Babelcon 2008 – I must go to the geeks; they are my people

(Will post about Hurricane Gustav later.)

A few weeks ago I squeezed in a few hours at BabelCon 2008 – a science-fiction convention right here in beautiful(?!?) Baton Rouge. Perused the website and decided to drop by Sunday afternoon. After paying and looking around for a bit went to listen to second half of presentation by Richard Hatch aka Apollo from “Battlestar Galactica (original)” aka Tom Zarek aka “Battlestar Galactica (new)”. Quite good and interesting. I even got to ask him a question!

Checked out the gaming room. Vendors room. Star Wars club booth. Watched the people in costumes walking around. And here is what struck me.

“Good Lord. This used to be me!” The couch potato physiques. Lack of personal hygeine. Costumes with props. You name it. That was me. Star Trek and Star Wars and Dungeons & Dragons (2nd edition thank you very much) and all the rest.

No I do not look down on them. I was and to an extent still am one of them. Science-fiction is one of my deepest passions. Built my first model of the starship Enterprise when I was five years old. Was reading James P. Hogan (who once worked for Digital Equipment Corporation at the same plant where my dad worked) at age eleven. Used to spend my hard earned money on books and movies and the latest adventure modules and models and conventions in London and Boston.

I am thrilled there is an outpost of our tribe here in south Louisiana.

“I must go to the geeks. They are my people”.

And in honor thereof…