Volunteering Fun!

For over a week now I've been meaning to get back here and post something new, but I got sick two weeks ago and while I'm back at work I haven't quite recovered fully. I apologize for the delay and, "Thank you!" to all who've asked if everything was well in my life.

Weekend before last I did my ever first volunteering. It was at a gaming convention here in San Antonio, the ChimaeraCon. Not a huge convention, but popular among its attendees. And it's growing. I had a blast! I'm not much of a gamer, but I loved being around people who love Science Fiction and are enthusiastic about playing games. Their enthusiasm for this is contagious and they have all spent enough time with their passion that they are very expert when you have questions. The people I met there share the same love of books and interaction with fantasy that I have.

My job was registration. I spent most of Saturday behind the counter. They turned me loose briefly to wander the floor and see all the fun stuff that had been set up and games that were happening. I also got time off to go to the food court (we were at Crossroad Mall) and get lunch. But most of the day I was watching folk come in, receiving their money and giving them badges to wander and enjoy the activities that had been planned. You'd think with a barrier between you and others you'd not get sick, right? Wrong, by the end of the day I was coughing and sweating with a fever. This was really disappointing because my volunteering got me into the convention free and I'd planned on coming back Sunday afternoon just to have fun. Now I couldn't do that.

When the planning for this convention started I'd expected bunches of compute games, and there was plenty of that. But there was also lots of board games. We had Game Masters running D&D games and other card or miniature based games. There was jousting. We had MechCorps there with 3 huge pods that you could sit in and fight an opponent from using cool technology. And there were several local guest stars. I met two of them. One was The Defuser, the winner of "So You Want to be a Superhero" from Texas and the other was his nemesis, Lord Vile.

There's a really neat video that the San Antonio Express created when they came and interviewed lots of folk there. I can't embed it, but here's the link. Go and watch, it's really very good. One of our volunteers has put up a really great MySpace page about ChimaeraCon. It isn't the official page which is now on hold till next year but you can get a good feel for the event and its history. Here's the link to that.

Even with me getting sick I had so much fun that I plan to volunteer again next year. This year I was shy and not ready to be fully involved in a large roll because I didn't know any of the ins and outs of running a convention. Now I do and I'll be ready to take on a larger role next time around. Thanks to everyone who took time to train me, explain things, and show me the way! You all were awesome!

An added benefit to having attended, actually one that was part of my reasoning for being there, is that I learned about other places in San Antonio to connect with folk who love SciFi and Fantasy as much as I do. And there are other conventions coming up to attend among them San Japan 2 in August. I've never been to any of these things before and plan on attending as many as I can. Life is looking a lot more fun for the future.

Slightly Parallel

If you're a Kim Harrison fan, as I am, then you've probably read her books set in the Hollows. The last one I read was, "For A Few Demons More" which is moving her main characters along in fantastic fashion. The picture on the left is the cover of the first book in the series, "Dead Witch Walking".

One of the things about the Hollows series is how the Hollows came to be. In this version of Cincinnati there are fairies, elves, trolls, werewolves, and vampires all living out in the regular world. See, they had to come out of hiding when most of the human population was killed off. Now they live side by side, although in somewhat segregated neighborhoods (a.k.a. the Hollows), and they have their own police force competing with the human one for investigative rights on cases that involve both humans and magical beings.

What killed most of the humans you ask? Well, that's what's interesting...and sort of eerie recently. It was a virus.....in tomatoes. Now nobody in their right minds eats tomatoes in her books. Sounds familiar doesn't it? While I don't believe in parallels between real life and fiction being portents of the future, stranger things have probably happened. And I can't quite kick the similarities out of my head. So today, when I read or hear that 17 states have been taken off the "safe to eat" producers of tomatoes list, it gets kind of "They're here"-ish. What fun! I wonder if Harrison's sales will rise because of this odd similarity. I know Harrison is hoping it will. She's accepting photos of signs about the tomato ban for her website with promises to post them. Guess that means I need to put her latest, "The Outlaw Demon Wails", which is still in hard back on my books to purchase list. Wonder if I can use on of the new Borders coupons I acquired this week. (G)

Postscript to the books and tomato subject:
Paschal reminded me of the nightshades tag that tomatoes have. When I went researching the origin of the label I discovered a fascinating article published in New Life Journal in 2003 titled, "All About Nightshades". It's a fascinating read into the origin of the label, what else is in the nightshade family, and how these plants affect our bodies. Hope you can make time to read it.

More Odd Bits - posts - cat news - an interesting blog

Me has graciously let me know there are lyrics to the Enterprise Theme Song. I went looking and sure enough there they were on a SciFi channel. I've posted them in the comments for "Star Trek" Music.

Hooboo and Hyram are competing for food and space. This morning I had to pick each bowl up, fill them, and then place them down at the same time in spread apart locations (thankfully both in the kitchen). Hyram has always had his favorite places to relax in. Now Hooboo is suddenly coming into these places and there is a certain amount of hissing going on. Last night both cats slept on the floor until Hooboo discovered how comfortable the sofa was. This morning he discovered how to get up on my bed and decided he really liked being there with me and kneading the comforter. Right now, Rum Tum (affectionate name for Hyram) is stretched out on my dining table (seldom used for dining) and Hooboo is curled up near my feet. Ah the joys of being a cat mom. (g)

Found an amusing blog today. Basic Instructions was listed in the notable blogs when I logged on. I wandered through it and was most impressed with the artwork and interesting commentary and humor exhibited while giving out much needed directions for handling certain situations one might encounter in life. I'm adding a link for this one to my side bar. It's worth the occasional read.

"Star Trek" Music

Flipping through music books today, I came across an old song I should know but can't recall ever hearing. It was the Theme From "Star Trek." This was apparently written in 1966 and the words are by Gene Roddenberry himself. The music was by Alexander Courage. I vaguely remember the music that played at the beginning of Star Trek, I just don't remember ever hearing any words. Even so, I think the lyrics are kind of interesting because of the theme and who wrote them. So, I thought I'd share them and see if anyone recognizes them.

Beyond the rim of the starlight
My love is wand'ring in star flight
I know he'll find in star clustered reaches
love, strange love a starwoman teaches.

I know his journey ends never;
His Star Trek will go on forever.
But tell him while he wanders his starry sea
Remember, remember me.

So there you go. If you happen to remember hearing these words on some show or movie please feel free to remind me where I might have heard them. Thanks.