Author: Kelly

A bunch of us stayed until Monday, but it was a hearty group of nine: Aaron, Mike, Kelly, Denise, Sean, Cindi, Shane, Brian, and Trace who were the last JadeConners to walk out the doors of the Hyatt at 3 pm EDT on Monday.

Until ’07…

Saturday night and Sunday morning are always the hardest. The PCD Kickoff Breakfast if full of good-byes as people trickle back to the airport or get ready for drives home. There’s taking down all the decorations and cleaning the suite, which is a lot like post-Christmas. A line from the old Alice TV series always sticks with me: “Decking the halls is a lot more fun than un-decking the halls.” Amen.

Once we check out of the suite and those of us who hang out until late Sunday or Monday are left, it gets a little better. This is why I stay until Monday; by the time I get home, I’ve mostly gotten over PCD.

Rogue is busy recording his filk CD. I finally got a chance to sing Tish’s “Like A Diva” (to Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”) for him. I am NOT a Madonna fan and she sings a bit out of my range, so I hope it sounds okay. I also did my new filk to Anna Nalick’s “Breathe (2 AM)” with which I’m much more comfortable. Should be an awesome CD with a lot of our collective history.

Some of us will probably visit the floor one more time, we’ll find a place to have dinner together, and it’ll be a nice decompression after the Mara and Mayhem.

Dunc’s making me blog even though I wrote the last entry, so if you all are tired of hearing from me, blame her.

The auction was amazing. Lots of really cool stuff, some of which went for scary large amoungs of money. We raised somewhere in the neighborhood of $4000 for Reading is Fundamental in memory of PG’s mom, The Bonnie. I got a pair of Jack/Will slash earrings. Go me!

Filk night was a blast as always. We did filk-alongs of old favorites like “The Saga Begins” (Okay, that one’s not ours, it’s Weird Al’s), “Calamari Ship” and “Worst Hangover Ever (an Ode to Jessa’s Bar).” There were some new very amusing entries, but of course I remember none of them (and I’m not even drunk, just tired!)

PCD is already starting to set in. Why do cons feel so damn short????

Getting ready to go down to the Auction. Club Jaders clean up well. If by clean up well you mean anything from evening gowns and boas to Jedi robes (or in my case both!) to pajamas and everything in-between.

Am slightly put out that Dave’s dress is better than mine.

Last night we had “story time,” which isn’t really something we’ve done at JadeCon before, at least not in a formal capacity. Since this is our tenth anniversary (!) and not all of us have been involved the entire ten years, we kind of did a “sit around the campfire and pass on the collective wisdom.” If by “wisdom” you mean “insanity,” that is. Some highlights:

1996 Chicago and then GenCon: OMG, there are other professional women who are fans of Star Wars and don’t really care whether a Star Destroyer could beat the Enterprise!

1997, calls to 20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm to change the release date of ROTJ:SE so that we could still see all three movies when we gathered together in Vegas. Got invited to a press screening that was moved back by one day so we could come. Met Timothy Zahn for the first time.

1998, the Smithsonian visit in DC. Jessa’s Bar makes its debut. We met Dak, who wore a button informing us “I’m Dead.”

1999, the prequels, and The Wedding. Marrying off cardboard standups of Luke and Mara in a real Las Vegas wedding chapel by a real Elvis impersonator. Yes, we scared him. Luke and Mara got locked in the bathroom at the reception when we left.

2000 was the first time GenCon was our main JadeCon. Orphans of the Suncrusher Auction. A funeral procession for Chewbacca around the second floor of the Hyatt Milwaukee and Anthony Daniels conducted us in providing a chorale accompaniment of “Duel of the Fates” while the Karrdes dueled on the skywalk between the Hyatt and the convention center at 1 am. “This floor’s not entirely stable!”

2001 was a baby shower for little Ben Skywalker and the Jedi Temple picnic (of Death!) crashed by the Sith. It was our last official JadeCon in Milwaukee, although many of us returned for the last Milwaukee GC in 2002.

2002 we were back in Vegas for AOTC. Tarts and Jedi (think Tarts and Vicars. If you’ve seen Bridget Jones Diaries you know what I mean.)

2003 was the first Indy GenCon. Podracing was appropriate for our first year in this racing city. :) We shaved Rogue’s head. Because we could.

2004 was the Galactic Games. We were rained out of the park and somehow thought it would be a good idea to light sparklers in the rain under a pavilion. After we were all treated for smoke inhalation we rethought that plan.

2005 was ROTS. Mini-cons for the actual movie, then Indy for the Hoth Winter Games. We broke Aaron at the ice rink (which was kinda more slushy than actually icy) and I got to meet one of the Lone Gunmen and tell him about the Lone Gunbabies. :)

Ten years. It’s hard to believe. Here’s to ten more. And then some.

Arrived in Indianapolis last night (really this morning) around 1 am to the usual squees and hugs. Apparently I made it out on one of the last flights to not be subjected to the new security measures because of a thwarted terrorist plot in Great Britain that involved liquid explosives. This will no doubt majorly delay people flying in today.

Other than that, things are good here in Indy. Coming to the Hyatt is like coming home in a sort of weird way, especially after doing both SW Celebration III and GenCon last year. It’s good to be back. In about 45 minutes the Suite will be open and I’ll be handing out t-shirts. Unfortunately, I probably won’t be able to get to the con floor today, but that’s okay. It’s soooooooo great seeing everyone!

When are we building that citadel????

Dean Haglund, aka Langley of the Lone Gunmen from The X-Files is one of the guests at GenCon this year. I saw him on the floor when the autograph lines were pretty shorts, so I just had to tell him about the Lone Gunbabies. I introduced myself, told him I had triplets that were born 7 years ago when XF was still on, and that we had nicknamed them the Lone Gunbabies. He was amused and even asked for a picture of them. I got an autograph from him “To Kelly and the Lone Gunbabies” and later when I remembered I had my camera and went back to get a picture, he remembered me.

We invited him to the suite tonight and he came with a friend who apparently was a vampire on the last episode of Buffy. Spike kicked his ass, or so I hear. :) He enjoyed Mary’s drinks and PG’s lavish “Jade Con Lite My Ass” Hoth decorations. Updisde-down Luke and the wampa in the cave are some of the highlights. Oh, and the bacta tank dancing cage.

Where else but at JadeCon could a Lone Gunman and a Buffy vampire have a drink on Hoth and hear about the Lone Gunbabies?

But for tomorrow night’s Closing Ceremonies, it’s all over here at the Galactic Games in Indianapolis. The final medal tally has the Vegetrian Spank Inferno leading the pack with 5 total medals (3 Gold and 2 Silver), the Vinyl Team with 5 medals (1 Gold and 4 Silvers), the Lusers with 2 medals (both Gold) and the APG with two medals (1 Gold and 1 Silver). The medals for events are as follows:

GUNGAN RELAY RACE
GOLD: Tom, Trina & Sam – Vegetarian Spank Inferno
SILVER: Susan Ruby, & Caroline – Vinyl

BANTHA POODOO DISCUS
GOLD: Derek – APG
SILVER: Liz – Vegetarian Spank Inferno

BOWCASTER
GOLD: Luci – Lusers
SILVER: Beth – Vinyl

HOT THERMAL DETONATOR
GOLD: Kim & Caitlin – Lusers
SILVER: Cindi & VJ – APG

LIGHTSABER PONG RACE
GOLD: Susan – Vinyl
SILVER: Trina – Vegetarian Spank Inferno

KNIT OFF
GOLD: Blu – Vegetarian Spank Inferno
SILVER: Bobbi – Vinyl

DWARF TOSS
GOLD: Aaron – Vegetarian Spank Inferno
SILVER: Beth – Vinyl

NON MEDAL EVENT RIBBON WINNERS

FILK OFF
Best Performance: Vinyl, “Wish They All Could Be Little Vinyl Men”
Best Technical Merit: APG, “Mom’s Chat”
Best Rendition of “We Are The Champions”: Vegetarian Spank Inferno, “We’re on the Dark Side”

COMMANDEER A SHIP
Derek & Shane, APG

DRINK UP ME HARDIES, YO HO (aka Make Jessa a Drink)
Rach – Lusers – “Tea with the Imperials”

Congratulations to all the athletes who won, because we know that it’s all about winning, so the losers (or Lusers!) can piss off!

Vegetarian Spank Inferno RULES!

Rain could not dampen the spirits of the Galactic Games athletes as the Games officially opened today at Military Park in Indianapolis. As of this time, the medal count stands as follows:

Vegetarian Spank Inferno: 3 Gold, 2 Silver
Vinyl: 1 Gold, 4 Silver
Lusers: 2 Gold, 1 Silver
APG: 2 Gold

The Drink Up Me Hearties Yo Ho is beginning as I type. The Filk Off will be later this evening. I’ll update the medal count later.

Go Veg Spank Inferno! :)

I believe I am the first JadeCon poster to post sober. I will probably, therefore, have the worst typos.

The Best Sir Dan Game EVER is Mystery Date. Those of us old enough to remember the 70s might remember the non-SW version, where you open the door to reveal your mystery date. In this case, it might be Luke, Han, Bel Iblis, or… Salacious Crumb???? Oooookay. But watch out! You just might get … JAR JAR!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!! See which of these dreamboats will help you on your date to Destroy the Death Star, Distract Jabba, Organize the Rebellion, or Escape Imperial Detention. It’s, like, groovy!