Thoughts about NorWesCon

[lithera]

Point #1 - NorWesCon is $80 this year. Let me point out in perspective that San Diego Comic Con is $75 at the door. EDIT: I should have checked this too. It appears it is $60 and while that isn't as wince inducing it is still painful considering what I do and don't get for it.

Point #2 - Lack of parties. There are a distinct lack of parties at the NorWesCon hotel this year due to an enforcement of rules which have never been enforced in previous years. They were well within their right to do so and I do not begrudge them the right but it will not be nearly as much fun for me without them. There is a party, a huge one, at the La Quinta across the street but that's a fair distance in some costumes and shoes.

Point #3 - I'm hearing that a lot of the adult panneling has been dimminished. Looking at the panneling on the programming page it looks the same to me as it has in past years but then again, I'm not a larger consumer of the adult panneling. The times I've been, it hasn't really been interesting for me - either being too surface of conversation or just a bit too much.

At this point, I'm going to NorWesCon these days because I've been going for years. It is getting to the point of more expensive than I'm really interested in paying for what I get out of it. The entertainment pannels usually have less informtation than I do. The dances have gotten less and less entertaining for me as the years go on. The parties are diminished this year.

I love NorWesCon. Don't get me wrong, I'm just noticing that I'm getting less and less out of it than I have in previous years. Last year I had a great time but that was more due to the fact that I spent all weekend talking to and playing games with friends than anything Con specific. It is a graet collection point for a lot of people I don't get to see and that is hard to put a value on for me but as we're approaching $100 for reg, plus hotel, plus food plus...

Yeah. I'm thinking about it for next year already.

As for my birthday, thank you all for your thoughts and well wishes. Thank you, very, very much, those of you who came out to the museum with me. Thank you all of those of you who pitched in for my present! The Finest Quality of the HD Tivo. Wooo!

Comments

[ladymeag.livejournal.com]

I quit going to Norwescon because the cost far exceeded any entertainment value I was getting out of it. I think this happens to most people at some point.

[torquemada.livejournal.com]

You could stage your own small-group-of-friends-only Nonwescon and loaf around and play games and watch movies do fun stuff for approximately the same amount of money or less, and there wouldn't be crappy lines or rules or crowds, and you'd have a lot less chance of seeing your friends or people you know make bad choices or catch infectious diseases.

Just sayin'.

[lithera.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know. I just don't have the appeal that a Con does. I'm going this year. I'll see about next year.

[torquemada.livejournal.com]

I'd show up for a day or two of it, at least. I'm sure you'd have a fair number of other folks, some of whom (like me) gave up on Norwescon a while ago. Also: no hotel reservations!

[sharkcowsheep.livejournal.com]

I've -only- ever gone to NorWes for the friends. When I started going I was too enthused about just the idea of a con to give a shit about anything else, and now that I'm old and jaded the panels don't have much to interest me.

Lack of parties means that going to NorWes for the friends will basically mean loitering in halls with friends.

I dunno, I'm going for the art show, and I'm going to be a Crazy 88 wichoo, and wear the jellyfish, but these are things I can do at other cons that cost less and amuse me more. And we can loiter in hallways anywhere.

[candidgamera.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday!

... Grandma. ;) (I kid, I kid..)

[lithera.livejournal.com]

*prods at you*

Thanks, you young punk. Now get off my lawn.

[seanb.livejournal.com]

1. The Norwescon website says $60, not $80.
2. I hope nobody gets hit crossing International blvd while drunk in the middle of the night.
3. I only know of one "adult" panel that failed to make the schedule for this year, despite being EXTREMELY popular for last year. I've heard talk of a general crack-down on adult panels, but nothing definitive.

There's been a lot of hearsay about this year's Norwescon, but very little actual information.

[lithera.livejournal.com]

Indeed. It would be nice if there were clear lines of communication for this sort of thing. It can be confusing enough even when there are clear lines.

This is worrisome for a lot of reasons. $60 is better than $80 (and I should have checked that too while I was looking at the programming), admittedly, but still, I have to wonder at a weekend where I'll probably be spending $200+ to mostly hang out with people I usually hang out with.... I will be thinking about it a lot this weekend, I think.

[puppygrrl.livejournal.com]

The cost is the main reason we don't go any more. We live too far out to conceivably commute back and forth, add in food, and reg and for the two of us it gets prohibitively expensive.

Add in that we feel guilty because all three of us can't go because of the dogs, and the fact that cjyd's knees can't take it, and it makes no sense to go, no matter how much we want to see people.

[elscoobysnacko.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday

[lithera.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[gamethyme.livejournal.com]

What rule enforcement is killing parties? This is the first I've heard of this ...

[lithera.livejournal.com]

There is a lot of it. Go over to the NorWesCon LJ community and read it. A lot of the parties got together and got space at the La Quinta across the street instead.

[gamethyme.livejournal.com]

I read the rules - the rules themselves haven't changed.

It sounds like the state leaned on the hotel, who told NorWes that the rules needed following.

*shrug* The only impact it'll have on me is fewer drunk people running down the hall outside my room.

[lithera.livejournal.com]

No, the rules haven't changed. The enforcement of those rules have changed, which is, what I thought I said. The state didn't do anything. What happened is a new manager who decided to enforce them more firmly than they have before. And while I have no problems with them doing that, it just takes away one of the things that adds to my reasons to go to NorWesCon.