Current location:	Office
Current mood:	happy

Discworld Convention 2008
This was the first Convention we have missed. In previous years I'd either been the chairman or spent the weekend dealing our Discworld Merchandise and beer. But, as we are now moving out of the DW product lines and were really trading there was no real reason to go for the whole event (this feeling was later proved to be incorrect). The Convention programme wasn't a real draw - not that it wasn't full and varied, but I'm not that sort of convention attendee.

We did, however, take the opportunity to travel to Birmingham for a day to meet Lyra - Colm & Claire's daugther who is slightly younger than Millie. It is amazing that in the two years since they were both born, we haven't managed to get together.

We arrived after an incident free journey to find a very nice hotel bar and reception area - spacious enough that the normal hotel guests were able to sit unmolested by roaming gangs of convention attendees.

I'll admit to be slightly apprehensive about turning up at the Convention. Within a very short period of time, those apprehensions disappeared. We got some drinks, went and found a place to sit on some of the sofas out of the way and were saw Colin Smythe, who came and said hello. A little later, Tom, Simes and Colm arrived followed by Claire and Lyra. And then Charles, Rachel and Tony's little one, with Rachel in tow. Others came, others sat. It was delightful.

A very pleasant catch up with friends before going off to get lunch and catch up properly with fewer distractions.

Millie was a delight throughout - happy, inquisitive, social - with everyone and had great fun. She interacted very well with the other kids and adults. Lyra and her acknowleged each others existance, and later spent time shouting at the TV together. I hope we can spend more time with the three of them in the future.

Later in the afternoon we returned to the bar. I went off to change Millie - the nearest baby changing facility seeming to be in a different hotel - it was so far away and involved wandering past an Indian wedding taking place in one of the other function rooms. I got lost on the way back and wandered into the main drag of the Convention in error. Walking back, I was regonised by and said hello to a *lot* of people, including Bruce & Joann in passing. I also ran into Rob Wilkins, with whom relations have been strained and distant for a few months. We had a perfectly pleasant chat, he asked if I had seen Terry and wanted to know if I was here for a programme item. I just looked blankly at him - I knew very little of the Convention. I have since found out that he was refering to "Disk is your World", a This is your life style item. I explained we were only visiting friends and that I didn't know what he meant. He also asked if I'd seen TP, and when I said I hadn't he suggested going to say "hello" as TP was in the Green Room. So, Millie got to meet TP and I said hello. He insisted on getting my name wrong - which is *really* *really* annoying. But hey, if that's how he wants to have some fun, I say let him - I'm big enough and ugly enough to not let it concern me beyond annoyance. I know he knows I have changed my name. We then went back to what we had come to do - spend time with Friends.

I think I need to explain a bit more about that moment. It felt uncomfortable being in there - awkward talking to TP - what could I say? "Hi, we haven't spoekn for months, having been in contact weekly if not daily for a long period of time (years), I'm pissed about what happened with the brewery sale and wanted nothing to do with Discworld - that was a knee jerk reaction and I should learn to control my temper and if I could turn back time to correct the errors of the past I would?" Not really appropriate conversation at his Convention - I no he had other things on his mind.

Later, when, wrapped up in a bit of fun implimented by MEG, I pitched up in the Green Room with the other ex-chairman, Colm, to lurk over the shoulder of Bruce and "tut" in well meaning observations. The discomfort got worse - so I quickly left and went back to my friends and family.

Millie continued to be well mannered and happy all afternoon. She wanted to roam around the hotel lobby and bar and as a result of following her I encountered many faces from the past - many friendly faces whom I got to have a chat with - some brief, some longer, but all pleasant. They got to meet Millie, she got to wow them and at one point was being driven around on a mobility scooter, with much delight, for both her and Chris Ward who was driving the scooter.

We left very late, but had a good trip back home. Bouyed by the enjoyable afternoon and evening which turned out to be less difficult than both Karen and I had expected it to be. I think we could have coped with just being there as attendees, as to the next one, who knows. I'd prefer to make sure we see our friends outside the Convention rather than waiting until it comes around again and having to go there for separate reasons.

I had originally told Karen that I wouldn't go anywhere near the Convention. I felt so strongly that by going I'd be dragging up so much of the past unhappiness. Why the change of heart - it has to do with this guy: Randy Pausch (http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/). Until a few weeks back, I'd never heard of him. I wish I had known of him sooner, becasue the first I heard, he had died - terminal pancreatic Cancer took him at 47. I watched his last lecture, brought and read his book and it changed my outlook on life. I decided that life is too short to deny yourself pleasures over the past. It is not the things you did you regret on your death bed, but those you didn't have the time or the guts to do.

I'm sure I've generated some bad karma in my time. I shall do what I can to address the balance and if you know me, help me and tell me if I have done something to generate it with you. I hope that makes me a better person.

Finally, before I found the whole last lecture thing, I'd been thinking about life as I approached 40 and decided I wanted to do something amazing. So, the 40 feats were born and my entry into next year's London Marathon (No. 2). No. 1 on the list is to raise £4m for 4 different charities. ONly a few of them are filled, and the search for others continues. I hope to drag my darling wife in on a few of them. You might have something to suggest? This might take 40 years, but what the hell, it will give me something to tell the grand kids when (if) they come along and will keep me away from Discworld Conventions.

In preparation for the Marathon next year, I'm running 10k in October. I would appriciate your support - not just financial - anything you can do. See: http://www.run10ksponsorme.org/paulkruzycki for details.

Edited the slip - we're not in 2010 yet :-)