Losing One's Mind At LosCon
A Science Fiction Fan's Dream

As November 1999 fell upon us, I suddenly found myself whisked away to good ol' Burbank, CA… Just in time to attend LosCon XXVI, or as we con-goers called it, "The End Of The World As We Knew It Convention." So as the masses gathered at the Burbank Airport Hilton on the weekend of November 26-28, I prepared my brain for the magical mayhem that was about to assault my senses, and assault them it did.

Convention Chairman Liz Mortensen definitely put on an event that will be remembered long after the year 2000, and I will never forget the wonderful memories that her and her incredible staff left me with that weekend. Thank you so much, Liz! Listed below are some of the highlights that my fiancée Wendy and I experienced at LosCon XXVI, I hope you enjoy them.

Friday, November 26th, 1999
(Day One)

Friday began with a Farscape Marathon, which I had no problem enjoying, as I really enjoy this diverse science fiction show. It was nice to see a couple of the episodes that I had missed on the Sci-Fi Channel. As noon rolled around, I realized that my presence was required at a certain panel in the Burbank Room titled "Television To Books." It featured such writers as Mel Gilden and the very beautiful and talented Jill Sherwin, who is definitely one of my favorite authors. (Go Jill.) Her insights and stories were quite interesting and amusing.

At the 1 o'clock hour, it was time to attend the "The Roddenberry Vision - Is It Still There?" panel featuring Jim Brooks, Bjo Trimble (who I adore) and John Trimble. This Star Trek panel was very interesting and fulfilling to myself, and to all others in attendance. A good job was done by all the panelists. Then at 3 o'clock, it was finally time for the Opening Ceremonies, hosted by the very charismatic Liz Mortensen, and featuring Connie Willis, Alex Ross, Joe Siclari and Ed Green. (Wonderful job, Liz.)

At 4 o'clock, we were all treated to a reading by author Connie Willis, which left us all really fulfilled both emotionally and spiritually. She can really make her talks interesting, and I just love her flock of sheep. 5 o'clock brought us a very interesting panel called "May The Force Be With You", which featured the talents of Carol Ann Alvers, Sue Dawe and the magnificent Shaun Lyon, who discussed the history and influence of Star Wars.(A very interesting panel indeed.)

Then, as night rolled around, it was time for the afterdark parties and get-togethers. It all began at 7:30pm, when Hell Froze Over, and the many different flavors of ice cream were dispensed. What an inventive type of Ice Cream Social this was! There were devils, demons, a didjerie-doo player and all kinds of creatures everywhere. There were also some of the most creative toppings for desserts I have ever seen. (Mmm mmm good!) Following this event was the Ragnarock Dance, which was enjoyed by a good many people including myself. The one thing I have learned about science fiction fans is that they just love to dance, and dance they did… Long into the late hours of the evening.

Meanwhile, upstairs on the party floors, things were just getting started. So I changed into my casual party-wear and readied myself for a feeling of never-ending bliss, and oh was there bliss to be found! Our 1st stop on the tour was at my 2nd favorite party of the evening, Agamemcon's Mardi Gras-style party, which definitely had the best food spread that evening. Also, the atmosphere was light and energetic, with everyone in attendance receiving colorful sets of beads. Great job, Alec Orrock & Pam Buck, but then the 2 of you always have the best parties at conventions. (Way to go, kids!)

Moving down the hallway brought us to the Conolulu party, which was like entering a tropical paradise filled with good smells, tasty treats and very nice people. The pineapple was heavenly. Further down the hallway were a lot of other fine get-togethers, but nothing came close to the grand event which awaited us at the hallway's end. Outside the door was a large and festively happy Centauri Lord (Dave Scraggs) who welcomed us all with open arms and a sense of sincerity very uncommon among alien races.

Once inside, we were treated to the most enjoyable time I have ever had at any convention party. The food was sweet, the Centauri citizens festive and friendly, and the party games were out of this world! These games included "Pin The Attributes On The Emperor", which is very much like "Pin The Tail On The Donkey", only instead of a tail, you got to use a male Centauri's sexual organ. (I placed it on his right eye…….Oops!!) There was also "Bomb The Narn Homeworld", in which you got to throw Velcro balls onto a felt map of the planet Narn. (I did so bad I was labeled a Narn sympathizer.) Last, but not least, there were pictures from Babylon 5 all over the walls with paper below them on which you could write a saying that went with the photo above. (There were some weird entries, I must say.) Fantastic party, Dave Scraggs & Kit Russell, you truly know how to party! After that event, it was time to call it a night, and so ended Day One of LosCon.

Saturday, November 27th, 1999
(Day Two)

Morning arrived, and it was back to the hustle and bustle of LosCon XXVI. The morning was pretty quiet, probably because most of us were barely awake. I attended a few real nice panels including "Conventioning 101" with June Moffat, Alec Orrock and others, as well as "Is It Art?" with Scott Beckstead, Robert Hurt and others. Both were very interesting and full of great little tidbits of information. Plus it's always nice to hear Alec Orrock talk, he's very entertaining.

As the noon hour came upon us, I found myself heading to one of my favorite events of LosCon, "The Inevitable Floating Charity Auction" hosted by the impeccable David Gerrold. The man really knows how to run an auction, and I just love to bid on the stuff he brings. For the 2nd year in a row I attended this event with my friend Jill Sherwin, who also just loves to bid on things. It was a lot of fun. At the auction's end, I picked up my little treasures which I had been lucky enough to obtain, and headed off to another of the panels I really wanted to check out. This one was about "Working Under The Corporate Thumb," and featured John Vornholt, Jill Sherwin and Bryce Zabel. Great speakers equal great stories, and that is exactly what I got from this group. Congratulations, folks.

After that wonderful panel I felt full of information, so I decided to take a walk and visit the Art Show. I've heard it said that viewing good art will bring peace and tranquility to the soul. Well, it's true, because I really enjoyed myself in there, and even bid on some artwork. (Which I got.) The Art Show was definitely a winner. From there it was off to the "Mars Exploration Delights & Disappointments" panel, which was hosted by Robert Cesarone. As I am fascinated by the planet Mars, I found this talk to be very interesting, and even participated in the discussion.

After a short dinner break, it was time for Saturday's evening of entertainment. This began with "The American Save Our Nation Thanksgiving Day Telethon," hosted by The Enigma Players. Although this event was definitely better than the one they did at Conucopia in August, it still lacked the creativity and originality of their past endeavors (such as "The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe" at LosCon XXV in 1998). I did have fun at this event, dealing blackjack for the Time Meddlers in their little casino area. In fact, I was lucky enough to have the host for that evening, Tadao Tomamatsu, sit in for a few hands at my table. (Great guy, that Tadao.)

As the telethon wound down, I found myself heading up to the party floors again with some of my convention friends. Upon our arrival, the floor was in full swing, with more parties than I was able to count, and believe me… I tried. We started out Saturday night's tour de force of events at the Dead Man's Party hosted by of course, our good friends from Agamemcon Alec & Pam. This evening's events included a viewing of my favorite Babylon 5 episode, Day Of The Dead, great chicken and tortillas, the friendliest of people and the warmest of atmospheres. (It was the definite #1 party this night.) In fact, 2 really cool things occurred at that party: 1. Pam saw that my drink was empty and handed me a ¼-full bottle of Bacardi 151 rum, and 2. Spotting and then meeting David Allen Brooks. What a guy to come up and mingle with the guests, you just don't see that happen very often. (Way to go, David.)

Next, it was off to the Battlefield Earth party, where we were entertained by a video on the making of the upcoming movie starring John Travolta, and a fantastic spread of food and drink. A definite top-notch affair with wicked-tasting punch. (Boy, was I feeling good!) Our stop after that brought us to the Arizona 2002 Westercon Bid party, where we wolfed down some tasty tacos, enjoyed the great company and drank ourselves silly. After that we stumbled down the hall to several other parties, including the End Of The World party, the Charlotte 2004 Barbecue, and of course, the Centauri party, which was again the most popular and well-attended of all the get-togethers. I bribed my way in by slipping Lord Dragonetti a couple of Centauri ducats, which he took quickly and then made room for my group and I to enter. While there I actually got to witness author Larry Niven bombing the Narn Homeworld. (Too cool!) After that we all retired for the evening, thus bringing an end to Day Two.

Sunday, November 28th, 1999
(Day Three)

The Sun wasn't the only thing to rise that morning even though I was moving very slowly, but 2 cups of coffee later I was ready to embrace the day. Heading towards the 1st panel of the day, I noticed not too many people moving about. Obviously lots of people enjoyed themselves the prior evening and were not yet alive. So myself and a few others were the only guests sitting in on the "Media Vs Literature Character Development" panel with Mel Gilden, John Vornholt and others. Although the room was mostly empty, the discussion was well worth attending, and I learned quite a bit on developing characters for my writings.

As I left this event, I noticed that there was a few more people now moving about through the halls, so I traversed my way through them to the next panel. Upon arriving, I noticed that my fiancée Wendy Wiseman was already there waiting for me, so together we were able to enjoy "The Appeal Of Fanzines" panel with Len & June Moffat, Bruce Pelz and others. Of all the panels that weekend, this one meant the most to me, because I of course write a kind of fanzine. I really took a lot away from this panel, and want to thank its speakers so much for their advice.

Next up was the 1st of the 2 main events scheduled for Sunday, the Crusade panel. But before this began, I noticed that the 3 actors (Carrie Dobro, David Allen Brooks and Peter Woodward) were just sitting at the autograph table with nothing to do. So I went up to them and ended up having a wonderful little talk, and let them know just how much I really love Crusade. They were 3 of the nicest people I have ever met and I look forward to seeing them again at Gallifrey. The panel which followed was also just as wonderful, and their stories were even greater. (Thank you so much Carrie, David and Peter, we all love you.)

Taking the stage after this lively group was the only man who could follow such an act… The one, the only Joe Michael Straczynski, or JMS as we fans call him. His words kept us all spellbound as he wove them into stories before our very eyes. He even brought up some of the actors from the Crusade panel, and engaged in light banter with them. (Go Joe.) He was, of course, magnificent as always. When he had finished, I realized that the convention was soon coming to an end, and made one last pass through the Dealer's Room in search of a good deal or two. While I was doing that, I ran into Crusade writer Fiona Avery peddling her wares (scripts). We had a great little chat, and I ended up purchasing 2 of her scripts, which she signed to me with a smile. She is not only very beautiful on the outside, but she is also a real sweetheart on the inside. (Good luck Fiona, in whatever you do.)

Well, I hope that gives you an idea of the magnificent time I had at LosCon XXVI. I just can't wait until next year's convention. Thank you again, Liz Mortensen for creating such a wonderful event, I am truly in your debt. Till next time, this is Paul L. Steib saying Peace and I'm out…..

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