The Penny Arcade Expo this year was even better than last year, despite the crowding that has resulted from being consistently awesome. Three days of constant “epic/legendary/monumental” everything managed to actually wear me out, which is a great feat, really.
I could recap the whole thing, but I am too tired. Instead, I will just post a link to the photoset on Flickr, and some shout-outs to those who made it great: Harmony for being the best sister in the world, Mike and Jerry of course for putting it on, the Enforcers for making it work, Wil Wheaton for calling me “baby” (swoon), Tony, Cameron, Sam, and Melissa for coming out, and especially the Twitteratti that made up my “PAX Posse”: @andy_k, @bethgo, @jtswinkles. I also had the joy of running into some great folks, albeit way too briefly: Jason and Montine, Colin Henry, Wade Rockett, Scott Robinson, and a bunch of new people I got to meet at PAX. Oh, yeah, and this guy dressed as Mario’s Princess Peach…
It was great to know so many people at PAX, that was a new experience and one I’m grateful to have had, because when it comes down to it, community is what PAX is about, or any conference for that manner. You can get so much information independently online these days, that now few conference panels can provide more factual information than can be easily researched by ones’ self (or viewed online after the fact, for that matter). After attending Gnomedex one weekend and PAX the next, two very different events, I’ve found that 95% of the value quickly becomes getting a chance to share an experience with a like-minded but diverse set of individuals who have committed their time to come together as a community.
So, though I’m tired, my extrovertism remains strong as ever. I feel so lucky to know the people I do, and am amazed at the seemingly non-stop flow of wonderful people in the world. It’s encouraging to know the world can be such a friendly place.
