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Travelogue

Origins 2004

June 2004

I had a really fun time at this year's Origins, a big game convention in Columbus Ohio. Looney Labs ran over 130 events and it was a big success!

Instead of packing myself into the Looney van, this time I traveled with Dave Chalker, Kory Heath and Chris Welsh. In the car we talked about better ways to characterize pessimism/optimism, benign games vs. pathological games, and other fun stuff.

Looney Labs won another Origins Award, this time for Zendo (yay Kory)!

Most of my days were spent in the booth, but in the evenings I visited with people I don't see often enough: Mike Sugarbaker, Dave Choat, Russell Grieshop and Maria Galloway. It was also great to catch up with Jesse Welton, Dan and 'Becca, and to meet or get to know many more Rabbits, like Jooooolia, Clark and Carol!

CLICK thumbnails to enlarge:

1. The Nazgul Bunny (Colleen) and Maria Galloway. I had a great time meeting and hanging out with Maria this Origins. She's a good friend of Russell's and we took a belly dancing seminar together one morning. Colleen — the black rabbit — fell asleep at the wheel on the way home, but survived the crash okay (her truck was totaled). Whew! Maybe sleep is for the wise?
2. Rich Potter juggles for my amusement. Rich came along to help out at the Play Again Games booth to promote Kory Heath's latest game, Why Did the Chicken?
3 & 4. Greykell Dutton hams it up in her wire crown, while her son Nikolai reorganizes our promo cards.

5 & 6. Carol Townsend demos Fluxx to a table of newbies, including our newest Mad Lab Rabbits (which we stole from a weekend of Pokemon competitions): Renee (at back) and her son in the foreground. Meanwhile Josh Drobina plays a pyramid game at a nearby table.
7. Eric Zuckerman (in the samurai outfit) and Elliot Evans chat at the edge of the Giant Pyramid Arena.
8. After Maria and I showed Clark Rodeffer a yoga move, he decides to try it out.

9 & 10. Petra charms the devil! Actually, this is a friend we all met at last year's Origins, when he was walking about wearing nearly white contact lenses. Petra's pyramid headdress this year was a watery scene complete with sunken ship and fish. Petra glitters in her jewels and latest fingernail design.

11. Kory Heath and Andy Looney accept an Origins award for Zendo.

12-14. Eric Zuckerman won the Annaul Icehouse Tournament! He was thrilled beyond words.

More scenes in The Lab:
15. Alison helps this tyke set up his Little Experiment Badge, which he was very eager to obtain.
16. A meeting of Top Rabbits (I think … I don't know what was going on).
17. Jesse Welton and Dave Chalker survey The Lab as they converse.
18. A spontaneous group shot of Mad Lab Rabbits. At least 10 people were not represented.

19-22. There were two other big events going on just outside the Convention Center that weekend, a Community Festival (where I found a new bellydancing scarf, and presented two booths with copies of Stoner Fluxx) and this Gay Pride Parade. As the parade passed, a large group of us stood on the sidewalk, cheering and collecting tossed freebies like lubricant, bottled water, stickers and fans.