On DragonCon

Yesterday afternoon, I handed over my DragonCon room reservations to a friend – because I finally decided that this year, I won't be attending.

I'd first begun to waffle when I got word that my guest application had been declined, which was startling, since 've been accepted as a guest every year for about a decade.* But it wasn't the end of the world or anything. After the epic, exhausting over-scheduling of last year, the prospect of showing up with no responsibilities whatsoever … sounded like a pretty cool deal, actually.

But then again, if I'm not a guest and not on any programming, it's a little iffier as a tax write-off … which would mean we'd likely end up eating the full cost of attending – usually about $2000-$3000 after airfare for two from Seattle, food, transportation, and four nights in the hotel. (The convention has never paid our flight or board; it's something we have to budget for.)

So you can understand why I'd be unsure about it.

Still, I sat on the fence. After all, DragonCon is the one time every year when I get to return to the southeast and see my old friends – and it's something I've traditionally looked forward to a great deal. So, you may be wondering, what tipped me from "Maybe" into "Maybe next year"?

Two things. (1). All this freaking travel, and (2). the new job I've picked up in California.

The truth is, I'm tired. I'm happy for the opportunity to do so much cool stuff on the road, but I'm just about worn out; and I still have Atlanta, D.C., and Phoenix to do in the next six weeks, plus (I predict) another couple of trips to San Francisco wedged in there someplace.** And if all goes well, once summer comes around I'll be at the beck and call of California on a more rigorous basis. My new bosses have been very laid back about working around my existing schedule – but I'd like to keep the next stretch as open for them as possible.

One day, I will get to blab about this project. One day. But until then, I just have to say that yes, it is exactly awesome enough for me to prioritize it over a convention schedule for awhile. (Particularly since I still have about 3/4 of a novel to write before the middle of September, too.)

Anyway. People have begun to ask how come I'm not on the guest list, and now you know. My apologies to those who expected to see me at DragonCon, and best wishes to those of you who do attend, as guests or otherwise. It's a marvelous party, and I wish it well.

Maybe I'll be back in 2012!

* No, I don't know why. I've heard rumors of attempts to cap the guest count; but beyond that, I've not a clue.

** Though San Francisco isn't such a big deal from Seattle. It's a plane ride of less than 2 hours, and it's in my native time zone – which makes a HUGE difference.

[Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]