Back from FilKONtario

Got home from FilKONtario last night...dead tired but happy. What a wonderful weekend!



Allison, Jodi and I had a fantastic time at FilKONtario, where we were the Toastmasters (a.k.a. "Filk Waifs"). It was our first time in this role, so we were a bit nervous but we got helpful coaching from experienced Toastmasters like Tanya Huff ("Hey, once you have the microphone, you have THE POWER!") as well as concom encouragement.



Sadly, I forgot my camera for the first part of the convention. When I told Allison, she thought I was kidding ... I'm NEVER without my camera, after all. Things were crazier than usual right before the convention, however, plus I was distracted trying to prepare more props than usual for our concert and Toastmaster duties.

Below: Walter prepares a box for some of our Neurotic Love Song props. HUGE thanks to Walter for helping out on that song, by the way. You'll find out more in Allison's con report soon.



As you can see from the photo, between the rollaway cot, suitcases, craft stuff, our instruments, music and props, our hotel room usually looked cyclone-hit and navigation was sometimes a challenge. Happily, however, we always managed to find what we needed for each event.



(Above: Phil Mills fends off an overly avid fan.)

Walter, by the way, was kind enough to pick up my camera as well as a prop I had forgotten at my house. He also gave me a ride to and from the convention, along with all my gear (and there was a LOT more of it this year than for other conventions). These kindnesses, however, are not going to be enough to exempt him from Urban Tapestry's revenge from what he (and others) inflicted on us later in the convention. Again, you'll find out more in Allison's con report soon.



Many thanks to the concom for all their hard work. Whenever Urban Tapestry is invited as a guest, we get more of a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes work. I am deeply grateful to the volunteers who help run FilKONtario...without them, the event would simply not be possible.



(Above: A Squirrel Voodoo Kit from Carolyn Brown)

I'll write more about the convention later, but I have a ton of work and e-mail to catch up on first, plus I still haven't finished completely unpacking from our California trip (!). With FKO over, I'm going to be spending the next couple of weeks FINALLY CATCHING UP with everything I've been letting slide.



Meanwhile, please do keep an eye on Allison's Livejournal and Flickr photos.

Feel free to browse my small set of FKO photos; thanks to Walter for going back to my house and bringing my camera to the hotel for me. I also took far fewer pics than I usually do because I figured I needed to focus more on my Filk Waif duties. If you've posted FKO photos online and don't mind me using them in my future FKO posts, please do let me know! I'll include a credit and link, of course.



Below: one of the personal highlights of the convention for me was seeing some of my German friends again, and meeting baby Talea (pronounced "Ta-LAY-ah", I believe).

Allison, Jodi and I would wander down to seek breakfast companions each morning, and we were delighted to find Ju, Eva, Rafael and Talea doing the same.

Comments

[Margaret]

Oh my -- that's some lovely ink at the top of your page today!

[A_Tim]

Hey Inkygirl, I did not know you were into that kind of inyfolks.

[L. David Wheeler]

I've posted a smattering to my Flickr -- mostly so I could use 'em in birthday LJ posts for Randy, Peter and Rand. I'll post about a half-dozen more later; I managed this time around to get a dozen or so that actually approach proper focus. As always, feel free to use whatever you wish -- though most of mine will be from the Saturday night Alderwood circle, where both you and Walter were there, so you'll likely have access to a higher quality of image.

And 'twas its usual pleasure seeing & hearing you this weekend. Few people are as *infectious* in their Enjoyment of the Moment as you.

[Gary McGath]

Great to see you there!

[Crystal Paul]

Glad you liked the squirrel shirt. Just FYI, though, I'm Crystal Paul, not Crystal Brinich. But hey, thanks for spelling it correctly!

[Debbie Ridpath Ohi]

Margaret: I totally agree! I was pretty impressed by Rafael's tattoo.

A_Tim: "inyfolks"??

David: Great pics; thanks for posting them. And thanks also for the infectious commnt. :-)

Gary: It was great to see you there too, Gary!

Crystal: Oops, apologies. I'll fix that.