Back from San Jose
Contrary to what Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick might have you believe, it is far more important to know the way back home from San Jose than the way to it. After all, there are three major freeways that take you right through the town and it’s easy to get off of ‘em. But getting back on the right one, going the correct direction – that takes more than a sprig of white sage on your dashboard sometimes.
And so earlier this afternoon, bleary-eyed and sleep-deprived, I wandered for a while through the streets of decrepit, weird San Jose. I was following signs to 280 North which mysteriously petered out at key intersections, leaving me at the mercy of the Fates and my own sense of direction which is, fortunately, very reliable. I hadn’t guessed exactly which way East was during Patrick McCollum’s workshop on Saturday, but I got within 45 degrees which I’d say was pretty good for first thing in the morning. So after stopping to fill up at the grungiest Chevron gas station I’ve ever seen, in a particularly unappealing part of town, Jojo and I made it onto the freeway today without losing too much time.
PantheaCon, or Pcon as I heard it affectionately referred to, was a great success. I’m declaring a two-way tie for Best Thing About the Con this year, between 1) tons of new people and 2) the new novelty of humorous little ribbons to affix to your attendance badge. Hopefully someone will post pictures of these widgets, which were the same size as the little ribbons the workshop presenters wore, but which ranged the gamut from saying “Friend of CoG” to “Pixie Power” (for the little kids) to “Burn Rome!” (courtesy of the Heathens) and “Bravo Foxtrot Delta” (BFD, aka Big F***ing Deal) to…well, you get the idea. (Honorable mention: “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot”) Everyday new ones appeared, until at the end of the con Joi Wolfwomon was wearing her badge in her hair and the trail of attached ribbons swept the floor.
The Worst In Show prize would have to go to the hotel air conditioning which was on full blast in many of the workshop rooms, so that by the time I got back to my room I had the chills and had to drink hot tea under the covers to avoid catching a cold. Honorable mention in this category goes unanimously to the guy who, for the third straight year, walked around all weekend dressed as Capt. Jack Sparrow.
I mean, it’s bad enough that a certain elder in the community thinks it’s a good idea to walk around in a wizard costume to promote his new book and correspondence course. He had us covered for “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” lookalikes. But the Johnny Depp wannabe was just disturbing. In the first place, he was in no way as good looking as Johnny Depp, which made him an object of derision more than a sex symbol – probably not the effect he had intended. In the second place, it was annoying to see some guy in a pirate outfit with beads hanging from his beard every day. He served as a reminder that many among us are in no way ready for prime time, and that it’s really a good thing Christopher Guest hasn’t chosen the Pagan community to mock in his next film feature. Why bother, when we mock ourselves so well?
I’m sure tomorrow some more rested, reflective Pagans will blog about more “pertinent” or “relevant” details of the Con, but for now I am content to be the first overtly snide, not-yet-recovered Pagan blogger posting about it. Hey, we all need our niche, right?
February 20th, 2007 at 7:13 am
Perfect, Anne, perfect. My fashion peeve is the overabundance of Medieval garb. Why do we pagans have to constantly invoke the dark ages? Why? We sure don’t need to have Christopher Guest satire us…that’s for sure…we do it so well ourselves…who’d know the difference? Look at the pic on the wildhunt blog…it looks like a still from one of Guest’s movies. I particularly am in favor of your snide self…especially in it’s overt form! More, please!
February 21st, 2007 at 3:00 pm
At least the wizard person has a place where he can go and walk around dressed like that without worrying about getting arrested. What a great post, Anne!
February 22nd, 2007 at 1:45 pm
Well, Oak, I’m way too fond of playing dress-up—of any era, real or fantasy—to rule out the medieval garb. Even my mundane life is gradually yielding to what my mother always called my “weird get-ups.” Today I wore my tiara to work. The medieval range of stuff has two great advantages: it flows and swooshes nicely, or if one chooses the RenFaire bodice versions, it enhances the cleavage. I usually opt for the flowing stuff (magick dresses, yay!) because it floats so beautifully over the sags and ripples of my happily aging self. I’m sort of sorry I didn’t go to Pcon this year, but the delights of a 3-day weekend all to myself (with cats, novels and paintbrushes) totally trumped the communal bliss. But next year again, for sure!
February 22nd, 2007 at 2:23 pm
SnarkCrow wrote: (and I accidentally deleted the comment)
“Actually, the Captain Sparrow guy looks *best* in that outfit. In street clothes he just looks… off. He’s a local, nuts but an OK guy for all of that.”
Oh, that’s hilarious!
And Brighde, I’m with you on the Renaissance garb. I don’t have a problem with seeing it at the con because let’s face it, a nice cleavage is a nice cleavage. But I don’t actually own any of it even though it’s pretty comfortable to wear, because I do feel it is overdone in general. I like wearing it at the RenFaire, though.
I remember hearing Stevie Nicks interviewed recently about women performers today, and her comment was to the effect of, “why are they going for such form-hugging, revealing clothes? Don’t they know they’re going to look ridiculous in their fifties and sixties? I’m so glad I chose the diaphanous look when I was their age – it’s so much more forgiving!”
February 22nd, 2007 at 5:02 pm
You forgot about your whining, grumpy children, Anne.
February 22nd, 2007 at 8:12 pm
Can I ask if this Pirate was Sade the artist? If so, he’s been walking around like this for over ten years, and its a part of his aristry. I really don’t think we should be as intolerant as to care how other people dress. Embracing ourselves, no matter how bizarre it might seem to others, is what draws me to being Pagan in the first place. The idea that I might not be judged because of how I dress, is extremely important to me. Its what is on the inside, the intent, the connection with oneself that matters more. Its saddens me to see all these blogs talking down about this one person.
February 22nd, 2007 at 8:24 pm
I would so love to see a Christopher Guest treatment of the psychic fair/pagan convention world.
February 23rd, 2007 at 7:09 am
Nice blog, very snide, indeed…..however, it would seem your first blog regarding PCon would be about PCon, not worrying about Christopher Guest, or how someone was dressed….who the hell cares about how someone is dressed? And Christopher Guest makes fun of everyone, so, why bother to even worry? Seems you would have posted about PCon itself – getting “dressed up” for pagans is a natural thing…..after all, most wear robes, and carry swords, staffs, etc for ritual, be it public or private…it’s what we do….would have liked to hear your twist on the gathering rather than you making judgements on people by the way they dress…..my Gods/dess’s don’t judge, why should you?
February 23rd, 2007 at 8:25 am
Hey, if I can’t snark I don’t want to be part of your revolution. Besides, the Gods judge all the time, where have you been?
May 22nd, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Snark is good for the soul. Besides, having seen enough WTF was he/she -thinking- cossies at SF conventions, I expect that Pagan cons are just as entertaining.
One of these days, I will go to a Pantheacon. I’ve been invited as a guest, but haven’t had the money to actualy go to one. I’ll be the one who looks like a boring old TechMage, clothed in 21st Century Magus splendor: blue jeans, Sketchers and a ThinkGeek t-shirt. And I’ll be singing my Reconnecting Chant:
“Where’s the WiFi?”