Today was simple, and far shorter than all the other days. I’m now home and catching up on email and other tasks that got backed up while I was gone. Thankfully, I planned ahead and took Monday off from work when I signed up for the time off, so I can unwind before getting back to the grind on Tuesday.

Of course, I started by getting up, getting showered and dressed, and taking my stuff to the car, and going to the con.

I went to the TSR artists that were present, and bought something from each of them. My brother, Robert, is quite talented, but doesn’t want to do what it takes to make money with his art. I showed a picture of a print of a picture he did and all of the artists commented on how much they liked it. I’ll have to tell him, if I can ever catch him awake. He works third shift, so we’re not on the same schedule.

Unfortunately, Darlene wasn’t there, and I had hoped to buy one of her prints.

I bought several originals from Jeff Easley. Three of them were originally for a Canadian company that went bust and never paid him.  Thus, he retained all rights, and actually signed over the rights to me! All I did was ask, and he said, “Sure, you can do whatever you want with them.” I asked him to sign something, just in case, and he did! I am numb! Of course, I told Jeff that whatever I do with them, I’ll send him a free sample of each. I’ll be doing t-shirts as soon as I get them scanned and figure out which online service will best meet my needs. My youngest son, who’s 19, lives with me and said his friends would all be interested. That was something I thought of on the drive home, give shirts to my sons so all their friends see them. I hope to at least pay for all the art I bought today….

I also bought three prints from PAV and one from Jeff Butler, and the first volume of Larry Elmore’s collected works. Larry Elmore liked that my name is Larry. He started a dedication and signing it, and I said, “I better pay for that since he’s almost done.” Then Elmore said something like, “That Elmore’s such an egotistical &%$%^.” LOL

I also bought the GaryCon VIII module, and Jeff Butler signed the cover, the same cover as the program, which he also signed.

I then attended a session by Tim Kask on Riding the Rocket: TSR’s First 5 Years. I missed the first twenty minutes or so, but I enjoyed it immensely. Tim recommended that we read the book Orcs, and that it changed his view on orcs, and that he no longer sees them as just meat sacks.

Pat Kilbane filmed Tim’s presentation for use in his D&D Documentary. I had the honor of asking the last question, “What was the thing you like best about working at TSR, and what was the thing you liked least or might want to do differently in hindsight?” Others besides Pat also recorded his response on video, I wish I had. Basically, he voiced his disapproval of the Blume’s business acumen. He said that he loved working with Gary and having so much fun. The second thing he liked was the opportunity to go back to teaching.

I managed to get a few more signatures in my program guide, but I missed several. However, I was not disappointed. I got the ones that I really wanted, and that meant the most to me.

I had a blast and plan to go next year.

GaryCon Day 0, GaryCon Day 1, GaryCon Day 2, GaryCon Day 3, GaryCon Day 4, Gary Con Wrap Up