went to Atlanta to see Mase. Remember Mase (or as he often spelled it, "Ma$e")? He's the former rapper who joined Puff Daddy for a string of hits in the late Nineties, including "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down," wherein the pair bragged, "10 years from now we'll still be on top." Sure, Notorious BIG was dead, but the Bad Boy rappers were living large - all brand names and girls with no panties -- and then something happened that even the Puffster couldn't spin.
Mase found God. And Mase became a preacher.
For over a year now, he has been known as Rev. Mason Betha, head of SANE Ministries in downtown Atlanta. Although the conversion went terrifically underreported at the time, The New York Times ran a great story last November (which I have tried and failed to find for you on their website). I was fascinated. I couldn't wait to check out the place and the man himself -- what a study in the human capacity for change (or was it?). But none of this would ever happen, because before I could see Mase on Sunday, I saw DragonCon Saturday night.
Jesus Christ, DragonCon. The big scifi convention held each year in Atlanta. I'd never even heard of it, but my friend Tara and her boyfriend Daniel, a game designer, were going to be there. They told me I couldn't miss it. They told me I wouldn't forget it. They were right. I swung some press credentials, we called up for a rollaway bed in Tara and Daniel's hotel room, and we hit the conference and the afterparties, coaxing along on free drinks and bummed cigarettes until the wee hours. It's too bad I couldn't drag my ass out of bed the next day and into the house of the Lord. I think I needed a little saving.

You can read my report from DragonCon, "Let Your Freak Flag Fly, in this week's Austin Chronicle at http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2002-09-13/screens_feature9.html.