First things first: Welcome to year nine of Confessions of a Neowhovian (~throws confetti~ ~releases “Happy Blog Birthday” balloons~)!
As I look through my posts, I realize that I haven’t reported back regularly to my readers about the happenings at my local con these past few years. I can understand why I’ve done it that way; after the first couple of years, my attendance at CONsole Room has been a bit more casual. I don’t have anything particularly scintillating, like photos with the guests or even my own cosplays, to share.
But although I haven’t ignored it completely, mentioning CONsole Room in passing from time to time, I thought I should be a bit more formal about it this year—especially as CONsole Room has moved from May to January.
As usual, experiencing it as a commuter con colors my perceptions of CONsole Room, as does the added factor of bringing my daughters along. There were plenty of panels and activities that, had I been a “captive audience” for the con, I would gladly have attended, and almost certainly would have enjoyed. Given my personal constraints, though, this year my attendance was limited to Saturday and a single Friday evening panel.
Because the girls had school on Friday, even though there were panels they would’ve enjoyed earlier, we opted not to bust our butts to get across town until after we’d had some dinner. We arrived in time to get our badges from Con Ops and make it to the “Finally, a Female Doctor!” panel, which the girls had particularly wanted to attend. Familiar faces both on the panel and in the audience made for a lively discussion that turned out to be just what I needed to adjust my post-holiday I-donwanna attitude and get me in the mood for more con-going the next day.
Two things drove our planning: the girls’ preferences and my panel schedule. We started Saturday off at the Mainstage with a commentary, so the girls had a chance to see guest Neve McIntosh (Madam Vastra). Although they showed the entirety of Deep Breath so that the panel ran over by nearly half an hour, it was a good time.
However, the overage changed our plans for the following time slot, and we wandered the Dealers Room and grabbed some midday snacks in the Con Suite instead. By the time we’d finished eating, I knew we had to go back to the Dealers Room. I’d realized I couldn’t possibly leave without making a purchase: the Whittaker Barbie doll. (I’d originally preordered it from Forbidden Planet, but when they told me they wanted more for shipping than for the doll, I canceled.) It was a little awkward carrying her around the rest of the day, but she looks damn hot on my mantel next to Uhura and Wonder Woman!
At this point, the girls and I split up. I was on the “Series 11: What Did We Think?” panel, and since we’d discussed a lot of that at the previous evening’s panel, they prioritized the chance to see Katy Manning (Jo Grant). They tell me that although Katy was late for the commentary on The Sarah Jane Adventures: Death of the Doctor because she was too busy hugging everyone backstage (classic Katy), they enjoyed it a lot. “She’s very… bubbly,” one of them reported, and I had to laugh. Accurate.
We followed our plan for the next couple of slots, seeing “Historical Accuracy in Doctor Who” before checking out the “Last Time Agent Standing Trivia” game, where the girls learned the hard way that following Mom’s lead didn’t always get the right answer. I never made it to the end of a round—there were too many obscure things that I either had no idea about or had completely forgotten—but I had a lot of fun. I’ll be sure to look for that game again in the future.
Although we’d planned to attend the “Diversity in Doctor Who” panel before ending the girls’ day and going home for dinner, they decided they were kind of done by that point. (Con-going is tiring!) We took another stroll around the Dealers Room, checked out Artists Alley, and called it done.
While I returned for a final evening panel (“Talkin’ ‘Bout Regenerations”) later Saturday night, we all concurred that there was nothing compelling enough to pull us out of our usual routine and bring us back to the Hilton for another go on Sunday. Thus our short-and-sweet CONsole Room 2019 came to an end.
The new January placement—mere days after New Year’s—made this year’s timing feel super awkward to me. Not only was it just six weeks before my usual major con trip, but the kids had only been back in school for three days—and I certainly wasn’t recovered from the holidays. As I thought about CONsole Room pending, I cringed at the thought of the effort it would take to get us there and the mental energy I’d have to spend.
But once I was there, it was a good experience—as it always is. I like seeing some of the same faces, getting to know new ones, and sharing opinions and insights into the show we all love. In particular, I’d have to say the regenerations panel yielded one of the best discussions I’ve participated in in months (shout-out to my co-panelists Bruce Rehberg and Christopher Bahn for bringing some great ideas to light).
So while the dead of winter in Minnesota might not be the ideal time for casual con-going, it’s not going to deter me. I hope to see some of you there next year!