Eating Muffins in an Agitated Manner

Joulukalenteri: Yhdeksästoista päivä

Posted by jukkahoo

Tämä viikonloppu on menty koiranäyttelyn ehdoilla. Helsinki Winner/Voittaja 2021 oli Prestonin ensimmäinen varsinainen näyttely ja samalla Ardan viimeinen valionarttuna, koska ensi helmikuussa ikää tulee sen verran mittariin, että jatkossa luokkana on veteraani. Veteraanimme Mogensin näyttelyura on ollut uhattuna suunnitellun kirurgisen operaation vuoksi, mutta kasvattajalla oli asiasta hieman eriäviä mielipiteitä. Kas, kun Mogens meni ja voitti molempina päivinä luokkansa sekä sai sijoitukset myös Best in Showssa. Dayum!

Prestonin saalis oli kunnioitettava kakkossija molempina päivinä (saman pennun takana), mutta Ardan valioura sai upeimman mahdollisen päätöksen, kun hän oli tänään Finnish Winner eli kuten se koirakielellä kirjoitetaan: Foxthyme Back to Back (Arda) EXC, CQ, BB1, BOS, Finnish Winner 2021.

Päivän juoma on Amalias Cider med Lime och Fläder eli Lime-seljankukkasiideri. Ei lainkaan hullumpi, jos pitää hieman makeammasta siideristä. Lime ei ole päällimmäinen, sen sijaan seljankukka puskee vahvasti esiin taustalla olevan omenan kanssa. Raikas ja helppo sidukka, jota saattaisi juoda aivan liikaa limpanderina, jos sellaisena tarjoiltaisiin. Sari tykkäsi myös.

Muualla maailmassa on taas ollut ties millaisia mellakoita ja melskettä. Worldconia on pidetty Washington DC:ssä ja paikan päällä on ollut aika kohtuullinen määrä ihmisiä ja ymmärtääkseni virtuaalisesti liki toinen mokoma. Tekniikkakin saatiin alkukankeuksien jälkeen jotakuinkin kuosiin. Itse en ole netticoneista välittänyt, joten en osaa tarkemmin sanoa. Luotettavat lähteet ovat raportoineet. 

Viime yönä jaettiin Hugo-palkintoja ja useammasta edellisvuodesta poiketen, en ollut tällä kertaa hereillä, joten voittajalistaus tuli aamulla kokonaisuudessaan kerralla näkyville. Taisin olla samaa mieltä aika harvoista kategorioista äänestyskunnan kanssa. Olisikohan 2-3 osumaa tullut kohdalle? Hankalaa, kun Disconin jäsensivuilta ei enää löydy Hugo-lomaketta (ymmärrettävää) ja itse en selvästikään ole omaa listaani säästänyt (tyhmää). 

Joka tapauksessa, olin Fancastin ja Long Draman kanssa samaa mieltä ja mahdollisesti Novellan. Nyt en osaa sanoa, mutta hyvä voitti siinäkin tapauksessa. Muissa kategorioissa oli taas aika uusperinteinen ehdokasasettelu ja voittajiakin oli helppo ennustaa etukäteen, valitettavasti.

Turpakäräjiltä ei ole tietenkään vältytty. Useampikin ehdokas on ollut tikun nokassa finalistien julkistamisesta lähtien, joten siihen ei näin tekstuaalisesti liene syytä palata. Taistelu löytyy sosiaalisen median eri kerrostumista. Oma mielipiteeni vaihtelee taistelulinjojen molemmilla puolilla.

Mutta eiväthän nämä Hugot nyt mikään kunnon skandaali ole, sellainen fandomia repivä ja vanhoja valtarakenteita ravisteleva kunnon paskamyrsky. Se titteli menee tietenkin vanhalle mestarille, WSFS Business Meetingille, jossa tehtiin jälleen kerran typeryyksiä, kun vuoden 2023 Worldconin Site Selectionin äänestyslipukkeita laskettiin. 

Ensiksi tehtiin selväksi, että meillä on sääntöjä ja vaikka olemme aina ennen malttaneet pitää kiinni lain hengestä, niin nyt me sitten emme näin tee, koska (kiinalaiset!). Ja kun tästä kärhämästä päästiin eroon yhdellä eroamisella, niin kuopan kaivamista jatkettiin toisen hakijakaupungin edustajien varsin turhalla stipulaatiolla, jolla kyseenalaistettiin vastapuolen toiminta (kiinalaiset!!). Eihän nyt nämä (kiinalaiset!!!) ole liikenteessä rehellisin keinoin ja mistä tunnet sä ystävän? 

On Chengdun taustavoimista mitä mieltä tahansa, niin mitään lakia ei ole rikottu, eikä ihmishenkiä uhattu. Onko Chengdu hyvä vaihtoehto Worldconin pitopaikaksi lienee aika mielipiteitä jakava kysymys, johon oikeaa vastausta ei ole, on niitä mielipiteitä ja niiden oikeutuksia. Vaikka Yhdysvaltain ja Kiinan ihmisoikeustilanteiden vertaaminen ei ole ihan relevanttia, niin on vähemmän kaunista katsoa, kuinka sääntökikkailuilla ja kabinettipolitiikalla pyritään muuttamaan äänestystulosta. Tosin, tämähän lienee usiaanisille ihan tapa näinä päivinä. 

Onnea Chengdulle, toivon mukaan Worldcon 81 on onnistunut ja mieleenpainuva kokemus, aidosti MAAILMANcon ja paikallisen fandomin näköinen tapahtuma, jossa tuodaan kuitenkin esille tapahtuman traditiot riittävällä kunnioituksella. Jos jotain saisi toivoa, niin mahdollisten vielä tulevien kunniavieraiden kanssa saisi olla hieman kunnianhimoisempi. 

Mutta eihän nyt tuuletinta kannata pysäyttää, kun se on päässyt levittämisen alkuun. Palaamme Hugo-palkintoihin, jonka juhlallisessa palkintojenjakogaalassa oli mahdollisuus saada kuvansa otatetuksi ihan punaisella matolla. Kaikki hyvin, mutta mikäs se tämä firma on, joka tämän kaiken oikein rahoittaa? Raytheon, kuulostaa tutulta. 

Aivan oikein, kyseessä on maailman neljänneksi suurin aseidenvalmistaja, jonka hittituote Tomahawk-ohjus lienee kaikille tuttu vähintään uutislähetyksistä, jossa nämä veikeät fallistiset ohjukset ovat tappaneet monen monituista ihmistä ympäri maailmaa. Ja kyllä, olivat aikoinaan olennainen osa Apollo-ohjelmaa, mutta eihän tämä nyt muuta sitä tosiasiaa, että firma tunnetaan lähinnä erittäin modernin sodankäynnin tuhoisista työkaluistaan. Ei ehkä se paras yhteistyökumppani kaikkien mielestä.

Voin kuvitella, että Disconilla on ollut taloutensa kanssa ns. nihkeää ja jokainen dollari on tärkeä, mutta tässä on kyllä toivon mukaan ollut aika hyvä summa rahaa tulilla, muuten tämä ei ole kyllä mainehaitan arvoinen diili. Tosin edelleen, kuinkahan paljon järjestäjäporukoilla on näin pahasti poltetun järjestelyprosessin jälkeen lusikoita edes välittää siitä, miltä tämä yksittäinen palanen näyttää?

Worldcon 80 on ensi vuonna Chigacossa ja sitten Chengdussa. 2024 hakijoita on yksi eli Glasgow ja 2025 kaksi. Seattle ja Brisbane. Oma intoni olla osana näitä tapahtumia on aika niukka, mutta ainahan se mielipide voi muuttua. En kuitenkaan pidättäisi hengitystäni sen puolesta. Olennaista on, että ensi keväänä on Åcon ja sitten Espoon Finncon. Niillä pärjää jo pitkälle.

Joulukalenteri: Neljästoista päivä

Posted by jukkahoo

A bit of change with the procedure as Sari is having a bit of fever. Hopefully due to the 3rd jab today. Fingers crossed.

Anyway, I went and drank the somewhat brazen Pommac copy of Amalias, Skumpis. Läskande bubblande fruktdryck eli virkistävä kupliva hedelmäjuoma. Very much like Pommac, but again, less sweet and less bubbly in my opinion. Very good, if Pommac is your thing. And why not, another great apple product by Amalias. The Ålanders do know how and what to do with apples. I bet they have some really nice apple crumble. And apple pie! Must try those when next. 

Which will be May, Covid or not. We'll be there and have a long weekend, unless there'll be some kind of a lockdown which would make getting there a bit of a problem. Let's be better, and by us I mean all those idiots that do not care about sensible measures of fighting an actual pandemic. Here's hoping.

So, semi-dry and delightfully apply, Skumpis is a winner. 

--

I got email from Connie Willis today. Imagine my surprise. I didn't know she remembered me from Turku Finncon in 1999. I believe we shared a program number, but its been more than two decades and I honestly don't remember whether we actually were on a panel together or not. 

What I do remember, is that we did a cracking opening number with my blood-brother HTTP. Some of the best material I've ever written. "Ei se hätää!" "Kultainen ystävämme" and so on. Hannu may have also contributed a lot. And whisky. A fair bit of whisky.

I think we did a panel on history in fantasy or some such, with Sari and Connie and another GoH Philip Pullman, moderated by Johanna Vainikainen, surely. I hope it was a good panel, I think it was. No recollection really. 

Anyway, Connie emailed me. Or to be precise, she wrote an email for Locus who sent the email on her name. Something about when getting into publishing and seriously reading SF, you need to get Locus. Arthur C. Clarke used to blurb the very same thing decades ago.

I don't know whether it is true anymore, but I do subscribe Locus (as a physical copy) and usually read bit and bobs of it the day the electronic version pops into my email and then peruse it (usually about six weeks and some change) later. It's a nice magazine, with some really good reviewers and nice lists for a person like myself. It is, as so many other magazines like our Finnish fanzines, on their way out. This may not happen next year or after that, but there will come a day when the people making the magazines will grow old in the tooth and too tired to keep up the standard of these zines. And the entire world of paper magazines will be distant memory or a hobby of a very dedicated group of enthusiasts. 

So yes, Connie wrote to me and some hundreds (thousands?) other subscribers of this day and past, asking to continue to support the magazine that proclaims proudly being THE Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy Field. I'll be happy to renew my subscription when the current one ends. In...

Oh, March 2023. No need to worry then, Connie. I'm fine, thanks!

Why Åcon is the best con (for me)

Posted by Sari

Fan organised SF cons – I am especially talking about those that have a literary focus - are odd things in the modern world. They started as something from the fans (or fen, as the silly insider jargon would have it) to the fans: lets get together, maybe invite a guest and talk about the thing we love, SF. Generations of authors grew up in the fan culture, they were part of it before they became “filthy pros”, and though there were always tension between the two as the old nickname suggests, all were part of the same community. At least ideally.

But things have changed. Firstly, commercial cons are now way bigger than any fan-run convention, and that influences audience expectations. When we were selling memberships to Worldcon75 explaining that a membership was conceptually different from a ticket was a hurdle, and I don’t think all our members really got or maybe more importantly, cared about that distinction. This was an event and they were there as audience instead of participants.

On the other hand, publishing industry has changed radically in the past decades. Even authors who are signed with a major publisher are expected to promote their work in a way that was unheard of earlier and getting a contract for your next novel is far from certain. Authors publishing with small presses or self-publishing have to fight even harder for exposure to reading publics.  It is less and less possible for authors to attend cons on their own dime and just enjoy talking about stuff they like, they have to think about them as marketing opportunities.

So instead of people who just love SF and want to discuss and listen to panels about their favourite literature, we have audiences who want to see their favourite author on stage or find new stuff to read, and authors who want or need exposure. I am sure that to a certain extent this has always been the case, and I admit my view is influenced by the fact that I grew up in a con culture where there were very few authors present at cons, but at least to me, the division has become sharper in recent years. It is nobody’s fault, it is what it is.

And thus we get to my point. It took only four paragraphs. I actively dislike prioritising authors over readers in conversations about literature. I don’t necessarily want to see or hear my favourite authors at a con. I have met many by now, almost all of them wonderful, clever and passionate people, and I am more than happy to listen to them if they have interesting things to say about SF – as readers. But I know many more wonderful, clever and passionate fans, readers and researchers who have interesting things to say about SF, and their perspective as readers is to me on average more interesting. I also want to feel I am a part of the conversation, not just the audience, not just a potential book-buyer, not just a ticket-buyer.

And that is why Åcon is the best con. It is small enough to generate that feeling of community, there are only few authors around and apart from guest of honour their status as an author does not mean they are prioritised in the programme. It is relaxed enough that conversations that were begun at a panel actually can be continued at the bar or over ice cream. It is about Us. And SF. And that is the good stuff.

Åcon 5, part II

I have lots of books and films and whatnot to write about, but my brain has turned to mush, thanks to Åcon crud. Though in the interests of full disclosure I think patient zero in this case was either my mom or Jukka, so I most probably would have had this plague even without awesome Åcon. Also apologies for other suffering people for spreading the germ.

I have little - well, a lot - to add about this con to Jukka's report. I love the concept to bits, and have never had a bad or even mediocre Åcon. As noted in earlier reports Åland as a location rules, weather was was sunny if not warm, and the trip was pleasant and well organised (thank you again Hanna!). On the minus side hotel and bar were exceptionally sloppy with us this year. I kind of like the little dilapidated 1980s thing the place has going on, but room assigments were not done as per request which lead to all kinds of difficulties. I can also understand that the bar was overwhelmed with both ice hockey WC and us, but again, if you charge good price for the high end stuff then it would be nice if you could make sure you have the stuff to sell. It is not like this was the first time Åcon was in Adlon.

As for the content, our Guest of Honor Catherynne M. Valente was funny, smart, engaged, enthusiastic and our kind of people. So that was kind of nice. Also, she is an excellent writer. For me, the absolutely best thing about her work is that (maybe because of her backround as a poet?) that she engages in trying to transmit how things feel, what it is like to touch. As one of those people who do not see stories in their minds eye, that approach is extremely satisfying.

Programming, well, um. OK, the thing is I don't much care for panel programs. I like to listen to a well argued paper or clear lecture, or take part in group discussions. But panels, not really my thing. Thus my normal Åcon consists of catching few programming Items, doing my own stuff and spending the rest of the time in the bar or at the patio with friends. This time, the programming was on time, there were no real breaks and obviously the programming was interesting enough that people spent most of their time watching it. Silly things. Also the stupid awning was down all the time so it was cold on the patio, and thus the hanging out part of the con was a bit truncated.

I saw Never Mind the Bus, Aldrin, absolutely mad props to Ben for saving the day, well done. Cat's reading was also very good, both the story and her reading of it Nene, as I knew from Eurocon, is an excellent interviewer and she and Cat seemed to find each other well in the author interview. Loponen's Sapir Whorf paper was good stuff, mapping as it did, the ways SF-writers use Sapir Whorf on top of how the position of the hypothesis has changed in linguistics. Mekku does pretty complicated literary philosopy, that relies on very specific vocabulary, and heavily engages with work of others in the field. And twenty minutes is not enough time to open that up for people not familiar with it. But at least it was exactly what was ordered :-)

What else: the panel on postmodern fantasy. Look, obviously the panelists all had slightly different views on what constitutes postmodernism, and that is fine (as it is actually one of the hallmarks of postmodern thought to constantly question the nature of everything), let postmodernism defy all efforts to pin it down, let it float and sting, flollop and vollue around us. But if the panelists do not have a working definition for modernism when they talk about postmodernism, confusion ensues. Now I was left with a feeling everybody understood modernism a bit differently and then tried to discuss postmodernism through their own understanding of modernism which lead to people talking past each other.

Actually, I would really love to read a paper on modernism in fantasy. It seems to me that early genre fantasy (Tolkien, Dunsany etc.) and modernism were born both as hugely different reactions to realism and naturalism. Modernism reacting to and developing from naturalism, going from outside world to inside of human mind, and developing stylistical tecqhniques to break down and reshape narrative, and Fantasy marrying the novel form to old medieval romance. So if that is the case (and even if it isn't) where is modernistic fantasy? Where are Proust, Joyce, Woolf or Faulkner of fantasy?

In the mornings we again took dogs and Jeeves and went around the island. Eckerö post and customs office does look incredible all on its lonesome, and both Martti and Mogens got lovely long walks on the rocky beaches. I did take part on organised excursion to Järsö island at the southern tip of the main islands where there is a lovely café and handcraft store Stickstugan. It sells both yarn and stuff you can make from it. The yarn is lovely, hand-coloured and spinned from the wool of Åland sheep. It is a bit tricky to knit as hand spinned yarns often are, but end result is gorgeous. Next time I need a proper budget.

Next Åcon is 9.-12.5.2013, GoH Tricia Sullivan. Sign up, you won't regret it!

Åcon 5

Posted by jukkahoo

It has been a while. There are number of reasons, the most obvious one being the lack of need for the original purpose for this blog ie. The Sickness. SoMe is also to blame. And one should never under estimate the power of Lazy. Or work.

The last one is really depressing. Not as work, that I can handle and mostly get by with. It's just the realization that work takes so much more of my time than it used to. In the Olden Days, when salad was green and less rockety, I could squeeze in some personal stuff to the daily humdrum of work place. Today, less so. A lot less. And back home I'm often far too tired to do that Fun Stuff as much as I'd like to. Bummer.

But.

I got back here to talk about Åcon 5. Which was excellent, though not brilliant. For that, I blame myself and/or whomever gave me the blasted cold I'm still having. It is possible that I may have given the bug a way in previous Monday when I decided that it IS Summer and strutted in the city in shorts. When it most definitely was not Summer. Sunny? - yes, but other than that, bloody cold.

Therefore, Åcon 2012 was "just" excellent. The weather could've been a bit better ie. sunnier and warmer. There was fairly little in the way of sitting in the terrace, sipping malted drinks and smoking cigars. And what was that deck cover about? Was it ever open? Did anyone ask about that?

Adlon was as usual: shabby, erratic and challenging, but friendly words and pretty smiles are often all it takes to make customers happy. Though service is always appreciated. The Sports Bar another thing altogether. Again thay managed to fuck up their cider and beer orders, prices seemed to have been amped up to mainland level and closing time came way before the time we had agreed upon. Essentially, nothing has changed.

Since I was pretty fluuey during the con, I slept through most of the ferry trip and later didn't see much of Mariehamn, other than Saturday dinner at Indigo (muy tasty, muy expensive). Which was a bit of a shame. Next time, then.

I did witness most of the programming items (when I was asleep), since I was sort of in charge of it. Though we did spent quite some time thinking about it during our Åconplancon cruise a month or so ago. Otherwise we wouldn't have seen for example Torill Kornfeldt or Karin Waller on stage. Which would've been most unfortunate.

I'd like to thank each and every program participant. I was most impressed by the way you guys took the stage and delivered your parts, hooray! I belive that this year's programming was the best I've been involved with and I'm looking forward to seeing you all in many a future cons! Special mention must go to Ben Roimola, who took the torch and handled presenting Never Mind the Buzzaldrins like a real pro, after I realised I was in no condition to do it myself! I may have to start scripting these things more, it was great to be in the audience for change!

In hindsight, It might've been wise to let someone else do the Just a Speculative Fiction Minute as well, since I was pretty close to collapsing afterwards. Or on Monday. 'Twas fun, though.

But what can I say about our Guest of Honour? Cat Valente was brilliant, funny, charming, interesting, interested and all-encompassing force of nature. Jetlagged, as one might expect, but eager to hear things, lear´n new stuff and meet new people. And there was hardly a program item she wasn't witnessing or participating: "What, you have knitting program! Can I be in that, too?" :)

Bless.

All in all, a lovely con with lovely people. Excellent con committee and GoH. Brilliant program participants and general attendees. Win over USA. Lemsip Lemon. NoFF auction. Lavender Man. Jura Prophecy. Sleep. Must do this again.

Yes, we must do this again, soon. Hey, how about THIS!

Åcon 4

Posted by Sari

I have always had a great time at Åcon. That should not come as a great surprise, as I have been among the more vocal complainers about the way fandom aspect has been lost into the carnival of Finncon-Animecon, and so clearly have been on the market for a smaller fannish con experience. This year, I think I had my best Åcon ever, everything just gelled beautifully.

This year other enterprising people took care of getting the GoH (the wonderful Geoff Ryman) safely to Turku for the ferry, so I Jukka and Kexy packed Jeeves (our black Nissan Note) with necessary stuff such as laminating machine, plush toys, knitting needles and yarn and Viivi the dog, and started driving towards Turku at the unholy hour of 5 a.m on Thursday morning. Despite Kexy’s efforts to navigate back towards Helsinki, we got on the boat without a hitch, and out of it early enough to avoid the check in queue at the hotel. We also bagged an excellent room from the top floor with a view across the harbour.

What made this con a bit different was that my mom was along for the ride. She spent many a summer at Åland on archaeological digs when she was young and wanted to visit her old haunts. She is also a horror and media SF fan, and heroically listened without complaint when I and my sister read the whole of Lord of the Rings aloud to her when we were fourteen and twelve respectively. Next time I am planning to get her to listen to programming also. Anyway, because I had an expert guide and we had a car in our disposal, we spent the mornings driving around Åland looking at historical sites: all four big medieval churches, a Bronze Age burial mound, a stone age dwelling and ruins of Bomarsund fortress. There was something wonderfully surreal about sitting, hung over, next to the oldest known Stone Age dwelling on Åland and debating the mechanisms of cultural exchange. With one's mom. 

The afternoons and evenings were spent socialising at the bar and catching program items. Geoff showed us interesting excerpts from silent era  movie extravaganzas from Cabiria to Fritz Lang’s Niebelungen. Geography came into play when it was obvious that the film most familiar to this audience was the one Geoff’s audiences usually do not recognize: Aelita. We also saw first half of Lang’s Frau im Mond which was surprisingly captivating: even though the chairs were hard and we had to crane our necks to see the film the audience would have wanted to see what happened after the mad professor Calculus look-alike went off cavorting on the moon with his dowsing rod.

Marianna handled the GoH interview with aplomb, and kept the conversation nicely going through Geoff’s oeuvre, and our GoH was also an excellent reader and entertained us with readings from his forthcoming book. As far as other programming went, I watched “One hit wonders” panel which bogged down a bit when everybody started just naming names and arguing if they fitted the definition. I have to give special thanks to the poor souls roped to Jukka’s Nevermind the Buzzaldrins quiz. As I am usually the test audience for his questions and my stock answer is ‘well, I don’t know’, I was glad to see that the questions proved to be tricky for other people too. I thought the lovely Candy deserved her surprise win.

If you put Hanna and Johan J. in a same hotel room, that room automatically becomes party central. Also Hello Kitty central. For some totally contrary reason the fact that I had to get up in the mornings to do the touristy bits helped me to stay up long enough to enjoy the record breaking cigar club meeting (was it ten or eleven participants?), commemorate the fall of Martti Miettunen’s minority government May 15th 1977, help to transform Pasinen into the golden boy, to have a taste of absolutely foul spirits called “Girl” (lychee fruit, raspberry, cognac and vodka), and figure out some unorthodox uses for Hello Kitty ping-pong rackets.

So, I had just about a perfect con, and now my Åcon love knows no bounds. Next year there will be no Åcon because of scheduling problems, but next year I am sure it will be even more epic than ever before.

Åcon2

Posted by Sari

So I think we are all again in agreement: Åcon was great fun, again. It is just about perfect combination of things sciencefictional, hanging out with friends and holidaying. I think we hit the jackpot second time with Ian McDonald who was fun, engaging and sociable guest of honor. As all the copies of Brasyl and River of Gods the committee had brought to the con were sold out, I don’t think I was alone thinking so.

Jukka was again doing programming left and right, and maybe because I see him plenty in other contexts and am very difficult to please, I could have been more wowed. Though contrary my habits, I did watch and enjoy Nevermind the Buzzaldrins and enjoyed a lot, special thanks to Herman and panelists for helping to make it work.

Other highlights of connish nature were Tanya’s presence - her perspective in discussions was really interesting – and the last program item of the con, a sort of round table discussion on the high-lights of the year. I liked the ex-tempore format and really think that in such a small con this kind of general discussion with everybody pitching in could work in some cases better than a panel.

Hanging-out part was great fun too, there is a sort of bonding experience in a con such as this which leads to getting to know better people you know just a little, which I thoroughly approve. I also love the silliness, stuff like Pink Ilja, Vesa’s  doctor What cartoons, the con members buying the local toy store out of Hello-Kitty lollipop-fans and Frogs Ernst and Robert heckling the program items.

Icing on the cake was the turisty part of the trip. Linnea had arranged a trip to the spa where we had a jacuzzi to ourselves and plenty of room in the pool. There was also a pool from which you could just swim outside enjoy a great view. I even went swimming in the sea. Lovely. Others cycled to see Kastelholma or motored to the highest point on Åland. As last year, I went yarn shopping and came away with woollen sockyarn on discount and kid mohair. Ylva found some gorgeous pure silk yarns. Also I got a wonderful and totally unexpected  birthday present, THANK YOU!!!!

Swimming Guest of Honour

Posted by jukkahoo

No, not really. No swimming GoH's, at least yet. If on the other hand Åcon-superhero and thoroughly Fucking Brilliant Hal Duncan isn't going to be allowed into an airplane in the future, he says that "he'll be back to  Scandinavia somewhere and somewhen" even if he has to swim in order to do so.

But what an amazing convention! Good people, great friends (old and new), great performances, excellent Guests (even if the Book-one suffered from unprofessional organising, sorry about that) and allround FUCKING BRILLIANT atmosphere! Youse guys råck.

This has been a long, really loooong dream-come-true and wouldn't have happened without the work of so many people, that it feels somehow a bit unfair to point out only few names, but the THANKS go to all deserving. Åcon was originally a brainfart of Ben and myself, largely made closer to reality by Tero and finally turned into reality by Eemeli, whose work and enthusiasm was the Real Deal behind it all. If only you hadn't had the need to stick your penis into places which would spell L-u-m-i and P-a-p-u in nine months could've been there!

"Jaast kidding!", of course. All the best for the kids and especially Saija. We seriously want to have you four there the next time (if there is a next time... and why not?).

This wouldn't have been the same without our glorious Guest Hal Duncan, who selflessly sacrificed his (and mine and Sari's) night sleep, in order to party with the Nordic fandom all thru the night. BTW, Hal: I don't think I heard all of the musical/opera at 5AM, so if you could possibly send me a recording that'd be effing brilliant; you see, I have these neighbours...

Huge round of applause from these here hands go also to those fen who always answered positively when asked to participate to the programming. I don't think that anybody said "no" to me. Fancy if that would happen with Finncon...?

And what about our location? Adlon was not only accomodating, they were VERY accomodating, not to mention embarassingly polite and hard at hearing. I could think of several establishments where such ruckus as ours would've been followed by stern lecturing about silence during the night and likely ending of customer/seller partnership. "AND STAY OUT!"

So yeah, Candy. It was truly fucking brilliant and well worth every single moment of sleeplesness and blood, sweat and tears, and other pop groups. I'd do it again.

And I think we will too. Stay tuned for Åcon 2.

Some personal observations, almost in order

After all of the preparations, my con really started, when we (that's Sari and I) managed to find our way to Pasila station and met Hal, Mekku and Eemeli half an hour before our Wednesday train trip to Turku. Hal seemed likeable, Mekku enthusiastic and Eemeli slightly bleary-eyed and tired. Must've been the spring and all that pollen, methinks.

We talked two hours on the train, followed by couple more at Ben's place, where Tero was also driving us, possibly showing off his shiny car. It seemed like Hal was this very nice, somewhat tired Scott, who drank tea and ate hot cheese sandwiches. Little did we know.

The following morning rose far too early, but we managed to find ourselves to Ölcon, the un-Official precon of Åcon. Gadzoiks! Tax-free bheer and Finns. What could possibly happen? Well, you figure that out yourself, my Dear Reader.

Adlon was really just a stone-throw away from terminal, "unfortunately" the terminal in question was Birka Line terminal and not the main Silja/Viking-one. Though to be fair, I guess there are several people in this world who could've thrown the stone from the Silja coming from Stockholm and hit our hotel. It was only a three-minute walk from the ferry terminal after all.

After the check-in, most of my memories are a bit blurred. I do remember traveling back to Helsinki via Turku with Aleksi the Amazing Underwear-Guy! There was lots of programming, but I think that's mostly due to the fact that I actually partcipated in far too many of them. Let's see... Ghaps, I was on nine program items. No wonder I thought there was a bit too much programming. If I could've somehow managed to keep myself away, say about half of those, I might have mustered energy to join the room parties and power drinking. Must remember this next time. I think Eemeli can do nine items then.

Actually, I enjoyed all of the programs I saw and participated in. I had treaded some items beforehand (mainly quizzes) but overall I thought they went well'ish. Some I hadn't planned beforehand at all. Like Alternative Histories or Guilty Pleasures (that's two program items), which I think were both wonderfully entertaining, even if not ambitiously inventive.

And I agree with many, that the panel on Book Collecting was waaa-ay funnier and interesting that the title says. One of the best panels I've been in. It is a fascinating subject (at least for me and I dare to say, to all panellists, maybe even Sari... then again, maybe not) which gives ample opportunities to just be funny ha-ha as well as thoughtful.

Adlon was, as said, very accomodating and just the right size for this kind of con. Åcon could be slightly larger, but not that much. 80 to 100 would be just right, the latter in order to fill up the whole of hotel and thus giving us the free reins to do there whatever We want and not worry about other customers. Which we actually didn't, really. There were few saucer-eyed people, who had no idea where they had landed and why, but in reality we saw very little of other hotel customers. There was that group of about hundred little kids who came to eat at the restaurant, though, but other than that, it was mainly just us.

And the conference-room was OK, too. Could've been bigger, but not that much (maybe then, if we'd be more than hundred in all). The biggest flaw was the AC, which made the place somewhat discomforting after 30-40 minutes. I think we almost lost people during Hal's GoH speech, which lasted for hours (OK - or as we say in Åcon, "ÅC!" - hour and a half). This is something we have to think about in the future. Next time we might think of using more technology. Somehow it was sweet to see in the Pixellated Techno Peasantry -panel, how the panellists were all aching to tap the all powerful innernets and show its sekrets. And all they had was a whiteboard and some third-rate felt pens. Try to be techno-savvy with that equipment!

I personally think that there was about the right amount of programming. Proper free "morning", few hours of programming followed by a decent break and then a number of serious and less serious items, all  well and truly doused with bheer. Now this is what I call a con: good-humoured participation, loose timetables (which still follow some kind of order and schedule), beer/drinks readily available and possible to take to your con-room, relaxed atmosphere and a mix of fun and games with thought-provoking ideas. A meeting of friends and fellow enthusiastics. Fan-stuff. Fandom. Cheers!

So, yes, I think that I'd like to organise another Åcon. With some brilliant GoH and all you wonderful people. You are The Best!