FilKONtario, Ontario’s Filk Music Convention is only two weeks away. This year the con is April 20 – 22, 2012.
There are still some rooms available in the convention room block as of today, but not many. For more information on the convention, please visit the website.
Filk is the music of science fiction and fantasy, but also includes songs about cats, computers, and um, other things. One definition of filk is that it is what Filkers do. Instruments are usually portable. It is hard to lug a grand piano onto an airplane …
My wife, the Proprietor of Moments in Time – Quilted by Heather is donating a music themed quilt to the Silent Auction being held on the Saturday night after the Banquet at FilKONtario (see the wikipedia page here for an explanation of FilKONtario, and also for an explanation of FILK).
Disclosure – if you read the FilKONtario Wikipedia entry, you’ll see my name listed as a member of the organizing committee for many years. While I no longer help run the con, my friends do, and yes, I like helping them out. I’m also the person responsible for the FilKONtario Wikipedia page. I resurrected it after deletion, fought for it’s retention, and then when I got tired of fighting a bunch of jobsworths alone, screamed for help. I got it, and the deletion commentary is now a fixed part of Wikipedia history.
All of which are side issues. The issue is the quilt.
The FilKONtario Music Quilt
Which is a gorgeous quilt. (full size image here).
The FilKONtario Music Quilt
And of course the auction is only open to attendees of FilKONtario (full size image here).
The FilKONtario Music Quilt
Full size image here. There will of course be a wide range of other items at the auction. In past years we’ve had classic music tapes – a copy of Julia Eclar’s Horsetamer’s Daughter went for $800.00 Canadian one memorable year. Here’s a link to the song’s lyrics, and here’s some information on the tape itself. Due to the sad dissolution of Off Centaur Publications, a lot of classic filk is no longer available. I hate licensing issues.
The FilKONtario Music Quilt
Full size image here. Would that be a wonderful quilt to have on your feet during a cold winter night?
The FilKONtario Music Quilt
Full size image here. So if you are still wavering about coming to FilKONtario, now you have another reason to come, to bid on the quilt.
The FilKONtario Music Quilt
Full size image here. I’ve decided that I will be attending. It comes down to a choice. Be in pain at home. Be in pain at a hotel. I’m going to hurt no matter what, and I hardly ever get out of the house, so I might as well make an exception. Besides, if the pain gets bad, I can always go lie down. Hotel rooms have beds, right?
The FilKONtario Music Quilt
Full sized image here. The quilt as shown is about 85% complete. Most of what remains to be done is minor detail work.
And of course it’s a one of a kind. You’ll never see another one exactly like this. Remember, FilKONtario 21, is April 1 – 3, 2011 – that’s less than three weeks away.
Like music? Like music about Free Software and Computers? Like Music about Babylon 5, Star Trek, Firefly, Cats, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and just about anything else that Filkers do?
I’m not doing FilKONtario this year. I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and it’s just not practical. There’s just too much walking at the hotel, and not enough places where I can sit comfortably. Heather suggested that I just park myself in the main function space, but the chairs in there aren’t comfortable. If I get to the point where I need to get to something comfortable, i.e. lie down, the rooms are way across the hotel, and inconvenient to get to.
So Heather and Vicky are going, I’m staying at home.
I’ve had several responses from people about the Wikipedia filk article, including some people that I hadn’t heard from in years, which is good, but we really need more of the community involved (note I haven’t heard from Sherman on how many have contacted him). So come on over, and lend a hand.
In my spare time, I’ve been doing some editing at Wikipedia on subjects that I have an interest (such as emissions control systems for internal combustion engines). Of course one of my areas of interest is Filk.
At present there is a disagreement (not serious) about the way the entry on Wikipedia should go. During a discussion with one of the other editors he mentioned the idea of soliciting more community involvement, specifically at Live Journal and in REC.MUSIC.FILK. So, I’m asking everyone to come take a look at what we’ve got, and to pass on the request to everyone else you know who is active in the Filk community. The Filk page is at:
Through the Looking Glass 
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