Nope. Not part of the FIAWOL jet-set Crowd.

[poltr1]

I often see my fan-friends post about their convention travels and adventures, on bothe Facebook and LiveJournal. These are the folks I've met, and often see, at science fiction and filk conventions. For the most part, this is the only face-to-face contact I have with many of them in a given year.

I know that it's not a clique. All I have to do to fit in with them is to join them. But that is an expensive proposition.

Cons have become a luxury that I can no longer afford.

First of all, traveling to cons costs money -- admission fees, airfare (if flying) or gas money (if driving), lodging, and meals. It can easily run into the hundres, if not thousands of dollars. That's money I just don't have. I'm divorced, I have a daughter, and I pay child support. (The amount I pay is larger than my monthly mortgage.) So I don't have a lot of "disposable income".

Second, most of the folks in this crowd are either single, married with no kids, or empty-nesters. That's typical of ANY social group or organization. Folks with young children rarely participate in social organizations.

Third, it requires vacation time to attend these events. I haven't had a job that offered paid vacation in several years. Any vacation day I'd take would be strictly out-of-pocket.

Fourth, I hate air travel. The waiting, the searching, and the regulations. Plus the thoughts of wind shear and turbulence while I'm flying. I'd rather get in the car and be in control of my own destiny.

With few exceptions, I've stuck to local cons. And in the past several years, I've become bored with them. One local con is the same year after year. I haven't attended it since 1999.

Comments

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

You're not alone in not getting to many cons (anymore). I regret not getting out to them, myself.

I am grateful that at least some of the filk cons do live webstreams of their main programming. Being sick last weekend was alleviated greatly by the stream from the UK filk con. The next step is two-way livestreaming, though that becomes MUCH more complex. Or possibly video, which is probably simpler bur requires hugely more bandwidth.

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

Statistically, of course, you're safer flying than driving. But the wait at security does kind of suck.