party time

Yesterday was rather full.   After breakfast we went over to the convention hall, where I was introduced and read a few remarks.  Then there were various speeches about space travel and a writing contest, all in Japanese.

We hit the bricks and found a nice coffee house/restaurant not far away, and with Regina Glei had lunch and ice cream – more ice cream joints than bars around here.  Then returned to give a little talk.  I was interviewed by Naoyuki Katoh and Gay was interviewed by Regina.

Then I gave a reading, the first six pages of a Playboy story, “Blood Sisters.”  Not my finest work, but someone requested it.  Maybe because it’s easy to understand, a private-eye thing.  A woman named Ikeda Kun read the Japanese translation.  (We alternated paragraph by paragraph).

We went back to the hotel to put our feet up for an hour, and then went to the GoH party, which was an elaborate buffet feast with dozens of plates of more or less identifiable things.  Okay sweet wine.  There was a bingo game; I won a little model helicopter and Gay won some coasters.  Then people milled about talking for a couple of hours, fueled by plenty of beer and the odd wine.  I didn’t try the whiskey.  It was only 75 proof, but it’s really not on my diet anymore.  (And I remember Japanese whiskey from Vietnam.  Useful for treating external wounds.)

It was a very jolly time.  Now off to the final day.

Joe