A little background: A bunch of guys who I lovingly call the “Band of Idiots,” met back in Fayetteville, AR back when most of us were going there. (Some of them were in grad school, some in their professional lives, and some of us were taking the “extended path” through college. All of us however, liked to play tabletop role-playing games.) Flash forward a few years, and most of us are in our careers, families, and we are spread out all over the US. (With Jim, sometimes it’s the globe…)
But we still like to game, and, for most, DragonCon is a great place to party, costume, and get your game on.
Oh, and guys, if you’re still single and more than a little nerdy, let me tell you this, Cons are a great place to mack on chicks that probably are just as nerdy as you are, and would like a guy to knows the difference between Akira, Bleach, and Naruto. (If I have to explain, that statement wasn’t for you.)
(Un)Fortunately, we’ve all hit “the old guy” barrier, so to all the wives of the BoI’s reading this, not to worry… the macking on the chicks has become a perfunctory gesture at best. (And, let’s be honest, when 1/2 the Con population wasn’t ALIVE when we graduated from UofA, it’s kinda creepy…)
The funny thing that also changed over the years is how we sustain ourselves at the con. Years ago, it was a loaf of bread, some peanut butter, (maybe jelly,) and a couple of cases of Milwaukee’s Best, and we were good to go. Pretty much the last 6-7 years, I’ve been in charge of logistics, (the acquisition of food and beverages,) and it’s changed to “Can we get some of that Sopressata again this year? And maybe a cheese selection?”
It’s hilarious.
Don’t get me wrong, I love it. Having these guys calm down and becoming somewhat civilized is more than a good thing. It’s just thinking back to where we all came from, I wonder where it will all go sometimes… Some of us have been thinking about doing something a little more family oriented during the “off-season” of DragonCon, and I have to say that now that Kim and I have a kid on the way, I have to say that there is more than a little appeal for me now. I think that DragonCon has been a mainstay in our lives, and should probably remain there, but maybe doing something with the families wouldn’t be that bad of an idea either. (And next year I would like to have a Master-Blaster costume picked out for me and the kid. (That’s a Beyond Thunderdome reference if you didn’t know…))
Anyways, I need to get some sleep. Tomorrow, (today,) we are going to have another ultrasound and meeting with the high-risk doctors. Talk to you all later.
-D
A few light snacks for the BoI's while in Atlanta