SteamCon Report!

What an amazingly costume-and-contraption-tastic weekend!

Backing up to the wee hours of last Tuesday morning, I woke up at 2:30 AM with the idea for my booth sign in my head. I sketched it out in my Maker notebook and went back to sleep. On Tuesday proper I called in the cavalry to help me out, which was psychic_frogon Tue and learnteach on Wed. They figured out how to take the corrugated plastic I had left over from booth pedestals and make a sign out of it that I could C-clamp to a table. It also fit into a cobbled-together box that I could lift and carry through an airport along with my other luggage. I was, as usual, working on stuff until the last minute, but the plane flights were appropriately boring and I arrived at Sea-Tac and met up with Leila. We had a late dinner and crashed. Friday morning breakfast was in the same hotel restaurant (the only one they had), which looked out onto an atrium with a walkway along which all the con attendees strolled between the programming rooms and the art show and vendor room. Even before the con officially opened we were seeing amazing outfits. I made sure that tanssi_orava and her friend were on the registration list, then we set up the sign and the table in modern clothing and then changed before opening. I had raided klossen's closet before leaving (which saved me!), but still felt underdressed. Leila and I decided that she was my Evil Minion. She is a *rocking* Evil Minion. She caught onto my spiel about the sphere ring and jewelry with gears that turn and was excellent with engaging the folks who walked by. I swore I'd take photos, and got more than I usually do, which is none, so a few are going to have to suffice. I'm sure that more will be up on the Steamcon website shortly. This is me on Friday.




This is the table with hardly anything for sale, and the floppy sign. Need a better design, or different materials, or both:


After the room closed, we ate at the restaurant and then went to the Abney Park Victorian Sing-Along. The first part was AP doing some songs from their new album, but with Kristina on a grand piano! Neat! I didn't like the new backup singer's voice, but the songs sounded great. Then we all got lyrics for some genuine old cool goofy songs and sang along to Come Take a Trip in My Airship and Take Me Up in Your Airship, Willie. Cap'n Robert sang the line that is supposed to be, "You can fondle and kiss me, Willie" as "my Willie" and we all cracked up. He did this three times and even though we knew it was coming, we all busted up anyway. We also sang Yo ho ho and a Bottle of Rum, and something else I can't remember. Very silly and fun. I tottered off to bed, while the Evil Minion went to the DJ dance and got her big toes crushed.

Saturday was long and I got no photos of my outfit, which I had borrowed entirely from klossen. Evil Minion and I were bummed out because I had failed to get tickets to the Airship Invasion concert before they sold out. Hundreds of astounding outfits and contraptions were paraded past my table. Over 90% of the attendees had made a pretty good shot at an outfit, and many of them were excellent. I was surprised and delighted to see Victoria Ridenour there, in a different spectacular outfit each day. Someday I will have her sew for me. And it will be awe-inspiringly excellent. Anyway, Sat was a long day of talking and assembling charms that I hadn't finished at home. After the room closed, I met up with tanssi_oravaagain, and we found Victoria in the bar. The look on tanssi_orava's face when I told her Victoria was here was priceless. They had a great time catching up, having not seen each other in over a decade. The con had set up a photo salon with backdrops and good photographers, and you could get a CD of your photo session for $2, so Evil Minion and I went and got dolled up for photos. This was the only time the whole weekend I wore my corset. After that we went out to the bar and I ran into shelly_rae, who I didn't even think was going to be at the con. We had not seen each other in 22 years. Amazing. I hope we can catch up some more when she's in town for World Fantasy this week. She introduced me to Jay Lake, which was pretty cool. My friends know all sorts of professional authors. My feet hurt in the cool boots, so I went up to the room to crash, and was talking with klwilliams about how her move went when Evil Minion called repeatedly, so I had to pick up. She had got last-minute concert tickets! Woo-Hoo! I got re-dressed (no, not in the corset) and zoomed downstairs. We missed the first act entirely, but we heard some of Vernian Process and the whole of Abney Park. They *rocked*! Cap'n Robert was pogo-sticking though almost the entire show. They played all their high-energhy songs from several albums, and the highlight was of course, "Airship Pirates". Nathaniel plays that fiddle like it was something delicious. The band had great rapport and never take themselves too seriously. The new backup singer sounded much better at the concert. Much jumping up and down, dancing and hollering along with the choruses. Of course I was up late, and slept like a stone.

This is me on Sunday in a Steampunk-light lazy outfit.


I'm always itchy on the last day of an event, and try to pack up as much as I can while still staying open. Good thing about cons - no tent to take down! Evil Minion did valiant service in disassembling the floppy sign. She is the best Evil Minion ever, and when I holler, "Pull the Switch!" she actually pulls the switch! We are so getting a giant switch for the table. Because we can.

Got home very late, and today is all about cleaning up, getting photos to Loupnoir for the website, and pulling my act together. Plus a nap. :-)