Such events. So prep. Many busy.

Well, it's that time of year again.  The time when nearly every weekend has a Thing happening on it, and the few that don't are reserved for sleeping.  Don't any of you dare invite me to a Thing on this, the first weekend of July, because that is my last and most vital weekend on which to prepare for the onslaught.  And boy, howdy, do I need to prepare for this summer's events...

First up is this year's Freefall Game on July 12th-13th.  Freefall is an amazing Firefly/Serenity themed airsoft LARP hybrid run by the guy who taught me how to LARP in the first place.  This is its 8th year, so while it still definitely fits in the 'verse and flavor of everybody's favorite prematurely cancelled space western, it's also definitely taken on a life of its own and then some.  I've been playing (and occasionally helping brainstorm for) this game since year one, it's my favorite annual event, and most of my favorite gaming friends and event designers (and my fiancee) are people I've met at this game over the years.  I'm doing a lot less prep for this year's game than I have in the past, but for me, "less prep" just means "we already have everything we need to set up our 3-room compound with RFID-controlled locking doors, so all we have to do is load it in the truck."  I also moderate the game's official message board, which has been super quiet and needs more people to post on it.

Then on July 19th there's a Last Hope non-combat game in Mauston, WI...  I really hope to make it to this thing, because the last time I made it to an event was in February (and before that, October), and I'm starting to feel like a poser.  But it will really depend on how strapped for prep time I feel, because...

...Elmholm Colony of LarpCraft is having its premiere event on the 26th, and I've agreed to vend at said event.  I was a little hesitant when first considering it, because of how soon this event is coming up (and how many other things I'm trying to do at the same time), so I don't know that I'll have much more to offer than I did at the Deeplight premiere, but I'm starting to get really excited about it.  I feel like I actually have some idea what I'm doing this time around, so even if I only have time to add a few little things to my inventory (I'm thinking that slipcovers to disguise 3-ring binders and notebooks would go over really well) and improve my signage, it will still be great to go in and set up with just those couple tweaks made and see what happens.

Brief respite... a whole two consecutive weekends of not hauling costumes and props with us.  Not totally empty weekends, mind, one of them has a wedding in it, but it's local, so it doesn't really cut into my prep time for...

*dun dun dun*

GENCON.  Hoo boy.  As I mentioned last entry, I'm going to be helping run the Here At The End demo event, "One Man's Trash," at GenCon Indy this year.  Strictly speaking, my fiancee and I are there as trusted warm bodies, and Extreme Event Prep is mostly optional and self-imposed, but dammit, I want this to go spectacularly well.  So a lot of back-burner projects for H.A.T.E. are getting moved right up to the front in an effort to make everything look as cool as possible.  And, since I'm going to be in a (admittedly rather small) spotlight whilst wearing garb I've made, it would be severely foolish of me NOT to bring a large stack of business cards... which means I need to put on my graphic design hat for newer, more detailed business cards (my current ones just have my email and portfolio site addresses on them), and then my web design hat to make sure all of my various websites are properly updated before the (hopeful) traffic increase.  Which doesn't sound like a lot, but there are a bunch of little fiddly bits to each task that can make it all hugely time-consuming.

And then, Deeplight is having its second event, a whole three days after we get home from the con.  So all the stuff I'll be scrambling around getting ready for GenCon?  That's all going to be happening during so-called "breaks" from building inventory and assimilating any shop-running lessons I learn at Elmholm.

I'm pretty sure that September is rather busy, too, but two months is as far in the future as I care to do any detailed planning...  I also have two commissioned gambesons in progress with nebulous deadlines somewhere in the middle of all this, and I'm halfway through replacing the shelves in my fabric closet (rendering my sewing room slightly unusable for the time being due to the sea of fabric adorning every surface).  Challenge: accepted.  Wish me luck!