Martin's thoughts and a few wise comments about them

There has been discussion on the types of guests we should have, what direction ConDuit should go and lots of stuff and I want to throw my two krona in for what it is worth..

I come to ConDuit for the people I get to associate with, the other fans. I come to rub shoulders with people who are talented, intelligent and share a common interest. And what is more fun is they/you all 'let me be with you'. (evenastheweirdunclekeptinthebasementwhichisbetterthanthecleancopperclapperskeptinthecloset)

The Guests are just an added bonus. My take on media guests (or any other guest) is that they are fine. In my life time I have met many 'stars' thanks, in part, to having a father in the media/television industry. Some have been great, some have been almost stand offish to the nth degree, and many are inbetween, so I am rarely 'star struck' in that venue. Where I am in awe, frequently, is of some of the writers who have been able to create literature that entertains, teaches and more (and like the media guests they also had good and not so good relations with fans) and I look forward to meeting them even though, in some cases, I have never read any of their works. But to be absolutely honest I think I would still come to ConDuit even if there were no guests and it was just a gathering of fans come together to share their interests, their favs and their love of the various genre we share. I think that is the root of fandom and I think this is what should unite us all.

There may come a year when we cannot afford any guest of honor's air fare, perdium, gift bucket or whatever. and everyone would have to come on their own dime to join in...if that ever becomes the case then I still think we could have a great convention given all the talent in every ilk that we have. I do not think we have to be 'selfish' (and that might not be the best word for what I mean) in trying to get one genre or guest type or something else into ConDuit. But I do think we should continue to encourage and work for a greater variety and broader spectrum for ConDuit as we have started to do. We all have to be patient, it has taken 20 plus years to get this far and the good, bad and ugly we have had to this point is in the past. We cannot change that but what we can do is build and share and compromise and be, above all, fans!

Like I said, I gather with fans, I wish I could go to all the picnics, club meetings and other events/conventions out there but time and family and finances and reality frequently get in the way but to me ConDuit is or can be one BIG celebration of us being who and what we are, FANS.

I ask everyone who reads this all the way to this point (and those who got bored 200 words or so ago) to simply unite.. give what we can, take/enjoy what is available and be, above all, fans and friends. If we do this we can enjoy all the new mantras, directions, GOH types, panels, etc. etc. we have been and will be discussing. Look for the positive..or to paraphrase Og Mandino, if we have to "Dig for reasons to applaud rather than scratch for reasons to condemn/disagree." Do not loose site of the fact we are all Fans!

I want to conclude by saying a BIG THANK YOU to all who have served ConDuit (and all of Utah fandom) in the past (and I include those who have tried, those who have succeeded and those who failed) because they got involved. The ONLY things that make failure certain are apathy and not getting involved to the highest degree on can (and these are often the two sides of the same coin). So again.. Thanks to all who have worked and to all those who will work. Let's get excited..let's DO!

Happy Independence Day Celebrations to you all!

MC
[Debbie is giving a standing ovation]

Perfect summary, Martin. In the years that I have come to CONduit, the only GOH I had ever heard of was Dave Farland. And only him because I met him the first year I attended and didn’t know enough to be flattered when he spent a few minutes talking personally to me about not feeling out of place because I didn’t know who anyone was.

I’ve kept coming because I had fun. It’s cool to have the guests and I enjoy the excitement others get from them, but give me Lee, and Dave (all of them) and Brian (all of them) and Brandon (all of them) and Jaleta and Julia (all of them) and I’ll still have just as much fun as if it were Erin or Patrick or Adam Big Star.

I absolutely agree with you that coming to a convention of any kind is 80%, or more, about the connections you make with people. Looking at the many conventions that are out there, the biggest thing you see with many of them is the awesome costumes, or hear about the great fan run content. However when I think of going to a convention I think of the opportunities that I won't get on a daily basis, I think your perspective has the same roots, but a different outcome. You crave the fellowship of other fans that you don't get frequently. From my perspective being in a large group of fan clubs, that's something available for us often and for free, while for us to individually seek out any kind of "star" (really, I don't think I've seen a lot of calls for people in the credits every week, just someone who had anything to do with the media) would be a near impossible undertaking. I know one of my favorite memories was being in uniform and taking an elevator up with Admiral Paris (Richard Herd). He is an older fellow and a bit aloof from what we gathered, but when the half dozen of us saluted without pause he couldn't help but laugh to himself. To me, if I'm going to spend $10, $20, $50 or whatever then I want something more than I can get from the internet and something more than I can get on a regular basis by being a member of a great club. Same origin, I believe we agree, but the result is different. It looks like you will love CONduit regardless of it's form as long as it's personal, and that's great to me, but I also see the Trustees' concern over the participation numbers and trying to generate new ideas on how not only to attract people, but to keep them. The numbers suggest something needs to change than what has been the M.O. for the last 5+ years. Justin R.


I could not have said it better, Justin Dennis L

ditto Dlords


from me again:

Perhaps.. I should say that since I am also a fan club member of one group and the like I believe I would still be willing to pay for a gathering of so many types of fans...attending the same club or clubs is great and bespeaks loyalty and honor in many ways but, to me, each club or group member I join with has a similar perspective as I do..that is why I go! ConDuit, and other cons like Mountain Con, give me different perspectives, different ideas and has broadened my horizons..It is harder, in my mind to get this from the things I 'get for free' because we are all BOF in any of the groups to which I belong no matter how diverse the membership. There are so many GREAT clubs and groups out there and, as I said I wish reality let me do more and attend more of them but alas I am only one person with many hats to wear just like everyone who reads this. So I choose just like everyone else.

I am sure I could learn as much or more and grow in many ways by rubbing shoulders with these groups and people for free and if time permits I will, but then I will still bring that 'learning and growth gained' to ConDuit so others might choose to learn more and grow from what I have to share. (Including going to different clubs and groups and cons)

Heck at 56, I am looking forward to 9 years from now when I have even more time..after I retire..and for those of you who are younger.(and that is likely 80% or more of you who are reading this).be patient..and get in there and work.. and then you will be as happy with the results as I am.. Not with ConDuit as a perfect entity but with ConDuit as a growing, stumbling sometimes Awkward group of people working to common goal.. the Utah Fan. I am pleased to say that I have been around to help ConDuit stay around for as long as it has and only a very few similar UTAH groups can say the same thing..(Happy Birthday coming up USS KELLY!! 25 years!)

I do not contend Justin's points.. they are valid..but I add this perspective because ConDuit should (and has in the past) given a forum for a gathering of 'all the clans' and this alone is worth the 10, 20, 45 dollars I might pay. ConDuit has not always been that in every way but I have still gone because I have wanted to, as I said, 'rub shoulders' with others even though they do not have the same perspective, interest etc. as I (at any given moment) have and in the course of so doing I have volunteered and been part of the good, bad and ugly decisions that have been made and I accept my share of the responsibility for so doing either by action or inaction (letting it happen). Still, If one wants a broad horizon this should be the opportunity to gain it.. and that will not happen unless all the clans come, be they club, genre etc. and join in. I truly have missed people and groups when they are not there.
Next, If I get only 80% out of anything for my money and time (because if you add a $$$ value to the time I have volunteered we often put in a lot more than $45.00 or even $100.00) then it is my fault..I think I could have done better but the truth is I have only got 60 and 70 % some years by choice or by content but still I keep coming back because I like the people, I like the ideel and I have hope in the fans.. This year it appears to be working better than before thanks again to the Trustees and other Volunteers involved, so far and in the future, whether they have been there forever, come in new or are returning with hope filled optimism. We do have to do something about retention, that is a given, and part of that is for all of us to get excited again and get involved.

My only negative thought here is "Those who do not learn from the past are condemned to repeat it AND those who see the past for what it is and was and do nothing, loose their right to complain about or judge what others have done after they left (up to that point of the 'end of their involvement' they can dwell in the past and complain all they want).. the same is true in religion, politics and life..Conduit is a small part of the world but if you do not vote with your time and actions you do not have the right to complain ..in my mind any more than not voting in an election is a way to change the leadership of the land..you just leave it to others and suffer the results.

BUT Justin is right.. I would probably enjoy ConDuit in almost any form and would likely volunteer to help where I am needed or wanted, but I do have my preferences and I believe the Trustiees AND the other volunteers are working toward the changes I would like to see. Still I believe it cannot be done unless ALL the clans gather.. yea.. ConDuit is just one of a dozen major interests.. I am Princple Clarinet in the West Jordan Symphony, I have written a half dozen or ,more good short stories that I have sold to sites in Norway, I am active in community and other groups etc. In real life I work with a broad range of disabled and otherwise limited adults as an Social Worker/instructor, teacher and supervisor, so if ConDuit was taken from the Earth ten seconds from now I would survive and be very content with my life..
Now I have not given any suggestions as to how or even if and why ConDuit should change.. I am on a soap box because I believe in shouting out to all 'get in and work with us', 'continue to work with us, and when you have suggestions do them better than I am doing now.. keep it positive.. keep it moving and as I paraphrased earlier.."dig for reasons to applaud..and do not scratch for excuses/reasons to condemn." Keep doing what Justin did.. he made his points more positively than I, Dennis too is in it for the long hall and will be there even if he does not get his 80% or more.. he has the honor to be involved.. Debbie, speaks her mind and we do not always agree but she is a jewel in our collective crown and so are many many others whom, if I continue to try and list them I will fail.. I use these three because they commented on my last post...So Thanks for listening with your eyes..

MC the 'strangeuncleinthebasement' standing down.

Re-igniting the fire!

Too often we get so busy that things that have been fun and/or important to us fade and take a back seat to the realities of our present condition. Sometimes we simply outgrow or loose interest in these things and the passion with which we pursued them vanishes in the pursuit of new and more exciting things. The 'fire in our belly' ceases to burn and we walk away from those things that we once were passionate about with little or no regret. As part of this process we are often lead to say; "Oh, I still love doing that." or "When I get the time I will get back to it." and to a degree this is true but we all know that this "renewel' or 'getting back to' does not happen without a lot of effort and specific decisions during the process. Often this process takes a concerted step by step plan so we can work our old passions back into our 'new way of life'. Sometimes, along the way, we discover it 'just ain't worth going back' in which case we pack up the 'old' and put it away again.
I believe that both of these avenues are valid. There are some things that we must or should leave behind for any of a multitude of reasons. There are also things that should be brought back into our lives and revitalized. I also believe that this is an ongoing process and can change at a moments notice because of, again, the multitude of factors that demand or desire our time, talents and energies.
So why would I bring this up here on this blog for a fictional starship and a small social club? The reason is I am going through one of those times in my life and the Tsunami, ConDuit and Role Playing (PRGs) are all on the table. Because of what is happening in the most recent ConDuit and SF Con meetings I have attended I am getting re-excited about the convention. I am also asking myself if it is not time step back and let others who are younger and more full of ideas take the lead. I have been involved with ConDuit since the beginning and on the committee from the second one. I have ridden the ups and downs and seen people come and go and all that, but the bottom line is that I have enjoyed each and every one for its own merits. I have had the opportunity to work with and to meet some fantastic people and my life has been enriched because of ConDuit in all its incarnations, good, bad, and ugly (going by the various comments and reactions I have seen/heard.. though I personally see no 'bad' per se in any of them). Right now I am particularly enthused about what is happening in the various planning groups and it is my hope that this renews the 'fire in the belly' of all those who have left the con for what even reason. Also I hope that these changes/potential changes ignite a fire in people who have never come or have only come to a few ConDuits. I think the spark has been lit and I believe it can ignite a torch that will be a light for Utah (and surrounding area) fans for a long time to come. But it is an individual decision to seek out that spark and ignite your own fire.
I challenge each of our club members and any other members of Utah Fandom that recieve this, to get involved, come back to, and/or simply plan to attend ConDuit in 2012!! I make no promiseses but I truly see great potential and if it bears up like I think it will (given who all is involved) then fans will miss what I think is the most exiciting reasons to join (rejoin) ConDuit and build the best vehicle Utah Fans have ever had!
In the next few days I will, hopefully, address the other topics of RPGs and the Tsunami.. but this will not be so much for myself as it will be an effort to re-ignite the fires of the past in those with whom I have attended the club and gamed.

The Power of a Blog

I am beginning to see the power of the blog thanks to a wonderful woman I know named Erin. She has done more for the Science Fiction/Fantasy Community and the ConDuit Science Fiction/Fantasy Weekend (held most recently over this past Memorial Day Weekend) than most people ever have because of her blog, www.rpgwords.blogspot.com . She has discussed the good, the bad and the ugly and allowed others to post their comments and by so doing has generated a great discussion that I believe will be of great benefit not only to the ConDuit Convention but to all the clubs, individuals and other groups who hold direct or indirect interest in these genres. In short all of Utah Fandom (or Fen) no matter how great or small their interest and/or involvement is.

So to start with this blog is for you, whoever you are, who read it. I will post my opinion(s) from time to time and it is my hope that other members of the club will either post directly or send me things to post so we, as the members of the USS Tsunami, can add our voices to whatever interests us at the time in the hopes of creating a forum that will be informative, fun, and most importantly interesting for those who read it. We will also try to post stories, links and other things that will be intersting. (Any opinion I post will be mine and mine alone and not that of the group or anyother member and I truly do encourage discussion, disagreement and even support). I want to invite you to follow us, join us in our meetings/expeditions/activities we have. I/We look forward to hearing from you.

ConDuit 2011

Hey I just want to take this opportunity to invite all of you to join us at Conduit 2011: Cape Conduit this weekend May 27 to May 29. This is by far one of the funnest weekends we have and it is well worth your while to come visit it. Many of the parts of it are open to the public and are free so just to drop in and look at the Dealer's Room and and Art Show are worth the time.

ConDuit, for those of you who do not know, is a Science Fiction/Fantasy Weekend that has been going on for 21 years now. This year it is being held at the Radison hotel in downtown Salt Lake City. It has a little bit of everything for everybody but principly it is a 'Creative Con' focusing on Writing, Art and Music as found in the mentioned genres, yet there is plenty of other aspects and I encourage you all to visit the web site: http://conduit.sfcon.org for details and programming!

Come celebrate ConDuit for what it is.. the best Creative oriented convention in the state!