Current Post On Trae’s Blog:
My grandmother died last night. This wasn't a shock or a surprise. Her health has been on the decline, and she's been in hospice for the last month. She lived a long life, and in her final days she was surrounded by her three adult children.
My grandma was a kind woman. She wasn't perfect, but I always felt loved in her presence. She was a retired kindergarten teacher, and was still working when I was a kid. I have so many happy memories sitting at her kitchen table, and I'm going to carry those with me for the rest of my life. She was also proof that anyone who claims that you get more conservative as you get older is full of shit, because she certainly didn't.
I think it's interesting how the body processes grief sometimes. I don't know that I'll cry, but over the past month, knowing this was coming, I've felt a tension in my gut. Now that she's passed, instead of relief that tension is replaced by a sense of emptiness. That something is missing that should still be there. Something has been taken away, and I feel it.
Of course, as I wrote that, I immediately started crying... so I guess my body processes grief in pretty ordinary ways too.
I wanted to come up with something profound linking this to Beltane, which we sit in the middle of right now, but it just seemed hackneyed. Like I was trying to dig out some greater significance when the truth is death comes whenever it wants. The only predictable thing about it is that it's the end of all of our journeys. I hope that when I pass I'm so lucky to have lived such a long life with people that I love around me in my final days.
For the record, I will be fine. I just needed to get these words out while they were still in my head. I don't have some rousing conclusion or deep insight to tack on here at the end, just that gut feeling that something is missing.
Because it is.
![Nerd & Tie[dot]Social Forums](https://www.nerdandtie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/natsocial-nicepreview-square-300x300.png)
You know that old saying: “Don’t shit where you work.” With the advent of social media, it’s more relevant than ever.
Calling up Jim to taunt him is one option. Another is for Maggie to call up her VGR friend at Unagi with “Hey, just a heads up, your boss is insulting Bork Con online and associating with a dude who stalked some of our staff. I don’t think I’ll be able to get our board to renew our equipment sharing agreement this year.” Let Unagi learn about it from someone other than Jim so he can’t spin it, and let him stew for a week before you actually bring the hammer down.
I got the impression that she’s going to enjoy telling him that Bork Con will no longer work with them under the circumstances, but not necessarily taunt him. Heck, calling someone up to tell them, “Hey, I know what you’re doing and as a result, I’m no longer interested in doing business with you. Goodbye,” is gratifying on its own.
That said, I’m pretty sure Ruth and Sarah say that Jim and Terrence didn’t do anything to hide who they are the Facebook page and are obvious admins, meaning that there isn’t much Jim can do to spin it. The evidence to the contrary is already out there and even if he deletes the page, the Internet never forgets. Someone’s definitely taking screenshots and documenting the whole thing, especially since information about con drama spreads quickly among conventions.
Which is funny, because the creator’s Nerd & Tie has a section for reporting on public con news and incidents. And it’s hard to argue with a site that seems to have a pretty good reputation for honesty and thorough research.
Bork con had every reason to cancel any agreements with Unagi Con after Jim’s attitude at Wakame Con. There’d be no way I’d want to trust him or his con with Bork Con stuff.
Jim has a year to come up with other arrangements, however, which means a lot of out-of-pocket expenses for Unagi con in addition to replacing Lynn and Garner. It doesn’t bode well for Jim that he has willingly gotten sucked into moderating a FB group dedicated to hating on Bork Con. He has a crap ton more work to do this year than probably in the previous 5 years to get Unagi con ready for next year. If the Unagi con is a disaster because Jim spent his time trying to get even with Lynn, his long reign at Unagi con is likely to be over.