Once again, it's time for the item to discuss Confusion, the area's
oldest annual SF convention.  I think it's the weekend of January 21-23.
 
We had thought about going this year, until we found that Leslie has 
an audition that Sunday.  Talking loud at room parties, and being around
unpredictable quantities of smoke, don't go with a singing audition.
So we'll skip it, once again.  But *some* of you are certainly going, 
no?

31 responses total.

I'm planning on it.

Where, when, how much at the door? etc.

The Stilyagi Air Corps should have a web page with all the 
relevant information, and no I don't know the URL.

http://www.stilyagi.org/cons/confusion.html

(I do this every year, don't I?)

As well you should...

Yes, but every year, posting the same URL?
Folks can't read the previous year's item?

I am going. I think.

COngratulations to Robh for winning Babylon 5 jeopardy.

OK, it's over, correspondents file your convention reports *please*.

I won Babylon 5 Jeopardy.  >8)

        I won B5 Jeopardy at ConClave.  I got the Babylon Park video.

        For the first time in a long time, I stayed on Sunday becasue
there was something to do on Sunday.

Overall, ConFusion was a good con. I had something to do on Friday and Sunday,
which is unusual. The hotel was great. I loved the haggis. Chuck's Bubbleman
costume was also very memorable. 

   bubbleman was great.  did you see him jump in the pool?

I was there for both the "carpet of bubbles" in the dance hall, and
the jump into the pool.  Those were mong the high points of the con
for me!

Unfortunately, I missed both of those events. I've seen the pictures on
Chuck's web sit though.

I enjoyed the aftermath though. After Chuck changed, Tomak ran up wearing a
strip of bubble wrap as a cape, calling himself Bubble Boy. It was funny
watching him roaming the pool are looking for Bubble Man after Chuck told him
that Bubble Man was gone.

   hmmm.  tomak used to be scary.  has he mellowed out any?

He seems to have mellowed out to me.

I lived with him for a year, so I'm quite desensitized to him.

   he said some things in a truth or truth game at the northfield hilton
which inspired me to avoid him after that.  glad to hear he may have
settled down some.

Well, since the Confusion discussion seems to have settled down:

What's this news about Contraption?

Contraption is cancelled this year, due to poor management of the hotel. The
con chair decided to just cancel this year's con and prepare for next year's.

   apparently the hotel changed management last week or the week before
and refused to honor several terms in the contract.

   the new management was refusing to honor the contract, i mean.

Like their "no room party" policy, which would've driven a lot of people away
from the con.

Sue the bastards!  :)
 
Well, that stinks, especially coming so close to the con.  
Same thing happened at the Confusion in Novi, 4-5 years ago.

        The cons just are not as good at de-Hiltonizing hotels as they 
used to be.  The de-Hiltonized list includes the Plymouth Hilton, The
Southfield Hilton and a Troy Hilton (which was not only de-Hiltonized,
but de-built).

Could you explain de-Hiltonizing? I don't understand the term.

I'm upset with the cancellation of Contraption. Not only did I want a reason
to spend time with friends, I also wanted to meet Poppy Z. Brite and Hal
Clement. Oh well, maybe next year.

Hotels that are no longer part of the Hilton chain?

        After the cons where held at those hotels, the curse took over.
The owners changed, or they changed to another chain name.  Plymouth
Hilton (I think) was a best western before giving it all up and becoming
a retirement home or something like that.
        The string is longer that the few I remember, but NoVI Hilton 
seems to not been affected by the sf con curse.

Well, that's a pretty cursed hotel in its own right, from what I heard.

Actually, the Plymouth Hilton (where I went to a few cons, being a Plymouth
resident) became the Radisson for awhile, before it went out of business, and
became an eyesore for several years.  It is now a thriving "retirement
community".

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