...Leave, that is.

At long last, it is the time of the Gathering, when loads of Trek fans -- some of whom by the grace of all that's holy actually get paid to indulge in their hobby/obsession/whatever -- make the pilgrimage to Baltimore for the annual Shore Leave convention. For 26 years, the volunteers behind this con have continuously produced what many believe to be the epitome of what a fan-run con should be. Having only attended one of these so far....well, that was all I needed to be convinced.

Kevin and I are making the trip again this year, and this time we're taking our wives so that we can throw them into the deep end of the fandom pool. That should make the nights interesting....

In addition to the "Meet the Pros" mass meet-n-greet on Friday night and discussion panels where we'll be rapping about the Star Trek: S.C.E. series as well as this year's A Time to... miniseries, we'll be crashing other panels and activities all over the hotel all weekend.

Then, of course, there's the bar.

There's always the bar.

It tasks me.

It tasks me, and I shall have it.

Anyway, why am I posting now, when the friggin' thing doesn't really start until Friday afternoon? Cuz I'm leaving...on a jet plane, and won't have a computer til I get back again.

In the meantime, feel free to talk amongst yourselves. Yes, both of you.