Today I’m driving down to the DC area to get ready for AwesomeCon this weekend! This is a show we’ve done many times in the past and it’s always a fun time. I’m looking forward to returning this weekend, even if a few key elements are going to be very different.
The biggest difference is I’ll be doing AwesomeCon for the first time without Garth at my side! The whole story is a comedy of errors that I’ll happily tell you if you ask me nicely this weekend, but the end result is that I am going to be doing AwesomeCon for the first time alone. This presents several challenges, the first being that I’ll be lonely! I’m capable of manning a table by myself but AwesomeCon has always been with him at my side, sharing jokes and passing time together. Looking over and not seeing him is going to be jarring.
The next difference is that I’ll have to navigate the loading dock and unloading procedures! Garth always took care of that and while I’m sure I’ll do fine, there are some travel logistics that will make this tricky. Never mind what unloading and packing up at the weekend’s conclusion is going to be like.
Speaking of travel logistics, I’m going to be making the eight-hour drive from Massachusetts to the DC area for the first time in years. The last few years I’ve taken the train or a plane down because Garth is relatively local and could bring most of our Star Power merch. Now without him, there’s no good way to get down to DC with all our books except the drive. I’m not nervous. I’ve done this drive lots of times in the past. It’s more like I stopped doing the drive because I don’t enjoy it. And I am now a grumpy old man.
On top of all that, I’ll be worrying about Mugsy. Our old cat is being dropped off for a dental exam and possibly a procedure this morning before I leave, so I’ll be preoccupied with news regarding his well-being. Like I said in Tuesday’s blog, if you find me distracted at my table waiting for news about my cat, now you know why.
But there are still things to look forward to. The AwesomeCon crowd is always friendly and I have a good time while I’m down there. I have people I look forward to seeing, from my friend who’s been kind enough to let me crash at her place the last few years to another old friend who will be making the trip back with me on Sunday. My table neighbors have historically been really great, too, so I’m hoping that trend continues this weekend.
So come by and see me at AwesomeCon this weekend! It will be a weekend of firsts for me, and I am always grateful for the company of you fine folks.
Oh, and buy a ton of books from me while you’re there.
