W. Randy Hoffman (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} mrgoodwraith) wrote,@ 2008-04-10 15:49:00 |
|
The FKO trip
Thanks again for all the birthday wishes, everybody. It was a wonderful day topped off with a DQ Cookie-Dough Blizzard Cake, whose remnants were tough to fit in our little freezer. :-)
Thought I'd share a few thoughts on FKO, trying not to reiterate what others have already talked about, so...
The Friday drive down to Morgantown, WV for the birth certificate was smooth even though the weather was lousy; rain and fog the whole way. (The big Kia I rented ran like a dream, and I got a smidgen of an inkling why people like driving SUVs even though they're so bad for the environment.) However, while downtown Morgantown is easy to get *into*, it's tough to get *around in* or *out of*. Lots of West Virginia University students and other folks trying to make their way between campuses, to shopping venues, etc. I was interested to note that a rusty but functional dedicated tramway, looking for all the world like a semi-abandoned "people mover" line, runs between the main WVU campus and a satellite campus in the northern suburbs (if a municipality the size of Morgantown can be said to *have* "suburbs").
The county clerk's office, despite being in a flashback-inducing "high school architecture" part of the courthouse, looked more like what I would imagine a clerk's office to be than anything I've ever seen. Ledgers *everywhere*, some dating back to the 1800s; it was like being in the Hogwarts library, if Hogwarts were an American public school built in the 1970s.
Turned around, took a half hour to drive four miles, got gas, and drove back north, getting on I-79 outside Morgantown at 1:06 p.m. Debated stopping at the Chinese buffet in Meadville, but had a hunch I'd never make it to the wedding if I did that. So I pressed on to Erie; got more gas, used the restroom, and ate a $9.00 Texas Beef Brisket sub at Subway because I was extremely hungry by that point. Sailed through Canadian customs (I drove right up to a booth with no line -- that never happens!! -- and I wasn't even asked for my driver's license) and kept going; noted that the QEW continues to be under major construction (I think it shall never be otherwise); and hit the 407 and motored on through to the hotel, walking into the Alderwood room where the wedding was about to start at 7:05 p.m. (Under six hours from West Virginia to Mississauga; I think that's about as fast as I'd better ever drive that stretch!)
Note here: I heard a lot of talk about people being delayed by traffic jams and other problems on the 401. Granted, the 401 runs right by the hotel, but I still don't understand why American drivers who come from the west, who don't have to pay the toll, would not drive the 407 plus six minutes on Dixie Rd. for the final approach instead. Since I started using the 407, which is a wide and beautiful and uncrowded road, I have *never* hit a slowdown on my way to or from the FKO hotel. Now, if the traffic backups started *prior* to the 407 interchange, I understand and apologize; but if the bad stuff on 401 was between Hamilton and Toronto, then I would have to say it was avoidable.
Thought about staying up on the balcony, where I might have had a better overall view, for the wedding; however, Fred Brown beckoned to a couple of empty seats next to him on the floor, soldwheeler and I went down there. We might not have been able to see the expressions on Tom's and Dave's and Al's faces from that vantage point, but we got a good look at every emotion that flashed across Sue's face, and they were utterly wonderful and memorable. The cheesecake-laden reception afterwards was delicious and dangerous and I'm very glad that I had eaten such a monster of a sandwich just a couple of hours earlier.
UT's and Heather's concerts were terrific, as many others have described. A nice moment that I haven't seen anyone else mention was when Kathleen Sloan asked Heather Dale the identity of her accompanist Ben Duchamps (sp?): "What's your roadie's name?" Ben grumbled "'Roadie"?!" good-naturedly and we got a big laugh out of it. Also, Heather did "Road to Santiago" accompanied only by the audience clapping to the rhythm; it went so well that Heather did it again during the Saturday night open filk.
Bought my copy of "Thirteen" at the release party, then went back down to the open filk. Friday night open filking was OK but I couldn't get more than one song in edgewise; partly my fault for sitting behind the main circle, but still annoying. Crashed out early.
Saturday, as it all too often does for me at a filk con, became a question of "How do I get my contest entry done and have at least one decent meal without missing the main concerts?" I didn't manage that any better this time around than before; I got to hear most of Bill's set, but little of Marilyn's or the Bedlam Bards' and, I think, none of the one-shots at all. Went to the nearby teriyaki place with Rand, Erin, and Dave W. and had a very good "pan-Asian" dish with udon noodles. Got back in time for vixy and Tony's exceptional set, then retired to the room to finish the song entry, but I was still gnawing on the final chorus as the contest got underway. Wrote the last couple of words about twenty seconds before walking onstage.
Was amazed to win; most of the entries were extremely good, and I voted for three other songs rather than my own. The main prize was either two free USB Studios CDs or an hour of free recording (or whatever) time at USB Studios. I have all of the CDs that USB has released so far, and I'm not sure how I'll make use of the studio time at that kind of distance, but we'll see.
Went looking for an open filk because I don't do Interfilk auctions; got set up in Alderwood shortly before Decadent Dave, Tom, and their friend Al arrived. Dave announced that the three of them had played together as a band called "Curragh" (sp?) at one point, and that's the kind of music they'd be doing most of. What followed was the closest thing to an Irish session crossed with a filk jam that I've ever encountered; Heather Dale and Tim Jennings joined in eventually (along with the rest of us) and for a while there was such an amazing blend of vocals, guitar, bass, banjo, dulcimer, bodhran, recorder, whistle, keyboard, etc. going on that I wonder whether I'll hear its like again. Continued participating, performing "Space Tourist" and my parody "How Can We Keep From Sinking?" while I worked on my new song "Heal Thyself"; finished the song (and my wakefulness) about 4 a.m.
Wanted to get up in time for the Sunday breakfast buffet, but didn't manage it; Dave W. and I checked out, then I wrote a quick entry for the Penguin Song Contest, missing the kids' concert. (Yes, *I* had to look up "meniscus" too;andpuff thought I should have gotten a special prize for rhyming it.) Didn't win this time, but that was OK; Fred's, Brooke's, and Mark's winning songs were super-duper. Ju started into her set and was sounding great, but I had volunteered to drive Crystal around to pick up some over-the-counter meds available in Canada but not in the U.S. (ATTN spammers: You can stop sending me those "Canadian pharmacy" emails, mmmmkay?), so we headed out on that errand. Lots of iterations ensued, because unlike in previous years, no one would sell us as much of the stuff at one go to last Crystal the whole year. After a couple of hours, we ended up with about six months' supply, and Crystal treated me to another meal at the teriyaki place (got the chicken teriyaki this time; it was excellent). By the time we got back, we had missed the Hall of Fame concert and the closing ceremonies were wrapping up; I joined in singing the end of "Sam's Song" and "Home to FilKONtario," said my goodbyes, and headed off.
Drive back was really nice; the weather was gorgeous, U.S. customs seemed to like the fact I had my license and birth certificate ready to hand them and waved me through in pretty short order, and once I got into the States I plugged in the phone headset and talked with folks most of the way home. Stopped in at the Erie Pilot/Subway again and had another $9.00 sub (the cheesesteak this time -- hey, as long as I was spending a river of money *anyway*...) As I've mentioned a couple times, the only black mark on the weekend was losing my Pittsburgh Steelers hat, but I don't do so hot keeping track of hats and gloves anyway, so I'm amazed I held onto it that long. Extra-excellent con, FKO concomm -- you have my huge appreciation as always! Looking forward to next year!
Thanks again for all the birthday wishes, everybody. It was a wonderful day topped off with a DQ Cookie-Dough Blizzard Cake, whose remnants were tough to fit in our little freezer. :-)
Thought I'd share a few thoughts on FKO, trying not to reiterate what others have already talked about, so...
The Friday drive down to Morgantown, WV for the birth certificate was smooth even though the weather was lousy; rain and fog the whole way. (The big Kia I rented ran like a dream, and I got a smidgen of an inkling why people like driving SUVs even though they're so bad for the environment.) However, while downtown Morgantown is easy to get *into*, it's tough to get *around in* or *out of*. Lots of West Virginia University students and other folks trying to make their way between campuses, to shopping venues, etc. I was interested to note that a rusty but functional dedicated tramway, looking for all the world like a semi-abandoned "people mover" line, runs between the main WVU campus and a satellite campus in the northern suburbs (if a municipality the size of Morgantown can be said to *have* "suburbs").
The county clerk's office, despite being in a flashback-inducing "high school architecture" part of the courthouse, looked more like what I would imagine a clerk's office to be than anything I've ever seen. Ledgers *everywhere*, some dating back to the 1800s; it was like being in the Hogwarts library, if Hogwarts were an American public school built in the 1970s.
Turned around, took a half hour to drive four miles, got gas, and drove back north, getting on I-79 outside Morgantown at 1:06 p.m. Debated stopping at the Chinese buffet in Meadville, but had a hunch I'd never make it to the wedding if I did that. So I pressed on to Erie; got more gas, used the restroom, and ate a $9.00 Texas Beef Brisket sub at Subway because I was extremely hungry by that point. Sailed through Canadian customs (I drove right up to a booth with no line -- that never happens!! -- and I wasn't even asked for my driver's license) and kept going; noted that the QEW continues to be under major construction (I think it shall never be otherwise); and hit the 407 and motored on through to the hotel, walking into the Alderwood room where the wedding was about to start at 7:05 p.m. (Under six hours from West Virginia to Mississauga; I think that's about as fast as I'd better ever drive that stretch!)
Note here: I heard a lot of talk about people being delayed by traffic jams and other problems on the 401. Granted, the 401 runs right by the hotel, but I still don't understand why American drivers who come from the west, who don't have to pay the toll, would not drive the 407 plus six minutes on Dixie Rd. for the final approach instead. Since I started using the 407, which is a wide and beautiful and uncrowded road, I have *never* hit a slowdown on my way to or from the FKO hotel. Now, if the traffic backups started *prior* to the 407 interchange, I understand and apologize; but if the bad stuff on 401 was between Hamilton and Toronto, then I would have to say it was avoidable.
Thought about staying up on the balcony, where I might have had a better overall view, for the wedding; however, Fred Brown beckoned to a couple of empty seats next to him on the floor, so
ldwheeler and I went down there. We might not have been able to see the expressions on Tom's and Dave's and Al's faces from that vantage point, but we got a good look at every emotion that flashed across Sue's face, and they were utterly wonderful and memorable. The cheesecake-laden reception afterwards was delicious and dangerous and I'm very glad that I had eaten such a monster of a sandwich just a couple of hours earlier.UT's and Heather's concerts were terrific, as many others have described. A nice moment that I haven't seen anyone else mention was when Kathleen Sloan asked Heather Dale the identity of her accompanist Ben Duchamps (sp?): "What's your roadie's name?" Ben grumbled "'Roadie"?!" good-naturedly and we got a big laugh out of it. Also, Heather did "Road to Santiago" accompanied only by the audience clapping to the rhythm; it went so well that Heather did it again during the Saturday night open filk.
Bought my copy of "Thirteen" at the release party, then went back down to the open filk. Friday night open filking was OK but I couldn't get more than one song in edgewise; partly my fault for sitting behind the main circle, but still annoying. Crashed out early.
Saturday, as it all too often does for me at a filk con, became a question of "How do I get my contest entry done and have at least one decent meal without missing the main concerts?" I didn't manage that any better this time around than before; I got to hear most of Bill's set, but little of Marilyn's or the Bedlam Bards' and, I think, none of the one-shots at all. Went to the nearby teriyaki place with Rand, Erin, and Dave W. and had a very good "pan-Asian" dish with udon noodles. Got back in time for vixy and Tony's exceptional set, then retired to the room to finish the song entry, but I was still gnawing on the final chorus as the contest got underway. Wrote the last couple of words about twenty seconds before walking onstage.
Was amazed to win; most of the entries were extremely good, and I voted for three other songs rather than my own. The main prize was either two free USB Studios CDs or an hour of free recording (or whatever) time at USB Studios. I have all of the CDs that USB has released so far, and I'm not sure how I'll make use of the studio time at that kind of distance, but we'll see.
Went looking for an open filk because I don't do Interfilk auctions; got set up in Alderwood shortly before Decadent Dave, Tom, and their friend Al arrived. Dave announced that the three of them had played together as a band called "Curragh" (sp?) at one point, and that's the kind of music they'd be doing most of. What followed was the closest thing to an Irish session crossed with a filk jam that I've ever encountered; Heather Dale and Tim Jennings joined in eventually (along with the rest of us) and for a while there was such an amazing blend of vocals, guitar, bass, banjo, dulcimer, bodhran, recorder, whistle, keyboard, etc. going on that I wonder whether I'll hear its like again. Continued participating, performing "Space Tourist" and my parody "How Can We Keep From Sinking?" while I worked on my new song "Heal Thyself"; finished the song (and my wakefulness) about 4 a.m.
Wanted to get up in time for the Sunday breakfast buffet, but didn't manage it; Dave W. and I checked out, then I wrote a quick entry for the Penguin Song Contest, missing the kids' concert. (Yes, *I* had to look up "meniscus" too;
andpuff thought I should have gotten a special prize for rhyming it.) Didn't win this time, but that was OK; Fred's, Brooke's, and Mark's winning songs were super-duper. Ju started into her set and was sounding great, but I had volunteered to drive Crystal around to pick up some over-the-counter meds available in Canada but not in the U.S. (ATTN spammers: You can stop sending me those "Canadian pharmacy" emails, mmmmkay?), so we headed out on that errand. Lots of iterations ensued, because unlike in previous years, no one would sell us as much of the stuff at one go to last Crystal the whole year. After a couple of hours, we ended up with about six months' supply, and Crystal treated me to another meal at the teriyaki place (got the chicken teriyaki this time; it was excellent). By the time we got back, we had missed the Hall of Fame concert and the closing ceremonies were wrapping up; I joined in singing the end of "Sam's Song" and "Home to FilKONtario," said my goodbyes, and headed off.Drive back was really nice; the weather was gorgeous, U.S. customs seemed to like the fact I had my license and birth certificate ready to hand them and waved me through in pretty short order, and once I got into the States I plugged in the phone headset and talked with folks most of the way home. Stopped in at the Erie Pilot/Subway again and had another $9.00 sub (the cheesesteak this time -- hey, as long as I was spending a river of money *anyway*...) As I've mentioned a couple times, the only black mark on the weekend was losing my Pittsburgh Steelers hat, but I don't do so hot keeping track of hats and gloves anyway, so I'm amazed I held onto it that long. Extra-excellent con, FKO concomm -- you have my huge appreciation as always! Looking forward to next year!
