gallifrey one 2012 in retrospect

Another Gallifrey One convention has come and gone. This was my third; as soon as you go once it's hard to miss a year. As Gally approached, and the hype reached its height the weekend before the con was to take place, I got news that my dad's wife was unresponsive in the hospital. While other people were planning panels, trading numbers, and packing costume pieces I was stressed out of my mind over her well-being. And on Tuesday, when people were on their way to the con and preparing for a weekend of nerdery and hangouts I got the news that she had passed away. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are a bit of a blur for me. I've never dealt with the death of a close family member in my adult life. And I am still filled with an incredible sense of guilt that I attended this big Doctor Who convention while my father was burying his wife, my step-mother, a friend of the family longer than I've been alive.

I found myself sitting quietly in the lobby for most of the weekend, when I wasn't on a panel or sitting half-attentively in someone else's. Chip's moving account on the power and family of Gally really got to me, because part of my own family had left us. And I'm still not entirely sure how I'm coping with it all. The stress of preparing for a panel in my research area (the music of Doctor Who), the game-face required when in constant contact with friends (and strangers) non-stop for four days, the constant buzz and noise of people who were committed to the experience while I felt like my mind and heart were in two places at once ...

Anyway, I don't want to dwell on the negative. But I'm having trouble feeling like Gally Was The Best Ever this year. Part of it may also be that my panel was on Friday, so I feel like my involvement ended early and the rest of the weekend was me killing time until I headed home. Not the most positive outlook, I know. But life has been weird lately.

I did really enjoy a few moments of the convention, like the "Doctor Who in the 60s" panel. William Russell! He was Doctor Who's first leading man. And this was his first Gallifrey One convention. He seemed so happy and had so many great stories. Toby Haynes was an absolute delight. Paul McGann is wee and adorable. People seemed to enjoy the music panel (that I'll be posting this week here) though I feel like I stole the mic most of the time. The Inspector Spacetime panel was a real highlight for me; probably the only time of the weekend that I really had fun, laughed heartily, and enjoyed every second.

You can take a look at the pictures I took on my flickr account. Stay tuned for an audio recording in the coming days here on my blog. And I promise to be more chipper next year.