SMOFCon Day 3

As it happens, I ended up missing a fair bit of the final day of SMOFCon, including the "wild card" panel entitled "We're Doomed" about the current round of the Death of Worldcon that I'd sort of wanted to see. Last night I didn't get to bed until 3:30 AM, which sort of ruined me for much of today. By the time I was back at the convention, SMOFcon was nominally over except for the Con Suite. I was disappointed that there was no "wrap-up" panel. I think SMOFCon should end with a general session in the largest possible space, where everyone who hasn't had to leave early (and many do end up leaving the morning or early afternoon of the last day) can gather for a final time before figuratively passing the torch to the following year's convention. (In practical terms, it's also a last chance for the following year's SMOFCon's organizers to hit up people for memberships in person.) However, about one SMOFCon in three, I think, doesn't do this. It's a matter of style, I guess.

Anyway, after going out to dinner (back to Shopsy's because our initial target closed early on Sundays) with an impromptu BASFA meeting of regular members of the club who were at SMOFCon, it was back to the Con Suite, where I hung out, talked, and indeed smoffed in the less-crowded, less-pressured environment with the room not over its capacity.

I am grateful to Glenn Glazer and to Ron Oakes, who have each taken one of the 5 kg boxes of poker chips back with them for eventual transportation to SMOFCon 32 in Manhattan Beach (Los Angeles) next December, which saves me having to make some painful decisions about possibly jettisoning things here in Toronto when I pack my luggage.

Tomorrow is my "bonus day" in Toronto, driven by the fact that the return airfare was so expensive for flights on Monday that it's cheaper to spend another night in the hotel and fly back on Tuesday instead. Some sightseeing would be in order, I think.

Shout-Out to The Bear

A special message to travelswithkuma: several of the attendees here, notably some of the Japanese members, asked me to say that they're sorry that Kuma Bear wasn't able to attend SMOFCon and that they look forward to seeing him and his human at a future SMOFCon.

I understand from voice-mails from Lisa that it continues to be bitterly cold back home in Fernley and that she's spending most of her time hunkered down in the travel trailer where it is easier to keep warm due to the smaller space to heat. She does keep the house heated sufficiently that there's no danger of the pipes freezing, but 12° C isn't exactly comfy by our standards; it's just better than the -14° C outside.