kevin_standlee | Match Game Lite

Baring some last-minute miracle, Lisa will probably not be attending Norwescon this year. (Update: I just got an e-mail from her father saying that she's leaving Mehama about now (3 PM or so) and may actually be here this evening; it will be a close thing, given the travel time from Mehama to Seattle.)

She's been for the past few days battling an ear infection that is affecting her balance and plaguing her with tinnitus so bad that it's keeping her from sleeping. This means that the larger pieces of the Match Game kit that I took to Oregon a few weeks ago are going to stay in Oregon. Unfortunately, that includes things like some of the prizes, including the Lovely Parting Gift ribbons and the badge attachments for the crew and contestants. We can and will mail prizes to contestants, but it means they can't wear their Lovely Parting Gift ribbons where they can be seen, which is really disappointing. I also can't show off my ECM-51A microphone; however, the room in question is small enough that we'll probably be okay even if we don't have any amplification.

Fortunately, I had the bare minimum necessary to do the show -- the questions! -- with me, along with some additional minimal kit, and the fact that I forgot to take the posters to Oregon with me now works in my favor, because I had to bring them with me and they'll be part of the room set. I have the sound effects installed on one of the computers. I have the opening titles, but we won't have a data projector, so we won't be using that anyway. We won't have the game board to hold the questions or the colored score indicators (I'm going to have to make some hand-lettered score indicators this afternoon); however, we only have had the board (which is difficult to transport by anything other than car) for our last three shows anyway. If we were doing this show somewhere we've done it before, like BayCon, I'd be much less happy, because our audiences there have come to expect a certain level of "bling." (And, I hasten to add, BayCon has helped us considerably with technical support to match our reach.)

Still, our reputation sort of proceeds us. While putting up posters for the show yesterday, a passerby saw it and said, "Cool! I saw the show here last year, and it was lots of fun!" Puzzled -- I haven't been to Norwescon for several years, and have never done the show here -- I asked some more questions. Upon reflection, he realized that he was remembering Match Game SF Late Night from L.A.con IV. But hey, it's nice to be remembered for past good work!

Per the update above, we may end up with the full scale show after all, but I'm still going to make the backup score indicators and such like, as an offering to the ghod Murphy for Lisa's safe arrival this evening during our setup time from 7:30 - 9 PM.

If by some odd chance anyone who is at Norwescon today is reading this, I could really use some help during set-up and during the game itself. We'll be in Olympic 1, and you'll have my undying gratitude and (eventually) one of the staff badges from the show.