Shanna Swendson's Blog, page 245
August 26, 2011
When Am I?
In my effort to get back on the right time zone, I set my alarm this morning. It helped that as incentive to get up, the channel formerly known as SciFi is doing a Primeval marathon, and the 7 a.m. episode was the last from the first season. The first season was a great deal of fun, and there was some promise in the second season after the timeline was changed, except they never really explored the timeline shift to the full extent and a lot of things in the new timeline made no sense. For instance, in the original timeline, the whole operation was very ad hoc, so it made sense that the idiot slacker undergrad who was into conspiracy theories and News of the Weird tabloid stuff would be part of the team, because he was the one who found out about strange things they needed to investigate, and then silly zookeeper girl just happened to be in the right place at the right time, so she fell into the team. They weren't funded at all, so it wasn't like they could recruit anyone else. They were stuck with the people who were in on the secret and willing to volunteer. But in the new timeline, it was this huge, official government operation, so you'd think they'd have handpicked the best and brightest. I could buy the paleontologist who was the expert on this stuff being part of the operation, along with his uber-competent big-game hunter/wilderness survival expert research assistant, but they never came up with any explanation why the too-stupid-to-live twins were on this team. And then they totally forgot about the timeline shift (including referencing specific events that happened pre-shift that supposedly these characters never experienced) and the characters I liked all left, leaving us with just the Too Stupid to Live Twins (I never really forgave them for killing off the hot, tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed guy). I've still been watching, when they bother to post episodes OnDemand, but it's not as much fun as that first season was. It has been interesting after seeing Chaos to see James Murray back in serious mode where he's not tossing off charming and droll one-liners while wearing a three-piece suit.
On another TV note, Doctor Who returns this weekend. I think I need to rewatch the mid-season finale, but finding time will be a challenge, since it's going to be a very busy weekend between choir stuff and going to visit my parents. That also means I won't get much online time, so I'll be bursting to analyze and discuss everything from both Doctor Who and Haven.
I did become more coherent yesterday and managed my med school writing. I've also been working on a new soundtrack/musical collage for the current book. This will be the third soundtrack so far for this book, but it keeps shifting as I hone in on the core of what it's about. Sometimes this sounds like procrastination or time wasting, but I came up with some ideas yesterday while listening to music that I think will really raise the stakes for everyone and create a real dilemma. I wouldn't have come up with these twists without the music, so I think it's a worthwhile exercise.
And now that I've been awake for several hours, I'm craving a nap, but I must stay awake so I can get to sleep on time tonight so I can get up in time for a choir rehearsal tomorrow.
On another TV note, Doctor Who returns this weekend. I think I need to rewatch the mid-season finale, but finding time will be a challenge, since it's going to be a very busy weekend between choir stuff and going to visit my parents. That also means I won't get much online time, so I'll be bursting to analyze and discuss everything from both Doctor Who and Haven.
I did become more coherent yesterday and managed my med school writing. I've also been working on a new soundtrack/musical collage for the current book. This will be the third soundtrack so far for this book, but it keeps shifting as I hone in on the core of what it's about. Sometimes this sounds like procrastination or time wasting, but I came up with some ideas yesterday while listening to music that I think will really raise the stakes for everyone and create a real dilemma. I wouldn't have come up with these twists without the music, so I think it's a worthwhile exercise.
And now that I've been awake for several hours, I'm craving a nap, but I must stay awake so I can get to sleep on time tonight so I can get up in time for a choir rehearsal tomorrow.
August 25, 2011
Rolling Heads
I seem to be simultaneously on two different schedules. I'm falling asleep on Central time and waking up on Pacific time, with some middle-of-the-night bouts of wakefulness in between. I had choir last night, which tends to wire me and make sleep difficult, but I have ballet tonight, which should tire me out some, and then I'll have to set an alarm in the morning to force me onto Central time, as this weekend will involve some morning activities. I've got a choir retreat on Saturday and then have to sing in the early service on Sunday. For someone with almost no internal clock, time differences can really get to me. I'd be happy to just get out of the fog I've been in all week. I got a little extra time for my medical school work because writing about medicine just hasn't been happening this week, and I have some convention PR work to get started on, if I could just focus the brain.
I'd forgotten to post the few photos I took, so here are a couple:
First, the throne from the A Game of Thrones series has a new inhabitant. This may have to be my FenCon staff photo for next year. Just sitting there made me want to order beheadings.
And then there was this lovely depiction of the Discworld.
On an entirely unrelated note, this article shows that there may be some hope for a dropped series getting another chance. But it takes a big effort by the fans, with an influential blogger getting involved, and the author can't do much more than let fans know what's going on so that they can spontaneously take action. If you want to take that as a hint, then go for it. You can't let another group of fans make you look like total slackers, can you?
And, finally, last week a few people were encouraging me to get on Twitter. So far, I have little interest in that sort of thing. I can't say anything in under 140 characters, and I can't imagine that many people caring what I have to say. The thought of one more social media thing makes me twitchy, and I stay offline most of the day. But if it can raise my profile and help boost book sales, which could lead to more books, I suppose it's something I must do. Any thoughts or advice on the topic of Twitter?
I'd forgotten to post the few photos I took, so here are a couple:
First, the throne from the A Game of Thrones series has a new inhabitant. This may have to be my FenCon staff photo for next year. Just sitting there made me want to order beheadings.
And then there was this lovely depiction of the Discworld.
On an entirely unrelated note, this article shows that there may be some hope for a dropped series getting another chance. But it takes a big effort by the fans, with an influential blogger getting involved, and the author can't do much more than let fans know what's going on so that they can spontaneously take action. If you want to take that as a hint, then go for it. You can't let another group of fans make you look like total slackers, can you?
And, finally, last week a few people were encouraging me to get on Twitter. So far, I have little interest in that sort of thing. I can't say anything in under 140 characters, and I can't imagine that many people caring what I have to say. The thought of one more social media thing makes me twitchy, and I stay offline most of the day. But if it can raise my profile and help boost book sales, which could lead to more books, I suppose it's something I must do. Any thoughts or advice on the topic of Twitter?
August 24, 2011
A Few More Thoughts
A few more random and scattered thoughts about the past week:
I had a nice view of the mountains from my hotel room window, and there was snow on the top of some of the mountains. I could sit on my bed and see snow, and it was lovely. It was warm during the daytime where I was, but that was low 90s and dry, so compared to home, it was delightfully cool. There was whimpering when I stepped off the plane in Dallas and got hit with the sauna.
The other thing I could see from my room was fire. One evening, I was sitting on my bed, either surfing the Net or reading, when out of the corner of my eye I saw flames shooting into the sky. I rushed to the window to see what building was burning down. It turned out to be something to do with the hotel/casino. One of the bars was in a skybridge crossing the street, and since the hotel was the Atlantis, they had these quasi-Grecian pillars on either end of the bridge. On top of these pillars were cauldrons, like the Olympic torch, and at night every so often these cauldrons would light up, sending flames shooting into the sky. I guess it's a lower-key version of some of the casino shows you get in Vegas, like the Mirage volcano or the pirate battle at Treasure Island. Once I knew what it was and realized the city wasn't burning to the ground in a fiery holocaust, it was kind of cool to look out the window at the flames.
I learned that a slim-fitting pencil skirt may look nice when I'm standing in front of a mirror, but it's not ideal attire when I have to walk long distances (the hotel may have been "adjacent" to the convention center via a skybridge, but someone said they measured it as nearly half a mile from the elevators to the meeting rooms). My usual marching band instilled 60-inch stride at 120 beats a minute didn't work in a skirt that only allowed me to move my legs below my knees, and I now understand where Marilyn Monroe got that walk. To make matters more interesting, the waistband actually hit around my hips. If it had really hit at the indentation of the waist, it could have stayed anchored, but instead it kept trying to climb to my waist, twisting as it went. That meant walking while holding my skirt in place. I thought this was going to be my basic khaki skirt, but I think it will have to be held for more static occasions, and I'll get a utilitarian school uniform skirt to be my basic khaki skirt. I bet this one will look awesome with stiletto heels, though.
My basil plant appears to have been a casualty of the trip. I worried it would dry out, but the soil was still damp when I got home, and yet all the leaves had fallen. I suppose I drowned it while trying to give it enough water to last the week. I left it outside all day yesterday, and the soil is still damp. I may just give up on it and get a new plant. Considering the price of fresh basil, I more than got my money's worth from this plant, and not having basil handy to snip cramps my cooking style. I felt strangely compelled to cook last night, and basil would have helped the dish I made.
One of the intangibles I got from the convention was a sense of what's missing from the current book that I think it needs. The magic isn't quite magical enough. In this book I'm not spoofing the software industry, the way I am with the Enchanted, Inc. books, so the magic needs to instill a sense of awe and wonder, and the way the characters respond to magic needs to say something about them. The main character's arc has to get her from being too rational about it to accepting that it works and that there aren't explanations for it. For some other characters, it's like an initiation into a reality they previously didn't know, and this will forever change the way they see the world. Pulling this off will require getting into a particular head space. I think this is why I haven't been able to find the ending for this book. I can resolve the main conflict, but I can't get a good conclusion. Oh, and I think I just figured something out so I'd better go write it down before I lose my tenuous grasp on it.
And then I need to go grocery shopping because my emergency post-trip supplies have run out. And then I have to do the medical school work I put off the last couple of days because I was really tired.
I had a nice view of the mountains from my hotel room window, and there was snow on the top of some of the mountains. I could sit on my bed and see snow, and it was lovely. It was warm during the daytime where I was, but that was low 90s and dry, so compared to home, it was delightfully cool. There was whimpering when I stepped off the plane in Dallas and got hit with the sauna.
The other thing I could see from my room was fire. One evening, I was sitting on my bed, either surfing the Net or reading, when out of the corner of my eye I saw flames shooting into the sky. I rushed to the window to see what building was burning down. It turned out to be something to do with the hotel/casino. One of the bars was in a skybridge crossing the street, and since the hotel was the Atlantis, they had these quasi-Grecian pillars on either end of the bridge. On top of these pillars were cauldrons, like the Olympic torch, and at night every so often these cauldrons would light up, sending flames shooting into the sky. I guess it's a lower-key version of some of the casino shows you get in Vegas, like the Mirage volcano or the pirate battle at Treasure Island. Once I knew what it was and realized the city wasn't burning to the ground in a fiery holocaust, it was kind of cool to look out the window at the flames.
I learned that a slim-fitting pencil skirt may look nice when I'm standing in front of a mirror, but it's not ideal attire when I have to walk long distances (the hotel may have been "adjacent" to the convention center via a skybridge, but someone said they measured it as nearly half a mile from the elevators to the meeting rooms). My usual marching band instilled 60-inch stride at 120 beats a minute didn't work in a skirt that only allowed me to move my legs below my knees, and I now understand where Marilyn Monroe got that walk. To make matters more interesting, the waistband actually hit around my hips. If it had really hit at the indentation of the waist, it could have stayed anchored, but instead it kept trying to climb to my waist, twisting as it went. That meant walking while holding my skirt in place. I thought this was going to be my basic khaki skirt, but I think it will have to be held for more static occasions, and I'll get a utilitarian school uniform skirt to be my basic khaki skirt. I bet this one will look awesome with stiletto heels, though.
My basil plant appears to have been a casualty of the trip. I worried it would dry out, but the soil was still damp when I got home, and yet all the leaves had fallen. I suppose I drowned it while trying to give it enough water to last the week. I left it outside all day yesterday, and the soil is still damp. I may just give up on it and get a new plant. Considering the price of fresh basil, I more than got my money's worth from this plant, and not having basil handy to snip cramps my cooking style. I felt strangely compelled to cook last night, and basil would have helped the dish I made.
One of the intangibles I got from the convention was a sense of what's missing from the current book that I think it needs. The magic isn't quite magical enough. In this book I'm not spoofing the software industry, the way I am with the Enchanted, Inc. books, so the magic needs to instill a sense of awe and wonder, and the way the characters respond to magic needs to say something about them. The main character's arc has to get her from being too rational about it to accepting that it works and that there aren't explanations for it. For some other characters, it's like an initiation into a reality they previously didn't know, and this will forever change the way they see the world. Pulling this off will require getting into a particular head space. I think this is why I haven't been able to find the ending for this book. I can resolve the main conflict, but I can't get a good conclusion. Oh, and I think I just figured something out so I'd better go write it down before I lose my tenuous grasp on it.
And then I need to go grocery shopping because my emergency post-trip supplies have run out. And then I have to do the medical school work I put off the last couple of days because I was really tired.
August 23, 2011
WorldCon Benefits
I'm home now, safe and sound. It was a reasonably good trip back, and even though the time difference theoretically shortened my day, it still felt very long. My timing did seem to work out perfectly -- being checked out just in time to catch the airport shuttle that got me to the airport in plenty of time to make my flight but without a lot of time to kill, then back in Dallas the shuttle to the remote lot where the city bus stops came very soon after I got to the waiting area, and then the city bus was there when I got to the stop. Things went so smoothly that I caught one bus earlier than I had expected, so I was home half an hour earlier. I think I've finally worked out all the kinks for taking the city bus to/from the airport, aside from the minor detail that the bus to the airport doesn't run on weekends (I would go on a rant about the silliness of no public transportation to the airport on the busiest travel days, but I always seem to be the only person on the bus going all the way to or from the airport, so there's apparently not much demand for the service, or else no one knows about it). I am eagerly awaiting the opening of the light rail line to the airport because then I'll be able to take the bus from my house to the rail station, and that should shorten the travel time plus make it possible to do on weekends.
It's very difficult for me to quantify the benefit of going to this convention. There was no truly concrete outcome, like an editor asking me to write a short story for an anthology, or anything like that. I did a lot of non-networking, which mostly means hanging out with people who might possibly be beneficial to me in some way, but doing so without thinking about how they might be beneficial. I may never even use any of these contacts, and I think that's part of why I have them because I know that some of these people get frustrated with how many people seem to be trying to leverage something with them. And I would still hang out with these people even if they weren't prominent because I just happen to like them as people. Besides, it's always fun to be surrounded by men who are talking about how beautiful I am. That's not something that happens to me in real life. In real life, I'm invisible. At a convention, I'm a sex symbol. I suppose I should prefer that they talk about what a great writer I am and build up some kind of feminist ire, but in that crowd I'm not sure I count as a "great" writer, and at least one of them has talked about me being smarter than he is (even wrote that when autographing a book for me), so I'm not going to get my panties in a twist about being considered the pretty one.
I gave away a fair number of bookmarks and met lots of people, and I did fun things. Even though this was a "work" trip, it did have the elements of that relaxing vacation I keep talking about taking. The time difference meant I never had to set an alarm to get up in the morning, and my mornings actually felt pretty leisurely (usually when I'm staying at a nice hotel, I don't have time to linger in bed and have to get up early and rush off to events). I had enough time to just hang out and enjoy the nice hotel room. I did a lot of reading and hit the swimming pool/hot tub most days. I'm not even that tired, other than the general travel tiredness and some possible time zone adjustment. I did wake up in the middle of the night feeling disoriented when the arrangement of the room felt wrong, and it took me a while to realize I was at home and not in the hotel room.
I think most of my benefits were intangible. I picked up some bits and pieces of info that will likely make it into my career or my writing. I've got a better sense of what I need to do with this problem child book. I have some new promotional ideas. I'm more motivated because I've had the reasons I do what I do reinforced. I want to create great books that inspire fans. If I can carry that forward, then it will have been worthwhile.
It's very difficult for me to quantify the benefit of going to this convention. There was no truly concrete outcome, like an editor asking me to write a short story for an anthology, or anything like that. I did a lot of non-networking, which mostly means hanging out with people who might possibly be beneficial to me in some way, but doing so without thinking about how they might be beneficial. I may never even use any of these contacts, and I think that's part of why I have them because I know that some of these people get frustrated with how many people seem to be trying to leverage something with them. And I would still hang out with these people even if they weren't prominent because I just happen to like them as people. Besides, it's always fun to be surrounded by men who are talking about how beautiful I am. That's not something that happens to me in real life. In real life, I'm invisible. At a convention, I'm a sex symbol. I suppose I should prefer that they talk about what a great writer I am and build up some kind of feminist ire, but in that crowd I'm not sure I count as a "great" writer, and at least one of them has talked about me being smarter than he is (even wrote that when autographing a book for me), so I'm not going to get my panties in a twist about being considered the pretty one.
I gave away a fair number of bookmarks and met lots of people, and I did fun things. Even though this was a "work" trip, it did have the elements of that relaxing vacation I keep talking about taking. The time difference meant I never had to set an alarm to get up in the morning, and my mornings actually felt pretty leisurely (usually when I'm staying at a nice hotel, I don't have time to linger in bed and have to get up early and rush off to events). I had enough time to just hang out and enjoy the nice hotel room. I did a lot of reading and hit the swimming pool/hot tub most days. I'm not even that tired, other than the general travel tiredness and some possible time zone adjustment. I did wake up in the middle of the night feeling disoriented when the arrangement of the room felt wrong, and it took me a while to realize I was at home and not in the hotel room.
I think most of my benefits were intangible. I picked up some bits and pieces of info that will likely make it into my career or my writing. I've got a better sense of what I need to do with this problem child book. I have some new promotional ideas. I'm more motivated because I've had the reasons I do what I do reinforced. I want to create great books that inspire fans. If I can carry that forward, then it will have been worthwhile.
August 22, 2011
Maxed out on Fun
I pretty much ran out of steam Saturday evening. It was about the time I needed to get dressed for the Hugo award ceremony, and I found myself thinking that I wasn't up for an award, and while I had friends up for awards, it wasn't as though I'd get anywhere near them at the ceremony. And then there's the fact that I kind of hate ceremonies like that. So I decided to skip the ceremony. I spent a pleasant evening in my room, listening to music and reading while drinking tea, and every so often I'd look online to see who'd won the various awards. When they announced the last award, I got dressed and went to the post-ceremony parties.
On that final night, I stayed up until 1:30, but some of that was reading because I was right at the part where Our Heroes were in the impossible situation they couldn't get out of, and I didn't want to try to sleep until I knew how they got out of it. I was still up early enough this morning to go to the morning church service and went to a panel. Then I had a nice chat over lunch with an Australian fan before I decided I was done and went back to my room. I spent some time in the pool and hot tub, then had dinner with a friend and then called it a night. They've been showing the recent Les Miserables concert on PBS (pledge drive), and that's been good background noise for packing, aside from the sad times when that poor Jonas brother is trying to keep up with the rest of that cast.
I must say that I'm more than ready to be home. This has been fun, but I may have reached the limits of my capacity for fun. I'm also eager to get back to work. I may be physically tired, but that may have something to do with being mentally energized. I've got a long day ahead of me, though, as the time difference means I'll be traveling all day, getting home just in time for dinner after leaving shortly after breakfast.
I'll do more detailed posts about the content of what I saw and heard at the convention later in the week.
On that final night, I stayed up until 1:30, but some of that was reading because I was right at the part where Our Heroes were in the impossible situation they couldn't get out of, and I didn't want to try to sleep until I knew how they got out of it. I was still up early enough this morning to go to the morning church service and went to a panel. Then I had a nice chat over lunch with an Australian fan before I decided I was done and went back to my room. I spent some time in the pool and hot tub, then had dinner with a friend and then called it a night. They've been showing the recent Les Miserables concert on PBS (pledge drive), and that's been good background noise for packing, aside from the sad times when that poor Jonas brother is trying to keep up with the rest of that cast.
I must say that I'm more than ready to be home. This has been fun, but I may have reached the limits of my capacity for fun. I'm also eager to get back to work. I may be physically tired, but that may have something to do with being mentally energized. I've got a long day ahead of me, though, as the time difference means I'll be traveling all day, getting home just in time for dinner after leaving shortly after breakfast.
I'll do more detailed posts about the content of what I saw and heard at the convention later in the week.
August 20, 2011
Being Arty
Yesterday was a more typical convention day for me. I guess I went more "arty" than I usually do, as I visited the art show and went to an artist presentation. I had a fun surreal moment in the art show. I was getting a close-up look at the sketches for the A Song of Ice and Fire calendar when I noticed a gentleman standing next to me, looking at the same sketches. I stepped out of the way so he could get closer, then realized it was George R.R. Martin. It was kind of cool to be looking at that art with him. The artist, John Picacio, is a friend (and the main reason I keep ending up with the Cool Kids at cons), and he got a kick out of the story. He was the artist whose presentation I went to. I'm not a very visually oriented person, and I thought it might be interesting to hear the artist talk about the process behind the art. I ended up playing tech support when the projector wasn't working. I knew what to do on his Mac to make it work with the projector, so I was able to figure out that the problem was with the projector, and sure enough, when they brought a new projector it worked fine.
Then I managed to stay at parties until after midnight. As a result, I'm barely awake today. I made it through a few panels and now will need a big nap before the Hugo Awards.
The Texas bid won for WorldCon in 2013, so that year I'll just have to go down to San Antonio. That means I'll be able to save some money for going to London in 2014 (assuming their bid wins).
It looks like other than forgetting the camera cable, my packing was on target. I'll have used or worn everything I brought, except for maybe a couple of pairs of socks. That's how I judge my packing effectiveness. I haven't brought unnecessary stuff if I use everything I brought. Now I'm trying to decide if I want to use one of the swimsuits or take my nap now.
Then I managed to stay at parties until after midnight. As a result, I'm barely awake today. I made it through a few panels and now will need a big nap before the Hugo Awards.
The Texas bid won for WorldCon in 2013, so that year I'll just have to go down to San Antonio. That means I'll be able to save some money for going to London in 2014 (assuming their bid wins).
It looks like other than forgetting the camera cable, my packing was on target. I'll have used or worn everything I brought, except for maybe a couple of pairs of socks. That's how I judge my packing effectiveness. I haven't brought unnecessary stuff if I use everything I brought. Now I'm trying to decide if I want to use one of the swimsuits or take my nap now.
August 19, 2011
Dangerous Dancing
Yesterday's "I haven't done this at a con" adventure involved dancing. They had a session teaching the Victorian rotary waltz, which got my brain all tangled up because it's the opposite of the Viennese waltz I know. Then there was a "tea dance" afterward, where I seemed to be much in demand as a dancing partner. That meant three hours of pretty vigorous dancing (the waltz is not for wimps). It was a ton of fun, but I'm paying for it today. That hip flexor muscle I pulled in jazz class last week is now objecting loudly to what I put it through yesterday. I'm barely mobile today.
I think today may be a more typical convention day, as there are panels I want to attend. And then there may be hot tub time so that maybe I'll be able to walk again without pain.
On the up side, there was more cello music at the dance, and I bought the musician's CD because it was really lovely stuff and I think it will be good writing music because it fits the mood of something I've been thinking about/working on.
Last night after a post-waltz nap I hit the party circuit briefly. I had two people I didn't know see my nametag and mention loving my books, so I felt like a minor celebrity. I had some brief conversations shouted in passing with friends, but those parties get very loud and very crowded, and someone who doesn't deal well with noise or crowds (like me) can't deal with that for long. I may be back to hanging out in the lobby bar with my friends tonight. There's more space and it's a little quieter.
I did discover that in all my efficient packing, I forgot one thing: the USB cable for my camera. So I'll have to wait until I get home to post pictures. I haven't taken many, but there is one that is rather fun.
I think today may be a more typical convention day, as there are panels I want to attend. And then there may be hot tub time so that maybe I'll be able to walk again without pain.
On the up side, there was more cello music at the dance, and I bought the musician's CD because it was really lovely stuff and I think it will be good writing music because it fits the mood of something I've been thinking about/working on.
Last night after a post-waltz nap I hit the party circuit briefly. I had two people I didn't know see my nametag and mention loving my books, so I felt like a minor celebrity. I had some brief conversations shouted in passing with friends, but those parties get very loud and very crowded, and someone who doesn't deal well with noise or crowds (like me) can't deal with that for long. I may be back to hanging out in the lobby bar with my friends tonight. There's more space and it's a little quieter.
I did discover that in all my efficient packing, I forgot one thing: the USB cable for my camera. So I'll have to wait until I get home to post pictures. I haven't taken many, but there is one that is rather fun.
August 18, 2011
One of the Cool Kids
I survived day one of WorldCon. After a long nap, I finally got dressed and headed out at about the time things opened. They were short-staffed at the SFWA table, so I volunteered to sit there for the first hour, which was a good place to see familiar faces drift by and to meet new people as they came by the table. During a later wander through the dealers' room I ran into still more people, ranging from a college friend to writers I only run into at cons.
Since I don't have a real schedule at this convention, I decided I want to do stuff that's different from what I normally do. For instance, although I like music, I almost never go to concerts at conventions. Well, they had the musical guests (Tricky Pixie) perform a number at the opening ceremonies, and the band included a cello for the "bass" part. I love the cello sound, and they were very good musicians, so I decided to go to their concert (I guess you could say they had me at cello). I'm even considering getting their CD.
Then there was a brief run through a few of the parties and finally meeting up with some friends in the lobby outside the bar. Thanks to the friends of my friends, that was a rather august gathering. If I mentioned who I was hanging out with, it would sound like I was indulging in egregious namedropping. I got to hear some great stories of conventions from way back, including tales of some of the great Grand Masters (from someone who qualifies as a Grand Master, himself). There was a minor debate/discussion about generation gaps among fandom and a general discussion about fans freaking out about meeting favorite authors -- and authors who still freak out a little about meeting their favorites.
I don't know what it says about me that I usually end up in the middle of a group of men like that -- all married, and while there are some compliments, there's no real flirtation or anything that would upset a wife. I once read a book where a character was described as the kind of woman the boss's wife would hire to be her husband's secretary, and I think I fall into that category, not so much because of being unattractive, but because of some personality thing. I guess I come across as someone who wouldn't be receptive to anything untoward and maybe also as a little remote, like someone you look at and interact with but don't touch. I don't mind because I like hanging out with men like that, but it is interesting that at almost any gathering, I'll be surrounded by admiring men who aren't hitting on me in any way.
I made it until about 11 before I started collapsing, then was up not long after 6 this morning. I did a shift helping out in the SFWA suite, and now I guess I need to get ready for the one official event I plan to do today -- which is another thing I never do at conventions (I'll report on it tomorrow). After that, there will probably be napping before another round of parties and hanging out with the cool kids again tonight.
Since I don't have a real schedule at this convention, I decided I want to do stuff that's different from what I normally do. For instance, although I like music, I almost never go to concerts at conventions. Well, they had the musical guests (Tricky Pixie) perform a number at the opening ceremonies, and the band included a cello for the "bass" part. I love the cello sound, and they were very good musicians, so I decided to go to their concert (I guess you could say they had me at cello). I'm even considering getting their CD.
Then there was a brief run through a few of the parties and finally meeting up with some friends in the lobby outside the bar. Thanks to the friends of my friends, that was a rather august gathering. If I mentioned who I was hanging out with, it would sound like I was indulging in egregious namedropping. I got to hear some great stories of conventions from way back, including tales of some of the great Grand Masters (from someone who qualifies as a Grand Master, himself). There was a minor debate/discussion about generation gaps among fandom and a general discussion about fans freaking out about meeting favorite authors -- and authors who still freak out a little about meeting their favorites.
I don't know what it says about me that I usually end up in the middle of a group of men like that -- all married, and while there are some compliments, there's no real flirtation or anything that would upset a wife. I once read a book where a character was described as the kind of woman the boss's wife would hire to be her husband's secretary, and I think I fall into that category, not so much because of being unattractive, but because of some personality thing. I guess I come across as someone who wouldn't be receptive to anything untoward and maybe also as a little remote, like someone you look at and interact with but don't touch. I don't mind because I like hanging out with men like that, but it is interesting that at almost any gathering, I'll be surrounded by admiring men who aren't hitting on me in any way.
I made it until about 11 before I started collapsing, then was up not long after 6 this morning. I did a shift helping out in the SFWA suite, and now I guess I need to get ready for the one official event I plan to do today -- which is another thing I never do at conventions (I'll report on it tomorrow). After that, there will probably be napping before another round of parties and hanging out with the cool kids again tonight.
August 17, 2011
Time Lagged
It turns out that my concerns about the time difference in Reno were well-founded. I managed to stay up until 10 local time last night, but the last half hour was a struggle. Then I was wide awake and starving at 6 this morning. Fortunately, there's one 24-hour restaurant in this hotel, so I was able to have breakfast (the other places didn't seem to open until after 7). I was surprised that there were people in the casino at that time of morning. It wasn't exactly rocking, but it wasn't dead. I did notice that instead of the cocktail waitresses working their way around the casino, they had a coffee and donut cart. I also saw them disinfecting the slot machines. A casino at 6 in the morning is kind of pathetic. I don't buy into the glamour at the best of times, but this removed any last shreds there might have been.
I had a pretty good trip yesterday. I took the bus to the airport and decided to get off at one of the stops that transfers from my neighborhood bus to the airport bus instead of riding all the way to the transit center while fretting that I'd miss the connection (because the bus from my neighborhood is always late). That meant standing outside for a while, but it wasn't too bad. Then my plane was full of Vietnam veterans on their way to a convention in Reno. The one sitting by me reminded me a bit of my dad, and I'd bet he was a retired officer (with my upbringing, that's something I've learned to recognize). When he saw me tear through the American Way crossword puzzle in just a few minutes, he offered me the puzzle in his New York Times, and then at the end of the flight he got my bag down from the overhead bin, then asked every other lady nearby if she needed her bag. Otherwise, he read his book and I read mine and we didn't feel obligated to chat, so he was pretty much the perfect traveling companion. This plane had in-flight entertainment, so I plugged in my phone's headset and listened to classical music, except for when they showed an episode of Parks and Recreation.
Once I got into my room, got checked into the convention and got something to eat (great discovery: the appetizers and drinks in the Italian restaurant bar are half-price during the late afternoon when my body is craving food -- I inhaled a pizza and then was surprised when I got the bill and saw it was half-price), I made a quick Walgreens run to pick up some toiletries (cheaper than paying to check a bag) and snacks, then hit the indoor swimming pool to loosen up my muscles.
Nothing starts at the convention until about noon today, so I will likely end up taking a nap soon. I may have been awake at 6, but I'm still sleepy, and tea isn't helping.
I had a pretty good trip yesterday. I took the bus to the airport and decided to get off at one of the stops that transfers from my neighborhood bus to the airport bus instead of riding all the way to the transit center while fretting that I'd miss the connection (because the bus from my neighborhood is always late). That meant standing outside for a while, but it wasn't too bad. Then my plane was full of Vietnam veterans on their way to a convention in Reno. The one sitting by me reminded me a bit of my dad, and I'd bet he was a retired officer (with my upbringing, that's something I've learned to recognize). When he saw me tear through the American Way crossword puzzle in just a few minutes, he offered me the puzzle in his New York Times, and then at the end of the flight he got my bag down from the overhead bin, then asked every other lady nearby if she needed her bag. Otherwise, he read his book and I read mine and we didn't feel obligated to chat, so he was pretty much the perfect traveling companion. This plane had in-flight entertainment, so I plugged in my phone's headset and listened to classical music, except for when they showed an episode of Parks and Recreation.
Once I got into my room, got checked into the convention and got something to eat (great discovery: the appetizers and drinks in the Italian restaurant bar are half-price during the late afternoon when my body is craving food -- I inhaled a pizza and then was surprised when I got the bill and saw it was half-price), I made a quick Walgreens run to pick up some toiletries (cheaper than paying to check a bag) and snacks, then hit the indoor swimming pool to loosen up my muscles.
Nothing starts at the convention until about noon today, so I will likely end up taking a nap soon. I may have been awake at 6, but I'm still sleepy, and tea isn't helping.
August 15, 2011
Prep Day
I'm hoping that a trip preparation day works kind of like a dress rehearsal, where a bad one means the actual event will go well. Not that it's been bad so far, just more eventful than I might like.
First, there was the attack of paranoia in the middle of the night last night, when, for some odd reason, I got it into my head that I'd bought my plane tickets or made my hotel reservations for the wrong day, that my flight was actually today instead of Tuesday or that my hotel reservation started a day late. I'd started thinking about how it would be a scramble, but I could have managed to leave today. This was so consuming my mind that I couldn't sleep, so I got up, went up to my office, found my airline receipt and my hotel confirmation, then made sure that everything was as it should be. I don't know why I get paranoid about that kind of stuff because I've never made that kind of mistake, but I have known people who did.
And then this morning I was running all my pre-trip errands. One of those was to drop off my recycling at the drop-off center in the Home Depot parking lot, where I almost got run down by the getaway driver from a group of teenagers who'd apparently shoplifted the Home Depot garden center. I'd noticed that they were running to the car and jumping in a lot faster than you'd usually expect from someone just having bought a few gardening items, so I sensed that they were going to tear out of there and got out of the way. Then I saw the clerk running out after them, describing the incident on the phone, and I realized what must have happened. I'm afraid I'd be a terrible witness to a crime because I couldn't have described them or their car. I was focusing more on how I was reacting and feeling because I thought it could be useful in writing.
My big achievement for the weekend was finally getting the new computer set up and the files transferred, for the most part. I loaded the Office software, got my e-mail contacts and critical folders transferred, then transferred my photos, iTunes stuff and documents. Now I can take the new computer with me and have access to everything I might need. I'll still probably do most of my writing on the old computer because it's not connected to the Internet, but this should give me some flexibility. It's only been more than five months since I bought that computer. I have no idea why I procrastinated this long. I guess because I didn't need it before now.
Now I just have a few little things to take care of (like putting the trained attack nosy neighbor on the alert) and a few big things (like packing!), and then I'll be ready, so I hope I can relax and sleep tonight. I even have stuff ready for meals when I get home. The 12-ounce bottles of milk from Target have really long lifespans -- the expiration date on the ones I bought today was in October. They're more expensive than regular milk, but not having to go grocery shopping the day or the day after getting home from a trip is priceless. And I have some frozen entrees handy in the freezer, so I can get home and throw dinner in the microwave.
I'll have the computer with me, so I'll be reporting from the convention.
First, there was the attack of paranoia in the middle of the night last night, when, for some odd reason, I got it into my head that I'd bought my plane tickets or made my hotel reservations for the wrong day, that my flight was actually today instead of Tuesday or that my hotel reservation started a day late. I'd started thinking about how it would be a scramble, but I could have managed to leave today. This was so consuming my mind that I couldn't sleep, so I got up, went up to my office, found my airline receipt and my hotel confirmation, then made sure that everything was as it should be. I don't know why I get paranoid about that kind of stuff because I've never made that kind of mistake, but I have known people who did.
And then this morning I was running all my pre-trip errands. One of those was to drop off my recycling at the drop-off center in the Home Depot parking lot, where I almost got run down by the getaway driver from a group of teenagers who'd apparently shoplifted the Home Depot garden center. I'd noticed that they were running to the car and jumping in a lot faster than you'd usually expect from someone just having bought a few gardening items, so I sensed that they were going to tear out of there and got out of the way. Then I saw the clerk running out after them, describing the incident on the phone, and I realized what must have happened. I'm afraid I'd be a terrible witness to a crime because I couldn't have described them or their car. I was focusing more on how I was reacting and feeling because I thought it could be useful in writing.
My big achievement for the weekend was finally getting the new computer set up and the files transferred, for the most part. I loaded the Office software, got my e-mail contacts and critical folders transferred, then transferred my photos, iTunes stuff and documents. Now I can take the new computer with me and have access to everything I might need. I'll still probably do most of my writing on the old computer because it's not connected to the Internet, but this should give me some flexibility. It's only been more than five months since I bought that computer. I have no idea why I procrastinated this long. I guess because I didn't need it before now.
Now I just have a few little things to take care of (like putting the trained attack nosy neighbor on the alert) and a few big things (like packing!), and then I'll be ready, so I hope I can relax and sleep tonight. I even have stuff ready for meals when I get home. The 12-ounce bottles of milk from Target have really long lifespans -- the expiration date on the ones I bought today was in October. They're more expensive than regular milk, but not having to go grocery shopping the day or the day after getting home from a trip is priceless. And I have some frozen entrees handy in the freezer, so I can get home and throw dinner in the microwave.
I'll have the computer with me, so I'll be reporting from the convention.
