Omaha sci-fi cons SHOULD have been about.
OSFest is run by the Omaha Science Fiction Education Society, a group of truly good folks who wanted nothing more that to share their love with others and to meet other like-minded individuals. Their integrity has been a shining beacon all through their promotion and discussion of the event, and their love is truly infectious. Unlike some fan groups out there, OSFES folks aren’t just doing lip service without backing it all up … no, they are working their asses off to get the info about OSFest out to others. The entire year before the event there was always some info being passed about the convention. They were relentless about getting the word spread. They are sincere in their passion for the genre.
In order to help out, I donated half of everything I made to the convention and the other half to charity. All I wanted to do was help the convention get into the black so it can continue.
There wasn’t a moment at the convention that didn’t impress me or surprise the hell out of me.
Setting up in the dealer’s room was easy. The gentleman in charge was amazingly attentive to everyone’s needs. I got a power cord within fifteen minutes of asking. When the air conditioning went out on Friday, he had a fan running as soon as possible. His name was John … and as I found out later, OSFES seemed to have far too many people named “John” as each time I said the name, three or more people would answer. Heh … ah well …
I got there early in order to check in my art work into the art show. This would be the first time I have ever entered any of my work into a convention art show, so I wasn’t really certain what to bring or if my stuff was even what the attendee’s would want. The art show was already filled with lots of wonderful artwork … my stuff was just my typical “Women of the Sword” theme that I have followed with for many years. On Saturday, I was amazed to find that I had sold all but one of my pieces! Good lord, did I under-estimate myself or what? Next year, I am getting more panels and offering a much more diverse selection of art.
My friend Ann came and shared my table with me. I offered half of the table for use to promote Nuke-Con, so we had a bunch of Nuke-con fliers there as well as the all new Nuke-Con life-sized mascot stand-ups that Ann had so graciously built. The stand-ups feature the artwork I did for the 2005 convention, which to this day I feel is my best work for Nuke-Con. So we put two of the three up, and man … they looked so sweet. To quote John the Dealer Room coordinator: “I LIKE IT !!” By the end of the con, Nuke-Con had managed to get some pre-regs and sold some of the coloring books from a few years past. Ann played my “pseudo-wife” for the weekend while Linda stayed home to prep for various things she had to do.
The dealer’s room closed at 6pm on Friday and Saturday. The reason for this is so that the dealers can go and enjoy the evening activities which includes room parties, programming, etc. Friday I had to pass on it because we had our friends coming over for dinner, and Saturday I went to dinner with some more friends and chose to hang out with my wife in the evening. We shared some white wine from a label called “Mad Housewife Wineries”. I kid you not.
On Saturday Ann (the pseudo-wife), Linda (the real wife) and longtime friend Tim Dahmer (never my wife) went to Los Alamos for some Mexican food. Ann wanted to get some “authentic” Mexican food, so we strolled down to Little Mexico.
At the convention, I saw a lot of people I hadn’t seen in years, and even more folks who I had never met before. I was surprised that I didn’t know more of the folks there, but I was elated too. That means that it isn’t just the same old crowd of folks going to all the conventions I attend. It means there is a potential for a much higher attendee turn out in the future.
I got the chance to hang out with author, publisher and fellow UNIT member Tyree Campbell and Artist Guest Of Honor Mike Cole (who I had met at Visioncon years ago). I introduced Tyree to burritos as big as your forearm and Pocky. Mike and I shared artwork and stories of freelancing. Hopefully I will be working with each on various projects.
However, for me, the moment that made it all worthwhile came on Saturday morning.
Ann had just finished dressing up our space with the life-sized Magenta standup just as Diane & Agris Taurins … the two people I childishly attacked in my journal … came up and asked for a sketch. They had read my apology (“A Clearing of the Air”) and had graciously accepted it. Not one to miss an opportunity whenever I can, I saw my chance to give them what they truly deserved … an apology in person, face-to-face.
I pride myself in owning up to my words, and that includes when I am totally wrong. I got to tell them both that I was so very sorry, and asked them to forgive the childish slander I had laid upon their person. We all agreed, right there and then, it was over, and the hurt was in the past.
It’s not everyday that you get a chance at redemption.
Long live OSFest!
OSFest & Redemption
""Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness."- Sigmund Freud
(7/16/2008) There is a little boy who lives in my heart who fell in love with science fiction and fantasy many, many years ago. He lived and breathed the fantastic, dreamed of the future and wanting nothing more than to enjoy his love with others. Some time during the last half of the 20th century that boy ran away and hid. This past weekend, that little boy that I was and the old man I have become rediscovered each other and embraced once more. The dreams of the fantastic have returned.
That’s how I feel about OSFest, Omaha’s newest science fiction convention. It’s the first outing … the folks putting on this wonderful event have their hearts in the right place and did it with earnest and vigor that put to shame many a wanna-be con organizer. It was a successful outing, and as of this writing, there are plans for next year. I can not tell you how much joy this brings to my heart. OSFest is what all of those other Omaha sci-fi cons SHOULD have been about.
OSFest is run by the Omaha Science Fiction Education Society, a group of truly good folks who wanted nothing more that to share their love with others and to meet other like-minded individuals. Their integrity has been a shining beacon all through their promotion and discussion of the event, and their love is truly infectious. Unlike some fan groups out there, OSFES folks aren’t just doing lip service without backing it all up … no, they are working their asses off to get the info about OSFest out to others. The entire year before the event there was always some info being passed about the convention. They were relentless about getting the word spread. They are sincere in their passion for the genre.
In order to help out, I donated half of everything I made to the convention and the other half to charity. All I wanted to do was help the convention get into the black so it can continue.
There wasn’t a moment at the convention that didn’t impress me or surprise the hell out of me.
Setting up in the dealer’s room was easy. The gentleman in charge was amazingly attentive to everyone’s needs. I got a power cord within fifteen minutes of asking. When the air conditioning went out on Friday, he had a fan running as soon as possible. His name was John … and as I found out later, OSFES seemed to have far too many people named “John” as each time I said the name, three or more people would answer. Heh … ah well …
I got there early in order to check in my art work into the art show. This would be the first time I have ever entered any of my work into a convention art show, so I wasn’t really certain what to bring or if my stuff was even what the attendee’s would want. The art show was already filled with lots of wonderful artwork … my stuff was just my typical “Women of the Sword” theme that I have followed with for many years. On Saturday, I was amazed to find that I had sold all but one of my pieces! Good lord, did I under-estimate myself or what? Next year, I am getting more panels and offering a much more diverse selection of art.
My friend Ann came and shared my table with me. I offered half of the table for use to promote Nuke-Con, so we had a bunch of Nuke-con fliers there as well as the all new Nuke-Con life-sized mascot stand-ups that Ann had so graciously built. The stand-ups feature the artwork I did for the 2005 convention, which to this day I feel is my best work for Nuke-Con. So we put two of the three up, and man … they looked so sweet. To quote John the Dealer Room coordinator: “I LIKE IT !!” By the end of the con, Nuke-Con had managed to get some pre-regs and sold some of the coloring books from a few years past. Ann played my “pseudo-wife” for the weekend while Linda stayed home to prep for various things she had to do.
The dealer’s room closed at 6pm on Friday and Saturday. The reason for this is so that the dealers can go and enjoy the evening activities which includes room parties, programming, etc. Friday I had to pass on it because we had our friends coming over for dinner, and Saturday I went to dinner with some more friends and chose to hang out with my wife in the evening. We shared some white wine from a label called “Mad Housewife Wineries”. I kid you not.
On Saturday Ann (the pseudo-wife), Linda (the real wife) and longtime friend Tim Dahmer (never my wife) went to Los Alamos for some Mexican food. Ann wanted to get some “authentic” Mexican food, so we strolled down to Little Mexico.
At the convention, I saw a lot of people I hadn’t seen in years, and even more folks who I had never met before. I was surprised that I didn’t know more of the folks there, but I was elated too. That means that it isn’t just the same old crowd of folks going to all the conventions I attend. It means there is a potential for a much higher attendee turn out in the future.
I got the chance to hang out with author, publisher and fellow UNIT member Tyree Campbell and Artist Guest Of Honor Mike Cole (who I had met at Visioncon years ago). I introduced Tyree to burritos as big as your forearm and Pocky. Mike and I shared artwork and stories of freelancing. Hopefully I will be working with each on various projects.
However, for me, the moment that made it all worthwhile came on Saturday morning.
Ann had just finished dressing up our space with the life-sized Magenta standup just as Diane & Agris Taurins … the two people I childishly attacked in my journal … came up and asked for a sketch. They had read my apology (“A Clearing of the Air”) and had graciously accepted it. Not one to miss an opportunity whenever I can, I saw my chance to give them what they truly deserved … an apology in person, face-to-face.
I pride myself in owning up to my words, and that includes when I am totally wrong. I got to tell them both that I was so very sorry, and asked them to forgive the childish slander I had laid upon their person. We all agreed, right there and then, it was over, and the hurt was in the past.
It’s not everyday that you get a chance at redemption.
Long live OSFest!