We Have Officially Lost Our Minds…

Yeah, I know. After being in the LASFS for 26 years and having run the Blood Drive for 32, you’d think we’d have turn tail and run by now.

Some people never learn.

So when Michelle Pincus mentioned we were short staff to run the Ice Cream Social for Loscon this year, I think I must’ve blacked out, because when I came to again, Michelle was thanking me profusely for volunteering my husband Dennis and I to run the Ice Cream Social.

Well, it probably was bit more of a conscious decision than that…I remember thinking, “Well, the Blood Drive is only on Saturday morning. We’re free Friday night and our prep for bloodfest will all be done by then, so why not?”

Now, if you don’t know us well, you’d think after that point I’d have to be peeled off the ceiling where I’d retreated in a panic for having the, “stop me from volunteering again!” disease. Every overworked fan in our club has it and has known it at some point in their tenure of social enslavement to the LASFS (remember, Death Does NOT Release You!).

Us? Eh, we’re too practiced at this convention thing to fall victim to most panic modes any more. We’ve been doing this long enough and participated long enough and seen and adapted to unexpected circumstances long enough to have contingency plans for our contingency plans.

And if you think we haven’t, let me tell you how well we’ve adapted to the crazy unexpected.

We’ve been Art Show participants, worked Con Ops at Gallifrey One and been Dealer Hucksters at everything from one-day mini-cons to Westercons and Worldcons. Traveled 300 miles one way with a van full of table goodies, broken down outside of Paso Robles in the middle of the night, come to conventions that were cancelled after the first day, ones that were very nearly cancelled and been chased out of dealer’s rooms when the hotel threatened to catch fire. Slept on my sister’s floor, eaten McDonalds for three of five day conventions (couldn’t stomach more than that!) and drive to Arizona and back in the middle of July (NEVER AGAIN, Dennis!!!).

I’m not saying we’ve seen everything, but Michelle promised us a set-up crew and their phone numbers to chase them down if they don’t show up on time. So yeah, we feel pretty good about facing 400 hungry fans waiting for Ice Cream. Even so, please be gentle with us. It’s our first Ice Cream Social.

Thanks to Eylat for advice in the middle of Smart n Final on what to buy for ice cream toppings, to Frank Waller for being a shopping buddy and especially to Michelle Pincus for, well, everything else!