Conventional Wisdom

First off, just as a reminder to anybody who either forgot or didn’t know, I HAVE camped out in the parking lot for cons before.  That’s not what I did here, though.  A big part of the reason why I keep adding Ichibancon to the convention rotation in the first place is because it’s still TECHNICALLY close enough for me to drive to without springing for a hotel room, and even if it’s time consuming, the commute is still less expensive AND less complicated to work out than getting a room.  The big problem, though, is parking.  I’ve mentioned this before, but Ichi has REALLY outgrown it’s current location, and more importantly, the location’s parking lot.  If you thought The Varus would scare enough people into staying home that the crowds would be lighter… well, it was a BIT lighter than 2020, but not enough to make the parking situation less of a problem.  Unless you were willing to park at a lot off-site, the only way to get a spot was to get in REALLY early, and that’s a lot trickier when you’re commuting in from a long way away in the first place.  Long story short, I had to turn up in Corncord several hours before the con actually started, with way too little sleep, and knowing I had more long drives ahead of me.  The answer?  Pre-Con Nap Time!  AND IT’S TOTALLY NOT THE SAME THING AS CAMPING!  I STILL GOT TO BATHE AT HOME ALL WEEKEND!  THAT’S A BIG DIFFERENCE!