When Steve and Greg arrived in town Wednesday evening for Origins, I took them to try the hamburgers at Thurman Cafe. For those who don't know, Thurman burgers are massive, sprawling things with more meat, cheese and toppings than are probably good for you. What better way to begin an Origins weekend, though? The con itself is a huge, sprawling affair chocked full of more types of gaming and topped off with more camaraderie and celebrating than is probably good for you, too! My sleep-deprived recollections of past Origins weekends in Roman Thoughts must have enticed a few Great Lakes members, as our evenings at "Big Bar on Two" saw fresh recruits...but that is for later.

Once again, the chapter did an excellent job showcasing itself and historical miniatures. From Brian O'Leary's "Vacationing in Panape," to James Morrison's "Utah Beach," Great Lakes treated Origins attendees to fun and gorgeous games. At the Miniatures Headquarters desk, many members put in long hours answering questions, explaining what our chapter does and handing out flyers. My especial thanks to Jack Shaw, Steve "Laser Boy" Smith, Rick Shirtzinger and Pacific Southwest's Steve Verdoliva. Of course, the ability to put in long hours has reached legendary status for Jodie and Pete Panzeri.

I was happy to see many of our recruits from last year back at Origins, renewing their memberships. We recruited fewer members this year, but renewed a lot more. So, though it was not the financial windfall of 2002, it was a success nonetheless. My guess as to one reason for fewer recruits is we were often so busy helping people find their games -- pointing out how to find it on the chart and look it up on the map -- that potential recruits browsed by our table less out of courtesy (seeing how busy we were). Next year, we'll signpost the thing better, so we have more time.

The thing that stood out to me was that historical miniatures are no longer merely a sidelight or special feature at Origins -- we are "business as usual." There were even half a dozen vendors selling historical merchandise, so we're making progress there. When it comes down to it, though, the best part of the con is spending time with friends I seem to see only at the cons. Having a beer at "Big Bar on Two" with Steve and friends (we welcomed new bar regulars like Mike Czar, Uwe and Wojo), laughing at what happened in the games that day, giving and taking grief from your buddies (especially harassing "Uber-Whiner"), that is the stuff that stays in my mind, the memories from Origins. Even if they tend to be a bit sleep deprived and hazy at times!