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| Booth Babe, 2015 |
Hamvention is the biggest ham radio convention this side of the North Pole and I have lost count how many times I have attended along with 30,000 other hams.
I usually drive (about 750 miles one way to Dayton, Ohio). Going, the drive is not bad because I am looking forward to the event, but driving home is a drag and I swear that I will fly next year. But by the time Hamvention rolls along, I convince myself that driving is not so bad, so forget flying.
In the past, Saturday night in Dayton was en femme night. I’d return to my hotel after the day’s event, dress pretty and go to a nightclub solo or with local transgirls I met online.
Starting in 2010, Hamvention became a real life experience (RLE). I spent the whole Hamvention weekend en femme – even traveling pretty to and from Ohio.
In case you don’t know, I was well-known in the ham radio community writing magazine columns and books for the national ham radio organization. I also am a director, secretary and newsletter editor for another ham radio organization. So attending Hamvention for the first time en femme was a real trip.
I had forewarned my editors and fellow directors and officers beforehand, so they were not surprised. I also did not surprise many civilians unless they recognized my name and/or callsign displayed on the admissions ticket clipped to my clothing because I figure most assumed I was a middle-aged female ham or the significant other of some male ham.
I repeated RLE every year until Hamvention was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID19. Same thing happened in 2021. And although Hamvention did take place in 2022, I was COVID19-leery and stayed home.
I intended to go this year until my doctor advised me to have total knee replacement surgery. Surgery occurred January 30. Would I be sufficiently recovered from surgery by mid-May to attend Hamvention?
The literature on the subject said six months was about the minimum time for recovery and 12 months was more likely. So I decided to forget about attending Hamvention.
As luck would have it, I recovered quickly and maybe attending Hamvention was in the cards after all. The only question was how my knee would hold up driving 750 miles from here to there and back.
The knee in question was my left knee – on the leg I use for the the clutch of my standard transmission Subaru. My knee has been OK driving half hours or so locally, but how would it hold up for 11 hours or so? I decided not to take a chance and stayed home suffering from Hamvention withdrawal syndrome all weekend long!
On a positive note, I didn't have to drive home from Dayton!
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| Wearing The Frankie Shop |
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| Petra, a German reader |
So gurfriend, you’re telling us you had the courage to go to the Convention as a woman, but didn’t have the courage to get to the convention because of Covid with a 99% survival rate.
ReplyDeleteOh my, what has our world become?
I had two good friends die from COVID19, so gurlfriend, you know what you can do with your 99% survival rate.
DeleteToo bad you could not borrow a car with an automatic trannie from a friend. As to being cautious in 2002, I also did not attend an army reunion due to potential Covid infection; trapped in an airplane cigar tune and handing with 450+ aged men and their wives for four days was a little bit too much. Covid has been pushed to the back pages, but one has to check out the demographics of who is still dying or getting long Covid. It's still knocking around.
ReplyDeleteYour "automatic trannie" reference made me chuckle.
DeleteYou're just right to be cautious, both with COVID and your new knee. Hoping to get to Hamvention next year from GI-land. Maybe see you there!
ReplyDelete