some alternatives to drinking alone in the dark

my latest blog post for the Inkpunks.
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I've had this conversation several times lately:

Friend: "Hey, what cons are you going to this year? Will you be at [ComicCon? Rainforest? IMC? Norwescon? WHC? IlluxCon? WFC?... etc]"
Me: "No, i'm not going to that one either..."

It usually feels a bit like this:
 

Let's face it. Conventions and workshops are great for networking with those in your field, pitching project ideas, promoting yourself, getting immersed in your craft etc etc. But also, cons are this magical alternate reality in which your scattered tribe, who you usually connect with only via the Internets, will all converge in one geographic location and have a good time!
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