A few more comments on the Filkcon idea

	[Please forgive any errors below but I'm running without
	an editor this week since I can't get my Mom's terminal
	program to cooperate with emacs.  Normally, I prefer 
	writing my more serious items with one, and I can't get
	to some of the files I really need to work on at all; but
	I didn't want to leave this topic hanging any longer, so
	here goes.]

	Since it seems like the holidays have taken the steam out
	of our discussion of holding a filkcon in the NW while I
	was on vacation, this may be kind of coming out of left 
	field; but there were a couple of final points I wished
	to respond to:



	(1) "A preliminary concom meeting" = Clarrise suggested her


	place in Jan, but that doesn't appear to be workable for most
	of us.  I think Anne's idea of doing it at Rustycon (and 
	maybe subsequently at Norwes or Wester if there's the interest)
	might be a better idea:  a time & place at least some of us
	will already be, without having to make any extra effort at
	this early stage.  I'm only going to be at the con on Sat,
	and I'm not sure who all else is coming (Dixon, Jeff, Anne,
	who else?); but if someone has a room and wants to advertise
	a time, we could chat.  (Or given how dead this con is likely
	to be, we might be able to find an empty panel room to do so.
	Just put the word out on the signboards, and at any filk 
	dealer's table.)



	(2) Larry C & the Bar Idea = Thanks for all of your input and


	continued participation in this discussion.  That info you 
	provided about how bars work was something I wasn't too familiar
	with.  Let's keep it in mind for a future con where we're 
	pressed for space.  (Rusty won't have that problem this year,
	and for other reasons I hope Wester won't either; and I don't
	think the bars at Norwes or Ory's current sites are very well	
	designed for this purpose; but who knows.)  It would take some
	talented negotiation with the hotel, which means having a con
	hotel liaison supportive of filking; but that's not an insur-
	montable problem.  As you said, more performance oriented 
	concerts would be better here; ideally done by some of the 
	filkers who are accustomed to singing in that kind of venue.



	(3) An Outside Pavilion = As Jeff pointed out, Westercon is 


	located in the middle of downtown this year so a tent is not
	a viable option there.  (Thanks, Jeff.)  The idea has been 
	used at other summer cons in the past, often either as an 
	area for smokers or for the gamers, when there just wasn't
	space in the hotel to fit everything and the con decided the
	expense was worth it.  Generally, the "banished" group in
	question has complained, but I think they would have complained
	more if they hadn't been given any space; and if the filkers
	voluntarily said they wanted this, that might reduce the
	resistance by the committee.  The big problem here is that with
	Seattle/Portland's weather, a con between June & August is the
	only time you could use this idea; maybe a bit on either side,
	but that's getting chancy, and Norwes is the end of March, and
	Ory the middle of Nov.  But maybe sometime in the future it
	would be workable if another con moves into that slot.  (Portions
	of the parking garage have also been used at previous cons: For
	gaming back in the early years of Dreamcon, and for Dealer's &
	Art Show at Westercon 46, though the latter was an expensive 
	pain in the butt.  This has the advantage of being less dependent
	on the weather, but parking is often at such a premium at cons
	anymore there isn't the space.)



	(4) C4WINDS Playing Relay = Thanks!  Too many of us don't have


	the time to read the Usenet discussions, so I really appreciate
	you forwarding what they're saying about our idea to this list.
	Please continue to do so if you can.  (And thanks for adding
	who it was, who was talking, makes things much easier to follow.)



	(5) Email Addresses = Many of you already append yours to the


	end of your messages, and I know part of the method in designing
	mailing lists is to preserve the sender's anonymity, but I would
	encourage you to consider whether you might want to put yours on
	your future posts.  For me it is much easier to follow a conversation,
	if I can read who's saying what, especially when people are quoting
	portions of other messages back in their essay.  It also gives folks
	the option of responding to something you said in private email,
	which at times is more appropriate.  Just my $0.02.

	Ok, I think that's it for now.  See?  Only a "short story" this
	time around. :)  I'm glad so many of you appreciated me posting
	"Christmas in the Trenches", I was hoping you wouldn't be sick 
	of such music.  Thanks to those of you who told me where I can 
	find it, because I like tunes in that genre; and KOMO radio will
	be pleased to find out albums exist since they get so many call 
	for it every year.  Happy New Year!

					Quarong