ACCOZZAGLIA

okay — the last night of the convention.

it’s an all-nighter for me, and well, while things are quite in motion still here in the smoking con suite, the timbre this year has been a whole lot more downtempo and sedate than in years past.

then again, i think said this exact same thing last year.

perhaps this is part of the curve in convention evolution where things will never be as energized and exciting as they once were. kinda like being in awe with santa claus as a three year-old, versus when you’re pretending that he’s a real being once you know the truth, but your younger sibs don’t yet. and, well, you still have to play along.

i’ll go to CONvergence next year, but by then, i’ll be prepping to move, or else i’ll already be gone, should svairini end up leaving for san ho for sure in september. i mean, what’s the point of staying here? stale is fresh here, and well, while that might be for some just big roger-D and dandy, it’s simply not enough to placate me.

(ooh. a rhyme.)

i come here for the people. i don’t attend panels, i don’t role play or geek out on networked multiplayer gaming escapades (fuck if i’d know what to do with that stuff, anyway). and as i learned tonight, i suck rocks at DDR. SUCK ROX BAD K THX.

but it’s the sheer freak factor that draws me back every year. by this, of course, i’m referring to the individually-minded people who have similarly sustained a lifetime of being a misfit for being too intelligent, too creative, too imaginative, too queer, too ADD or too unique for others’ own good. this is by no means inclusive, but it gets the general gist across at this absurd hour.

* * * two hours later * * *

it’s now 6am. i’m sitting atop of the staircase on the 23rd floor that simply isn’t. you can’t access the roof here, and i doubt you really can do that anywhere in this facility. but, as per a tradition that skaht and his circle partake each year at sunrise on the sunday of this event — by climbing every step from the second floor (in their case, usually coming down off the X peak) — i climbed alone to the top. even though i saw skaht about fifteen minutes before i arrived at the end of the staircase, i’m not really certain if his crew have already been up here yet.

traditionally, once they arrive, somebody (usually skaht) will pick up cali and lift her to this metal emergency lighting box to affix one sticker or magnet. then, they usually sit up here for about fifteen minutes, saying a few things hither and thither in the otherwise meditative silence. this ritual is their way, i suppose, for putting closure on another year at CONvergence.

if you have never seen skaht and his gang before, you’d note them for their distinctive unique amalgamation of post-goth, industrial, trance, clubkid, geek, dj, artist and counterculture inspirations. however, while they appear exotic to many, they are rather heavy on convention that would really surprise most of the people who understand them least. in fact, they are rather conventional in their rhythm of routine, which makes them a walking paradox in a way.

skaht will always be my friend. he attended and took notes at both higher court hearings in 2000 and 2001. he is passionate about spinning music and creating event concepts that others can also enjoy. he is forward-thinking. skaht is unique amongst many i’ve known in my life, and he certainly stands out from his circle.

however, where he and i are liable to drift over time is over the differences we have in pursuing tradition (something inherently a part of him), versus always reaching into the unpredictable void of the unforeseen (gee. guess the fuck who).

anyhow, they must have come here already this year. the 33.3 circle symbol from 1999 is on the box, as are the stickers “Bio Hazard”, “glowing area”, “thing”, “secret” and “label”. i’ll have to ask which one was the 2002 theme.

* * *

final note: unless i’m smoking northside crack tonight, i believe that it was a year ago this week that princessozma and i met. so, so much has happened to both of us since, and far and above, perhaps the most important person i’ve come to know and invite into my life since the last convention. she knows how important a role she plays in my life now, and she is aware that i have no doubts about this being a lifetime affair — inevitably, inextricably and inseparably so.

and so, a toast here to bricks: may they only be used for building structures. not for peeing in the kiddie pool.