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I'm apparently not the convention type. I've been to Renaissance Fairs, and they struck me as painfully silly. I've been to Shabbatons (Jewish Sabbath retreats), and they struck me as awfully contrived. In high school, I got sent on this Youth Leadership Retreat. I just couldn't get into the "theme" of it that was supposed to direct all our actions for the weekend. And I think I'd rather gnaw off my own leg then get trapped in a Vulcan costume at a Star Trek convention.
But hey, that's just me. You all enjoy your fun.
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ALso, you thinking Renn Faires are silly made me think of SpongeBob episode whe SpongeBob and Patrick hang out in a "magic box" and pretend they are having all sorts of adventures, and Squidward doesn't get it at all.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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I go to a stitcher's retreat every year (in fact it was last weekend this year). I usually take a class or two, in which I learn some new technique or new type of stitches, spend a lot of time with a needle in one hand and chocolate in the other, laughing, being silly, and if I'm lucky, actually getting a few stitches in!
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quote:quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally posted by Elizabeth:
Hmm. What if we all brought laptops, and sat in the same room and posted to Hatrack? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That NEVER happens at a Hatrack event.
*giggles* No, usually we're all sharing two or three computers.
I love music festivals. I love ren faires. (Sadly, not up to much of either lately.) I love foodie trade shows. Ditto fabric/sewing/costuming events. But my favorite by far are Hatrack get-togethers! Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Mine was one of them at Kamacon. Ended up with a whole mess of new AIM buddies, only half of which I can identify..
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I still also want to go to a Star Trek convention. I've never been, and I've wanted to since I was a little kid.
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The greater Buffalo area goes festival crazy once it gets warm enough to host them. You can't go a spring or summer weekend without one or two of them going on...You get your ethnic fests (Italian, Irish, Hellenic), art fests (Allentown, the one whose name I can't remember at the park), food fests (Taste of Buffalo, Wingfest, Wingstock), and there's a guitar fest mixed in there somewhere. Folks here will take any excuse to walk around and eat food...
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I have yet to go to a Hatrack con. I need to find more people in my area. However, the local Ren Festival is the shiznit. Yes, I said shiznit. So sue me.
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Many of the horse shows I've been to count, like we rent the hotel out, and all come back to run in and out of each others rooms all night (this is about 4,000 people). Those are absolutely amazing.
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True, breyerchic. Sports tournaments can be like that, too.
The thing is, when the weekend is over, I am ready to go home. I would not want to live with people who are so similar in interests all the time. I don't think I could ever handle one of those communes or alternative communities.
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quote:You get your ethnic fests (Italian, Irish, Hellenic), art fests (Allentown, the one whose name I can't remember at the park), food fests (Taste of Buffalo, Wingfest, Wingstock), and there's a guitar fest mixed in there somewhere. Folks here will take any excuse to walk around and eat food...
Oooh, forgot the ethnic fests! I love the Lithuanian Fair and used to go to the Irish Fair when I was little; that was fun.
And I forgot the Watermelon Festival, which is several years old and we attended for the first time last year-- with adorable results. We're looking forward to this year's!
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quote:Originally posted by Tante Shvester: And last summer, when Rivka was in town, some of us got together for, uh, Rivkon. That was lunch out at an Indian restaurant, and a visit to a museum.
September, actually. (I remember because of the conflicts with my job(s). >_< )
And we had Chinese and sushi for lunch, and Indian food for supper.
But yeah, both times were a LOT of fun. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Elizabeth: The thing is, when the weekend is over, I am ready to go home. I would not want to live with people who are so similar in interests all the time. I don't think I could ever handle one of those communes or alternative communities.
For the communities I've visited and lived in, folks' interests are incredibly varied. (About as much, say, as Hatrackers'... except for the lack of Republicans...)
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OK, Plaid, what are the communities you have lived in?
Maybe, for me, it is just the small community that is too much. I need to feel lost in the shuffle at times.
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Ren Faires are my usual poison. I used to do Star Trek cons and Magic tournaments, pre kid. I wish to make a Hatrack con someday.
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I enjoyed the few music festivals that I have attended. Were I to live in an area that made them more accessible, I would probably go again.
I have to admit that I am a bit of a geek. I love little small town fairs. Around here, every little town (and there are a bunch of them) have their own little street festival every year with homemade food, games and crafts from the area (of course, most are pretty similar as the whole area is German-American). I think they're a lot of fun and it's nice to get a flavor of each place.
I have mixed feelings about religious retreats. I'm not big on the retreats where you sit in conferences for hours listening to a lecturer who is supposed to be spiritually inspiring. Those wear me out rather than invigorate me. Last summer I made my first "directed" retreat which was a week long silent retreat in which I was simply given the space to commune with God in whatever way I chose. No work, no worries, just enjoying the leisure time with God. One hour a day I met with a director who gave me some suggestions for things to do and let me talk about the experiences that I had had so far. She was great... very open, gave suggestions but didn't push them on me. By the end of the week I felt pretty comfortable just doing my own thing, I didn't need as much help in trying to find something to "do" so we didn't meet for as long. It was a great experience. I left feeling better (both spiritually and physically) than I had felt in a long time.
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Saturday after next the medieval club I belong to is doing a Corpus Christi Festival for a fundraiser. It's gonna be a big carnival with medieval plays and puppet shows and all other kinds of fun stuff.
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I always try to make a trip to my local Scottish Festival every year. I'm way too scrawny to do the Kaber-toss or anything, but it's still fun. I still need to go to a comic-con, though. It's something I've always wanted to go to, but never had the time or the money (or the friends willing to come with, I'm wearing them done though)
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I'm contemplating going to Marcon this May. Anybody else considering it?
When I was a kid the Renn. Festival was one of my favorite events of the year--right up there with Halloween and 4th of July. I often wished that my parents would take us more than once a year. These days it doesn't do as much for me, but it's possible that it's because the festival near Dayton isn't as good as the one in KC.
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I think many people are like you, not enjoying music they don't recognize.
Some people do not like the rougher ege of live music, which I am completely addicted to.
Also, I did not in any way mean to put down the communities such as you have lived in, and described before. I just couldn't live that way. Too much like a small, small town.
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I can't stand Ren Fest anymore. It was fun the first time I went, but my friends insist on going every year, and it gets old after the first 20 minutes or so. If not for the women shoved into tiny corsets, I wouldn't even go for that 20 minutes
It's just the same thing every year, and unless you go with the intention of actually buying any of the rather nice crafts they have there (and there are some beautifully hand made things), then it really isn't worth it to me. Well, except for the washing wenches. They're almost worth it by themselves. I just can't stand walking around there for hours.
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I was wondering, though, Lyrhawn, if people who are the vendors and actors(reenactors?) have a fun pretend life at those festivals. And I think THAT would be a blast. I would like to hear more from an insier or two, and I know we have some here.
Fess up, Renn Fairists!
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Most of them really seem to be into the whole spirit of it, but to some it's also just a business. They only do it in the summer to make more money, or they travel from show to show with their high prices wares looking for sellers.
Still, I have to wonder about the parents who bring their kids along on some of these excursions. I've met some of the people at the local Ren Fest, some are whole families that bring their children, teach them to act, perform, learn an instrument (all of which I have no problem with)... But to drag them around the country when they should be in school, well hopefully they're being homeschooled, but I wonder about their social development with such a lack of normalcy, and the lack of other kids to play with.
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I love going to the state's Homeschooler's convention in June. I don't homeschool, but the market is fantastic for finding educational gems for my kids (and for gifts for friends' children). I missed last year, but I try to go every year for an afternoon. Anyone else in Washington going this year? It'd be fun to meet up for lunch.
I'm thinking about going to one of the rubber stamp conventions this year. I've never been to one but thought it might a fun way to spend too much money.
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"Still, I have to wonder about the parents who bring their kids along on some of these excursions."
I used to wonder that about Deadhead arents who would bring their babies "on tour."
Well, many of those babies have fine jobs on Wall Street, now.
I have learned to curtail my judgment of others' decisions on how they raise their children.
We bring our kids to music festivals, and I know some people look askance at that. We also bring our son to bars where good music is playing, whenever they will let him in.
Why? Music is his "thing." He is a litle guitar prodigy. To us, it is no different than bringing a yung cellist to see the symphony, a budding baseball player to see a game.
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I was the young cellist who never got to see the coolest person perform, because he only performed at bars, that wouldn't let me in Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Elizabeth: Also, I did not in any way mean to put down the communities such as you have lived in, and described before. I just couldn't live that way. Too much like a small, small town.
Oh, no offense taken. You could run up to me and kick me in the shins, Elizabeth, and I'd assume that you had a good reason for it.
As far as communities go... they do tend to attract very creative and idealistic folks, so that keeps things interesting; and there's always folks coming to visit, and new folks joining, so that also keeps things interesting.
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I've been to a sci-fi convention called Incon, but mainly stuck around the computer gaming room. There was a "rave" that wasn't really good, and the premiere of a well crafted but horribly fanserviced Batman vs. Alien vs. Predator fanfilm. Hm, redundancy.
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A friend of mine was in a Ren Faire for a couple summers when she was in high school; she had a fun time, the community among the actors was great.
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"As far as communities go... they do tend to attract very creative and idealistic folks, so that keeps things interesting; and there's always folks coming to visit, and new folks joining, so that also keeps things interesting."
I think you hit the nail on the head for me, Plaid. I think it is the general intensity that would wear me down. I like diversity, and by that i do not necessarily mean ethnic diversity, but intellectual/spiritual diversity as well. I am pretty idealistic, and generally creative. But I like to have people around who are more grounded in reality. Reality? that isn;t what I mean. More like realism? Does that make any sense at all? I think I would go to a community to get stoked up, but I would like to take that ith me into the bigger world.
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i really like music festivals. i love Austin City Limits, excellent, excellent music. also, South by Southwest is a lot of fun (also in Austin). i live in Houston, so it's easy to go to the fests in austin.
I really, really, really, really, (insert millions of 'really's here), want to go to Bonnaroo. It sounds absolutely amazing. I feel almost the same about Burning Man, but i have heard better things about Bonnaroo.
I also used to go on a lot of mission trips with the church my family was involved in. i'm not terribly religious, but i love to help people and that is an excellent way to do it and get to know a few people in the process.
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Ended up with a whole mess of new AIM buddies, only half of which I can identify..
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For the communities I've visited and lived in, folks' interests are incredibly varied. (About as much, say, as Hatrackers'... except for the lack of Republicans...)
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