- until each time I leave for LeakyCon, and the texts and excitement start flying, is that I AM SEEING SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS TOO. In the craziness of the year and all the work it’s easy to forget that. And I watch how people say “I’m going home,” and mean it. And I always feel like that guy who’s watching you all be happy and that makes me EXTRAORDINARILY happy.

And then today happens, the day I’m on the way. And I remember I am going to see John and Frak, and I have friends who have never seen this coming to experience it, and my cousin is coming from Italy, and my first ever fandom friend Meg (the one who got engaged in my book) is coming for the first time, and Cheryl is coming, and we got Maureen a Segway (the only thing that tops getting to just SEE Maureen), and I will get to hang with Andrew and Paul and Matt and Lauren B and Lauren F (who are just such wonderful examples of human beings in general), and I am so fortunate that my business partner is someone who is also my dear friend, and my coworkers and colleagues and all our volunteers are genuinely good people trying to do a good thing, and my life is such that I get to do a thing where I can order Mandrakes and Thor costumes and Hobbit ears as a legitimate part of my workday and that all my weird, silly impulses have a real shot of turning into real life (and often have). That is such an unbelievable gift. And for the first time since 2009 I am doing it free from threat on my life. Best LeakyCon ever.

My life is good, and I’m going home. See you there.